My Cultivation Starting from Archery

"Gentlemen, you must understand that before any battle commences, the actual objective of our side must be clarified."

"And our main objective this time is only one."

"That is to devour the fifty thousand elite troops and the Prince inside Yong Yue Prefecture. The rest do not matter; as long as they are gone, Daqing will lose its hold on the border and be forced to abandon the Three Prefectures."

"Vice General Chen, I'm right, aren't I?"

Chen Sansi agreed, "What General Fang has said matches exactly with what I had in mind."

Waging war is not about slaughter but about achieving strategic objectives.

Whether to slaughter or to be humane must be decided based on the current situation, adopting whichever strategy will lead to victory.

"Even General Fang thinks it's feasible?"

Meng Quji began to hesitate.

Clearly, in the military, experience is the real voice of authority.

He pondered, "But no matter what, allowing so many surrendered soldiers to return is still a huge loss."

"It's best if Meng Dashuai does as recommended."

Fang Qingyun's attitude was firm, "If this plan fails, sending the Xuanjia Army to Zhaotong Prefecture can still be done later. As for the loss of releasing twenty thousand surrendered soldiers, I will bear it alone. I will write a petition to His Majesty."

"Good! With General Fang saying this, if I still hesitate, indeed it would seem overly cautious. Let's proceed as Vice General Chen suggested!"

Meng Quji finally made the decision, "Pass down my commander's order, keep the generals above 'Refining Internal' level, and send the rest of the surrendered soldiers to Ghost Gate Canyon in batches, no more than five hundred each time. Also, assign people to guard the canyon well! Vice General Chen, do you have any other requests?"

"I want temporary command and deployment authority over all the forces, except those at Yong Yue Prefecture,"

Chen Sansi bowed with his hands clasped.

This was necessary.

Otherwise, while he was persuading a surrender at one location, another might still be attacking or sacking a city, easily leading to mishaps.

"Very well, I grant you this authority!"

Meng Quji readily agreed, then stressed, "But Mr. Chen, you should understand that 'no jokes in the military' is an essential rule, right?"

"I am willing to receive the military order,"

Chen Sansi added, "But the matter of releasing the prisoners must be expedited. If my predictions are correct, reinforcements from Nanxu Country are about to arrive."

"Indeed,"

Meng Quji said, "That is what concerns me the most. Currently, the Great Sheng Dynasty is prevailing, but once the reinforcements from Nanxu arrive, the situation will immediately become severe."

Nanxu sending troops was a given, inevitable for everyone.

...

Yong Yue Prefecture.

"Report!"

"Prince, the Sheng Dynasty has sent more troops."

"What's the rush?"

King Tang Li Gong, while cutting a steaming leg of lamb with a dagger, asked leisurely, "How many?"

"Eight thousand Hu Ben Army, plus three thousand Xuanjia Army."

The deputy general said with a worried expression, "Among them, the Xuanjia Army is led by Chen Sansi, who has crossed the Hongze River four times."

Upon hearing this name, Li Gong's action of cutting meat noticeably paused, then he said indifferently, "Do not panic. This person is most likely sent here to share in the merits and then rise in rank. The current situation in Lai State, his presence or absence makes no difference."

"Prince."

The deputy general sighed, "His Majesty was very critical of us this time; he disagreed with our dispatch of troops initially."

"It's clear His Majesty is too conservative."

Li Gong chewed on the lamb, speaking unhurriedly, "Do not panic. As long as we hold on for another three months, reinforcements from Daqing will continue to arrive, and the Nanxu Army will also press up to Hu Lao.

"By then, Meng Quji and others naturally will have to retreat to the border, and that's when the real battle will begin."

"Try to notify all the other cities' defenders to hold their positions and await the opportune moment!"

"Yes!"

...

Zhaotong Prefecture.

"Brothers!"

"My fellow countrymen!"

"Once the soldiers of the Sheng Dynasty break through, they will massacre the city, sparing no man, woman, or child. Guihai, Lianshui, and Jinggu states are examples. They are no different from the barbarians of the grassland! So, if you want to live, all of you, come and help me defend!"

"Crack——"

Defending General Deng Feng's Azure Dragon Crescent Broadsword roared downward, chopping off half of the body of the attacking Sheng general and ending a round of brutal assault and defense. The forces outside the city retreated ten miles, not daring to attack recklessly anymore.

Outside the city.

Cui Congyi, Sha Wenlong, and others led the Hu Ben Army to temporarily retreat to a camp twenty miles away.

"This Deng Feng is really formidable!"

Sha Wenlong planted his broadsword into the ground, "Even when you and I joined hands, we still couldn't take him down."

"After all, he is at Perfect Profound Phenomenon."

Cui Congyi said more calmly, "Let's regroup for half a day and then continue the attack."

"Generals."

Cao Fan expressed his concern, "Continuing the strong attack might also fail to take it down."

"We have no choice but to attack,"

Cui Congyi said, "This is a mortal order from the Crown Prince, and there's a time limit."

"Let's wait for reinforcements."

Sha Wenlong said, "Chen Sansi still has three thousand Black Armor troops. When the time comes, let his men take the lead, and with one push, we'll storm the city walls. I don't believe we can't take it."

"Whew——"

Hai Dongqing brought news.

"How so?" Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Sha Wenlong asked, "How long till they arrive?"

"No need to wait."

Cui Congyi, holding a letter, said solemnly, "He's not coming."

"How dare he disobey orders?!"

Sha Wenlong furiously said, "Last time it must have been Yu Song who covered for him, who can cover for him this time? Fang Qingyun?"

"No, it's not disobedience. He's not only not disobeyed, but... he has ordered all of us not to continue the attack."

"Is General Cui joking?"

Sha Wenlong perplexedly said, "He's just an assistant general, on what grounds does he order us?"

"See for yourself!"

Cui Congyi said angrily, "The Commander Meng Quji has decreed that he is now the commander over everyone except those in Yong Yue Prefecture."

"What?"

Sha Wenlong snatched the letter, scoffing, "So that's what's going on. He received a military order to make Zhaotong surrender within two months, such grand claims!"

Cao Fan also took it and read it himself, anxiously saying, "This man wouldn't make empty boasts if he wasn't sure."

"I don't believe it."

Cui Congyi pointed his blood-stained broadsword toward the city wall, "Deng Feng is unparalleled in courage; is he going to come out and surrender?"

"Actually, I don't believe it either."

Cao Fan gave a bitter smile, "But he calls himself Chen Sansi."

"This..."

Sha Wenlong also hesitated to make further assertions, clearly remembering the lessons from last time.

"You are both overthinking it!"

Cui Congyi sneered, "There's a time limit on the military order; within two months he orders Deng Feng to open the city gates and surrender. I really want to see what he will do when Deng Feng doesn't surrender!"

...

"Zhaotong defending commander Deng Feng, Perfect Profound Phenomenon."

Fang Qingyun held the latest intelligence: "This person was originally the governor of Lai State, very well-reputed locally, known as Deng Qingtian, but he's extremely loyal to Qing Country; convincing him to open the city gates for surrender is still difficult. But since my junior dares to say it, he must have his plans, just let him do it. It's not suitable for me to travel around, so I won't be a burden following you."

"Brother, farewell!"

Chen Sansi didn't delay, leading three thousand Black Armor troops, he headed directly towards the distance.