215: Chapter 216 Zhang Taiping

The great hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Wan'er looked at Zhou Yun and continued, "During this period, Flower City has seen an influx of a massive population. Supplies have piled up like mountains, and everything is waiting to be rebuilt. All of these administrative affairs have been reviewed and executed by me personally."

"Under the momentum of this vast order, even I cannot say for sure to what extent I have accumulated power."

Her voice was not loud, but it carried an air of confidence that left no room for doubt.

"However, it should be more than enough to simply stop the current trial outside of Flower City."

The crowd was once again so shocked by these words that they held their breath.

Merely dealing with the current trial?

More than enough?!

That was a full 380,000 strong Four-City Allied Forces, murderous and aggressive, plus over a million organized Yellow Turbans refugees on the periphery!

If anyone else had said this, even Lei Lie or Elder Tie would have thought they were crazy.

Yet, the person who said this was Wan'er, who never overstepped her bounds and never boasted.

This made them have to believe it, no matter how unbelievable they felt in their hearts.

Zhou Yun looked at Wan'er, the surprise in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a calm smile.

He did not ask any more questions.

Since the trump card had been revealed, Flower City now had the capital to stand tall.

"In that case, let us set the tone."

Zhou Yun tapped the edge of the desk lightly, his voice clear:

"The defense arrangements will proceed as planned. Elder Tie, continue to reinforce the city defenses. Minister Wang, stabilize the logistics within the city. Minister Shang, screen the city once more for any potential hidden agents."

"The Medical Tent, food supply lines, resettlement areas, and the new citizens from the Ten Cities must also remain stable."

He paused, his gaze falling back on Wan'er.

"As for the front line, Wan'er will hold the field."

"When to strike and how to strike, you decide for yourself."

Wan'er retracted the silvery-white radiance from her body and bowed deeply.

"Understood."

Meanwhile.

Twenty miles outside Flower City, on the old road.

Under the gloomy sky, hundreds of thousands of the Four-City Allied Forces were marching rapidly toward Flower City.

Because of the terrifying combat power displayed by Flower City's Third Scout Squad at Wuyang Valley, the march along this route seemed exceptionally oppressive and cautious.

The four City Lords had even doubled the number of messengers, fearing that another equally elite ambush force would emerge from the forests on either side.

However, after walking twenty miles, there was not only no obstruction along the way, but they hadn't even seen a single hidden sentry from Flower City.

On the war chariot, City Lord Liefeng looked at the flat wilderness ahead and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Everyone, do you see it now?"

He turned to look at the other three City Lords, intentionally using his combat aura to project his voice throughout the main army.

"Given Flower City's combat strength, if they had even ten thousand, no, even five thousand elites like that scout squad, they should have ambushed us halfway and torn us to pieces!"

"But they didn't!"

"What does this mean?"

City Lord Liefeng raised his sword and pointed toward the distant Flower City, his voice becoming increasingly cold.

"It means Flower City has elites, but not enough of them."

"City Lord Qin Fang could block us for a while, City Lord Zhao Kun could delay us for a stretch, and that scout squad could snatch people from our Formation."

"But if Flower City really still had enough troops, they wouldn't let these people bleed for them on the road."

"Their main force has already been taken out by Lei Lie and Strategist Zhu Ge. What remains in Flower City now is nothing but walls, Formations, and a bunch of new citizens who have never seen blood!"

Upon hearing these words, the City Lords of Qinghe, Maple Leaf, and Nanchang all brightened up.

The gloom pressing on their hearts was torn open by these words.

That's right.

If Flower City really still had enough troops, who would watch with open eyes as City Lord Zhao Kun lost an arm and City Lord Qin Fang lost his troops?

"All troops, accelerate! Level Flower City!"

Accompanied by the roars of officers at all levels, the morale, which had been somewhat low due to the battle at Wuyang Valley, was finally forcefully dragged back up.

But just as this morale climbed to its peak.

The several City Lords on the war chariots suddenly felt something was wrong.

The ground was shaking.

At first, they thought it was the noise made by their own hundreds of thousands of troops marching.

But gradually, that vibration became more intense and dull, clearly coming from another direction on the side.

"Report!!!"

Several sharp-eyed Archers from the vanguard scrambled back to the main army, their faces pale and their voices trembling.

"To the side and front of the old road... a large number of troops have appeared to the side and front of the old road!"

"I can't see the end... I can't see the end at all! People are everywhere across the mountains and plains, at least a million of them!"

"What?!"

Except for City Lord Liefeng, who remained standing, the other three City Lords were shocked and lunged toward the edge of the war chariot.

Looking into the distance, they indeed saw a yellow tide spreading along the mountain line on the other side of the horizon.

That was definitely not just a chaotic swarm of refugees.

That crowd had Formations, big flags, and even unified Yellow Turbans wrapped around their heads. They were so disciplined that they were practically a regular army!

"This... where did this army come from?" Lord of Qinghe City felt a chill down his back.

Over a million people!

Even if they were all refugees holding wooden sticks, their combat power would be significant!

These people, appearing here at this time...

Are they friend or foe?

Thinking this, the morale of the allied forces, which had just been raised, instantly fell again, and uncontrollable panic began to appear in the military Formation.

"What are you panicking about?!"

Just then, City Lord Liefeng suddenly drew his sword, his voice exploding like thunder over the Formation.

"Those people are reinforcements I have invited!"

"They are our allies in breaking Flower City!"

This sentence was like an iron nail, forcefully pinning down the wavering morale.

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, then erupted into a long-suppressed cheer.

"Reinforcements!"

"We have a million reinforcements!"

The originally wavering front line stabilized again.

However, the other three City Lords on the war chariot were completely frozen at this moment.

They slowly turned their heads to look at City Lord Liefeng, who was sheathing his sword.

Reinforcements?

Such a powerful ally?

When did this happen?

Why were they, as three of the supreme commanders of the allied forces, completely unaware of this?

The expressions in their eyes changed instantly.

A feeling of being deeply used and played, mixed with unspeakable fear, crept into their hearts.

Originally, the status of the four City Lords was equal.

City Lord Liefeng was only vaguely the leader of the allied forces because he was good at fighting, but this did not mean he had absolute authority.

But now... everything had changed.

If this million-strong army was really brought by City Lord Liefeng, then from now on, Liefeng City would no longer be their equal, but the absolute Dominator.

Their three cities had essentially become vassals of Liefeng City.

City Lord Liefeng turned his head, taking in the expressions of the three.

A meaningful arc curled at the corner of his mouth as he stepped forward and patted the shoulder of the Lord of Qinghe City.

"Don't worry, everyone. What kind of relationship do we have?"

His tone was gentle, "As long as we take Flower City, the previous agreement will never be voided. The supplies and spiritual rice inside will still be distributed according to the rules, based on merit."

The three City Lords squeezed out stiff smiles, nodding repeatedly as if they were enthusiastic and without any hard feelings.

"City Lord Liefeng is brilliant..."

"With such allies, Flower City is within our grasp!"

But in their hearts, they were bleeding.

They had been completely used.

But the arrow was on the string; it had to be fired.

Even if they wanted to turn against him and retreat now, that million-strong army was already pressing close.

Once they really tore off the mask, City Lord Liefeng wouldn't even need to attack Flower City. With one order, acting from within and without, he could swallow their three main forces right here in this wilderness.

No matter how much dissatisfaction they had, they could only grit their teeth and swallow their bitterness.

Half an hour later.

Just as City Lord Liefeng had said, that million-strong army wrapped in Yellow Turbans merged with the Four-City Allied Forces with great tacit understanding.

A massive force of about 1.5 million in total spread out on the wilderness less than twenty miles from Flower City.

The vast sea of people spread along the wilderness, flags, wooden sticks, rusted blades, and Yellow Turbans connecting into one piece. From a distance, it looked like a murky tide pressing toward Flower City.

In front of the main army's tent.

The three City Lords met the mysterious commander who led the million refugees.

It was a Taoist who looked to be around thirty years old.

He did not wear heavy armor, but only a washed-out, old Taoist robe. The yellow turban on his head was also very old, its edges worn and frayed.

He held a bamboo staff in his hand, his figure lean. Standing before the crowd, he could make people quiet down more effectively than any armored general.

The moment the three City Lords saw him, a strange chill arose in their hearts.

It was not ferocity.

It was a kind of toughness, the kind that remained after seeing too many people starve, freeze to death, and collapse by the roadside, yet still being able to stand before people and command everyone to move forward.

His name was Celestial Master.

What made the three City Lords feel even more incredible was this.

City Lord Liefeng, who was always arbitrary and arrogant in military matters, actually lowered his posture in front of this Taoist.

"Leader Celestial Master." City Lord Liefeng cupped his hands, "The army has already surrounded the city. I wonder what insights Leader Celestial Master has for the upcoming attack on Flower City?"

Celestial Master lifted his eyelids, his gaze crossing the wilderness, quietly watching the silhouette of Flower City faintly visible in the distance.

His voice was very faint, yet it caused all the Yellow Turban leaders around him to lower their heads simultaneously.

"I wouldn't call them insights."

"But since we have already occupied the grand momentum, we should push to the front of Flower City in one go."

"Just persuade them to surrender."

Lord of Qinghe City heard this and couldn't help but step forward, asking tentatively, "But... what if Flower City is obstinate and refuses to surrender?"

Celestial Master turned his head slowly, sweeping his gaze over the three City Lords of Qinghe, Maple Leaf, and Nanchang.

That look was not violent, but it was cold enough to tighten their throats.

He was not looking at allies.

It was more like he was looking at a stone blocking the path of survival for the starving people.

He spoke indifferently, his words carrying a double meaning:

"Those who know the current affairs can naturally save their lives."

"Those who do not know the current affairs... will only have a dead end."

The wind blew across the wilderness, rolling up sand and dust across the sky.

A layer of cold sweat unconsciously seeped from the foreheads of the three City Lords.

The phrase "a dead end," along with the wind and sand on the wilderness, set the tone for this siege battle.

The distance of twenty miles, for this shockingly large allied force, was nothing more than a half-hour forced march.

At dusk.

The Four-City Allied Forces, along with Celestial Master's million refugees, a total of 1.5 million troops, arrived at the gates of Flower City.

What is the concept of 1.5 million troops?

When Celestial Master's million Yellow Turban refugees and the Four-City Allied Forces completely pressed the border, surrounding the outskirts of Flower City until not a drop of water could leak through, the entire old road wilderness, along with the forests on both sides, was filled with an endless sea of people.

There were no fine military Formations, but there was a lineup that had been forcefully twisted together.

There was no end.

The neighing of warhorses, the grinding of carriage wheels, and the roar of over a million pairs of feet stomping on the ground converged into a terrifying sound wave capable of changing the color of heaven and earth.

The sand and dust filling the sky were whipped up by the Evil Qi of the army, blocking the sun and sky, making the already gloomy heavens seem as if they had collapsed, pressing down hard on the city walls of Flower City.

On the city walls, the remaining City Guard soldiers gripped their spears tightly, their palms covered in cold sweat.

No matter how tall and sturdy the walls of Flower City were, or how solid the Formation was, when they saw with their own eyes the frenzy outside the city that seemed capable of drowning the world, that instinctive fear was still hard to suppress.

Moreover, Flower City's main force had all been taken by Lei Lie and Strategist Zhu Ge to the old city to receive the common people.

Now, the city was terrifyingly empty.

At the very center of the city wall, Zhou Yun, in casual clothes, quietly overlooked the ocean of people below that was capable of swallowing everything.

"City Lord Liefeng."

Zhou Yun's voice came from the city wall.

"Previously, Flower City and The Four Cities got along well, with no grudges. I don't know why you are mobilizing so heavily and raising arms today?"

In front of the army, City Lord Liefeng stood on his tall war chariot and let out a cold laugh upon hearing this.

"Hehe! You don't know why? I kindly sent talent to your Flower City to help you develop and build. But what did you do? Because of some trivial matters, you punished them severely and even crippled their cultivation! Now their relatives and friends are full of complaints. Today, I am raising an army to seek justice for them!"

This distortion of the truth immediately caused a commotion on the walls of Flower City.

A young soldier, originally a refugee from Liefeng City and now serving in Flower City, was so angry he was trembling. He couldn't help but rush forward to curse: "Bullshit! It was clearly the scum you sent..."

However, before he could finish, a chubby hand stopped him.

The owner of the hand was Minister Wang Fugui.

He pulled the red-eyed soldier back, his chubby face shaking, and snorted coldly: "Enough. You can't reason with those low-life scum who are deliberately acting like jerks."

Zhou Yun ignored City Lord Liefeng's clamor and shifted his gaze to the figure beside the war chariot, holding a bamboo staff and wearing an old Taoist robe.

"May I ask for your name, Daoist?"

Celestial Master looked up, meeting Zhou Yun's gaze. There was no disdain in his eyes, only cold scrutiny.

"I am Celestial Master."

His voice was not loud, but it had amazing penetrating power, slowly spreading over the battlefield.

Zhou Yun nodded.

"So it is Daoist Celestial Master."

"The Four Cities have their own calculations, but you and I have never met. Why must we meet on the battlefield?"

Celestial Master laid the bamboo staff horizontally across his palm and said indifferently: "My action is not for hegemony, but only to beg for a scrap of leftovers from heaven and earth on behalf of the refugees of this world."

"The Dao of Heaven reduces what is excessive to replenish what is insufficient. However, looking at the current world, within high walls, grain rots in granaries. On the wilderness, bones lie in sight of one another."

His voice was not high, but the tide of Yellow Turbans behind him seemed to have their breath suppressed by this sentence.

"Zhou Yun, I come to knock at your gates today, not to beg for the charity of one city."

"But to ask one question on behalf of these million common people: Why does all the food of the people of the world go into the Granaries of you city lords?!"