The Prodigal Son

One day later, at Rock Fortress.

Despite being besieged by Ning's army, the morale of the more than 30,000 Yan soldiers at Panshi Fort was still high.

After all, they had only been besieged for a few days.

They still have plenty of food and supplies, and since Panshi Fortress is built against a mountain, they don't have to worry about water.

If Ning Jun wants to starve them out, it will take at least another twenty days.

However, disagreements still arose among the generals within the Rock Fortress.

"Right now, all we need to do is hold Rock Fortress and wear down the enemy. There's absolutely no need to launch an attack! To do so now would just be giving the enemy an opportunity!"

"General Wu, if we continue to cower like this, our supplies will eventually run out! If we don't take the initiative now and cause some trouble for the enemy, we'll be doomed once our supplies are gone!"

"Yes! If we keep hiding, the Ning army only needs to use a small number of troops to trap us, thus mobilizing their main force to besiege Wangzhou Prefecture! Once Wangzhou Prefecture falls, we will be completely isolated!"

"Wangzhou Prefecture is personally overseen by the Grand General. For the enemy to attempt to breach it is nothing short of a pipe dream!"

"Even the Great General isn't omnipotent! Shangxing has already been captured, and Wangzhou Prefecture only has 20,000 troops. If we keep cowering like this, all the pressure will fall on the Great General!"

"The general's order is for us to hold our ground. Do you intend to disobey?"

"I didn't say we wouldn't stand our ground, it's just that we can't keep cowering around doing nothing..."

Wu Huaishan, Zongzhao, and Wang Sengyuan stood in front of the sand table, engaged in a heated discussion.

Previously, Zong Bi had already sent people along the mountain path to inform them of the fall of Shangxing.

Zong Bi ordered them to hold Panshi Fortress firmly, threatening the Ning army's supply lines and preventing them from transporting grain with peace of mind.

If Ningjun really wants to transport grain, that's fine too!

All Ningjun needs to do is send tens of thousands of elite troops to escort the grain transport teams each time!

It all depends on whether Ning's army has enough troops to cause trouble!

Zongzhao and Wang Sengyuan both felt that even if they held their ground, they should find an opportunity to take the initiative.

It's not good to keep hiding like this.

However, Wu Huaishan firmly believed that they should hold their ground.

Any opportunity they see to launch a proactive attack could be a trap set by the enemy to breach Rock Fortress; the enemy is just waiting for them to take the initiative!

Neither side could convince the other, and their tone became increasingly strained.

Just as the two sides were about to start arguing, Wu Huaishan's deputy stumbled in.

Wu Huaishan, already furious, scolded him impatiently, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and in such a hurry?"

"General, something terrible has happened!"

With a sob in his voice, the lieutenant knelt down with a thud. "The Ning people have sent men to bring the remains of the Grand General and Commander Zong, asking us to collect their bodies and prepare them for burial..."

"fart!"

Before Wu Huaishan could even get angry, Zong Zhao flew into a rage, kicking his deputy to the ground. "If you dare spout any more nonsense, I'll chop you up!"

His father was a famous general of the Great Yan Dynasty!

How could Wangzhou Prefecture have fallen in just a few days?

What else could this be but a fart?

The lieutenant raised his head, his voice filled with grief and indignation: "General Zong, this humble general truly did not speak falsely!"

"Alright."

Wu Huaishan stopped Zong Zhao, who was about to make another move, saying, "The Ning people are just trying to demoralize our troops and are deliberately spreading rumors!"

"General, no!"

The lieutenant shook his head, his eyes reddening, and said, "The remains of the General and the others are outside. I've already sent men to check, and they've been confirmed to be the remains of the General and the others! And the remains of General Tong, General Shan, and the others..."

"What?"

Wu Huaishan's expression changed drastically, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Are you really sure?"

"Um!"

The lieutenant nodded emphatically.

The three of them panicked completely and ran outside immediately.

Soon, the three arrived at the main gate of Rock Fortress.

When they arrived, the soldiers had already brought in the corpses and heads.

A large group of soldiers knelt together, their faces filled with despair.

"Make way, make way!"

Zong Zhao haphazardly pushed aside the soldiers around him and stumbled as he rushed inside.

When he rushed to the innermost part, the first thing he saw was Zong Bi's corpse.

Zong Bi's body was very clean, clearly indicating that it had been deliberately prepared.

He lay on a white sheet, as if he were asleep.

Beside Zong Bi were the corpses of Tong Lu, Shan Hong, and Zong Yuan, as well as He Cong's head.

All the corpses had been cleaned up, even He Cong's head, which was kept clean and his hair was perfectly in place.

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Zong Zhao's last glimmer of hope was completely shattered.

"father!"

Zongzhao let out a mournful cry and knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"General!"

Wang Sengyuan and Wu Huaishan, who had just rushed in, also knelt down, their hearts filled with grief, indignation, and despair.

All the main generals of Wangzhou Prefecture were killed.

That only proves one thing!

Wangzhou Prefecture has been captured by the Ning army!

They were completely isolated!

Moreover, with the news of Zong Bi's death and the fall of Wangzhou Prefecture, their morale was bound to plummet.

Now, the question is no longer whether they should take the initiative.

The real question is how they can defend Rock Keep!

The first problem they need to solve is morale!

But this is a problem that is fundamentally unsolvable!

Even if they manage to stabilize morale for now, it won't be long before it plummets again.

The war has only been going on for less than ten days!

The Great Yan suffered defeat after defeat, losing not only soldiers and generals, but also their commander-in-chief!

How could morale not plummet under such circumstances?

There is only one way to maintain morale.

We must win a great victory and completely crush the Ning army that is besieging them!

At times like these, only victory can boost and maintain morale!

But right now, how difficult it is for them to win a major victory!

Taking the initiative could very well result in total annihilation!

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Wu Huaishan, his eyes red with tears, pulled at the sobbing Zong Zhao and said, "Stop crying now, let the generals rest in peace!"

Zongzhao slowly raised his head, his eyes blurred with tears, and looked at Zongbi's body, nodding sadly.

Wu Huaishan slowly stood up and solemnly instructed his deputy, "Order men to quickly prepare coffins, and have the entire army wear mourning clothes!"

After saying this, Wu Huaishan walked absentmindedly toward the city tower of Panshibao.

Wang Sengyuan glanced at him, then suppressed his grief and followed.

Upon reaching the city wall, Wu Huaishan was filled with confusion, gazing into the distance with a bewildered expression.

At this moment, Wang Sengyuan's voice came from behind Wu Huaishan.

Wu Huaishan stiffened, his face filled with bitterness, and said, "I understand! But... can we really defeat the Ning army that's besieging us? Even if we do defeat them, where should we go?"

The one besieging them was Xue Chengdao, the Minister of War of Ningguo and the commander-in-chief of the Ning army!

Xue Chengdao personally led his troops to besiege them; how could they possibly be easily defeated?

Moreover, Wangzhou Prefecture fell, and other cities were burned to ashes by Zongbi's men.

They broke through, but where could they go?

"We can do it! A desperate army will surely win!"

Wang Sengyuan forced himself to cheer up, gritting his teeth as he said, "If we have nowhere to go, we'll break into smaller groups and keep harassing the Ning army's supply lines!"

Now, it's no longer realistic to try and break into Dingzhou.

But they can deal with Ning's army in other ways!

They split into countless small units, hiding in the mountains and countryside far from the main city, constantly harassing the Ning army's supply lines, which will surely cause the Ning army a lot of trouble!

If Ning Jun wants to completely wipe them out, he will have to deploy several times the number of troops!