Chapter 1034

First Volume, Chapter 1034: Ren Yu Fu Zhong for the Nation

Qin Feng stood up and walked away without bothering to respond to those two.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace, Li Yu had already launched his move; unable to fathom the Commander of the Imperial Guard's intentions, he chose the safer option of targeting Imperial Guard Deputy Commander Zhou Pu.

Along the Imperial Palace Wall, Li Yu and Zhou Pu walked side by side, pacing along the rampart.

Li Yu gazed at the army encamped outside the palace and asked casually: "General Zhou, how confident are you in this coming war?"

Faced with Li Yu's question, Zhou Pu was taken aback and unconsciously glanced at the well-equipped Beixi army.

"Lord Li, what do you mean? Are you suggesting the Enemy Army plans to launch a direct assault on the palace?"

"How could that be?"

"If the Enemy Army truly intended a direct assault, they would have struck with One-Strike Victory the moment they entered the city. Now the palace defenses are even stronger than before—surely Qin Feng doesn't want to suffer massive casualties?"

Li Yu, with his hands behind his back, spoke calmly: "Although there are no signs of an imminent assault yet, if you were Qin Feng, what would you do?"

"Would you just keep stalling and delay the Great Plan?"

Hearing this, Zhou Pu fell silent—he knew full well that if the Di king continued to hold out, Qin Feng's full-scale assault was merely a matter of time.

Since this outcome was inevitable, Zhou Pu no longer hesitated and answered frankly: "Though we have no chance of victory, our troops will still inflict heavy damage on Qin Feng!"

Li Yu let out a bitter laugh: "You may not even get the chance to inflict heavy damage."

Zhou Pu frowned, his gaze shifting repeatedly: "Throughout history, every Siege Warfare has demanded heavy casualties. Even Qin Feng's army, no matter how fierce, is still made of flesh and blood beneath the Imperial Palace Wall."

"Lord Li, aren't you just boosting the enemy's morale and undermining our own?"

Li Yu shook his head and sighed: "What morale do we still have left?"

"General Zhou, do you know how Qin Feng managed to hold Changshui County against a massive army?"

In response, Zhou Pu replied bluntly: "Three reasons: first, his army; second, the City; third, those devastating City Defense Equipment."

Li Yu nodded: "Now Qin Feng is the attacker—the city wall advantage is gone. His numerical superiority can't be leveraged in Siege Warfare. That leaves only the military equipment."

"Think about it—how long did it take Qin Feng to capture Xiongying Ridge? How many losses did he suffer?"

"Xiongying Ridge had terrain to rely on, yet it still fell to Qin Feng—could the palace be harder to take than Xiongying Ridge?"

Zhou Pu's face froze instantly; Qin Feng's lightning-fast capture of Xiongying Ridge had indeed shaken the Di generals.

Clearly, Qin Feng excelled not only in Open Field Battle and Military Defense, but also possessed unique insight into Siege Warfare.

Zhou Pu lowered his voice, tense: "Lord Li, are you suggesting… Qin Feng isn't rushing the siege because he's preparing Siege Equipment?"

"If Qin Feng brings those devastating weapons to Wang Du, it will be disastrous for our forces."

Li Yu sighed deeply: "Yes. Though Qin Feng, as the attacker, will inevitably suffer losses, with continuous logistical support, he only needs to build large numbers of Catapults and other Siege Equipment to minimize casualties."

"Imagine hundreds of Catapults hurling stones simultaneously into the palace—what then?"

"Remember, Qin Feng is holding back because he doesn't want to burn the palace to ashes. But what if the projectiles aren't stones, but Fire Balls? Have you prepared for that, General Zhou?"

The more Li Yu analyzed, the darker Zhou Pu's expression grew.

Seeing the despair in Zhou Pu's eyes, Li Yu felt a pang of guilt—he had intended to shatter Zhou Pu's spirit with words to lure him into Surrender, yet using such underhanded tactics on a loyal Di general made him uneasy.

But for the sake of the Great Plan, Li Yu had no other choice.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Pu clenched his fists: "If that's the case, we must prepare thoroughly. Lord Li, thank you for the warning!"

Just as Zhou Pu turned to leave, Li Yu grabbed his arm.

"General Zhou, do you truly intend to let the palace burn to ashes?"

Zhou Pu frowned: "The decision lies with Qin Feng. Lord Li should ask him."

Li Yu shook his head, his gaze firm: "No—the decision lies with you, General Zhou. If the palace continues to resist to the death, Qin Feng will have no choice but to launch a full assault."

Hearing this, Zhou Pu immediately understood, yanked his arm free, and hissed: "Li Yu! You're trying to make me surrender?!"

Since the window had been broken, Li Yu no longer hesitated and demanded: "Do you truly accept letting the entire palace become ruins, and every soul inside—everyone—be slaughtered?"

"General Zhou, I deeply admire your loyalty to His Majesty."

"But if you ignore the Great Plan and cling blindly to loyalty, that is Foolish Loyalty!"

"To be honest, when Wu Fangxu came before, he conveyed Qin Feng's terms."

"If the defenders surrender, Qin Feng will spare everyone—us, and even His Majesty."

Zhou Pu's eyes brimmed with contempt; had Li Yu not held such high rank, he would have drawn his blade and cut the traitor down on the spot.

Zhou Pu was stunned—furious, bewildered.

He never imagined even Li Yu, this "great loyalist," had defected!

"Foolish Loyalty? We've lived under imperial grace for generations—shouldn't we be foolishly loyal?"

"Without His Majesty's promotion, where would we be today?"

In response to Zhou Pu's rebuttal, Li Yu showed no emotion and replied firmly: "Even if you know it means death, will you still hold out?"

Zhou Pu did not hesitate: "Even if I am shattered to dust, what does it matter?"

Li Yu nodded and pressed: "Even if everyone in the palace is killed—including His Majesty, the Imperial Clan Descendants, and the Harem Consorts—you still don't care?"

Zhou Pu clenched his fists, teeth grinding, then spoke in a low, heavy voice: "His Majesty has already accepted this fate."

Li Yu did not argue, only asked again: "Even if every defender who resists is subjected to Nine Clans Extermination, you still don't care?"

Zhou Pu's gaze had subtly shifted; his tone was no longer as resolute as before.