After Ji Chang nodded his assent, the Xiqi army immediately assembled and set out.
Jiang Ziya personally served as military advisor, overseeing the army's deployment. Tens of thousands of troops marched through the night and soon arrived beneath Chong City, surrounding it completely. Camps stretched across all four sides, banners snapping in the wind, their presence stern and imposing.
Chong Houhu had governed Chong City for many years and painstakingly built up his power. He had abundant troops and capable generals, while the city's defenses were as impregnable as gold and iron. Its defenders were formidable in battle.
If the Xiqi army tried to force its way in, they would inevitably be dragged into a brutal battle. Even if they eventually took the city, they would suffer heavy losses and end up with both sides badly battered.
For a time, the Xiqi army and Chong City's defenders faced each other across the walls. War could erupt at any moment, yet neither side rashly made the first move.
Faced with such a deadlock, Jiang Ziya remained calm, showing not the slightest impatience.
Certain of victory, he immediately ordered his soldiers to compile every one of Chong Houhu's monstrous crimes—his oppression of the people, framing of feudal lords, collusion with treacherous officials, harsh taxes, and more—into densely written proclamations, which were hung in conspicuous places outside Chong City's walls.
At the same time, he dispatched eloquent soldiers in chariots to take turns loudly reading the proclamations beneath the city walls, each word ringing out as Chong Houhu's evil deeds were revealed before all the soldiers and civilians in the city.
Hearing charges that were true in every detail and seeing the proclamations written in black and white, the guards atop the walls and the people within the city finally saw Chong Houhu's