(I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to write something that requires brainpower. These two chapters feel like a pile of dog shit, but I still have to force myself to write them. Waaah, please be gentle with my criticism, or just skip ahead and don't read it.)
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Emperor Xiu led 10,000 soldiers toward Copper City. To avoid attracting the attention of the Ning Kingdom, everyone traveled light, avoiding the main road and taking side roads. Finally, they had to clear their tracks.
There was a forest five miles from Tongcheng. Scouts checked and found no signs of ambush. Although Di Xiu could not use his divine sense, his eyesight was excellent. After confirming that there was no danger, he used the forest as temporary cover.
To avoid startling the birds and attracting the attention of the soldiers in Tongcheng, everyone spread out slightly and moved more quietly.
Emperor Xiu ordered everyone to rest on the spot and fill their stomachs with dry rations. He then ordered scouts to disguise themselves as refugees and approach Copper City to investigate.
Half an hour later, the scout returned and reported that the city gates were under martial law, and entry and exit were strictly controlled. Ordinary merchants could not enter; they had to have Ningguo identity documents.
With the same number of troops, attacking a city is always more difficult than defending it. Directly attacking is definitely not an option, but with the enemy in the open and us in the dark, we have the initiative and greater flexibility.
Emperor Xiu selected ten people and arranged them in this way. Although the ten people looked puzzled, they did not waste time on questions and answers.
Emperor Xiu then ordered his men to dig traps around the perimeter of the forest, attach tripwires, and then send a hundred men to ambush from behind to prevent Tongcheng from asking Pucheng for help. After that, they took turns on guard and waited for nightfall.
Midnight...
Chou hour (1-3 AM)...
The hour of Yin (3-5 AM) is when people are most tired and relaxed. The clouds obscure the crescent moon's radiance, and ten dark figures, taking advantage of the cover of night, rush towards the direction of Tongcheng, with reeds in their mouths, and dive into the river that runs through the city, swimming downstream.
Emperor Xiu led four hundred of his elite troops, using cover to approach the side of the main gate of the Copper City.
At 2:45 AM, a large flock of birds took flight from above the woods, their noise startling the soldiers on the watchtower. The quiet city was suddenly filled with noise, and the soldiers who had been dozing on the city wall were also awakened.
The first scouts were always sent out, and then they went back to report.
The heavy city gates slowly opened, and cavalrymen filed out.
As they approached the woods, the lead general, suspecting a trap, ordered everyone to stop. The deputy general dismounted and listened to the sounds coming from the ground. After confirming the sounds again, he said disdainfully, "There are indeed only about ten thousand men. We haven't heard any horses' hooves; they're all infantry. Such a small number, and they're just infantry? They dare to come and attack our Copper City."
"Send scouts to investigate the situation again."
The scouts approached, only to be struck by a stray arrow from the forest and fall from their horses. A chorus of mocking voices echoed from the woods. A mass of something hurled at the leading general, who swung his sword to cleave it open. Two pieces of what appeared to be the excrement of some unknown creature landed on his face, and a stench immediately assaulted his nostrils.
Hearing the laughter coming from the woods, the general could no longer contain himself.
"Kill him! I'll tear that bastard to pieces!"
The darkness concealed the tripwire, and the men, enraged, caused a chaotic scene of men and horses falling over.
The general was agile and quick. Just as he was about to roll down, he slapped his horse's back hard, using the momentum to fly up and roll to the side. However, he was caught by the rope net and immediately drew his sword and cut the rope net.
But others might not have such skill. When the general saw this, his eyes widened in fury. When he saw the firelight in the city, he realized he had been tricked and his heart burned with rage.
Using the terrain and prepared traps, the soldiers in the forest began to outwit and outmaneuver the more than one thousand cavalrymen who had come out of the city. They harassed them with trash talk from time to time, and their tactics were extremely despicable, which had an effect that exceeded the Emperor Xiu's expectations.
Inside the copper city, flames rose everywhere, accompanied by inexplicable rumbling sounds. From somewhere, someone shouted, "Fire!" and then, "Enemy infiltrates!" "Close the city gates!" The soldiers at the city gate who were preparing to follow immediately began to retreat.
As the city gate slowly closed, a figure appeared like a ghost. With a swift stroke of his sword, more than a dozen men tumbled from their horses, their fates unknown. He kicked the closing gate, slowing its closure, and seized the opportunity to enter. While parrying attacks from all sides, he transformed his left hand into a palm strike, unleashing a surge of powerful internal energy, and killed the soldier closing the gate.
Needless to say, this man was also an enemy, and his soldiers swarmed forward. But he simply guarded the city gate, holding a sword in his hand, blocking all the attacks from all directions and the flying arrows.
Four hundred elite troops followed closely behind, colliding with the returning infantry.
Some cavalrymen turned back, but only a few, and for these four hundred elite soldiers, the restraint had virtually no effect.
They fought their way back to the city gate, where they joined up with Emperor Xiu.
The city gates were closed, keeping the invading enemies in and blocking the friendly soldiers outside.
A series of booming sounds rang out again within the city. The sound was like thunder, but the bright moon was high in the sky, and it didn't look like thunder was about to strike.
Emperor Xiu said to a young general, "Tell your city garrison to surrender immediately, or I will raze Copper City to the ground."
He was expressionless and spoke calmly, but perhaps it was his unquestionable and self-evident aura that made people involuntarily believe his nonsense.
The young officer's expression changed drastically: "Was this your doing?"
"yes."
The city guards arrived and demanded that Di Xiu surrender and hand over the explosives. The two sides could not reach an agreement, and the latter, no longer holding back, suddenly attacked, placing his sword against the former's neck. The two sides, who were fighting, immediately stopped.
"Surrender, or be killed."
"Kill them then!" the city guard shouted with righteous indignation and hoarse voice. "The men of Ningguo will never surrender. Soldiers, listen to my command! Don't worry about me, kill these invading villains. If we don't kill them, they will kill your parents, wives, and children. We must not let these villains trample on our homes and insult our families."
Di Xiu was silent for a moment, feeling like he was the villain.
To the people of Wandan and Ning, he might truly be the villain.
He used his inner strength to transmit his voice, making sure everyone could hear: "Our Tiansheng governs the country with benevolence. We have always spared those who surrender and forbid our soldiers from raping, plundering, burning, killing, and looting. The city lord can rest assured. If you surrender the city, the people of this city will become the people of our Tiansheng and will be protected by our soldiers. They will certainly not be humiliated."
The city garrison commander's eyes flickered: "Can you guarantee you can control your men?"
"Otherwise, you will be subject to military law."
The city garrison commander slumped his shoulders and sighed, "I will agree if you can't bomb my copper city anymore."
Emperor Xiu agreed.
The cavalry, who had been fighting in the forest, returned disheveled and exhausted, only to hear that the city's defenders had surrendered. The lame general, his eyes blazing with fury, was knocked unconscious and taken away to rest.
The soldiers on the city wall came down and laid down their weapons.
Di Xiu did not allow the soldiers outside to come in, lest they feign surrender.
The confiscated grain, weapons, and various jewelry and artifacts, though useless and temporarily untransportable, still had to go through the proper procedures.
The people who had been counted for casualties in the city returned and said that no one had been injured or killed in the explosion. The city guard was suspicious and his eyes turned unfriendly as he looked at Di Xiu. But then he saw the latter casually throw something out, and a large crater appeared in the open space.
"If you dare to make any moves, I cannot guarantee that there will be no casualties."
With a compassionate heart and a ruthless approach, the city lord, filled with trepidation, suppressed his thoughts.
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