Chapter 942

First Volume_Chapter 942: The War Stalls

Long before it was decided that this siege warfare was unavoidable, the command staff in the military camp had already reached a basic assessment.

First, Changshui County, as one of the key counties in the Jingji region, was originally one of the outer fortresses of Wang Du, serving as a buffer zone; thus, not only was the county city larger, but its City Wall was also taller and more solid than those of ordinary county cities.

Therefore, the best strategy for attacking Changshui County was first to encircle without attacking, second to cut off water and grain supplies, and third to introduce pathogens or employ Fire Attack from within.

All tactics revolved around the Consumption War, gradually wearing down the defenders' Morale and Materials and Supplies until they were physically and mentally exhausted, at which point the county city could be captured with minimal Sacrifice in a One-Strike Victory.

But this method had two major difficulties.

First, the time requirement was far too strict: the Military Order gave them two months to capture Changshui County; the longer they delayed, the worse the situation became in the South, and if it truly stretched to three months, by the time Qin Feng's army marched all the way to the Jingji, whether or not to attack Changshui County would no longer matter.

Thus, purely on the grounds of time, the Consumption War was impossible to implement.

Second, to fully encircle Changshui County, the defenders' Morale had to be fragile, and their Materials and Supplies poorly prepared.

But according to current intelligence, the soldiers defending Changshui County were all Elite Troops from Qin Feng's army, especially the Tianji Camp Guards, who were the elite among elites—there was no such thing as "Morale collapse," and the phrase "fight to the last soldier" was not empty rhetoric for the Tianji Camp Guards, but a creed they would faithfully uphold to the end.

Moreover, Qin Feng's commercial transit warehouses had become a clever ruse—feigning one path while secretly taking another—stockpiling vast quantities of Materials and Supplies; not only could they sustain three months, but even three years would pose no problem.

Because of these two constraints, all the generals clearly realized that attacking Changshui County could only be done through high-intensity assaults, which would inevitably lead to massive casualties.

Although most generals were unwilling to admit it, some bolder ones had already made their judgment.

This Battle would undoubtedly end in victory for their side, but the cost would be enormous: first, in terms of Sacrifice, conservative estimates placed casualties above Five Thousand Men; second, Military Equipment such as siege engines and Arrows would be heavily consumed.

Relying on a tactic of "killing a thousand at the cost of ten thousand," even a victory would be a pyrrhic one.

Precisely because they understood the brutality of Siege Warfare, most generals were deeply somber, fully aware that the coming battle would be grueling—but when the Deputy General looked at Jing Peng, he found Jing Peng standing tall and proud, radiating absolute confidence.

Confidence in military campaigns was a good thing—it could boost Morale—but blind confidence would only cause unnecessary losses.

Moreover, this battle was against Qin Feng, the pivotal figure who had played a decisive role in the National War; no one could fathom where Jing Peng's confidence came from.

Yet considering Jing Peng's status as an Imperial Relative and Commander of the Vanguard, despite their disdain for his arrogant demeanor, none of the generals dared risk offending him by offering bold advice.

Let him be arrogant; if the sky fell, someone taller would bear it.

Just as Jing Peng pressed forward aggressively toward Changshui County, a messenger suddenly ran up in haste.

"General, please stop!"

Jing Peng frowned and made no move to halt; he glanced at the messenger dismissively: "Stop? How can an army on campaign halt at will? What's the matter? Speak."

The messenger didn't argue and immediately reported: "There was an error in the MilitaryEquipment inventory. The Deputy General at the Rear has ordered you to halt and re-count your Military Equipment."

At this, Jing Peng's brow furrowed sharply: "An inventory error?"

The messenger nodded vigorously: "Yes. The Deputy General checked the stockpile and the Arrows delivered by the Ministry of War and found three thousand missing. He suspects they were mistakenly sent to you and asks you to verify and return the excess."

Jing Peng yanked hard on the Reins and stopped, glaring coldly at the messenger: "How could this happen? What are those people in the Ministry of War even doing?"

"It's just three thousand Arrows. Once we reach Changshui County and set up camp, I'll count the MilitaryEquipment myself. If I truly took the Deputy General's Arrows, I'll return them."

"Do you think I'd stoop to stealing such a petty amount?"

The messenger shook his head frantically, face pale with distress: "It won't work. The Deputy General is adamant. These three thousand Arrows are critical—if a shortage causes failure in the Military Siege, he cannot bear the responsibility."

Jing Peng burst out laughing in anger: "We're only one day's march from Changshui County. Arriving sooner means launching the attack faster. If we delay for an inventory check and miss the opportunity, can the Deputy General really bear that responsibility?"

The messenger pleaded politely but held his ground firmly: "The Deputy General says he is not the Vanguard, so when to launch the siege is not his concern, nor his duty—he only handles his own responsibilities. If you refuse to return the Arrows, he will petition the palace to accuse you of rushing for glory, seizing allied Military Equipment, and disregarding the greater good."

Had the messenger been anything more than a mere messenger, Jing Peng would have already whipped him.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

With war imminent, instead of uniting against a common foe, they're drawing rigid lines—does this stem from fear of blame, or is it deliberate sabotage against me, Jing Peng?

Jing Peng's face turned livid with rage, yet he had no choice but to wave his hand and order the entire army to halt and immediately count the Arrows.

Watching Jing Peng ride to the Zhongying to personally supervise the MilitaryEquipment count, all the generals present shook their heads in sighs.

"Great. We haven't even started fighting, and everything's already in chaos."

"Hah! Once the fighting begins, you'll see who's got no pants on. That bunch of useless fools in the Ministry of War can't even handle this basic task—what good are they?"

"The Ministry of War is close to Grand General Chen Si and consists of capable officials; such an error shouldn't happen."

"Besides, when the Military Supplies arrived, they were already counted and verified—how could three thousand extra Arrows suddenly appear? Could the Deputy General be deliberately provoking us?"

"I don't think so. The Deputy General has no influential connections, while our General is an Imperial Cousin. Even if he had the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, he wouldn't dare provoke us."

"Regardless, with war looming, this kind of incident is just damn demoralizing."

To reach Changshui County as quickly as possible, Jing Peng personally oversaw his troops as they counted every single Arrow—it took no more than two hours.

Once confirmed, Jing Peng lashed the messenger across the back with his Whip.