Although he wasn't surnamed Lin, his whole family were honest people, so she felt at ease giving him the military tally. This time, she wouldn't lead troops into battle, but would instead stay behind and act as Da Niu's strategist.
Cheng Yumo originally wanted to help her, but she was dismissive. After all, he was good at teaching, but leading troops into battle was not something that could be done on paper; he needed real skills.
This war took more than four months. After all, every time a city was captured, people had to be sent to take over it. Nangong Haotian was also attacking other prefectures, but his speed was ultimately slower.
Before he could even settle into those prefectural cities, Xiao Yubai or Xia Hua led their troops to drive him back, forcing him to return to Jincheng and daring not to venture out again.
That day, Xiao Yubai led his troops to a spot a few hundred meters from Jincheng. Not long after, Xia Hua also arrived with her soldiers. Without much small talk, they began to challenge them from outside.
Nangong Haotian dared not accept the challenge. He was not stupid. With more than 200,000 men fighting against tens of thousands, he knew without a doubt who would lose. In the past few months, those soldiers had either died or surrendered, and now only more than 80,000 remained.
The King of Shu only had tens of thousands of men, but he didn't make a move at all, instead hiding in Gucheng.
His refusal to fight did not mean that Xiao Yubai and Xia Hua would not attack the city. After discussing it, they began to attack the city, starting with arrows to shoot down the soldiers on the city walls.
Then they climbed the ladder, and at the gate, soldiers were carrying oil and wood, and they began to set fire.
Although the soldiers of Jincheng resisted, they began to pour stones, shoot arrows, and pour boiling water down, but before they could even make a move, they were shot to the ground by arrows.
"Soldiers of Jincheng, Nangong Haotian is powerless to resist. As long as you surrender, I guarantee I will not kill you and will let you go back to reunite with your families," Wen Shi shouted at the front.
The soldiers of Jincheng initially refused to listen, but as more and more men around them fell, and their general did not come out to fight, they could only squat down and lie on the ground.
Xia Hua and Xiao Yubai led their team into the city, while Nangong Haotian escaped through another gate. Unfortunately, he was too slow and was surrounded.
"Release the arrows!" Xia Hua ordered directly.
Nangong Haotian and his soldiers brandished their swords, trying to deflect the arrows, but there were too many. In the end, they were riddled with arrows and fell to the ground with their eyes wide open.
"Madam Xia, I'll leave the matter of Jincheng to you. I'll handle the Prince of Shu," Xiao Yubai said.
He had no one else available, so he had to let Madam Xia arrange for her people to take over.
"I understand, go ahead!" Xia Hua said, then turned to Cheng Yumo beside her. "Execute all the officials here, leave no one alive. You manage things for a few days until the Emperor sends someone to take over, then you can leave."
"My wife, are you just going to abandon me like this?" Cheng Yumo said with some resentment.
“I’m right here. I’m just leaving it to you. I didn’t say I was leaving.” Xia Hua turned her head. “Da Niu, I’ve already given you the military tally for Wucheng and spoken to the Emperor. You can take the soldiers back first.”
"We must leave 30,000 men here; we cannot be without soldiers here."
Da Niu nodded, "I understand, Auntie, please be careful." Then he rode away.
Cheng Yumo was overjoyed to see that she had stayed with her and hurried off to attend to her business.
Xiao Yubai led his soldiers directly to Gucheng, looked at the King of Shu on the city wall, and said, "Will you die on your own, or will I help you?"
“Soldiers of Gucheng, listen up! If you surrender and capture the King of Shu, I will spare your lives and let you go home to see your families.”
The King of Shu laughed loudly, "Xiao Yubai, you useless thing! You watched the Xiao family's throne being taken away, and you even helped them. How can you face our ancestors?"
"So what if I'm sorry to my ancestors? Can they get up and curse me? Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is villain. The throne belongs to the capable. If you have the ability, go and take it back yourself. If you don't, then open the city gates."
"Xiao Yubai, you're determined to die too, aren't you? I'm your imperial brother."
"So what? Soldiers of Gucheng, I'll give you one more chance. If you don't make a move now, I'll have no choice but to attack the city, and then you won't have another chance."
Seeing the soldiers standing still, Xiao Yubai lost his patience. "Attack the city!"
The soldiers behind received orders and began to attack the city. The soldiers of Gucheng had long lost their morale, and when they saw the flying arrows, they were so frightened that they hid and dared not fight.
The King of Shu ordered them to rise and fight, but no one listened to him, even after he drew his sword and killed several of them.
Not long after, the city gates were breached, and Xiao Yubai led his men in. Upon seeing this, the King of Shu could only order his guards to escort him out.
But the next second, the guards around him were killed, leaving him alone. Terrified, he knelt down and cried out, "Brother, I am your elder brother, you cannot kill me!"
"kill."
At a single command, the King of Shu was beheaded.
"Wen Shi, clean up the battlefield. Summon all the officials from Gucheng. Keep those who are useful and kill those who are not."
"Yes, Godfather." Wen Shi led his men to arrest the officials of Gucheng, but these were all opportunists and could not play a significant role. He killed them all.
If there are no available people, he can manage the affairs for a while until the emperor sends someone.
Seeing that he had handled the situation well, Xiao Yubai left him with tens of thousands of soldiers and then left with the rest of his troops.
Now, besides the barbarians and the people from beyond the Great Wall, this world already belongs to Yan Zhen. As for the future, let him come later.
On the third day, he returned to the border. As soon as he entered the camp, he rushed to the tent, saw the people inside relaxing, and kissed them, saying, "My wife, I'm back."
An Shuyi wiped her drool. "How are you? Are you alright? What about Huahua? Is she okay? And Wenshi and the others?"
"Don't worry, my lady, everyone is safe. No one was injured. Although Nangong Haotian and the King of Shu are colluding, the King of Shu is a villain and wouldn't dare to make a move. Nangong Haotian only has tens of thousands of men. Madam Xia and I fought them with great ease," Xiao Yubai said.
"War is never easy, you're just saying nice things. But it's best if nothing happens."
"It's alright, it's all been resolved now. However, those officials have all been killed, so the Emperor needs to send someone else to take over before Wen Shi and the others can return."
"Huahua will write to the Emperor about this, but I will also write to Yan Zhen so that he can rest assured." Now that Nangong Haotian and the Prince of Shu have been dealt with, no one can threaten Yan Zhen's throne.
"Wife, I'm going to take a bath. You can continue writing!" Xiao Yubai turned and left the camp.
He had been leading his troops in battle for the past few days and had no time or place to bathe. Although his wife didn't say anything, he could smell the stench. There was blood on his armor, and some parts had turned black.
Now that I have time, I must take a good shower, otherwise my wife might not let me sleep in the bed tonight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
