"If that's the case, then only our Zhaotong Prefecture will be left holding out in the entire Lai State!"
Deng Feng kept vigil on the city walls day and night, ready to reassure his men in case of any situation: "Well done! The generals in the other prefectures are all old friends of mine, brothers in life and death! As long as I don't surrender, they absolutely won't surrender either!"
"Chen Sansi is out of options when it comes to us; he has no choice but to attack elsewhere, but this plays right into my hands!"
"With so little time left, which city do you think they can take down?! The time wasted coming and going is enough for His Majesty's forces to arrive!"
"If that's really the case, nothing could be better."
"Then we'll trust in General's words and wait a bit longer."
"Seven days have passed! Deng Feng indeed did not disappoint me!"
King Tang Li Gong heaved a sigh of relief.
Time was on their side!
The reinforcements were about to arrive!
"It's been seven days, and Zhaotong Prefecture has still not surrendered."
Meng Quji was anxious in his heart, but no longer as restless as before, he patiently asked, "General Fang, that so-called 'trend of events' you spoke of doesn't seem capable of swallowing Zhaotong Prefecture! Deng Feng commands immense respect, and under such circumstances, he's still able to stabilize the troops! What should we do now? There are only the last dozen or so days left, we will ultimately run out of time!"
He had never felt such trepidation in battle in his life.
If faced with this situation in the past.
He would have already retreated.
As long as the retreat was fast enough, one would never be defeated.
After understanding Chen Sansi's strategy this time, Fang Qingyun remained eerily calm, even playing the flute leisurely, his demeanor completely self-assured.
Plus the lesson from the last time.
Not just Meng Quji, but also Fan Tianfa and Zhan Taoming, out of caution, left the main camp to prepare for the retreat, but did not mention giving up just yet.
Then they would wait another while!
The three thousand Xuanjia Army, after bypassing Zhaotong Prefecture, continued to head south.
"Having completed the first four steps, my lord, should we proceed to the fifth step now?"
Xia Cong followed, saying, "This time, are we going to persuade the other cities to surrender first, making Zhaotong Prefecture an isolated city before pressuring them to surrender? A brilliant strategy!"
Chen Sansi pointed with his long spear towards Luoying Prefecture at the edge of their vision: "You go, persuade them to surrender."
Xia Cong did not hesitate, immediately leading people straight towards the city gate.
But he quickly returned, his face looking ugly: "My lord, the people of Luoying Prefecture are not like the ones we encountered before, they... they refuse to surrender!"
Xiao Zheng added, "Would you like to try yourself? After all, the cities that surrendered before did so because of your reputation; maybe it's just that we subordinates are ineffective."
"No need, move on to the next prefecture."
Chen Sansi did not give them time to respond and spurred his horse forward.
Xia Cong and the others hurried to catch up.
"Lianyi Prefecture will not surrender!"
"Wuyuan Prefecture will not surrender!"
"Lu Yuan Prefecture too will not surrender!"
"My lord, are you really not going to persuade them yourself? These people are all fiercely loyal to Deng Feng, unwilling to surrender."
"Moreover, with us going to and fro, by the time we return to Zhaotong Prefecture, it will already be the thirteenth day!"
Xia Cong inquired anxiously.
But now their questioning was no longer out of doubt, but purely out of a desire to learn, to understand.
Chen Sansi pondered, "Haven't they already surrendered?"
Xia Cong had a moment of realization: "Brilliant, my lord, I understand! We claim they have surrendered, and regardless of whether they have or not, in the eyes of the Zhaotong City Garrison, these cities have surrendered! With only the last two days left until the scheduled date of attack, they simply have no time to verify! And with the twenty-seven prefectures that previously surrendered, they will believe that under the weight of the situation, the Eight Prefectures have also surrendered! They're left as the only isolated city!"
"You are to immediately go to the cities where the surrendered soldiers are detained and send all the remaining two thousand surrendered soldiers to the outskirts of Zhaotong City, spreading them out in various directions around the city gates."
Xia Cong, who had just felt clarity for a few moments, was once again unable to follow the train of thought. 'Is this preparation for them to persuade their own to surrender, or for a siege attack?' He felt dim-witted and ashamed to ask further.
He executed the orders without delay.
After the initial great battle, this place became the detention center for the surrendered soldiers.
More than twenty thousand soldiers from Qing Country, who initially thought their fate would be tragic, were soon released by Dasheng, allowed to go home, and even provided with rations.
Of the more than twenty thousand people, only two thousand remained!
These two thousand were constantly anxious and restless.
Because they were specially isolated, while others were released and went their ways, they alone were detained from the beginning to the end.
Moreover, they heard that all of Lai State had surrendered, leaving only them behind.
"My lord, why won't you release us?"
"Could it be that we are unlucky, to be kept for slaughter!"
"My lord, please spare us!"
They knelt down one by one on the ground.
Zhu Qi, in charge of the detention here, reprimanded, "Your lives are not for you to decide. If Dasheng says you die, you die; if you're told to live, you live!"
Xia Cong arrived, "General Chen commands! Escort these men quickly to the outskirts of Zhaotong City!"
The surrendered soldiers were shocked.
"Is this to have us lead the assault?!"