Free Web NovelChapter 1138: Chapter 1080: Army at the Gates (Part 2)
Although he didn’t believe it, as the saying goes, no wind, no waves. Since such news could spread, it is enough to show that the other party has some capabilities.
The more capable the other party is, the less he wants to see it, especially after the other party actually took out his eldest prince, leaving him heartbroken. Deep down, he does not want to be enemies with them.
It is imaginable that the opponent is definitely a formidable character. The fact that his prince couldn’t even survive a single move under the opponent’s hand clearly indicates that he is no match for them.
However, it’s a bit late to say anything now, even if he submits a surrender letter, it’s likely that the opponent would ignore him.
After all, what they want is clear to him.
They want the entire Zhao Country’s land, not his submission.
Especially now, the opponent has conquered countless cities in succession, practically reaching the Capital City. Once they seize this Capital, Great Zhao Country would essentially be in their hands; at this point, all he can do is resist.
So, after observing for a while, he returned to the Imperial Palace with his people, as the opponent still has two days before reaching them, allowing him to indulge for the last time in these next two days.
Of course, in these two days, he could barely sit still or lie down peacefully.
He hasn’t even had a good sleep, as whenever he closes his eyes, images of countless armies besieging the city flash through his mind, which he never wants to see. Despite exhausting all his strength, he still couldn’t withstand the opponent’s advance.
Each time he’s jolted awake from such a dream, he finds himself soaked in cold sweat.
He hasn’t experienced these kinds of days for many years.
And all these are because of the actions of his most prized eldest prince. In these two days, he kept thinking that if he hadn’t allowed the eldest prince to send troops to attack You Country, perhaps, owing to his stability, they wouldn’t be attacking so soon.
In the end, it really all blames his most relied-on eldest prince.
If it weren’t for the fact that the eldest prince had already passed away, he might genuinely want to beat him up right now.
Comparatively, he now finds his third son not so bad. Perhaps being a lord who defends a city is not a bad thing, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about other countries invading.
"Father, father, something’s not good, something’s not good, a major issue has occurred.
They are attacking, they are attacking!
They’ve already sent soldiers to surround the city!"
Just as he sat up and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, suddenly, a voice hurriedly reached from outside, and a figure rushed into his room in panic.
Upon seeing who came, King Zhao couldn’t help but sigh helplessly.
Looking at his rushing third son, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, thinking that his son still seems not to be fit for significant responsibilities. Although he’s just as flustered, there’s no need to show it.
As the Emperor of Zhao Country now, his every move is observed by countless people. If he shows panic, how will the soldiers below proceed?
Will they have the confidence to defend and help him fight?
Evidently, even now, no matter how panicked he is, he must pretend that nothing has happened.
Accordingly, he tidied up his robe and then sternly rebuked the third prince:
"What does your panicking look like? Get out of my sight and help me dress properly. Let’s put on our armor and go up the city wall now.
Also, have all those generals’ families up on the wall, position them at each battlement as previously arranged.
I can’t believe it; do they really dare attack?"
The third prince took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then said to King Zhao:
"Father’s teachings are remembered by this son.
Moreover, Father, those families have already been directed up to the wall. They are probably already tied up and positioned at the crossing, where they can definitely be seen."
Hearing this, King Zhao nodded approvingly to the third son, thinking inside that his son wasn’t entirely ignorant after all. For example, at the moment when he had not given orders, he had already done this, proving his foresight is good, and that’s enough.
Without further delay, he immediately donned his armor and, with his third son, headed towards the city wall outside Capital City.
By this time, civil and military officials also woke up from their dreams, quickly changed into their official robes, and gathered below the city wall with him.
Of course, they dared not climb the wall, given that there are 100,000 troops outside the wall, and who knew if those in charge might suddenly shoot arrows at them and take care of them?
These old foxes are tremendously cunning, really swaying with the wind.
If one side shows absolute advantage, they would undoubtedly side with them without hesitation.
Just like now, even though King Zhao had already personally ascended the rampart, these generals did not do the same, choosing rather to stay safely in the rooms below the city wall.
Meanwhile, outside the city, Lin Yi had already led the army to a position about 2,000 steps away from the wall.
This position, previously coordinated, was absolutely safe. Even the Cloud-piercing Crossbow couldn’t reach them here.
As for whether the opposite side might suddenly send people to open the gate for a surprise attack, this was also within Lin Yi’s plan; the army had prepared in advance, considering they were 100,000 strong, and breaking through their ranks with 20,000 troops was absolutely unrealistic.
Hence, Lin Yi was not worrying at all; having arranged for the army to camp outside the city, he calmly let the soldiers light fires to cook and take turns resting.
According to Lin Yi, he did not intend to launch a night attack, as nighttime operations were unfavorable. Even if he managed to kill King Zhao, entering the city at night would cause unnecessary trouble; the darkness could hide threats, like sudden arrows, which would be detrimental.
Thus, King Zhao stood on the city wall and gazed at the sprawling campfires below, among which tents sprung up one after another. Seeing this scene, King Zhao couldn’t help but speculate: are these people intending to besiege us?
However, this was in line with his wishes; he really didn’t want to fight.
Moreover, he had tied all the generals’ family members up on the city walls, and it was pitch black; they could easily be mistaken for the garrison. If a barrage of arrows came unexpectedly, he’d have nowhere to cry.
And should they really do such a thing, the hatred those generals would have towards him would skyrocket like never before.
At that point, even without Chūkoku ordering his men, these generals might swarm in to attack the city.
Whereas, in daylight, it would be different; the soldiers seeing the people on the walls would have reservations, which is the outcome he desires.
Although he thought this way, he still had worries; perhaps the opponent was playing tricks on him.
[To be continued...]
