Chapter 123 Battle (Part 3): Siege + Nail
Yue Yao lived up to his reputation as a young general handpicked by He Qinglan. Riding a fully equipped steed (gifted by Sun Yannan) and wielding a crescent-shaped blade, he defeated several enemy generals and elite soldiers, winning cheers from the crowd.
With a crescent-shaped blade in one hand and the head of an enemy general in the other, Yue Yao charged toward his own camp.
Lu Hong looked at Yue Yao and liked him more and more. He first glanced at Zhang Zigao with envy: Such a talented person, yet he ended up in such a small place as Mao'er Mountain, and Zhang Zigao got the benefit. It's such a pity!
What future can I expect by following Zhang Zigao? I'd be better off following this governor!
He planned to go back and find someone to try and recruit Yue Yao.
Lu Hong pondered for a moment, then adjusted his expression and solemnly asked the various lords, "Shall we continue fighting?"
He asked the question, but he already had the answer in his heart: there was no need to continue fighting alone.
Firstly, Yue Yao currently holds the upper hand, forcing Lu Wei's generals to refrain from further combat. Secondly, Yue Yao's stamina has been depleted by now, and if Lu Wei were to employ a strategy of attrition to exhaust Yue Yao's strength and then send a skilled general to kill him, it would be a net loss.
Zhang Zigao replied quickly, "Let's stop fighting and attack the city directly!"
Ye Hui agreed, but she pointed out, "We can't leave all our troops here."
Zhao Jiashu nodded, "Have some men attack the city to draw away enemy forces; have others flank and encircle them from behind, cutting off their retreat."
He Qinglan said, "Send a few more troops to ambush the enemy in the direction they might escape. If Lu Wei can't hold the city and tries to escape with his men, we can intercept him in time." She suggested several place names.
Upon hearing this, Tao Xi, the prefect of Mengchuan County, casually flipped open a map and praised, "Governor He, what a good idea! I will send men to guard Queqiao Mountain."
Prefect Zhang Haiping of Ziyang County glanced at the map and volunteered, "Then I will send troops to guard Leigongtang."
Jiang Rong, the leader of the Langya Peak uprising, also leaned over, stared at the map for a while, and suggested that he send someone to Luoyue Cliff.
No one raised any objections.
Sun Yannan thought for a moment and said, "I will send men to attack the rear of the county town." A pincer attack from both sides.
He Qinglan calculated for a moment, and then said to everyone, "My men will guard the north of the city. I want the lives of the Prefect of Huai'an and the head of the Sun family."
The young woman's voice was as cold and piercing as freshly melted snow, carrying an air of undeniable authority.
Although the various feudal lords did not understand, none of them deliberately opposed her.
After all, if you argue with her now, you might get retaliated against later when your own interests are involved.
Knowing the inside story, Sun Yannan and Lu Hong subconsciously glanced at Yun Youning, who had no expression on her face: the second daughter of the Yun family in Huai'an County.
During the massacre of the Yun family, Yun Youning somehow managed to escape. She not only killed all the assassins but also took her surviving family members and all their wealth, heading straight to Yunhe County in Jinzhou to seek refuge with He Qinglan.
They didn't say anything. Twenty-seven members of the Yun family were innocently murdered. If Yun Youning had died, that would have been one thing, but since she was alive, the perpetrators should naturally be held responsible.
That being said, there are many examples in this world of families being destroyed and people dying, while their enemies are living a comfortable life.
Yun Youning was also lucky to be highly valued by He Qinglan, which is why she is able to stand here now and have the opportunity to take revenge herself.
However, Lu Hong and Sun Yannan did not know that if He Qinglan had not intervened to save them, Yun Youning and her family would now be nothing but bones buried in the earth.
Her Yun family's assets had long been divided up by others.
When people mention the Yun family, they only express their regret that the family was unlucky enough to run into bandits.
Before long, no one will remember the Yun family anymore, no one will know about the Yun family's grievances, let alone avenge the Yun family!
Zhu Youchuan gently squeezed Yun Youning's hand.
So many years have passed, and now, the remains of my family are within reach, and so is the enemy.
No need to rush.
Yun Youning grasped his hand in return and squeezed it firmly to reassure him.
So many years have passed, and soon she will be able to personally send the villain to the underworld to meet his parents, so naturally she is not in a hurry.
The siege began instantly.
The imperial army, positioned on higher ground, unleashed a barrage of arrows.
The Allied forces deployed a full range of siege equipment: ladders, giant catapults, trebuchets, siege towers, battering rams...
Arrows rained down like rain, and boulders shone like stars.
Many people fell on and at the foot of the city walls.
The Jinzhou Firearms Battalion makes its appearance.
It demonstrated the astonishing destructive power of artillery to both the enemy and their own troops: the giant catapults were not throwing stones, but cannons!
The cannon flew through the air like a meteor, tracing a beautiful arc before landing on the city wall. With a deafening roar, a huge crater was instantly blasted into the wall!
Countless stones fell.
Everyone was shocked, hardly believing their eyes: Jinzhou could actually use fire attacks to such an extent?!
How did they do it?
The artillery battalion remained silent and continued firing.
Shells flew out one after another, landing at the city gate, on the city wall, and on the city tower.
In an instant, one large crater after another was blasted open, and the corpses of enemy soldiers fell down along with large rocks.
The city gate tower was also destroyed.
Lu Wei and his officials were so frightened that they left the city wall and ran towards the prefectural government office inside the city.
As Lu Wei ran, he cursed, "Where did these rebels get their fireballs? Damn it! Once I capture them, I'll blow them to bits with fireballs!"
He was puzzled: the rebels had such fireballs, so it must not be the first time they had used them, but why hadn't Xue Rang found out about this?
The prefect looked flustered, but reassured himself, "It's alright, Prime Minister, no matter how powerful their fireballs are, they can't hit the prefectural government!"
Lu Wei sneered, "If we fail to breach the city gates, we naturally won't be able to reach them, but if..."
The governor's face turned ashen. He retorted, "Does the Prime Minister think that your army can't defeat these rebels?"
Lu Wei naturally didn't think so; his eyes flashed with a fierce light.
Lu Wei's strategist, Lu Qingxiang, calmly said, "Prime Minister, do not worry. The rebels are merely a temporary alliance; they are not of one mind. As long as we sow discord a little..."
Lu Wei and Xue Rang had discussed this, and had long ago planted spies in the rebel ranks: either by placing people in their ranks, bribing them with money, or extorting them with leverage.
At this moment, it was only because the Jinzhou artillery was unexpected that he became impatient.
Lu Wei calmed down and said to Lu Qingxiang, "Let's get started. It's time for the spies we've planted to come in handy."
Lu Qingxiang replied, "Yes."
At the city gate, tens of thousands of cavalry and infantrymen were already fighting with sharp weapons.
The battle was extremely fierce, accompanied by shouts of battle, horns, and the clash of weapons.
Ning Huai'an, carrying a long spear, charged at the forefront, wielding the spear with overwhelming momentum, and stabbed the enemy soldier off his horse.
Zhao Qiguang of Maozhou carried an iron mace in each hand, and with each swing of the mace, he could kill a soldier.
Xu Xinqi of Ganzhou, wielding a halberd in one hand, fought bravely among the enemy troops.
Guo Lang wielded a chain-linked spiked hammer with ferocious power.
Hong Changxu from Ningzhou wielded two swords, his swordplay fierce and sparks flying.
The sounds of fighting were deafening.
Some people were killed and fell to the ground, their bodies trampled by horses and soldiers.
Some people were seriously injured and went to great lengths to escape the battlefield in order to avoid being accidentally injured.
Some fought bravely, their armor stained red with the blood of the enemy, the blood of their allies, and their own.
...
He Qinglan looked at the battlefield not far away, her eyes reflecting the countless figures of people.
She remained silent.
The system appeared in his mind.
System: [Host, is this how you'll become famous?]
He Qinglan: [Once I reach the top, no one will be able to deny that I am the best chef in the world.]
system:【……】
It objected, unwilling to give up: "But how can you be so sure you'll reach the top? Perhaps you'll lose this time, perhaps you'll lose when you fight for supremacy in the future."
He Qinglan said calmly, "It's okay if I lose, I have you."
System: [Hehe.]
Yes, the host has this system that can provide an unlimited amount of food.
Whoever becomes the next emperor of this world, he will not refuse the host's request to join him, and the host will still have the opportunity to become famous throughout the world.
The system perked up; it had been appeased by itself. Its electronic voice, slightly excited, announced: "[I thought you were engrossed in playing the Conqueror game and had forgotten our mission!]"
He Qinglan remained calm: [How could that be? I absolutely must go back; my "parents" are still waiting for me at home.]
The system was completely relieved. [That's good. Good luck, host! You're my first host, and I want to complete this mission with you!]
He Qinglan casually replied, "Yes, I will."
The battle lasted for several days.
Meanwhile, the other Allied forces watched with a mixture of shock and envy as the soldiers in Jinzhou ate their delicious meals: fresh vegetables and meat, oil, salt and sugar!
It smells so good it makes your mouth water.
“This is the best form of publicity.” Xi Baolu said to Feng Jiawei while eating a beef hamburger, “We’re all human, we’re all soldiers, so why can you eat rice and meat while I can only eat dry rations and I’m not even full?”
It's simply because I followed the wrong master.
If I had a different master, I could enjoy the same treatment and have enough to eat!
Feng Jiawei, with an honest face, replied, "Some people will resort to robbery."
Food is the most important thing for people. Not everyone would want to change masters, that would be too much trouble. Instead, they would think that as long as they reach out and take your food, they can eat such a sumptuous meal!
Xi Baolu said, "We don't eat or rest in the same place."
Feng Jiawei countered, "Does this affect their ability to carry out their plan?"
Xi Baolu narrowed her eyes.
She understood what Feng Jiawei meant: the benefits of defeating the imperial army were a distant prospect, but the benefits of besieging the Jinzhou army were right in front of them, and it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't turn around and stab their own side in the back.
However… Xi Baolu laughed, “Since you were able to think of this, the goddess must have already made arrangements, right?”
Feng Jiawei laughed, "Yes, the goddess has decided to lure you into a trap."
This trick never fails; everyone in Jinzhou uses it extensively.
About ten days later, the spies that Lu Wei's men had planted under the banners of various warlords came into play.
A said to Zheng Jiming, "If He Qinglan is gone, Jinzhou will collapse, and you can make a timely move to seize most of Jinzhou's business! Isn't that better than doing business with He Qinglan?"
Yi advised Zhang Zigao: "I heard that Lu Hong has been secretly sending people to contact Yue Yao, trying to persuade Yue Yao to switch sides. I know Yue Yao will not betray Mao'er Mountain, nor will he betray you, but... Lu Hong's actions are far too disrespectful to you, the leader!"
Bing reminded Yu Wenjiang, "No matter how much effort we put in, we are still inferior to those governors in terms of territory size, military strength, and supplies! So, if we defeat Lu Wei in the future, how much will we get when it comes to rewards?"
Ding earnestly advised Zhao Jiashu, "Governor, Lu Hong and Sun Yannan clearly want to ascend the throne and become emperor. You are now the governor of Qingzhou. If one of them has the opportunity to rule the world in the future, will they still let you continue to be the governor? Won't they want to take back Qingzhou?"
...
Ye Hui poured a cup of tea for Zhu Yunwei and Li Xianyu, who were sitting opposite her. The two hurriedly said that they dared not accept it and respectfully picked up the teacups with both hands.
Ye Hui's lips curled slightly as she asked, "So, has anyone tried to bribe you?"
Li Xianyu had just taken a sip of tea when he heard this and almost spat it out. He coughed and said, "Yes, and they even gave me a piece of jade that I've wanted for a long time."
Zhu Yunwei was somewhat displeased, "What? You got a piece of jade? Then why didn't anyone give me the 'Cranes Dancing' painting I wanted?"
Ye Hui was surprised. "Really? No one tried to bribe you? Aren't you the first person in Ningzhou besides my husband and me?"
Zhu Yunwei: "..."
He covered his face with one large hand, "Perhaps that's why no one tries to bribe me."
He's second only to Cao Ruheng and Ye Hui; you wouldn't get this treatment from anyone else!
Zhu Yunwei exclaimed, "I was careless! My masterpiece!"
Ye Hui laughed, "Using spies and planting moles is something we're all used to, but this is the first time we've all teamed up to play a trick on each other and lure the enemy into a trap."
Li Dinghui took another sip of tea and asked, "But can everyone really resist temptation?"
Ye Hui and Zhu Yunwei exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
“If a fool can’t be saved, then we won’t save him,” Ye Hui said.
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