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Du Yongyuan glanced at the deputy general who had spoken, then said, "Deputy General Liu, today at noon you will lead the troops to guard the North City gate."

Deputy General Liu immediately said, "Please rest assured, General, your subordinate will absolutely not allow North Country soldiers to approach the city gate!"

Du Yongyuan didn't say much more. He watched the North Country cavalry in the distance still shouting and wondered what they were planning.

He had long heard that the weapons of the North Country were powerful, though they had never seen them firsthand.

Before laying siege to the city, the North Prince had specially sent someone to remind them of the power of his own weapons.

Although it seemed like an attempt to intimidate them, urging them to surrender quickly, Du Yongyuan felt there was another meaning hidden in it—that the weaponry of the North Country was indeed terrifying, and the North Prince was trying to win people's hearts by sending an advance warning to prevent them from taking cover on the city walls.

Du Yongyuan furrowed his brow, wondering what kind of weapon was so fearsome that the North Prince had specially sent someone to warn them not to stand guard on the city walls.

The more Du Yongyuan thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He had specifically instructed Deputy General Liu to guard the North City gate for a very important reason: this deputy general wasn't one of his own men. It was the perfect opportunity to observe the terrifying power of the North Country's weaponry as they attacked the city.

If people were to die, they wouldn't be his own men.

Afterward, Du Yongyuan continued to arrange for more soldiers to guard the city gate, giving the appearance that he took the North Country's impending siege very seriously. However, the soldiers he stationed on the city walls were all crafty veterans who didn't particularly heed his commands.

In the meantime, a few hundred North Country cavalrymen had been shouting outside the walls of Ziyang City in the North City for half the day. Not only were Great Sum soldiers aware of the situation, but soon the common people of Ziyang City were also informed.

The commoners didn't really care who the Emperor was, but war was a disaster to them; they were terribly afraid that once the North Country soldiers entered the city, they would start to pillage and slaughter.

Suddenly, Ziyang City was filled with anxiety and fear.

The morning passed quickly, and though Du Yongyuan was not on the watchtower, he wasn't far from the North City.

At that moment, Deputy General Liu was still completely unaware of the impending danger. He stood on the watchtower, quietly watching North Country soldiers push strange carts to an area not far from the North City.

He thought to himself, how Du Yongyuan was a man afraid of death for making him guard the gate.

He also planned to report today's events to the Sum Emperor once he got back.

Just then, a continuous drumming came from outside the city.

Du Yongyuan, standing on the rooftop, frowned as he looked in the direction of the North City.

The sound of the drums signified that the North Country's main army had begun their assault. Let them come, he thought, let's see just how formidable the weaponry of the North Country really is, the same weapons that allowed them to defeat the Barbarian Tribe and forced Great Wu to cede territory and pay reparations!

At the same time, an iron ball flew directly onto the watchtower of the North City. Seeing the iron ball, Deputy General Liu thought little of it and shouted, "Prepare..."

Boom...

But before Deputy General Liu could finish his command, the shell exploded, instantly collapsing the watchtower, and he and the soldiers on it were blasted into countless pieces.

From a distance, Du Yongyuan heard a huge explosion and saw the watchtower collapse in an instant, causing him to freeze in shock.

However, the bombardment from the North Country had just begun. The next moment, another loud boom was heard, and a huge hole was blasted through the North City gate.

Du Yongyuan stood dumbfounded on the rooftop. Then, one after another, shells rained from the sky, and all the soldiers atop the North City walls were swept away in one stroke.

Witnessing the flying debris of the city walls and the limbs of soldiers, Du Yongyuan finally understood why the North Prince had sent someone to shout outside the North City before the siege.

Du Yongyuan doubted that if he had still been on the North City watchtower now, he feared his body wouldn't be left intact.

Is this the weaponry of the North Country?

It's terrifying!

How could this war continue?

With such dreadful weaponry in the hands of the North Country, the Great Sum court would stand no chance.

Suddenly, Du Yongyuan was consumed by fear.

About two hours later, the city gate was directly blasted open, creating a huge breach, and the wall had collapsed. If the North Country's soldiers were to attack now, the two hundred thousand soldiers within the city would have no means to defend.

However, at that moment, the rumbling noises ceased, and the sound of drums came from outside the city.

General Du Yongyuan immediately led his men towards North City, where the scene was utterly tragic; not one of the defending soldiers' bodies was left intact.

By this time, the fear in the eyes of the soldiers behind General Du Yongyuan had extinguished any remaining fighting spirit.

Through the breach in the wall, they could clearly see the North Country's massive army just a short distance outside North City, but the North Country soldiers showed no signs of attack. They just stood there, seemingly waiting for something.

The flag of North Country fluttered in the sky above, the sight of the blood-colored banner inducing heart palpitations and panic.

At that moment, one of General Du Yongyuan's confidants asked, "General, what should we do now?"

The original intent of their two hundred thousand strong army was merely to defend the city, not to engage directly with the North Country's mighty army. Now that Ziyang City's walls had collapsed, the North Country's forces could charge in at any moment. What city was there left to defend?

Were they now expected to use their bodies to plug the massive gap?

After scanning the distant North Country army, General Du Yongyuan said, "The North Country has not launched an attack, which suggests the North Prince intends to continue negotiations with this general."

Just then, the drumbeats sounded once more. Hearing them, the soldiers behind General Du Yongyuan feared another assault from the North Country and trembled uncontrollably. However, contrary to expectations, the North Country soldiers did not advance but began to retreat instead.

Seeing the North Country soldiers outside North City growing fewer and fewer, General Du Yongyuan and his soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the North Country's weapons had continued their onslaught, they feared they too would soon be reduced to large chunks of flesh.

Even such sturdy walls couldn't withstand the North Country's weaponry; how could their flesh and blood possibly hold up?

At that time, General Du Yongyuan gave the order, "Clean up the battlefield!"

Upon his command, the soldiers hurriedly began clearing the field, and as they dealt with the remains of the defenders, the desire to surrender resurfaced within them.

Before long, surrender became a collective sentiment—no one believed they could defeat the North Country's army. The weaponry of the North Country was simply too terrifying.

In the deep silence of the night,

General Du Yongyuan sat at his desk, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight.

He was analyzing the current situation in his mind, contemplating what he should do next.

According to the Sum Emperor's instructions, he was supposed to feign defeat against the North Country's mighty army and then flee. However, the war had just begun; if he were to lead his troops in retreat now, even if it was the Sum Emperor's will, he would likely face punishment upon his return to the Capital City.

Furthermore, judging by the current circumstances, with the North Country's troops being so formidable and their weapons so fearsome, the likelihood of the North Prince ascending the imperial throne was significant.
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In his heart, General Du Yongyuan believed that even the Zhao King's forces, if faced with the North Country's army, would only be able to flee in disarray.

If there were no unexpected developments, the North Prince had a high probability of becoming the next Sum Emperor, and besides, as the son of the Sum Emperor, he was rightfully entitled to the throne.

Already, the idea of surrendering had taken root in General Du Yongyuan's heart. Even if he fled with his soldiers, when the North Prince eventually besieged the Capital City, he would still have to confront the North Prince's army.

However, his family was in the Capital City, and should he surrender now, their deaths were certain.

Moreover, with the Shadow Guard of the Emperor within the army ranks, the moment he truly considered surrendering, it was likely they would take immediate action against him.

Just then, a soldier's voice rose from the outside, "General, an envoy from the North Prince Faction has arrived!"

General Du Yongyuan immediately responded, "Bring him in at once."

Shortly after, a North Country soldier entered General Du Yongyuan's study, presenting a letter and saying, "General Du, this is a personal letter from our great king."

Without hesitation, General Du Yongyuan took the letter from the soldier's hand and began to read it carefully.

Upon reading the contents of the letter, General Du Yongyuan's previous concerns evaporated. He had not anticipated that the North Prince had made so many arrangements.