Ying Prefecture, High Duke's Mansion
When Shen Zhi entered, he immediately invited the servant in and asked a few questions. The servant then led him to the study room and whispered, "The Duke's illness isn't anything serious. He's just caught a cold. The doctor said that he needs to rest for a few days. It's just that the news just now wasn't good. The Duke smashed his cup and his expression changed."
Shen Zhi was shocked and replied, "I understand."
When he reached the study, he heard someone coughing. Shen Zhi stood outside and waited for Ji Bei Hou to calm down before he walked in and bowed, "Your subject greets my Lord!"
Ji Bei Hou closed his eyes and pointed to a chair, "Sit. Do you understand the situation now? Pei Zi Yun did not lose a single soldier or general. Out of the seven counties, only Luo You died in the line of duty. When these generals saw me, they shouted their loyalty. But when they saw the soldiers, they immediately surrendered. They are despicable and despicable. I intend to mobilize my army and wipe them out. Then, I will take over the entire prefecture. What do you think? "
"High Duke, you can't. Although the Imperial Army only has 30,000 soldiers, they are all experienced soldiers. My army only has 10,000 soldiers, and they are scattered all over the country."
"There are only 5,000 soldiers in the prefecture, and another 5,000 soldiers from the counties. That's barely enough. However, the 50,000 new recruits are all strong citizens. If they fight in a hurry, it's fine if they win. But if they don't win, I'm afraid …" Shen Zhi said uneasily. In Ji Bei Hou's eyes, such a result meant that his subordinates were disloyal and had surrendered without a fight. However, after much research, he came to a shocking conclusion. This was all because of Pei Zi Yun's strategy and tactics.
Of course, he could not say this out loud. Ji Bei Hou was already under a lot of pressure, and could not increase it any further. He tried to persuade him, "My Lord, North Star Prefecture has food and soldiers. We can hold our ground. Our new army has not been formed yet. As long as we buy some time, we can wipe out the enemy."
"For now, we should just bear with it."
Ji Bei Hou felt uneasy. After a long time, he said, "That's all we can do."
As soon as he finished speaking, the light in his eyes dissipated. He then closed his eyes and said, "Mister Shen, I hope things will go according to our plan!"
North Star Prefecture, Sunny
The sun shone down, bringing with it a warm aura. Pei Zi Yun led his troops forward. Behind him, the army gathered. Their faces were filled with smiles, and they looked very relaxed.
"Daoist Master, you really have a good strategy. You patrolled the eight counties and subdued them all in less than half a month. This North Enlightenment County immediately became an isolated city. Moreover, not only did our army not suffer any losses, but it also increased by more than 6,000."
Another general followed up, "The first time I saw the real person, I was ashamed. I did have some thoughts, but these past few days, I've truly been convinced."
It was a compliment, but it was also the truth. Pei Zi Yun didn't take it to heart as he laughed, "There's still another mansion. It won't be easy."
"With the Daoist Master here, we will definitely be able to strike like a thunderbolt!" These people spoke with relaxed expressions. Eight counties surrendered. They now had seven thousand soldiers, and their military strength had increased to seventeen thousand.
At this moment, the scout arrived in front of him. He dismounted from his horse and saluted, "Dao Master, there are no enemies lying in ambush ten miles ahead. We have completed our reconnaissance. General Chen is here to welcome you."
The commander had a tanned complexion, which was the result of being sunburned during the expedition. His physique was powerful and his speech was forceful and forceful. He had the characteristics of a soldier.
"Alright!"
Pei Zi Yun listened and said, "Continue to investigate. Pay attention to the surrounding twenty kilometers. If there's any movement, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Dao Master. I will continue to investigate."
"Jin Ze, we've sent out a spy. Will Ji Bei Hou from Ying Prefecture send out his troops, or will he continue to defend the city?" Pei Zi Yun looked at someone behind him and asked.
A Daoist beside him leaped down and bowed, "Sect Leader, there's news from Ying Prefecture. Ji Bei Hou is currently training his troops, and has yet to set out for battle."
When the generals around heard this, their faces relaxed. Ying Prefecture had yet to send out their troops, which meant the pressure on them had lessened.
At this point, Chen Yong came out to welcome them. He led a dozen generals and knelt down, "We respectfully invite the Daoist Master to raise the tent!"
In the past ten days, sixteen thousand plus ten thousand soldiers, in addition to the ten thousand soldiers from the other three counties, amounted to a total of forty thousand soldiers. Their morale was at its peak, and their killing intent soared to the heavens. It was completely different from when they first arrived.
Although the central tent had only been renovated for a short period of time, there was a map of the counties painted on the walls. In the middle of the tent was a sand table. In the middle of the tent was a scroll with the four treasures of the study.
These were still normal. Behind the tiger skin chair, there were two shelves. One of them had the words "Just like the Emperor Himself" written on it, and the other had the Emperor's Sword.
The generals were all dressed in bright armor as they entered the tent. Pei Zi Yun stepped into the tent, and the fifty odd men all knelt down on one knee. Their armor clanked loudly, "We pay our respects to the Daoist Master!"
"Rise, Count Zhong Qin, please take a seat!" Pei Zi Yun looked around and extended his hand, "Is the Prefecture Prince doing well?"
"The Prefecture Prince is doing well." Count Zhong Qin bowed as he sat down.
Pei Zi Yun nodded, "Today, I've summoned you all here because the eight counties have been conquered. Although there isn't much resistance in these eight counties, there are still soldiers and Daoists around. The moment anyone attacks, you can report to me immediately. This way, we won't have to worry about being ambushed. This has created a good environment for us to attack the city."
"Now, pass on my orders. Everyone below the city is to prepare food and meat. Once everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, prepare to attack the city."
"Yes, Daoist Master." Everyone present replied loudly. Someone then went out to pass on the orders. Before long, smoke could be seen rising from the chimneys.
Pei Zi Yun then asked, "The siege machines that I ordered for the three counties, have they all arrived?"
Count Zhong Qin stood up and replied, "Daoist, they've all arrived. There's a total of twenty watchtowers, thirty catapults, sixty chariots, and a hundred and twenty ladders."
"Other than these, there's also three thousand dans of grain. The three counties have also sent in additional meat. There's a total of three thousand catties."
Count Zhong Qin spoke, he was extremely impressed with Pei Zi Yun. It took about half a month to transport all these from the three counties. Pei Zi Yun didn't even have to wait for half a month. He had conquered the eight counties in one fell swoop. His timing was perfect, and he hadn't wasted a single bit of time.
"Good!" Pei Zi Yun slapped the table, his eyes gleaming, "Pass on my orders. Send in a letter to persuade them to surrender. Also, all of you are to lead by example and ask them to surrender."
"Yes, Daoist Master." Everyone who had been ordered acknowledged.
A general then took out an arrow and shot it towards the city walls. The arrow pierced through the air and landed on the city walls, startling a group of people. Seeing this, Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but exclaim, "What a good arrow!"
Following that, the eight counties' magistrates and seven or eight officers raised their banners and marched down the streets, shouting, "I am the County Magistrate of Shui Shui County. I am the Guerilla Warfare General Li Yue. We have forsaken the dark side and come to the light. The Imperial Court has shown us mercy and will not punish us. Instead, we are allowed to atone for our crimes!"
"I am the County Magistrate (Officer) of Sheya County, County Magistrate (Officer) of Zhen County, County Magistrate (Officer) of Nan Rong County, County Magistrate (Officer) of Red Rock County. All eight counties of Qi Bei County have surrendered."
"You are now a lone army. The Imperial Court has a hundred thousand soldiers. If you resist, they will be crushed."
He then raised his head and patrolled the area, "Luo You of Wu Yu County is stubbornly resisting. Even his entire family has been killed. Do you want to end up like this?"
He then shouted out loudly, "Whoever dares to open the gates, regardless of whether they are soldiers or officials, will not be punished. Instead, they will be promoted. Those without official ranks will be promoted by three ranks."
Seven thousand men marched down the city walls in a grandiose manner. Everyone in the city was extremely nervous, and their morale was low. However, there was still a strong military force that refused to surrender. Before long, an arrow was shot down from the sky, indicating their stance.
Pei Zi Yun looked on and laughed coldly, "Attack the city."
"Dong dong!"
The sound of drums could be heard as the sun gradually rose. Pei Zi Yun rushed up to the stage.
"Maintain military discipline!" The Military Judge was running around the battlefield, shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to maintain order.
A dense number of catapults were moved to the frontlines. The watchtowers were pushed forward one step at a time, and were spread out in front of the city wall. With a single command, thirty catapults launched huge rocks at the top of the city wall. The sound of the rocks hitting the city walls could be heard.
Pei Zi Yun gazed into the distance, and saw several generals following behind him. He looked at the state of the city and held a whip in his hand. He then laughed coldly, "Attack this area. This is where Dong Man's personal troops are. Although we are relying on his personal troops to attack, as long as we suffer heavy losses, we will not be able to suppress them.
"Yes, Dao Master."
Pei Zi Yun paced a few steps before asking, "Where's the Scout Battalion?"
"Sir Mark is here," the scout battalion replied loudly.
"Although there are eight counties acting as a barrier, we cannot be too careless. Spread out your men. The moment an army appears within a fifty kilometer radius, light a beacon and send a message." Pei Zi Yun ordered loudly.
"Yes!"
The Scout Battalion mounted their horses and led the troops out.
"Increase the number of catapults. Prepare the ladders." Pei Zi Yun instructed.
"Dong dong!" Following the sound of drums, the entire army swarmed forward like a swarm of ants. Dozens of cranes were raised, and huge rocks flew through the air, smashing into the walls of the city. The rocks bounced off the walls and rolled in the air, destroying the people, weapons, and equipment that were unable to escape.
Beneath the shields, there were soldiers who were biting on their blades. One of their hands was holding onto a round plate that covered half of their body, while the other was holding onto a ladder.
The people above were not to be outdone. Gold liquid, rocks and sniper rifles rained down on them. People screamed in pain as they fell to the ground. However, more and more people took their places.
They were riding on a cart, which was very thick, with a layer of cowhide and a layer of iron sheet. Small bricks and stones wouldn't budge it, but big bricks and stones would roll down. Firewood wouldn't burn it. It was erected on a two-wheeled cart to provide cover for the soldiers behind the cart. At this time, the armored soldiers raised their iron shields high and stood behind the hand-pushed wooden board. They kept crossing each other to protect the archers inside the shield wall.
"Shoot!" The sound of bowstrings being pulled could be heard continuously. Waves after waves of arrows were fired. Many people felt that direct shots were more powerful, as they had to be accurate. However, on a large scale battlefield, projectiles were even more terrifying.
An arrow shot twenty meters high and landed in mid-air. Due to the weight of the metal tip, the arrow was pointed downwards. The force of gravity increased the speed of the arrow, which was extremely terrifying.
If an egg fell from the fourth floor, it could smash a person's head. If it fell from the eighteenth floor, it could smash a person to death. If it hit a person from the twenty-fifth floor, they would die.
One could only see the projectiles being fired continuously. When they reached the sky, they would turn around and land on the city walls like rain. If it were the old soldiers, they would be able to avoid it. However, the new soldiers were inexperienced, and many of them died.
However, the old soldiers who were defending the city were ruthless as well. They continued to use arrows and sniper rifles. Oil cannons rained down like rain, smashing into the sea of people.
"Ah ah ah!" The soldiers continued to fall like dumplings. In an instant, they landed below the city walls. Flesh and blood, weapons and equipment were all mixed together.
At this point, both sides were consuming a large number of lives.
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