Chapter 347

The enemy's mode of attack left Chen Wuji somewhat dazed for a moment.

This looks very much like an oil-adding tactic.

But such an oil-adding tactic seems more like it's looking after him rather than aiming to breach the city and destroy him.

His forces were already few; if the enemy pressed forward with several thousand to tens of thousands all at once, he would surely be hard-pressed, and the defensive line might collapse, hard to predict.

But the enemy kept pressing with several hundred to several thousand troops, and he found responding to it relatively easy.

A few hundred men defending more than ten siege ladders felt no pressure at all.

"What the heck, what on earth are they trying to do!" Chen Wuji simply couldn't understand.

At this moment, Xu Zengyi hurried up from below the city and said to Chen Wuji, "Commandant, let the troops rest in shifts, preserving sufficient manpower for unforeseen needs."

"Xu Zengyi suspects they are employing a harassment tactic?" Chen Wuji asked.

Xu Zengyi nodded. "It's not suspicion; it's certainty."

"The enemy knows our forces are few while theirs are strong; they use small numbers to rotate harassment, preventing our troops from resting, and perhaps at dawn they will launch a full-scale assault."

"Whether it's a night attack or probing the city with a small force Shìhòu, for the enemy it's more harm than benefit, a foolish waste of manpower. Yet they still do this; it must be laying the groundwork for later tactics."

Chen Wuji pondered briefly, then suddenly understood: "This ginger is indeed old and spicy; I've been mulling it over for a while, yet I still couldn't figure out what they actually intend to do."

"Just now I almost thought they intended to wear us down with relentless oil-adding tactics to seize a chance to breach the city. My consideration wasn't thorough enough; I nearly fell for this gang's trick."

Xu Zengyi pulled out a waterskin from his bosom, tipped his head back and took two gulps, then wiped his mouth firmly, his lips a sickly pallor: "It's not far off; perhaps the enemy really does have such an idea."

"If we can wear them down, that's best; if not, we'll launch a full-scale assault. The Gu Family brat has grasped our weakness, trying to exploit it to frenziedly breach the city."

"If our forces were increased by another two thousand, even if they numbered ten thousand they could do nothing against us. But we have only a little over a thousand troops, already stretched thin defending three sides of the city and the gate. If we wanted to rotate rest, the pressure would surely spike, yet we must do so now."

Chen Wuji's mind suddenly flashed: "They've precisely calculated our forces; no wonder with just over a thousand they're attacking from three sides. The Gu Family officer commanding troops indeed has some skill; this battle suddenly seems harder to fight."

The enemy's forces, ten times ours, are not frightening in Chen Wuji's eyes.

But add a person skilled in military formations, and the situation instantly becomes entirely different.

Even a herd of ten thousand pigs that only understand spoken words, under the leadership of someone who knows and understands soldiers, could unleash combat power far beyond the norm.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Chen Wuji asked.

Xu Zengyi thought seriously, "Seek reinforcements."

Chen Wuji was stunned speechless.

"We really need to find a way to get reinforcements." Xu Zengyi said earnestly.

"I now worry that the enemy will choose to press on with full vigor; their forces are ample, and even split into three routes they'd be enough to assault the city. But our forces number only a little over a thousand; we can hold out for one or two days, but not necessarily three or five."

"Commandant, we must prepare for the worst."

Chen Wuji's expression grew grave: "The Xiao Family has five or six hundred retainers outside the city; Xiao Zong already agreed to this, perhaps they could be used as a surprise force to strike the enemy from behind at a critical moment."

"It could ease the immediate urgent need." Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji looked at Xu Zengyi: "We two are probably thinking of the same person, right?"

Xu Zengyi chuckled, "But this person is currently playing dead; no one knows what he's really thinking, and even if we summoned him, it's hard to say whether it'd be good or bad. I've thought of him, yet I still hesitate."

"Lao Yang wouldn't do such a thing; a bad-tempered person generally doesn't have a corrupt conscience. I still think Mr. Xu is overthinking." Chen Wuji said, "I'll go myself."

"I have two ideas." Xu Zengyi said in a low voice, "One is Lao Yang, two is to conscript the city's Young Strongmen to defend the walls, giving us a breather. As long as the troops get sufficient rest, this battle isn't that difficult."

Chen Wuji, hands behind his back, gazed at the intense battlefield and said in a deep voice, "Then we'll pursue both moves together."

"I'll go see Lao Yang later to check if he has any idea of getting involved in this mess."

"Furthermore, using Silver to conscript, taking the wealth of the Gu, Li, and Xue families to support our own troops. The Qin County magistrate's recruitment of brave volunteers is progressing difficultly, indicating that the city's populace resists participating in our conflict; perhaps in their view it's a struggle between powerful clans, and joining would be tantamount to suicide."

"At this point, we must motivate them with profit. After the battle, we can directly select soldiers from this batch of Young Strongmen; after undergoing the baptism of war, they will surely be better than ordinary conscripts."

Chen Wuji's principle toward troops has always been generous; military pay is nearly three times that of the Court, and meritorious soldiers, besides rank promotion, also receive extra rewards.

Ordinary commoners who enlist can indeed earn Silver.

In Chen Wuji's view, everyone who enlists and fights is simply gambling with their lives, having today but no tomorrow.

Putting himself in others' shoes, he also wishes the troops to have no worries about the future and to have something to look forward to.

The people of Yunan are poor, but likely no one would go to war just for a mouthful of food.

Coincidentally, after he courteously invited the people of the Gu, Li, and Xue families, he also acquired quite a bit of household goods, though not yet tallied; but conscripting a force of two to three thousand Young Strongmen should be more than enough.

Using the enemy's Silver to support our own troops is a great profit.

"The people of Yunan City truly won't risk their lives for righteousness; conscripting with Silver is probably the only option. So please, Commandant, promptly handle these two matters; the battle on the walls is in my hands, no need to worry." Xu Zengyi said, clasping his fists.

"Thank you, sir!" Chen Wuji returned the salute with clasped hands.

He didn't delay; shortly after, he swiftly descended the city wall with the two oxen of the Chen clan to look for Yang Tiejiang.

Although it was nearly the hour of hai, Chen Wuji didn't have that much time; even if he had to break down the door, he would drag Yang Tiejiang out of bed to ask whether he really wanted to wade into this muddy affair.

Unexpectedly, when Chen Wuji arrived at the blacksmith's shop, he found the shop brightly lit.

In front of the shop, the street quietly held nearly a hundred people, carefully arranging the armor on their persons.

Although there were many people, they stood there silently as if they didn't exist at all, only the soft rustle of their armor being shifted could be heard.