In the second year of Jin Qi's reign in the Lixia calendar, on Tomb-Sweeping Festival, the Battle of Mingxiao City commenced.
Both sides were well aware of the arduousness of this war. So at the very beginning, neither dared to go all out. Instead, they conducted numerous probing attacks.
Mingxiao City was nestled against mountains and surrounded by water, making it a natural stronghold. In front, the Lu Family Army lurked menacingly, while in the rear, a canyon connected it to Lige City, the capital of Lixia, ensuring a continuous supply of resources.
For this reason, Lu Yan specifically sent people to survey the terrain and drew an almost perfect geographical map. On this map, every mountain, ravine, village, passable path, and navigable waterway was clearly marked. Evidently, he had no intention of a frontal assault. However, only Shen Qingfeng, Lu Yan, and a few trusted subordinates knew about this map. It was needless to say who they were guarding against.
So at the start of the siege, Lu Yan took the lead, leading an army of 50,000 straight to the gates of Mingxiao City, looking as if he was about to launch a full - scale attack at any moment. Qi Yang was not to be outdone. He set up flaming oil bows and arrows on the city walls of Mingxiao, ready to meet any challenge.
With such a large - scale battle, the pressure was real. The soldiers of Mingxiao City were taking a break when suddenly they heard the deafening roars of the 50,000 - strong army. Qi Yang quickly sent people up the city walls to investigate, but several Mingxiao soldiers were shot down as soon as they showed their heads. Coupled with the earth - shaking roars outside the city and the thundering hooves of the 50,000 - strong army, Qi Yang was so frightened that he immediately called for a gathering of troops. But just as they were ready, they saw the army stop outside the firing range and watch from afar. Instead, a few hundred fast - riding cavalrymen came to the city gates. They were extremely fast. As soon as they entered the firing range, they started shooting arrows and then quickly turned back. By the time the Mingxiao soldiers drew their bows, they had already fled outside the range.
For several consecutive days, Lu Yan adopted this tactic of feints and real attacks. Sometimes, the thundering hooves were just for show; sometimes, they launched night attacks on the city, with each soldier carrying three or five torches; sometimes, they secretly sent people to the mountains, pretending to find an alternative way to attack the city... This drove Qi Yang crazy. He didn't know how to defend. If all were feints, it would be fine, but Lu Yan would occasionally launch real attacks. After the vanguard troops withdrew, the Mingxiao soldiers thought the battle was over, but Lu Yan's follow - up army would rush in, and several times they almost breached the city walls.
After several rounds, the soldiers of Mingxiao City were suffering, and Qi Yang was extremely annoyed. Seeing Lu Yan's increasingly diverse tactics, he was worried and quickly asked Lige City for reinforcements.
Currently, 150,000 troops were stationed in Lige City, surrounding the city tightly. After all, with no other vassal states willing to help Xia Chuli, Lige City was the last stronghold.
The current commander of the imperial guards and the brave cavalry general of Lixia was Fei Yu. He came from a poor family but was extremely perceptive and a capable military leader. In the previous life, he was discovered and promoted by Shen Qingfeng. In this life, Xia Chuli also appointed him. To repay Xia Chuli's kindness, he swore to defend Lige City to the death.
After receiving Qi Yang's plea for help, he did not send troops. After all, there were many mountains on the way from Lige to Mingxiao, which were good for hiding. If they rashly sent troops and Lu Yan led his men around the mountains to cut off their retreat, Lige City would surely fall. Therefore, he immediately wrote a letter, warning Qi Yang to be careful. But Qi Yang thought that Mingxiao had an excellent geographical location, with steep mountains on both sides that were impassable. He didn't know that while Lu Yan was harassing the city in front, he had already secretly blocked the rear.
By the time Qi Yang discovered it, Mingxiao City had no way out. The Lu Family Army didn't plan to fight head - on. Instead, they divided their forces into several groups and blocked all the entrances and exits of Mingxiao City, waiting to catch the enemy like turtles in a jar. If Lu Yan was not in a hurry, he could surround the city for a month or so. Once the food and supplies in the city were exhausted, Mingxiao City would fall without a fight.
But while Lu Yan was not in a hurry, Shen Qingfeng was. He knew Qi Yang well. This man had left a deep impression on him during the soldier - selection process in the previous life. He was impetuous, afraid of death, and only good at boasting. So in the previous life, Shen Qingfeng did not reuse him. However, Shen Qingfeng did not tell Xia Chuli about this. In this life, it seemed that Xia Chuli had believed his smooth talk and appointed him as a general.
Shen Qingfeng had his own way to deal with such a coward. He convinced Lu Yan to launch continuous feints day and night. After several days of mixed attacks, the morale in the city was in turmoil. Shen Qingfeng then deliberately left a gap in the defense of the Lu Family Army between Lige City and Mingxiao City. As expected, Qi Yang took the opportunity to abandon Mingxiao City and fled in a hurry with some miscellaneous troops.
Shen Qingfeng deliberately let them escape. Once Qi Yang led his troops away, there was no one in charge of Mingxiao City, and it fell within a single day.
In total, within ten days, the soldiers of Mingxiao either surrendered or fled. This so - called military stronghold was easily captured by Lu Yan.
Shen Qingfeng's hands trembled as he swallowed the pill Yu Shuang handed him. Gasping for breath, he said, "Yu Shuang, how much longer do I have?"
Yu Shuang's eyes were filled with tears. Looking at Shen Qingfeng getting thinner day by day, he felt extremely pained. "My lord, please stop worrying about the war situation. Now there is only Lige City left. The marquis has an army of 200,000. The city will fall soon. If you rest well, you can... you can hold on a little longer."
"How much longer? What if I can't hold on?" Shen Qingfeng's face was pale. In recent days, he had clearly felt the changes in his body. He had no appetite, and his body was getting more and more tired. The day before, he had slept until noon. If Yu Shuang hadn't come to give him acupuncture, he might have never woken up.
Shen Qingfeng shook his head slightly and said, "How much longer? Just tell me."
Yu Shuang gritted his teeth and lowered his head, remaining silent.
Shen Qingfeng sighed and said, "That day, I saw what Lan gave you, didn't I?"
Yu Shuang trembled all over and took a few steps back, denying it flatly. "No!"
Shen Qingfeng glanced at him and questioned, "Don't think I don't know. That was diluted Qianhua Silver Water, right? The same thing used on Xiangcheng and Xia Yanhe!"
Yu Shuang's face turned ashen. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I will never let my lord use it."
"Why not? Xiangcheng is still alive and well!" Shen Qingfeng roared.
"That's different!" Yu Shuang suddenly interrupted Shen Qingfeng. "My lord, you don't know what this thing is. It's for the dead. In simple terms, body - nourishing is turning the dead into puppets, just like Xia Yanhe... Xiangcheng is an exception."
Shen Qingfeng trembled all over. "What do you mean?"
Yu Shuang gritted his teeth. "I asked Lan... Xiangcheng has a special constitution. He is naturally stronger than ordinary people. Since childhood, he was captured by Lan as a test subject and tested with Qianhua Silver Water hundreds of times until his body developed drug resistance. Only then could he be nourished and turned into a living dead. When he gave me the Qianhua Silver Water, he said... he said... if the marquis was overly sad, I should use it on my lord to let the marquis have a memento."
Shen Qingfeng's body went limp. He leaned gently against the edge of the couch. His once - handsome face became even paler and somewhat eerie.
"A memento..." Shen Qingfeng pulled the corner of his mouth into a smile, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "So that's how it is. Then there's no need. Don't leave any mementos. After I die, burn me to ashes. Don't let A Yan see a single hair of mine."
"My lord..."
"This is an order."
Yu Shuang gritted his teeth. "Yes."
"How many days? Tell me." Shen Qingfeng's voice was unusually calm. The stray hairs on his forehead covered his expression, making it hard for Yu Shuang to see clearly.
"I've newly improved the medicine. It should... it should be able to hold on for a few more days..."
Shen Qingfeng sighed. "So, within ten days. I have to break through Lige City within ten days... I need to think carefully."
After saying that, he reached out to lift the quilt. Suddenly, his expression changed. He slowly stood up and walked towards the door. "Where is A Yan?"
Yu Shuang endured the pain in his heart and stepped forward to support him. "The marquis just led the troops to capture Mingxiao City. He should have just returned and is in the main tent."
"Good."