stjorthotic Chapter 80: Morale Turmoil
Chapter 80: Morale Turmoil
Rongcheng.
The raging fire was so intense that it was devastating. It took all the officers and soldiers around the grain depot 25 minutes to put out the fire.
The subsequent statistical results caused everyone to frown deeply, and Fang She even felt a sweet taste in her throat, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.
This sudden fire reduced their stockpile of hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain to a mere hundred thousand, severely crippling Rongcheng's logistical supply.
Looking at the charred granary filled with the pungent smell of burning grain, Wu He sighed deeply.
As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall. The previous attacks by the Liao Kingdom seemed fierce, but they were insignificant to the defenders of Rongcheng. This could easily breed contempt and complacency among some people.
This is exactly the result the Liao Kingdom wanted to see. The sudden burning of the granary marks the beginning of their real siege.
A shortage of food supplies would definitely affect the morale of the garrison troops. If the siege continued for too long, the garrison troops would inevitably collapse without a fight.
Conquering cities is inferior to conquering hearts and minds.
As expected, Fang She was so angry about this that she vomited blood three times and almost fell into a coma due to serious injury.
As night fell, he beheaded all the soldiers guarding the granary, displaying their heads in public. The blood stained the entire granary gate, sending chills down the spines of the surrounding soldiers.
The punishment is a minor matter; the key issue is how to resolve the supply problem.
Left with no other choice, Fang She had to seek grain and supplies support from the nearby Bazhou Town Garrison.
There are several large granaries there, which are important military granaries prepared by the imperial court for the Northern Expedition. For now, we can only allocate grain from there to quench our immediate thirst.
"The grain should arrive in ten days at most. We have enough rations left to last for ten days. After you return to camp, you must be sure to boost morale. Anyone who dares to undermine the morale of the army will be executed on the spot."
"Go."
After this incident, Fang She seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. He sighed deeply and waved his hand, and Wu She and the others then walked out one by one.
Back at the East Gate camp, Xiang Zeting rushed forward anxiously and asked, "General Wu, how is the situation?"
"General Fang has decided to seek grain support from Bazhou. If all goes well, sufficient grain can be allocated within ten days."
"Ten days... I'm afraid we'll really be going hungry..."
Xiang Zeting smiled bitterly in a low voice upon hearing this.
The remaining grain and fodder is only 100,000 shi, which sounds like a lot, but it is not enough to support the 7,000 garrison troops and 300,000 civilians of Rongcheng.
Ordinary people are alright; going hungry for a few days isn't a big problem.
For soldiers who need to charge into battle, the amount of rations they consume every day is staggering.
Martial artists, in particular, consume several times or even dozens of times more food and supplies than ordinary people.
Therefore, it would be extremely difficult for 100,000 shi of grain to last for ten days.
Moreover, these ten days are definitely the most efficient timeframe; under normal circumstances, there will certainly be some delays.
It is clear that we are about to endure a period of hunger and hardship.
Xiang Zeting sighed several times, then forced a smile, turned and walked into the camp. Facing the countless soldiers staring at him expectantly, he grinned.
"Brothers, don't worry. General Fang said that the Bazhou garrison will immediately allocate grain and supplies to support us. We have enough food left to last through this period of time."
Upon hearing this, the worried soldiers secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the camp, which had been shrouded in a somber atmosphere, suddenly seemed a little more lively.
As he was boosting morale, Wu He climbed the city wall and gazed into the distance.
Liao soldiers were already building fortifications around Rongcheng, a dark mass that covered the entire land.
No one knows when they will attack the city again. Maybe it will be within a few days, or maybe it will be when the Rongcheng defenders are so hungry that they are too weak to fight.
"As expected, it's always your own people who understand you best, and they're also the ones who are most ruthless towards you."
Wu He felt a faint surge of anger stuck in his throat.
Because the Liao soldiers besieging Rongcheng were actually the Youyun Han army, who had the same roots decades ago, and now that they were fighting each other, their tactics were also insidious and vicious.
Just then, he suddenly heard some commotion. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw some figures rushing out of the city, shouting loudly as they charged towards the Liao camp.
He was then riddled with arrows from the city wall, turning into a pincushion.
Finally, Sun Lin's report revealed that these people were local residents of Rongcheng.
Fearing that their supplies would be destroyed and the garrison soldiers would resort to cannibalism, they banded together and escaped when the guards were lax, hoping to defect to the Liao Kingdom and secure a chance to survive.
Little did they know that this very thought would become their death warrant.
The death of a few civilians is not a big deal, but it alarmed Fang She.
Fearing that the people in the city would rebel and undermine the city's defenses, he repeatedly emphasized that night that he would not allow his men to commit any beastly acts.
As citizens of the Great Zhou, the Zhenguan Army is not like those ragtag bandit troops.
Despite the timely emphasis and clarification, everyone in the city remained on edge.
After inspecting the houses in the East City Tower, Wu He planned to return to his camp for a rest in the middle of the night.
The cold moonlight shrouded the loess road, casting long, lonely shadows as armored soldiers patrolled past, their long spears and halberds gleaming coldly.
Upon reaching a certain point, Wu He suddenly stopped.
With the heightened senses brought about by his perfected No-Return Arrow Technique, he keenly detected some unusual movements in his surroundings.
His handsome, cold face was half dark and half gloomy. He took the spade-shaped broadsword from behind his back and held it up in front of him with a bang.
Then, with lightning speed, he drew his bow and shot an arrow. The arrow pierced through the eaves with a thud, followed by a muffled groan, and a dark figure fell heavily to the ground.
Like a stone thrown into still water, the once desolate night suddenly became bustling with activity.
Several dark figures darted out from all directions.
Wu He rested his hand on the Plum Blossom Knife at his waist.
Reed reed reed!
In a flash, a cold light flashed, swift as thunder, like cutting grass, limbs flew everywhere in its path, and blood splattered the night sky.
Ding!
Just as he finished using the Thunderclap Saber Technique, Wu He suddenly sensed a slight movement behind him, which vanished in an instant. He instinctively turned around and raised his saber, blocking a four-foot-long sword in time.
Standing before them was a middle-aged man who was over nine feet tall, hunched over and thin, with a goatee, narrow eyes, and a cold, sharp gaze.
When Wu He blocked the sword, he felt as if his tiger's mouth was about to crack open. The force was extremely strong, and there were also invisible gusts of wind like knives hitting his face. In the blink of an eye, several bloodstains appeared on his fair face.
The Blood Burning Realm!
Wu He's pupils trembled slightly as he instantly realized what was happening.
The fact that such a powerful attack could break through his face, which was protected by the Golden Light Mantra, clearly indicates that he has far surpassed the Bone Strengthening Realm.
Among the four levels of body tempering, the Blood Burning Realm is the final step. Its characteristic is that it allows for the complete and flexible use of qi and blood energy, increasing its power several times or even dozens of times.
A formidable rival!
With his alertness at its peak, he immediately took two steps back, drew his spade-shaped broadsword, and leaped onto the roof.
The tall, thin, dark figure moved with unpredictable speed, and Wu He was blocked from moving forward after only a few steps.
"You think you can get away unscathed after killing so many of my men?"
The voice of the Greedy Wolf Spider was as shrill and unpleasant as a crow's.