SWNOVELXO Chapter 200: The Fall of the City
Chapter 200: The Fall of the City
“Xu Lian, what do you think?”
Ye Beining looked at Xu Lian. Although Xu Lian rarely participated in command or battle planning, he had a clear understanding of the situation. Sometimes, even Ye Beining had to admit that the people of this world didn’t call Xu Lian the “Sage” for nothing.
Xu Lian’s mind was indeed as clear as a mirror. His original goal had been to force the imperial court to negotiate so that the people of Jiyu Village could survive. However, the situation had now escalated beyond his control.
At this point, he had two choices.
The first was to ask the imperial court to negotiate.
However, it was uncertain whether the court would agree.
The imperial elites were already mobilizing against them, and the situation was still within the court’s control. The court had no reason to negotiate and could easily crush his hundreds of thousands of men.
Alternatively, the court might pretend to agree to negotiations, only to turn around and annihilate him and everyone from Jiyu Village after his surrender.
Or, out of pride and anger, the court might refuse to negotiate outright.
There were many possibilities, and the variables were significant.
The second option was to abandon the idea of negotiations and seek to overthrow the imperial court and establish a new dynasty.
With his hundreds of thousands of “ragtag troops,” it would be impossible to achieve this goal, because the empire wasn’t in chaos yet, and the court’s mandate hadn’t been exhausted.
How could they exhaust the Court’s mandate?
The simplest and most direct method was to give some troops to other geniuses, allowing them to rise up in different regions and plunge the empire into complete chaos.
They wouldn’t even need to give too many—just one or two thousand troops would be enough.
These geniuses were all top talents from major factions, highly intelligent and resourceful. With one or two thousand troops, they could gather hundreds of thousands, plunge the Empire into chaos, and exhaust the Court’s mandate.
However, this would inevitably result in countless casualties, and Xu Lian, as the initiator, would become a historical villain in this world.
Of course, if they succeeded in overthrowing the court and establishing a new dynasty, Xu Lian would become a legendary hero of this world.
“Don’t burden yourself with guilt. Even without you, this empire would eventually fall into chaos. The court takes 70% of the grain, and the people can barely survive. A single drought or locust plague would push them over the edge, and sooner or later the empire would descend into chaos. You’ve just sped up the process.”
Seeing Xu Lian’s hesitation, Ye Beining tried to reassure him.
Xu Lian understood this logic, but he still needed a justification to ease his conscience. Ye Beining had provided that justification.
Xu Lian said, “Alright, I agree to give them a unit of troops to rise up in other regions.”
The four young geniuses were overjoyed and quickly thanked Xu Lian.
Even the most skilled housewife can’t cook without rice. They lacked the initial “capital” to start their rebellion!
With just a little bit of “capital”, they could emulate Xu Lian, stir up storms, and conquer the world.
Xu Lian added, “I have a few conditions.”
The four young geniuses exchanged glances. This was expected.
“You will give us troops to rise up. Of course, we won’t forget you.”
“We’ve already thought it through. After we rise up, we’ll give you a glowing treasure for every city we conquer.”…
Xu Lian shook his head, “I don’t need you to give me any glowing treasures.
That’s an unrealistic promise. Once you rise up and gather hundreds of thousands of troops, why would you fear me?
You’ll surely break that promise.
So such a promise means nothing to me.”
The four young geniuses were embarrassed. They had actually considered this…
Xu Lian calmly said, “I prefer more practical conditions.
First, after we leave this realm, each of you must give me 100 million Spirit Stones.
If other geniuses borrow troops from you after your rebellion, they must also give me 100 million spirit stones.
100 million spirit stones might sound like a lot, but for top-tier geniuses from major factions participating in the Hundred Boats Secret Realm, it’s pocket change.
I believe that no genius would risk his reputation for 100 million spirit stones.”
The four young geniuses nodded their heads in agreement. Indeed, 100 million Spirit Stones were insignificant to each of them, not worth breaking their word over.
However, if three or four hundred geniuses each gave Xu Lian 100 million, it would no longer be a small sum. Xu Lian had made a clever calculation.
Xu Lian continued, “The second condition is that during and after your rebellion, you and the other geniuses must minimize civilian casualties. No looting, pillaging, or indiscriminate killing. I don’t want to be responsible for throwing this world into chaos.
The third condition is that when we finally capture the imperial capital, overthrow the court, and establish a new dynasty, you and the other geniuses must renounce any claim to the throne and support me as emperor.
We are all outsiders. What we want are the glowing treasures. After the one-year period, we’ll leave this world. This world’s throne means nothing to us. I only want the throne to end the chaos.
I don’t want to leave a mess after we’re gone, with factions of hundreds of thousands fighting over the throne, causing even more casualties.”
The four young geniuses immediately agreed.
“Don’t worry, we’re not monsters. We don’t want to accumulate too much karma and bloodshed.”
“After we capture the Imperial Capital, we’ll support you as Emperor, end this chaos, and let the common people live a good life…”
Of course, they spoke sweetly to borrow troops…
Xu Lian wasn’t easily convinced. “Good. In that case, let’s sign a blood-soul oath, written in blood and sworn with our souls!”
The expressions of the four young geniuses changed. The Blood-Soul Oath was an ancient pact associated with a cultivator’s path. Whether it was truly effective was uncertain, but it was better to believe in it than not. Any genius who aspired to become a supreme power wouldn’t dare break such an oath lightly. Who would risk their own path?
Xu Lian pricked his finger and wrote it down, following the format of the Blood Soul Oath recorded in the Sacred Spirit Record.
The four young geniuses hesitated for a moment before pricking their fingers and signing. As long as they kept the oath, there would be no problem. Besides, Xu Lian’s three conditions weren’t too strict.
The oath had an additional clause: If their faction lent troops to other geniuses to rise up, those geniuses would also have to sign the same Blood Soul Oath.
“Come on, you three sign as well.”
Xu Lian looked at Ye Beining, Shui Yingyue, and Xiang Chengxing.
The three of them were speechless, but they had no choice. They pricked their fingers and signed.
“Good.”
Xu Lian ordered, “Give them the five thousand troops.”
The four young geniuses thanked him again and happily led the five thousand troops away, heading to other regions to rebel instead of participating in the attack on the prefectural city.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”…
Xu Lian’s vanguard of one hundred thousand men had already reached the outskirts of the prefecture city. They stopped at a distance and lowered their shields. The ground trembled under their sheer numbers, a testament to the pressure they exerted.
In less than half a month, they had captured five counties, rallied hundreds of thousands, and now stood at the gates of the prefectural city, their morale at its peak.
The Prefectural City had already closed its gates. The walls were lined with a dense array of guards, standing at attention.
Ye Beining didn’t rush to order the attack. He waited until the entire army of hundreds of thousands had arrived before giving the order to attack the city from all sides!
First, the archers unleashed a barrage of arrows to suppress the defenders on the walls. Then the order was given to charge!
“The first to scale the walls will be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces and the title of viscount!
“The first to kill a defender will be rewarded with a thousand gold and the title of Count!
“The first to break through the city and open the gates will be rewarded with ten thousand gold and the title of Marquis!”…
Ye Beining’s voice was cold and commanding as he announced the rewards, boosting morale.
The first wave of the attack included thirty thousand men.
Some carried long ladders.
Others pushed siege towers with pointed logs.
Some wielded long swords, machetes, kitchen knives, hoes, and wooden sticks… There simply weren’t enough weapons, so they used whatever they could find.
A huge, endless flood was sweeping toward the prefecture city.
Xu Lian, who had nothing better to do, spent time in the tent with Shui Yingyue, building their relationship. The task of commanding the battle was left to Ye Beining and Xiang Chengxing.
After all, even if Xu Lian personally took command, he wouldn’t do any better than Ye Beining, who was the young lord of Wuguang City and far more experienced in leading troops.
On the first day, wave after wave of attacks were repelled by the city’s defenders. The base of the walls was soon littered with countless corpses. The war was brutal.
The majority of the casualties were on Xu Lian’s side. The defenders suffered few casualties because they had better equipment and the advantage of the high walls. Boiling oil, stones, and even hot excrement were thrown down from above. It was unbearable.
Ye Beining’s strategy was simple: overwhelm the defenders with numbers, giving them no time to rest. That night, the attacks continued relentlessly. With so many troops, they could rotate and keep up the pressure.
The fighting continued throughout the night without a break.
By the next morning, the defenders were visibly exhausted and their ability to hold the walls was weakening. Some attackers managed to scale the walls and engage the defenders in hand-to-hand combat.
“The defenders are exhausted and can’t hold out much longer! Fame and fortune are within reach!”
Ye Beining’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse from shouting. “We have no retreat! Think of your families behind us! If we retreat, the imperial court will hunt us down. The only way is forward! Kill one, and it’s a crime. Kill a million and you’ll be ennobled!”
Xiang Chengxing, also red-eyed, commanded the rear guard to execute anyone who retreated out of fear. The only option was to charge forward.
By noon, the defenders were even more exhausted. More and more attackers scaled the walls, and the defenders began to suffer heavy casualties.
Evening.
The setting sun was red as blood.
At Ye Beining’s insistence, Xu Lian personally came to the front lines.
“The king who will overthrow the world is here!
He is the Sage who has foreseen our victory in this war!
He is the messenger from heaven, here to save the people and overthrow the court!”
Ye Beining shouted hoarsely, raising his arm in a rallying cry.
“…” Xu Lian had gotten used to this. Dressed in a red cloak, gleaming armor, and holding a jeweled sword, he stood silently beneath the royal banner.
When the exhausted troops saw Xu Lian, they were reinvigorated as if injected with adrenaline. They launched a frenzied attack.
Xu Lian was like the last straw that broke the defenders’ resolve. A section of the wall was completely overrun.
Countless attackers poured into the city.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”…
As the heavy city gates opened, the battle was effectively over.
Without the advantage of the walls, the remaining defenders were no match for the attackers who outnumbered them ten to one.
Xu Lian and the three geniuses rode into the city on horseback, immediately scouring it for glowing items. They found over a dozen of them and secured them.
“Report!”
A scout rushed in. “Fifty thousand elite black-armored soldiers from the imperial court are on their way to the prefectural city! They are expected to arrive by noon tomorrow!”
Ye Beining waved his hand. “Understood.”
Although the imperial elite only numbered fifty thousand, they were still elite troops. Even with ten times their number, Xu Lian’s forces couldn’t win. They would crumble on contact…
Xu Lian didn’t need to guess Ye Beining’s next move. “Next, you’re going to burn down the prefecture city, replenish our forces, and move elsewhere?”
Ye Beining grinned. “Exactly. If we can’t win, we won’t fight. Our goal isn’t to occupy territory, but to find glowing treasures.”
Shui Yingyue and Xiang Chengxing were also in high spirits. They now had almost thirty glowing treasures. Even if they only got a tenth, it would still be several items.
Besides, the Shui family had an agreement with Xu Lian to share the treasures equally.
To be honest, Xu Lian now regretted having agreed to share the treasures with the Shui Family. He hadn’t expected to amass so much glowing treasure by causing such a storm in the Hundred Boat Secret Realm.
But since he had already agreed, he wouldn’t break his promise. Besides, the current harvest had far exceeded his expectations. It was better to be satisfied.
After a night of rest and replenishing their forces, Ye Beining ordered the prefecture city to be set on fire. Then they led the hundreds of thousands of troops away in a grand procession.
Although their numbers hadn’t increased, their equipment had greatly improved. After all, they had captured the weapons and armories of the defenders from five counties and one prefectural city.
“The fifty thousand black-armored soldiers have arrived and are closing in on our rear.”
The scout reported.
Ye Beining wasn’t worried at all. He sneered, “They’ve been marching nonstop, traveling through the night. They’re exhausted and won’t be able to chase us for long before they need to rest.”
He ordered the worst infantry battalion to stay behind as a rearguard. They weren’t expected to stop the elite black-armored soldiers, just delay them.
Even if it was a battalion of ten thousand pigs, the imperial soldiers would still need time to deal with them.
As expected, the black-armored elite soldiers, exhausted from their long march, defeated the rearguard and then stopped to rest. They just couldn’t keep going.
“As soon as they rest, they’ll come after us again. With hundreds of thousands of troops, we’re too cumbersome and won’t be as fast. They’ll catch up eventually.”
Ye Beining ordered the army to split into five routes.
The first route was led by Xu Lian himself, with Ye Beining, Shui Yingyue, Xiang Chengxing, and Wang Er staying with this group.
This first route concentrated the reconnaissance units, cavalry, and other “elite” forces-the core of their uprising. As long as they escaped, it would be a victory.
The other four routes were led by appointed deputy generals and served as cannon fodder to intercept the elite black-armored soldiers.
By the time the elite soldiers broke through these four lines of defense, Xu Lian, Ye Beining, and their party would be long gone.
The black-armored elite soldiers could only watch helplessly. The numerical disparity was simply too great. Xu Lian’s side had the numbers to spare and could afford to use them however they pleased, without a second thought.