My Cultivation Starting from Archery-Chapter 320 - 159: Conquering Deng Feng, Stabilizing Lai State_4

"Is the supply of provisions really sufficient?"

Seated on horseback, Chen Sansi’s facial features show no obvious fluctuations, but his voice rings out clear and strong, "Chen has travelled all the way here and seen that most parts of Lai State are suffering from famine. Ever since the war started last November, there have been continuous campaigns, and all the food and fodder for each city have been conscripted from the people, leaving them in unspeakable misery!

"Zhao Tong Prefecture, as the second largest granary in Lai State, indeed should have ample provisions, enough to feed eight thousand troops for a year and a half without an issue.

"Yet, General Deng happens to be someone who loves his people as his own children, so the General would surely distribute the city’s grains amongst the citizens!

"Hundreds of thousands of citizens, even the provisions of Zhaotong wouldn’t be enough, right?"

"Nonsense, don’t flatter me with your lies!"

Deng Feng retorts, "The provisions within the city are plentiful! The brothers in the city just had their full meal. Chen, don’t you go spreading wild rumors here!"

"The matter of provisions can easily be confirmed with a single glance at the granaries. Even if there’s some left, I’m afraid it’s not much! Even if General Deng wants to deceive himself and others, we can set aside the matter of provisions for now and talk about military strength!"

Chen Sansi continues, "Now, not only have all the Eight Prefectures pledged allegiance, but just two hours ago, Yongle Prefecture was also breached, and King Tang Li Gong’s head now hangs on the walls of Yongle Prefecture City!

"That is to say, your Zhaotong has become a completely isolated city!

"Those singing in the camp are soldiers from Qing Country who surrendered from the Eight Prefectures and Yongle Prefecture. They do not wish to slaughter their own brothers, so they plead through song! Do you really want to fight and kill each other? Amongst you, some not only know each other but might also be hometown folk!"

Upon these words.

A panic immediately ensues among the crowd.

"We’re out of food?"

"The city’s granaries are empty?!"

"No wonder we suddenly had better food last night! This must be the last decent meal they planned for us!"

"Yongle Prefecture has fallen too?"

"Even King Tang is dead!"

"Doesn’t that mean, in Lai State, only we are left? A hundred and fifty-thousand strong army is about to turn their weapons on us!"

"..."

Chen Sansi adds again, "General Deng! Everything I’ve said, you should be well aware of. But why do you still deceive your brothers and citizens in the city? Would you rather wait until Dasheng musters even more forces and siege until the city falls and is filled with corpses before you bow your head?"

"Well aware? What am I supposed to be well aware of?!"

Unable to maintain his composure, Deng Feng shouts, "Don’t listen to his drivel, I don’t know any of these things, no, I mean, there’s not a truthful word in his mouth!" Discover hidden content at novelbuddy

"General Deng!"

Chen Sansi raises his voice, "I too am aware of General Deng’s loyalty, but surely you can’t let your ’loyalty’ drag the entire city down with you into a joint burial!

"I’ve just received a military order, Meng Dashuai has commanded me to attack at dawn!

"Therefore, you don’t have much time left to consider!

"My piece is said!

"I also hope that the brothers and countrymen in the city could persuade General Deng!

"I take my leave!"

With that,

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he turns his horse and disappears back into the Great Village of the military camp.

Above the city walls.

The people and soldiers are in an uproar.

"General!"

"We can’t see things like the Eight Prefectures, but what about the granaries?"

The crowd asks, "Are they really empty?!"

"Can we go have a look at the granaries?"

"Empty, the granaries are truly empty!"

Someone who enjoys stirring trouble, having sneaked off upon hearing this conversation, now rushes back to loudly announce: "Before, the granaries were just off-limits for stealing, but you could still go there. Now, there are so many soldiers guarding the granaries that they don’t even let you take a look."

Isn’t this evidence enough?

"The granaries, they’re empty!"

Deng Feng is forced to admit, "But so what if they’re empty? Aside from the granaries, everything else he said is false! Where those outside singing celebration songs came from, I do not know, but I would stake my life to swear that the Eight Prefectures have definitely not surrendered. If you really don’t believe it, you can try to break out to check the situation!"

"General!"

"It takes two days to go to the nearest city and come back, but... didn’t you say that reinforcements would arrive tomorrow morning? Even if the Eight Prefectures really have surrendered, is there a need to verify it anymore? After all, the reinforcements will arrive after dawn!"

"Are you deceiving us?!"

"..."

"Boom—"

Seizing on the inconsistency in Deng Feng’s words, the crowd presses him relentlessly with questions.

Deng Feng finds himself at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

He curses Chen Sansi in his heart, labeling him a despicable and vile villain!

First, he used the surrendered soldiers’ celebratory songs to shake the troop’s morale, then pushed all the blame onto him, stirring up discontent among his subordinates and citizens, leading to an indefensible predicament!

"I only meant to prove to you that the Eight Prefectures have not surrendered, I didn’t say the reinforcements wouldn’t come back!"

Deng Feng, though reluctant, says, "Tomorrow morning, the reinforcements will... arrive on time!"

"In that case, we will trust the General one more time."

"Brothers, let’s hold out until tomorrow morning!"

"..."

The crowd gradually disperses, but the unrest never subsides.

Deputy General Song Hongbiao expresses his concern, "General, you already know that reinforcements won’t come by dawn, so why say that?"

"After dawn, once the battle starts, there will be no more chances to surrender, and everyone, soldiers and citizens alike, must resist to the death!" Deng Feng says, "So, we just need to hold out until dawn!

He has no other choice.

Now if he admits it.

Chaos would instantly break out within the city!