Chapter 220: Resistance Has No Way Out

In such constant entanglement, General Yan chose to seal the city and wait for support.

In his view, the Prince of Zhenbei would definitely not tolerate such rebellious behavior by the bandits. He only needed to endure for a period of time, and then he could work from the inside and outside with the Prince of Zhenbei to take down the other party, which would be as easy as pie.

The priority now was to preserve his own combat power to avoid losing too much before the reinforcements from the Prince of Zhenbei arrived.

After determining the plan, General Yan gave orders full of confidence: two meals a day, one thin and one thick, with limited portions, to ensure the maximum saving of grain.

He even implemented temporary grain control, having soldiers go down to search for the commoners' grain and concentrate it together for dispatch.

The commoners and soldiers ate the same portions, and after the war, it would be distributed and returned according to the remaining grain, so that they could hold out for a longer time.

Of course, this matter was not so easy to promote. Why should the commoners give you the grain that was perfectly fine in their own homes to distribute?

For a time, there were complaints in the city, and even many commoners gathered together to resist the soldiers, firmly refusing to hand over the stored grain in their homes.

Even though conflicts occurred, it still did not change General Yan's mind. His attitude was very firm: if there was resistance, it would be suppressed forcefully.

But what he didn't know was that in such disputes, the hearts of the commoners had already begun to change quietly.

After everything became a foregone conclusion, the worry in General Yan's heart slowly faded.

He was so prepared, only hoping that the Prince of Zhenbei could send reinforcements soon!

However, Yangguangzhai had no time to pay attention to him right now. Having conquered so much territory at once, the affairs to be handled were simply too many, especially the management talents; he wished he could split himself into two to use.

Since joining Yangguangzhai, the old man Feng Chunsheng had basically not rested. The endless affairs and the mountain of files finally dragged down his body day by day.

Jiang Jinshi hurriedly sent "Hundred Diseases Fading Pills," fearing that the other party would quit, as where else could he find such a hardworking and capable talent.

After taking the medicine, Feng Chunsheng was full of vigor the next day and continued to work. Such a "beast of burden" spirit could be called a model.

But continuing like this would definitely not work. Feng Chunsheng's body was too weak, and he was old; sooner or later, he would be dragged down.

In the future, he only needed to control the overall situation, and there must be people below to implement it. Otherwise, if he had to do everything himself, wouldn't the little old man be squeezed dry?

So Jiang Jinshi calculated that there were quite a few usable talents among these conquered cities; why not give them a chance to try?

For example, the County Magistrate who opened the city gate to surrender as Xiexiezi said; he didn't embezzle the commoners' money, so he should be a good official, although his ability was still unknown.

Anyway, people were lacking now, so use them first; perhaps you could pick up a treasure?

Not only that, Yangguangzhai also opened up to accept the previously surrendered garrison and Jun soldiers. As long as you were willing to stay, you would be given this opportunity.

Anyway, new people had to be recruited, so why not let these old hands who had been on the battlefield join in? At the very least, it would improve combat power.

Jiang Jinshi had also thought carefully about the loyalty issue. At first, not wanting surrendered soldiers was because of this concern, but now he felt that he was a bit overthinking.

On one side was the Imperial Court that had delayed military pay and was suspected of abandoning them! On the other side was Yangguangzhai, where they were well-fed and clothed, and received monthly pay on time. Anyone would know how to choose.

So when this decision was made, the number of people in Yangguangzhai immediately ushered in rapid expansion. In just three days, the number of applicants reached seven thousand, heading straight for ten thousand.

The long line at the recruitment office could be described as having no end in sight, and the scene was extremely spectacular.

The logistics department was also greatly replenished. Now those craftsmen understood that Yangguangzhai treated craftsmen very well; not only was there no slighting, but there was even great respect.

This was not just a matter of silver. After all, they could get a bite to eat anywhere, but this kind of respect was unprecedented.

Plus, the treatment given by Yangguangzhai was not bad, so anyone with a bit of skill would choose to join.

The Xinyue Chamber of Commerce was even busier with the allocation of various materials. Horse-drawn carriages were constantly coming in and out, pulling countless resources to various cities. In the end, there was a serious shortage of manpower, forcing Jiang Jinshi to send bandits to help.

So Jiang Jinshi had no time to pay attention to Guangwu City at all. If you are willing to close the city gate, then close it! I really don't have time to mess with you right now!

The process of Yangguangzhai taking down Guangwu Jun was too fast, leading to the current "sequelae" outbreak. It would be fine once they were busy through this period.

By the tenth day, General Yan in the city couldn't sit still. Now there was no movement on Yangguangzhai's side, and there was no sign of reinforcements.

Guangwu City was such a big city; were they all blind and couldn't see it?

In fact, Luo Feng had asked Jiang Jinshi about how to deal with Guangwu City when he had time!

How could Jiang Jinshi not see the other party? As the core of Guangwu Jun, its geographical location and value were existence that could not be ignored, but a strong attack was not cost-effective for him.

Jiang Jinshi couldn't swallow it, but he didn't go to swallow it for the time being; he wanted to wait for Guangwu City to deliver itself into his mouth.

Tang Xiao Yu had been peeping in the city for a long time, and Jiang Jinshi knew all of General Yan's decisions through carrier pigeons.

That was why Jiang Jinshi decided to leave the other party alone, because the city gate would open itself sooner or later; it was just a matter of time!

Sure enough, Tang Xiao Yu soon sent out news again, and Wang Hou immediately rushed to report to Jiang Jinshi.

"According to the news from Xiao Yu, the stored grain in the city can support them for at most half a month."

"How so?" Jiang Jinshi tapped the desk lightly with his hand.

Wang Hou continued: "The thin porridge once a day in the city has almost turned into clear water today, and even dinner is less than usual. Xiao Yu said the commoners are making a scene!"

"Why don't we just attack directly?" Huang Yan couldn't help but ask beside Jiang Jinshi, "They can't even get enough to eat; they definitely won't be able to stop our charge!"

Jiang Jinshi withdrew his gaze, looked at Huang Yan, and smiled, "Attack in, people will die! Our people will die, and many people in the city will also die."

"Many of them are just ordinary soldiers and commoners, caught in the middle. Moreover, the damage caused by a hard attack will eventually have to be repaired by us, and the commoners in the city will have to bear it."

Yan Wu added at the right time: "Old Huang, Big Brother means that subduing the enemy without fighting is the best policy. We surround Guangwu City; they have no outside help, we only need to consume their grain and grass, letting them collapse from the inside."

"In this way, we can take down the city and also preserve the city and the commoners to the greatest extent. More importantly, we must let everyone inside and outside the city see clearly that stubborn resistance has no way out, and we have patience and benevolence!" ===== CHAPTER 221 =====