CHAPTER 467: CHAPTER 467: THE BUILDING IS EMPTY

"Hahaha, he’s not lacking in intelligence. It’s fortunate that he’s been following my lead for some time, otherwise, with his previously reckless ways, who knows what he would have turned the Liangzhou Army into."

Though these words were spoken, the admiration in his eyes was already quite clear.

The Fourth Prince raised his eyes to look at Feng Qi and the other young generals and then explained.

"Back when the Marquis of Northwest was reforming, the Emperor was still young, so many things had to be left to his hard-headedness. But I couldn’t bear to see my nephew bullied, so I sought out a capable group and had them infiltrate the Northwest."

"Shi Daquan was among them, and over the years, he’s done well, not only becoming a general in the Liangzhou Army but also earning merits this time. When the time comes for rewards, he’ll surely have his share!"

At this point, the meaning was unmistakably clear.

This Shi Daquan was a plant the Fourth Prince had placed in the Northwest.

It’s commendable that he was able to rise to such a position right under the nose of the Marquis of Northwest; undoubtedly, much effort was made behind the scenes.

Feng Qi suddenly felt a great deal of admiration.

As a person committed to his troops, he highly esteems such lone heroes.

To be able to remain steadfast for so many years without being swayed by the Marquis of Northwest—truly remarkable!

"Alright, since there’s already a result from Shi Daquan’s side, let’s not hesitate. Push from both sides, and if the former Northwest Army can be persuaded back to reason, try to surrender them. If not, kill!"

"Yes!"

With the Fourth Prince’s command, everyone immediately set to their duties.

It was as if the spring breeze gently brushed over the Northwest.

Therefore, the righteous army led by the Fourth Prince secured successive victories.

After two battles, thirty-five thousand were lost, now leaving only twenty-five thousand.

All at once, the power of the Great Yu Country within Ganzhou was perilously unstable.

Moreover, they were flanked on the east by the Imperial Armor Army led by the Fourth Prince and on the west by the Fayu Army led by Shi Daquan.

No matter which side, the remaining soldiers of Great Yu were in no state to handle them all at once.

The most crucial point was that not everyone among the twenty-five thousand under his command wished to continue their loyalty.

Despite Ganzhou’s closed gates, the city still received documents occasionally dropped from above.

These documented the crimes of the Liu Family entirely.

It stirred up unease among the populace.

And the Emperor of Dayu was furious, hopping mad to catch the person behind it.

Regrettably, he consistently failed.

This led him to suspect the guarding soldiers.

He kept feeling there were spies among them.

When he was a leader, Uncle Liu’s mind was lively and meticulous, often commanding the Northwest Army to undefeated positions.

But somehow, now that he achieved his dream of becoming the Emperor of Dayu, he’s not as sharp as before.

Eager for quick success, he became more suspicious and overthinker.

In the past, he saw everyone as loyal and righteous, but now, everyone seemed to harbor rebellious intentions.

Gradually, not only the soldiers felt it was difficult to serve him, but even those who stayed close to him more frequently found him hard to please.

This early morning, while still in his dreams, the Emperor of Dayu suddenly heard hurried footsteps from outside.

As a soldier, his habit of waking up sharply remained unchanged.

He quickly lifted the curtain and asked.

"Who is it?"

The visitor was his once most trusted deputy.

With an expression full of fear and concern, he immediately replied.

"Emperor, General Meng of the Jifeng Army has fled with eight thousand of his men."

"What?"

Fled?

What does this mean?

Could it be that he’s defected to the Fourth Prince?

Before the Emperor of Dayu could voice his concern, he saw the man explained further.

"Previously, General Meng was continuously field-training, so he hasn’t been by the main camp. Every three days, he sends secret communications, but now it’s the fourth day without a response, so I went to check on the situation last night."

"Only when I got there, everything was empty; even food, horses, armor, and weapons were gone."

Upon hearing this, even the most foolish Emperor of Dayu should understand by now.

It was clearly a premeditated departure.

"He must have defected! That scoundrel Meng Qianzhao, whom I treated well in private, dare betray my Great Yu in such a manner! Send the order to arrest everyone related to Meng Qianzhao in Ganzhou City; I want the whole world to see what becomes of traitors’ relatives and friends!"

"Yes!"

Having dared to flee, Meng Qianzhao naturally ensured his family’s arrangements were in order.

Therefore, when they rushed to arrest people, they met nothing but another empty space.

At such times, the deputy dared not report it further.

Afraid that he would be implicated next.

So, in the end, he randomly arrested some people to make up the numbers.

Executing innocent citizens who clearly had nothing to do with the matter led to untimely deaths.

This caused much alarm among the populace.

Once under the Northwest Army’s watchful protection, living peacefully; now, they couldn’t avoid questioning.

Could the Great Yu, they have turned to, really maintain their stability?

How many more peaceful nights would there be in the days ahead?

All had become a mystery.

By early April, the escaped Meng Qianzhao had returned with eight thousand soldiers to join the Fourth Prince’s "embrace."

After the affair concerning Shi Daquan, Feng Qi had seen things clearly.

Meng Qianzhao must also be like Shi Daquan—a nail the Fourth Prince had planted in the Northwest for years.

Each held command over eight thousand men.

Combined, they had sixteen thousand, which explained the Fourth Prince’s confidence to advance quickly with only twenty thousand Imperial Armor Army.

No wonder there was confidence.

With equal numbers, the former Northwest Army and the Imperial Armor Army could certainly battle.

But now, inside Ganzhou City, the place grew increasingly desolate.

Once a garrison for sixty thousand troops, now only over ten thousand remained.

While there were also over ten thousand civilians, in a full-scale battle, they couldn’t withstand such artillery.

Hence, the Emperor of Dayu had to rearrange and redistribute his military forces.

With Meng Qianzhao’s precedent, the Emperor of Dayu didn’t become even more suspicious.

Breaking the remaining ten thousand soldiers into small groups of fifty, scattered them into new camps, weakening internal connections.

But this also diminished some combat effectiveness.

Though the leadership and environment proved unfamiliar, fifty-man squads still allowed for having known faces nearby.

This required a few days of adjustment.

As they were still in the process of adapting, the Fourth Prince had already united with Shi Daquan to launch a full-scale attack on Ganzhou.

With a siege of hundreds of thousands against over ten thousand, even with a war of attrition, this battle was sure to proceed smoothly.

But the Emperor of Dayu wasn’t someone to be trifled with, and since Ganzhou was a place he’d defended for years, even the stones along the roads were familiar to him.

Therefore, he managed to hold the fort for more than half a month without breach.