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Chapter 159: Besieged on all sides [Thanks to the leader of "Jia Ling"]

"What did you say?"

Fan Tianfa snatched the letter and looked at the words on it with his pupils trembling: "Really, really surrendered? They didn't resist at all?"

"no!"

The subordinate said confidently: "The brothers on the front line have seen it with their own eyes. The Black Armor Army only needs to stand outside the city gate for a while with the general flag with the word Chen, and the city will open up by itself!"

"Yeah……"

Meng Quji was glad that he had listened to the advice and did not force the order to transfer the person back.

He looked at the silent scholar in blue robes beside him and said, "General Fang, please tell us how you did it."

"..."

Fang Qingyun stared at the sand table silently, like a rooted tree, without moving for a long time.

"General Fang?"

Zhan Taiming interrupted cautiously: "What are you doing?"

"I see."

After a while, Fang Qingyun suddenly spoke, his clear voice filled with surprise, like an old fortuneteller who had finally solved a puzzle, or like a master craftsman who had finally figured out how to crack a mechanism.

"I know how Admiral Chen did it."

"Oh?"

Meng Quji couldn't wait to say, "Tell me about it!"

"Marshal Meng."

Fang Qingyun asked with a smile: "Let me ask you, what is your Tao?"

"My Tao? General Fang, you mean my attainments in the art of war, right?"

Meng Quji quickly gave the answer: "Then my way is naturally the way of invincibility. All great military strategists must first establish themselves in an invincible position, waiting for the enemy's defeat."

Fang Qingyun looked at the next person: "Where is General Fan?"

"I?"

Fan Tianfa said proudly: "What I believe in is the kingly way. The kingly way is to follow the order of the Son of Heaven and lead a righteous army. Wherever they go, they will be helped by heaven and will surely be invincible and win the hearts of the people."

"I am not worthy of discussing the Dao."

Zhan Taiming said frankly: "I am the deputy general under Marshal Meng. If I must say, I usually like to use the domineering method that General Lu Ji is best at. Of course, compared to General Lu, I am just a very clumsy imitation.

"General Lu is a true military strategist. Wherever he goes, the enemy is terrified. Once he gains an advantage, he will be unstoppable and the enemy will inevitably be defeated!
"That's what happened in Mingzhou! Zhong Wuxin was also a martial saint, but what was the result? Of the 80,000-man army, only about 10,000 people returned alive after being hunted down by General Lu. I heard that many of them were so frightened that their livers and gallbladders were torn to pieces that some even died on the spot.

"General Lu is truly a role model for our generation!"

The court deliberately arranged it this way. He and Meng Quji were the deputy general, one stable and one domineering. The purpose was to complement each other at the critical moment and achieve unexpected results.

"To be honest, none of us are as knowledgeable in the art of war as you, General Fang."

Meng Quji said with emotion: "Our respective 'Tao', whether it is the kingly way, the hegemonic way, or the stable way, all find methods suitable for ourselves in military books and then carry them forward. But General Fang, you are the master who created the 'cunning way'. You are the true founder of a school and will definitely be listed in the Martial Temple in the future."

Fang Qingyun did not try to be modest or boastful, but instead changed the subject at this time: "Then do you know which path General Chen follows in his military strategy?"

"This one……"

Meng Quji stroked his short beard and quickly concluded, "A trick!"

"I think so too."

Zhan Taiming echoed, "Now it seems that General Chen's path is undoubtedly the path of deception! In fact, I have carefully read the combat files of Lieutenant General Chen. When the thousand or so remnants of the army defeated the 20,000 barbarian troops in Poyang, he used strategies such as bluffing, making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, and attacking by surprise, which is in line with the path of deception."

"Yes."

Even Fan Tianfa agreed, "He crossed the Hongze River four times, went back and forth in the small territory of Mingzhou, and finally did not escape, but attacked Meishan Prefecture. Isn't this in line with what General Fang wrote at the beginning, 'The way of war is to be treacherous'? He is worthy of being General Fang's junior brother. In the future, he may be better than his master in the way of treacherous."

Fang Qingyun smiled but said nothing.

"Oh?"

Meng Quji became interested: "General Fang, please don't keep us in suspense. Could it be some other path, such as the path of benevolence, the path of madness, or the rare path of vertical and horizontal strategy?"

"neither."

Fang Qingyun shook his head: "You have a misunderstanding. Judging from the files of Lieutenant General Chen, there was indeed a tricky path at the beginning, but if you read on, you will know that it is definitely not just tricky.

“I don’t know who he learned the art of war from, but that person was definitely not me.

“And it has come to this.

"No matter who or how many people he learned from, he has already mastered it all and made it his own way."

"My own way?"

Meng Quji understood the implication of the words: "General Fang, could it be that..."

"Not bad!"

Fang Qingyun waved his sleeves and announced loudly: "Everyone, get ready. Soon, Volume 8 of the Art of War will become Volume 9 of the Art of War. This is the 'Tao' that belongs exclusively to Admiral Chen. It is also a 'Tao' that has always existed, but it is a brand new 'Tao'!
"The name of this path is - Momentum!

"Warfare is all about momentum!"

……

Changting Mansion.

"General!"

"All our brothers in the north have surrendered!"

"There's no food in the city!"

"Let's surrender too!"

"We can't surrender. We still have 4,000 brothers. You tell me to surrender?!"

"General! General Chen only gave us three hours to think about it! It doesn't matter to you. You are a soldier transferred from another place. Even if the city is breached, you will just die alone. Eighteen years later, you will be a hero again! But we are all local troops. We have wives, children and elders in the city. If we continue to resist, they will also be implicated once the city is breached!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Just guard it if I tell you to!"

"呲-"

"you you!"

"General, you forced me to do this!"

The commander-in-chief Ma Guocheng stabbed the opponent's heart with a knife, and several of his men rushed forward and chopped him into a pulp from the back.

Then, Ma Guocheng raised the long sword in his hand high: "Open the city gate, surrender--"

"Om-long——"

The sturdy city gate of Changting Prefecture was wide open.

Officials of all ranks left the city and surrendered.

"General Chen!"

"Please show mercy!"

"We are all local garrison troops. After we surrender, we will not leave Ghost Gate Canyon. From now on, we are members of the Great Sheng Dynasty!"

"..."

The white horse and the white robe entered the Changting.

After traveling all the way, the Black Armor Army also needs to take a break.

"The twenty-seventh mansion!"

Xia Cong counted silently in his heart.

This is the way it has come.

He, Xiao Zheng, You Jike and others watched helplessly as enemies surrendered wherever they passed. Not a single soldier was lost. From a small, dilapidated county town to an impregnable provincial capital, all of them surrendered.

For the first time, they realized that conquering a city and seizing land could be as easy as taking something from a bag!
A white robe and a white horse.

Thousands of troops surrendered!
How majestic!

Xia Cong and his men were carefully selected from the capital. Each of them could be considered a genius and had read military books since childhood. Therefore, they naturally had their own ideas when faced with war.

From the very beginning, they did not understand the significance of their general's actions.

The reason why I obey orders.

On the one hand, it is because of their excellent qualities. Different from the corrupt garrison soldiers, as elite troops, the first element for them is to obey military orders as firmly as a mountain. Even if there are doubts, they must strictly follow orders.

On the other hand, General Chen's four crossings of the Hongze River were truly amazing, and they were patient, wanting to see what would happen in the end.

result……

That's it!

Xia Cong and his men were all convinced and wished they could surrender like the surrendering enemy troops.

However, even if they always followed the general, they could not fully understand the method.

Relatively speaking.

Lu Shuhua and his companions had personally experienced the shock of crossing the Hongze River four times, so their emotional fluctuations were relatively much smaller. But it was not that they were not shocked, they were just shocked to the point of being numb.

“Is it descending too fast?”

Xie Sishu rode up on horseback and said, "Sir, there are not many places left to guard the surrendered soldiers. Will the foundation be unstable?"

"Is it fast?"

Chen Sanshi asked back.

Not fast at all.

This is normal!

First of all, not all soldiers were as determined as his brothers in Poyang to die in battle. Most of them defended the city only because they had no way to retreat. This is called the determination to defend the city even at the cost of death.

But when Dasheng released the surrendered soldiers and paraded them around the city, the city's defense force was immediately broken.

Next, they opened granaries and distributed grain wherever they went to gain the support of the people. Without the help of the people, the difficulty of defending the city would be doubled. Not to mention that in some places, too much grain was requisitioned because of the war, and the people were hungry. When they heard that the Dasheng soldiers were coming, they rebelled directly.

At last.

Many cities have not only soldiers from other places, but also many local garrisons, and the two types of troops are not on the same page.

For soldiers from other places, they don't have to bear any consequences even if they lose the battle. They can even lay down their weapons and go home to celebrate the holidays, as if they had never been there.

For the local garrison, even if the city is opened, their families will be safe.

It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, so why try so hard?

Sometimes when there is a conflict between the two, the other party will create internal unrest.

Taking all these factors into consideration, there is no reason not to surrender.

As for Xie Sishu's worry that surrendering too quickly would lead to instability, it was even more groundless.

Voluntary surrender and being surrounded and forced to surrender are two different concepts.

After Kaesong.

The defenders in the city can leave on their own.

These soldiers have little influence and there are too many of them. Even if they escape back to the territory of Qing State, they will not be punished by law and nothing will be done to them.

But what about the general who ordered the city gates to be opened?

Do they really dare to go back?
After they go back, will Qing Kingdom still dare to use them?

Since there is no future if they go back, and they might even be liquidated after the war, will the generals really go back?
will not!

Not only that, they will also try their best to help Dasheng defend the city!
It's a simple truth. Surrendering once may be a helpless act, but no one will tolerate a general who rebels twice!
Just like in Minnesota.

Li Tiancheng and other deputy generals under Dong An have not been punished openly, but who actually knows where they are now?
Not to mention, there are low-level officials like County Magistrate Li, who will be the most crazy supporters of the Great Sheng Dynasty!
"The whole army will rest for the night!"

Chen Sanshi gave the order.

After he entered the city, he rode Qianxun around on the pretext of patrolling, and finally found several followers of the incense god disguised as monks in a temple of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth.

That night, he sneaked back again, killed several believers silently, and then used the mysterious bead to take away the mysterious energy of the incense in the incense burner.

Every time he went into town, he would look for it.

The most common temple in Laizhou is the Temple of the Goddess of Childbirth, which is very popular. Local people say it is very efficacious. Women who cannot get pregnant will get pregnant soon after they visit there.

As for the reason...

Behind the statue of the Bodhisattva, there is a secret passage leading underground. There is a bed there. Every night, there are seven or eight monks beside the bed...

The Incense God Cult has a lot of tricks.

In order to deceive people into paying tribute to the incense, any means will be used.

Chen Sanshi found an abandoned house and practiced shooting in it first, then took out the black bead to practice sword skills.

[Magic: Sword Qi Technique (Mastery)]

【Progress: 688/1000】

I have collected a lot of incense along the way, but the speed at which it is being consumed is too fast. I am afraid I will need to collect incense from several small temples, or even a large temple, before I can achieve success.

Zhaotong Prefecture.

It is the largest city in Laizhou, and the Guanyin Temple inside it is also the largest. In the past, many people from other prefectures and counties would even travel thousands of miles to worship and offer sacrifices.

This is a private benefit.

From the overall perspective, Zhaotong Prefecture is also of paramount importance.

Now, out of the thirty-six prefectures in Laizhou, twenty-seven have surrendered, and the remaining nine prefectures are all tough nuts to crack. The most prominent of them is Zhaotong Prefecture, whose defending general Deng Feng is very famous and difficult to capture.

But on the other hand, as long as Deng Feng is captured, it will be a major blow to the morale of the Qing Kingdom. The other eight prefectures will completely collapse and immediately leave the city to surrender.

Only after this did Dasheng have the opportunity to gather its troops and deal with the situation on the next battlefield.

Still not optimistic!

In addition, there was one thing that surprised Chen Sanshi about the surrender along the way.

That's his name, surprisingly useful!
No one could have imagined it.

Carrying people across the river had such a huge impact.

Among the 27 prefectures that surrendered, at least ten were due to civil unrest caused by rebellion by the people and the inability to defend the city. The three words "Chen Sanshi" played at least 30% of the role, which is also a general trend.

"Basically, the amount of incense in the black pearl is consumed as much as it is obtained."

"but……"

"The white mysterious energy is becoming more and more dense."

He looked at the black pearl in his hand and couldn't help falling into deep thought.

Start from Meizi County.

Almost every time they arrived at a place, the white mysterious energy would increase a little, basically the same as the speed of their front line's advancement.

Could it be...

Is it a great victory that can be transformed into mysterious energy?
It feels like it, but it’s not.

I always feel like something is wrong.

Chen Sanshi didn't have time to think about it carefully for the time being, because before he knew it, it was already dawn and they were about to set off again.

This time the destination is Zhaotong Prefecture!

time is limited!
The Green Ridge Mountain army is arriving soon.

We must force Zhaotong Prefecture to open the city and surrender as quickly as possible!
Even if it’s a hard bone, you have to chew it!
……

Yongle Mansion.

"Bastard!"

Tang Wang Li Gong was furious when he saw the battle report and directly overturned the barbecue and food on the table: "In just thirty days! All 27 prefectures surrendered?!

“Fifty thousand surrendered soldiers!

"Even if these 50,000 people stretched out their necks for the Sheng people to chop down, it would take three days and three nights! They are just going to surrender without firing a single arrow?!"

"Does this mean that wherever a person named Chen goes, the door will be opened to welcome him?

"Are you sure this is a war, and not some guy named Chen inspecting his territory? This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"

"It's ridiculous indeed."

The deputy general said with a worried look on his face: "Many city commanders not only surrendered themselves, but also took the initiative to persuade other city commanders to surrender. Gradually, surrender became a big trend that could not be stopped. Now, Chen Sanshi led the Xuanjia Army and headed straight for Zhaotong Prefecture."

"As long as Zhaotong Prefecture is not lost, there is still room for salvation!"

Li Gong quickly calmed down. He pointed at the map with his chopsticks and said, "The remaining nine governors, including Zhaotong Prefecture, are either old friends of Deng Feng or they respect Deng Feng very much. As long as Deng Feng does not surrender, the others will definitely not surrender!"

"That's no problem."

The deputy general said confidently: "The Deng family has been loyal for seven generations. They were one of the first contributors to the founding of Daqing. No matter who surrenders, General Deng will never surrender. I will send a letter to him and ask him to hold on for the last twenty days. It's just twenty days!"

"Hurry, go!"

Li Gong urged: "Also, notify the Southern Xu Kingdom to march towards Hulao Pass."

"it is good."

The deputy general ordered someone to write a letter while worryingly saying, "Your Majesty, weren't you worried that Nanxu would ask for too much..."

"Now it seems impossible not to lose some flesh."

Li Gong sneered, "But we can't afford to lose this piece of meat. As long as Zhaotong Prefecture is not lost, we can defeat Meng Quji's army by attacking from three sides. At that time, we will not only recover the lost land of Laizhou, but also invade Sheng Kingdom in one fell swoop!"

"Yes!"

……

Zhaotong Prefecture.

outside the city.

Dasheng military camp.

"Within twenty days, we have conquered twenty-seven prefectures!"

After reading the battle report, Cao Fan's eyes were filled with surprise and jealousy. "How did he do it? Why can the war be fought like this? First, he crossed the Hongze River four times, and then thousands of troops avoided the white robes. Why, he can always achieve strategic goals in a way that no one expected?"

"Your Highness, you don't have to worry."

Cui Congyi calmly analyzed: "Although the cities before sound scary, the commanders in each city are just chickens and dogs. It is normal for them to surrender. It will definitely be okay if you replace him. Maybe it will be better. After all, you are the grandson of the emperor. Don't your words carry more weight than his?
"The next Zhaotong Prefecture is truly a solid fortress, as solid as a rock!
"This Deng Feng is as stinky and hard as a stone in a toilet. We have been besieging the city for two months and have offered all kinds of conditions. After all, he is only at the Great Perfection of the Mysterious Elephant Realm. Even the Marquis promised him, but he didn't even blink an eye? How could such a person surrender?!"

"General Cui is right."

Sha Wenlong said disdainfully: "There are only 20 days left, which is not enough. Let's just wait for Chen to fail to complete the task on the military order and lose his head!"

"Having said that."

Cao Fan said softly: "Taking over Zhaotong Prefecture will definitely benefit the Great Sheng Dynasty and you and me."

Cui Congyi praised: "Your Highness is truly virtuous."

"Da da da!"

The sound of horse hooves sounded.

The Black Armor Army, with the general flag bearing the character "Chen", appeared at the end of the field of vision, surrounded by a cloud of dust.

"They're coming!"

Soon, the group stopped outside the big village.

It's just that Chen Sanshi was the nominal commander, and Crown Prince Cao Fan was the emperor's grandson after all, and their status was noble, but none of the others came out to greet them. Instead, they all sat in the big tent, and even didn't stand up to salute him after he came in.

"General Cui, General Sha!"

Xia Cong held up his spear and questioned, "General Chen is the commander outside of Yongle Prefecture, how can you be so rude?"

"The commander only gave orders, and we must obey them."

Sha Wenlong said disdainfully: "He is just a lieutenant general, is he worthy of us saluting?"

"you……"

Xia Cong wanted to refute, but shut up at Chen Sanshi's signal.

"A few."

Chen Sanshi asked calmly: "What's the situation?"

"I did as you said, and it didn't work."

Cui Congyi said, "Commander Chen, I have to remind you that time is running out! The reinforcements from Qing are getting closer and closer to Green Ridge Mountain. If all else fails, we can attack the city right now. Maybe we can still make it."

"General Cui."

Chen Sanshi ordered: "You go outside the city to persuade them to surrender. This time you must be tough and tell them that if they don't surrender within 15 days, we will not have another chance and will mobilize the army to come."

"Fifteen days? We're going to give them that long?!"

Cui Congyi was puzzled and asked, "General Chen, the reinforcements from Qing will arrive in 20 days. If they refuse to surrender, are you going to use the last five days to capture the city?!"

"Attack the city? Haha!"

Sha Wenlong sneered, "With five days, I'm afraid it will be too late to retreat! Once the Qing army rushes in, we will be unable to advance forward, and we will have no way to retreat. We will also have to face an attack from an army of 200,000. By then, we will be defeated!"

"General Sha." Chen Sanshi said expressionlessly, "Who do you think was defeated?"

"Oh, who else could it be?"

Sha Wenlong said as a matter of course: "Of course it's us!"

"Cui Congyi, Sha Wenlong!"

Chen Sanshi suddenly raised his voice, as if thunder suddenly exploded in the clear sky.

His tone became even colder, and every word he spoke was like a sharp blade made of ice, piercing the eardrums of everyone present and being audible when it hits the ground.

“Considering that you two are generals of my Great Sheng Dynasty and my seniors, I can ignore your rudeness!

"But if anyone dares to say something like 'the defeat is like a landslide' again, which damages our military prestige and shakes our soldiers' morale, I will use my authority to chop off both of your heads!"

"W-what did you say?!"

Sha Wenlong was furious: "Isn't what I said the truth? Deng Feng will never surrender. If you waste another fifteen days here, what will happen next?"

"Somebody come!"

Chen Sanshi said coldly: "Drag Sha Wenlong out and chop him up!"

"As ordered!"

Zhao Kang and others drew their swords.

They, a group of internal refining warriors, surrounded the general in the Xuanxiang realm without any fear.

"Chen San, Lieutenant General Chen!"

Sha Wenlong didn't expect this kid to dare to play for real. He asked loudly: "What right do you have to kill me!"

"The token is here, how can I not kill him?!"

Chen Sanshi held the token high.

"You and I……"

Sha Wenlong was incoherent after this sudden scene. He subconsciously wanted to grab a knife, but he knew that the situation was not serious at the moment. He had not really disobeyed orders, nor did he do anything too extreme. In fact, his crime was not punishable by death and he still had a chance to defend himself. But if he resisted with a knife, it would be a real capital crime. In the end, he controlled his anger and let a few insignificant people put knives on his neck.

"General Chen!"

Cao Fan came out and pleaded, "General Sha did not disobey orders, nor did he say anything depressing like the defeat was overwhelming. Even if he talked back, it shouldn't be a capital crime, right?"

"Yes."

Cui Congyi maintained his expression, but the veins on his forehead were throbbing, proving how strong the anger he suppressed was. "General Chen, His Royal Highness is right. General Sha is just a question, just a question. Even if you have the power to lead, don't we have the qualifications to give you advice? If you really kill General Sha, will you also be suspected of abusing your power?"

Chen Sanshi turned a deaf ear to it.

"General Chen!"

Cao Fan took two steps forward and said, "If we kill our own general first before the two armies, wouldn't that further damage our morale? Besides, General Sha was only giving advice.

"General Sha, why don't you kneel down and apologize to General Chen!"

"Prince?!"

Sha Wenlong widened his only remaining eye.

Cao Fan reminded him: "You didn't see the token in General Chen's hand. If I kill you, even Marshal Meng won't say anything."

"I...Alas! General Chen, it's my fault!"

Finally, Sha Wenlong knelt down on one knee with great difficulty. Under extreme humiliation, his voice trembled as he spoke: "I promise that I will never speak nonsense again to shake the morale of the army. I hope General Chen will give me a chance to make amends for my mistakes."

"Better so."

Chen Sanshi signaled his subordinates to put down their swords, and then led them out of the central military tent.

His purpose was to frighten these people so that they would not disobey orders and cause trouble. As for the death penalty, it was indeed not serious enough.

After watching them walk away, Sha Wenlong did not stand up for a long time. His left hand, which was supporting the ground, was filled with internal energy, making a dent in the yellow mud, and his teeth were almost broken by biting.

"This is too much! I, Sha Wenlong, am at least a second-rank official, a military commander, how dare he...how dare he insult me ​​like this!"

"Who let him hold the token given by the Marshal?"

Cui Congyi also felt humiliated.

They have been in the military for half their lives, and now they have to look at the face of a young boy: "Just bear with it for now, twenty days will pass quickly, and when the time limit of his military order is up, we will be able to watch his head move before our own eyes!"

"You're right."

Sha Wenlong said in a deep voice: "I want to see how he can make Deng Feng open the city gate and surrender!"

……

Zhaotong Prefecture, inside the city.

On the city wall, many soldiers were looking into the distance. Another group of surrendered soldiers were released and walked towards Daqing. Envy appeared in their eyes. At this moment, dust was rising outside the city and the sound of horses' hooves was deafening. A flag with the word "Chen" on it stood out in the strong wind.

"It's not good, it's not good!"

"Chen Sanshi is here, Chen Sanshi is here!"

"White robes, white horses, black armor, black army, there is no mistake!"

"Will you lower it or not?"

"..."

"Who dares to surrender, you bastard?"

Deng Feng rushed up to the city wall and yelled at them: "Have you forgotten what I told you? The reinforcements will arrive soon, and the siege of Zhaotong will be lifted by then. Why should we surrender?! Can we rely on Chen Sanshi, a lieutenant general at the Tongmai realm?!"

"But the General!"

Deputy General Song Hongbiao clasped his fists and said, "I just got the news that he, they all surrendered!"

"Who do they mean?"

Deng Feng frowned: "Who surrendered?!"

"Twenty-seven mansions!"

Song Hongbiao said: "Starting from Zhaotong Prefecture and heading north, all the cities, big and small, have surrendered!"

"what?!"

Deng Feng found out the information from him, and after reading it, he closed his eyes tightly. He was more angry than angry at his lack of fighting spirit: "We raise soldiers for a thousand days and use them for a moment. We in Daqing treat these generals well. How can they be so disloyal and unjust?"

"People in the city, listen up!"

At the same time, Cui Congyi personally rode to the front of the battle line, and his voice was loud and clear, resounding through the sky: "I am General Cui Congyi! The Qing defenders in the city listen carefully!
"Now, hundreds of cities, big and small, in Laizhou have surrendered to our Great Sheng Dynasty. Only you stubborn people are left to resist. We don't have the patience to waste time any longer! I will give you one last chance!
"If you surrender immediately, I can still follow our previous agreement and not harm you in the slightest. But if you don't listen...

"In fifteen days, be prepared for a fight to the death. When the time comes, the city will be destroyed and everyone will be killed, leaving no one alive!"

Leave no one behind!
The loud shouts of the Xuan Xiang realm warriors were heard clearly by everyone present.

How could it become like this? !

Not long ago, Sheng Ren was trying every possible way to persuade them to surrender, and he seemed to want to fight but didn't dare to. How come he suddenly made such a ruthless statement that he wanted to kill everyone? !

Could it be that Laizhou is really doomed? !
"grown ups……"

"All twenty-seven prefectures have surrendered, let's surrender too!"

"Yes General!"

"Shut up, everyone—"

Although Deng Feng's voice was high, he did not lose his temper. He just shouted: "Brothers and fellow villagers! I just want to ask you one question. What kind of character do I, Deng, have?!"

"This……"

"General Deng is loyal and brave, and is one of the most powerful generals in Daqing!"

"Mr. Deng, do I need to ask you guys this?"

"It was General Deng who opened the warehouses and released grain to us common people."

"Otherwise, we would have starved to death!"

"..."

Deng Feng asked: "If that's the case, do you believe what I said?!"

"Of course I believe it!"

"Then why didn't you listen to me?!"

"But all twenty-seven prefectures have surrendered!"

"This means that there are still brothers in the nine cities who are holding on with us!"

Deng Feng shouted vigorously: "These nine big cities are the solid cities of Laizhou! They can't take them down at all, so they are threatening here! Now another twenty days have passed, and there are only fifteen days left, and His Majesty the Emperor will come in person to lead the army!"

"General, is this true?"

"The last fifteen days?!"

"That's right! The last fifteen days!"

Deng Feng knew that it would actually take at least twenty days for the reinforcements to reach Green Ridge Mountains.

However, under the intimidation of the other party, he had to move the date forward in order to "quench thirst by looking at the plum" and induce everyone to hold on.

As long as we can hold on for these fifteen days, we can continue to defend it!
Because after fifteen days, if the Sheng Dynasty army really attacked Zhaotong City, then the soldiers and civilians would naturally fight to the death in order to survive. If the Sheng Dynasty army did not attack, then they would really have to wait for reinforcements.

Just hold on for the last fifteen days!

"Okay, General!"

"We believe you!"

"Brothers, let's hold on together for another fifteen days!"

"In half a month, everyone will be promoted and make a fortune!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we ordinary people can also enjoy tax-free grain!"

"..."

After Deng Feng's painstaking announcement, the military morale was finally temporarily stabilized.

Zhaotong Prefecture fell into silence again.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and no one opened the city to surrender.

……

Fourth day.

The people on the city wall of Zhaotong Prefecture saw with their own eyes that the Black Armor Army left.

"Where are they going?"

"Looking at the direction, they are planning to bypass Zhaotong Prefecture and attack other cities first!"

"You think the other cities will surrender as well?"

"If that's the case, Zhaotong Prefecture will be the only one holding on in the entire Laizhou!"

"joke!"

Deng Feng stayed on the city wall day and night, so that he could stand up and appease his subordinates in time if there was any situation: "Well done! The generals in the other cities are all my old friends, brothers in life and death! As long as I don't surrender, they will never surrender!

"Chen Sanshi can't do anything to us, so we have to attack other places first. But this is exactly what I want!

"There is only so much time left. Which city do you think they can capture? The time wasted in going back and forth is enough for your Majesty's army to arrive!"

"If that's the case, that's great."

"Then believe the general and wait a little longer."

……

Yongle Mansion.

"It's been seven days! Deng Feng really didn't disappoint me!"

King Tang Li Gong breathed a sigh of relief.

Time is on their side!
Reinforcements are arriving soon!
outside the city.

Dasheng military camp.

"It's been seven days, and Zhaotong Prefecture still hasn't surrendered."

Meng Quji was anxious, but no longer as impatient as before. He asked patiently, "General Fang, the so-called 'big trend' you mentioned before doesn't seem to be able to swallow up Zhaotong Prefecture! Deng Feng has a very high prestige, and he can stabilize the army's morale under such circumstances! What should we do? There are only a dozen days left, and it's too late!"

He had never been so nervous in all his battles.

If I had encountered this situation before.

They had retreated long ago.

As long as you retreat quickly enough, you will never be defeated.

"hold on."

After Fang Qingyun figured out Chen Sanshi's strategy this time, he became eerily calm. He even played the flute when he had nothing to do, looking like he had everything planned out.

Seeing him like this.

There is a lesson learned from last time.

Not only Meng Quji, but also Fan Tianfa and Zhan Taiming, left the camp to prepare for the retreat just for the sake of safety, but they did not say anything about it.

Then wait a little longer!
……

The three thousand Black Armored Army bypassed Zhaotong Prefecture and continued southward.

"After the first four steps, sir, should we move on to the fifth step?"

Xia Cong followed him and said, "This time, are we going to persuade other cities to surrender first, turn Zhaotong Prefecture into an isolated city, and then force them to surrender? What a good plan!"

Chen Sanshi pointed his spear at Luoying Mansion at the end of his sight and said, "Go and persuade them to surrender."

"I am!"

Xia Cong did not hesitate and immediately led his men straight to the city gate.

But he quickly turned back, with an unpleasant look on his face: "Sir, the people from Luoying Mansion are different from the ones we met before. They actually... refuse to surrender!"

"grown ups!"

Xiao Zheng added: "Why don't you try it yourself? After all, the cities that surrendered before were all because of your reputation. Maybe we, your subordinates, are useless."

"No, continue to the next prefecture."

Chen Sanshi didn't give them time to react and rode forward.

"what?"

Xia Cong and others hurriedly followed.

"Lianyi Mansion will not surrender!"

"Wuyuan Prefecture will not surrender!"

"Luyuan Mansion will not surrender either!"

"Sir, are you really not going to go and persuade them in person? These people are all die-hard fans of Deng Feng and are unwilling to surrender."

"Besides, after this trip, by the time we get back to Zhaotong Prefecture, it will probably be the thirteenth day!"

Xia Cong asked.

But now they no longer ask questions out of doubt, but simply out of a desire to learn and understand.

"is it?"

Chen Sanshi asked doubtfully, "Didn't they surrender already?"

"This……"

Xia Cong suddenly realized, "Excellent, I understand, sir. We said we surrendered. Regardless of whether we surrendered or not, in the eyes of the Zhaotong City defenders, these cities have surrendered! Because there are only two days left before the announced date of the siege, they have no time to verify! Add to that the 27 cities that surrendered before, and they will think that eight cities have surrendered under the general trend! Only they are left with an isolated city!"

"Xia Cong!"

"The humble position is here!"

"You must quickly go to the city where the surrendered soldiers are being held, and send the remaining 2,000 surrendered soldiers to the outside of Zhaotong City, and disperse them in all directions of the city gates."

Xia Cong just felt that he had understood everything within a few breaths, and immediately he couldn't keep up with his thoughts.

"Are they going to use their own people to persuade their own people to surrender, or are they going to use them to attack the city?"

He just felt that he was stupid and was too embarrassed to ask any more questions.

"Leader!"

He carried out the order immediately.

……

Leishan Prefecture.

After the first great battle, this place became a place to detain surrendered soldiers.

The more than 20,000 surrendered soldiers of Qing State originally thought that their fate would be tragic. However, not long after, Dasheng began to release them, let them go home, and even distributed dry food.

One month down.

There were more than 20,000 people, and only the last 2,000 or so were left!

These two thousand people were in a state of panic all day long, unable to sleep or eat.

Because they were deliberately separated, the other brothers were released or left, but they were detained from the beginning to the end.

Not only that, they also heard that everyone in Laizhou had surrendered, leaving only them.

"How could this be?"

"Sir, why, why don't you let us go?"

"Are we unlucky and have to stay here to be killed?"

"Sir, please spare us!"

They all fell to their knees.

"Shut up!"

Zhu Qi, who was in charge of guarding the place, cursed: "It is not your turn to decide whether you live or die. If Dasheng wants you to die, you die. If Dasheng wants you to live, you live!"

"General Zhu!"

Xia Cong arrived and said, "General Chen has issued an order! Escort these people to the outskirts of Zhaotong City as soon as possible!"

"Zhaotong?"

The surrendered soldiers were horrified.

"Are you asking us to go first?!"

"In the end, there is still no escape from death?"

"How cruel, how cruel!"

"..."

"Cut the nonsense!"

Zhu Qi immediately set off and escorted them out.

……

Day 14!

this day

The Qing army marched straight to Green Ridge Mountain.

With only three to five days left, we will enter Laizhou!

Outside Yongle Palace.

Meng Quji was ready to retreat.

Outside Zhaotong Prefecture, Sha Wenlong and others in the Dasheng military camp were feeling worried but secretly happy.

The worry is that they are concerned about where the situation is headed next.

I am secretly happy because someone has issued a military order!

Ten days ago.

After Chen Sanshi failed to persuade Zhaotong Prefecture to surrender, he led his men further south.

Until recently, they turned back.

result……

According to the real intelligence, not a single city was taken!
In other words, they did nothing but run south and then run back, wasting more than ten days. Tomorrow is the fifteenth day!

That was the day that had been agreed upon before, when Zhaotong Prefecture would open its doors.

After tonight!

If Zhaotong Prefecture does not surrender, it will be impossible to attack the city and they will have to withdraw quickly!

In other words.

Chen Sanshi failed to complete the military order!

All his previous arrogance will eventually be punished!

……

Zhaotong Prefecture.

On top of the city wall.

The soldiers and common people of Qing State saw with their own eyes the return of the Black Armor Army.

Next came the news brought back by the scouts.

"Something bad is going to happen!"

"The Shengren army outside the city is spreading rumors that the other eight prefectures have surrendered!"

"Just like the previous twenty-seven prefectures, every time Chen Sanshi arrives at a place, the local commanders will all voluntarily open the city walls and surrender without firing a single arrow!"

"What, really or not?!"

"Didn't General Deng say that the other eight prefectures would not surrender?"

"Hush~~Keep your voice down. Have you forgotten that before the 27 prefectures surrendered, General Deng also said that he would not surrender. What happened?"

"You mean to say that the general has been lying to us all along, just to keep us hanging on?"

"if not?"

"Then what should we do about this?"

"In fact, it's totally unnecessary. Just open the city gates and surrender. Why bother holding on? The other people who surrendered in other prefectures have already returned home by now!"

"..."

"What did you say? You are so bold, spreading rumors and confusing the people, disrupting the morale of our army. You deserve to die—"

Deng Feng climbed up the city wall and happened to hear what one of his subordinates said in private. He was furious and chopped off the subordinate's head in front of everyone. Blood gushed out from the broken neck and splashed on the people around him with a warm touch.

He picked up the head and said, "Listen carefully, the news outside must be false! If this general does not surrender, the eight prefectures will never surrender! If anyone dares to spread rumors and confuse the people again, this will be the end!"

"This this……"

Everyone retreated in fear, and no one dared to say anything.

But Deng Feng knew that when he had to rely on killing to stabilize people's hearts, it meant that he had reached his limit!
Fortunately, just hold on!

This string only needs to be kept taut for one last night!
Early tomorrow morning.

That was the time Da Sheng claimed to attack the city.

As long as they attack the city and both sides kill each other, they will be able to continue defending!

The army will arrive in five days!

……

outside the city.

The main military tent of the Dasheng Huben Army.

"It will be dawn in a few hours! If the people of Zhaotong Prefecture don't open the gates and surrender, it means that Chen's military order will not be fulfilled! When the time comes, I will personally capture him and bring him before Marshal Meng. I will see how Fang Qingyun saves him!

"Where's Chen Sanshi? Could he be hiding?!"

Sha Wenlong narrowed his one eye and kept stroking the blade of the broadsword in his hand. His mind was full of the scene of himself kneeling down and admitting his mistake to the man named Chen.

"To reply to General Sha, Chen Sanshi is in the big tent at the East Gate!"

"What is he doing?"

"I don't know. It seems that nothing was done. But I noticed that the Black Armor Army seemed to have transferred a lot of surrendered soldiers."

"Surrender?"

Cui Congyi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why did he transfer the soldiers here?"

"I don't know! The people from the Black Armor Army didn't reveal it!"

"Report——"

Another soldier rushed into the tent, knelt down and reported: "General Chen has an order! Order us to cancel the strategy of surrounding three and leaving one at the hour of Mao, completely lock down Zhaotong Prefecture, then beat all the war drums, deploy troops on all four sides of the city, and prepare all siege equipment."

"Okay!"

Sha Wenlong couldn't help but sneered loudly: "I know! He wants the surrendered soldiers to come over, in order to force them to be the shield and go first, and then we will attack the city! It seems that he has finally come to his senses and knows that the people in the city will not surrender, and we must attack the city!
"Unfortunately, it's too late!

“The daylilies are cold now!
"As soon as blood is seen, the people in the city will fight to the death. It is impossible to capture it in five days! The reinforcements from Qing will arrive soon!
“He’s wasting his chance!

"General Cui, write the letter quickly!
"We are very close to Yongle Mansion. Haidongqing will be able to fly back before dawn. Let Marshal Meng stop this kid! Attacking the city now is simply seeking death!
"Remove his fake imperial seal and take him back to investigate!"

"Yes!"

……

Black Armor Army.

Amidst the anxious atmosphere, Chen Sanshi practiced his spear skills in front of the big tent door.

He didn't stop until Xia Cong came to report. He took the rough cloth handed to him by Zhao Kang and wiped his sweat slowly: "Is everything arranged?"

"grown ups!"

Xia Cong clasped his fists and said, "All two thousand surrendered soldiers are in place, scattered at the four city gates in the southeast, northwest, and northeast! The rest of the troops are also ready, and we will be ready to attack the city after dawn! So, sir, for this fifth step, are we still going to attack the city?"

Lu Shuhua, Xiao Zheng and others all looked at him in confusion.

In their view.

It is impossible to attack the city now.

But since the adults want to do this, it means that we can definitely conquer it in a very short time.

But they couldn't guess what specific method was used.

However, the answer they got was very different from what they had expected.

“No siege.”

"Not attacking the city? Then, then we still need to persuade people to surrender? But sir, we have found the surrendered soldiers as shields, and ordered the other troops to prepare siege equipment. Isn't it to scare people instead of attacking the city?"

"You have been asking me what the fifth step is to persuade Laizhou to surrender."

Chen Sanshi's palm came to the sand table, above the city of Zhaotong. Under the flickering candlelight, shadows covered the entire city.

He spoke slowly, each word sonorous: "Step 5! Celebration songs on all sides!"

"Qing Song? Do you mean the folk song of Qing Country?"

Xia Cong and the others were almost completely confused: "Sir, what is this arrangement?"

"Pass on my order! After midnight, let the two thousand surrendered soldiers sing folk songs!"

"When the celebration song starts and the sun rises in the east, Laizhou City will be destroyed!"

"boom!"

Chen Sanshi's Five Fingers Mountain-like palm fell heavily, and the Zhaotong City on the sand table was smashed into powder!

the fifth step!
The enemies are surrounded on all sides and their arrows attack the heart. The arrows will open the city gate and conquer Laizhou!
　Recommend a book by a good brother.

(End of this chapter)