Chapter 669: Sincere Allegiance

Outside Gancao City, the Qi army's encampment stretched for several miles, its black tents like lurking giant beasts, glinting with a cold, hard light in the dawn.

The main army's great tent covered a vast area, built from several thick black cloths; a large banner hung outside the tent, flapping loudly in the wind, exuding an aura that warned strangers to stay away.

Inside the tent, the furnishings were simple yet orderly; at the center a wide table bore a map of Gancao City, its dense red dots and black lines marking offensive and defensive positions, and solid wooden chairs were arranged on both sides of the table.

Gao Xiaoyu wore a dark, gold‑woven armor, the tiger motif on his Shoulder Armor glittering in the candlelight inside the tent; he leaned back on the principal seat, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the jade pendant at his waist, a hint of impatience and gloom lingering in his brows.

After days of failed assaults, nearly six thousand troops were lost, a humiliation unprecedented for him, who was proud and arrogant.

Beside him sat Ding Weize, his armor meticulously maintained, his features sharp, eyes bright, bent over the map on the table, occasionally whispering with Liu Zaizhou across from him.

Liu Zaizhou toyed with a short sword in his hand, its blade flashing cold light under the candle.

Crown Prince His Highness, in Subordinate General's opinion, Gancao City is already at the end of a strong bow; although yesterday's siege did not breach the city, it has already caused heavy casualties among the defenders, Ding Weize lifted his head, his gaze burning as he looked at Gao Xiaoyu, his tone full of confidence, "From now on we can concentrate all our forces, focusing on the North Gate, whose wall was already damaged in yesterday's assault; with a little more effort, we can take it in a single blow!"

Liu Zaizhou set down the short sword, echoing, "General Ding is absolutely right!"

The North Gate wall is severely damaged, and the defenders must be exhausted; we will deploy all siege engines, let the suicide squad charge ahead, and we can seize Gancao City in one swift push, capture its defending commander alive, and avenge the fallen brothers!

Gao Xiaoyu heard this, his brows relaxed slightly, yet he remained silent.

A surge of anger boiled inside him; yesterday's failed siege made him more doubtful of these generals' words.

He desired not only to capture Gancao City, but also to make the stubborn defending troops pay a painful price, to let everyone know the fate of those who defy Gao Xiaoyu.

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, and a royal guard in Qi army uniform pushed aside the curtain, Dankui Guidi, respectfully saluting, "Crown Prince His Highness, Subordinate General has urgent news to report!"

Gao Xiaoyu lifted his eyelids and said evenly, "Speak."

Replying to Crown Prince His Highness, the gate guard just reported that several guards from within Gancao City slipped over the wall at night and came to surrender to our army!

The guard's voice carried a barely perceptible excitement as he reported loudly.

"Guards from within Gancao City?" Gao Xiaoyu snapped his head up, a flash of surprise in his eyes, then turned into keen interest, murmuring, "Oh? Such a thing indeed?"

He had assumed the defenders of Gancao City were all hardliners; he didn't expect that now someone could no longer hold out and came to surrender.

Ding Weize heard this, his face instantly showing ecstatic joy, his eyes bright, he slapped his thigh hard, sneering, "I told you! Those people inside Gancao City were merely stubbornly resisting; they were already at the end of a strong bow, body and mind at their limits!"

"The relentless assaults in recent days have already exhausted them, their Provisions cut off; now that our surrender appeal has been sent, naturally some will defect!"

At this point, Ding Weize could no longer restrain his joy, bursting into laughter, "Hahaha! Crown Prince His Highness, this is tremendous news!"

"This shows that Gancao City's interior has begun to crumble; as long as we make good use of these surrendering guards, capturing Gancao City will be just a matter of time!"

Liu Zaizhou also laughed, stood up, strode to the table, looked at Gao Xiaoyu, and declared loudly, "Crown Prince His Highness, General Ding is correct! Even the strongest Fortress is breached from within!"

"The defending commander Wang Xiong of Gancao City may die defending without surrender, but he cannot stop the people below who want to live!"

"These guards have suffered within the city; now, desperate, they come to surrender, surely knowing the city's realities; as long as we inquire about the situation inside, we can strike the right point and break the city in one go!"

Gao Xiaoyu listened to their words, a satisfied smile on his face, nodded, his tone carrying a barely perceptible pride, "Well said! It seems my earlier decision was correct: a fierce assault on one side, a surrender appeal on the other, a two‑pronged approach, and it indeed worked!"

He paused, then ordered the guard, "Bring the men up! I want to ask them personally what the situation inside Gancao City really is!"

"Yes! Subordinate General will attend to it immediately!" the guard replied respectfully, rose, and hurried out of the great tent.

Inside the tent, the three of them fixed their gazes on the entrance, full of anticipation.

Ding Weize rubbed his hands, excitement on his face, saying, "Crown Prince His Highness, in Subordinate General's view, since these guards dared to surrender, perhaps Gancao City has reached a desperate point; we need only launch another fierce assault to take it!"

Liu Zaizhou also nodded, agreeing, "Exactly! Later we should ask them about the city's Provisions, water sources, siege equipment, the morale of the defenders, any weak points, so we can devise a targeted attack plan!"

Gao Xiaoyu gave a slight nod, said nothing, but had already begun to plot in his mind.

If Gancao City truly is as vulnerable as they claim, we will launch an all‑out assault immediately, seize it early, and wash away the recent humiliation.

Soon after, footsteps sounded outside the tent, and two men in tattered, wound‑covered clothes were brought in by the guard.

They were Su Mo and Chen Laogen.

Su Mo's coarse short jacket was torn in many places, his exposed arms bore several wounds of varying depth, the blood dried black, his face covered in dust and fatigue.

The already broken wooden hairpin was crooked in his hair, making him look utterly disheveled.

Chen Laogen's condition was no better; his armor was shattered, the cloth band around his shoulder soaked with blood, his face showing fear and bewilderment, his steps staggering as if he could collapse at any moment.

The guard saw the two standing motionless in the tent, heads lowered, and immediately frowned, urging harshly, "What are you standing there for! Don't you see Crown Prince His Highness is here?"

"Don't you hurry forward to see my Great Qi Crown Prince His Highness!"

Su Mo heard this, his body jolted as if just reacting, he lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over Gao Xiaoyu, Ding Weize and Liu Zaizhou; upon seeing Gao Xiaoyu's splendid gold‑woven armor and imposing aura, shock flashed in his eyes, and he exclaimed, "It… it is Crown Prince His Highness?!"

He reacted swiftly, hurriedly tidied his tattered clothes, knelt on both knees before Gao Xiaoyu, and respectfully said, "I, Su Mo, have seen Crown Prince His Highness!"

Chen Laogen also quickly knelt, his voice trembling, clearly "quite frightened", bowing his head to Gao Xiaoyu, and said, "I… I, Chen Laogen, have seen Crown Prince His Highness!"

Gao Xiaoyu looked at their disheveled appearance, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes, raised his hand and said, "No need for ceremony!"

"Thank you, Crown Prince His Highness!" Su Mo and Chen Laogen replied in unison, slowly standing, still keeping their heads down, daring not to meet Gao Xiaoyu's gaze, looking utterly terrified.

Gao Xiaoyu's gaze lingered on their faces, his sharp eyes seeming to pierce them.

He was silent for a moment, then asked, "I come to ask you, inside Gancao City, what is the situation now?"

Su Mo heard this, stepped forward, clasped his fists, and respectfully replied, "In reply to Crown Prince His Highness, I was originally just a teacher within Gancao City, not a defender."

"Only after the Qi army besieged the city did the defending commander Wang Xiong forcibly conscript the city's youths and strong men to defend; helpless, I took up a weapon."

He paused, a trace of pain and fear on his face, his voice choked, "The King's Army has besieged the city for many days, attacking day and night; the losses inside are severe!"

"In yesterday's battle, the defenders lost many, including the city's youths; now fewer than a thousand are able to fight."

"The brothers are all exhausted, morale at its lowest; many have already thought of retreat, the army's spirit has long dispersed, and they no longer care to defend the city!"

Chen Laogen also hurried forward, picking up the thread, adding, "Crown Prince His Highness, Mr. Su's words are all true! The situation inside the city is even worse than he described!"

"Provisions have long been exhausted; since yesterday the brothers have survived on thin porridge, and today even that is unavailable."

"The water source is also nearly depleted; the city's only well has its level at the lowest, barely enough each day for the old, weak, women and children, and we defenders can only drink the murky sludge."

He spoke while raising his hand to point at his wounds, a painful expression on his face, "And the siege equipment—rolling stones, battering logs, Fuel, arrows—these have long been depleted!"

"In yesterday's battle we tore down city houses, using beams as battering logs, using villagers' tables and chairs as rolling stones; arrows were scarce, many brothers could only wield hoes and machetes to defend, unable to resist the King's Army's fierce assault!"

"At this rate, Gancao City cannot hold much longer; its fall is only a matter of time!"

Ding Weize, after hearing the two, slapped the table in approval, his face beaming with excitement, and shouted, "Great! Excellent! I didn't expect Gancao City to be at such a point; it truly will collapse with a single strike!"

Crown Prince, this is a heaven‑sent golden opportunity!

Liu Zaizhou also broke into a look of ecstatic joy. He looked at Gao Xiaoyu and, excitedly, said: "Crown Prince, since Gancao City now has no provisions inside, no reinforcements outside, the defending troops are demoralized, the army's morale is scattered, we can certainly achieve twice the result with half the effort and easily breach the city!"

Gao Xiaoyu's face also broke into a satisfied smile, a flash of greed and ruthlessness passing through his eyes.

He had originally thought it would still require some trouble, but he hadn't expected Gancao City to be weakened to this extent, and the joy in his heart was beyond words.

Su Mo, seeing this, quickly nodded in agreement and said: "Crown Prince, just as General Ding said, Gancao City is now at the end of a strong bow and can no longer hold up!"

I, who risk my life, sneaking out of the city walls in the dead of night to surrender, do so because I do not wish to die in vain!

Wang Xiong is brutal and hot‑tempered; he is determined to defend the city to death, completely disregarding the lives of the soldiers and civilians inside.

Yesterday someone suggested surrender, and he immediately beheaded them as an example; his methods were extremely ruthless!

His voice carried a hint of fear and anger as he continued: "I do not want to die, nor do I want to be buried with Gancao City alongside that madman Wang Xiong!"

Having heard that the Crown Prince is benevolent and loves the people, magnanimous and generous, and that anyone who comes to surrender will be forgiven, I gathered the courage, brought my brother Chen Laogen, and came to surrender to the King's Army, hoping the Crown Prince will take us in!

Chen Laogen quickly echoed: "Exactly! Crown Prince, I also do not want to die!"

My elderly mother and my wife and children are waiting for me at home; I truly do not wish to die here in Gancao City!

Wang Xiong is literally a lunatic; he knows the city cannot be held, yet forces us into a death battle, giving us no chance of survival!

We are also at a dead end, which is why we came to surrender to the King's Army; we implore the Crown Prince to show mercy and take us in!

At this point, Chen Laogen's eyes shed two streams of tears, his legs went weak, and he was about to kneel again, but Su Mo pulled him back in time.

Both of them wore a pitiful, sorrowful expression, evoking compassion in anyone who saw them.

Gao Xiaoyu looked at their appearance, and his doubts gradually faded.

He thought their words were sincere and heartfelt, not like lies.

Moreover, the recent fierce assaults have indeed caused heavy losses to Gancao City; provisions and water are exhausted, and the defensive equipment is depleted—these are all understandable.

Gao Xiaoyu's satisfaction deepened; he slowly nodded, his tone bearing a hint of praise: "Your decision is correct!"

Those who understand the times are heroes; abandoning darkness for light is far better than dying alongside Wang Xiong's brute!

When his words fell, he shifted his tone, his eyes blazing as he stared at the two, and continued to ask: "Are there any other useful pieces of information?"

If you can help me breach the city smoothly, I shall grant a great reward!

Su Mo, hearing this, slightly lowered his eyes, feigned a moment of contemplation, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the tattered cloth at his sleeve, and after a while raised his gaze, speaking in a deep voice: "Crown Prince, you see clearly; before we fled, the two of us had secretly discussed with several brothers inside the city who also intended to surrender..."

They all refuse to be buried for Gancao City any longer; they only seek a way to live, but are restrained by Wang Xiong's brutality and dare not act rashly.

He paused, then looked at Gao Xiaoyu, a trace of certainty in his eyes: "I have made an agreement with them; as long as the Crown Prince is willing to accept our surrender, when the King's Army assaults the city, they will find an opportunity inside the city to open the gates, coordinating inside and out, helping the Crown Prince break Gancao City in a single strike!"

By then, Wang Xiong will be beset on all sides, unable to escape!

"Good! What a perfect inside‑outside coordination!" Gao Xiaoyu slammed the table hard, a flash of brilliance in his eyes, raised his hand to point at Su Mo and Chen Laogen, and loudly praised, "Look! These are the clever ones!"

He was overjoyed; he had originally thought they were merely two desperate deserters, yet they could draw out internal collaborators.

Thus, breaching Gancao City would become as easy as flipping a hand, even the siege losses could be minimized.

Gao Xiaoyu, in high spirits, shouted to the personal guards outside the tent: "Men! Take them down to rest first!"

"Find a clean Yingzhang, prepare some food and wine, and give them a proper welcome!"

Having said that, he looked again at Su Mo and Chen Laogen, his tone solemn, with an undeniable promise: "Rest assured, I will never mistreat you!"

"After the city falls, I will grant you a minor office, ensuring you have no worries about food and clothing!"

Su Mo, hearing this, immediately showed a tear‑filled grateful expression; his eyes seemed to glisten, he knelt on both knees, gave Gao Xiaoyu a deep bow, his voice choked: "Thank you, Crown Prince! Your great kindness, I shall never forget!"

"I will give my all, even to the point of spilling my liver and brain, to repay your great kindness!"

Chen Laogen followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing, his hoarse voice full of gratitude: "Thank you, Crown Prince!"

"From now on I will be your Herd of Cattle, Crown Prince; if you send me east, I will never go west!"

"Rise!" Gao Xiaoyu raised his hand, his face full of a determined smile.

Two personal guards responded, entered the tent, made a 'please' gesture toward the two, and Su Mo and Chen Laogen hurriedly rose.

They bowed to Gao Xiaoyu, then lowered their heads and slowly walked out of the big tent behind the guards.

The tent curtain fell, cutting off outside view, and the atmosphere inside the big tent was instantly filled with ecstatic joy.

Ding Weize stared toward the tent door, intense hatred swirling in his eyes, his hands clenched into fists, knuckles whitening, and he gritted his teeth, saying: "Good! What a perfect inside‑outside coordination!"

"When we enter Gancao City, I will skin Wang Xiong, pull his tendons, slice his flesh off piece by piece, and roast it on a fire to eat!"

"Let him taste the fate of defying the Crown Prince by stubbornly resisting!"