Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

"Oh, what's the matter?"

Chen Jie looked at Jin Yanzi and asked her a question. Jin Yanzi then directly told him about Zhou Ji's story.

"That's how things are now. As for how to handle this week's journal entry, please give us your instructions."

Chen Jie paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at Jin Yanzi and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Jin Yanzi said, "I think we should remove him from his position as a commander and keep him in the army for now. Don't punish him too severely. If there's an opportunity in the future, we can promote him. After all, he's a promising talent."

"Moreover, this incident shows that his loyalty to his lord is beyond question, after all, he even revealed his own father."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Jin Yanzi and said, "What you said is right. Zhou Ji's loyalty should be beyond question. We should give him a chance."

"As for dismissing him, that's petty. Our Huangzhou Prefecture has always believed in not using people we don't trust, and not doubting people we use. Since Zhou Ji has already proven his loyalty, let's not dwell on this small matter."

"Go back and tell Zhou Ji that, after a decision by the higher-ups in Huangzhou Prefecture, his position as a commander of a thousand households will be temporarily retained, and his father's matter can also be put on hold for the time being. Tell him to let him atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service. If he performs well enough, it is not impossible to spare his father's death sentence. Huangzhou Prefecture has always given people a chance!"

Chen Jie spoke slowly, and upon hearing this, Jin Yanzi's eyes lit up immediately. She then said, "Yes, my lord, I understand what to do."

Chen Jie said, "Let's go back. I reckon once we release this information, the other side will take action. Your Azure Dragon Army has a heavy responsibility!"

Jin Yanzi said, "We'll meet force with force and water with earth. My Azure Dragon Army are not cowards, and we are not afraid of enemy attacks. If they have the guts, come on! I guarantee they won't return alive!"

Chen Jie chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Good, very good. I like your fierce spirit that makes you just as capable as any man. Go ahead and get busy."

"Yes, sir!" Golden Swallow saluted and immediately withdrew.

Seeing Jin Yanzi leave, Chen Jie said to the next room, "Elder, it's time for us to stretch our muscles and get some exercise."

"Hehe... Brother Jiu Si, don't worry, I've already made preparations. Once I'm on the battlefield, I promise I won't let you down by giving me two lamb legs."

Chen Jie replied, "Then thank you very much, Elder."

As Chen explained, his gaze drifted towards the outside of the city. It was time to get rid of these annoying flies.

Golden Swallow rushed back to her military camp. Zhou Ji was still sitting in the camp, waiting for Golden Swallow's decision.

Just then, Jin Yanzi returned, glanced at Zhou Ji, and said, "What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you go back and reinforce the city's defenses?"

what?
Zhou Ji looked completely bewildered. Jin Yanzi glanced at him and said, "The higher-ups have decided to commend you for your initiative in confessing your problems. Therefore, you will not be punished and will retain your position as a commander. You can continue to serve your country by killing enemies and making meritorious contributions."

"Furthermore, the higher-ups are furious about your father's treasonous behavior. However, considering your dedication in the army and the fact that this incident did not cause too much damage, it has been decided to give you and your father a chance. If you can make great contributions in the upcoming battles, you can make amends for your mistakes and give your father a way out, with a lighter punishment!"

"Ah, thank you, Commander! Thank you, Commander!"

Zhou Ji excitedly said to Jin Yanzi, who looked at him and said, "It's only because you usually behave well. Otherwise, the charge of colluding with foreign enemies would be enough to chop off your head ten times over!"

After hearing what Jin Yanzi said, Zhou Ji replied, "Yes, yes."

Golden Swallow said, "Do your best. After this lesson, you'll surely learn your lesson."

After saying that, Golden Swallow waved her hand and said, "You may leave now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ji immediately nodded, deeply moved. Colluding with foreign enemies was a fatal matter anywhere, and the fact that his lord was giving him a chance today was an act of leniency beyond the law. For this, how could he not give his all?

The standoff continued, with both sides adopting their respective stances.

The news that Chen had released also reached the ears of the three fourth-level Molten God experts outside the city. At this moment, inside the tent, five spies were lined up in a row, and sitting opposite them were the three fourth-level Molten God experts: Tang Bao, Tong Wei, and the Holy Lord.

The three men listened to the reports from the five spies in front of them, their brows furrowing deeply, because the information reported by these five men was completely different.

The two men said that Chen Jiu Si had definitely returned, and they were very certain of it. They said they saw a large number of people coming to congratulate him outside Huangzhou Prefecture, and they saw government officials discussing Chen Jiu Si's return.

Both said they definitely didn't come back.

Because neither of these two people had received the relevant information. One was an undercover soldier, and the other was a groom in the Chen household. Both said they had never seen Chen Jiu Si, but only saw people in the mansion bustling around.

The military has no information on this matter.

The last one is ambiguous, saying that he may have returned, or he may not have.

"Damn it, what kind of nonsense is this? Not a single word is useful. Five groups of people, and you can't even figure out whether Chen Jiu Si has returned to the city or not? What are you all good for?"

Upon hearing this, all five groups of people immediately lowered their heads.

At this moment, Tang Bao frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Holy Lord, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Lord said, "The art of war says, 'When you are in a false position, make it appear real; when you are in a real position, make it appear false.' This is clearly a smokescreen."

Tang Bao looked at the Holy Lord and said, "Tell me what kind of illusion it is."

The Holy Lord said, "Hehe, that's simple. The first two groups of men said they saw a bustling scene in Huangzhou Prefecture, as if Chen Jiu Si had returned. This is clearly an attempt by the enemy to mislead us into thinking that Chen Jiu Si has returned, thereby slowing down the siege and giving them time to buy time!"

"Of course, there's also the possibility that the other party is doing the opposite; the person has returned, but he's deliberately giving himself the illusion that he hasn't!"

"As for their purpose, they definitely want to catch us off guard."

"The second wave said they hadn't returned. This wave might also be trying to mislead us and support the first wave's assumptions. Of course, it could also be a lie, intended to make us hesitant to act."

"so……"

"Stop, stop... Holy Lord, you're going around in circles, my head is spinning! Just tell me! Did Chen Jiu Si come back or not?"

Tong Wei had a look on his face that said, "Hurry up, or I'll be completely confused."

The Holy Lord shrugged and said, "I don't know. He might come back, or he might not."

Upon hearing this, Tong Wei's face darkened, and he said, "What you said is the same as saying nothing at all."

The Holy Lord shrugged and said, "That's the brilliance of Huangzhou Prefecture. They give you all sorts of possible choices, but they don't tell you the real answer. You can only guess."

"What are you guessing for? Aren't you tired of going around in circles? If it were me, I would just send people to attack. We are three third-stage Fusion Gods, and you're guessing all this time. Do we really need to be so cautious?"

"I think we don't need to guess whether Chen Jiu has returned or not. It's not important. Let's just assume he has. I want to see how he can stop my three armies of 100,000 troops and three fourth-level Fusion God experts all by himself!"

Tong Wei spoke directly. Hearing Tong Wei's words, Tang Bao clicked his tongue and asked, "What does the Holy Lord think?"

The Holy Lord said, "Brother Tong, isn't your idea a little too plausible?"

Tang Bao said, "Scheming and plotting often doesn't end well, so I think we should change our approach. Since we can't be sure if Chen Jiu Si has returned, let's assume he has."

"Fight however you want. There are three of us, and the other side is just Chen Jiu Si and a half-crippled Yuan San Jia."

"Three against one and a half, how could we possibly lose?"

Tang Bao looked at the Holy Lord and Tong Wei. Upon hearing this, the Holy Lord frowned slightly and then said, "It seems we were being too cautious!"

Tong Wei slammed his hand on the table and said, "Damn it! We'll take Huangzhou today! Tonight I'm going to sleep with Chen Jiu Si's wife!"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Lord smiled slightly: "Hey, I heard that Chen Jiu Si has three wives, how about one for each of them?"

Seeing this, Tang Bao said, "I'll leave it at that. Do as you please!"

Tong Wei then slammed his hand on the table and said, "I want two!"

Seeing this, the Holy Lord chuckled and said, "Since Brother Tong has such a refined interest, then you can have mine too, three is just right!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Wei said, "Hahaha... Alright, it's settled then. Let's attack the city immediately. Before nightfall, I'm going to embrace those three women!"

Tang Bao exchanged a glance with the Holy Lord, and then said, "I agree with Tong Wei's plan!"

The Holy Lord said, "I agree as well."

After saying this, Tang Bao looked at Tong Wei and the Holy Lord and said, "In that case, let's beat the drums and attack the city!"

The three nodded in unison, then stood up together and said, "Beat the drums! The army prepares to attack the city!"

At the command, the entire army immediately sprang into action, slowly approaching Huangzhou Prefecture.

As soon as the army moved, the garrison on the city wall of Huangzhou Prefecture saw it immediately and began to blow the horn.

woo woo woo...

At the sound of the horn, everyone on the city wall of Huangzhou Prefecture reacted and picked up their weapons. Having rested and eaten a very good breakfast, they were all full of energy and prepared for battle.

woo woo woo...

The horns wailed, and the attack began. The army below the city marched in orderly steps, slowly approaching the city walls. In front were shield bearers, behind them were spearmen, and then archers.

This is the formation they achieved by sacrificing countless lives.

The shield is three layers thick: an outer layer of iron, a middle layer of leather, and a final layer of wood. This three-layered shield can stop enemy bullets.

Following closely behind were spearmen, who were the main attacking force, and then archers, who fired in volleys to effectively suppress enemy fire.

However, although the three armies seemed to have set up a relatively good battle formation, it was not enough in the face of overwhelming firepower.

At this moment, on the city gate tower, Chen Sanshi spat out the reed stalk in his mouth and immediately said, "Artillery loading!"

Chen Sanshi was originally a member of the Chen clan from Xiantao Village. He was originally an archer with a good talent for archery. Later, when Huangzhou Prefecture established an artillery specialty, he was selected and is now a centurion of artillery, in charge of the management of fifty-two cannons in Huangzhou Prefecture.

Seeing the enemy below trying to approach the city wall using their large shields, Chen Sanshi knew his job had come.

Next came the battlefield of cannons.

The cannons of Huangzhou Prefecture were personally improved by Tao Guangyi, the president of the Academy of Sciences, who is known in later generations as Wan Hu.

The cannons he improved were already very advanced. The cannon barrels were made in the blast furnace of the Huangzhou Iron and Steel Plant. After dozens of processes, they were finally made into seamless steel pipes with rifling inside.

The shells are high-explosive shells; upon impact, the gunpowder inside explodes, creating a spectacular explosion.

This is the most powerful artillery in Huangzhou Prefecture. Chen Sanshi ignored everything else and ordered the fifty-two cannons on the city wall to fire intermittently.

It was divided into three groups: one group with 17 cannons, a second group with 17 cannons, and a third group with 18 cannons.

"put!"

Boom, boom, boom!
The shells exploded with a deafening roar, landing in a scattering of debris. The power of the seventeen cannons instantly killed or wounded hundreds of people.

However, this did not stop the enemy's advance. At this moment, Chen Sanshi said, "Second group, fire!"

Immediately, the second group of cannons fired. After firing, just like the first group, the cannons of the second group were doused with cold water. The next moment, a hissing sound was heard from the cannon barrels, and a string of white smoke rose up.

"Three groups, release!"

Boom, boom, boom!
The cannons bombarded the enemy relentlessly, causing them to flee in panic. Just as the enemy formation was about to fall into chaos, several figures suddenly rushed out from the enemy ranks. These figures flew into the air and, upon seeing the incoming cannons, each unleashed their unique martial arts skills.

Boom, boom, boom!
Catching the cannonballs, Zhang Dingbian, standing on the city wall, frowned slightly upon seeing this and said, "The enemy's Furnace Realm expert has made a move."

Only experts at the Furnace Realm could withstand cannonballs unscathed. At this moment, these experts at the Furnace Realm were all on guard against the cannon fire from the air, and one by one they led their troops to charge towards Huangzhou City.

Zhang Dingbian said, "Summon the best soldiers in the army to resist!"

After he finished speaking, the experts at the Furnace Realm in the army all came to the city wall. At this time, they saw that the enemy had begun to rush down to the city.

At this time, the ladder soldiers mixed in with the enemy army set up their ladders and prepared to attack Huangzhou Prefecture.

At this moment, logs and stones were immediately thrown down from the city walls of Huangzhou, and musketeers frantically fired at the foot of the city. In addition, boiling oil was poured down, instantly scalding the soldiers who were climbing up, causing their skin to be torn and bleeding.

The bodies were thrown directly off the city wall, and once enough hot oil had been poured on them, torches were immediately thrown down. As soon as a torch was thrown down, flames shot up and roared to life.

This effectively isolated the area beneath the city walls into a death zone, making it impossible for anyone to charge through.

Seeing this, the Furnace Realm experts in the enemy ranks immediately took action. One of them couldn't resist the urge and leaped onto the city wall. Upon seeing this, a member of the Huangzhou Prefecture troops rushed out and smashed down with his spear. With a loud bang, the man was knocked to the ground.

The person who made the move was standing on the city wall, and someone immediately exclaimed, "Look, it's the Vermilion Bird Army Commander, Shi Gengming, the Soul-Severing Spear Master!" (End of this chapter)