It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Most people would choose to go through Lianbo City, because that road is wide and comfortable to walk on. In comparison, Fengyan City is just an old city that is so small that it can't be any smaller. The roads around it are also very rugged, especially after it rains, the muddy roads will make it difficult to move forward.

Before the expedition, Fang Shisan decided to let Fileta, who had finished her retreat and reached the sixth level of perfection, guard Lianbo City, but he was still undecided about the selection of the defenders for Fengyan City. Luger's Xuanjia Battalion had a higher combat power, and Juanbai's Wangdong Battalion was also eager to make contributions because they had just joined Yuxi City. Finally, Fang Shisan called the two together and asked them how to deal with the situation there after arriving in Fengyan City.

Luger and Selaginella had similar views: on the one hand, the city walls should be strengthened, and on the other hand, the support of the people should be won.

But the two people have different opinions on "how to gain the support and trust of the people of Fengyan City".

Luge advocated that all supplies in the city be concentrated and allocated together, and at the same time explained to them the various advantages of Yuxi City, so that they would believe that they could live a better life by following him.

Selaginella's answer was just two short words: Give me money!

Seeing that Luger's small eyes were filled with great doubt, Selaginella explained calmly:

"I've been to Fengyan City. It's very poor, poorer than you can imagine. And the people living there are basically farmers who have settled there for generations and have never seen the outside world. Centralizing the supplies is equivalent to robbing them of their money and food, and standing on the opposite side of them. Even if you tell them how good Yuxi City is, they still can't understand it because poverty limits their imagination."

Selaginella looked at Fang Shisan and continued:

"So we can only give them money, use money to buy our credit, use money to make them believe what we say. Lianbo City is not bad. Li Ze has lived there for so many years, and he must have accumulated a lot of wealth. As long as we distribute all the cash and land to the people, they will help us defend the city, because once Lianbo City is conquered by Yunyang again, their newly acquired property will be taken away again. But there are no famous nobles in Fengyan City who can be used for attack, so we have to pay for this money ourselves."

In the end, Fang Shisan ordered Selaginella to go to Fengyan City, and Luger stayed to accompany her to defend Rivet City.

Immediately afterwards, Yuxi City held a high-level meeting and, after obtaining the consent of the parties concerned, suspended the repayment of Huabei to Baihuang that month. This considerable amount of cash was the main strategic material that Juanbai's Wangdong Camp carried when they attacked Fengyan City. The saying that money makes the devil work is true everywhere. Juanbai, who had a complete life as a refugee, knew very well how to deal with these native farmers. Under the generous financial offensive, the people of Fengyan City took the initiative to help him strengthen the city walls and volunteered to help him defend the city.

The wages were high and a large number of people were recruited at one time, making everyone believe that the general from Yuxi City had sufficient financial resources.

The people's wages are settled once a day, and those who work more can receive more rewards. Every night, people can go home with heavy bags of money, making them believe that Yuxi City keeps its word.

After entering Fengyan City, Wangdongying did not harm anyone, which was a world of difference from the armies that had broken out in previous wars. The people gradually recognized this army.

Only at this time, when you tell them about the various deeds of Yuxi City and tell them that after the war they will enjoy various tax reduction policies, good medical care and education, and convenient transportation, will they believe it.

In the past, changing the law required moving trees to establish credibility. It was impossible for Wangdongying, a newcomer, to win the support of the people without spending money. It was better to say that being able to solve the problem with money was already the best situation at the moment.

On the city wall, Selaginella was calling the sweaty soldiers to take a break. Heji stood behind him, watching him talking to all kinds of people. After waiting for a long time until there was no one around, he asked him directly:

"What do you think our chances of success are this time?"

Selaginella smiled and replied:

"It's hurtful to mention the chance of winning. I don't know either. I've only been in Yuxi City for a short time, and my understanding of this city is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm definitely not as good as you locals. I can only say that if we can hold on here, our chances of winning are pretty good. I believe my direct superior can defeat Ferrog on the front battlefield, even though Ferrog is a veteran who fought alongside my father."

Heggie calmly corrected a question:

"I am not from Yuxi City, but from Yunhai. I am the bodyguard of the young lady."

Juanbai complained in his heart, "Didn't your eldest lady send you to this place after all?" But he didn't say it out loud. He turned his head to look at the gray sky and asked:

"But do you feel that it's particularly hot today?"

Heji thought he was just trying to change the subject, so his response was a little cold:

"Yes, but if you calm down, you will feel cooler."

Selaginella narrowed his eyes and said:

"Don't be calm. It's better to be hotter, hotter...it will cool down soon. Heavy rain is coming."

……

Pettis led 2,000 men to tentatively attack Lianbo City, but chose to retreat temporarily after being hit by two ancient magics from Felita. Although the two magics did not cause obvious casualties due to the protection of the military formation, Pettis clearly felt that the protection of the military formation began to waver after withstanding such a fierce attack.

The biggest problem with attacking the city with such magical bombardment is that every charge will cost a lot. If their reserve forces can be replenished continuously, Pettis would dare to fight with Fileta to see whether his soldiers will die first or Fileta's magic power will be exhausted first. But now it is impossible. The two thousand people given to him by Ferrog are just to test the situation. If they attack rashly and fail, Ferrog will be more difficult to resist.

So after confirming the current situation in Lianbo City, Pettis turned his horse around and went to Fengyan City. Before coming here, he knew that Lid had two thugs under his command. Alayya was now guarding Fang Shisan in Rivet City, and Fileta went around to occupy Lianbo City and cut off their main retreat route, so the remaining Fengyan City's defense force would inevitably be weaker.

While galloping on his horse, Pettis suddenly felt something passing across his face.

He stopped his horse and looked up, only to see a thunder suddenly explode in the dark sky, followed by rapid raindrops hitting his armor. Pettis just frowned at first, grabbed the reins with both hands and planned to continue to rush to Fengyan City at full speed, but then he suddenly remembered something, and his mind went blank in an instant.

At the same time, the soaked sentry rode forward, dismounted beside Pettis, knelt on one knee, and said to Pettis anxiously:

"Oh no! Lord Pettis! The road, the road ahead... is blocked."

47. Seventeen-year-old genius

The heavy rain in the south always comes without reason.

This rain came particularly quickly, probably because Fileta had burned too much food and grass, and the flying dust provided a large number of condensation nuclei, causing this heavy rain to fall on earth early. The sound of lightning and thunder was endless, and the white and purple lightning merged into a network of electric nets covering the sky, and the heavy rain kept pouring down.

Pettis sat on his horse, watching the scene in front of him silently.

The loess road had almost turned into a swamp under the scouring of rain. When the soldiers in armor stepped on it, their entire feet would sink into the mud, and when they lifted their feet, they would make a slight "puff" sound. The extremely sticky soil mixed with water became a nightmare for any army. Marching on it took time and energy, and by the time they reached Fengyan City, they would probably be exhausted.

Therefore, seeing the scene in front of him, Pettis knew that he had no choice but to retreat. Even if he reached Fengyan City, what would happen? It would be better not to go if he was beaten up leisurely. Although the heavy rain in the south was fierce, judging from the sky above, it should not last too long. After all, he would have a chance to go to Fengyan City again.

Until then, he must preserve his strength as much as possible.

This is the greatest truth taught to him by his teacher, the Yunyang veteran Ferrog.

Petis led his army back to Ferrog without success. After listening to Petis's report, Ferrog was not too surprised and said:

"It's pretty much what I imagined. Since Fang Shisan dared to send troops to cut off our retreat when the army was so stretched, she must have her reasons. The area around Lianbo City is flat and open, which is suitable for the army to enter and exit, but also for magicians to perform. The roads over in Fengyan City are rugged, and once it rains heavily, it will become extremely difficult to march. She must have calculated it well, and chose to send troops when the rain was about to fall."

Pettis took the soaked clothes to dry and changed into dry clothes. After listening to what Ferrog said, he asked worriedly:

"Lord Ferro, what should we do now?"

Ferrog smiled, and under the light of the fire, his old face finally looked a little more rosy.

He stared into Pettis' eyes and replied calmly:

"We're not going anywhere. We're right here, attacking the city."

Pettis felt that his teacher seemed much younger. At this moment, Ferrog had a look on his face that Pettis had never seen before. He looked like a kind old man when he smiled, but there was a kind of passionate light in his eyes. Ferrog said to Pettis:

"Petis, remember this. No matter what situation you face in the future, as a general, you must not panic in the slightest. In fact, as long as you calm down and think about it, you will find that this situation is not as bad as you imagined. We have been cut off from food supplies, but Fang Shisan's army is also almost at its limit. In the next fifteen days, when the weather is clear, you will lead your troops to attack Fengyan City and try to open a road to let the supplies in. The rest of the time, you stay here and take a good look at this war. It will be good for you in the future."

Ferrog paused and continued:

"During this period, Fang Shisan will probably take the initiative to attack our military camp. Because we can't attack the city wall immediately when we attack the city, but the army of Yuxi City can attack at night and pose a considerable threat to our military camp. We must be careful about this, and there is nothing else to do. We will fight as we should. I haven't encountered such an opponent for a long time. I feel like I'm back to my youth... I really miss it."

Pettis nodded, admiring his teacher's calmness and composure.

But there was one thing that Ferrog did not tell Pettis.

The situation had indeed developed into a stalemate. The biggest effect of Fang Shisan's beautiful flanking move was that it trapped the Yunyang army, which wanted to fight or retreat as it pleased, here. It was like dragging the spectators in the audience seats into the arena and forcing them to fight to the death.

The victory or defeat of this battle does not depend on which side is stronger, but on which side gives up first.

Judging from the combat effectiveness of the army alone, Ferrog has the advantage due to overwhelming numbers.

In terms of commander's ability alone, Fang Shisan is slightly better.

In summary, the chances of winning for both sides seem to be only fifty-fifty, and neither side is sure of winning.

But above this, there is actually a crucial issue.

Ferrog is sixty-five years old.

Fang Shisan is seventeen years old this year.

The huge age difference brought about a gap in experience, which allowed Ferrog to stabilize the situation even though his talent was not as good as Fang Shisan's. The huge age difference also brought about side effects, that is, serious lack of energy. After all, this was not a desperate fight of just a few days, but a battle between the two armies for half a month.

In this situation, the seventeen-year-old Fang Shisan was able to handle the situation more easily and keep a clear mind for a longer period of time during the day. She also took advantage of this. During the day, Ferog commanded the siege, and at night Fang Shisan sent troops to attack the camp. Although she could not achieve any results, she always succeeded in waking Ferog from his sleep.

And this heavy rain.

Although the climate in the south is hot, it is already the beginning of autumn, and the humidity and coldness brought by the rain are enough to torture the elderly Ferrog. After the heavy rain, the scorching sun comes again. Ferrog often needs to find a stone to sit on, tapping his legs again and again. His long military career has left him with various injuries. In this bad weather, Ferrog's body has to endure extra pain.

Fang Shisan was well aware of all this, so when Ferrog came to provoke him again and again and sought a decisive battle, Fang Shisan always ignored him.

When she attacked Yuxi City, she exposed the bodies of Luger's soldiers to the sun and let the vultures eat them, in order to anger Luger's cold commander. Fang Shisan on the battlefield was not the gentle and sensible girl. She never showed any mercy to the enemy.

Fang Shisan would never say something like "I recognize your strength, so let's have a fair fight." She personally commanded the army to fight with Ferrog every day, and neither side was willing to relax. She was also exhausted, but she would prick her wrist with a needle every time to relieve her fatigue with the pain.

She just waited for Ferrog to become weaker and weaker. She had already thought of this situation when she heard that the person coming was a 65-year-old veteran.

48. I'm right here

Three days before the Yunyang army was besieged, Ferrog led his army to launch a violent offensive against Rivet City. During these three days, Rivet City was in danger several times. Fang Shisan, who was personally commanding the front line, was shot in the shoulder by a stray arrow. The pain was so severe that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat, but he still insisted on waiting until the wave of this round of attacks subsided before going to see a doctor.

On the fifth day of the siege of the Yunyang army, the news that their retreat had been cut off could not be suppressed, and a negative atmosphere began to spread in the army.

On the seventh day of the siege of the Yunyang army, Feirog's entire army retreated and turned to attack Lianbo City. Fang Shisan took the initiative to attack from the rear, and Feirog planned to turn around and seek a decisive battle. However, the mobility of the 5,000-man army was far behind the elite troops of Yuxi City. The commander of the Black Armor Battalion, Luger, finally led his soldiers into the mountains and forests and left.

On the eighth day of the siege of the Yunyang army, reinforcements sent by Prince Kaia of Huai and Prince Norn of Qiming arrived. After hearing the news, they began to integrate the soldiers of the remaining six cities of Lize and forcibly conscripted many civilians into the army. They gathered an army of 3,000 people to attack the east gate of Lianbo City, hoping to rescue Prince Liyi of Yunyang and Ferroge who were trapped in the west.

Although the army was large enough, it was composed of a large number of mobs, and the protection of the army formation was not as solid and reliable as expected. It happened to rain heavily that day, and after consuming more than half of her magic power, Fileta chose to go all out and tried to use her magic to attract the thunder. Because she could not control the overly powerful force, she not only split a section of her own city wall, but also tore her robe into strips by the thunderstorm and hung on her body. She almost lost her balance and fell off the city wall.

The soldiers who came to reinforce were dumbfounded. There were countless large pits on the ground, each of which was charred black. The air was filled with a burnt smell, which was quickly washed away by the heavy rain. After reorganizing the team, the soldiers found that at least 700 to 800 people had been killed in the thunderstorm. There were many ordinary people in the team who were forcibly conscripted. They had never seen such a scene before. They turned around and ran away regardless of how the army maintained order. In the end, the commander had to lead the team to retreat temporarily, even though he could see that Fileta was so weak that she couldn't even cast a fireball.

Fileta's face was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood.

The thunder just passed in front of her, and if it got any closer, she would be in danger. It was not impossible to trigger the thunder, but it was obviously too strenuous for her, a magician of the sixth level of perfection. She had to reach at least one level higher to barely control it, and two levels higher to release it without injury.

On the ninth day of the siege of Yunyang Army, Ferrog attacked Rivet City again but failed. That night, Ferrog vomited blood for the first time.

No matter how much he refused to admit his age, he was already old. Aging was not a slow process for him who had spent his whole life in the military. The reason why he came out again at the age of 65 was because he felt that he was no worse than the young people. However, after nine days of full concentration, and only being able to sleep for one or two hours every day in the bad weather, Ferrog finally couldn't hold on.

For him, aging is just a moment.

That day, he wiped the sharp sword at his waist, sat back at the table, and stared at the map in front of him under a solitary lamp. Time passed silently, and when he reacted, Ferrog found that blood was soaking through the map. He turned sideways and wiped his face, and found that his nose was bleeding. Just as he was about to take out a handkerchief to wipe it, he suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood uncontrollably, splashing into the gray-brown soil.

Pettis rushed over and saw this scene with pain in his eyes.

Ferrog supported himself on his arms and stood up, whispering:

"Where is the prince?"

Pettis said:

"He is still drinking and having fun in the military tent... The situation is not going well, and the prince is also upset."

Ferrog wiped the blood from his lips and said in a low voice:

"Yun Yang, is he really going to become someone else's Yun Yang..."

Pettis didn't dare to answer.

Ferrog stood up and staggered out. The sky was gloomy, with no wind, no rain, and no clear sky. He looked up at the layers of dark clouds, and for the first time, a little fatigue appeared in his eyes.

On the twelfth day of the siege of Yunyang Arms, the Lord of Yunyang personally led his troops to rescue his son. Thirty thousand armored soldiers stood solemnly under the city of Lianbo, but did not attack.

Because he saw a person on the city wall, someone he absolutely did not want to see in public - especially in such an occasion.

The former fourth young master of Yunyang, now the lord of Yuxi City, Lide.

Lid held a sword and a wine glass in his hand, and sat on the city wall with a smile, overlooking the thousands of troops brought by Lord Yunyang. He also stretched out his hand to greet Lord Yunyang:

"Hey, father. You're here to visit again. Who do you want to see this time? I've already released Li Neng. Li Ze is drinking with my people in the city. As for Li Yi, he's besieging Rivet City, which now belongs to me. And I... I'm right here. If you're here to see me, father, then now that you've seen me, please go back."

Lord Yunyang clenched the hilt of his sword.

Reed glanced at his waist and found that his sword had been replaced. After he took away [Youlong] last year, he obviously bought a better one.

Reed smiled and said nothing.

Lord Yunyang once again experienced the feeling of being extremely furious but unable to use his strength. The last time he experienced this feeling was last year when he held a banquet and wanted to ambush and kill Li De but Li De got away.

This time, he had intended to take Lianbo City in a flash and then take Liyi back. Anyway, he could just issue a notice saying that Lianbo City was taken by bandits and he was only here to quell the rebellion, and it wouldn't cause too much criticism. The father blatantly helped one son kill another son, and the Lord of Yunyang still didn't dare to do such a thing. He was selfish or stubborn, but he still cared about his face.

So when Fang Shisan captured the four cities of Zhenmo, Tiebi, Lieyang, and Tianqi, Lord Yunyang just moved into Rivet City in the name of visiting relatives, forcing Fang Shisan to withdraw. This time he planned to use the same trick again, but he didn't expect that Lid was already waiting for him in Lianbo City.

——I’m here, sitting on the top of the city wall and drinking.

——If you dare to completely break up with me, then just hit me.

This is why Lid came here with a sword in his arms. If Lord Yunyang really dared to attack the city, he wouldn't mind trying to stop these 30,000 armored men alone. Ever since he beat up the King of the East, Snake Eye, last time, his sword energy began to stir. He was the one who taught Alayya the murderous sword technique, and he was an expert in this area.

Lide calculated clearly in his mind that as long as these 30,000 people left more than 5,000 bodies, Lord Yunyang would have to retreat. This was Yunyang's family fortune. If too many people died, what would Lord Yunyang have to participate in the future competition in the Central Plains, and what would he have to devour Lord Tiancheng's fiefdom?

There was a long silence.

The Lord of Yuxi City, Lide, on the city wall, and the Lord of Yunyang, under the city wall, just stared at each other silently for a long time.

Lord Yunyang did not draw his sword in the end. Even though he had already stated that he and Li De had severed their father-son relationship, he knew that it was just self-deception. No one in the world would think that Li De had nothing to do with him just because of a notice. If he ordered an attack on the city today, he would definitely bear the infamy of killing his son with his own hands.

Therefore, Lord Yunyang only ordered to set up camp on the spot. In this way, if Ferrog could lead his troops to break through the siege, he could immediately support Li Yi without worrying about Li Yi being chased to death.

On the thirteenth day after the Yunyang army was besieged, Adjutant Pettis announced the death of their commander Ferrog and asked Fang Shisan for peace.

Fang Shisan remained unmoved.

The Yunyang army was under siege for the fifteenth day, and the food and grass were exhausted. Ferrog, who had faked his death but failed to deceive Fang Shisan, ordered in his dying breath that the front team should continue to guard as usual tonight, and the rear team should retreat secretly in two groups, one to surprise attack Fengyan City, and the other to surprise attack Lianbo City, to fight to the death.