The Demon Lords

Chapter 454 56 The Disappeared Army_2

At that moment, sudden cheers erupted from atop the walls of the imperial capital. First, there was a smattering, then a unified cry erupted:

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long, long live!"

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long, long live!"

Zheng Fan looked up. Indeed, a Golden Imperial Flag could be seen on the city wall. This indicated that the Qian Emperor had personally made his way to the city wall. The presence of the ruling monarch, the Emperor himself, on the city wall would enormously boost the morale of the Qian Army.

Especially at this moment, the sole hope of the Yan Army was not to eradicate the Qian Army by besieging the city, but rather hoping the overwhelming pressure would cause the Qian Army to collapse from within. After all, there had been countless instances of the Qian Army collapsing on its own, so it wasn't an unrealistic dream. However, the arrival of the Qian Emperor nearly shattered this possibility.

Zheng Fan surreptitiously turned towards Li Fusheng, finding no particular change in his emotions. Today, Li Fusheng seemed somewhat odd. He was not as wild nor as arrogant as usual, appearing eerily calm instead. In his past life, Zheng Fan had kept pets. His current impression of Li Fusheng was like when he had taken his studio's pet dog to be neutered.

Atop the wall, Emperor Zhao, donned in a dragon robe, walked forward with a smile, often stopping to inquire about the soldiers' well-being. It was impossible for a ruler not to possess the skill of winning people's hearts; it was merely a question of whether they bothered to use it. The soldiers of the Qian Army began cheering like madmen, wishing for the Yan people to launch their attack immediately so they could demonstrate their prowess to the Emperor. Baili Xianglan followed behind the Qian Emperor, her gaze persistently darting towards the Yan Army formation below the city wall.

Eventually, Emperor Zhao climbed the tower and sat on a platform where wine and water had been prepared. This was all prearranged. He dared to sit so ostentatiously only after confirming that the Yan people possessed no artillery. What slightly dissatisfied Emperor Zhao was that only tea had been prepared; no chessboard was set up. He felt like an actor with extremely high standards for his performance, displeased by even the slightest flaw.

With the stage set and every player in place, it was time for the gongs to be struck and the drums to be beaten.

Li Fusheng swung his arm, and the flag-bearers behind him immediately relayed the main general's orders. In the next moment, large numbers of Qian people were ushered forward from the flanks of the Yan Army. They held swords and spears, clad in their ordinary clothes.

Zheng Fan pursed his lips. The Blind One had warned him about this. Using Qian people to fill the moat and exhaust the defending Qian city's resources was a common battlefield tactic.

The Qian Army on the wall instantly erupted into an uproar, cursing the Yan people for their shamelessness. Seeing his own subjects swarming below, the Qian Emperor, who was seated there to watch the battle, felt his face cloud over.

"Fire the arrows!"

"Fire the arrows!"

The city's defense army showed no mercy. Noticing the people below erecting siege ladders, they immediately ordered an attack. In no time, arrows fell like a swarm of locusts, causing heavy casualties among the people below. They instinctively wanted to retreat, but the Yan Army cavalry on the periphery drove them back.

Then, a second wave of Qian people from the capital region was driven forward.

"COUGH, COUGH..." Zheng Fan could not help but cough twice. The scene was too gruesome. He found it somewhat unbearable but did his best to control his reaction.

The people living in the capital region were closely tied to the imperial capital; many of the Qian Army soldiers' families lived outside the city. Consequently, curses and shouts rose and fell from the city wall. Many defending soldiers wept openly as they fired arrows downwards.

Li Fusheng just sat there with his eyes slightly closed, tapping his fingers lightly on his saddle. It seemed he was enjoying the moment, showing no discomfort whatsoever.

Despite Zheng Fan understanding that a general needed to be sufficiently cold-blooded, seeing Li Fusheng relishing the scene still made him click his tongue in dismay. This commandant, who had earlier told Zheng Fan to restrain his own murderous impulses when necessary, wasn't merely bluffing.

The next group of Qian people pushed forward were unarmed. They could only pick up the weapons from those who had fallen beside them. The siege ladders had long since been destroyed.

On the city wall, the Qian Emperor had already risen and left. He had come expecting to see his army fight the Yan people. However, the scene before him brought him, the Emperor, great dishonor. Because the people below the city were also his subjects, this scene was akin to a slap across his face.

After seeing the Golden Imperial Flag disappear from the city wall, Li Fusheng gave a slight smile. It was as if he had just finished listening to a concert, having been immersed in its artistic ambiance.

"AAH..." Li Fusheng yawned and made a beckoning gesture. The orderly behind him quickly relayed the command. Then, the Yan Army began to sound the gongs, signaling a retreat.

From beginning to end, not a single Yan Army formation had attempted to rush the city. Everyone had just watched. When the time came, they all returned to camp.

Upon returning to the main camp, Li Fusheng went straight into his great tent, ordering that he would see no one unless there was military intelligence from Qian State. "No one" explicitly included Zheng Fan.