Empire

In the dark wilderness outside the provincial capital, the Qinghe Army camp stood brightly lit.

Armoured soldiers were on guard every three steps and every five steps, while patrols were moving back and forth. The entire camp was on high alert.

"You are such a bunch of good-for-nothings. You were always shouting that you were invincible, but why are you silent now?!"

In the spacious tent, the sullen-faced Marshal Zhang Dayuan was furious and scolded his deputy general Luo Dagang and others.

Deputy General Luo Dagang and other generals were ordered to lead 20,000 elite Qinghe troops to attack the provincial capital.

After a day of fierce fighting, not only did they fail to capture the provincial capital, but they also suffered heavy losses, which made Marshal Zhang Dayuan very angry.

He rejected all objections and let his trusted general Luo Dagang be responsible for the siege, just to establish his own prestige in the Qinghe Army and to win some opportunities for his confidants to make contributions.

Unfortunately, although Luo Dagang and others shouted loudly, they were like silver guns and crayon heads, which looked good but were useless. Not only did they not gain any advantage in a day's attack, but they suffered heavy losses, which made people laugh.

Luo Dagang and others were defeated, and Marshal Zhang Dayuan's face was also hot, because this was equivalent to slapping him in the face

"Marshal, it's not that we didn't try our best to kill the enemy, but the defenders were too fierce, and each of them was like a desperate criminal......."

Deputy General Luo Dagang was scolded and tried to explain with a bitter face, just like a wronged young wife.

"Don't make excuses for me! I don't want to hear it!"

Before Deputy General Luo Dagang finished speaking, Marshal Zhang Dayuan interrupted him impatiently.

"I just want to ask you one question, can you take the provincial capital for me? If you can't, I will replace you!" Zhang Dayuan stared at Luo Dagang and said sternly.

Luo Dagang knew very well that if he was really replaced this time, he would never be able to make a breakthrough in the future.

"Marshal, I, Luo Dagang, will risk it all. I will personally lead the siege of the city tomorrow. If we fail to take it, I will live in shame!"

Luo Dagang was also ruthless. He knew that he had no way out, so he could only grit his teeth and sign a military order.

""Report to the commander, Deputy Commander Chen requests to see you."

At this moment, a guard soldier strode into the commander's tent, saluted with his fist across his chest, and informed the deputy commander Chen Ru that he requested to see him.

"Please come in, Vice Marshal Chen"

"promise!"

"What are you still standing there for? Go back and reorganize your troops and fight again tomorrow.——"

Zhang Dayuan saw that Deputy General Luo Dagang and others were still standing there, so he waved his hand impatiently and asked them to leave.

When Deputy General Chen Ru stepped into the military tent, he saw Luo Dagang and others walking out with downcast faces. He knew without a doubt that they had been scolded.

"Marshal, are you still angry?

Seeing Zhang Dayuan sitting there angrily, Deputy Marshal Chen Ru asked with a smile.

"Brother Chen, please don't laugh at me. How can I not be angry when these useless guys fought such a cowardly battle and suffered heavy casualties?" Zhang Dayuan couldn't help but sighed.

Chen Ru comforted him,"Victory and defeat are common in the military. It's just a small setback. Why get angry?"

After Zhang Dayuan invited Chen Ru to sit down, he said solemnly,"The scouts reported that the dynasty's expeditionary army is rushing here day and night. If the capital cannot be captured for a long time, our Qinghe Army will be in danger of being attacked from both sides."

"Marshal, don't worry. I came to visit you late at night just to offer you some advice."

Chen Ru sat upright in a chair, stroking his goatee, looking mysterious.

"Brother Chen, please stop keeping us in suspense. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

Zhang Dayuan's curiosity was aroused, just like a drowning man grabbing a straw, he was eager to know what good strategies Chen Ru had.

Seeing Zhang Dayuan's anxious look, Chen Ru couldn't help but feel a little proud in his heart.

After all, Zhang Dayuan wanted to take the credit for capturing the provincial capital alone to improve his personal prestige.

At the military meeting, he, the deputy commander, and another deputy commander Xu Fu could not compete, so they could only watch Zhang Dayuan nominate his trusted generals to attack the city. Now the siege is not going well, but his trusted lieutenant general Chen Ziang unexpectedly learned of a tunnel leading to the city.

In this way, it will not be easy for Marshal Zhang Dayuan to take the credit for the siege alone.

"Chen Ziang's troops were responsible for blocking the west of the city. They found a secret passage leading to the city in a village."Chen Ru said slowly

"Are you serious?!"

Zhang Dayuan was not a fool, so he naturally knew what it meant to have such a secret passage leading into the city.

Chen Ru said confidently:"This secret passage was privately dug by the wealthy Shen family in the city. It leads directly to the Shen Mansion. I have sent Chen Ziang to lead people into the tunnel to check it out."

Zhang Dayuan was furious because of the unfavorable attack on the city just now, but now after hearing this, he suddenly smiled.

"God is really helping me!"

Excited Zhang Dayuan couldn't help but stand up and paced back and forth in the general's tent, trying to digest this unexpected surprise.

Chen Ru sipped his tea in small sips, looking calm and composed, because he knew very well that the Qinghe Army would be able to enter the city at noon tomorrow at the latest.

After Zhang Dayuan paced back and forth in the general's tent excitedly for a few times, he realized that he was too excited and lost his composure. He smiled awkwardly and sat back down.

"Brother Chen, we must adjust the deployment of the siege without delay. Zhang Dayuan said.

Chen Ru nodded, but did not speak. He was waiting for Zhang Dayuan's next words.

"Tomorrow morning, I will personally lead 50,000 troops to attack the city head-on. You send elite troops to enter the city through the secret passage. We will cooperate from inside and outside, and the provincial capital will surely be captured."

After hearing Zhang Dayuan's words, Chen Ru also got a satisfactory answer, that is, he, Chen Ru, can also get a share of the credit for the siege.

After Chen Ru and Zhang Dayuan discussed some details of the cooperation, Chen Ru left with satisfaction.

When he returned to his own tent, Chen Ru was not idle either. He immediately called the lieutenant general Chen Ziang, who was in charge of the ninth battalion, to come to him.

"The commander-in-chief asked me to organize troops to sneak into the city through the secret passage, and to defeat the enemy tomorrow with internal and external forces. The secret passage was discovered by your Ninth Battalion, so I give this mission to you, and you must not make any mistakes."

Chen Ru now likes Chen Ziang more and more, because he thinks Chen Ziang is simply his lucky general.

"Deputy Commander, I will use the enemy's heads to prove to you that your decision to choose our Ninth Battalion to carry out this mission is the wisest decision."

Chen Ziang got such an opportunity to make a contribution, and he also flattered Deputy Commander Chen Ru silently.

"Don't try to be so slick, go back and prepare yourself. If you fail, I won't forgive you." Chen Ru scolded with a smile

"Then I will leave!"

"Go ahead."

Seeing Chen Ziang walk away, Chen Ru smiled with satisfaction. It was his blessing to have such a brave general under his command.

Chen Ziang did not rest after returning. He selected a hundred elite veterans and the prisoners in the camp to form a death squad.

The death squad was led by Wang Hu, a thousand-man general, and Li Tiechui, a newly appointed hundred-man general. They were responsible for sneaking into the city and then cooperating with each other to seize the city gate.