Shen Yu's troops had had enough rest in the past few days and were ready for battle in the afternoon.
There were many people sitting in the room, and Cao Guangjin frowned when he heard the general's arrival.
"Then the trench was dug only west feet wide?" As if he didn't believe it, Cao Guangjin asked again: "Only west feet?!"
The general said: "The west ruler is still a little short of that."
"A trench as wide as a west foot is useless." Cao Guangjin couldn't help but swear, "What are they doing?"
The general said: "I saw that those soldiers were idle. After digging for a while, they lay down to bask in the sun. As soon as the sun set, they went back with shovels and hoes."
"Then Shen Yu didn't say anything?" Cao Guangjin asked.
"I didn't say anything. He said that the soldiers did a good job. So they patrolled the city wall and competed with Xiao Chuan to see who could shoot farther."
"This Shen Yu!" Cao Guangjin slammed the table angrily, "She was deceived. I listened to her analysis of the battle situation and thought she was capable. I think she was just paraphrasing the words of King Beilin."
"Sir," someone said tentatively, "I think we should just drive the people out of the city first."
"I'm afraid it's easier to invite gods than to send them away. How can we drive people out without any reason?" Cao Guangjin said.
One person said: "I think there is some conspiracy. After all, Shen Yu was appointed by the late emperor as the Marquis of Yu. If she didn't have any means, how could she survive in Shengjing, a place that eats people but doesn't spit out bones."
"Wasn't there Xie Tingzhou who was in charge at that time? What does she know as a woman?"
"But if she doesn't have any skills, can King Beilin trust her to come here alone with her troops?"
A group of people were all talking, each holding his own opinion.
Cao Guangjin said: "Ignore them for now, let's follow our previous arrangements. If Shen Yu's soldiers dare to cause trouble, come and report them quickly."
The next day was spent digging trenches and basking in the sun as usual. In the afternoon, Cao Guangjin couldn't sit still and hurriedly climbed up the city wall.
The sun is nice today, and the sun is quite warm in the cold wind.
Cao Guangjin saw Shen Yu doing nothing, sitting on the stone steps talking to Xiao Chuan.
"Princess." Cao Guangjin stepped forward and said, "Princess, I couldn't tell you the day before yesterday that the Xijue people would launch another attack in the next two days, but now it's already time, why haven't the Xijue people come yet?"
Shen Yu raised her head, "Wouldn't it be better if we didn't come? From what I heard, it seems that I'm expecting the Xijue people to attack the city."
Cao Guangjin was speechless for a moment, "This... this is different from what the princess said before."
"I'm just guessing." Shen Yu smiled and stood up, "Besides, the day hasn't come yet, it's not dark yet, what's the hurry?"
"It's a matter of military affairs, not a trivial matter!" Cao Guangjin was a little angry, "The princess has arranged for people to dig trenches outside for the past two days. What role can the trenches play? If the Xijue people really attack the city, who can bear this responsibility!"
"I'll take it!" Shen Yu stared at Cao Guangjin, "Why don't we make a bet? If I block this wave of siege tonight, you and your troops will obey my orders. If I can't block it, you will tie me up." Do you dare to bet on sending it to Shengjing?"
How can a man listen to "dare you dare"? Cao Guangjin thought to himself, if she is really capable of fighting, then he will not lose.
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!"
Cao Guangjin walked down the city wall with his sleeves fluttering, but his steps stopped suddenly. He suddenly remembered today's attack that Shen Yu had just mentioned.
He turned around and saw that she was still talking to Xiao Chuan.
Why is she so sure that the Xijue people will attack the city today? Are you sure it's tonight?
Xiao Chuan said: "The scouts have visited, and the Xijue camp was mobilizing troops in the morning."
"The scout touched too far forward. It was too risky. Don't press so close in the future." Shen Yu squatted down and looked at the map spread out on the ground.
"The scouts have explored such a far place. They are either not alert, or they deliberately let us know that they are going to use troops. From what I know about Boda, he is a cautious and cunning person."
Xiao Chuan said: "Victory can only be achieved by surprise. He deliberately revealed it to us? This... is not very reasonable."
"It sounds unreasonable." Shen Yu said, "But they started to organize their troops in the morning and they haven't attacked yet, so I guess they will choose to attack after dark."
Xiao Chuan thought, his legs were numb from squatting, and he changed his position, "They are hanging us, making us fearful from the morning. They hang us until night, thinking that we can relax and rest. They will take this time to attack again. Another surprise."
Shen Yu threw away the stones in her hands and stood up, building a pergola with her hands and looking into the distance, "This Boda has a very different style from the previous leader of the Western Jue. I have never fought against his father, but I have heard about it from my father. His father Hudugu is good at fierce attacks, while Boda combines the tactics of the Zhou people and prefers ambushes and sneak attacks."
Xiao Chuan's legs were as numb as needles, and he stood still, "Then we can't delay them. Our soldiers have been guarding for most of the day, and we need to rest and prepare for the tough battle at night."
Shen Yu nodded, "Let the garrison come to change shifts, and our people will go down to rest. They will take turns after dark. Be careful to make less noise when changing shifts."
Xiao Chuan nodded and ran down the city wall quickly.
Night opened its mouth in the sky and swallowed up the entire ground.
Cao Guangjin tossed and turned. He didn't want to believe Shen Yu's judgment, but he was also afraid that she was right.
As soon as Cao Guangjin closed his eyes, he heard a faint noise coming from the wind.
He quickly stood up and opened the door, and heard the sound of drums and the roar of soldiers outside.
"Enemy attack——! The Xijue people are coming——!"
Cao Guangjin was shocked. He quickly put on his outer robe and walked out of the gate. There were running and armored garrison troops coming and going.
A beacon fire was lit on the city wall, and then the beacon tower in the distance also lit up.
Cao Guangjin rushed to the tower through crowds of soldiers, and lay down between the parapets to see what was going on outside. As soon as he stretched out his head, he was grabbed by the collar and pulled back.
Then an arrow passed through the place where he had just been lying.
Cao Guangjin was so frightened that he realized that he had been thrown to the ground when he raised his head.
The person standing in front of him was Shen Yu.
Shen Yu was half-bent and leaning behind the female wall. Without even looking at Cao Guangjin, she grabbed a soldier and pointed at Cao Guangjin and said:
"Drag him down here, don't let him get in the way here."
Cao Guangjin was half-strangled and half-carried by the soldiers to the entrance of the stairs to the city. When he turned around, he saw Shen Yu raising her hand.
"Destroy——!"
Several voices followed, "Destroy!" "Destroy!"
The torches on the city wall went out almost at the same time, the city wall fell into darkness, and the soldiers became silent and silent.
Shen Yu leaned against the female wall. After a while, the arrow rain above her head stopped, and the sound of wheels moving could be heard outside the city.
"The people of Great Zhou are all fucking cowards. They don't even dare to fight us. Let's attack them."
"Coward! Coward! If you have the ability, come down and fight!"
The garrison in the city was furious.
Cao Guangjin was stopped and refused to go up. He pulled the soldier who dragged him down and said, "What is her plan? Why doesn't she fight? The Xijue people are almost under the city wall."
The people Shen Yu brought were surprisingly quiet.
She had already said hello and scolded them before the battle just to make them lose their composure. Anyone who dared to act impulsively would be dealt with according to military regulations.
Xiao Chuan came over from the side and knelt down next to Shen Yu, "They brought a flying bridge, and they were damn well prepared."
① Flying bridge, also known as "flying river" or "moat bridge", was used by ancient people as a short bridge for the mobility of siege troops in order to pass obstacles such as trenches or moats outside the city. It originated during the Warring States Period.
