Chapter 396: Just Waiting for the Reinforcements to Arrive

Tu Fa Yan, though hot‑tempered, was not completely without sense; he knew the staff officer was speaking reasonably.

His cavalry excelled at open‑field raids, but siege warfare was not their forte, especially lacking effective heavy siege engines.

Facing a fortified city like Chang'an, relying solely on manpower was indeed no solution.

It was only that this first mission could not be completed smoothly before the Prince of Xiliang, which left him a bit frustrated.

But compared with the Prince's major affairs, these mattered little; he immediately said, "Fine! I'll follow your suggestion! Choose swift horses at once and go back to meet General Murong!

Tell him that Chang'an is already under our troops' spearheads, but Luo Feng is holding the city stubbornly; we are desperate and urgently need reinforcements and siege equipment!

Order him to dispatch at least thirty‑thousand infantry quickly, bringing battering rams, ladders, and catapults! The sooner the better! Also ask what's happening at Tongguan—does that old scoundrel Gao Chong surrender or not?!"

"Yes! I'll arrange it at once!" the Vice General obeyed, hurrying out of the tent.

Tu Fa Yan stepped outside the tent, glared at Chang'an's distant walls and snorted coldly, "Luo Feng… I'll let you live a few more days! When my reinforcements arrive and the equipment is ready, I will flatten Chang'an, cut you to pieces, and vent the hatred in my heart!"

In the following days, the battle for Chang'an became a stalemate.

The Xiliang forces remained tireless, striking day and night in rotation; of course their intensity could not match earlier levels, as their main aim was to sap the Ming Army's vigor and the limited defensive equipment.

Once Xiliang's reinforcements arrive, Luo Feng's troops, already heavily depleted, should have little resistance left?!!

In this way, Tu Fa Yan could claim he was not doing nothing, preserving his image in the Prince of Xiliang's eyes.

Yet Luo Feng, defending the city, and his elite Beijiang troops who had endured a thousand‑mile raid, displayed astonishing resilience.

The city walls were their shield; any usable material became a siege tool, even if it meant tearing down houses.

They rotated rest periods to ensure everyone could recover, keeping morale consistently high.

An almost instinctive ferocity drove them to repeatedly cut down and push back enemies who tried to scale the parapets.

Tu Fa Yan was as volatile as thunder, yet helpless.

His army, though elite, had lost nearly ten thousand men and horses after continuous assaults, and morale began to slip quietly under repeated setbacks and heavy casualties.

More critically, they lacked effective heavy siege engines.

Ladders are easily broken, battering rams hard to forge; against Chang'an's tall, thick walls, relying only on manpower and crude tools makes every step cost a terrible price.

"General, we can't keep fighting like this!"

A Vice General, his face still scarred, hoarsely urged, "The soldiers are exhausted; the dead and wounded are piling up like a mountain! Luo Feng holds the city like an iron bucket; if we press on, we fear…"

Tu Fa Yan stared, his eyes fixed on the still‑fluttering "Ming" banner atop the city walls, his chest heaving violently.

Does he not know?

But he knows even more that retreat now is impossible! One retreat would nullify all prior gains and truly scatter the troops' spirit.

Moreover, if we lose so many men, when reinforcements finally arrive we'll face a fully energized Ming Army—how then can he give the Prince of Xiliang an answer?

"Silence!"

Tu Fa Yan growled low, "The Prince's and the Military Advisor's reinforcements are on the way! Hold out a few more days! Once the reinforcements arrive with heavy siege gear, we will flatten Chang'an!

When that day comes, the city's gold, silver, treasures, food and women will all be ours! Whoever dares to slack off now, I'll cut down his banner first!"

He turned to the messenger and shouted, "Send the orders! Change tactics! Let each camp rotate rest, keep harassing! Deploy more light cavalry; I want you to strangle Chang'an so that not a single bird can fly out!"

At the same time, accelerate the construction of battering rams and ladders! Also, send swift horses to urge the reinforcements! Tell them Chang'an will fall soon, but we need heavy gear—come quickly!

On Chang'an's walls, Luo Feng's situation was equally grim.

The defenders had lost over thirty percent of their troops; everyone was wounded and exhausted to the limit.

Arrows were already exhausted, rolling logs and stones had razed half a nearby street's houses, and even timber from minor palace annexes had been requisitioned.

The only thing sustaining them was Luo Feng's iron will and the unshakable belief in everyone's hearts!

The lord's army will surely arrive!

"General, the western gate has repelled another wave," a bodyguard reported.

Luo Feng looked at the rising smoke from the Xiliang camp outside the city and the still‑tight encirclement, and said, "They are also waiting—for their reinforcements and siege gear. We must wait even more, waiting for the lord to arrive. Tell the brothers to bite the grit and hold on!"

Our reinforcements will certainly be faster than theirs! Have the cook boil the last bits of jerky and give the night‑watch brothers an extra meal. Double the patrols and guard against any attempt to breach the city!

In fact, long before Luo Feng reached Chang'an, Jiang Jinshi had already made the decision.

"Luo Feng set out early, creating a time gap with Xiliang, so he will surely succeed in seizing Chang'an! But Xiliang won't stand by; his lone force deep inside will inevitably need support."

Jiang Jinshi stood before the sand table and said, "Luo Feng's defense of Chang'an can hold Xiliang for a while, but not long, so our speed must be swift! We can also take the opportunity to eat a Xiliang elite unit!"

But to fully capture Chang'an, we must first secure the rear, open the passage, and ensure our army's southward march has no worries, with supply routes unobstructed.

He pointed his finger at several key points on the sand table: "Han Xiao."

"At your service, sir!"

"I order you to lead fifty thousand men south today, along the Fen River valley, clearing residual enemies in the prefectures en route, ensuring the Shouning‑to‑Longmen crossing line is secure, and seizing Pujin Pass to control the Yellow River crossing, establishing a forward post for our army's river crossing and grain transport."

"Understood!" Han Xiao clasped his fists and accepted the order.

"Bai Ting."

"At your service!"

"Lead the main thirty thousand of the border defense corps eastward to Jingxing, pressuring Hebei, containing any remaining Imperial Court forces or local warlords, preventing them from harassing our flank, and opportunistically seize several key grain‑store towns."

"At your command!"

"Jiang Ze."

"At your service!"

"Your cavalry, allocate ten thousand to be led by the Vice General, cooperating with Bai Ting's operation, mainly undertaking scouting, harassment, and rapid‑movement tasks.

You personally lead the remaining fifteen thousand elite cavalry as the army's vanguard, light‑armed and unencumbered. Do not engage small enemy forces en route; advance at maximum speed toward Chang'an's southeast, establishing a defensive line around Bashui and Lantian."

On one hand, cut off the Xiliang forces in Chang'an from any possible southeastern contacts; on the other, prepare to support our main force and seize the chance to strike Tu Fa Yan's flank!

"Understood! I will clear the way for the lord!" Jiang Ze declared loudly.

"Zhang Honghong." Jiang Jinshi looked toward Zhang Honghong.

"At your service!"

You, together with Mr. Xiao and Mr. Feng, will command the subsequent administrative takeover unit and 30,000 foot soldiers, closely following Jiang Ze.

Along the way receive the prefectures and counties cleared by Han Xiao and Bai Ting, announce to the people, implement our Beijiang new‑policy brief, select and appoint local capable persons, and be sure the newly annexed lands quickly stabilize and the people's hearts return. This is fundamental and of utmost importance.

The assembled men solemnly clasped their hands: "Lord, your foresight is profound; we will exert all our effort and not betray your trust."