Self-destruction

Along the way, the Jiannan Army could be described as sweeping away fallen leaves, pushing forward without resistance; the soldiers inevitably became a bit arrogant and reckless.

Coupled with Song Ren's slogan of breaking into Yandao County in five days and capturing the rebel leaders like the Former Crown Prince, Lu Daoyuan, Ji Chengzi, and Hong Wantong alive, the Jiannan Army soldiers became even more contemptuous of the enemy.

At this moment, Song Ren sat in the commanders tent, holding a cup of tea, fantasizing in his mind about the scene of him escorting the Former Crown Prince to the capital.

The Emperor sat on the high dragon throne, smiling as he announced in a dignified voice:

"Minister Song first repelled the Xikang Army, then quelled the rebellion and captured the traitorous Former Crown Prince; he is truly my right-hand man. Issue an imperial decree: confer upon Jiedushi of Jiannan Circuit Song Ren the title of Duke of Zhenguo, hereditary and perpetual, and grant him the hand of the Grand Princess of Nan'an in marriage."

This military officer, who had started as a Qianniu Guard, suddenly leapt into becoming a member of the imperial family and a noble of the imperial court.

"Hehehe, your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great grace!"

Song Ren sat there, muttering to himself, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Inside the city, it was a different scene. With a formidable enemy at the gates, they would be dead if they did not put in the effort. All dreams of good days, wealth, and beauties would vanish like bubbles. For the first time, these ragtag troops erupted with their full potential.

And the preparations Hong Wantong had made in advance—those mountains of rolling logs and boulders—were finally put to use.

On the first day of the siege, the Jiannan Army marched out of their camp full of confidence, carrying scaling ladders and swaggering toward the city.

What met them, however, were not the fearful gazes of the rebels, but stones and wood raining down upon them. This sudden onslaught left the Jiannan Army stunned.

With just a moment of hesitation, the Jiannan Army paid the price of over a hundred lives.

On the command platform, Song Ren was also dumbfounded. It took him a long time to react.

"This, why is it like this?"

The deputy general beside him rolled his eyes at him and silently grumbled:

"Shouldn't it be like this? Those easy battles from before were the ones that were abnormal."

In just a single day of siege warfare, the Jiannan Army suffered nearly two thousand casualties, and the morale of the entire army plummeted to the extreme.

Seeing the soldiers with their heads hanging low and looking at the mangled corpses, Song Ren's mind was still in a bit of a mess.

After a sleepless night, Song Ren finally realized that he had been too arrogant and underestimated the enemy. He immediately ordered a suspension of the siege, ordered men to return and recruit craftsmen to build siege engines, and simultaneously mobilized troops.

This final battle, which he had originally thought would be easy and over in ten days or half a month, had to be delayed.

Inside the city, Hong Wantong's prestige reached its peak. It was precisely because of his measures that they were able to achieve such results, forcing the Jiannan Army to halt their attacks.

Everyone was very happy, and the Former Crown Prince was also very happy, but only two people seemed unhappy.

"Brother Lu, look at that arrogant manner of Hong Wantong."

"Exactly, it was just one victory. If he really manages to repel Song Ren, won't he be riding on top of our heads?"

"I dare not imagine what will happen in the future if such a brute relies on his troops to act willfully."

"I suspect it won't be long before he doesn't even hold His Highness in his eyes."

"As the Former Crown Prince's right-hand men, we should dare to speak out and advise His Highness to be more vigilant."

"I fear His Highness may not be willing to listen!"

"If His Highness does not listen, then this old man will smash his head against the wall in front of him."

Some things might not be listened to when said, but they can plant the seeds of suspicion, especially when spoken by one's trusted right-hand men.

Furthermore, Ji Chengzi had several times displayed an attitude of a desperate remonstrator before the Former Crown Prince, and coupled with Hong Wantong's radiant appearance these days, the Former Crown Prince's sense of insecurity rose rapidly.

However, this was merely suspicion, until the two old men dragged him to the military camp for a tour.

"If it weren't for General Hong, we would have long since become ghosts under the blades of the Jiannan Army."

"Exactly, if the Crown Prince had listened to General Hong in the beginning, how would we have ended up trapped inside the city?"

"Exactly, if a few thousand more brothers had charged over together, I reckon Song Ren would have already lost his head."

Listening to the discussions of these grassroots officers, the Former Crown Prince's expression became extremely ugly. He had not expected that Hong Wantong's prestige in the army had far exceeded his own.

Upon returning, the Former Crown Prince could not wait to summon Hong Wantong.

Hong Wantong, suspecting nothing, arrived at the main hall, still with a haughty air.

"This humble general greets His Highness."

The Former Crown Prince did not show his usual kind smile and said in a flat tone:

"General Hong, you patrol the city defenses day and night; it is truly hard work."

"His Highness has shown great favor to this subject; this subject is determined to give his all to repay His Highness."

"Minister, you are my right-hand man. I cannot bear to see you work so hard."

The Former Crown Prince waved his hand, and a man stepped out from the shadows.

"This is my personal bodyguard, Gu Meng. He is skilled in martial arts and possesses the courage of ten thousand men. I want him to go to the army to gain some experience and also to share some of the pressure with you."

Hong Wantong's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely felt a bad premonition.

He certainly knew about this Gu Meng; his martial arts were only third-rate, and he was a simple-minded brute who could not shoulder any important responsibilities.

Gritting his teeth, Hong Wantong advised:

"His Highness is a person of immense value; how can you not have capable guards by your side? This subject believes..."

Before Hong Wantong could finish, he was interrupted by the Former Crown Prince.

"I am very safe in this city. On the contrary, the city defense is of the utmost importance. Let Gu Meng follow you."

Hong Wantong finally confirmed that the Former Crown Prince did not trust him and wanted to divide his military power to keep him in check.

After hesitating for a long time, he sighed.

"This subject accepts the Crown Prince's instruction!"

Gu Meng had clearly received instructions from the Former Crown Prince. As soon as he arrived at the military camp, he took over the defense of the South Gate, naturally also taking control of one-third of the military power.

The deputy generals under Hong Wantong were all filled with righteous indignation, but Hong Wantong sat there without saying a word.

"General, we haven't even won yet. It was just a small victory, and the Former Crown Prince is already so wary of you. If he really takes the throne in the future, I fear the General will follow in Gao Wu's footsteps."

"That's right, General. Rather than ending up dead and forgotten in the future, we might as well rebel against him."

Hong Wantong exhaled a breath of stale air.

"We are already rebels and traitors for following the Crown Prince. If we betray the Crown Prince again, who would dare to take us in?"

"Then what should we do? Are we just waiting to die?"

"That's right. Now that he is already so wary of us, I fear the day the Jiannan Circuit army retreats will be the day you and I, brothers, meet our end."

Hong Wantong kept saying he wanted to be loyal and repay the kindness of being recognized, barely pacifying the generals under his command, but in his heart, he had already made up his mind.

Song Ren was still worrying about mobilizing troops, not expecting a pleasant surprise to come so suddenly. He asked again in disbelief:

"You said Hong Wantong wants to surrender the city?"

"Exactly. My general is being suspected by the Former Crown Prince; if he doesn't surrender, he fears for his life. However..."

Song Ren was mediocre but not stupid; he immediately understood what the person had left unsaid.

"He is worried that after surrendering, he will be dealt with by the imperial court for the crime of treason, right?"

"Exactly!"

"That is easy to handle. I will send you all to Diannan Circuit; I presume the Duke of Xicheng Commandery will be happy to accept you."

The person immediately showed a look of great joy.

"That would naturally be best, that would naturally be best."

The person left. Song Ren looked at the thick night in the distance and could not help but reveal a smile.

"Hehe, do you think Diannan Circuit is some good place? Once you ragtag troops arrive under Gao Yuan's command, you will have plenty of suffering to endure."

In Guchang County, Gao Yuan, who was diligently learning with Zhao Xiyao, suddenly sneezed and hurriedly pulled the quilt up a little.