Chapter 1208: Indecisive

This is why Liu Zheng was in such a rush to hurry back to Longyan.

Even though he had already reached Suez, he would rather give up the chance to take a detour to France to hurry back to Longyan.

There are capable generals in the Northwest, Northeast, and Southeast, but only Jinghua lacks a capable officer Liu Zheng can trust; therefore, when Jinghua is in crisis, Liu Zheng must personally take command to feel at ease.

It's just that he didn't expect...

Jinghua may lack capable officers, but it does have a capable minister who can bring order to the world.

Yu Qian alone is worth a hundred generals!

At this moment, the main force of the Youzhou Army is less than ten miles from Jinghua City.

The Prince of Zhao is on horseback, with his vast army behind him. Looking at the vast Grassland around him, he cannot help but beam with joy.

This beautiful land will soon be his.

"I must be the first Feudatory King to arrive, right?"

Xie Chao laughed heartily.

"We have the advantage of terrain; this time, the Mongol really did us a huge favor," his Strategist chimed in from the side.

"Indeed, but I really didn't expect the Jinghua garrison to be so formidable. A mere twenty thousand men were actually able to hold off the hundred-thousand-strong Mongol Army. The Mongol are also trash for running away. Now that this has happened, we have no justification for taking action."

Xie Chao shook his head; this was the part he was least satisfied with.

If the Mongol Army were still there, they could have wiped out the Mongol in the name of a Qinwang Army and entered Jinghua City in a grand and righteous manner, just like Dong Zhuo did back in the day. After that, the entire Jinghua would be his!

However, now that the Mongol have retreated, wanting to enter the city would be an act of rebellion.

Trash!

This Mongol Army, they are all trash!

The Youzhou Army has already rebelled once. Last time, they paid the price of a Prince of Zhao and tens of thousands of troops just to survive.

They cannot afford another failure.

Although he is fantasizing about standing on the ramparts of Jinghua City overlooking the world, at this moment, Xie Chao is treading on thin ice.

One wrong step, and it will be total destruction.

"Is there any news from Jinghua?"

Xie Chao couldn't help but ask.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the city gates are sealed, and our people cannot get out. However, having just gone through a major battle, the defensive strength of Jinghua City must be empty. If we launch a forced assault, I believe we can take Jinghua City in less than half an hour!" a subordinate general reported.

Xie Chao nodded; he thought the same, but because of the lesson from the last failure, he would not be so impulsive this time.

He must ensure that he either does not move, or he strikes with a killing blow!

Fortunately.

Liu Zheng is not in Longyan right now!

Actually, this is what many people are thinking...

Because Liu Zheng is not in the country, they dare to have so many thoughts.

If he were here...

Xie Chao truly wouldn't dare...

No one would dare!

"Send a team of scouts to probe the situation first. That way, even if things change, we won't be caught off guard."

Xie Chao thought for a moment and gave the order.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

A Lieutenant under his command acknowledged the order and sent men to act.

Soon, the scouts sent back news.

The garrison on the city walls is in high spirits. Counting the number of banners on the walls, the Jinghua City garrison still has at least sixteen thousand men. Moreover, not only are there garrison troops on the walls, but there are also Qinwang Army from the civilian population below the city, totaling around ten thousand.

This news shocked Xie Chao quite a bit.

A fierce attack by a hundred thousand people, and the two thousand managed to hold them off? The Jinghua garrison's combat effectiveness is this strong?

And there are even Qinwang Army faster than them!

These Qinwang Army should be volunteer forces organized by local officials. Although this was

completely impossible before, ever since Liu Zheng took power, the national cohesion of Longyan has been unprecedentedly strong, so this is actually reasonable.

Now, Xie Chao is somewhat indecisive.

With a strong army inside and reinforcements outside, although they still have the numerical advantage, he is not certain he can take Jinghua in a very short time. As the Qinwang Army continues to increase, they are very likely to be dragged into a stalemate here.

At that time, what awaits him will be total destruction!

"Your Highness, what shall we do?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Go and see the situation first before deciding. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Mandarin truly does not want to give it up!"

Xie Chao gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering: "Is there a possibility? That Jinghua is playing an Empty City Strategy!"

"What?"

A group of deputy generals looked at each other.

Empty City Strategy?

That's right!

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang used the Empty City Strategy to repel the enemy by exploiting Sima Yi's suspicious nature, scaring Sima Yi away...

What about Jinghua now?

Could it be that they are deliberately making these garrison troops appear in high spirits, while in reality, they are strong on the outside but weak on the inside?

"Your Highness, that is possible!"

"Your Highness is wise!"

"In that case..."

A group of deputy generals grew excited; building merit and establishing a career was right before their eyes!

If they succeeded this time, they would be founding heroes of a new dynasty!

The Longyan of today needs a tempering of iron and blood!

"Wait and see a little longer..."

However, Xie Chao hesitated at this moment.

Although the Prince of Zhao had waited too long for this day and would never give up easily, he still intended to be more cautious.

Two hundred thousand troops marched imposingly toward the foot of Jinghua City; on the city walls, Yu Qian looked at the dense mass of heads, and his brows could not help but furrow.

Looking at the ten thousand "Qinwang Army" below the city, then looking at the government troops disguised as civilians beside him... he did not know if these could bluff them.

Yu Qian was watching the Youzhou Army, and Xie Chao was also watching the Jinghua troops.

Although Xie Chao was not from a military background, he had done his homework for this uprising and had a certain understanding of military formations.

The troops below the city, although wearing civilian clothes with a small amount of military uniforms among them, were in orderly ranks, their eyes were bright and piercing, and they even revealed an aura of killing; this did not look like ordinary armed forces.

Furthermore, although the soldiers on the city wall were standing in regular positions, what was the meaning of the city gates being wide open?

The city gates should have been rammed open by the Mongol, but after so much time had passed, the engineers inside the city should have repaired them long ago.

Eerie, everything here was too eerie.

"Meng Zan, look, what is the situation here?"

Xie Chao asked, turning his head.

"Your Highness, no matter how you look at it, this seems like an Empty City Strategy."

Meng Zan frowned and said.

Meng Zan was the number one Strategist of the Youzhou Army; he had once been nothing more than a Captain. At that time, when the Prince of Zhao, Xie Ping, rebelled, this Meng Zan was the first to stand up and oppose it. Meng Zan had said that the timing was not right and they should not send troops, but Xie Ping was already blinded by rage at the time and would not listen to anyone's words. Upon hearing the obstruction, he directly sent this Meng Zan off to raise horses. Later, after the Youzhou affair failed, Xie Chao remembered this Captain and immediately reinstated him. Later, under Meng Zan's advice, Xie Chao issued a statement of self-reproach and carried out many activities to save Youzhou from a catastrophe.

Since then, Xie Chao followed Meng Zan's every word, and the military strength of the Youzhou Army was able to develop rapidly.

"Empty City Strategy... they shouldn't have such guts, right? The general defending the city is not Zhuge, and I am not Sima Yi. This Jinghua is the capital of Longyan; they shouldn't take such a risk."

Xie Chao analyzed.

"Your Highness, in my opinion, this is nothing more than the Jinghua defending general bluffing. Your Highness, think about it: when Jinghua was at its weakest, the Mongol Army invaded, surely gathering the elites from the Grassland. The siege must have been the fiercest attack. The city walls are severely damaged, yet the soldiers are all high-spirited, and one cannot even see a few wounded. Does Your Highness not feel that all of this is somewhat contrary to reason?"

"It was also the most ferocious attack; the city walls are severely damaged, yet the soldiers are all in high spirits, and one can barely even see any wounded. Does His Highness not feel that all of this is somewhat contrary to reason?"

Meng Zan's deduction once again corroborated Xie Chao's intuition, but the matter was of great importance, and he still dared not make a decision.

"Your Highness, having just gone through a great battle, Jinghua must have suffered heavy losses. Yet at this moment, their military appearance is neat, and the city gates are even wide open; this is surely to intimidate us, the armies who have come to the Qinwang Army, so that we dare not have second thoughts. As long as we drag it out until other regional armies arrive, we will lose the opportunity to attack the city. Your Highness, I believe you should act decisively and lead the army to attack the city! If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to achieve a great cause!"

"His Highness, having just gone through a great battle, Jinghua must have suffered heavy losses, yet at this moment, their military appearance is orderly, and the city gates are even wide open. This is surely to intimidate us, the armies who have come to the rescue of the throne, so that we dare not harbor any disloyal thoughts. As long as they drag this out until other regional armies arrive, we will lose the opportunity to take the city. His Highness, I believe you should act decisively and lead the army to attack the city! If this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to achieve a great cause!"

Although what Meng Zan said was reasonable and well-founded, he was still hesitating.

Right now, he was still the Qinwang Army; even if the army was at the foot of the city, as long as he went back, he would still be the Prince of Zhao. But once the drums sounded and the soldiers launched the charge, he would be a Rebel Army with no way back.

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