His purpose was to intimidate these few people, to avoid future disobedience and complications.
As for capital punishment, it certainly wasn't yet warranted.
Watching them walk away, Sha Wenlong remained seated for a long time, his left hand propped against the ground, swirled with Gang Qi, twisting into a depression in the yellow clay, his teeth nearly shattered from clenching.
"This is too much! I, Sha Wenlong, am after all a Second-rank senior official, a regional military officer. How dare he... how dare he humiliate me !"
"What can we do when he holds the Commander's token in his hand?"
Cui Congyi felt the same humiliation.
They had spent half their lives in military service and yet had to defer to a mere youth, "Just endure it for now. Twenty days will pass quickly. Once his term of military command ends, we can watch his head roll!"
Sha Wenlong said in a deep voice, "I want to see how he is going to make Deng Feng surrender the city gates!"
Zhaotong Prefecture, within the city.
Atop the city walls, numerous soldiers looked toward the distance as another group of surrendered soldiers was released, walking towards Daqing, their eyes filled with envy. At that moment, dust filled the sky outside the city, accompanied by the thunderous sound of horse hooves, and a Chen character banner was particularly conspicuous in the gale.
"This is bad, this is bad!"
"Chen Sansi is coming, Chen Sansi is coming!"
"White robe, White Horse, Black Armor, it's unmistaken!"
"You fools, who dares to speak of surrender?"
Deng Feng rushed up the city walls, shouting at them furiously, "Have you forgotten what I've told you? Reinforcements will arrive soon, and the siege of Zhaotong will be lifted without a fight. Why surrender simply because of one Meridian Passage Realm Assistant General, Chen Sansi?"
Deputy General Song Hongbiao clenched his fists and said, "We've just received the news, they, they've all surrendered!"
Deng Feng furrowed his brows, "Who has surrendered?"
"Twenty-seven prefectures!"
Song Hongbiao said, "Starting from Zhaotong Prefecture, northward, every city, large and small, has surrendered!"
After reading the intelligence Deng Feng gathered from him and then closing his eyes, it was more a sense of frustrated helplessness than anger, "A country raises its soldiers for a thousand days to use them for one moment. My Daqing has treated these generals generously; how could they be so disloyal and unjust."
"Listen, people of the city!"
At the same time, Cui Congyi personally rode his horse to the front of the formation, his voice loud and clear, resounding through the skies, "I am Admiral Cui Congyi! Hear me, city's Qing defenders!
"Now, inside Lai State's territory, hundreds of cities, big and small, have already surrendered to our Great Sheng Dynasty, leaving only you stubborn holdouts resisting futilely. We no longer have the patience to continue this. I'm giving you one last chance!
"Surrender immediately, and as previously agreed, not a hair on your head will be harmed, but if you ignore this advice...
"Prepare for a decisive battle in fifteen days. Once the city falls, none will be spared!"
The loud calls of a martial artist within the Profound Image Realm were clearly heard by everyone present.
How did it come to this?!
Not long ago, Sheng people were still trying to persuade them to surrender, appearing hesitant to fight, so why had they suddenly threatened to spare none?!
Could it be that Lai State was indeed lost?!
"Twenty-seven prefectures have surrendered, let's surrender too!"
"All of you, shut up—"
Although Deng Feng raised his voice, he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he shouted, "My fellow brothers, kinsmen! I just want to ask you all one question, what do you think of my character?!"
"General Deng is brave and unmatched, one of Daqing's very few fierce generals!"
"Deng Qingtian, do we even need to ask everyone?"
"It was General Deng who opened the granary to distribute food to us common folks."
"Otherwise, we would have starved to death!"
Deng Feng asked, "If that's the case, do you believe what I say?"
"Then why don't you listen to me?"
"But twenty-seven prefectures have already surrendered!"
"That means there are still nine cities standing with us!"
Deng Feng shouted forcefully, "These nine great cities are Lai State's stronghold! They can't take them down, that's why they are intimidating us here! It's been another twenty days, with only the last fifteen days remaining, and the Emperor himself will come to lead the charge!"
"General, is that true?"
"The final fifteen days?!"
"Yes! The final fifteen days!"
Deng Feng knew, in reality, reinforcements would need at least twenty days to reach Green Ridge Mountain.
But under the enemy's intimidation, he had to bring the date forward, to "quench thirst by thinking of plums," inspiring everyone to hold on a little longer.
Just holding on for these fifteen days would allow them to continue defending!
After fifteen days, if the Sheng Dynasty army truly launched an attack on Zhaotong City, the soldiers and civilians would naturally fight desperately to survive; if the army did not attack, they could truly wait for reinforcements.
Hold on for just the last fifteen days!
"Brothers, let's hold on together for fifteen days!"
"In half a month, we will all be promoted and get rich!"
"Right, right, right, and us common folk will also get tax-free grain!"
With Deng Feng's passionate declaration, he was able to temporarily stabilize the military's morale.
Zhaotong Prefecture once again fell into silence.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and still, no one opened the gates to surrender.
The people on the walls of Zhaotong Prefecture saw the Xuanjia Army leaving.
"Where are they heading?"
"Looking at the direction, they're planning to bypass Zhaotong Prefecture and attack other cities first!"
"Do you think the other cities might have also surrendered?"