With these two items, anyone below the fifth rank could be killed before reporting. Even third ranked enemies could be killed on the battlefield. Luo Hong Ying swallowed her saliva and said, "Count Zhong Qin has requested for the distribution of rations. This lowly official is worried about this matter. There are only twenty thousand dans in the warehouse. Although there are rations in the market, there is no silver. We cannot force them."
"If the silver does not arrive, we will not be able to gather fifty thousand dans. This lowly official will transport the remaining twenty thousand dans to the warehouse. Once the silver arrives, or when the winter wheat is harvested, this lowly official will personally transport the remaining thirty thousand dans to the frontlines."
Pei Zi Yun glanced at Luo Hongying. Actually, this was the power of a civil official. If she didn't cooperate, the civil officials would be able to report everything to her. But if she cooperated, there was always a way for her to do so.
Hence, rations were one of the most powerful weapons the civil officials could use to control the generals. Furthermore, in this era, it was extremely difficult to transport rations. From a distance of a hundred miles, the cost of transporting a grain of rice would increase by several times.
Long distance transportation was even more expensive than rations.
Pei Zi Yun was not afraid at all. He waved his hands and said, "Since fifty thousand is too much, I will not ask for too much. Hand over the fifteen thousand dans and you may leave."
Pei Zi Yun watched as he left before calling out, "System!"
With a "pa" sound, the Plum Blossom in front of him grew larger and became a translucent information interface. It floated in front of him and revealed a mission.
"Mission: Enter the path of Dao through the zither, open the gates of heaven for Qi Qianye (Incomplete)"
"Mission: Eliminate Ji Bei Hou and be bestowed the title of True Sovereign (Incomplete)"
"Although I am not the Imperial Envoy and am merely acting on his behalf, the Imperial Qi still interferes with the system."
"Since I am free, I have to open it in this restaurant."
"Now I have two missions." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself as he scanned through the information interface.
"Yin Master: Fifth Level (52.7%)"
"Now that I've published a book, my reputation isn't that useful to me anymore. It's been half a year since the last time, and I've only managed to accumulate 52.7%!"
"But there's spiritual Qi flowing in."
"The amount of spiritual Qi flowing in from these three places is not small. I shall use it here!" He made up his mind. (52.7%) suddenly became blurry and clear.
"Yin Master: Fifth Level (105.6%)"
Without hesitation, he pointed at the plum blossom and spiritual energy flowed into the plum blossom. Immediately, his Yin Spirit felt refreshed.
"Yin Master: Level 6 (5.6%)"
"I'm at the sixth level. I've completed my night wandering. The next step is to remove my name from the register."
Qin Prefecture
Under the sunlight, rows of soldiers were training in the Martial Arts Training Field.
Up on the stage, King Lu looked over as a smile flashed across his face, "They're almost there."
"Yes, your highness. Ji Bei Hou is rebelling. Your highness is the son of the Emperor. It's only right for you to train the soldiers. The other feudal vassals have to be cautious, but your highness can reorganize the army."
King Lu laughed out, "How many people have pledged their allegiance to us now?"
Eunuch Liao thought for some time before replying, "Your highness, Ji Bei Hou has rebelled, and the Imperial Court's attention has lessened. Our progress is getting faster and faster. Now, half of the military power is in our hands. As for the remaining half, many people are still wavering."
King Lu nodded his head, "Good. These few days, we've finally gathered more than half of them."
King Lu then asked, "What is the imperial court doing now? Who did they send this time? Who was the commander? How many soldiers did they send? " Eunuch Liao replied, "Your highness, I've received the news. The Emperor has sent out Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun, with Count Zhong Qin as his deputy."
King Lu was still rather nonchalant. When he heard these words, his face turned solemn, and his expression changed. He stopped walking for some time before raising his head, "Nonsense. Third brother is only twelve years old, what does he know about military affairs? Father is old and muddled. Count Zhong Qin is loyal and diligent, but he can only be a deputy general. Is there no one else in the Imperial Court?"
Eunuch Liao hurriedly replied, "King Lu, this is only on the surface. The commander is someone else!"
As he spoke, Xie Cheng Dong stepped forward and handed him a scroll. King Lu paused as he took the scroll and read it. He then opened his mouth wide and said, "Pei Zi Yun, he's just a mere Top Scorer, and a Daoist at that. How can he be the commander?"
"Is this person a genius, or is he trying to please the crowd?"
"Your highness, this person is a genius. I've fought with him before, and have seen him for myself." Xie Cheng Dong praised Pei Zi Yun generously.
King Lu then tossed the scroll aside, "Since Mister Xie is praising him so highly, it seems like this person is our greatest enemy."
After some time, King Lu then instructed, "Pay close attention to this person's movements!"
Eunuch Liao replied, "Yes, your highness!"
Cheng Lin County
Yin Enhu rode atop his horse, as more than ten troops surrounded the city and looked up.
Looking at the huge city in front of them, Yin Enhu then spoke to a deputy general, "Go up and provoke them. Try to lure as many people as possible out of the city to fight us."
"Yes, General!" The deputy general galloped forward and led a group of soldiers to challenge him.
On top of the city walls, the magistrate was leading a group of soldiers to scout the area. When he heard people shouting insults at him, the captain's face turned red as he shouted angrily, "The bandits of the Northern Region are challenging us again. Your excellency, I'm willing to lead my troops out of the city and fight them. I want to show them the might of the imperial army."
Hearing these words, the magistrate turned around and shouted out, "Nonsense!"
"The Imperial Court has ordered us to defend the city. Whoever dares to fight will be guilty. If any of you dare to leave the city, I will chop off your head."
"I don't dare." Seeing that the magistrate was enraged, the soldiers' faces turned red as well. After some time, the captain spoke out, "Magistrate your excellency, we have three thousand five hundred soldiers in Cheng Lin County. The prefecture has also given us two thousand soldiers. That's more than enough to defend the city. Fighting a few small battles would be good for our morale. Why doesn't your excellency allow us to fight?"
"Bastard!" The magistrate pointed down and paused for a moment, "Look at the bandits. Their armor is clear and bright. Furthermore, we've lost many of our troops. Now, the entire county is filled with soldiers who haven't been around for long. Some of them are even soldiers who were recruited at the last minute. The Imperial Court has decreed that anyone who dares to fight is guilty."
"Let us guard the city with peace of mind. Although we can't fight in the open, the city's defenses have been repaired and we have sufficient weapons. There's nothing to worry about."
"If it's a battle in the open, whoever dares to say that I'll win once I leave the city, and if I lose, I'll execute him. How about that?" The magistrate gritted his teeth and laughed coldly. Seeing that none of the captains dared to make a sound, he softened his tone, "Even if I win, I'm afraid it'll be hard for me to win."
"According to the Imperial Court's plans, all we have to do now is to defend the city. If you have time to spare, you can train your men. The Imperial Court will find a way to use your skills."
The magistrate didn't want to offend the captains at this point in time. Although he was a high-ranking official, he had to prevent the captains from doing anything stupid. These men were all hot-blooded. If they were to lose the battle and lose the city, the magistrate would have no choice but to surrender.
"General, I've been yelling for an hour, but there's no response from the city." The deputy general returned in defeat. The general was expressionless. When he heard this, he turned to another deputy general and asked, "Are all the soldiers ready? Are all the siege weapons ready? "
"General, everything is ready. We can attack the city at any time." The deputy general replied.
"Since these people refuse to leave the city, we have no choice but to attack. Listen to my command, prepare to attack the city at any time." Yin Enhu said coldly.
In fact, he was worried. He only had ten thousand men. Although they looked organized, only two thousand of them were considered veterans. It would be difficult for them to attack the city. However, if they retreated without a fight, he would not be able to answer to High Duke Ji.
He thought to himself, "Who in the Imperial Court came up with this idea? It's getting harder and harder to trick them."
"Yes, General!" The deputy general replied loudly. He then waved his hand, and a group of soldiers pushed out a cart.
These carts were made of thick wooden planks. The first layer was made of leather, and the second layer was made of iron. Small bricks and stones wouldn't budge, while large bricks and stones would roll down. Firewood wouldn't burn them either. These carts were placed on top of a cart, and could provide cover for the soldiers behind the cart.
There were also hundreds of small carts, filled with mud and stones, which were used to fill in the trenches in front of the city.
Seeing the carts advancing, the Ji soldiers shouted out. Someone on top of the city wall gave the order, "Shoot!"
The archers released their arrows in unison, causing a rain of arrows to rain down. However, the carts were protected by thick wooden planks. The sound of arrows being fired could be heard, but the Ji soldiers who were hiding in the carts were unharmed. They continued to advance at high speed.
When the magistrate saw this, he ordered, "Don't shoot recklessly. Wait until they're climbing the ladders before shooting!"
The ladders were approaching the city. The commandant on top of the city wall saw it clearly and shouted, "Prepare to release the meteorites!"
The meteorites were thrown down heavily, and screams could be heard.
"Prepare the gold juice!"
Immediately, the commandant raised a huge pot, which was filled with boiling feces. As soon as the pot was poured, the soldiers on top of the ladders cried out in agony, as several Ji soldiers fell to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Ji soldiers had been killed.
"Spear soldiers, pierce!" Some of the Ji soldiers climbed up the ladders and pierced them with their spears. The spears were unstoppable and unstoppable. They screamed as they fell to the ground.
Bottles of oil, cannons, and logs were poured down like a torrential downpour. The magistrate stood to his left and right as he gave orders. He watched as the ants charged towards the ladders, before falling to the ground amidst the rain of spears and blades.
'The Imperial Court is wise indeed. If we were to fight in the open, we wouldn't be able to hold out. 'Seeing the retreating ladders, the magistrate gave out orders and thought to himself.
"The casualties are not small." Yin Enhu was at the front, and on his left and right were carts. He was heavily guarded and sighed as he looked at the city walls. The city walls were tall, and in the blink of an eye, they had already lost two to three hundred men. The number of casualties had far exceeded their expectations.
The bugle horn sounded, as the Ji soldiers retreated. Yin Enhu's face was ashen. The results of this test were not good. If they were to really take down the city, not many of his ten thousand men would survive.
The Deputy General spoke out, "General, these soldiers have learned their lesson. Originally, the prefectural soldiers were just soldiers, and did not have any powerful generals. If they were to be lured out, we would be able to annihilate them."
"The last time we defeated Count Ping Yuan, it was the same. Who would've thought that we would not be able to lure them out, nor would we be able to fake our defeat. With the Great Xu Dynasty's troops guarding the city, even if they were old and weak, it would be difficult to take them down."
"Initially, I thought that the civil officials were just acting on their own accord, and that we would be able to annihilate them easily. Who knew that these people would be so difficult to deal with. If we were to continue fighting, we would suffer huge losses."
Yin Enhu sighed, "The Imperial Court has issued an official decree forbidding the civil officials from leaving the city to engage in battle. They have even deployed troops to reinforce the frontlines. It's indeed difficult for us to fight. Retreat immediately and report the situation to the Lord."
"Yes!" The Deputy General replied.
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