Because he was annoyed by Wei Zhan's rudeness, he did not order anyone to arrange a seat for Wei Zhan. Wei Zhan did not mind, took two steps forward, and smiled, "It is naturally advantageous. First, the sect leader can obtain these three easily defensible cities by sitting down. Second, it can resolve the grudge between the Lotus Dharma Sect and the Peace Army. Third, it can allow the sect leader to turn around and continue to deal with Liu Guang. After all, for the Lotus Dharma Sect, the biggest opponent is not the Peace Army, but Liu Guang, who has monopolized the southern route of Chen Kingdom and forced the sect leader to come here."
Mentioning Liu Guang made Cheng Tian and Tang Gan look somewhat uneasy. They had originally firmly controlled Chen Guo's southern route, but after Liu Guang arrived, no matter how they fought, they were always slightly inferior. If Liu Guang hadn't been considering something and only expelled him instead of eliminating them, they would probably all be dead by now.
After a long silence, Cheng Tian sighed softly. It seemed that defeating Li Jun to eliminate future troubles was now impossible. The fact that Li Jun was able to kill Zheng Dingguo even in dire straits was precisely to show Cheng Tian his strength and make him understand that the outcome was unpredictable, whether it was a quick attack or a protracted battle. Now, Cheng Tian could only try to bargain more in the negotiations to appease his subordinates.
"It's not difficult for me to get you out of this predicament," he said. "First, apart from Huai'en, Baoshan, and Yuanding, Ningwang City is only temporarily borrowed by Li Jun. After Li Jun returns to Yuzhou, Ningwang must also be returned to me. Second, when Li Jun leaves Huai'en, the city's grain and supplies must be left behind. Third, Li Jun will break an arrow as a pledge to me that he will never attack my Divine Sect's Heavenly Army again."
He paused, then added, "These three conditions are indispensable. If Li Jun cannot agree, I will dedicate the entire army to eliminating this great threat to the Divine Sect!" Wei Zhan frowned slightly. These were the maximum concessions Li Jun could make. Cheng Tian must have considered everything carefully before coming up with these three conditions. After thinking for a moment, a smile appeared on his lips again: "Alright, we agree to all of them. However, we also have three conditions."
"Speaking."
"First, when the Peace Army withdraws, the Lotus Law Army must not pursue them. If any Lotus Law Army is within twenty li of the Peace Army, it will be considered that the Sect Leader has broken his promise. Second, the Peace Army may take the food and supplies it needs with it, as well as the equipment it brings. Otherwise, our army will starve to death on the way. Third, please have the Sect Leader and Commander Li swear by breaking an arrow that the Lotus Law Sect will never enter Yuzhou to expand!"
"You're not willing to suffer a loss, are you?" Cheng Tian felt relieved. These conditions were originally nothing. At this time, the Lotus Sect was facing a powerful enemy and had no time to look east to Yuzhou. As for the Chen Kingdom, it would not be difficult to find an excuse after the great cause was accomplished.
Thus, after both sides suffered casualties, they reached a temporary agreement that neither could guarantee, and the peace army was finally about to embark on its journey home.
Chapter Nine: Suppressing the Rebellion
Yu Sheng's posture on horseback was hardly elegant. As a civil official, it was quite remarkable that he could maintain his balance on such a galloping horse.
He was surrounded by a large group of Rong cavalry. At first, he was at the front of the column, but later he fell behind. It seemed that he would be the last man in the entire army before they reached their destination.
He received a secret order from Feng Jiutian to rush to Yinhu City to stabilize Sima Hui, and then went straight to Qionglu Grassland to seek help from the grassland's Great Khan, Hulei.
Hulei Khan hesitated about whether to send troops. On the one hand, although the Rong people and the Peace Army had an alliance, it was an agreement reached after a major battle, and it was already a favor that they wouldn't take advantage of the situation. On the other hand, since the alliance was established, the grasslands had suffered a severe drought, the pastures had withered, and livestock had starved to death. If Li Jun hadn't ordered Kuanglan City to exchange grain for livestock, the Rong people would likely have either starved to death or been forced to plunder again. Therefore, the various tribes of the grasslands were also discussing the matter, with differing opinions on whether to send troops.
Feng Jiutian also anticipated this, and that day he told Yu Sheng to go see Ji Su as soon as possible after arriving at the Great Grassland.
"Wearing these jewels is a bit tacky, but that's all a woman can do." For some reason, Feng Jiutian's words about women carried a hint of helplessness and disdain. After grumbling for a moment, he added, "Remember to say that the commander saw these and thought they were nice, so he chose them for Miss Ji Su. Because he's been busy with battles, he hasn't had time to deliver them to Miss Ji Su personally, so he has to have you pass them on."
Yu Sheng was taken aback. Feng Jiutian was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't forget to tell the commander that he misses Miss Ji Su very much and is waiting to meet her in Yuzhou."
"This...this...how come I've never heard the commander mention this before?" Yu Sheng finally interjected.
Feng Jiutian glanced at him, a strange smile appearing on his face: "I've never heard of it either, but we can speak for the commander."
Yu Sheng suddenly realized that Li Jun's private romance had also become a tool for Feng Jiutian. Although he felt this was somewhat inappropriate, seeing the expression on Feng Jiutian's face, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.
"If Commander Li returns and learns that his feelings have been used as a political tool, I wonder what he will think." At this moment, although Yu Sheng had borrowed a large army with Ji Su's help, and Ji Su herself was the commander of this army, Yu Sheng still couldn't help but think about the consequences. In his heart, he hoped that Li Jun would marry an ordinary woman as soon as possible and have children, but Li Jun preferred to be with the petite Dongyue woman, Mo Rong, and also had a very complicated emotional entanglement with the valiant and beautiful Rong princess, Ji Su. No ordinary woman could get close to him.
"Is our army going to bypass Silver Tiger City?" Ji Su was puzzled by Feng Jiutian's battle plan. At this moment, both Silver Tiger City and Kuanglan City were besieged, but Yu Sheng's battle plan was to have the Rong people bypass Silver Tiger City.
“Exactly, Mr. Feng said that if the siege of Silver Tiger City and Kuanglan City is lifted directly, Peng Yuancheng and his ilk will surely retreat back into the city and put up a stubborn resistance. Only by using Silver Tiger City and Kuanglan City as bait and taking advantage of the mobility of the cavalry to head straight for Dagu City and Yuyang City, cutting off their retreat route, can we wipe them out in one fell swoop.”
Ji Su grumbled unhappily, "Another cunning fellow. Always hanging out with people like this, Li Jun is going to set a bad example for you."
Yu Sheng couldn't help but laugh and cry. If it came to cunning, probably no one could compare to Li Jun himself. It was hard to say who would be corrupted by him. Ji Su naturally ignored him. Her eyes were fixed ahead, but her mind was already in Chen State. Li Jun must be in trouble there too.
The young man's rather handsome face floated before her eyes, a face that filled her with both joy and annoyance. He was somewhat slow-witted, even aloof, but she could clearly see his concern for those around him in every glance. He wasn't particularly kind to her, even indifferent, but in their interactions, she could clearly feel his heart gradually opening up to her. Most importantly, he was a hero, the kind of hero every Rong woman dreamed of.
When they parted on the Rong people's grasslands, she had shed tears and vowed never to see him again. But now, hearing he was in danger, she rushed over. That Feng Jiutian tried to seduce her with some gaudy jewelry—what a clueless woman! Would Li Jun be the kind of man to give jewelry to a woman? Giving jewelry only proves it wasn't Li Jun's idea. How could a hero like Li Jun ask her for help? Just hearing that Li Jun was trapped in a desperate situation, she was already distraught, wishing she could fly to his side and fight alongside him. Yet that Feng Jiutian tried to humiliate her feelings with jewelry. Humph, she'd make that cunning fellow pay the price!
"I wonder if she will come..." In a flash, Ji Su thought of Mo Rong again. Only women can truly understand women. Knowing that Li Jun was in danger, Mo Rong would probably rush over day and night. Although Dong Yue's strength was limited, if he could not resolve the matter of Yuzhou before she arrived, his status in front of Li Jun would probably be even lower than hers. He really didn't know what was so good about that woman. Why did Li Jun treat her better than him?
Whenever Ji Su thought of Li Jun, her heart was filled with mixed emotions, much like the feelings of young men and women caught in an emotional whirlpool.
Instead of attacking Jiang Runqun and his men who were besieging Silver Tiger City and observing the battle situation in Kuanglan City, they bypassed the Qionglu Grassland, taking an extra five days to travel west of Silver Tiger City and arrive at the foot of Dagu City. Dagu City was not heavily defended at this time. With the Peace Army completely besieged and most of its main forces deployed to the front lines, Dagu City was practically undefended, except for a very small number of essential soldiers.
Feng Jiutian ordered them to abandon Peng Yuancheng's main force, even at the cost of greater sacrifices, to draw Peng Yuancheng's main force away from Kuanglan City. The aim was that Dagu City and Yuyang City were both easily defensible and difficult to attack. If Peng Yuancheng were defeated at Kuanglan City, he would escape back into the city and remain there, thus prolonging the war. Conversely, if Dagu City and Yuyang City were captured, followed by Leiming City, Peng Yuancheng's 100,000-strong army would collapse without a fight, as few of its soldiers were willing to follow Peng Yuancheng in his wanderings.
Peng Yuancheng was not unaware of his rear, but he never imagined that Ji Su, as a hostage, would genuinely fall in love with Li Jun, nor that the Rong people would truly accept Li Jun as an ally. He was only worried about Li Jun returning from Chen, but according to the news sent by Liu Guang, Li Jun was trapped in Huai'en City, still waiting there for reinforcements from Yuzhou.
Even though Li Jun defeated Lian Fa's army, Peng Yuancheng still felt there was no need to worry too much, because Liu Guang had already hinted in his letter that he would never let Li Jun return to Yuzhou alive.
At this moment, Peng Yuancheng was working hard to supervise the construction of siege equipment under the city of Kuanglan. What was originally thought to be a five-day project was completed in three days under the leadership of Shi Ze and the craftsmen who worked day and night. Looking at the tall, mobile wooden building in his tent, Peng Yuancheng said with great pride, "With this thing out, siege battles will be much easier in the future. Shi Ze, you are no less skilled than Yue Ren in the art of siege equipment."
"Please give this thing a resounding name so that it will be remembered for generations," Shi Ze suggested without missing a beat. Peng Yuancheng did not refuse. After thinking for a while, he said, "I think this building can both cover the soldiers filling the trenches and help them attack the city. It serves two purposes and has a hidden secret. Why don't we call it the Mystery Building?"
"Many thanks to Commander Peng for bestowing this name. The fame of Xuanji Tower will surely spread across the land of China in the future, just like the City Lord's fame." Shi Ze laughed heartily.
"There's no time to lose. We'll use the Mysterious Tower to attack the city first thing tomorrow morning. Shi Ze, how many Mysterious Towers have you built in total?"
"One hundred and twenty towers have already been completed. Tonight, I will order the soldiers to work through the night to build another twenty. Each tower can hide more than two hundred soldiers. At that time, with thirty thousand soldiers climbing the towers at the same time, plus the siege ladders and battering rams, the defenders will be unable to resist."
"Very good. Remember to water this Xuanji Tower to prevent enemy fire attacks. It's all made of wood, so it's most vulnerable to fire." Peng Yuancheng looked out at Kuanglan City from the main camp. If all went well, this city would belong to him tomorrow.
However, caution is still necessary. The Peace Army, positioned on higher ground, will clearly see the weapons being hastily manufactured in our camp. They may not understand why we're building these structures on the spot at first, but they will understand once the attack begins. Therefore, we must be wary of the Peace Army sending assassins to launch surprise attacks and destroy these secret towers.
"Tonight, three thousand men will take turns guarding the Xuanji Tower. We must not let the Peace Army take advantage of this!" he issued the order again.
The night was initially quite peaceful, but lying in his camp, Peng Yuancheng found it difficult to sleep. Tomorrow's battle would be another major conflict. Victory would be fine, but another defeat would likely result in the scattering of his 100,000-strong army, forcibly conscripted from the populace. Better safe than sorry; he needed to prepare for this situation as soon as possible. There was also the Xuanji Tower. Judging from Feng Jiutian's performance so far, while he couldn't be considered an expert in battle formations, he was competent, and his use of city defense equipment was indeed ingenious. Did he have any other clever tricks to counter Xuanji Tower? Or perhaps Kuanglan City's defenses were specifically designed to counter Xuanji Tower?
The more he thought about it and worried, the less he felt like sleeping. So he got up and put on his clothes. Just then, a guard outside whispered, "Who's there?"
"Please report to Commander Peng that there is unusual activity on the city wall!" The voice of the person who came was familiar; it must be the deputy commander on duty tonight.
"Please wait a moment." The guard recognized him as well. Peng Yuancheng, already dressed in civilian clothes, strode out of the tent and asked, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
"Reporting to Commander Peng, there are faint figures on the city wall, and there are quite a few of them. Although they are being very careful, they are still making noise. Please make a decision, City Lord."
"Don't panic. Lead three thousand archers and come with me. Don't alert anyone." Peng Yuancheng frowned. It seemed that, as he had expected, the Peace Army intended to steal the dragon under cover of night. The moon had set early that night, leaving only a sky full of stars. To launch a sneak attack at this time would be tantamount to suicide.
Upon arriving outside the main camp, they could indeed see figures moving about on the walls of Kuanglan City, seemingly organizing their troops. Peng Yuancheng said softly, "Go over there quietly. If the Peace Army comes down from the city, wait for my order and shoot them to death with arrows, then return immediately!"
These three thousand archers were all clad in heavy armor. Even from twenty paces away in the darkness, they appeared as dark as the ground, unlike the Peace Army who were so conspicuous on the city walls. They did as instructed, holding wooden darts in their mouths, and moved forward quietly. Because they were wearing leather armor, there was no clanging of metal.
A moment later, sure enough, people began to be lowered down from the city wall. Strings of people were lowered down, numbering over a thousand. Peng Yuancheng smiled coldly, waved his hand, and a gong sounded. Then, like thunder, three thousand arrows shot towards the city wall. The dark figures lowered to the ropes struggled desperately, but no matter what they did, they could not escape the deadly arrows.
Hearing low groans, Peng Yuancheng concluded that these people were not dummies used to trick him into giving them arrows. Seeing that the dark figures on the city wall had almost stopped moving after three waves of arrows from his side, he waved his hand, and the sound of a gong rang out. The archers quickly withdrew.