The Prodigal Son

Upon hearing the sound of the retreat signal, the Ning army that had been attacking the city immediately withdrew like a receding tide.

Zong Bi stared blankly at the scene, almost unable to believe his eyes.

You cancelled it?

Ning Jun has already seen the hope of breaching the city!

If Ningjun maintains its momentum and launches another fierce attack for another half hour, the north gate will probably fall.

Why did Ning Jun retreat at this time?

Could it be that Qin Fumeng never considered that they were short of kerosene?

Or perhaps Qin Fumeng couldn't withstand the casualties?

Or perhaps Qin Fumeng believes he still has a backup plan?

Not only was Zong Bi stunned, but the Yan army defending the city was also somewhat bewildered.

Some people even forgot to take advantage of the Ning army's retreat to inflict more casualties on them.

Just as Zong Bi came to his senses and was about to destroy the wooden bridge built by the Ning army, Zong Yuan came running over quickly with a disheveled soldier.

Upon seeing Zong Bi, the soldiers immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, crying out, "General, the south gate has fallen!"

"What?"

Zong Bi felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his body swayed.

He really wanted to yell at the soldier for talking nonsense.

However, the enemy's unusual behavior at the north gate completely confirmed the soldiers' words.

With the south gate breached, there was naturally no need for them to launch a relentless attack on the north gate at any cost.

Zong Yuan quickly helped Zong Bi up, his voice trembling with tears, and pleaded, "General, we can't hold out any longer! Let's retreat!"

"fart!"

Zong Bi flew into a rage, "Do you think I'm a coward? Zong Yuan, lead the personal guards and push the enemy back! Even if you all die in battle, you must retake the South Gate!"

"General, we can't take it back!"

The soldiers, their eyes red with grief, wailed, "To stop the enemy's advance, General He ordered his men to concentrate oil in the hidden bunkers beneath the city wall and set them ablaze. Now, a breach three zhang wide has been opened in the south gate! The Ning army has completely stormed in! General He has also fallen in battle..."

"What?"

Listening to the soldiers' words, Zong Bi felt a wave of dizziness.

Is He Cong's head filled with shit?

How could he make such a foolish decision?

For a fleeting moment, he even suspected that He Cong, who had followed him for many years, was a spy for the Ning army.

But Zongbi quickly realized what was going on.

Even with its own forces stationed at the North Gate, the battle is already so difficult; the battle at the South Gate must be even more challenging.

Unless absolutely necessary, why would anyone make such a decision?

If He Congru was a spy for Ning Jun, he wouldn't have died in battle.

Finished!

A breach has appeared in the south gate!

Wangzhou Prefecture cannot be defended!

Qin Fumeng said that the city would be breached before nightfall.

As a result, before noon, they had already breached the south gate.

I've lost!

A complete and utter defeat!

Filled with grief and indignation, Zong Bi gritted his teeth and roared, "Order all units to immediately converge at the West Gate, set fire to the city along the way, and block the enemy! Zong Yuan, immediately lead men to remove the sealing stones at the West Gate for me!"

We can't hold on any longer!

To the east lies Shangxing; even if they manage to break through, they will face certain death.

Large enemy armies are positioned on both the north and south sides!

Right now, the only way to break through is from the west.

Although heading west also seems like a dead end, at least it gives them more room to escape.

He is not willing!

He's heading to Rock Fortress!

We must lead the troops of Panshi Fortress to continue fighting the Ning people to the death!

Even if it takes a few more days, it will be more advantageous for the later stages of the battle!

"yes!"

Zongyuan ran away quickly.

Zong Bi looked dejected, his previous energy gone, replaced by regret and sorrow.

If they hadn't wasted so much oil intercepting Qin Yu, they wouldn't have suffered such a swift and disastrous defeat.

Two days!

If they can hold out for just two more days, Ningjun will definitely not be able to hold out!

pity!

It's too late to regret it now.

Moreover, he had previously ordered all city gates to be sealed off.

Right now, if they want to break through, they still have to spend time and effort to pry open the city gates.

They've created their own trap!

The only saving grace was that he had anticipated the enemy would focus their attacks on the north and south sides, and that the east and west gates were not sealed off so tightly that they could be breached if given enough time.

Otherwise, they would truly be trapped like turtles in a jar.

"Retreat! Retreat towards the west gate!"

"Retreat immediately!"

"Everyone set fires along the way, burning everything that can be burned..."

Upon receiving Zong Bi's order, Tong Lu quickly organized the defending troops to retreat while simultaneously setting fires.

"Sir, you can't burn it!"

"Sir, please spare our lives!"

"Cloth, my cloth..."

Faced with these soldiers who set fire to the city, the people inside pleaded desperately.

However, these soldiers didn't care about anything else now. No matter how much the people pleaded, they set everything they could burn on fire.

The fire quickly spread throughout the city.

Those who did not want to be burned to death could only scatter and flee.

Some people even rushed into their houses crying and shouting, trying to take away the valuables inside.

However, before they could escape, the fire engulfed them.

"what……"

"Help!"

"Father, Mother..."

Beneath the billowing smoke, there were piercing screams and cries everywhere, making Zong Bi feel suffocated.

He knew in his heart that no matter how much merit he would achieve in the future, just for ordering people to set fire to the city and for this fire, he would be infamous for all time.

But he was a general!

He couldn't care less about all that!

He now only wants to take as many soldiers as possible away, and he can't leave these things in the city to the Ning army!

Let them have the bad reputation!

He didn't care if he was condemned by everyone, as long as he could drive the Ning people out!

While Zong Bi led his men to escape to the West Gate, Zong Yuan was still leading his men to breach the city gate.

Although this area wasn't sealed off before, it's still quite difficult to break through it in a short time.

When Zong Yuan and his men had stripped away only the last layer of stones blocking the city gate, Zong Bi's patience ran out. "Get out of the way!"

Zong Bi dismissed his soldiers and, disregarding his own injuries, forcibly gathered his inner energy.

The next moment, Zong Bi unleashed both palms, sending a burst of violent true energy hurtling toward the city gate.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the last layer of stones blocking the city gate was blasted away along with the gate itself.

"puff……"

At the same time, Zong Bi spat out a mouthful of blood.

He was already seriously injured, and with his true energy greatly depleted, forcibly mustering his true energy to break through the city gate only worsened his injuries.

"General!"

Zongyuan quickly helped Zongbi up.

"Leave me alone!"

Zong Bi roared, his mouth full of blood, "Quickly, lower the drawbridge!"

Zongyuan dared not delay and immediately ordered his men to lower the drawbridge.

Amidst a chorus of urging, the suspension bridge was lowered.

"Charge! Charge out!"

As soon as the drawbridge was lowered, Zong Bi immediately led his soldiers out of the city.

However, they had only charged a short distance when Ning troops came in pursuit from both sides.

Just by listening to the noise, you can tell that there are quite a few pursuers.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Zong Bi had no desire to continue the battle, nor did he have time to care about the soldiers who had not yet charged out. He could only lead the soldiers who had already charged out and flee westward in panic...