Chapter 359: Other’s troops are diminishing, but the Prime Minister’s forces are increasing!
After half an hour, Lin Beifan led his army out once again.
This time, not just 100,000 troops, but 150,000 troops! Because Moro’s forces have joined in, he wants to seize the opportunity to achieve more accomplishments and win greater victories! 150,000 soldiers, a vast and imposing force, marching towards the second city!
Meanwhile, in the Darro Court.
An official rushed in hastily: “Your Highness, the Third Prince, something terrible has happened! The first city, Sha Hai City, has fallen!”
Prince Hamu was shocked: “What? Fallen so quickly! In less than a day!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” the official said with a worried expression. Prince Hamu’s face turned heavy: “Great Wu is even more fearsome than we thought! And Lin Beifan is also more fearsome than we thought! But to capture a city within a day, they must have suffered significant losses, right?”
“Your Highness, they haven’t suffered any losses…”
“How is that possible? Don’t joke around! Siege is one of the costliest battles, even with their large numbers and numerous experts, there will be casualties!” Prince Hamu shook his head.
“Your Highness, they truly haven’t suffered any losses! Because they haven’t even started fighting. The defending general, Moro, surrendered and defected to the Great Wu camp!,” the official exclaimed.
Prince Hamu was shocked again: “What? Moro actually betrayed us and surrendered to Great Wu?”
“It’s absolutely true, Your Highness. Right now, that traitor Moro has already joined the Great Wu army, and they are moving with the troops to the next city,” the official hurriedly explained.
Prince Hamu was so infuriated that he felt dizzy, his anger boiling over. His troops surrendered without even fighting, and they’re helping outsiders against him!
This is simply unreasonable!
Prince Hamu slammed his hand down on the table, grinding his teeth: “That damn traitor Moro, ruining my plans for Darro! If I had known, I wouldn’t have promoted him! Ungrateful and treacherous! Once this battle is over, I’ll have him killed!”
“The big battle is imminent, Your Highness, please calm down,” the official comforted.
Prince Hamu also knew that now wasn’t the time to lose his temper, and he asked, “Who is the defending general of the second city? How many soldiers are there? Can they withstand Great Wu’s massive army?”
“Your Highness, the second city, Panshi City, is defended by General Qingfeng. Currently, Panshi City has about 80,000 troops, a substantial force that should be able to resist for two days,” the official replied.
“General Qingfeng, I see!” Prince Hamu smiled. “He’s a young general I recently promoted, loyal and capable. With his strength, he should be able to hold out for three days, giving us enough time.”
“What Your Highness says is very true!”
At this time, after a day had passed, the Great Wu army had arrived at the next city, Panshi City.
On the city wall of Panshi City, a general with a stern face looked at the vast Great Wu army approaching, his expression heavy. With his strength and the troops in the city, they couldn’t possibly stop the Great Wu army.
But they had to fight, whether they wanted to or not! He had just received the orders from the Third Prince in the rear. He must hold out for three days, buying enough time for the rear.
“Three days of resistance? Even two days would be a blessing,” General Qingfeng silently cursed.
In essence, the his troops had already been abandoned.
Just then, his expression changed to one of astonishment.
He saw that within the Great Wu army, there were many soldiers wearing the armor of Darro.
These were the troops of Darro, why were they mixed in with the Great Wu forces?
And at that moment, his expression changed once again.
He recognized many familiar faces among the Great Wu soldiers. One of them he even knew very well, his fellow villager and good friend, Moro, who had enlisted with him back in the day. He was wearing Great Wu’s golden armor, laughing and talking with the Great Wu commanders.
“Moro, what are you doing there?” General Qingfeng exclaimed.
“Qingfeng, long time no see!” Moro excitedly waved his hand. The Great Wu army came to a halt.
General Qingfeng asked, “What are you doing there, and why are you wearing Great Wu’s golden armor?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Moro said with some pride, “I’ve switched allegiances, abandoned evil for good, and joined the embrace of Great Wu. I’ve become a general in the Great Wu army!”
General Qingfeng’s anger flared: “Moro, you’ve become a traitor! Can you justify this to your own country?”
“Of course, I can justify it. I did this entirely for Darro, for the people of Darro!” Moro shouted, “The Darro royal family’s greed knows no bounds. For their own interests, they betrayed their word, tore up the alliance treaty between our countries, and left our people in dire straits. Don’t you see all of this, Qingfeng?”
“I understand, but…” Moro continued his tirade: “Back when you were serving the royal family, they didn’t spare you a glance. Now that disaster has struck, they’ve dragged you out to sacrifice! Why do you still wag your tail and serve them? Why are you so despicable?”
“I…” General Qingfeng was deeply hurt and pained by these accusations.
“Qingfeng, you need to think carefully! You should first and foremost be a general of Darro, not a lapdog of the royal family. You should consider the well-being of Darro’s people, not the self-serving interests of the royal family!”
Lost in thought, General Qingfeng pondered on Moro’s words. Moro pointed at Lin Beifan and asked, “Qingfeng, do you know who this person is?”
Squinting his eyes, General Qingfeng said, “Prime Minister Lin Beifan of Great Wu?”
“Exactly, it’s Prime Minister Lin Beifan! Do you know what he’s done for us, the people of Darro?”
“He… what has he done?”
Moro exclaimed loudly, “When Darro was defeated, it was Prime Minister Lin who argued on our behalf in the court, saving us from heavy reparations! He also facilitated the alliance treaty between our nations, allowing us to lead better lives!”
General Qingfeng was astonished, “He… Prime Minister Lin Beifan did all of that?”
“Of course, did you think I was lying to you?” Moro said.
Respectfully, General Qingfeng bowed and exclaimed, “Many thanks to Prime Minister Lin! With your support, my homeland is experiencing better days. On behalf of my fellow villagers, I thank you!”
Lin Beifan nodded with a smile.
“I’ve already told Prime Minister Lin that the responsibility for all of this lies with the Darro royal family, not us commoners. Prime Minister Lin has a kind heart and cares for the people. He promised that as long as we eliminate the wicked royal family, trade will resume, production will recover, education will be restored—everything will return to normal, allowing us to continue living good lives!”
“Really?” Qingfeng’s eyes lit up.
“Not only that!” Moro exclaimed excitedly, “Once Darro becomes part of Great Wu, we’ll all be Great Wu citizens and receive even more benefits! Great Wu will send people to build water facilities, repair roads and bridges, provide free grain, and even reduce taxes… Great Wu’s citizens have it all, and we will too!”
“Really?” Qingfeng’s eyes shone even brighter.
“And us military officers will reap even greater rewards. Once we become part of Great Wu, we’ll be Great Wu’s generals, receiving generous salaries, and having the chance to rise in rank, becoming esteemed officials of the empire! We’ll also have the opportunity to lead troops to fight in other places, broadening our horizons!”
“Really?” Qingfeng’s eyes brightened even more.
“Of course, you’re my childhood friend from the same village. Why would I lie to you?” Moro raised two fingers, “Qingfeng, there are two opportunities for you now!”
“What opportunities?” Qingfeng asked eagerly.
“As long as you open the city gates, lead the entire city to surrender, and allow the Great Wu troops to enter, it’s equivalent to helping Great Wu expand its territory. Isn’t that a great accomplishment?” Moro laughed.
“Yes, that’s a great accomplishment!” Qingfeng was delighted.
“Next, you’ll join us in leading the troops to attack other cities, together seeking retribution from the Darro royal family. Isn’t that another great accomplishment?” Moro continued.
“You’re right!” Qingfeng nodded happily.
At this moment, Lin Beifan added with a smiling face, “Everything General Moro has said represents my intentions! As long as you surrender by opening the gates, there’s no need to fight anymore. Everyone can go back to living the way they did before! And you, Qingfeng, will also become a general in Great Wu, climbing the ranks and having a promising future!”
While General Qingfeng was still reserved, the people below couldn’t sit still any longer.
“General, what are you hesitating for? Surrender quickly!”
“As long as we surrender by opening the gates, we won’t have to fight, and no one will die! The Great Wu army is strong, and they have countless experts. We can’t possibly win, so we might as well join them!”
“By doing so, we can continue to live as we did before, and even better!”
“General, isn’t this a great opportunity for your future?”
Under the persuasion of the crowd, General Qingfeng loudly declared, “Open the city gates, welcome the Prime Minister into the city!”
“Open the city gates, welcome the Prime Minister into the city!”
“Open the city gates, welcome the Prime Minister into the city!”
The excited voices quickly spread throughout the city. With a loud bang, the gates opened.
Qingfeng led the soldiers and the townspeople to welcome Lin Beifan into Panshi City with joy and excitement.
The Great Wu soldiers were left dumbfounded! What a group! The second city was captured so easily!
Once again, they achieved victory effortlessly, without expending any effort or losing a single soldier! Prime Minister Lin Beifan was amazing; please accept my admiration! Zhao Kuo, who followed behind, became excited once again: “Another instance of bending the enemy without fighting! It’s so impressive. When will I be able to wield tactics like Prime Minister Lin?”
Then, Lin Beifan delivered another heart-stirring speech that resonated throughout the city, solidifying his influence. After that, he counted the number of soldiers and headed towards the third city.
This time, Lin Beifan’s forces grew even stronger!
It wasn’t just 100,000 soldiers or 150,000 soldiers; it was now 220,000 soldiers!
In the span of a day, their numbers had doubled! The Great Wu commanders couldn’t help but marvel once again. Prime Minister Lin was truly extraordinary!
While the enemy’s troops were diminishing with each battle, Lin Beifan was doing the opposite—his forces were growing larger. Astonishingly, the more they fought, the more troops they had, shocking everyone!
After tallying the numbers, Lin Beifan raised his arm and shouted, “Let’s set out and head to the next city!”
With a massive army of 220,000 soldiers, they departed from Panshi City, marching in a mighty procession.
