Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1636 - 516: Surround Three, Leave One; Blood Miasma Plain Disturbance and the Siege

"Are we going to give half an hour for those in the city willing to surrender to come out?"

"Has Yang Zhun lost his mind?"

"Isn’t this just stalling for time, waiting for Chen Cang’s reinforcements?"

"We can’t agree with Yang Zhun; who knows what kind of people he’ll let out? What if they stab us in the back while we are besieging the city?"

.........

Under Xia Hong’s indication, the negotiation document sent by Yang Zhun was quickly circulated among all the generals. Instantly, it caused a huge uproar, with most armored generals directly expressing their opposition, refusing to agree with Yang Zhun.

Only Xia Chuan in the front row, Xu Ning, as well as Lu Yang and Mu Longhe, who had just arrived after Xiao Kangcheng, remained silent.

"If we don’t agree, then we’ll need to exert a lot of effort to break through Beishuo City..."

Lu Yang spoke softly, and everyone fell silent at his words.

They were no fools; they naturally understood the meaning behind his words.

If you don’t even give them a chance to surrender, you’re forcing the people of Beishuo City to a dead end. Not to mention the ordinary people, those Cold Resistance Level defenders who can fight will surely firm up their resolve, doubling the difficulty of the siege in the end.

The phrase "a cornered army will fight to the death" is no joke.

Paying a huge price and finally breaking through would be fortuitous; the fear is suffering setbacks in the siege and being unable to break through in a short time, which would lead to severe consequences.

"We understand Lord Lu’s meaning! But if we follow Yang Zhun’s intentions, aren’t we just being led by the nose?"

Commander Hou Tong of the Allied Army’s Fifth Camp and Beizhao Army was the first to speak. Seeing everyone’s eyes on him, he paused before continuing: "Yang Zhun is clearly trying to win people’s hearts; those truly loyal to him in the city are probably now determined to defend the city to the death.

If we agree with him, firstly we’ll be helping him clear out the fence-sitters in the city; those who stay will all be staunch defenders. Our spies embedded in the city probably won’t stir up any trouble;

Secondly, there’s only an hour till dawn, meaning those leaving the city won’t get far. Even if their weapons are confiscated, they remain a threat. If they turn back and attack our rear lines, it would certainly affect our siege, especially since our forces are limited, making it impossible to spare men to guard specifically against them."

After Hou Tong’s speech, the generals who had initially opposed the idea all nodded in agreement.

They were no fools; how could they not see Yang Zhun’s intentions?

But reflecting on Lu Yang’s words, everyone’s brows furrowed slightly.

If they didn’t agree, they’d be forcing the people in the city towards a dead end, equally increasing the difficulty of the siege tremendously.

This proposal from Yang Zhun was indeed an overt stratagem. Agreeing or not agreeing would both greatly hinder Xia Army’s siege.

Unable to come up with a solution, everyone fell silent.

"What’s wrong, no one has any ideas?"

From everyone reading the negotiation document until Lu Yang and Hou Tong voiced their opinions, Xia Hong hadn’t spoken. He just listened quietly. Seeing everyone now silent and indecisive, he finally smiled and said, looking at Xia Chuan in the front row.

Xia Chuan didn’t seem troubled at all; upon meeting Xia Hong’s gaze, he knew his elder brother intended to test him. He stepped forward slightly and smiled: "It’s simple, Commander Hou just said it right; agreeing with Yang Zhun means being led by the nose, so we definitely can’t agree.

Yet, not leaving an out for those in the city doesn’t fit either; if news spreads, it will affect our subsequent attacks on Yangqu, Jin Mountain, and Wuchuan Town. My idea is..."

At this point, he paused in his speech, moving to the side of a structure beneath the main seat, upon which hung a map—a full map of Beishuo City.

He pointed to the east, south, and north main gates of Beishuo City respectively and continued: "Since Yang Zhun wants to show kindness, we should complete this kindness for him by declaring in the city that we’ll only attack from these three directions, leaving the west gate untouched."

"In this way, those in the city unwilling to resist will have a way out. Moreover, we declare it publicly, making it impossible for Yang Zhun to block it. If they manipulate the west gate, it’s at their own peril, alienating them further from the city’s people..."

"Leaving the west gate isn’t enough; we should directly inform those in the city that as long as they don’t assist in defending the city and hide in their homes, they will face no retribution after the city is taken!"

......

Clearly, Xia Chuan wasn’t the only one with a plan in mind. Xu Ning, Lu Yang, Yue Feng, and others followed up with their comments, obviously having also thought this through.

Xia Hong at the head of the table had already brightened upon hearing Xia Chuan’s words. As Xu Ning and the others spoke subsequently, he showed no concealment of his admiration.

The principle of besieging carefully, attacking partly—this foundation taught in The Art of War by Sun Tzu, was widely understood back in his previous world.

But here, in Ice Abyss!

The growth and astuteness Xia Chuan, Xu Ning, Lu Yang, Yue Feng, and others have shown over these three years he spent outside have been astonishing.

And undoubtedly, this also applies to Yuwen Dao, Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, and all their subordinate Numbered Army commanders presently leading troops elsewhere.

With the purpose of testing achieved, satisfied, Xia Hong no longer wasted time. Rising directly, he spoke in a deep voice: "Since you all have a plan, I won’t interfere. Acting accordingly, Xia Chuan, you will lead the men yourself. One hour later, officially commence the siege!"