The Northern Army's preparations for war were in full swing, but the morale of the Wuding side was low and they had no fighting spirit.
The fire in Wuding City burned for a whole day and night, and only gradually died down at noon the next day.
In the sparse remaining fire, it can be seen that the once majestic Wuding City has become a pile of ruins.
A full ten thousand Yong soldiers were standing on the periphery. When they saw this scene, they all looked sad and grief-stricken.
Even though all the civilians and soldiers in the city were infected with the disease, they burned Wuding for the sake of the overall situation, but in the end they still attacked their own compatriots and set the fire themselves.
This is such a bad feeling. After all, the people from Wuding who rioted last night... they just wanted to live...
Qiao Zhongguo stood directly opposite the Wuding city gate. Looking at the devastation, his face turned pale and his eyes became moist.
At this time, the sound of horse hooves came from behind, and the leaders were Qiao Diyi and Xiao Qianyue.
The two of them went to Beiding last night and sent 10,000 troops to stop the Wuding riot. This morning, they brought another 20,000-plus troops over.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic in Wuding, all the Yong troops have been stationed in Beiding. They only knew how terrible the epidemic was, but had never seen the tragic situation in Wuding with their own eyes.
Now, seeing the once majestic national gate Wuding burned into such a dilapidated state, all the Yong troops were shocked and stopped at the same time.
Qiao Zhongguo turned his head and looked at Qiao Diyi from a distance.
Then he turned around, suddenly bent his knees, and knelt down facing Wuding City.
Seeing this, the Qiao family army behind him and the Yong army around him also knelt down.
The north in June is not yet hot, and the wind blowing in the wilderness is extremely refreshing.
But today, the wind carried heat, which was the residual heat from the burning of Wuding City, mixed with the smell of burning charcoal, which almost burned the hearts of every soldier present.
Qiao Zhongguo bowed his head and kowtowed heavily. When he stood up again, his face was filled with sorrow:
"The heroic spirit of Wu Ding is above, I, Qiao Zhongguo, am guilty of burning the city today!"
As soon as these words came out, the faces of the Yong army changed drastically, and some people couldn't help but shout out:
"General! This isn't your fault!"
"Yes! It is clear that the northern bandits have lost all conscience and have invaded Wuding. They are unforgivable criminals!"
"We must avenge our fellow countrymen in Wuding!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Yong army, who had been deeply immersed in grief, suddenly became filled with indignation.
Upon seeing this, Qiao Zhongguo raised his hand and waved. All the soldiers immediately fell silent and the field fell silent again.
Qiao Zhongguo took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and raised his voice again:
"The northern bandits spread the plague, and destroyed 200,000 of our Yong Dynasty's troops. Last night, Wuding was burned down, and the flames shot up to the sky. The northern bandits must have also found out the details of Wuding."
"I have already written back to the capital a few days ago about the predicament here, but reinforcements will take at least half a month to arrive, and the northern bandits will not miss this opportunity."
"The war is imminent—"
Qiao Zhongguo paused for a moment when he spoke this, and looked around, passing through faces that were some young and some old.
The next moment, he said sternly: "The northern bandits have a full 150,000 troops, while we only have 30,000. Men of the Yong Dynasty, are you afraid?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Yong army soldiers present shuddered, but they were not afraid, but excited, and their blood was boiling!
At this moment, a strong but slightly younger voice suddenly sounded, expressing everyone's thoughts.
"General, I will lead the charge and drive back the northern bandits!"
"Behind me is Beiding, the land of Yong, and tens of millions of compatriots. I am willing to take root in Wuding with my body. I will not be afraid, I will not retreat, and I will rather die than surrender!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Qiao Diyi holding high the Yong flag in his hand with a firm face, answering Qiao Zhongguo's questions directly.
Everyone recognized him; he was their major general!
The flags fluttered in the wind. Before the deceased heroic souls of Wuding City, Qiao Diyi had made the most solemn oath.
The soldiers were so excited by these words that their blood boiled and their faces flushed. They all rushed to speak:
"Don't be afraid, don't be scared, don't retreat, and even if we die, we will never surrender! We ask for your permission - to follow the Major General and lead the charge to drive back the northern bandits!"
The sound is deafening, and everyone is united!
Upon seeing this, Qiao Zhongguo couldn't help but look pleased.
He knew that the men of the Yong Dynasty were all good!
The people of Wuding and the 140,000 troops had already evacuated one after another. There were still 40,000 troops hiding in the ruined city of Wuding. They would all be the key to victory in this war.
However, Qiao Zhongguo kept these things a secret from the officers and men of Beiding and from everyone in the world except Wuding.
Firstly, Mo Qiandai is extremely cautious. If the truth gets out, one or two hundred people might be able to pretend to be innocent, but thirty thousand people will more or less reveal their tracks.
Secondly, the 30,000 soldiers present were brought by him from the capital, and most of them were young men who had never experienced the battlefield.
Young talents are the future of Yong State, but without tempering, they cannot grow, let alone become successful.
Qiao Zhongguo wanted to make them clearly aware of the cruelty of war, arouse their bloodiness, and let them develop their own awareness!
Thinking of this, Qiao Zhongguo looked around and looked at the soldiers who were completely different from the sad and depressed look just now, and nodded heavily.
The predicament was fake, but his kneeling before was sincere.
Because he was kneeling for the people and soldiers of Wuding who were full of righteousness, for the souls who died in the epidemic, and for this majestic city wall that stood firm despite wind and rain.
He said that people in the world should not forget Wu Ding’s contributions and perseverance.
At this point, morale is high and Mo Qiandai should be convinced.
Qiao Zhongguo's guess was correct. Even though Mo Qiandai had ordered a troop roll last night and the Northern Army was already preparing for war, Mo Qiandai still sent three scouts to investigate early this morning.
He remained vigilant until the last moment, but he would never have imagined that Qiao Zhongguo acted out the scene so realistically that he even "fooled" his own people!
Qiao Zhongguo raised his hand again to suppress the excited words of the crowd.
He picked up the demeanor of a commander, and said calmly, "The Northern Army is already preparing for war. This time, at least 100,000 troops will be on the frontier."
"There are many examples in history of a small force defeating a large one, but there is no doubt that each battle was extremely difficult. I believe that today's battle in Wuding will definitely leave a strong mark in the eyes of future generations!"
"Defend your position and don't retreat. Even if you die today, I will stand in front of you!"
"When the country is safe and sound, and the world is at peace, I will invite the heroic spirit of Wuding to return home to atone for the sin of burning the city today!"
Having said this, Qiao Zhongguo bowed deeply towards Wuding City again.
Upon seeing this, all the soldiers bowed their heads, and when they looked up again, their grief had faded away and their fighting spirit was high!
When the Northern Army scouts hiding in the distance saw this, they couldn't help but shudder with fear even though the other side had only 30,000 people.
It turned out that this was the Qiao Zhongguo who had fought all the way to the royal capital. He actually united 30,000 people into one with just a few words!
But no matter what, the disparity in strength between the two armies is a foregone conclusion. Their 150,000-strong army can easily crush Wuding to the ground with just a stomp of their feet!
Thinking of this, the last batch of scouts turned back and sent back the latest military reports.
The Northern Army can now march forward with peace of mind!
And, the sooner the better!