Chapter 356

In this battle, what truly delighted Chen Wuji was the enemy's two cloud carriages.

These two things are really well made.

They not only smash a wide area when they fall, but can also break siege ladders, block roads, and give him ample opportunity to kill the enemy; Chen Wuji would call this the best assist.

Chen Wuji was happy, but the enemy commander could not be happy at all.

On the white horse, that handsome young master almost gritted his teeth to pieces.

"Wenjie, withdraw the troops; our army today has no chance to fight again." Beside the white horse, an old man in plain clothes, still holding a snake staff, let out a soft sigh and said.

Gu Wenjie stared gloomily at the city wall of Yunan City, loosening the right fist he had clenched tightly, "How could Shocking Heaven Thunder fall into Chen Wuji's hands? Isn't this an Imperial City Department item?"

"Without this, Chen Wuji would surely become my prisoner of war, my slave beneath me! I hate it!"

The old man leaning on the snake staff spoke softly: "Although Chen Wuji is merely a Negotiation Colonel of the provincial troops, he still holds an official position; in the court's eyes, we are the rebels. The Imperial City Department lingering in Yunan City instead of returning to the capital to report may well be to assist Chen Wuji."

"Hmph, rebels, who knows who actually wants to abandon the Lingnan Six Commanderies!" Gu Wenjie sneered, "They don't want these things, we take them ourselves—how can that be called rebellion?"

"Lu Ping'an, I originally looked down on him completely, but his approach in this matter I approve of, and I am willing to help him fan the flames, serving as a vanguard."

"In my eyes, he at least has more courage and decisiveness than the person sitting on the throne!"

The old man's gaze was deep; he shook his head, but did not say anything further.

Gu Wenjie lowered his head and looked over, asking, "Master, I want to try attacking again!"

"Morale is gone; another attack would be useless!" the old man said.

Gu Wenjie looked around at the officers and soldiers, gritted his teeth and said, "I will add rewards on the battlefield; Master, do you think there's a chance? The first to scale the wall will receive a reward of a thousand taels of silver."

"Chen Wuji still holds the lives of our clansmen in his hands; if we do not take the city in one go, he will surely use our clansmen as hostages. I don't mind, but the elders of our clan and the Li and Xue families will surely hesitate to act for fear of harming the hostages."

"What Chen Wuji holds now are their sons, grandsons, and women. This bastard has no scruples; I dare not treat his threat as empty talk."

The old man stroked his beard intermittently, then suddenly laughed, "If we withdraw, Chen Wuji should release them; this is actually not difficult—everything can be negotiated."

"Withdraw?" Gu Wenjie furrowed his brows sharply.

"Master, just withdraw like that?!" he shouted in disbelief.

The old man smiled lightly, "Withdrawing is not admitting defeat; in war, don't quibble over the gain or loss of a single city or territory—this is the lowest of strategies. Wenjie, you need to broaden your vision, look at the whole Nan Jun, the Lingnan Six Commanderies, even look north and south."

"Our army has already lost thousands today; if we are determined to attack the city, we could still take it, but we would likely suffer an extremely heavy cost. The Chen family's military methods are indeed different; why exhaust our strength in a deadlock with them?"

Gu Wenjie displeased said, "Master, this sounds like boosting others' morale while destroying our own prestige."

"Our forces outnumber his Chen Wuji by several times; on his walls he has only a pitiful thousand or so troops. Even with a weapon like Shocking Heaven Thunder, how many could he kill? Even if I drown him in men, I could still drown him!"

The old man gave Gu Wenjie a deep look, a flash of disappointment appearing in the depths of his eyes, and he said softly, "Do you still remember what I told you at the start of the war? If we cannot win in one battle, we must not continue to entangle ourselves."

"The Chen family is skilled in warfare, and Yunan City also holds over a hundred thousand civilians, and they are not lacking in grain and fodder."

Gu Wenjie stared, the strong unwillingness in his eyes gradually fading, "I understand, Master."

The old man's eyes suddenly turned sharp: "Withdraw, send troops in several directions to sweep across Yunan, conscript the entire populace for our use, then attack Hezhou, establish a foothold, aiming for Nan Jun. If we cannot take this small city in one battle, there is no need to continue wasting manpower and time here."

"Even if the Chen family had great abilities, what could they do against a barren, uninhabited land? Once you occupy Hezhou and your troops are strong and your horses sturdy, you can come back and crush this small city and a few thousand enemy troops with ease."

"You stubborn bastard, if you keep being obstinate, go play by yourself; I'll find a place to wait for my death slowly, which is better than wasting time with you here."

Gu Wenjie, scolded so severely he dared not breathe, waited until the old man finished speaking, then jumped down from his horse and said with a smiling face, "Master, master, calm down; I wasn't just momentarily hot-headed. Your wisdom is sound—listen to you, I will withdraw immediately and send someone to talk with that bastard Chen Wuji."

The old man gave a light snort, "During negotiations, quickly divide the troops and purge Yunan! Except for that unfound Xishan Village, the entirety of Yunan must not leave Chen Wuji a single person or a grain of food."

"Remember, reward the compliant generously, punish the resisters strictly; to achieve great things, do not quibble over minor gains or losses, nor worry about the means."

Gu Wenjie nodded repeatedly, "Student understands."

The old man glanced at Gu Wenjie, "Don't waste time in Xishan Village; Shenxian Ling is vast—how could you find a few dozen people hiding there? As a commander, you should be magnanimous; don't obsess over capturing the enemy's family just because they captured yours—this grudge will be repaid later."

"What you must do now is, as quickly as possible, turn Yunan into an empty land, giving Chen Wuji no chance to take the initiative. This must be accomplished within three days."

"Student understands!" Gu Wenjie nodded heavily.

He gave an embarrassed smile, touched the tip of his nose, and said, "As expected, Master understands me; I almost had that thought just now, now I've remembered it, I'll keep it firmly in mind."

"Hmm."

……

"They have withdrawn!"

Chen Wuji muttered a sentence, snatched the wine gourd from Qin Feng's waist, tilted his head back and gulped a mouthful.

He had never felt that wine could be sweet and refreshing.

But this mouthful was truly refreshing and soothing; as it went down into his stomach, his whole body felt relaxed and at ease.

Qin Feng said faintly, "You shouldn't put your direct-line clan troops in the first echelon."

"I put people first, the Chen clan should also put people first!" Chen Wuji muttered softly, then chuckled, "Just think of me as foolish; being in front is better than being in the back."

"No wonder the Taizu Emperor feared your Chen clan; you keep pulling imperial tactics everywhere—who could stand it?" Qin Feng cursed angrily, "But it's fine; I definitely won't blab about this, but you still need to be a bit careful—there may still be lackeys of the Imperial City Department inside the city."

Chen Wuji:???