Xia Cong rode back: "They have not surrendered and wish to see you."
"Is it worth wasting words with them? A mere county need not trouble you, my lord. Just give me command of over thirty riders and I can handle it. Kill a few people and they'll naturally submit."
Xiao Zheng sought approval: "My lord, give the order!"
"There shall be no bloodshed."
Chen Sansi rejected the idea: "If they wish to see me, then let them."
He spoke, removed his armour and helmet, handed his weapon to Zhao Kang for safekeeping, and rode off alone on the White Swan Horse, breaking away from the military formation and heading straight toward the city gates.
Xiao Zheng voiced his concern: "Is my lord really going alone?"
"There's no need to worry about that."
Xia Cong planted his long spear into the ground: "The strongest in the city is merely at the Bone Forger Realm. With my lord's Martial Arts expertise, if he really wanted to take it down, he could do so by himself. But what's the use of taking a tiny Meizi County? Even after its surrender, what role could it possibly play? What exactly is my lord planning? What does 'building up strength to strike' mean?"
He thought the latter half without saying it aloud.
Atop the walls of Meizi County.
Wang Feng and the others, after Xia Cong's departure, were unsettled, unsure what they would face next. There was a real chance the three thousand iron hooves would charge and flatten the city.
"Do you think Chen Sansi will come see us?"
"They say he's fierce in battle, and since we are the enemy, it's possible he could come in rage and slaughter us."
The transmission of any news takes time. The story of leading civilians across the river spread among the common folk, far slower than the tale of the Four Crossings of Hongze, reaching Xinghua Prefecture area about half a year ago.
The past two months have been the most intense.
Storytellers speak daily of the White Horse and long spear, a solo rider breaking through fifteen hundred armours, of entering the fray seven times just to save a dead brother's family.
He was the hottest and most famous character in local operas.
Some people even heard this tale in the teahouse in the morning, only to be told in the afternoon – Chen Sansi is coming, urging us to surrender quickly!
It all felt so ethereal and dream-like, almost unreal.
"Here he comes, isn't that him!"
The people on the city walls shouted, pointing below.
The setting sun bathed the sky in red.
A white horse, a man in a white robe.
Chen Sansi, riding Qian Xun alone, approached the formation without a weapon in hand, not even wearing armour, but instead dressed in a white robe personally sewn by Sister Lan, intending to present a subdued and friendly appearance.
He held the horse's reins, calling out at a measured pace, "People of Meizi County, do you wish to see me?"
The crowd questioned, "Are you Chen Sansi?"
Chen Sansi replied, "I have not changed my name nor my surname; I am indeed Chen Sansi!"
Amidst the city wall, a buzz of discussion erupted.
"Riding a white horse, looking dignified, just like the storyteller described, it must be him!"
"Right, they wouldn't impersonate one of their own!"
Wang Feng called out, changing his address: "You said earlier that if we open the gates and surrender, you guarantee no one will be harmed, is that true?"
Chen Sansi controlled his Qi-Blood. Although he made no effort to shout loudly, simply speaking calmly from horseback, his words were heard clearly by everyone on the wall.
"What my subordinates said earlier, it's all true!"
He looked at the hesitant crowd, continuing, "I know what you're worried about, but truly, there is no need to see me as an enemy or a member of an alien race.
"Because the land of Lai State has always belonged to Great Dasheng!
"In other words, your ancestors were once subjects of the Great Sheng Dynasty!
"Now, it's merely a return to Dasheng, so why resort to the carnage of war?"
With this speech, he managed to dissolve most of the worries of the people on the wall with uncanny precision.
Lai State has always belonged to the Sheng Dynasty.
By this reasoning, even after surrendering, they wouldn't be treated as second or third class citizens like when the barbarians invaded the Heavenly Capital; they could continue living their lives. After all, who is the Emperor for those at the bottom of society; what difference does it make?
Wang Feng asked with a gulp, "Du Baozong, should we surrender?"
Though Du Baozong wanted to say no, he was very aware that the walls of Meizi County could practically be knocked down with a kick. Moreover, with the urgency of the situation, there hadn't been enough time to mobilize many civilians to defend the city, and no preparations for siege defense had been made in advance.
If a battle were to ensue.
A single charge would likely burst the gates open.
Whether they surrendered or not, what difference would it make?
"We can't surrender, we mustn't surrender—"
A green-robed official scrambled onto the city wall, turning out to be the parental official of Meizi County, County Magistrate Li, who breathlessly exclaimed, "Inspector Wang, we mustn't surrender!"
"Sir, is it our choice to surrender?"
Wang Feng pointed outside: "Against the three thousand Xuanjia Army, even if we wanted to block them, we couldn't!"
"Even then, no surrendering is allowed!"
County Magistrate Li drew a soldier's saber, pointing it fiercely at them, and shouted, "Whoever dares to open the gates and surrender is a traitor, and I have the authority to behead them! Listen to my order, everyone fight to the death!"