My Cultivation Starting from Archery

Chapter 159 Subduing Deng Feng, Stabilizing Lai State

The sun set, and night fell.

Within the walls of Zhao Tong Prefecture City, there was a deathly silence.

Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians were all crowded near the city gates, on the walls, in the streets, and in front of their homes. It looked as if refugees gathered together during years of famine. No one dared return to their houses to rest, for no one knew whether the Enemy Army would start the attack ahead of schedule, tensions stretched to the limit.

Only six hours left!

Only six hours remained till the deadline given by the Sheng people!

"Report!"

"General! Something's wrong! It's sealed off——"

"The Enemy Army outside the city is no longer encircling three sides and leaving one open. Our scouts absolutely can't get out anymore!"

"The Enemy Army is also preparing all kinds of large siege engines... It looks like they're really planning to attack the city after daybreak!"

"What's there to panic about?!"

Deng Feng's thunderous voice echoed in the darkness, "Let them attack! Can they really breach our defenses?"

A few subordinates asked.

"General, but... didn't you say that our reinforcements would arrive the day after tomorrow, which is at daybreak tomorrow?"

"..."

"Yes, that's correct."

Deng Feng had no choice but to give an affirmative response, "After daybreak, the reinforcements will arrive! By then, His Majesty's army of seventy thousand, along with the elite fifty thousand from Yong Yue Prefecture, a total of one hundred twenty thousand troops, will make the Sheng Army fall like dominoes. Tonight is the darkest hour before the dawn!

In a word, stall!

He'd spent most of his life guarding the frontier.

Never before had he experienced such immense pressure like he did today.

And all this pressure came from a young man, Chen Sansi!

This person!

In just a single month, he had managed to take over almost all of Lai State!

Where the White Robe rides, armies retreat!

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What a tactic!

The most crucial part was...

According to the intelligence he received, the majority of cities had surrendered voluntarily. Even if the garrison was unwilling, the common people within were more than willing. Some even revolted because wherever the Xuanjia Army went, they killed corrupt officials, opened the granaries, and committed no transgressions against the people. To put it bluntly, the Xuanjia Army treated the... citizens better than the Qing Country's citizens treated their own compatriots!

Deng Feng had long heard of this man's deed of "leading civilians across the river" and had always been skeptical deep down. If it was true, it was indeed admirable, but after all, it was the Emperor Dasheng who personally announced it to the world, and there was a very strong suspicion of making a show of it.

But now it seemed to be true!

A person who wins over the populace to the extent that they'd rather risk dying under the garrison's blades than not pledge allegiance is surely sincere toward the populace, or even if it was an act, he must keep up the pretense indefinitely.

From this perspective, it would be a great fortune for the Qing Country and a blessing for the people to have such a general in the world, or if Qing Country had such a general!

Unfortunately, he was the enemy!

A powerful and promising enemy!

Still, they could win!

Just hold out until dawn!

Once the battle begins, and blood is seen, the dynamics of attack and defense will change!

If they could capture Chen Sansi alive and turn him to the Qing Country's side, that would be the best outcome!

Deng Feng continued to suppress the army's unease, "The Eight Prefectures haven't really surrendered; it's just a show of strength. They are still standing with us! Their aim is to disrupt our formation, don't believe a single word those Sheng people say!"

With earnest persuasion.

The unrest within the city was quelled once more, with difficulty.

"The reinforcements..."

The subordinates and civilians were unaware, but as the Deputy General Song Hongbiao knew all too well, the reinforcements would definitely not arrive tomorrow. As to whether they could really arrive after five days, who could say.

Perhaps King Tang Li Gong, like Deng Feng, had deliberately brought forward the arrival date of the reinforcements to deceive those defending the city.

...

Yong Yue Prefecture.

"Good!"

King Tang Li Gong breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Zhao Tong Prefecture City had yet to fall, "The final five days! The Sheng people can no longer take Zhao Tong Prefecture! Recovering the entirety of Lai State, and then casting eyes upon the Central Plains of Sheng Dynasty, is just within reach!"

"General Deng is truly the backbone of Daqing!"

The Assistant General praised, "Prince, the situation is stable!"

"Yes."

King Tang Li Gong raised his hand to give orders, "Inform all the troops in the city, especially the Cavalry, to be fully equipped and on stand-by day and night. Knowing Meng Quji as I do, he will surely withdraw his forces within three days! When the Enemy Army outside the city starts to retreat, that will be the day we launch our counterattack!"

"Yes!"

...

Outside the city, Dasheng Army camp.

"Nan Xu's army of one hundred thousand is pressing down on Hulaoguan!"

"Deng Feng in Zhao Tong Prefecture City still hasn't surrendered, and now we really have no time left!"

Meng Quji sighed as he passed the intelligence report to others, "General Fang, we really have to retreat, if we don't retreat now, it will be too late!"

He had never tasted defeat in his life.

Holding out any longer would raise the risk of collapse to over sixty percent, a risk he was definitely not willing to take.

"Wait a little longer."

Fang Qingyun still stuck to the same argument, "Vice General Chen has made it very clear, he ordered Zhao Tong Prefecture City to surrender within fifteen days, one night shy, even one hour shy, doesn't make fifteen days, so why not wait until after dawn to discuss it further?"

Zhan Taoming followed up with persuasion, "Commander, considering how things stand, might as well wait a bit longer!"

"Yong Yue Prefecture is very close to Zhao Tong Prefecture, and communication takes about six hours, so we wait until dusk tomorrow. That's... the final deadline!"

Meng Quji felt like he was taking the biggest gamble of his life, "Also, I agree with Sha Wenlong and Cui Congyi's suggestion that if there is still no surrender from Zhao Tong Prefecture City after daybreak, then at that time, we revoke Chen Sansi's temporary authority of the imperial seal. He absolutely must not be allowed to attack the city; there's no time left! Then, order Sha Wenlong and others to bring him back for disposition, and my army will immediately retreat, return to Dasheng, and garrison the border, responding to movements by standing still!"