These words nearly made Song Xi choke, and she couldn't utter a word for a long time. Shi Ze sneered, "I only saved you this time because I pitied you. Otherwise, even if I didn't say that this plan was devised by Commander Peng, you, you brute, would definitely curse him in front of him. At that time, although you were cursing me, Shi Ze, you were actually cursing Commander Peng!"
Song Xi was speechless. Although he knew that Shi Ze had no intention of saving him, but only did not want Peng Yuancheng to know about their fight, he had to admit that if he went to Peng Yuancheng to complain in anger, he would most likely be severely punished by Peng Yuancheng instead.
The two men came to see Peng Yuancheng, who did not blame them. Even he himself had suffered greatly from the city's defenses in the South City, losing thousands of soldiers. In just one attack, he had lost one-tenth of his forces at the foot of Kuanglan City. This rate of attrition forced him to re-evaluate his siege plan.
Just then, a sentry came to report: "Reporting to the city lord, an arrow has been shot down from the city wall!"
Peng Yuancheng took the arrow and saw that a piece of cloth was tied to it. He unfolded the cloth and saw that the eunuch had written neatly on it: "Brother Yuancheng, I have received the gift of five thousand elite soldiers. However, the gift is too heavy for me to accept. I will return it on another day. I wish you good health."
He passed the cloth to his staff and then laughed, "What do you all think Feng Jiutian means by this?"
"It's just a charade," one of the advisors said impatiently after seeing the report. "Why would he so easily return those five thousand elite soldiers?"
“He used ropes to lower these elite soldiers into the city one by one, which shows that he is extremely wary of these five thousand surrendered soldiers. How to deal with these people who could rebel at any time must be a headache for him.” Shi Ze, however, had a different opinion. “If our army were to defend the city, we would only have twenty thousand soldiers, but with five thousand surrendered soldiers, we would also find it troublesome. Therefore, Feng Jiutian is very likely to execute all five thousand surrendered soldiers and then send them back to us to damage our morale.”
“Shi Ze is right.” Peng Yuancheng was more supportive of Shi Ze’s view. Under the circumstances, the Peace Army dared not easily let the surrendered soldiers enter the city. Otherwise, a sudden attack would tie down the Peace Army’s defensive forces, giving Peng Yuancheng’s reinforcements enough time to follow up. They also dared not let these 5,000 men return, firstly because it would increase the enemy’s fighting capacity, and secondly because their return would require building a pontoon bridge over the moat, which could very well be used for an attack. Therefore, their only option was to kill these 5,000 surrendered soldiers.
“If we’re going to kill these surrendered soldiers, why not do it outside the city instead of lowering them into the city? Isn’t that redundant?” Seeing that Peng Yuancheng agreed with Shi Ze’s opinion, Song Xi couldn’t help but interject. Although Shi Ze called him a brute, he was by no means a person who didn’t know how to use his brain.
“Killing them under the city walls will only have one result: it will incite my entire army to fight to the death.” Shi Ze said with a mocking tone, “If we kill the surrendered soldiers under the city walls, everyone in our army will know that defeat means certain death, and they will all feel a sense of shared hatred for the enemy. Feng Jiutian would never have such a brainless idea.”
Peng Yuancheng reached out to restrain Song Xi's angry outburst, saying, "In any case, our army must be careful and cannot be careless."
The first day of the siege ended in failure, but Peng Yuancheng was not discouraged. Although he suffered a minor setback in the battle, he had basically figured out the defenses of Kuanglan City. It now seemed that the western city's defenses were still intact, and he should use a small force to hold back the Peace Army there. If the Peace Army abandoned the city, there was no need to stop them. The southern city's defenses had been mostly destroyed by his siege equipment, so he should focus his main attack on that area to minimize losses.
To attack the city, one must first get close to the city walls. The moat is uneven, making entry impossible. Since the bridge I build will be demolished by the Heping Army, I won't build it; I'll just fill in the moat. Although the Heping Army won't stand idly by while I fill it, with a little ingenuity, filling the moat shouldn't be too difficult.
“Everyone is tired today, let’s rest.” Peng Yuancheng said after making up his mind, “There’s no rush to attack the city. We can attack it in five days.”
Everyone else left, but Shi Ze stayed behind after Peng Yuancheng gestured to him with his eyes. After everyone had left, Peng Yuancheng said, "Shi Ze, you'll have to work hard these next five days."
"Please give your orders, Commander Peng!" Shi Ze was overjoyed. Peng Yuancheng had shunned everyone else to discuss something with him alone, so it must be an important task.
“You should gather the craftsmen in the army, and also transfer the soldiers who have worked as carpenters in each camp together, and lead five thousand soldiers to work through the night to make siege weapons.”
“This…” Upon hearing this task, Shi Ze was somewhat disappointed. This matter originally did not require his management and could have been easily handled by a minor official.
"What I need is not ordinary siege equipment, but equipment that the Peace Army cannot destroy with crossbows. Catapults and giant crossbows are too intricate and too troublesome to make. I just need a mobile house that can block arrows and crossbow bolts. It doesn't matter if it's a bit bulky."
Shi Ze immediately understood Peng Yuancheng's meaning. His mind raced, and he said, "We can cut down trees and build houses on the spot, install dozens of wooden wheels under the houses, and the soldiers can push them forward from inside. However, these things cannot be crossed by pontoon bridges."
"Great idea!" Peng Yuancheng exclaimed in admiration upon hearing that Shi Ze had transformed the original house into a mobile fortress. "Without needing a pontoon bridge, I can fill in the moat with this wooden house as a barrier."
"Oh, if that's the case, I have another idea!" Upon hearing Peng Yuancheng's intention to fill in the moat, Shi Ze came up with another plan, saying, "Why don't we make this wooden house bigger and taller? There can be a ladder inside that leads to the top, and then open a door at the top. Once this house is breached, the door at the top can be opened, and the soldiers lying in ambush inside can directly climb the city wall without needing ladders or ropes!"
"Shi Ze, you truly are a genius strategist sent from heaven!" Peng Yuancheng couldn't help but laugh upon hearing his plan. "This wooden house must be thoroughly soaked with water to prevent rocket attacks from the city walls. This matter cannot be delayed; our army's food supplies are very tight, and delays could lead to unforeseen complications. Go and take care of it now!"
"Yes, sir!" Shi Ze's spirits lifted. If this device succeeded, he would be recorded in history. He had designed such a practical device, and he wondered how his descendants would evaluate him.
Meanwhile, in the State of Chen, the Lianfa army besieging Huai'en City was in almost the same predicament as Peng Yuancheng.
The death of Zheng Dingguo and the great defeat in Dongcheng were major blows to Cheng Tian and the Lianfa army. For Tang Gan, in addition to casting a shadow over his originally extremely confident mind, he also had to face a problem: who to send to Huai'en City to negotiate with Li Jun to retrieve Zheng Dingguo's body.
Just as he was hesitating, a guard came to report that Cheng Tian had invited him. Not knowing what had happened, he quickly went to the central command tent.
"You've come at the right time! People from the city have arrived!" Cheng Tian, who was pacing back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back, said this as soon as he saw him with disheveled hair.
Tang Gan asked in astonishment, "What? People from Huai'en City have come?"
“Indeed, the visitor claimed to have been a guest advisor under Xue Qian, but was driven out by Xue Qian and had no choice but to seek refuge with Li Jun. He came to convey Li Jun’s message.” Cheng Tian added at the end, “He also brought Dingguo’s remains.”
Tang Gan remained silent for a long while before finally catching his breath. The enemy's actions in the city were truly unexpected. He then heard Cheng Tian ask, "I invited you here to discuss with you what Li Jun's intention was in sending Dingguo's remains here."
From Li Jun's perspective, beheading Zheng Dingguo and displaying his first act of heroism on the walls of Huai'en City would be the most damaging move against the Lianfa army. However, the opponent has returned this best propaganda weapon; what is his true intention? Could he be trying to use this to secure his own escape? This seems out of character for Li Jun…
After much deliberation, Tang Gan still couldn't figure it out. He asked, "What does the sect leader mean by meeting or not meeting the envoy?"
"Of course I must see him. He came according to protocol, how could I be so intolerant?"
"Then we'll know as soon as we see him, which is far better than us guessing here." Tang Gan's words carried a hint of helplessness; he had to admit that his wisdom was indeed lacking.
"There's no other way," Cheng Tian ordered. "Bring that person here!"
"Wait a moment," Tang Gan suggested. "Why don't we make some arrangements to let the visitor know that it's not easy to be a persuader, and also to curb Li Jun's arrogance?" "Prepare a cauldron, cook it over a fire, and say that we want to boil it to offer as a sacrifice to Ding Guo's spirit in heaven," he said.
Although Cheng Tian was feeling frustrated at the moment, she couldn't help but smile at Tang Gan's plan: "Since we've already shown our attitude by meeting him, why bother with such suspense? These little tricks won't stump him; they'll only make us look foolish."
Tang Gan remained silent. After a moment, Wei Zhan was brought in. Upon seeing Cheng Tian, he bowed deeply and said, "Wei Zhan greets the Sect Leader."
"No need for formalities. Mr. Wei, you've come here not only to return Zheng Dingguo, but also for other purposes, haven't you?" Cheng Tian cut straight to the point.
"As expected of the Sect Leader, you are a wise man. Since that is the case, I will speak frankly." Wei Zhan cupped his hands again and said, "In the current situation, both the Lotus Dharma Sect and the Peace Army have their own concerns. The Lotus Dharma Sect has not yet achieved its great cause and is embroiled in a bitter battle with the Chen Kingdom's soldiers and Liu Guang's army. If it is not careful, it will suffer a complete defeat, and its strength accumulated over the years will inevitably be wiped out from the foundation. On the other hand, the Peace Army has had its retreat cut off by the Lotus Dharma Army, and there is also internal strife in Yuzhou. Neither of our two sides wants to remain deadlocked under Huai'en City. Therefore, our army is willing to cede Huai'en City, Baoshan City, and Yuanding City in exchange for Ningwang City."
"Is that all?" Tang Gan said sharply, "Now you are nothing but birds in a cage and turtles in a jar. Your life and death are completely in our hands. You still dare to make demands?"
Wei Zhan laughed heartily: "Who is this person? To be able to speak in front of the sect leader, he must be a prominent figure in the Lotus Dharma Sect. Why then does he utter such ignorant words?"
Enraged, Tang Gan stood up, his hand on his sword, and said, "You dog, you're nothing but a traitor under Xue Qian, how dare you be so disrespectful to me!"
Wei Zhan stood proudly, glancing sideways at him, seemingly intent on provoking this scholar-like figure from the Lianfa Sect. "Under your encirclement, Commander Li Jun slew your army's bravest general, Zheng Dingguo, with the speed and agility of a hawk swooping down on a rabbit. How can you claim our lives are in your hands? If Commander Li had mobilized the entire city and launched a full-scale attack, fighting the Lianfa Sect to the death, your reckless and foolish death would have been a minor matter. In the chaos, Sect Leader Cheng would inevitably have perished along with everyone else, ruining the Lianfa Sect's long-term plans. Who can bear the responsibility for that? As for the conditions, Commander Li Jun, being benevolent, instructed me to propose these two mutually beneficial terms. Yet you stand here roaring and shouting. Is your ignorance due to being polite to you out of respect for Sect Leader Cheng? Otherwise…"
"Shut up!" It wasn't Tang Gan who spoke, but Cheng Tian himself. Although he had suffered a minor setback because of Tang Gan's plan, Tang Gan had provided the Lotus Sect with many ingenious schemes over the years, whether he was hiding in the countryside or after a major event. Although he was a bit ambitious, Cheng Tian could not tolerate being humiliated by Wei Zhan like this. Therefore, he shouted to stop Wei Zhan from saying anything even more offensive.
"Does Li Jun send you here just so you can insult me to my face? Or so you can come here and show off your verbal skills?" He saw that Wei Zhan had stopped talking, and his tone softened, but his words were still sharp.
"This matter is of great importance. If I don't use sharp words to alarm the sect leader, how will the sect leader's men and women give me a chance to speak?" Wei Zhan smiled faintly, completely unfazed by the imposing aura that erupted from Cheng Tian's shout.
“Master Tang, please sit down and don’t take it to heart.” Cheng Tian persuaded Tang Gan to sit down, and then said, “Mr. Wei, regarding your claim of mutual benefit, I only see it as beneficial to Li Jun, but not to Emperor Shenzong. I would like to ask you to explain.”