Chapter 418: Surrendering the City Through Strategy

When the plan to surrender the city was proposed, the atmosphere instantly turned heavy. Zhou Pinglu's face darkened; he leapt to his feet and flung his sleeve aside: "This matter must not be mentioned again! Our families have borne the state's grace for generations—how could I betray my country?!"

Had he not said this, the others might have dismissed it as drunken nonsense and let it pass—but now, with these words, he had pushed them all to the edge of a cliff. Zhou Pinglu, after all, was the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Zhou clan.

If they went to expose this, all of them would face punishment, turning what could have been laughed off into something far greater.

Suddenly, one man rose, stepped forward half a pace, and pressed a dagger tightly against Zhou Pinglu's throat: "My lord, where do you think you're going?!"

Zhou Pinglu cried: "Today's matter demands loyalty to the state! How dare you place me in such a predicament!!!"

All present turned pale, struggling in place, but the official Yin Yixiao, face cold, said:

"Your uncle, General Zhou Xianping, has already expelled Zhou Liuying from the family and erased him from the ancestral register. You, My Lord, are now the Zhou clan's young master. If you expose this, you walk away unscathed and even gain merit—but we brothers will be severely punished."

"Lan Wendu's skull was crushed by Lu Youxian's hammer."

"Our family prestige, martial arts, official ranks, and noble titles are nowhere near Lan Wendu's. If Lu Youxian could kill them, he can kill us too!"

Zhou Pinglu snapped: "My Zhou family is loyal to the sovereign and loves the state—how could we follow your scheme?!"

Yin Yixiao said: "Loyal to the sovereign? Loving the state?"

"Brother Zhou, do you still remember the old affairs of Tai Ping Gong?"

The words "old affairs of Tai Ping Gong" struck like thunder, shattering the hesitation in every official's heart and tipping them decisively toward Yin Yixiao. Yin Yixiao continued: "Tai Ping Gong rendered great service to the state—and yet died within the palace walls."

"How do we compare to Tai Ping Gong?"

"Even with Tai Ping Gong's prestige, he met such an end—what hope do we have if this is exposed? Will Your Majesty grant us even a single path to survival?!"

The situation burned hot. The mid-level officials now stared at Zhou Pinglu as if he were an enemy. Zhou Pinglu stammered: "You!" Yin Yixiao added: "Brother Zhou, your younger brother, Zhou Liuying, once befriended Li Guanyi, the son of Tai Ping Gong—and now serves under him as a general."

"Can you truly claim with a clear conscience that you are loyal to Great Chen?!"

"Even if you are truly loyal, will the sovereign who killed Tai Ping Gong and imprisoned Marshal Yue believe you?!"

"Do you still remember 'Moxuyou'?!"

One step after another, Zhou Pinglu's resistance crumbled. Finally, he let out a long sigh: "If you all insist this way… what choice do I have?"

Seeing the noble and resolute Zhou Pinglu now yield, the others rejoiced. Yin Yixiao stepped forward, seized Zhou Pinglu's hand, and said: "Brother Zhou, my earlier rudeness—forgive me. Zhou Liuying serves under Qin Wu Hou."

"Our lives depend on your guarantee!"

At these words, the officials whose minds were quick began to consider whether to eliminate Zhou Liuying—but now, faced with their own lives and families, they calmed down, swore blood oaths, and elected Zhou Pinglu, Zhou Liuying's elder brother, as their leader.

Zhou Pinglu, one of the Nine Sons of the Imperial Academy, was long known for his great talent.

Though forced into this position by coercion, he now revealed extraordinary ability in troop deployment, his gaze steady: "Then let all of you listen to my orders."

Arrangements were made for defenses at each city gate, for array formations—all agreed upon, each man set to his task. Yet among the sharper minds, a quiet unease lingered.

Too coincidental.

After sensing Wen Qingyu's scheme, Lu Youxian had already begun reassigning positions among the city's officials, disrupting their duties, even dismissing many, to close any loopholes.

Yet under Zhou Pinglu's arrangements, cracks were deliberately carved into this seemingly impregnable interior.

Individually, these cracks seemed insignificant.

Just a slight delay in delivering lamp oil, causing a faint dimness in one corner of the defenses; just a momentary gap in troop rotation; just the array core being obscured; just the crossbow bolts delivered to the wrong position.

But when all these errors accumulated, they formed a fatal weakness.

He felt as if he had become a puppet on strings.

And Zhou Pinglu was the one pulling every thread.

Even he could not explain why, from mere drunken complaints under pressure, he had somehow been swept into fervent agreement, bound by blood oath—unable to turn back.

They were already entangled in the affairs of Wen Qingyu and Lan Wendu. Defending the city meant near-certain death; even if they held it, Lu Youxian would settle accounts for their past misdeeds. With Zhou Pinglu leading, it was better to risk everything and fight.

As the men departed, Yin Yixiao dropped the dagger, knelt half-bowed, and lowered his head:

"Your servant has offended Young Master."

"I beg Young Master to punish me."

Zhou Pinglu said: "This was my plan. You risked yourself for me—I owe you. What crime have you committed? Rise quickly. If anyone sees you, disaster looms."

Yin Yixiao bowed thanks and rose: "Has General Lu Youxian not placed 'eyes'?"

Zhou Pinglu said: "Lu Youxian is stern—he has placed eyes."

"But he killed Lan Wendu and now faces a million enemy troops. Even his eyes may not all stand with him. Human sentiment is murky, gray, and confused. At this moment, Lu Youxian's firmness in holding this post is not wrong."

"Yet Wen Qingyu had already devised his plan."

"His tens of thousands of taels of silver—every one of these officials took some."

"All manner of deals carried their bribes."

"These men had no real courage for corruption—they thought it mere social custom. But they did not know who Wen Qingyu was. Why did they never consider it?"

Zhou Pinglu said: "Is Wen He's silver so easy to accept?"

"I would throw away even a single copper coin he gave me, fearing it was coated with something."

Yin Yixiao asked: "Poison?"

Zhou Pinglu frowned: "No. Poison does not suit Wen He's nature. More likely, it's Ma Fei San—or castor beans. He uses ruthless schemes, but rarely kills outright—he stops just short."

Yin Yixiao asked: "What if it's not ordinary?"

Zhou Pinglu said: "If he thought it extraordinary, Wen He would chop even the earthworms in the soil into three pieces and throw them into the fire."

Yin Yixiao fell silent.

Zhou Pinglu said: "Every tael of silver Wen He holds demands a hundredfold price in return. Those who try to take advantage of him often lose their lives—without even knowing when."

Yin Yixiao understood Zhou Pinglu's thoughts, and finally sighed:

"Young Master."

"Truly… will you betray Great Chen?"

Yin Yixiao upheld righteousness—he was a young scholar trained in tradition, devoted to loyalty between sovereign and subject. Zhou Pinglu turned to him and said: "Great Chen is a vassal state granted by the Red Emperor. So—do we remain loyal to Chen… or to the Red Emperor?"

Yin Yixiao hesitated.

Zhou Pinglu said: "Outside are the Crimson Emperor's own appointments—enter the court without hastening, wear sword and boots in the hall, master of the Crimson Emperor's Sword, commander-in-chief of all imperial troops. We are military officers of the Crimson Emperor's reign; seeing the commander-in-chief who controls all imperial troops, isn't it only natural to submit under his command?"

Yin Yixiao could not speak; he felt something was wrong, yet it seemed perfectly logical.

The argument of titles sometimes floats lightly, like a falling leaf.

But at other times, it weighs more than a thousand jin.

Zhou Pinglu patted his shoulder and whispered: "If the State of Chen was territory seized by rebels against the Crimson Emperor, then the more loyal you are, the more you are a traitor, aren't you?"

Yin Yixiao's face changed instantly; finally, he bowed.

"Understood, Young Master."

Zhou Pinglu asked: "Whom do you serve?"

Yin Yixiao answered: "I serve Young Master."

Zhou Pinglu stared at him for a long time, then sighed: "A cunning man."

Yin Yixiao said: "I am a loyal man."

Zhou Pinglu did not argue further, only gazed at the distant banners in the night, murmuring: "Lu Youxian's strategy is deep and solid; over time, it will only grow harder to breach—even I can only create brief windows of opportunity."

"But can you hold it?"

That day, Po Jun studied the stellar patterns, lost in thought. He had ordered cavalry to harass the enemy daily and return with reports; today's observations revealed a deviation from their previously flawless strategy.

Po Jun had already reanalyzed the city's internal defenses.

He immediately judged that this outwardly minor oversight signaled a massive flaw within—his eyes lifted slightly:

"Hm??"

"Someone has created a gap—a vulnerability, or a trap to lure us deeper?" He immediately reported to Li Guanyi, then led troops to simultaneously assault both side gates; war drums and gongs thundered, banners flapped, warhorses galloped like thunder.

The defenders on both sides, already kept awake by Po Jun's fatigue tactics, now assumed this was another routine harassment—until they climbed the walls and saw banners surging forward.

The commander of the city gate looked ahead and saw a giant clad in battle armor, sleeves whipping, each hand gripping a hand-axe, his roar like thunder, the crimson divine dragon manifestation raising its head and bellowing—he laughed aloud:

"I am Yue Qianfeng of the Fire Qilin Army! Who dares fight me?!"

Behind him, banners surged; faintly, tens of thousands of troops.

On the other side, the gate commander stared at the arrow embedded in his helmet and saw a man in the distance, drawing a bow, brows raised—Wang Shunchen, the Divine Archer General. Cavalry, archers, siege engines—all deployed.

The city defender's scalp prickled: "Damn it!!!"

He shouted: "They're attacking! The Fire Qilin Army is attacking!"

"Our main force has arrived—they're terrified and trying to storm us before we're ready! Where are the mechanisms?! Where?!"

The sound of war drums and gongs echoed across the entire city. Lu Youxian ascended the walls to confront Li Guanyi's assault—yet at the other side gate, Zhou Pinglu's eyes rippled faintly, his lips curled: "... Using the siege as a feint to create an opening for me."

"And it ties back to the earlier fatigue tactics—true and false combined."

"This strategy isn't Yuan Zhi's, nor Feng Xiao's—it must be Po Jun's. But the time has come."

Lu Youxian ascended the walls; fighting raged on all sides. Meanwhile, Zhou Pinglu arrived at the General's Mansion, face grim, urgent: "Qin Wu Hou is attacking! By the General's order, I come to open the great array and protect our city!"

The guards heard this and turned pale; they drew their swords, shouting fiercely: "The General said—if Zhou Pinglu speaks of this, it is treason!!"

"Execute him on the spot!"

Zhou Pinglu's eyes flashed with coldness. Lu Youxian's caution and resolve were indeed astonishing—yet in an instant, the sound of crossbow mechanisms exploded; arrows shot from behind, killing the guards, who fell still staring in disbelief at their own backs.

They were merchants placed inside by Wen He.

Though most had been dealt with by Lu Youxian, some had hidden early—and only now moved.

Zhou Pinglu remained silent.

Lu Youxian, a great general, had misjudged human nature.

When everyone is greedy, if you are not, you are driven out by this murky world; when all officials take money from Lan Wendu and Master Wen Qingyu, yet you demand an investigation—you become every official's enemy.

"The General did not create this country—it is not his fault."

Zhou Pinglu entered and slashed directly into a crack in the city's great array—not shattering it outright, but leaving a fissure—then led his men away swiftly.

Chen Wenmian appeared at the breach in the city defenses, long two-edged halberd in hand, ready to assault—when suddenly, the defending commander raised his arm and smashed every crossbow mechanism along the wall, hurling them down.

Lu Youxian's life's work crashed to the ground.

Chen Wenmian froze.

Then he watched as the side gate of Lu Youxian's great city slowly opened—dozens of officials, holding their seals, discarded their weapons, and with their personal guards, knelt reverently:

"We submit to the Crown Prince!"

Chen Wenmian suddenly understood why Po Jun, who had always distrusted him, had assigned him to this front—he looked at the silent city in the night and realized:

"Did Po Jun see this all along?"

He sighed, knowing that as the former Crown Prince, personally leading troops to seize Zhenxi Xiongcheng was the only way to fully earn Po Jun's trust—he tightened his reins and whispered: "Go!"

The Canglang Guard stood silent and still; the young Canglang swept past the surrendering troops, and as the city's protective array slowly shattered and dimmed, they charged into Zhenxi Xiongcheng—the Canglang's roar rose to the heavens.

Lu Youxian was fully focused on Li Guanyi's assault when he suddenly saw fire erupt behind him—the central node of the great array blazed in multiple places. He had been struck by Wang Shunchen's arrow; with his battle blade, he severed the shaft embedded in his breastplate, then heard shouts from behind.

Lu Youxian turned—his forty-nine-year-old divine general's eyes reflected flames consuming his granaries and array node; the fire seemed to shatter the entire defending army's backbone at once, while the Canglang Guard galloped into the city, attempting to cut off the defenders' rear.

The solemn, resolute general fell silent in that instant.

Night wind brushed his silver temples; within the city and beyond, armies clad in black armor, banners bearing the hidden pattern of the Fire Qilin—like the surging tide of heaven's will, rushing forward, while he was merely a mantis trying to block it.

At a time when the tide surged and hearts turned.

A whistling sound pierced the air—Wang Shunchen's arrow spun toward him. The deputy general, stunned by the looming defeat, had lost his will to fight and failed to notice the arrow—Lu Youxian extended his left hand and pulled the deputy aside.

He suddenly swung his blade downward, shattering the arrow; the wind carried a fierce roar, and within his chest, a steady drumbeat of battle—the deputy remained dazed for a long while before snapping back to awareness, seeing Lu Youxian's back.

The general's back remained broad, standing straight as a mountain.

Lu Youxian's voice remained calm and solemn, each word deliberate: "Front troops, hold here with me. Middle and rear troops, withdraw in sequence—protect the civilians. Do not engage the Canglang Guard. Retreat into the inner city."

Even facing this overwhelming tide, he had not lost his will to fight.

Lu Youxian knew the outer city must fall; he further destroyed its defenses, then turned his troops, gathered civilians and stragglers, and retreated into the inner city—this divine general, later judged as 【Yi Zhong】, had not lost his composure even now.

After a fierce battle in the alleyways, Lu Youxian successfully used the terrain to create an opening, personally covered the retreat, wielding his battle blade to fight Chen Wenmian, slaying dozens of enemy soldiers before withdrawing into the inner city, still activating the formation for defense.

He last looked at Zhou Pinglu, standing between the outer and inner cities.

Zhou Pinglu looked back at Lu Youxian.

Lu Youxian said: "... It really is you, Zhou Pinglu."

His voice was grave:

"It's hateful—the Emperor, to appease the Zhou family, wouldn't let me kill you..."

Zhou Pinglu shook his sleeves, bowed, and said: "I know the Emperor excels at balancing power; otherwise, even I wouldn't dare remain under your command."

"If a ruler treats his ministers as grass and dirt, then ministers treat their ruler as an enemy. The Emperor's strategy has already cast us aside as expendable—so we naturally regard Chen Wang as our enemy."

Lu Youxian dismissed him with contempt, offering no rebuttal.

Li Guanyi rode the Fire Qilin, wielding the Tiger Roar Heaven Battle Spear, rode forth and said:

"General Lu."

"It's been a long time."

Lu Youxian said: "Qin Wu Hou, have you come to humiliate me?"

Li Guanyi planted the Tiger Roar Heaven Battle Spear into the ground, then rode the Fire Qilin forward alone: "General, you are a great general of this age. Chen is terminally ill—its court is riddled with factional politics, noble families oppress the people. Why waste your talent clinging to Chen's crumbling throne?"

Lu Youxian said gravely: "I do not serve the Emperor alone."

"It's a pity such a man has become the enemy of the state."

"But since we are enemies now, no more words!"

He drew his battle bow and shot an arrow at Li Guanyi, pulling it fully taut—yet he knew this arrow could never harm Li Guanyi; it merely declared his stance.

Li Guanyi had no choice but to retreat.

Po Jun could not help but admire: "Such unshakable spirit and will—how could a nation with generals like this have fallen so far?"

"Invasion like fire—there is Yu Langwang."

"The towering commander of the central army—there is Tai Ping Gong."

"Frontline generals advancing—there is Xiao Wuliang, Yue Pengwu, General Yue Qianfeng."

"Even the defenders include such resolute men as Lu Youxian."

"In just twenty years, Chen has become this decaying ruin—should we say Chen Dingye changed so drastically, or that Dan Tai Xianming is truly the most poisonous strategist?"

"He turned this nation into what it is now."

Po Jun fell silent, suddenly recalling the strategist who even his own lineage deemed radical: 【Weaken one state, strengthen one state, exterminate the Western Regions, swallow the world】—though he despised Dan Tai Xianming for achieving it through treachery.

Yet he could not deny that even heroes rising up aligned with his strategy.

Still, Po Jun remained arrogant, still looked down on Dan Tai Xianming.

"Merely a schemer. You speak of strengthening one state, weakening another, to conquer the world—but sadly, it was not your strengthened state that seized the world; it was my lord, who seized Jiangnan, unified the Western Regions, and confronted Yu Langwang and Jiang Su head-on, with righteous might."

"Such legitimate acquisition of the realm—unmatched in a thousand years."

"How could your treacherous ways compare?"

Lu Youxian, resolute in will, still held the city within the city—the inner city walls were pierced with openings for crossbow bolts, their power immense. The Fire Qilin Army could storm it, but at this point, Po Jun chose not to launch a direct assault.

Po Jun and Yuan Zhi inspected Zhenxi Xiongcheng.

Even Po Jun had to admit: this city was the kind of configuration that could terrify the Western Regions' heavy cavalry tribes—crossbows, formations, moats, and especially—he discovered Lu Youxian's follow-up strategy—

"????"

"Planning to construct continuous high walls and fortresses linking the southwest, the Western Regions, and corresponding states' defensive lines—from Zhenbeixiongcheng in the west to Zhenbei Pass in the north."

"Relying on this continuous wall stretching thousands, even ten thousand, li, to block Western cavalry, enable rapid logistics transport, and ensure swift communication—hmm... an extreme defensive school, yet one of defense-then-counterattack."

"If this old turtle succeeds, he intends to completely nullify the Western Regions' heavy cavalry advantage—he truly means to cut off our momentum, suppressing both Western mounted raiders and river routes with this ten-thousand-li wall."

Po Jun's expression changed.

Among the several schools of military strategy—

Lu Youxian was unquestionably the supreme master of defense in national warfare.

This man did not fight with tactics alone—he fought with solid national strength and logistics. His floor was extremely high, his ceiling equally so—the stronger the nation's power, the greater Lu Youxian's oppressive force.

Born from three centuries of chaos, Lu Youxian ranks among the greatest generals in history. The world's attention fixated on Jiang Su and Yu Langwang, the supreme divine generals, yet overlooked this general without glorious exploits.

"If we gain Lu Youxian, we gain ten Zhenxi Xiong Passes!"

But the problem was: fortresses are inanimate objects. Such a fortress, when wielded by Lu Youxian, achieves results—so too would it under Po Jun's command.

Li Guanyi asked: "Mr. Po Jun, do you understand siege defense?"

Po Jun replied: "A little. A little."

He inspected Zhenxi Xiongcheng and grinned.

He'd never fought such a lavishly equipped defense.

Li Guanyi said: "Chen's reinforcements will arrive soon, and Lu Youxian intends to hold the inner city. Do you have any strategy?" Po Jun's gaze returned from the fortress map and he smiled: "My lord, rest assured—I have a brilliant plan."

When Chen's domestic reinforcements, led by those generals still capable of battle, raced across vast distances to reach Zhenxi Xiong Pass in the Western Regions, they saw—on the pass's walls—rising not Chen banners, but the Fire Qilin Army's standard.

A massive black flag, planted on either side of the gate tower, soared into the sky.

The banner fluttered like clouds fallen from heaven.

Upon the black fabric, crimson Fire Qilin patterns.

When Chen's scouts reported this, Ye Chong and Zhou Xianping froze—then, seeing the armored Fire Qilin troops atop the walls, a single piece of intelligence spread, shattering the morale of the reinforcements.

"Lu Youxian has fallen?!!"

And at this moment—

Inside the city, Lu Youxian held the inner city.

The Fire Qilin Army did not storm the inner walls—they began, before the surrounded Chen soldiers and civilians—

Banquet.

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