CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 44 SURRENDER_1

The following day at noon, the sun shone brightly. However, even its most comforting warmth could not soothe the anxious hearts of the many people within Chuzhou City.

Humans are remarkably adaptive beings, this capacity extending not only to the natural environment but to many other aspects of life as well.

The severed heads and war banners of the King’s army from the previous day had shattered the spirit and morale of the Qian people in the city. Just as they were preparing to lower their heads and accept this change in status, the Yan Army within the city, incredibly, marched out. Moreover, they departed with utmost thoroughness.

This left the city’s commoners and nobles with extremely complex emotions. Over the past few days, the constant shifts in posture had become somewhat unbearable for everyone.

Wen Sutong and Liu Sicheng stood atop the city walls, watching the Yan Army departing from their stronghold in neat formations below.

Wen Sutong was somewhat better off. The old man had, after all, weathered too many storms. At this moment, dressed in his official robes, he exuded a sense of leisure, like someone out for a stroll to enjoy the winter sun.

Liu Sicheng’s expression, however, was a shade more somber.

Some people are destined to be mere pieces on a chessboard. They don’t know how vast the sky is beyond the board; they just diligently play their assigned roles.

If he was meant to kill someone, he killed.

If he was meant to kneel to someone, he knelt.

Liu Sicheng was such a man. All his high spirits and ambitions from the past few days were swept away by the wind and rain with the departure of the Yan people.

"Minister Wen, you knew the Yan people would leave, didn’t you?"

Wen Sutong nodded.

"Then, if I may be so bold as to ask Minister Wen, what should we do?"

The invaders had left, so the puppet army would naturally panic. It was precisely because they knew their own worth, or lack thereof, that they became such Ergouzi.

"We’ll play it by ear," Wen Sutong replied, still calm and composed.

"I... I... My heart..."

Wen Sutong smiled. "How does it feel to take revenge?"

Liu Sicheng’s older brother had once been dismissed from office and exiled for offending a powerful figure in Chuzhou City, eventually dying of illness on the road of exile.

Now, that powerful family had been exterminated by Liu Sicheng’s blade just two days prior.

The worried expression on Liu Sicheng’s face eased slightly. He replied, "Exhilarating."

"If it was exhilarating, then that’s all that matters."

"This..."

Wen Sutong reached out, patted Liu Sicheng’s shoulder, and said earnestly, "Since you’ve made your choice, stop hesitating. The worst that can happen is that the King’s army fights its way back in. When your Liu Family is exterminated, my Wen Family will accompany your Liu Family on the road to the afterlife. By any calculation, you wouldn’t be at too much of a loss, would you?"

"That’s right... Oh no, that’s not it, that’s not what I meant, not..."

Wen Sutong waved dismissively and said, "In the days ahead, I hope you’ll handle things well, General Liu. Replenish your forces. Even if it’s just to make up the numbers, add them in. The grand Chuzhou City, how could it not muster at least ten thousand defenders to be worthy of such towering city walls?"

"I understand."

"Although, advising you to trust the Yan people... even I find it a bit strange to say. But as things stand, we no longer have the luxury to be pretentious. We have killed too many people in this city and have also offended too many. Even those who received our favor, who are now all smiles and flattery, will be the first to stab us in the back if the tide turns against us later. The more miserably we die, the more thoroughly their cowardice today will be washed clean. Alas, isn’t it laughable? The entire city is full of pigs and dogs, terrified of death, who didn’t even bark before. But when the time truly comes, they will be the ones to bite the hardest."

With that, Wen Sutong slightly raised his head, allowing his old arms and legs, which had been standing for a long time, to stretch a bit, and lamented, "However, we are worse than pigs and dogs."

「The main army marched out of the city.」

This time, the marching speed was not as exaggerated as when they had continuously broken through the Qian State’s three border defense lines; one could say they were taking it quite easy.

Firstly, there would be plenty of battles later on, so there was no need to tire themselves out.

Secondly, it was also to conveniently wait for the Qian State’s armies from the three border regions, leaving them some room to pursue.

Whether Blindman had become a groom last night, Zheng Fan didn’t know, nor did the other Demon Lords.

What was very unfair was that Blindman could "peek" at everyone else, but others had no way to peek at him.

Even if you wanted to secretly sneak to his tent at night, you couldn’t escape Blindman’s detection.

However, when men get together, it’s inevitable that they’ll crack some dirty jokes.

Xue Three rode his horse alongside Zheng Fan and whispered, "My lord, based on this subordinate’s experience, Blindman definitely didn’t do anything last night. That little lady was walking perfectly normally this morning."

Zheng Fan laughed, "Perhaps Blindman is a toothpick, and you’re a mace."

"Huh, HEH HEH!"

Xue Three, who was barely over a meter tall, grinned like an idiot. He felt that his lord’s words were truly damn pleasant to hear!

After the main army had moved a fair distance from Chuzhou City, a military order arrived from Li Fusheng, instructing Zheng Fan’s unit to proceed to monitor the Qian army in Qingshan County.

Capturing Chuzhou City had provided the entire army with very abundant supplies, but the Yan Army wouldn’t be so bored as to conquer every city they encountered on their southward march. Consequently, as the army advanced, they would also leave some Qian State cities untouched. However, to ensure the army’s advance was not disturbed, a separate contingent would be dispatched to keep an eye on the movements of such cities, partly to warn the Qian army within not to act rashly, and partly to provide cover for the main army.