My Cultivation Starting from Archery

"It's only the second day,"

"That is to say, there are still seven days left."

"But..."

Xia Cong holding the letter: "Commander Meng hopes..."

"So it's a suggestion, not an order. We can choose to follow it or not."

Chen Sansi said, "Inform the Commander of our true intentions faithfully, but the plan remains unchanged. We will continue to stay here for seven days."

"Yes!"

...

Lai State.

Since last November, a national war involving a total of three hundred thousand troops from both sides had been underway.

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

King Jing of Nan Xu, Li Gong, was defeated at Wutian Mountain, leading to the loss of five prefectures including Lei Mountain and Guihai. Marquis of Andong Meng Quji led one hundred and fifty thousand Sheng Country soldiers and horses to break into Qing Country's territory. With a lightning strike, he divided the Lai State battlefield, cut off Qing Country's supply lines, and sought to destroy them in parts, annihilating them one by one before concentrating the advantageous troops to fiercely attack Yong Yue Prefecture, determining the victory of this war.

As a result, fierce siege battles were taking place day and night within Lai State's borders.

Until the end of the twelfth lunar month, a General Chen from the Northwest Border of Sheng Country issued a silent order to encircle three and leave one, causing the front line stretching thousands of miles to fall silent overnight. It was as if a thunderstorm had abruptly stopped at its most ferocious, but the dark clouds in the sky did not dissipate, still covering the entire land and looming over the two hundred-plus cities within Lai State, plunging them into an eerily dead silence.

In each of Qing Country's cities, the garrison could see their own brothers, in neat rows, moving toward the deep interior of Daqing.

They were going home!

This was the exact intelligence gathered by Qing Country's scouts,

Dasheng was releasing the surrendered soldiers. They not only refrained from killing or tormenting the captured prisoners but also distributed dried food, escorting them eastward back to their homes.

That is to say, even if they lost this battle, as long as they surrendered obediently, there would be no price to pay, and they could reunite with their wives and children within a month.

Moreover, the persistent persuasion to surrender by Sheng Country's soldiers outside each city caused all the defending armies within Qing Country's cities to be in a state of panic.

However...

Every Qing Country city's commander was telling their subordinates.

"Brothers, hold on for a few more days!"

"Our reinforcements are coming soon!"

"Just the last forty days!" Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"No, thirty days!"

"..."

To give everyone the faith to persist,

each city's commander used the psychological tactic of "quenching thirst with hope," shortening the stated arrival time of reinforcements to boost the troops' morale.

In fact,

Qing Country's reinforcements were indeed almost there.

The spies within the territory almost daily sent back new intelligence, and each time Qing Country's reinforcements had advanced a great distance.

Therefore, not only were the soldiers and generals of Qing Country anxious but the soldiers and generals of Sheng Country were also nervous. They didn't understand why they had to stop when they had been winning all along.

If the attacks continued, how long it would take to capture the city was uncertain, but they knew that if they kept dragging on like this, they would only be waiting for Qing Country's reinforcements, which might lead to a major defeat.

Outside Yong Yue Prefecture.

The military camp of Dasheng.

"Mad!!!"

"Bang—"

Fan Tianfa had just finished reading the intelligence from Meizi County and nearly toppled the entire sand table over: "Commander Meng, Chen Sansi is crazy! Do you know what he said? He not only refused to go to Zhao Tong Prefecture but also plans to stay in Meizi County for ten days! Ten days! If we wait these ten days, Qing Country's reinforcements will arrive!"

"What should we do now?"

Zhan Taoming paced back and forth, his face full of worry: "Commander Meng, my advice is to revoke Chen Sansi's command authority and issue a death order for him to go to Zhao Tong Prefecture!"

"Hmm..."

Meng Quji pondered deeply.

The current situation, if Zhao Tong Prefecture could not be taken and this deadlock continued endlessly, it would indeed become very dangerous.

He sighed and said, "It was my fault for trusting Chen Sansi too much. The responsibility is mine. I will revoke his command authority immediately and then issue a death order for him to go to Zhao Tong Prefecture. Whether it's by persuasion or force, as long as he can take Zhao Tong, he will have passed the test."

"Everyone, calm down!"

Just then,

An attendant pushed Fang Qingyun into the Central Army Tent. He said leisurely. "Have you all forgotten something? Initially, Vice General Chen told us he would take down all thirty-six prefectures of Lai State, not just one."

"Can't we see his plan? Rushing headlong into the northeastern direction is to push from north to south in a sweeping advance. But how is this possible? It would take so much time!"

Fan Tianfa said anxiously, "We didn't ask for so much; even the military order specifically mentioned only Zhao Tong Prefecture. It would already be good to take Zhao Tong Prefecture!"

"Yes, General Fang, Vice General Chen has used too many ingenious strategies. He's somewhat too greedy and isn't suitable for the current situation,"

Meng Quji said gravely, "The pressing matter is to capture Zhao Tong Prefecture and then split our forces to deal with Qing Country's reinforcements at Green Ridge Mountain. Anything else will have to depend on the situation."

"Not enough, just one Zhao Tong Prefecture is not enough."

Fang Qingyun raised a letter: "I have just received information. The King Jing from Nan Xu has gathered a hundred thousand troops, and they're now on standby at the border. Ninety percent chance, they will reach the outskirts of Green Ridge Mountain in coordination with Qing Country's reinforcements."

"How many?"

Meng Quji's expression grew solemn: "A hundred thousand, isn't Xu Country still at a stalemate with Prince Zhen Nan? If they can dispatch so many troops, are they preparing to lend their full national strength to assist Qing Country?"

Truly, one move sets the whole body in motion!

All of these were triggered by the chaos in Ming State. These enemy countries had been preparing for a long time.