194: Chapter 194 Fourth-Grade City-Protecting Array

Xiao Cui blinked her eyes.

"But... didn't we just finish a battle? Aren't we going to rest for a few days?"

"There is no time to rest." Zhou Qingying withdrew her hand and turned to walk back. "Pass down the order: gather the city's craftsmen and able-bodied men to repair the city walls."

"Ah? Now?"

Xiao Cui was stunned for a moment.

"Now."

Zhou Qingying spoke without looking back, "My husband is out fighting a war, so we must take good care of our home in the rear. The city wall is our lifeblood; we cannot afford to delay even for a single day."

Xiao Cui didn't dare say more and hurriedly ran off to deliver the order.

That afternoon.

Mu City began a vigorous project to repair the city walls.

Zhou Qingying personally oversaw the site, directing the craftsmen and laborers.

Although she didn't understand wall construction, she knew how to manage people.

Those who slacked off were punished.

Those who worked well were rewarded.

Simple and direct, the results were immediate.

In just a few days, most of the cracks on the city wall had been patched up.

Zhou Qingying stood atop the city wall, looking at the continuous mountain ranges in the distance, still feeling uneasy.

The wall was repaired, but could it stop the Yao Race?

She didn't know.

But she knew that every bit of extra preparation meant one less bit of risk.

For her husband, for her children, and for this home, she had to consider everything in advance.

Half a month's time was neither long nor short.

But for Su Bai, this half-month was enough for him to completely organize Mu City.

General Li Tao's property was inventoried, half of the grain in the granaries was distributed to the commoners, and the rest was kept as military rations.

Of those eight concubines, five were willing to go home, so Su Bai gave them travel expenses and sent them back.

The remaining three who were homeless were given to several of his Centurions.

Those Centurions were as happy as if it were the New Year, repeatedly shouting, "Long live the General!"

Su Bai irritably cursed them for being "worthless" and turned to leave.

Half a month later.

Outside the East Gate of Mu City.

Ten thousand troops were lined up neatly, standing in several dense square formations.

Su Bai sat on his horse, looking at this army, feeling somewhat moved.

A year ago, he only had a few dozen men under him, and they couldn't even eat their fill.

Now, he had an army of ten thousand, well-equipped and high in morale.

Among them, three thousand were Cultivators.

Three thousand Cultivators equipped with Spiritual Artifacts—this force was among the best in all of Yun Province.

Ma Lie rode beside Su Bai, grinning. "General, when these ten thousand men are deployed, won't those people in Jing Prefecture be scared out of their wits?"

Su Bai said calmly:

"Jing Prefecture has King Zhou Li and a Fourth-Grade City Protection Array; it won't be that easy to take."

Ma Lie chuckled. "No matter how hard the battle is, with the General here, we can win."

Su Bai glanced at him but didn't respond.

He looked up toward the distance.

That was the direction of Jing Prefecture.

"Depart!"

The army of ten thousand set out majestically, their banners blotting out the sun and dust flying in the air.

They approached Jing Prefecture step by step.

After marching for two days.

Su Bai and his group arrived at Jing Prefecture.

Looking from afar, the city walls of Jing Prefecture shimmered with a faint golden light under the sun, and the entire city was enveloped in a translucent light shield.

That was the light of a Fourth-Grade Array, the Dragon-Elephant City Protection Formation.

Dragon patterns faintly swam across the light shield, and the low trumpeting of elephants could be heard from time to time.

Su Bai pulled the reins and squinted his eyes to watch for a long while.

"A Fourth-Grade Array indeed lives up to its reputation."

Ma Lie sat on his horse, scratched his head, and said, "General, this thing looks quite intimidating. Can our Heavenly Meteor Array blast it open?"

Su Bai didn't answer.

He turned to look at Su Xing behind him.

Su Xing immediately dismounted, pulled a scroll of blueprints from his robe, and spread it on the ground.

"General, the walls of Jing Prefecture are four zhang and two chi high, and about two zhang thick. The array core of the Dragon-Elephant City Protection Formation is in the Prince's Mansion in the center of the city, supported by thirty-six array pillars, each guarded by a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator."

Su Bai crouched down to examine the blueprint while asking:

"What about the weakness?"

Su Xing pointed to the southeast corner of the city wall.

"Here. The Qi flow of the Dragon-Elephant City Protection Formation has a tiny lag at this position. Although it lasts for less than a breath, it's enough for us to do something."

Su Bai nodded, stood up, and looked at the nearby city walls of Jing Prefecture.

At this moment, light flowed over the walls of Jing Prefecture; clearly, the Fourth-Grade Array was in a standby state, ready to activate at any moment if danger was encountered.

There were also a large number of soldiers patrolling outside the gates.

Su Bai did a rough count; there were over a thousand people patrolling just outside the city gates.

Tang Yu, King Zhou Li, was indeed cautious.

He truly deserved his reputation as the last prince of the Great Zhou to declare himself Emperor.

Su Bai mounted his horse and led the army to slowly approach.

The army of ten thousand stopped three li outside the city.

Banners fluttered; the war drums had not yet sounded, but a murderous aura had already spread.

Atop the city wall.

Tang Yu wore a bright yellow dragon robe and a flat-topped imperial crown, with a long sword hanging at his waist, looking quite majestic.

However, his face looked somewhat weak, inexplicably giving off a sense of physical deficiency.

Tang Yu held onto the battlements, glanced down, and grinned.

Looking at Su Bai below, he spoke mockingly:

"Su Bai."

"I don't know why you are so arrogant. You dare to attack my Jing Prefecture with a mere ten thousand troops?"

Tang Yu shook his head and shouted contemptuously:

"Do you think I, Tang Yu, am an easy target? Or do you think Jing Prefecture has no one?"

"Su Bai, if you leave now, I can still spare your life. Go back and guard your two pathetic cities well; don't come here to make a fool of yourself."

The generals on the city wall also joined in the jeering, shouting and yelling incessantly.

"Exactly! Where did this brat come from, not knowing the heights of the heavens!"

"Our Prince declaring himself Emperor is the mandate of heaven! What kind of thing are you?"

"Scram quickly! Don't dirty our land!"

Su Bai sat on his horse, listening to these words with an expressionless face.

"Tang Yu, you still have the face to say such things?"

"Your Majesty was just captured by the Yao Race, and you immediately declare yourself Emperor in the rear. You are a Prince of Great Zhou, eating the stipends of Great Zhou and enjoying the glory of Great Zhou, yet before Your Majesty is even dead, you are in such a hurry to become Emperor?"

Su Bai sneered and continued his verbal assault:

"In the past, someone like you would be called a treacherous official. Today, you are called an ungrateful villain."

Tang Yu's expression on the city wall changed.

Su Bai didn't give him a chance to speak and continued, "Do you think I don't know? Did you really think no one could find out about your dealings with the Yao Race?"

Tang Yu's pupils suddenly constricted.

Su Bai pointed at Tang Yu on the wall, his voice suddenly rising.

"You, Tang Yu, secretly sent grain, grass, and weapons to the Yao Race in exchange for them not attacking your Jing Prefecture! Half of the Cultivators in your hands were trained for you by the Yao Race! On the day you declared yourself Emperor, the Yao Race even sent an envoy to congratulate you!"

"You betrayed the Human Race and defected to the Yao Race, yet today you have the face to stand here and talk to me about the 'Mandate of Heaven'?"

"Are you worthy?!"