A Change of Command

"Besieged?"

Xiao Mingyuan chuckled, his tone full of impatience:

"Do you know how much grain they've stored? They've emptied the granaries of five major surrounding villages, enough to feed the villagers for more than a year. What, you plan to lead 20,000 troops and waste a year at the foot of this mountain?"

The generals inside the tent looked at each other in bewilderment, none of them daring to respond. If they were to besiege the area for a year, not to mention whether the imperial court would agree, the cost of provisions for these 20,000-plus men alone would be an enormous sum, which they simply could not afford.

Wei Zheng frowned and said again:

"Your Highness, there is one more matter to report. The army did not carry much food when it set out, and now that we are locked in a stalemate, our supplies are even more strained. I implore Your Highness to coordinate the transfer of supplies from the rear; otherwise, let alone a prolonged siege, we may not even be able to sustain ourselves long enough to return."

"Food supplies! Food supplies! All you know how to do is ask the imperial court for food supplies and military pay!"

Xiao Mingyuan flew into a rage and abruptly stood up:

"If you can't even take down a shabby stronghold, what use are you to the imperial court? Continue the attack tomorrow! I refuse to believe that 20,000 elite imperial troops can't crush a mere Azure Cloud Stronghold!"

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Wei Zheng suddenly looked up, his tone urgent:

"Both the Black Armor Guards and the border troops are the elite forces of the imperial court. Such a reckless assault, disregarding losses, even if we filled all eight thousand Black Armor Guards on this mountain path, might not be enough to breach the fortified walls. It's truly a losing proposition. I urge Your Highness to reconsider!"

A fierce glint flashed in Xiao Mingyuan's eyes. He stood up and took a few steps forward, raising his riding whip and striking Wei Zheng with a dull thud.

"If you can do it, then do it; if you can't, then get out of here. There are plenty of people willing to fill in! Tomorrow at dawn, cook the meal; at dawn, attack the mountain. Anyone who dares to cower or back down will be court-martialed!"

Wei Zheng was struck on the shoulder by the whip, the Mystic Iron plate making a dull thud as it was whipped.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with anger—he had fought half his life and earned his position as commander of the Black Armor Guard through hard-earned military achievements; he had never suffered such humiliation.

His clenched fists tightened and loosened again, but he didn't dare to really lash out. He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, I respect you as a prince, but His Majesty has personally appointed me as the commander-in-chief for this battle, and all offensive and defensive operations are to be coordinated by me. The battlefield is not child's play; we cannot act on impulse."

Xiao Mingyuan sneered upon hearing this, reached into his robes and pulled out a gilded token, slamming it onto the table with a "smack."

"Commander-in-Chief? Open your eyes and look at this."

Wei Zheng stepped forward and picked up the token. His fingertips touched the cool, gilded patterns. The front was engraved with the words "Supervisor," and the back was stamped with the royal seal. It was indeed a token personally bestowed by His Majesty.

His expression darkened slightly, and he placed the token back on the table.

"Your Highness holds the military supervisor's order, which allows you to oversee military affairs and discipline, but you have no authority to deploy or command troops. The attack on the mountain is a perilous undertaking; please refrain from interfering in military matters."

"No authority to command?"

Xiao Mingyuan chuckled and tapped the token heavily with his fingertips:

"If I say so, then so be it. Your Commander Wei cherishes his soldiers and is reluctant to fight, but there are plenty of others willing to fight."

His gaze shifted, sweeping over Zhou Lie, the deputy commander of the border troops standing in the flank, and he pointed at him:

"Deputy General Zhou, tomorrow you will lead your border troops to attack the mountain. I, the prince, will personally supervise the battle. I want to see if Azure Cloud Stronghold is truly impregnable."

Zhou Lie's expression changed drastically. He subconsciously looked at Wei Zheng, then glanced at the furious Third Prince. He stood there, caught in a dilemma, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Zhou Lie's heart skipped a beat. Although he hadn't personally been on the front lines, he had heard yesterday's battle report clearly.

The Black Armor Guards were far superior to the border troops in terms of the quality of their armor, the discipline of their formation, and the individual combat strength of their soldiers. Even the border troops suffered hundreds of casualties and returned in defeat.

While his own border troops were indeed brave and fierce, they were used to fighting in the field on the border year after year. Attacking narrow passes was not their forte, and charging in headfirst would only result in a more miserable death.

But the Third Prince was publicly appointing his generals, and as a mere deputy general of the border army, how could he dare to openly disobey? He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting:

"This subordinate obeys."

Xiao Mingyuan's expression softened slightly. "That's more like it."

"But Your Highness,"

Zhou Lie then added:

"Attacking the mountain requires thorough preparation. Shield carts, crossbows, and siege equipment all need to be re-equipped. This humble general dares not rashly risk the lives of our brothers. I beg Your Highness to grant me a few more days to oversee the manufacture of weapons and the arrangement of formations, so as to minimize losses."

"A few days?" Xiao Mingyuan frowned.

"At least three days."

"Three days?" Xiao Mingyuan immediately rejected the idea. "Can the army's provisions last? At most two days. We must attack the mountain after two days."

Zhou Lie gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate obeys."

After the meeting ended, Zhou Lie did not return to his own tent, but went straight to Wei Zheng's central command tent.

Upon entering, he first bowed and apologized.

"Lord Wei, what happened today was beyond my control. Please don't take it to heart."

Wei Zheng waved his hand, his expression indifferent:

"I know. You rose through the ranks in the border army step by step through military merit, not some sycophantic good-for-nothing. I don't blame you."

He pulled Zhou Lie aside, pointed to the topographical map spread out on the table, and explained in detail the attack on the mountain yesterday:

"Yesterday's first strong attack used up a lot of the stockpiled boulders in the village, so their reserves are definitely not as good as yesterday. When you attack, don't pack the shield carts too tightly; spread them out and push them up. First, use up all their remaining boulders."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious:

"The most crucial weapon is still the rapid-fire weapon on the city wall. It has a long range and great power; it can even pierce through a half-finger-thick iron shield. Yesterday, our crossbowmen were wiped out as soon as they advanced. Without long-range suppression, our brothers attacking the city are just sitting ducks."

Zhou Lie frowned as he listened. He had only heard the gist of the story yesterday and hadn't witnessed it firsthand, so he still had some doubts.

"Lord Wei, that thing... is it really that strange? Its range is even longer than that of a war crossbow, and it can fire continuously?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Wei Zheng gave a bitter smile. "There's just one gun propped up on the stockade wall, the entire mountain path is within its range. No matter how many people charged up, they'd just be sent to their deaths one by one."

Zhou Lie stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then looked up and said:

"Lord Wei, I have an idea. What do you think? I'll have the artisans work through the night to build more iron-shielded wagons, and then stop them after advancing fifty or sixty zhang (approximately 33-40 meters) without rushing forward."

"With the shield carts in front, I have a squad of strong archers under my command, trained in volley fire; their accuracy is decent at a distance of sixty or seventy zhang. First, use the shield carts to deplete their boulders, then use arrows to suppress the fire from the city walls, and slowly advance."

Wei Zheng stared at the topographic map for a long time, sighed, and patted his shoulder:

"We have no choice but to try. Remember, don't charge headlong into the fray. If we can hold our ground, that's a victory. If we really can't hold on, don't sacrifice our brothers' lives."