Phi-Fic Chapter 772 Enemy from Outside the City
Chapter 772 Enemy from Outside the City
The early winter wind was biting cold, and the soldiers guarding the city were dressed in rather bulky clothes.
Before dawn, it was the time for the patrol soldiers to change shifts.
"Finally, it's time to change shifts," a soldier said, yawning.
The patrol was cold and exhausting all night.
"You bet! This damn weather is freezing! When will it ever end?" another soldier said, shivering.
As the two were walking down from the city wall, the person who had spoken first suddenly began to tremble and stood motionless.
"Fatty, I didn't expect you to be afraid of the cold too." The person behind him mocked.
"No, it's not from the cold, it's from being scared." The man pointed to a large, dark mass of people not far from the city gate.
"Enemy!" The person behind him plopped down on the ground, nearly wetting himself in fright.
For over a century, the Daye Dynasty had not experienced any major wars.
Minor skirmishes in the surrounding area would not affect Shuntian Prefecture, so the soldiers guarding the city had never been on the battlefield and were naturally afraid of the enemy.
"The enemy is coming!" shouted the fatter soldier.
As dawn broke, several soldiers were about to open the city gates when they heard the shout and trembled in fright.
"Close the city gates and begin preparations for battle!" the leading commander said as he ascended the city wall.
Just as the fat man said, the figures outside the city stretched like a long dragon, seemingly without end.
Besides the human figures, there were also nags and carriages, the carriages appearing to be loaded with goods.
They don't look like cavalry; they look more like supply troop soldiers.
The saying "an army marches on its stomach" is absolutely correct.
In other words, the enemy is very likely outside the city.
But strangely enough, the enemy appeared in front of the Shuntian Prefecture city gate without making a sound.
Are the border guards just for show, not only defeated but also without even the chance to send messages?
This is just... way too weak.
Another possibility is that the enemy outside the city was a rebel army from the Daye Dynasty, so they naturally wouldn't need to cross the border.
Regardless, this matter must be reported to the imperial court immediately.
"A bunch of useless trash, can't even tell the difference between enemies and merchants, open the city gates now!" With a loud voice, golden armor appeared in everyone's sight.
"Great General..." Thousands of soldiers kowtowed, unable to understand why Bai Tiantian would appear at this critical moment.
"What are you all standing there for? Open the city gates immediately!" Bai Tiantian shouted angrily.
His words seemed to have little effect, and the commander guarding the city remained unmoved.
First of all, opening the city gates was a very dangerous thing, since the enemy was right outside the city.
Secondly, this commander was aligned with Fan Li and was unwilling to follow Bai Tiantian's orders.
That's why Bai Tiantian came in person; there couldn't be the slightest mistake.
"You won't open it? I'll help you!" Bai Tiantian waved her hand behind her, and dozens of Black Iron Guards rushed over menacingly.
Upon seeing the Black Iron Guards, these ordinary soldiers instinctively made way for them, daring not to seek their own death.
"Quickly inform Lord Fan that Bai Tiantian has opened the city gates to meet the enemy," the commander whispered to his confidant.
Clearly, he still believed that enemies had arrived at the city gate.
The Black Iron Guards were all born with superhuman strength, and they easily opened the city gates to welcome the thousands of caravans.
"Hurry up, everyone keep up." Pang Xingji, dressed as a merchant, pulled the carriage and walked at the front.
The convoy of several thousand people, all disguised private soldiers from the city lord's mansion, carried tens of thousands of bushels of grain and entered the city in a grand procession.
"Lin Wuqing, you really didn't disappoint me." Upon seeing the grain, Bai Tiantian was overjoyed, finally letting out a long-suppressed feeling.
"Bai Tiantian? We meet again." Pang Xingji lowered his head, afraid that Bai Tiantian would recognize him.
Upon learning that it was indeed just a caravan, the commander was terrified, not because he was afraid of being scolded by Bai Tiantian, but because he had given Fan Li the wrong information.
Besides the caravan entering the city, another major event occurred in Shuntian Prefecture.
Jia Zhenzhen has started selling grain again, at a price as low as two hundred coins per dou.
Fan Li was tidying his clothes for court, a smile on his face, looking quite pleased with himself.
Once today is over, Bai Tiantian will be completely trampled under his feet, how could she not be happy?
"Sir, something terrible has happened!" The servant rushed over as usual; how could things not go wrong at this critical juncture?
"What's the commotion?" Fan Li asked with a smile, confident that he could control the situation.
"Jia Zhenzhen has started selling grain again," the servant replied.
Fan Li's lips curled up. "It would be abnormal if he didn't sell the grain. Pass down the order that the four major families must consume all the grain, or don't come to see me."
After receiving the order, the servant immediately went to relay it.
When a person is in a good mood, they have energy to do anything and walk with a brisk pace.
Before he could even leave the mansion, soldiers in military uniform rushed over.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, a major incident has occurred outside the city," the soldier said breathlessly.
"Outside the city? What is it?" Fan Li frowned slightly.
The person who came was a city guard, and the only reason he would be in such a hurry was that the enemy was attacking.
If that's the case, Bai Tiantian's usefulness will immediately become apparent, and the matter of the grain tax will be overshadowed.
This is indeed not good news.
"Thousands of enemies have appeared outside the city. We were about to fight to the death to defend it, but the general opened the city gates..." The soldier dared not continue, because he also felt something was amiss.
"Bai Tiantian is opening the city gates to the enemy? Could it be that she's planning a rebellion?" Fan Li suddenly laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Bai Tiantian, you're far too arrogant. Do you really think that a few thousand people can force the emperor to abdicate? I'll go tell His Majesty right now and see how you handle this."
Although Bai Tiantian is a general, he has no private army under his command except for the Black Iron Guard. If he really had the intention to rebel, his generals would not agree, and the chances of success would be extremely slim.
Upon careful consideration, Bai Tiantian really had to take action. Today was over, his military power had been stripped, and he didn't even have the chance to rebel.
Fan Li quickened his pace and immediately brought the news to the palace so that the emperor could make plans as soon as possible.
Although the Black Iron Guards were brave, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were not to be trifled with either. As long as they set up defenses in the palace in advance, they would not be able to succeed.
Several major events occurred simultaneously, causing some chaos within Shuntian Prefecture.
Thousands of carriages are entering the city, thousands of people are surrounding Jia Zhenzhen's grain shop, and thousands of Imperial Guards are about to be mobilized.
This time, Jia Zhenzhen made a personal appearance and opened the granary, which reportedly contained tens of thousands of bushels of grain.
The four major families rushed over in a panic, feeling somewhat uncertain.
No one knew how much grain Jia Zhenzhen could produce, but Fan Li had given a death order, and they dared not disobey.
"Boss Jia, bring out all your stored grain. We'll take as much as you have," Song Ye said straightforwardly, mistakenly thinking he was about to make a fortune.
"Young Master Song, you flatter us. We have as many as you want." Jia Zhenzhen smiled coldly, pursing her lips.