Chapter 309 - 157: Thousands of Armies Avoid the White Robe_6

Thankfully, the chaos in Ming State was quelled in time, otherwise, I dare not imagine what the consequences would have been.

"Mm."

Fang Qingyun continued, "By then, the allied forces of the Qing and Xu nations will amount to two hundred thousand. If we cannot conquer all the cities and gather all our troops before this, it is impossible to face such a multitude."

"So, just Zhaotong Prefecture is not enough."

"Vice General Chen’s strategy is correct, only by taking all thirty-six prefectures can we have room to maneuver when facing the two hundred thousand strong army, and avoid a complete collapse."

"Despite that..."

Meng Quji pointed at the expansive terrain on the sand table with his scabbard and said, "With only about forty days left, how do we take down thirty-six prefectures? If they were going to surrender, they would have done so by now. There’s no need to have been delayed until now at a single Mei County, clearly, they are unpersuadable."

"The likelihood is indeed slim, but..."

Fang Qingyun countered, "Do you gentlemen have a choice? Now there are only two paths, either believe in Vice General Chen, or withdraw the army early."

"Withdraw the army?"

Fan Tianfa said, "Wouldn’t that greatly disappoint His Majesty? Plus, we’ve been fighting for so long, withdrawing now would mean all our efforts were in vain, wouldn’t it? Consider the impact on the soldiers’ morale."

"Since that’s the case, why not wait and see?"

Fang Qingyun looked at them and patiently persuaded, "It’s only been ten days, two months are still far off. Perhaps Vice General Chen will really succeed?"

"General Fang."

Meng Quji sensed something was amiss, "You have so much faith in Vice General Chen. Could it be that you have guessed his strategy?"

"Vaguely."

Fang Qingyun expressed with emotion, "And if I’m not wrong, this strategy wouldn’t work for anyone else, they would only come back in disgrace. But if Vice General Chen employs it, there might be unexpected results."

"Why?"

Meng Quji asked, "Because he commanded the Four Crossings of Hongze River and is a military genius?"

"No."

Fang Qingyun paused briefly, "It’s just because of the name ’Chen Sansi’."

"As you please."

Meng Quji had no interest in persisting any further, as he never took risks, "Be prepared for both. On one hand, let Chen Sansi continue what he wants to do and, on the other, make preparations for a retreat. General Fang, please plan the retreat route, and ensure it is orderly. You know the consequences of chaos during a retreat, need I say more?"

...

Mei County.

The tenth day.

Atop the city wall, Chen Sansi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

"Assemble!"

"We march!"

The bugle sounded.

The Xuanjia Army, having rested and built up strength here for ten days, gathered in front of the city gates.

Thousands of residents of Mei County lined the streets to see them off.

It wasn’t like the dispatch of a foreign army but rather the sending off of their own troops!

During these ten days.

The Xuanjia Army not only distributed grain from the storehouses but also executed a few corrupt officials and local tyrants with notorious reputations. They were genuinely supported by the local residents, and their fame had already spread hundreds of miles around and was still continuing to spread.

"Mr. Chen!"

Xia Cong asked anxiously, "What do we do next, sir? There’s not much time left. Even if we head directly south, the timing would just barely suffice, probably leaving no spare time to stop."

"The fourth step, the momentum is established, rolling eastward unstoppable!"

Chen Sansi advanced on his horse, "From here to the southeast, all the cities we pass through, no matter their size, will surely surrender to us. Prepare yourselves to receive the official seals and manage the surrendered soldiers. Ensure everything is done orderly and without any chaos!"

Qimen County.

"Mr. Chen!"

"They’re here! They’re really here! The Xuanjia Army, three thousand strong!"

"Leading them is Chen Sansi in a White Robe on a White Horse!"

"What about the situation in Mei County, is it really as County Magistrate Li said?"

"Exactly the same!"

"The Xuanjia Army not only spared soldiers’ lives but also distributed grain from the storehouses!"

"County Magistrate Li even got his position back!"

"Then what are we waiting for?!"

County Magistrate Zhao stood on the city wall, looked at the dense crowd below, and hardly hesitated, "Quickly open the city gates! Welcome General of Dasheng!"

The city gates flung open.

The county magistrate and inspectors came out to surrender and handed over the official seals and weapons.

After staying for less than half a day,

The Xuanjia Army continued southward.

...

"The Xuanjia Army has arrived!"

"White Robe on a White Horse, no mistake!"

"Lord Thousand Households, do we surrender or not? We have a thousand men in the city; we can last two days if we fight!"

"Fight for what, to still die after two days?!"

"Open the gates, surrender!"

...

Cuiye County.

"How is it? Have the neighboring two counties surrendered?"

"They have!"

"Hurry and open the gates, welcome Mr. Chen!"

"That’s right, tie up the stubborn scouts from Xinghua Prefecture and present them to Mr. Chen!"

"..."

In just five days!

All twelve counties of Xinghua Prefecture had surrendered.

Only Xinghua Prefecture City itself was still stubbornly resisting, with about four thousand soldiers remaining within.

Atop the city walls.

"My lord! It’s terrible!"

"The entire Xinghua Region has surrendered! Now, only we are left!"

"It’s not just that they’ve surrendered, Cuoye County has even detained our scouts!"

"As for the food and fodder within the city, we claim to have enough for twenty days, but in reality, it’s only enough for the last ten days!"

"Uncle! Du Baozong urged, "Surrender! The Xuanjia Army led by General Chen is an army of benevolence and righteousness. Surrendering to them would be the best outcome!"

Ma Hu questioned, "Will they really not kill us?"

"They won’t kill us!"

Pointing to himself, Du Baozong said, "Otherwise, how would I have come back?"

"Report—"

"It’s been verified!"

"The surrendered soldiers truly all went through Ghost Gate Canyon and returned home!"

"Let’s go home too!"

"Yes, let’s go home!"

"Open the city gates!"

Ma Hu gritted his teeth, the food in the city was insufficient, and they couldn’t wait for the reinforcements that were supposed to arrive in two months: "Surrender!"

...

Qianjiang Prefecture.

"White robes, white horse, Chen Sansi leading the Xuanjia Army has arrived!"

"We still have three thousand brothers, three months’ worth of food and fodder, we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive."

"What use are reinforcements! If there were reinforcements, why would Xinghua Prefecture have surrendered? Nine out of ten, they’re just deceiving us to keep holding on!"

"Open the city and surrender!"

...

Yuanqu Prefecture.

"General, surrender! The neigboring cities have all surrendered! If we don’t surrender now, there’ll be no chance left!"

"untry!"

"General, there’s no need to betray the country!"

"After surrendering, we can go through Ghost Gate Canyon back to Daqing, and in a few months’ time, we can come back for revenge!"

"Right, this isn’t betrayal, it’s just a temporary measure. The city is empty anyway, surrender!"

"..."

...

Yizhou Prefecture.

"My lord, the civilians have revolted!"

"Audacious troublemakers, I’ve been desperately defending the city for them, how dare they revolt!"

"They say that once the city gates are opened, there will be food!"

"Nonsense! Tell the civilians that the Sheng people are deceiving them!"

"The civilians say, the Sheng people might deceive them, but Chen San, who helps the people cross rivers, won’t!"

"Moreover, it’s common knowledge that the Xuanjia Army opens granaries for food wherever they go, it can’t be fake..."

"My lord, the civilians have gone mad!"

"Everything’s in chaos, all is chaos!"

"..."

...

Heading south all the way.

Chen Sansi, in his white robes and atop his white horse, led the Xuanjia Army in such a way that wherever they passed, they faced no resistance and cities surrendered.

The Dasheng forces outside of various city walls immediately took control of the surrendered soldiers, and their path was unhindered.

Only now, at this moment.

Xia Cong finally had an epiphany: "I understand now! What my lord did back in Meizi County, that’s called building up strength. In fact, the defense forces of Lai State’s cities had already reached their limit. As long as they were convinced that there would be no repercussions for surrendering, they would completely collapse. One lead to surrender can start a domino effect; that’s called being utterly disheartened, surrendering upon seeing the others!"

...

Twenty days later.

Outside Yongle Prefecture City.

Dasheng Army camp.

"Why has there been no news of Chen Sansi for twenty consecutive days?"

Meng Quji, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth inside the tent: "General Fang, we really can’t delay any longer. Should we retreat in advance?"

"Report—"

"They’ve surrendered! They’ve surrendered!"

"The battle report from the Xuanjia Army has arrived, all twenty-three prefectures have surrendered!"

"Three thousand Xuanjia soldiers heading south, they will soon reach Zhaotong Prefecture!"

"What did you say? Hand it over quickly!"

Meng Quji snatched it and scanned through it in an instant.

On the 28th of January, three thousand defenders from Shiqiao Prefecture left the city to surrender.

On the first day of February, the Deputy General of Chongzuo Prefecture committed treason, decapitated the Main General, and led two thousand defenders out of the city to surrender.

On the eighth of February, the citizens of Huangpi Prefecture revolted, causing immense chaos within the city, ultimately resulting in their surrender.

February...

By the 19th of February, twenty-six prefectures within Lai State’s borders had opened their city gates to surrender, capturing more than fifty thousand enemy soldiers!

"My lord!"

"Incredible, truly incredible!"

"The news from our brothers at the front!"

"Any place General Chen passes by either surrenders directly or collapses from internal strife. They’ve come all the way from Xinghua Prefecture heading south, and they haven’t even killed a single person!"

"Even if the Enemy Army has thousands of troops, they seem to be intentionally avoiding General Chen!"

The momentum to surrender began in the Northern Territory, as countless soldiers avoided the white robe!