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墨書 Inktalez
"You think I don't know the temper of the Defender of the Realm? How urgent the situation is, do you think I'm less aware than you? General Bao, please understand who is in charge here—it's you or me?" Luo Yi said angrily.
General Bao immediately knelt down and said, "It is General Luo Yi who is in charge. I dare not overstep my bounds. My subordinates are at fault; please forgive me, General."
Luo Yi took a deep breath, closed his eyes in pain, and said, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. Unless something unexpected happens, there will be no assault on the city for ten days. Additionally, maintain strict guard at the city gates; no one is allowed to enter or exit. Do you understand?"
"Yes," the deputy generals responded in unison, their voices echoing throughout the General's Tent.
Now that Luo Yi had ordered no assault on the city but only a siege, it seemed he was preparing to adopt a strategy of encirclement to starve out those inside.
The Loyalty Army had been unusually quiet for several days; on the surface, aside from normal drills, there was hardly any activity.
Even the right flank army surrounding Qinghe City's north gate appeared to be merely besieging and had no intention of attacking Qinghe City.
Such a situation naturally drew the attention of Qinghe City. Lu Chen was currently leading core generals like Lei Kai and Lu Qing on patrol atop the city gate tower.
"Gate General, what is the Loyalty Army up to? Have they really given up on attacking the city and switched to a siege strategy?" Lei Kai asked tentatively. Luo Yi was known as a master strategist; the more he acted this way, the harder it was for anyone to see through his intentions.
Lu Chen frowned deeply and shook his head after a moment. "I’m not sure what he’s planning. If it’s just a siege, then Luo Yi would be wasting his reputation; he’s not that kind of person. In my view, things are not that simple."
Lei Kai and the others nodded in agreement, believing Lu Chen's analysis made sense. Luo Yi was no fool; his actions surely had a purpose.
After pausing for a moment, Lu Chen asked, "General Lei Kai, how much food is left in the city? What about all military supplies? How long can they sustain themselves? Be detailed."
Lei Kai stepped forward and replied, "Our supplies are very abundant. Qinghe is a major grain-producing area with ample harvests every year. Essentially, new grain replaces old grain; every spring when we open the warehouses, we find that the old grain has started to mold and must be cleared out and dried."
Lu Chen nodded. The phenomenon of new grain replacing old grain is indeed a sign of great abundance, only seen in major grain-producing provinces.
In contrast, some provinces with barren land often run out of old grain before the new harvest comes in, leading to frequent shortages in early spring. This necessitates relief from the court; otherwise, famine would ensue, resulting in many deaths from starvation.
"Based on the current military supply expenses, we can last at least six months, if not more," Lei Kai explained.
The grain stored in the official granary of Qinghe City could sustain the entire army for at least six months, and this is a conservative estimate.
"This is good news. The biggest fear in military campaigns is running out of food. Listen to me: after the fifth day, if the Loyalty Army hasn't made any moves, you should transport a batch of military rations to my designated location," Lu Chen instructed Lei Kai.
Lu Chen intended to take care of Lian Dashuang and the five thousand troops stationed thirty miles outside the city in the deep mountains.
They were able to hold out for so long because they had seized the grain from Luo Yi's left-wing army; otherwise, relying solely on the dry rations they brought when leaving the city would have led to starvation long ago.
The reason for bringing less food initially was to travel light and fast, ensuring high mobility to maneuver in the deep mountains against Luo Yi's left-wing army, which had proven effective.
Lu Chen was not in a hurry to recall Lian Dashuang because he wanted him to continue ambushing in the deep mountains, occasionally changing locations to confuse Luo Yi. When an urgent military situation arose, Lian Dashuang could launch a surprise attack from behind, striking at Luo Yi's rear for a decisive victory.
Only Lu Chen knew the location of Lian Dashuang's camp; even if others entered the deep mountains, they would find themselves lost among towering forests. Even if they searched tirelessly, they would never discover Lian Dashuang and his five thousand troops hidden within.
Additionally, it should be noted that Sun Zizhao's Han Wang Army is extremely popular among the common people because they never disturb civilians and do not act tyrannically.
Since rising in rebellion, the Han Wang Army has exempted all citizens in the state from taxes for three years. This means that for three years, these citizens do not have to pay grain or taxes, which naturally brings them immense joy.
The supplies needed by the Han Wang Army all come from the Sun Family. The Sun Family is a century-old business giant, with various enterprises spanning the globe, including the Yushan Kingdom, Giant Barbarian Island, Demon of the Following Magic, Wabong, Gaochang, and the Western Regions. They have business alliance members in all these countries.
The wealth of the Sun Family is unimaginable; supporting an army of several thousand is not a problem for them.
If the Han Wang Army faces a shortage of food or an urgent situation arises, they simply use Silver Coins to purchase supplies from the common people rather than requisitioning them.
This behavior of the Sun Family is known only to insiders; outsiders would never be able to find out. Especially in the Great Zhou Dynasty, amidst layers of investigation, no information could be uncovered.
To outsiders, the Sun Family merely appears to be conducting large-scale business, with no connection to the Han Dynasty or Sun Zizhao. No one knows about the relationship between them, and even the court cannot uncover it, let alone outsiders.
As time passed, the situation remained unchanged. The Loyalty Army tightly surrounded the West Gate and North Gate of Qinghe City, prohibiting any entry or exit, creating an exceptionally oppressive atmosphere.
After several rainfalls, the climate entered early winter and gradually became colder. The area outside the city was desolate, and conditions were not looking good.
Sun Zizhao also sent letters expressing great concern for Qinghe City's situation. From his words, Lu Chen sensed his urgency; this was essentially his first battle after raising the banner of rebellion and was immensely significant for him.
If it weren't for the Loyalty Army's martial law prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving Qinghe City, Sun Zizhao would likely have come personally to oversee the battle. Fortunately, Lu Chen persuaded him to stay back; if anything were to happen to him, Lu Chen could not bear that responsibility.
Lu Chen understood Sun Zizhao's feelings very well. He gradually gathered his thoughts and sat restlessly on his Meditation Cushion throughout the night, recalling the contents of the Earth Book.
The Earth Book is a supreme military text that guarantees victory in battles and is filled with profound mysteries. When the Revered Divine Bird brought it to him initially, it sparked a fierce competition among those below him, including significant attention from the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Lu Chen reflected on the winning strategies within the Human Book and then made a solemn decision: to take proactive action and defeat Luo Yi's 150,000-strong army, providing Sun Zizhao with a satisfactory explanation.
Luo Yi had been in Qinghe City for over a month, and he surely knew that there was pressure from the court. The Defender of the Realm, Huangfu Xin, had been urging him repeatedly. Luo Yi was under pressure, but this was also a time of opportunity.
As soon as dawn broke, Lu Chen summoned core generals like Lei Kai and Lu Qing for a meeting to discuss their plans.
When everyone heard that Lu Chen intended to take the initiative, they collectively gasped. Lu Chen was about to take a risky path.
It should be noted that the Loyalty Army claimed to have 150,000 troops, but in reality, there were only about 80,000. After being defeated by Lu Chen, they lost another 20,000 men. Even after regrouping the remnants, their numbers were still around 65,000, and they had heavy engineering equipment and powerful bows and crossbows, making their strength quite formidable.
On the other hand, Qinghe City originally had just over 30,000 people. After sending out 5,000 troops, they were left uncertain about the fate of those soldiers—whether they had been wiped out or not.
Later, Old Mu brought in 8,000 reinforcements from Naan Province. Adding the local officials and the Captain of the city guards, their total strength would not exceed 35,000—significantly less than half of the Loyalty Army's numbers. The disparity was too great.
At this moment, Lu Chen's proposal for a counterattack was akin to dropping a Mystic Fire Thunder into deep water; it felt like a heavy blow that everyone found hard to accept. After all, it was extremely dangerous—it was playing with their lives.
"Taking risks in battle is necessary; Luo Yi is not easy to deal with. The common people in the city also have many grievances; we cannot wait any longer. Moreover, there is pressure from above—if we do not make any progress soon, it will be detrimental to us."
Lu Chen spoke sincerely, weighing the pros and cons from various angles and analyzing everything very clearly.
Everyone else understood these points as well; each person had their own thoughts on the matter. With Lu Chen's explanation, many concerns were alleviated.
"Dare I ask what brilliant plan the Gate General has?" Lei Kai blinked and asked Lu Chen.
With 35,000 men facing off against 60,000, being purely defensive was not an option. Lu Chen often thought outside the box and came up with clever strategies. This time, Lei Kai and the others were eager to see how Lu Chen planned to deal with Luo Yi.
However, at this moment, Lu Chen shook his head and said, "This is a hard battle with a significant disparity in strength; where is the clever strategy?"
Lu Chen swallowed hard and then said, "Today we will take down the peace banner and open the gates to welcome the enemy."
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a tightness in their hearts. Lu Chen was suggesting to open the city gates and remove the peace banner; wasn't this pushing their own people into the fire?
But the order had already been given, and there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn't go back on their word, so they all responded and went to prepare.
Sure enough, not long after, about an hour later, Qinghe City took down the peace banner.
The actions of Qinghe City naturally caused a stir among the Loyalty Army. Luo Yi led his subordinates out to look at Qinghe City, which had not hung the peace banner.
Soon after, Luo Yi waved his hand and said, "Lu Chen is seeking death; someone, surround them immediately."
Following that, the Loyalty Army mobilized, thousands of troops arrived at the city gates, starting to shout and hurl insults, which infuriated the City Guards of Qinghe City.
Lian Dashuang waved his hand and shouted angrily, "Despicable! Bring me my weapon; open the gates to welcome the enemy."
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