Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2345 Xue and Li's Psychological Warfare, Fighting to the Death with a Coffin

"Zhao Kuangyin was also a hero of his time, but unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time!" Li Jing, who was leading a troop of soldiers to observe the city's defenses outside Kaifeng, heard Zhao Kuangyin's drumbeats and commented with great interest.

"It's nothing but a death throes!" Xue Rengui said firmly.

In his view, Zhao Kuangyin's method of boosting morale was meaningless and could not change the final outcome.

As for Bai Qi, he followed behind the two men without saying a word.

Although he made considerable contributions on the battlefield against the Song Dynasty.

However, until the war is over and rewards are distributed, the fact that he currently holds a low-ranking position cannot be changed.

Therefore, once all the armies had gathered, he was no longer qualified to lead an army alone, and only Xue Rengui and Li Jing remained in control of the situation.

Even Chang Yuchun would have to be a level below these two.

"Let's begin!" Xue Rengui and Li Jing said to one of the generals behind them.

After seeing the signals from Xue Rengui and Li Jing, the general immediately ordered the archers and catapult troops to approach and form a battle formation.

These archers, however, had replaced their arrows with oval-shaped arrowheads that were no longer lethal, and the arrow shafts were tied with strips of text.

As for the catapult, the catapult device did not contain stone projectiles, but rather stacks of paper.

At the general's command, the archers and catapult troops simultaneously closed in and opened fire.

Like snowflakes, the papers, carried by the northern wind, flew over the city walls and blanketed Kaifeng.

These special weapons landed at the feet of the city's defenders, on the streets and rooftops of the city, and even drifted into the imperial palace.

An old soldier guarding the city instinctively picked up a piece of paper at his feet. Although he was illiterate, he could see a blurry but majestic pattern printed on the top of the paper, which was some kind of seal of the Great Wu.

He was startled and quickly handed the paper to the literate squad leader next to him.

The man took the paper with a puzzled look and read it aloud in a low voice. His voice was initially filled with doubt, but then it trembled more and more, filled with disbelief and panic.

"...Prince Zhao Kuangyi and Prince Zhao Defang of the Great Song Dynasty have been officially appointed by Emperor Dawu and are residing in Wudu, where they are treated with great respect...The Song Dynasty has come to an end. You, the emperor and your subjects, are merely dying to defend this isolated city, to be buried with the tyrant...Those who surrender will be spared death; those who capture and kill Zhao Kuangyin will be ennobled..."

Although Zhao Kuangyin had decided to die with the Song Dynasty, he did make arrangements for the future of his brothers and his sons.

However, this news was discovered by Zi Nu of the Great Martial Net branch.

Therefore, this matter was no longer a secret to the Han Dynasty.

Moreover, Zhao Kuangyin did everything he could for his own brother and his son.

It should be noted that Emperor Wu bestowed the title of Duke upon Zhao Kuangyi and Marquis upon Zhao Defang.

It's conceivable that if Zhao Kuangyin didn't contribute enough blood, the Great Wu might have taken in some of the remnants of the Great Song, but how could they possibly have directly granted them titles of nobility?

Within the entire Great Wu, how many people currently hold the title of Duke?
Similar chanting sounds rose and fell throughout the city walls and in every corner of Kaifeng.

What began as whispers quickly turned into suppressed gasps and commotion. The contents of the note struck every soldier and civilian in Kaifeng like a thunderbolt.

"What? The prince and the prince... have already gone to Da Wu?"

"We're fighting to the death to defend this city, but the royal family has already made arrangements for their escape route?"

"What...what's the point of fighting this war?"

Panic spread like a plague among the defenders and civilians at an unprecedented rate.

The solemn and stirring war drumbeats of Zhao Kuangyin, amidst these whispers and desperate doubts, seemed to have become a huge and ironic joke.

Zhao Kuangyin, who was beating drums on the city wall, naturally also noticed these notes.

However, Zhao Kuangyin showed no panic whatsoever. Having endured countless hardships to reach this position, he was not so easily defeated.

Besides, when he sent his brother and son away, he had already anticipated this possibility and thought that the Han Dynasty might receive the news.

Zhao Kuangyin picked up a piece of paper from the ground and, facing the Song soldiers on the city wall, held it up, his tone laced with sarcasm, "Did you really believe such a clumsy counter-espionage plot by the Han traitor?"

"My flesh and blood are indeed with the Great Wu at this moment, not for the sake of peace, but to seek reinforcements from the Great Wu for the sake of my Great Song! This is my decree!"

"The Han traitors fear the unity of our army and people, and the sound of my drums, so they resort to this despicable trick to sow discord among our troops and subdue them without a fight!"

At this point, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly tore the paper to shreds, threw it into the wind, and shouted sternly, "You have followed me through countless bloody battles to this day, how can you be swayed by a single lie from the enemy?"

"I am right here, and I will live and die with Kaifeng! Do you choose to believe me, or do you choose to believe the enemy chieftain's inflammatory words?"

"Bring him up!" Zhao Kuangyin's voice continued.

With Zhao Kuangyin's order, soon after, sixteen robust imperial guards carried a huge black lacquered coffin and solemnly placed it in the most conspicuous position on the city gate tower.

The entire city wall fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

All the guards, from generals to soldiers, stared in disbelief at the coffin that symbolized death and the end, and at the emperor standing beside it.

Zhao Kuangyin slowly drew the sword from his waist, its tip pointing diagonally to the sky, his voice like a booming bell, echoing across the city walls.

"Soldiers! Look carefully! This coffin is my final resting place! It is also the final resting place for me, you all, and this city of Kaifeng!"

"If the city stands, I will drink a celebratory toast with you all! If the city falls, this coffin will be my bed, and I will watch you fight to the last moment, until your last drop of blood is shed!"

"The sons of our Great Song Dynasty can die in battle, can see their cities fall, but they will never kneel before their sovereign, nor will they surrender to the enemy!"

"Today, I bring my coffin here to fight you all to the death!"

"Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!" After a brief silence, a roar like a landslide and a tsunami erupted!

All doubts and fears were crushed at this moment by the black lacquered coffin and the emperor's resolute figure!
The emperor has already disregarded life and death, so what do these soldiers have to fear?
Morale was ignited to its peak at this moment, and every defender's eyes burned with a frenzied fighting spirit, wishing they could immediately jump off the city wall and fight the Han army.