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Yuegu City had been preparing for the impending battle for some time. Many of the residents who could flee had already left, while those who remained stocked up on food and supplies in their homes.
The stores selling rice and grains were emptied long ago, but Gu Chengfeng was fortunate enough to stumble upon the first store he visited, which still had some supplies. The rest of the stores barely have enough for their own consumption.
Gu Chengfeng's mood was downcast as he walked through the empty streets.
As a Marquis Estate’s young master, when did he ever have to worry about his daily needs? A single meal for him could cost more than five taels of silver, equivalent to several days' rations for hundreds of soldiers.
"Advisor Hu, are there really no other places to buy rice?" He turned to Advisor Hu and asked in low spirits.
Advisor Hu observed Gu Chengfeng's demeanor and sighed deeply, "We've checked all the shops with rice, and this is all we have left."
He understood that the two young Lords were different from those imperial envoys in the past, who would forcibly requisition from the people.
Gu Chengfeng questioned, "How long can our supplies last?"
“This…” Advisor Hu thought for a moment and replied, "If we reduce the portions to one meal per day, it can last for two days."
Gu Chengfeng muttered to himself, "But my eldest brother won't arrive for another four days."
Moreover, reducing rations was not an option.
Their soldiers were here to protect their homes and country. They couldn't send them into battle with empty stomachs, could they?
Don't say that the State of Chen's army wouldn’t attack the city in the coming days. They were already at the city gates. If they didn't take this opportunity to capture Yuegu City, were they going to wait for his eldest brother to arrive and wipe them all out?
As they continued to talk, they returned to the campsite near the city walls with the grain and supplies being pulled by a mule-drawn cart.
Gu Chengfeng walked with his head down without looking forward, and so did Advisor Hu.
Suddenly, a soldier accompanying them exclaimed, "My Lords, look over there!"
Gu Chengfeng and Advisor Hu followed the soldier's outstretched hand and looked towards the mess hall near the camp. They saw that the ground in front of the mess hall was covered with various strange bundles. Some of the bundles were tightly wrapped, making it impossible to tell what was inside, while others were loosely packed, revealing glimpses of rice or steamed buns.
There were also bundles of corn cobs, vegetables, flatbreads, sausages, eggs, and other supplies directly in a sieve or basket...
Gu Chengfeng was pondering what was going on when he saw several commoners each carrying a few small bags of white flour and cornmeal.
They put the things on the ground and walked away without saying a word.
The little boy who had just been talking to Gu Chengfeng a while ago also came over.
He was with his mother, and she put down some freshly baked sweet potatoes. He seemed to want to contribute something and searched through his little pockets but found nothing.
Finally, after thinking for a moment, he took out a half-eaten piece of sesame candy, licked his lips reluctantly, but still placed the candy on one of the sweet potatoes.
That was something he could only enjoy during the New Year.
It was just that because they were going to war, not knowing if they would survive, his parents had taken it out in advance for him to eat.
It was the best thing he could offer.
Gu Chengfeng's eyes suddenly welled up with emotion.
They were the people of the State of Zhao, whom his grandfather and eldest brother had sworn to protect with their lives. But it wasn't just the soldiers who protected the people; the people, in their own way, were also safeguarding them.
Guarding the army and defending the city.
Outside the city walls, the State of Chen's army had already started preparing the siege equipment they needed, including battering rams and siege ladders. Due to the presence of a moat, they also needed to prepare several trench bridges.
The trench bridges were being rapidly constructed, and the siege ladders were being assembled in a hurry.
Tang Yueshan watched their manpower and progress and estimated that they would be ready by the following night.
Just as there were siege weapons, there were also defensive weapons within the city. Not only were blacksmiths recruited to forge armor and weapons, but carpenters were also gathered by Tang Yueshan. Their main task was to lead the soldiers in making battering rams, stone-throwing devices, and rolling logs.
The battering ram was used to deal with siege ladders. It had a ramming pole on its frame, which could destroy or knock down a siege ladder when it approached.
In addition, there was also fire oil and arrows.
The arrows didn't require the city's carpenters to work on them. Tang Family’s archers could make it themselves, as it was one of their basic skills. Archers from other countries did not need to know how to make arrows themselves, but that was one reason why the Tang Family’s archers were renowned throughout the six states.
After Tang Yueshan completed the deployment of his forces, he began to wait quietly for the arrival of dawn.
It was a sleepless night for both the State of Chen's army outside the city walls and the State of Zhao's soldiers within.
The break of dawn cast a faint, silvery light across the horizon, and the preparations were nearly complete, but the State of Zhao's defenders had a meager force of only seven thousand, with fewer than five thousand regular soldiers.
In contrast, the State of Chen's army had a formidable twenty thousand soldiers, all of them regular troops, creating a significant numerical disadvantage for Yuegu City.
It was clear that this battle would be a desperate struggle.
However, as Gu Chengfeng had said, even if they had to fight to the last man, they would definitely defend the city!
The cost might be the lives of these seven thousand soldiers, including Tang Yueshan's own life.
"Supreme Commander Tang."
Dazzling daylight seeped through the opening in the tent curtain, and with it came two deputy generals newly appointed by Tang Yueshan, both of whom were there to report.
"Is everything ready?" Tang Yueshan asked.
Deputy General Cen cupped his hands and said, "In response to Supreme Commander, the battering rams and rolling logs are prepared and have been placed on the city walls."
"Good." Tang Yueshan nodded, then turned to Deputy General Li.
Deputy General Li also saluted and said, "The weapons and armor have been forged."
"Let the soldiers take a good rest," Tang Yueshan said, pausing for a moment, then added, "Have a good meal, and prepare for the battle tonight."
The two deputy generals exchanged complex glances, saluted, and responded in unison, "Yes!"
Deputy General Cen left first, and Deputy General Li presented a new set of armor to Tang Yueshan, "This is the armor you requested."
Tang Yueshan's gaze fell on the brand new and cold armor. He raised his hand and gently touched it, "Good."
In the camp for treating wounded soldiers, Gu Jiao had been working tirelessly all night. Hearing about the shortage of hands, local physicians had volunteered and joined her. They, too, worked diligently and selflessly throughout the night, and not a single one had returned home to rest.
After treating the last round of wounded soldiers, all of them were extremely exhausted.
Gu Jiao sat on the ground, clutching her red-tasseled spear. Her back rested against a tent pole. After some time, exhaustion caught up with her, and she fell asleep.
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