To Catch the Bandits, First Catch Their King

Lin Shan thought for a moment, then spoke first.

"Chief, in my opinion, we should stick to the status quo and defend for now."

"My brother-in-law brought firearms to all four city gates, and we have plenty of ammunition. We'll use the city walls to wear down his forces."

"Didn't my brother-in-law say they don't have much food? Once their food runs out, their morale will naturally collapse, and then we'll find an opportunity to attack them from outside the city."

Zhou Tong listened from the side, but shook his head.

"Big Boss, there's a layer, have you ever thought about that?"

"If they run out of food and we hold our ground, won't they send troops to plunder the surrounding countryside?"

"These surrounding areas are all our territory. After this battle, he'll have plundered all the counties around Yuxi Prefecture, and we'll have to rebuild and restore them. That's a huge problem."

"During this period of grain distribution, every household has saved up some food. If they plunder it, we'll have more grain, which will allow us to last a few more days."

"The most critical issue is that all the people's grain has been looted. What will they eat next?"

After listening, Hu Tieniu nodded heavily.

"Brother Zhou is right."

He stood up and slammed his hand on the table.

"Then let's go out of the city and fight! We're not afraid of him."

"Let's prepare first and see what they do. If they dare to continue attacking the city, we'll give them a good beating, make them feel the pain and fear."

"Then organize a evacuation from the city as quickly as possible and defeat him in one battle."

"If this drags on any longer, the people in the surrounding villages will suffer. We can't just stand by and watch."

The generals in the tent all agreed with his reasoning and clasped their hands in a fist salute.

"I'm willing to obey the leader's orders!"

The next morning, Xiao Chenglie held a meeting in the tent.

The generals filed in, clasped their hands in unison, and said, "Greetings, Commander-in-Chief."

Xiao Chenglie waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand up.

"I had you all think about it all night yesterday, what do you think? Any good ideas? Share them."

A general stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "General, this humble general speaks first."

"Our food supplies are running low. I asked the quartermaster, and at most, we only have enough for another month."

"If we can capture Yuxi Prefecture this month, that would be good; if we can't, we won't even have enough rations to retreat with."

"Therefore, this battle must be won quickly; we cannot afford to drag it out."

"Besides, the imperial court wouldn't allow us to withdraw our troops; there's no need to even consider that."

Another general stepped forward.

"General, speaking of sieges, I must also say a few words of truth."

"Nobody knows what that thing on the enemy's city wall is. Our siege towers and catapults can't even get close enough to be effective."

Most of the siege ladders were destroyed by them; only a few were actually managed to be mounted on the wall.

"Even if we were to attack again, we'd have to rush to build siege equipment overnight. But even if the equipment was finished, this city... it's just too difficult to capture."

Then, several other generals spoke up, and they all said the same thing – there were many difficulties and the battle would be tough.

At this moment, a general stepped forward and said, "General, I have an idea. Perhaps we should prepare for both possibilities."

"On one hand, we will continue the siege here; on the other hand, I would like to lead a force to the surrounding villages to collect some grain."

"According to our scouts, the rebels have seized territory and distributed grain and land to the people. They should all have stored grain. Let's go and requisition some, just in case."

As soon as he said this, several generals nearby immediately stepped forward.

"This humble general is willing to go!"

"My lord, I am also willing to go!"

Everyone wanted to take on the job of collecting grain, but it was really just about robbing people.

Xiao Chenglie raised his hand and pressed down, and the tent finally quieted down.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll handle everything."

"Starting today, each battalion will continue to build ladders and siege equipment, and produce as many as possible."

"He only has a few firearms on the city walls. If we attack from all four sides simultaneously, with our superior weaponry, he won't be able to defend both fronts."

"Also, those firearms of his can't be used indefinitely, can they? Fighting will inevitably consume some of them, just like our arrows—will they ever run out?"

"Let's build more weapons and attack in shifts, trying to wear him down."

He paused, then said, "We'll attack the city again in three days."

"As for requisitioning grain, there's no rush."

"If we succeed in this battle three days from now, we won't need to harass the surrounding area."

"This place has already rebelled. If we go and seize their grain, it's like forcing the people to starve. Those who can't survive will all join the rebels, and then we'll be unable to eradicate them; the more we try to suppress them, the more there will be."

"But if the siege still fails after three days, then we can't worry about that anymore—we can't let our brothers fight on empty stomachs."

Upon hearing this, the generals clasped their hands in unison and said, "Your humble servants obey!"

They each took on their assigned tasks and left their posts.

On the morning of the third day, just as dawn was breaking, bugles sounded throughout the Government Army camp.

The mournful sound of horns echoed across the wilderness, one after another.

Upon receiving the order, the troops from each battalion moved out of the main camp and formed ranks outside the south gate.

For days, tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers and laborers have been working around the clock to cut down trees and build new siege weapons.

More than three hundred siege ladders, fifty or sixty well-towers, dozens of battering rams and rams, and over a hundred catapults were lined up in a dark, imposing array.

With tens of thousands of people working together, and plenty of timber on the mountain, they produced such a large batch in just two or three days, with clanging and banging.

Xiao Chenglie immediately stood at the front of the formation, looked at the well-organized troops, nodded in satisfaction, and waved his hand.

"Attack the city!"

Behind them, war drums thundered, bugles wailed, and commands were issued one after another.

The Government Army pushed the well ramparts and ladders, marching in orderly steps toward the city wall.

But the clanging of the armor plates and the sound of footsteps landing shook the ground.

Rows of long spears stood upright, as dense as a forest, their tips gleaming coldly in the morning light.

These were seasoned Government Army; their movements were perfectly composed, neither advancing nor retreating.

On the city walls, the Rebel Army was already in full battle array, ready for action.

Having won the last battle, these soldiers were in high spirits, their backs ramrod straight.

They all knew in their hearts that this battle was to protect their home.

The family had received land and grain, and were warmly clothed; they had just begun to have hope for the future. But if the city were to fall to the Government Army, all of this would vanish in the blink of an eye.

So each of them gripped their swords and spears, their eyes filled with fighting spirit, showing no sign of retreat.

Hu Tieniu stood on the city wall, holding the binoculars Shen Jingchuan had given him, looking into the Government Army' ranks.

As he watched, he suddenly noticed something, and the camera panned to the distance.

Behind the Government Army, the huge commander's flag was fluttering in the wind, not far from the city wall.

He estimated in his mind that the place was about three miles, or four or five hundred zhang.

Hu Tieniu's heart skipped a beat.

To catch a thief, first catch his king.

He remembered what the young master had said: this machine gun has an effective range of eight or nine hundred zhang, and that distance is enough to reach it.

He immediately walked a few steps to the machine gun, patted the soldier on the shoulder, and pointed into the distance.

"Do you see that commander's flag?"

"Just aim in that direction, fire a burst of bullets at me first, let's see!"