Boom!
After two explosions, the entire city wall collapsed instantly, plunging the Jushi Kingdom soldiers, who had been clinging to a sliver of hope, into despair. This was undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back!
It's over!
A flicker of pain crossed the king's eyes; this was a huge problem for the Jushi Kingdom!
With the city walls breached, the Jushi Kingdom's only advantage was gone, leaving only a direct confrontation. However, their morale was currently low, and if things continued this way, they feared total annihilation.
He now regrets not agreeing to build a moat. If there were a moat, there would be another layer of defense. But it's too late to say that now.
At that moment, he knew he had to stand up, or everything would be over.
Glancing at the wounded Tu'er, he stood up abruptly and shouted, "Fellow citizens, the enemy is ravaging our homeland! They want to plunder our property! We have nowhere to retreat, so let's fight them! This is our territory, and we will not tolerate outsiders wreaking havoc here!"
home!
property!
Upon hearing the king's words, the fear in their eyes vanished instantly, replaced by expressions of anger; they felt utterly humiliated.
The nation is nothing but an illusion, but your ravages on my home and the theft of my money are absolutely intolerable.
The people of the Western Regions are known for their uncompromising nature; if you're not convinced, then fight!
"Your Majesty is right, there's no reason for us to back down!"
"That's right! We're always the ones robbing others, and now we're being robbed at our doorstep! This is simply intolerable!"
"They not only want to steal our women, but also our money. How can we let this go? We'll fight them to the death!"
"Kill them! This is the Western Regions, not Northern Liang!"
"Reinforcements are on their way. If we can defeat them, victory is assured."
The king's trusted confidants immediately responded. At this critical moment, morale must not be allowed to collapse, otherwise defeat would be inevitable. Although the city walls had fallen, there was still a chance to turn the tide.
In an instant, the army's morale soared. They had nowhere to retreat, so they decided to fight to the death.
Seeing this, the King of the Jushi Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief and looked at General Tu'er, saying in a deep voice, "Send men to throw all the furniture and stones in the middle of the road to block this gap!"
If enemy cavalry were to approach now, it would be a massacre, which was definitely not what he wanted to see.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will arrange it immediately!"
Tu'er took a deep breath and ordered, "Find something to block the way, the other archers provide cover, make sure to close the gap!"
After giving his instructions, he summoned his son and said in a deep voice, "Hasn't General Cai Yu of the Xining Army arrived yet? Tell him that if he doesn't come soon, the Jushi Kingdom will belong to the Lin family!"
The Xining Army was the army of the Great Ning Dynasty in the Western Regions, with approximately 80,000 men. They were responsible for guarding the southern section of the trade routes in the Western Regions and also connected with the Jushi Kingdom.
The only possible reinforcements that might appear on our side right now are probably from them.
"Father, Cai Yu cannot mobilize the entire army without the Emperor's order. He previously replied that he would send 30,000 men, but they probably won't arrive until tomorrow!" the Third Prince said through gritted teeth.
The king frowned slightly, a sinister glint in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "We can't worry about that now. We have to drag Great Ning into this. If they don't want Lin Yi and his son to become too powerful, they have to protect us!"
Go and tell him what I said: we're in the same boat, we have no choice!
As for you going out this time, don't come back for now. Consider it leaving some hope! If things really don't work out, don't seek revenge for me. Find a woman, get married, and have children. Maybe there will be another chance in the future!
He took a scepter from his pocket and handed it to him. It was the symbol of the Jushi Kingdom family, and he had no use for it now, so he might as well give it to this kid.
Although this kid is disappointing and even ruthless, he is still my son, so I have to leave him with some hope.
As for myself, I didn't have that many choices.
They either hand it over and watch Lin Yi grow stronger, or they fight back and put up a desperate battle.
The former was utterly defeated and might even lose his life, but Cai Yu, as the Grand General of the Xining Army, was probably not much better off. As for the latter, he still had a glimmer of hope.
"Father!" The third prince exclaimed in disbelief, never expecting his father to protect him and let him leave at this moment.
At that moment, he felt incredibly remorseful; he shouldn't have angered him before.
A hint of weariness flashed in the eyes of the King of the Jushi Kingdom, who waved his hand and said, "Go on, I'll take care of things here!"
"Father, take care!"
The third prince took a deep look at his father, then resolutely headed south towards the Great Ning garrison, which was clearly the direction of the Xining Army.
Seeing his Ziyuan, the King of the Jushi Kingdom took a deep breath and instructed his personal guards, "The city gates have been breached; defense is no longer feasible. Activate the second plan!"
"Your Majesty, this..."
The latter trembled, hesitating whether to carry out the order, which made his face turn pale.
If the second plan comes out, it will probably result in bloodshed.
Yesterday, the king issued an order that all citizens of the Jushi Kingdom aged 14 to 60 should be ready to fight for their country at any time, conscripting 100,000 people at once.
While 100,000 people may seem like a large number, their weaponry and combat capabilities are extremely limited.
Using them in battle against the enemy's terrifying crossbow formation would basically mean a nine-out-of-ten chance of death!
The king glanced at them and said in a deep voice, "Without a country, where is a home? If they don't fight now, they will become slaves of a conquered nation, and they won't even have a chance to live!"
"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand; they died for the sake of the Jushi Kingdom, and it was a worthy death!"
He wouldn't want to use these people unless absolutely necessary, but now he has no choice.
"Good heavens, are these the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors?"
Under the banner of the Xiliang Army, Jia Xu and the others watched the frenzied attack of the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors and couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle. This was too desperate!
That kind of fearless fighting style was simply insane; no wonder the opponent was completely stunned.
The army has now advanced to the city walls, and the enemy has essentially lost control. Taking the capital is only a matter of time.
"Strategist, a spy from the Net of Heaven) has reported!"
"Read!"
"The King of the Jushi Kingdom has conscripted a large number of civilians, temporarily equipping over 100,000 men in preparation for a desperate battle!"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Jia Xu's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "This is indeed a ruthless character. Knowing full well the strength of our forces, he still sent civilians to their deaths. What a ruthless hero!"
"What a ruthless fellow! No wonder he dared to provoke my Northern Liang; there's a reason for it!" Lin Rusong couldn't help but exclaim.