"Let me go, you beasts!"
"Aaaaah, let me go! I'll fight you to the death!"
"Where is the prince? Why isn't he here to protect us?"
"Those bastards! They stole all my money! How are my family supposed to survive now?!"
The entire Ningchuan Commandery was plunged into chaos, with rampant killings and looting everywhere. The people of Ningchuan Commandery kept their doors tightly shut, fearing that they would be targeted.
In just a few hours, most of Ningchuan Commandery had fallen, with only a few large cities still holding on, but they were already on the verge of collapse.
Ping'an City will be the first to be affected!
This is the seat of Ningchuan Commandery, which was once a royal city, so its city walls are much higher than those of other places, making it barely defensible.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Wang Sitao, the defending general, wore a bitter expression. If no new reinforcements arrived, his men would fall sooner or later. Tuoba Yu and his men had gone mad, their eyes bloodshot, like demons.
Such soldiers are like wolves and tigers; it's wishful thinking to think that I can deal with them with just the constables I have.
Princess Consort of Beining swayed, nearly falling to the ground, but she had to pull herself together and said in a deep voice, "The only option now is to hold the city and wait for the imperial army to come to our aid. Ping'an City will be safe!"
As Li Sansi's woman, she also came from a prestigious family and naturally possessed considerable knowledge and experience.
The enemy has already advanced unimpeded; the entire army at the front will inevitably be annihilated.
She had previously received news that her husband had committed suicide after being defeated in battle, and that her son was still intercepting the enemy at the Song Tao River. Now that the enemy had attacked, she feared that her son was also in grave danger.
"Didn't they say that Tuoba Yu was defeated by Lin Yi, the Heir of Northern Liang? How come he's attacked here? What exactly happened?" someone couldn't help but ask.
This clearly doesn't make sense. The enemy has already been defeated, so how could they have fought their way here? Could it be that Lin Yi and Tuoba Yu have joined forces?
At this moment, an insider spoke up, sneering, "This matter cannot be blamed on the Crown Prince of Heir of Northern Liang. It's because after Tuoba Yu was defeated, the remnants of his army actually forced our prince into a series of retreats. It can only be said that they were outmatched!"
"Presumptuous!"
Upon hearing his words, Wang Sitao flew into a rage, drew his sword, and pointed it at him, shouting, "What nonsense are you spouting? The reason the Prince was defeated was because of a traitor, not because he couldn't win!"
"Tch, what's the difference between that and not being able to beat them? It's just that they're less skilled!"
"You!"
Wang Sitao was speechless, but his murderous aura grew stronger and stronger.
Those who cause trouble at this time must not be allowed to live, otherwise a riot will break out, and then it will truly be beyond saving.
Fortunately, Princess Consort of Beining stopped him, saying in a deep voice, "Alright, now is not the time to assign blame, but to defend Ping'an City and await the army's rescue. We have received news that reinforcements will arrive tonight, and then we will be saved!"
"Are there reinforcements?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope immediately arose.
If reinforcements arrive, then everything can still be saved.
Everyone fell silent and looked at the Princess Consort of Beining. Now it was a matter of how to defend Ping'an City. This was a huge test, as the enemy numbered in the tens of thousands.
Princess Consort of Beining took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Although the Prince has died in battle, the Great Ning Dynasty still exists. You all need not worry. Today, we will keep the city gates tightly closed, and all the men in the city will take turns guarding the city, while the women will transport and move stones. We will definitely be able to hold the city!"
"Your Highness is right. The enemy doesn't have many siege weapons, so they can't do anything to us," Wang Sitao added, trying to encourage them.
Hearing this, everyone immediately gained confidence and hope; they just needed to get through tonight.
Princess Consort of Beining summoned Wang Sitao and instructed him, "Send people to search for the Crown Prince, and at the same time urge reinforcements to arrive. Once Ping'an City falls, Ningchuan Commandery will be completely lost!"
This is practically the last line of defense for Ningchuan Commandery. If it breaks through, there will be nothing left to stop them.
On the other hand, Tuoba Yu was full of pride and satisfaction.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the mountain of wealth and the various beautiful women around him.
"With these resources, we can surely build an army of 200,000!" Tuoba Yu said with a smile.
The Evil Bodhisattva nodded and laughed, "With these resources, we can easily build an army of 200,000. We've really struck it rich this time. Great Ning."
Ha ha ha ha!
Everyone burst into laughter. Great Ning wasn't just rich; he also had plenty of beautiful women. This time, they could really enjoy themselves.
Yelü Dashan, with a beautiful woman in one arm, laughed and said, "I always say that when the King is short of supplies, he attacks Great Ning. It's much richer than Northern Liang! And this is only half of Ningchuan Commandery; if it were the entire Ningchuan Commandery, it would probably be even more!"
Grunt!
Upon hearing this, everyone swallowed hard. What he said was true; half the country still awaited them. Ping'an City was the location of the enemy's capital, and the home of the Prince of Beining Commandery was also there. Taking it would surely bring even greater rewards.
Only Tuoba Yu glared at them and said in a deep voice, "Don't let the immediate gains blind you. Although we have gained a lot of wealth, we also face great danger!"
I still have tasks to complete, and I can't let myself be blinded by personal gain.
Although they have won this battle, their battle lines have been stretched, which means Lin Yi has the opportunity to cut off their retreat.
If he wouldn't have targeted me before, now that I've eliminated Li Sansi, he'll definitely come after me. Even if he doesn't target me and my people, the wealth I possess is probably enough to make him act.
Moreover, that's not all; there's also the Ping'an City right in front of them.
Once the reinforcements from the Great Ning Dynasty arrive, our side will face greater risks, so we must strike first.
Upon hearing his words, everyone fell silent; that was indeed a problem.
This breakthrough is great news, but how to continue the fight and how to fight back is a big problem.
"The General is absolutely right. We have already captured most of Ningchuan Commandery. We must strike while the iron is hot, occupy the entire Ningchuan Commandery, and then wait in comfort to annihilate the reinforcements from Great Ning."
"Besides that, we also need to request reinforcements from the King, otherwise we're afraid our retreat will be cut off!" The Evil Bodhisattva said in a deep voice after thinking for a while.
Everyone nodded in agreement. This was indeed crucial. Their breakthrough was a great achievement, and they had a bright future ahead of them. They couldn't afford to die like this.
Asking for reinforcements is one problem, but another problem is how to take Ping'an City.
Yelü Dashan stepped forward and sneered, "Hmph, we don't have enough men, but we still have plenty to use. With them, taking Ping'an City will be much easier."
His gaze turned outside, where a dense crowd of Ningchuan Commandery residents were being herded together—these people were excellent cannon fodder.
Use them to deplete Ping'an City's arrows, and then they'll be completely at my mercy.