Chapter 696 A Dream of Youth 228
Two days have passed, and they still only occupy the area around the East Gate. Lingzhou City remains unconquered, and there has been no progress even on the southern side.
Fu Yao was extremely anxious. If his estimate was correct, Li Yu would arrive with his army within a day.
The fact that there's been no movement in the south of the city means they're waiting for the two armies to converge so they can wipe them out in one fell swoop.
But now Lingzhou City has already breached a gap. If the Seven-Level Canal is opened, even the people inside the city will find it difficult to escape completely. This means that thousands of people will be sacrificed for them.
That's too ruthless.
The strategist took a sip of tea. The chill emanating from the charcoal fire inside the tent made it feel like summer, but it was the dead of winter. If Fu Yao weren't the commander, he wouldn't have had these few pieces of charcoal to use.
The soldiers outside, those in better condition, could get some wood to start a fire for warmth; otherwise, they huddled together.
If this continues, even with new winter uniforms, they will find it difficult to endure.
"Grand Commander, didn't we bring a batch of thunderclap cannons with us?" the strategist said calmly. "Why not use them to clear a path?"
Liu Yuanchang suddenly stood up. "No, we've already breached one of the city gates. If we use the Thunder Cannon inside the city, Lingzhou City will be almost completely destroyed."
The explosive power of the thunderbolt is limited, but it can cause fires, and then Lingzhou City will be truly destroyed, with countless people perishing in the flames.
They were meant to besiege cities, not destroy them.
Several generals disagreed, but others did. They reasoned that since they were already in danger, why bother with so much? In their eyes, their own lives and the lives of their soldiers were far more important.
The strategist sighed, his gaze falling on the charcoal stove, where sparks crackled and burned into everyone's hearts.
"But even if we don't do anything, they will still freeze and drown. Xili doesn't even want his own people." Why should they care about so much?
On the battlefield, sometimes it comes down to who is more ruthless.
The chief steward hesitated, finding it difficult to make a decision.
"Grand Steward, Lord Xie requests an audience."
Xie Ning's arrival broke the tense atmosphere in the tent. He first reported on the situation of the medicinal materials in the medical tent, and then looked around and calmed down.
She has been trying to find a solution these past two days. Sometimes she really wishes she were omnipotent, but that can only be realized in dreams. She is just an ordinary person, and in the face of war and disaster, her power seems so insignificant.
She had neither the strength to fight against ten thousand people nor the energy to resist a raging flood; at that time, she would be nothing more than one of the desperate survivors.
A deep sense of powerlessness lingered in my heart, suffocating me.
"...At this point, the East Gate has already been occupied by us. If Xi Li still insists on breaching the Seven-Level Canal, then the people in the city will not escape this disaster either..."
What Xie Ning couldn't understand was that Lingzhou City not only had commoners, but also many officials from Xili and 80,000 elite soldiers.
If you abandon the people, what about them? Do you abandon them too?
A general with a scar on his eye glanced at Xie Ning and cleared up Xie Ning's doubts, "Lingzhou City is located on high ground, especially their military camp inside the city. The terrain is quite high. Even if the east gate is eroded by water, they can survive on higher ground. However, there are probably only positions for officers and soldiers there."
Houses and residents in low-lying areas will still be flooded.
Given this plan, it's not impossible that Xili would devise a corresponding countermeasure and prepare refuge and food in advance.
Xie Ning was mainly unfamiliar with the terrain and layout of Lingzhou City. Hearing this, he understood and said, "They abandoned the people of Lingzhou City, so... why don't we take over?"
No one understood Xie Ning's meaning. The chief steward frowned, thinking that although Xie Ning was not knowledgeable in military affairs, he was very intelligent. He had not only reduced their army's casualties to the lowest level ever, but also had to thank the person who risked his life to run to Zhou's side for this intelligence. However, it was also thanks to Xie Ning's meticulousness.
Therefore, the chief steward listened to Xie Ning with more patience.
The same goes for the other generals, since they had all been treated by Xie Ning and had a good impression of him.
Xie Ning took a deep breath. "No one wants to die. In a war between two countries, although we are enemies, people still want to live when faced with death... Moreover, Xili has abandoned them."
Lingzhou City is lost territory, and not all the people who have lived here for generations are from Xili. Will they fight to the death for Xili?
I think it's unlikely. The common people don't understand why they have to fight each other. All they want is to live, to be able to eat their fill and stay warm. Perhaps they don't even care who governs them.
What they care about is who can give them the opportunity to live, and to live a better life.
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