Free Web NovelChapter 1205: Chapter 1187: Fleeing and Abandoning the City
The explosives from Zhao’s Weapon Workshop come in several types: those for blasting rocks, those with strong penetration, those with a scattered destructive effect like a celestial rain, and, of course, those that are just loud but not very lethal.
The explosions outside now are the type that are notably loud but not very lethal.
After all, they were dealing with their own people, not external enemies, so Wang Xuan didn’t want to use overly cruel tactics.
Like Gan Zhuo, he didn’t expect to capture Wangcai County quickly. His target was Jianchang. Zhou Fang’s reinforcements from Nanchang would take some time, so the best strategy for Wangcai was to seek aid from Jianchang.
Despite his ferocious assault, his main forces were headed toward Jianchang, with half ambushing on the road and the other half bypassing to engage if Jianchang’s forces came out.
Capturing Jianchang would provide a place for the army to resupply and recuperate, even if Wangcai couldn’t be taken.
But... Wang Xuan overestimated Wang Yi and underestimated the power of the explosives.
The booming sounds instilled fear in the soldiers; neither Wang Yi nor Gan Zhuo was to be seen. The Assistant General ordered the soldiers to take up their weapons and hold their ground, but with little effect.
At this moment, rumors began spreading in the city: the Prefectural Governor was about to abandon the city and flee, already seated in a carriage, and General Gan had gone to stop him...
The rumors spread swiftly among the soldiers, and by the time the Assistant General heard them, morale had already collapsed. The rumor morphed into, "General! The Prefectural Governor has fled, so why are we still defending the city? General Gan tried to stop the Governor from fleeing and was killed!"
The Assistant General’s eyes widened, momentarily forgetting to stop them from fleeing, and instead asked, "How do you know this?"
"Everyone is saying so!"
These words sent a chill down the Assistant General’s spine, and he realized it was over. He immediately drew his sword and killed a few soldiers who were turning to flee, commanding them not to spread rumors and to all get onto the city walls.
"Without orders, no one is to leave. Bring all the bows and arrows and prepare to repel the enemy!"
But he could only hold them for so long. With Wang Yi’s absence, even when forced onto the city walls, the soldiers’ willingness to resist was low.
Wang Xuan astutely noticed that the number of arrows shot from above and the number of people on the walls didn’t match, which was a significant drop from their past encounters.
Could it be a feigned retreat to lure them in deeper?
But once inside the city... is Uncle Yi really confident they could counterattack after letting them in?
After pondering Wang Yi’s character and capability, Wang Xuan narrowed his eyes and turned to ask, "Go find the Reconnaissance Camp Captain."
The Colonel arrived running, and Wang Xuan asked him, "Are you sure that within Wangcai City, there’s only Wang Yi’s army, with no other reinforcements?"
The Colonel replied, "Aside from the original garrison of about a hundred soldiers in Wangcai County, indeed, there is only Wang Yi’s army. Our scouts infiltrated Wangcai ahead of time; should a large army enter the city, it wouldn’t escape notice."
Wang Xuan paced back and forth, "No reinforcements, so is Wang Yi out of his mind, daring to set an ambush in the inner city with just that little force?"
The breach is already open; might as well attack. Wang Xuan immediately ordered, "Bring over the latest two catapults and throw explosives into the city; aim for the city walls and within fifty meters of the gates, and prepare the siege ladders!"
The new catapults from Zhao’s Weapon Workshop came with calibrated scales, capable of both longer ranges and greater accuracy.
Their catapult operators trained for two months and have largely mastered the machines. Today, they would prove their skills.
Originally, he planned to reserve these for the battle for Nanchang, but the timing was right, and he’d regret it if he didn’t use them now.
Wang Yi was finally persuaded by Gan Zhuo to abandon his escape plans. With a sword in hand and a dignified look, he followed Gan Zhuo to the city gates, intending to boost morale and encourage the defense of Wangcai.
The busy soldiers on the city walls, seeing Wang Yi’s stern demeanor, felt their panic slightly lessen and stopped running.
Under Gan Zhuo’s commands and berating, they regained some composure. Just as they were about to launch a counterattack, a whistling sound was heard from the other side, and something wrapped in sparking cloth ascended high above, landing with a thud below the tower. Just as they wondered what it was, a massive explosion sounded... freēwēbnovel.com
The soldiers opened their eyes wide, barely able to react before another whistling sound signaled the descent of another square package wrapped in cloth, hitting the tower with a bang. Gan Zhuo’s pupils contracted, and he shouted, "Get out of the way—"
Before he could finish, a loud explosion followed, lingering in their ears and blinding them with bright flames...
Wang Yi sat down on the ground with a thud, weak in his limbs, unable to see or hear anything, and crawled and stumbled his way down the tower to escape...
The soldiers’ fleeting surge of fighting spirit vanished instantly. With the Prefectural Governor fled, how many soldiers would still defend the city?
In a fit of rage, Gan Zhuo raised his sword, intent on killing Wang Yi. The Assistant General intervened, clutching Gan Zhuo’s waist and shouting loudly, "General, if you kill the Prefectural Governor, General Wang won’t spare you."
Gan Zhuo pushed him aside, saying, "If he isn’t killed today, this city can’t be defended!"
With that said, Gan Zhuo moved to capture Wang Yi to serve as a warning, but Wang Yi’s guards quickly shielded him, whisking him down from the tower. A series of seven or eight explosive packages flew over, causing turmoil in their ranks, while the Zhao Family Army speedily approached with siege ladders, placing them against the city walls. Gan Zhuo glared at Wang Yi’s fleeing figure, angrily stomped his foot, and turned to organize the soldiers to fight back. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Wang Yi ran all the way, finding the city eerily empty. Because of the battle, civilians hid in their homes, leaving only panicked soldiers running through the streets.
Wang Yi climbed into a carriage, and a guard slapped the horse, prompting it to run quickly.
Only upon leaning back in the carriage did he feel alive. In fearful anticipation, he lifted the curtain to look out, and as they exited through another gate, he noticed no civilians, either inside or outside the city.
This was unheard of in a city at war.
He couldn’t help but ask the guard, "Why haven’t the civilians fled?"
The guard replied, "The Zhao Family Army has strict regulations prohibiting the harassment of civilians. As long as the civilians remain at home, they will be unharmed and thus choose not to flee."
After pondering for a moment, Wang Yi asked, "And what if civilians shelter enemy troops?"
The guard replied, "As long as they surrender their weapons, the Zhao Family Army will not pursue the matter."
Wang Yi: "Not even as captives?"
The guard nodded, "Not as captives, they are allowed to return to their hometowns. If they have nowhere to go, they can register as migrants and settle down."
Wang Yi fell silent, and after a while, he sighed, "We’ve lost the people’s support; Jiangnan can’t be held."
The guard remained silent for a moment before reminding, "Perhaps the lord should think about where to go. Fleeing from the city is a serious crime."
Wang Yi replied with shame, "Let’s go back to Jiankang."
Guard: "Will the Great King hold you accountable?"
Wang Yi: "I’ll plead guilty myself; it shouldn’t result in death."
Wang Yi instructed the guard to bypass Nanchang, abandoning the entire Yuzhang County, disregarding Wang Dun’s orders, as he fled back to Jiankang.
Originally, King Langya had commanded him to return to Jiankang anyway, realizing he wasn’t suited for this line of work. Let his cousin’s demands be unfulfilled; he truly can’t manage it.
