Chapter 259 All-out War
"Master He, how about we rush out and kill the enemy?"
"No! This is clearly an enemy trick. They've exhausted all the arrows and boulders in our city, hoping to lure us out! Everyone, don't fall for it! Our walls are impenetrable. As long as we hold on, they'll run out of food and supplies and will naturally retreat!"
"Sir, someone's coming again!!"
County Magistrate He's face changed drastically. He leaned over to look, only to hear the soldier beside him say, "Sir, it doesn't look like a rebel... It looks more like a farmer from the surrounding area..."
County Magistrate He shouted to his men, "Who are you? Dejiang County does not accept refugees. Leave immediately, or I will shoot you with arrows!"
But where are the bows and arrows?
Their bows and arrows were all taken away by the rebels last night!
The villagers remained silent, only moving closer to the city gate, which made the people on the wall shudder...
What on earth are these people trying to do?
The leader was a burly man with an iron cylinder-like object in his hand, which he aimed at the people upstairs.
"Sir, is it a hidden weapon?!" a soldier shouted in horror.
"What a hidden weapon! It's just an iron cylinder, what are you afraid of?"
The man began to speak into the iron tube.
The man spoke with great energy and his voice was so loud that it made people's heads buzz.
The sound echoed faintly, and not only could it be heard by the city walls, but even the people inside the city could hear it clearly!
"People of Dejiang County, we are villagers from the nearby Jiming Village!"
Jiming Village?
Isn't that the territory of the Jinzhou rebels? It's not far from Dejiang County.
The soldiers on the city wall all pricked up their ears, very curious about what the villagers had to say.
County Magistrate He's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Quick, quick, drive them away! Don't let them spread rumors here to confuse the public!"
The soldier looked troubled: "Sir, we have no bows and arrows. If we open the city and drive them away, what if the rebels take this opportunity to attack us?"
Another soldier said, "We still have a few logs—"
County Magistrate He shook his head, "Are we going to smash unarmed civilians to death?"
During this interval, the strong man continued to speak loudly into the iron tube, his voice was deafening.
"You probably don't know yet, but Xingyuan Prefecture has been occupied by our city lord! Your Xingyuan Prefecture is already our territory. Right now, only the people of your Dejiang County and the two neighboring counties have not surrendered. The people of other cities have already surrendered their cities and have even started distributing land and grain!"
At this moment, County Magistrate He finally understood what these rebels were planning!
These traitors have such vicious intentions!
They actually asked the villagers of Jinzhou Prefecture to help persuade them to surrender!
But they said that Xingyuan Prefecture was occupied. Is this true or false?
Sure enough, when the soldiers on the city wall heard the words "divide land and distribute grain", their expressions suddenly became a little dazed.
"You might not know this yet, but our soldiers in Jinzhou Prefecture are paid one tael of silver a month, and we never delay their payments. We also provide three meals a day, including as much rice as you want. If you get sick or disabled, we provide free medical treatment. If you die on the battlefield, our city lord will take care of your mother and children until they pass away or your children grow up!"
County Magistrate He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He quickly shouted to the soldiers around him, "What are you doing?! Quickly drive them away! Captain Li, what are you standing there for? Go down and drive them away!"
Li Bantou seemed to come to his senses at this point, and he agreed repeatedly, then quickly walked down the city wall.
After turning a corner, he slowed down his pace, pricked up his ears, and only cared about what the man outside said.
"Xingyuan Prefecture has surrendered, and Dejiang County will be taken by us sooner or later. If you don't open the city gates today, tens of thousands of troops from Jinzhou Prefecture will surely be at the gates tomorrow! We are all poor common people, just worrying about having clothes to wear and food to eat, who cares who is the emperor? As citizens of our Jinzhou Prefecture, the city lord teaches our children to read and write for free, and also sends people to teach us how to raise pigs in Lan County. Now in Jiming Village, every child over the age of five can read and write, and every household raises pigs. Our lives are so much better than before!"
"Everyone, think about it. Winter is almost here. Have you forgotten what we went through last winter? We were starving in Jinzhou Prefecture, and the roads were littered with corpses! But since we followed the City Lord, we've already smoked the bacon in October! The winter food the City Lord distributed has also arrived. Who knows how prosperous this year will be!"
"What's the point of you stubbornly defending the city gates? What do the Zhou Dynasty officials care about your lives? You're guarding the city gates now, and you might starve to death next month. If not for yourselves, you should at least think about your sons and daughters. Anyway, the kids here have already started to read and write, and they will be much better than you in the imperial examinations! Surrender early and live a good life sooner. Our Jinzhou soldiers are very well-behaved and never kill innocent people when entering the city! If you want to live a good life, quickly persuade your Lord He to open the gates and surrender! We in Jinzhou never kill those who surrender!"
When Lord He heard this, he was furious and pointed at his men, cursing loudly: "You are spreading rumors and misleading the people! You are spreading rumors and misleading the people! Where is Li Bantou? Why hasn't he left the city gate to drive them out?"
A soldier beside him frowned and said to Lord He, "Sir, I heard that Jinzhou Prefecture never kills or plunders when entering the city, and Xingyuan Prefecture has surrendered. Why don't we open the city gates and surrender as well?"
County Magistrate He raised his eyebrows, then drew the long sword from the waist of the person behind him and thrust it forward.
The man who spoke widened his eyes, looked at the bloody hole on his waist in disbelief, and then slowly fell to the ground.
This sudden change shocked everyone on the city wall.
Everyone's face changed drastically and they looked panicked.
County Magistrate He actually beheaded a soldier on the spot!
"All of this is nothing but a conspiracy by the rebels. Xingyuan Prefecture has 10,000 soldiers, how could they possibly surrender to the rebels?! Anyone who dares to talk about surrender and shake the morale of the army will end up like this!"
Everyone looked at County Magistrate He, whose face was covered in blood, and was quite frightened.
At this very moment, the man below shouted, "Your Lord He is receiving a salary from the court, so he must defend this city to the death. He can't surrender. If he surrenders, he will lose his head! It doesn't matter whether you lose your heads or not. He only wants to keep his head and official position. So even if all of you die, he won't surrender! Soldiers, think more about your mothers and sons. Don't be foolish and follow your county magistrate to defend this city to the death. The sooner you open the city gates, the sooner you can get your share of winter food! Winter food is limited. Once the two neighboring counties are captured, you will have even less!"
When the soldiers on the city wall heard this, and faced the blood-stained face of County Magistrate He, their expressions finally changed slightly.
Yes. Officials only care about keeping their own official hats and don’t care about the lives of ordinary people.
If Lord He lost the city, he would be beheaded by the imperial court, but they lost the city but were able to live a good life with land and grain!
County Magistrate He's hand gripping the longsword trembled slightly, as if sensing the ferocious gazes from those around him. He couldn't help but chuckle, "You...don't believe these lies. You wear the official uniforms of the Great Zhou Dynasty and receive salaries from it. How do you know the rebels won't burn, kill, and loot when they enter the city? Behind you are the twelve thousand citizens of Dejiang County. Don't forget your responsibilities!"
The soldiers on the city wall were hesitating when they heard the city gate slowly being pushed open. Liu Dazhuang, who was in the distance, took a look through his telescope and immediately shouted, "People from Jiming Village, run! Someone is coming out of the city!"
The people of Jiming Village immediately ran away upon hearing this, but it was Li Bantou who came out, shouting, "Soldiers of Jinzhou Prefecture, the gate is open, everyone rush in—"
Everyone was stunned by this statement.
When the soldiers on the city wall saw that Li Bantou had surrendered to the enemy, they almost immediately shouted, "Since Li Bantou has surrendered to the enemy, let's kill the county magistrate and claim the credit!"
"No, the county magistrate is a good official. Let's tie him up and hand him over to the city lord for punishment!"
County Magistrate He was shocked and tried to escape, so a dozen people caught him and tied him up tightly.
Besides, below the city wall, the soldiers in charge of the city gate looked at each other in bewilderment, as if no one had expected that Li Bantou would surrender to the enemy as soon as he went out.
Someone shouted, "Close the city gate!"
He was about to pull the lifting rope when he was suddenly pushed away. A cold light flashed, and someone drew his sword: "Today, I will see who dares to move this city gate!"
"You...you...king's servant, you...you want to rebel?"
The man sneered, "It doesn't matter who becomes emperor. Whoever pays me and keeps me fed will be my emperor!"
Seeing that the rebels from Jinzhou Prefecture had not made any move, Li Datou knew that they did not trust him. While he was hesitating, he suddenly heard a shout from upstairs: "Li Bantou, we have tied up Lord He. Please invite the soldiers from Jinzhou Prefecture into the city!"
Li Datou was overjoyed. He squeezed his legs hard against the horse's belly and rushed out a long distance. He shouted to the empty forest, "Soldiers of Jinzhou Prefecture, County Magistrate He has been captured by us. Please rush into the city!"
Liu Dazhuang and his men were hiding in the mountains and forests. At this moment, he was extremely nervous and pointed his telescope at the city gate.
The soldiers also looked alert.
On the other hand, Ren Chuang was drooling over the telescope in Liu Dazhuang's hand. "General Liu, when will you let us play with this telescope?"
Liu Dazhuang took down the telescope and threw it to Ren Chuang without any concern. "Since you have made great contributions in attacking the city, I will lend it to you to have a look."
Ren Chuang immediately cheered, and the people around him were so envious that their eyes turned red.
This is the new telescope launched by the institute!
The legendary immortal item that can see a hundred miles away!
Currently, only the old members of the Xu family’s political team can own one.
Ren Chuang looked at the city wall through the telescope and couldn't help but slap his thigh, "Oh my God, this is too clear! I can even see a few hairs on the mouths of the people on the city wall--"
"That's too much, let me use it for a bit—"
Liu Dazhuang suddenly rushed forward with his sword in hand. "Don't waste time! County Magistrate He has been arrested. Let's attack the city now!"
"Yes!"
A loud and uniform shout!
Soon, Xu Zhenying received the battle report.
It was already late at night. She was sitting in the conference room of the government office and received battle reports from several major war zones almost simultaneously.
"Good news! Dejiang County, Guanghan County, and Liushui County have been captured. Currently, the only remaining county left for the Five Vanguards is Xu Huijia's Kangjian County."
Mo Jinchun, Gu Guihua and others immediately looked happy.
However, the second battle report made Xu Zhenying frown.
Mo Jinchun quickly asked, "City Lord, what happened during the siege?"
Xu Zhenying pointed to the battle report from the west. "Lu Fei sent in the report. He said that things are not going well in Sanping County. There are unusual movements among the people of King Zhoushan. I guess we'll be fighting the one in the west soon."
Mo Jinchun was a little worried: "Lu Fei only brought 3,000 soldiers, while the King of Zhoushan claims to have 200,000 soldiers. If a fight really breaks out, how are we going to respond?"
Xu Zhenying smiled bitterly. "Not only that, but as the saying goes, a single move can affect the entire body. This time, the people in the west have taken action, and the Li Kings in the south will not be outdone. Jinchun, we are now under attack from both sides!"
These words silenced everyone present.
Seeing this, Chang Zizai volunteered, "City Lord, now that Xingyuan Prefecture has been captured, I think most of the people have surrendered voluntarily, and there shouldn't be anyone causing trouble. How about I take the remaining 500 people and rush to Sanping County to provide assistance?"
Xu Zhenying nodded and said, "Take my handwritten letter and ask Qian Zhenniang to send another 10,000 troops to Sanping County."
Chang Zizai's face lit up with joy and he quickly responded.
Zhao Qiaonian was eager to achieve something, and was clearly a little anxious. "City Lord, why don't I go with Brother Chang? We've been here for a long time, but we've been idle all the time. It's really frustrating."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Brother Zhao, don't worry. You've just arrived at our place and don't understand many of the rules. Let you get familiar with the environment first. You'll be busy in the next two days."
Zhao Qiaonian felt a little relieved and sat down again.
Since taking over Xingyuan Prefecture, Xu Zhenying hadn't assigned him any specific tasks. People like Sun Qingchen and Lin Lao were assigned by An Pei to assist Fang Xun in government affairs, but they weren't assigned any specific tasks, just flexible cooperation. This inevitably made them feel that they were not valued.
They traveled thousands of miles not just to eat, drink and reminisce!
But what does Xu Zhenying mean by the familiar environment?
Zhao Qiaonian pondered these words over and over again, and always felt that they were quite meaningful.
Fang Xun's worries grew even more intense. "We only have about 40,000 men in Jinzhou Prefecture, and now we've deployed 30,000 of them. There are only 10,000 guards in Jinzhou Prefecture, and it's practically an empty city."
"Don't worry, Fang Xun. Jinzhou Prefecture is now located in the hinterland. Even if all the guards are withdrawn, it should be fine."
After everyone had dispersed, Xu Zhenying spoke to Fang Xun alone, "Fang Xun, the situation is more tense than we thought. Take a look at the letter from Qianzhou."
Xu Zhenying handed the letter in his hand to Fang Xun.
Fang Xun was shocked when he saw this. "They actually want to take the initiative to attack the two Li kings?"
Xu Zhenying nodded. "That's right. But if we really follow Zhang Wanjun's method, we're not without a chance of winning."
Fang Xun objected, "City Lord, think twice! Even with the twenty thousand men from Qianzhou Prefecture, it would be extremely unwise for us to provoke the two Li kings. Battlefields are ever-changing. If we only rely on these twenty thousand men to provoke that behemoth, what will we do if we invite a wolf into our home? Furthermore, the Qianzhou natives have not undergone proper training and are of varying quality. How can we possibly defeat the two Li kings, who are said to have hundreds of thousands of soldiers?"
"Fang Xun, even if we don't provoke the two Li kings, they will still come and attack us. A war is bound to happen between us and the two Li kings."
"But fighting comes sooner or later. Right now, our front lines are stretched too thin, and we're deploying troops everywhere. Attacking the south now is simply too risky!"
"As the saying goes, opportunities are sought in danger. So, the two Li Kings would never have thought that we would dare to attack them when we are so overwhelmed. This way, we can catch them off guard."
Fang Xun knew that once Xu Zhenying made a decision, it would be almost impossible to reverse it, so he had to keep silent.
The meeting seemed to end on a somewhat unpleasant note.
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