I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

Two days later.

As dawn broke on the horizon, the deafening sound of horses' hooves echoed outside Jing'an City.

Smoke and dust billowed, obscuring the sky.

The barbarian army, like a black tide, surged in continuously, stretching for dozens of miles from north to south, completely surrounding Jing'an City.

Banners fluttered in the wind, and swords and spears stood like a forest.

Two hundred thousand barbarian soldiers were in high spirits, their murderous aura soaring to the sky.

Yelü Aguda reined in his horse and stood at the front of the battle formation, looking at Jing'an City before him with a hint of contempt in his eyes.

He raised his hand, his voice booming like a bell, and issued the military order.

"All troops, set up camp on the spot! Construct fortifications around the city, and build siege weapons such as ladders and battering rams! Attack the city tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!"

The messenger galloped away on horseback, and the military order spread throughout the army.

The barbarian soldiers acted swiftly, setting up camp, cutting down trees, and forging weapons; the camp was bustling with activity.

On the city wall of Jing'an City.

Chu Yun, Wang Hu, Ma Dong, and a group of city-guarding generals stood together in front of the battlements, looking out at the endless barbarian army camp outside the city. Everyone's face was solemn, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

An army of 200,000 is no child's play.

Even though they had made advance preparations and were well-prepared, they were still under immense pressure.

Wang Hu's voice was low: "Your Highness, there are 20,000 imperial guards and 10,000 county soldiers in the city. Adding the young men temporarily conscripted, the total number is only 40,000."

Forty thousand men were fighting against an army of two hundred thousand, a five-fold difference in troop strength.

Even more fatally, Jing'an City is located on a plain, surrounded by flat land, with no natural defenses, relying entirely on a single city wall to resist enemy troops.

Jing'an City was a large city with a radius of hundreds of miles and a city wall that stretched for dozens of miles. Forty thousand men were scattered throughout the city wall, and the troops in each section were extremely thin, with no advantage in any local area.

While it may seem like we have the advantage in defending the city, defending a large city requires a huge number of people.

Guarding posts, moving logs and stones, relaying military intelligence, and treating wounded soldiers—each task required manpower, and the limited troop strength was stretched thin.

Once the barbarian army launches a full-scale attack on the city, spreading out in all directions, the defending troops will be unable to defend effectively and will be easily breached.

The crowd's faces grew increasingly grim, and a gloomy atmosphere settled over them.

Wang Hu took a deep breath and spoke.

"Rest assured, everyone, troops from all over the country are rapidly assembling in the north and rushing to provide support day and night."

If we can hold out for a month, reinforcements will surely arrive, and we will be able to defeat the barbarian army!

One month.

This is a difficult hurdle.

Chu Yun stepped forward to encourage everyone.

"General Wang is right. We have ample food reserves, complete weaponry, and the people are united... As long as we are of one mind and defend the city walls to the death, we will definitely be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

"We, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty, have a duty to defend our land; we must never allow barbarians to set foot on our city walls!"

"We swear to defend the city to the death! We will live and die with it!"

"We are ready to obey Your Highness's orders and defend the city walls to the death!"

The generals gripped their weapons tightly and loudly declared their stance.

Seeing the tense expressions on everyone's faces, Chu Yun's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Don't be too pessimistic. The traps and fortifications we've set up aren't just for show; they're enough to give the barbarian army outside the city a good beating."

"If they want to easily attack the city, they'll have to ask us first if the traps and bamboo stake formations we've laid outside the city will allow it."

Upon hearing this, the previously solemn crowd instantly snapped out of their daze, their faces breaking into smiles, and the oppressive atmosphere vanished.

"That's right! We were prepared. When the barbarian army arrives, they'll definitely suffer a crushing defeat!"

"Hahaha, just wait and see these savage dogs fall into the trap and cry for their parents!"

The group exchanged smiles, their previously heavy mood instantly lifted, and their eyes filled with anticipation.

........

The barbarian army camp.

The soldiers had just finished eating and were resting in twos and threes in various parts of the camp.

The camp, which should have been peaceful, was soon filled with cries of agony.

First, several barbarian soldiers near the camp clutched their stomachs, their faces pale, their legs weak, and collapsed to the ground, their foreheads covered in cold sweat, their bodies convulsing.

"Ouch... my stomach hurts so much! It hurts so much!"

"My stomach feels like it's being stabbed!"

Immediately afterwards, more and more soldiers began to show unusual behavior.

One by one, they clutched their lower abdomens, bent over, and groaned and wailed in pain.

Some people squatted on the ground vomiting incessantly, while others ran back and forth frantically, desperately looking for a place to defecate. The camp was instantly thrown into chaos.

"Damn it! What on earth is this food made of? It's going to kill me!"

"I'm in pain too! I can't even stand up... Is the food spoiled?"

"No! It's not just the food, the water we're drinking is the problem too! We just drank two sips, and now our stomachs are churning!"

Wailing, cursing, and painful groans filled the entire barbarian camp.

Within half an hour, thousands of soldiers in the camp fell ill one after another, suffering from abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, and collapsing to the ground, unable to stand up.

Upon seeing this, the guards on duty turned pale with fright and rushed towards the central command tent to report to Yelü Aguda.

At this moment, Yelü Aguda was sitting in his tent, discussing the siege with his generals. He frowned and sternly rebuked the personal guards who rushed in in a panic.

"What's the panic! This is outrageous!"

"Marshal! Something terrible has happened! Thousands of brothers in the camp are suffering from severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea after eating, and a large number of them have already collapsed!" the personal guard reported urgently.

The generals inside the tent instantly changed their expressions. Yelü Aguda slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his eyes wide open, his anger surging.

"What exactly happened?!"

He immediately led a group of generals out of the tent, and looked at the soldiers groaning in pain all over the camp. His face was so gloomy it could drip water.

"Summon the army medic! Find out the cause immediately!"

The military doctor, carrying a medicine kit, rushed over. He first examined the symptoms of the sick soldiers, then had someone bring the soldiers' food and water. He squatted down and repeatedly checked them, even using silver needles to test them.

A moment later, the military doctor quickly ran to Yelü Aguda.

"Marshal! We've found it! The problem lies with the water source! All the well water and puddles around the camp have been laced with a drug! Not a deadly poison, but a laxative that causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, and general weakness!"

"The soldiers drank poisoned water, which is why they all developed these symptoms!"

The truth came out.

Yelü Aguda was so angry that he trembled all over and roared.

"The Qian army actually poisoned the water source! Such a lack of martial ethics is utterly despicable!"

He had fought for many years and had never seen such a ruthless tactic before. Instead of fighting head-on, they tampered with the water source.

The generals around him were also burning with rage.

Yelü Aguda took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, his eyes cold, and gave a stern order.

"Issue my order! The entire army is strictly prohibited from drinking any water source around the camp! Anyone who dares to take water without authorization will be dealt with according to military law!"

"Immediately dispatch a small team to the river ten miles away to fetch flowing water!"

"The entire medical battalion is mobilized to treat the sick soldiers and ensure they recover their combat effectiveness as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, Marshal!"

Yelü Aguda stood still, gazing in the direction of Jing'an City, his eyes filled with murderous intent.