NOVPUBNew Yu Era 1322, August 30
Wanyang County, westward inside the residential houses.
Lu Guanqing, Tong Wudi, Gan Wu, along with more than a dozen white-clad Wanjian Holy Sect members, and the heads of Wanyang County’s six third-rate forces were all present. They sat upright, their expressions gravely serious as they watched Gu Tianyun, who sat at the head of the table silent, the air filled with subtle tension.
The reason for their solemnity was that just moments ago, Gu Tianyun had gathered them to pose a question.
What exactly is the Demon Sect’s large army waiting for outside?
Since Zhan Taiqing had been repelled on the ninth day of August, for over twenty days, the Demon Sect’s large army outside had made no moves whatsoever. The grand army on the city walls remained, and the continuous stretch of tents outside the west gate hadn’t disappeared. According to Gu Tianyun, Zhan Taiqing herself had not left.
The Demon Sect’s large army of 170,000 surrounding Wanyang County City, having come with such a grand force, no one believed they would just give up on the siege. This implied they certainly had other schemes, only that no one had figured them out yet.
Since the tenth of August, there had been speculation about when the Demon Sect’s large army would launch their attack; yet there had been no action on the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and today was already the thirtieth, with still not a stir.
The unusual behavior of the Demon Sect had Gu Tianyun so restless he summoned them all, and now even he was uncertain of the Demon Sect’s intentions, which spoke volumes of everyone’s mounting anxiety.
"Could they possibly be waiting for reinforcements from the Demon Sect?"
The one who spoke was the Sect Master of Tianding Sect, Tong Wudi. Upon hearing this, nobody responded, evidently not too convinced by his speculation.
"Waiting for reinforcements to conquer Wanyang County? If the Demon Sect is so incompetent, there’d be no need to wage war against Xuzhou. Zhan Taiqing’s strength is not weak; with enough willingness to sacrifice troops, breaking through Wanyang County would at most require fifty thousand people. She must be able to see this.
They haven’t attacked previously, possibly because of concerns about casualties, but more than twenty days have passed. It’s been a month since the Yongzhou grand army entered the territory, and the fact that they haven’t taken down a single city is indefensible. What exactly is she waiting for?"
Lu Guanqing’s words plunged everyone deeper into contemplation.
While the others fell into thought, Gu Tianyun’s face remained the most composed. After scanning the crowd, a faint glimmer of deep thought flashed through his eyes, followed by a trace of disappointment crossing his face.
"Whether the Demon Sect is waiting for reinforcements, I do not know, but our reinforcements are likely gone!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the back of the room. The disappointment on Gu Tianyun’s face vanished instantly as he turned towards the back, to find that the voice belonged to Commander Gan Wu, donning his battle armor, his eyes revealing a hint of approval.
Contrary to his reaction, the others suddenly seemed to awaken from a dream.
"Right, this month we’ve been so focused on the Demon Sect’s forces outside the city, but what about our own reinforcements?"
"Longxiang County and Yangping County should have received the message by now; by normal marching speeds, they should have arrived on the ninth or tenth."
"Over twenty days and still no arrival—could something have happened to them?"
"This…"
As the murmurs grew louder, everyone slowly came to a realization, their voices becoming lower and tinged with shock, and even fear.
Idiots!
Gu Tianyun looked down at the people below, especially at Lu Guanqing, Tong Wudi, and the heads of the local third-rate forces of Wanyang County, internally cursing with eyes full of disdain.
Cultivation and intelligence, truly two different matters...
None of the Wanyang County individuals managed to recognize the simple strategy of besieging to defeat reinforcements. It had only just dawned on Gan Wu, who was at the Dan Embracing Phase of Cultivation. And Gu Tianyun felt rather generous even calling them idiots.
On the tenth of August, the moment the reinforcements failed to arrive, Gu Tianyun had already sensed something amiss. But the problem was that Zhan Taiqing hadn’t left, and there wasn’t any noticeable reduction in the Demon Sect’s forces. Leading his hastily assembled army of over ten thousand from within the city to sally forth would have guaranteed no victory whatsoever.
Zhan Taiqing’s move of besieging to defeat reinforcements was unsolvable. Gu Tianyun couldn’t devise any strategy. The troops from the Hedong Six Prefectures wouldn’t likely cross the river to help, and the only hope for holding Wanyang County lay in the reinforcements from Yangping Longxiang counties. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
If these reinforcements were to be annihilated by the Demon Sect, it wouldn’t just be Wanyang County at stake; all three counties on the Hexi side would have to be abandoned.
Gu Tianyun could only hold Wanyang County firmly, placing his hopes that the portion of the Demon Sect sent out hadn’t managed to eliminate the reinforcements from the two counties.
He hadn’t shared his thoughts with anyone; revealing the situation would not only cause panic among the civilians within the city but also give rise to unwanted notions in these people.
By keeping them in the dark, they could still serve other purposes...
He had thought that, even if he didn’t tell them, someone would eventually figure it out given time. But now, almost a month later, he found that only Gan Wu had seen through it.
This Gan Wu proved to be a promising talent!
As Gu Tianyun pondered, a surge of energy suddenly rose from the west of the city. His head jerked upward as if he’d realized something, and a sinister light appeared in his eyes.
All three counties in Hexi were always destined to be lost. Fine, then let’s see if you, Rakshasa Holy Sect, dare to cross the river and bring the fight to Hedong!
"Gu Tianyun, will you abandon the city yourself, or do you prefer that my Holy Church’s grand army slaughters until the river runs red with blood before you flee? The choice is yours!"
Zhan Taiqing’s voice resounded not only within and outside Wanyang County but also clearly into the ears of the more than two million people in the city.
The soldiers of Wan Yu stationed to defend the west gate instantly looked up, fixing their gaze upon that ethereal silhouette in the sky, and the eager Demon Sect army on the walls, seemingly ready to pounce at any moment, their eyes filled with horror.
