On the eighth day of June, night gradually fell, and this was the third day of the siege of Donghe Fucheng.
In the past three days, the main force of Yong's army rested around Donghe Fucheng and did not attack the city.
Of course, there were 70,000 to 80,000 strong soldiers guarding outside the city, and the more than 10,000 soldiers left behind inside the city naturally did not have the guts to go out of the city to attack.
The two Forbidden Army cavalry, which Zhang An had placed high hopes on, escaped under the continuous attacks of the Yong Army cavalry. The losses were not ordinary.
In a room under the city tower, Zhang An was closing his eyes to relax when he suddenly heard a shout from outside: "General, there are people coming from the east, and there are quite a lot of them!"
"Someone is coming? Could it be that Yong's army wants to attack?"
This was the first possibility that Zhang An thought of, so he immediately got up from the bed and ran up the city wall.
At this moment, the Tiger Guard soldiers responsible for tonight's defense have gathered in large numbers on the east wall, all looking towards the distance.
It was not completely dark yet, and Zhang An discovered through visual inspection that the people coming from the distance were not Yong's army.
"What kind of trick is this?" Zhang An muttered in his heart.
At this moment, Duan Jingzhen, commander of the Huben Guards, came over and reported: "General, here are the defeated soldiers and civilians gathered by Yong's army!"
Duan Jingzhen was the first to discover something was going on in the east, so he sent people with baskets outside the city to inquire about the situation.
Zhang An said in a deep voice: "The defeated soldiers and civilians? What did Yong's army do with these? Is it to attack the city?"
This is really not unfounded. They say that attacking a city requires human lives. If a hundred thousand people are pushed forward to attack the city, Yong's army can take Donghe Fucheng without spending a single soldier.
"Zhao Yanxun... really can do anything!" Zhang An said in a cold tone.
During the three days of siege, although the Yong army did not use troops against the city, their brainwashing and public opinion offensive never stopped.
In the mouths of Yongjun soldiers, Zhao Yanxun was praised as a living saint, a savior sent by God, and a protector of the people all over the world.
The emperor and court officials in the capital became traitors and sycophants, and were scolded until their bodies were broken.
These public opinion offensives indeed had a great impact, making the Forbidden Army soldiers trapped in the city somewhat suspicious of the imperial court they were defending.
This is a sign that the morale of the army is about to collapse. In order to stabilize the morale of the army, Zhang An has been very busy in the past two days.
Just listen to Zhang An say: "Go tell the brothers to get ready for war!"
"The so-called benevolent and generous King Yong wants to fill the moat with the lives of his brothers in the guards and civilian husbands... This is his true face!"
Duan Jingzhen nodded and immediately turned around to give the order.
But he also felt that this was impossible, as someone would come to attack the city late at night.
Of course, when I think about the Yong army taking advantage of the night to conquer the Han River in one go, it seems that fighting at night is not impossible.
The movements of Yong's army behind them also alerted everyone in the city.
Several guard posts stationed outside Donghe Mansion are also gradually moving closer to the east of the city.
All this can only make the defenders in the city conclude that Yong's army is really going to attack the city.
Not only did they think this way, the "captives" approaching the city at this moment also murmured in their hearts.
"It's not that we are allowed to farm. It is also said that the land west of the Han River will be allocated to us in the future. Why are we allowed to go to Fucheng now!"
"Could it be that...the Yong Army people are telling lies and they want us to attack the city?"
"No way. Prince Yong has been eating and drinking for us these past few days. He also asked those officials to persuade us to feel at ease. I don't think what they said is lies!"
"Besides, if you really want us to attack the city, why waste so much effort and feed us these three days in vain!"
"That's true!"
"King Yong divided us into teams of two hundred people. He said it was convenient for us to farm. I think it was convenient for us to die!"
"Yes, it's just farming. You need to be treated like a soldier. I think it's really possible for us to attack the city!"
A team of tens of thousands of people are discussing what is going to happen tonight. These common people are different from the defeated soldiers.
Soon, under the guidance of the Yong Army soldiers, these people arrived outside Donghefu City one after another and stood in line according to certain rules.
These civilians could defeat 100,000 troops. It would be unrealistic to call them all, so Zhao Yanxun ordered only half of them to be called.
But even these 50,000 people still filled the open space east of Fucheng, and a hundred thousand people could not stand at all.
At this moment, these people stood in a rectangular shape, leaving an open space in the middle, which could be clearly seen on the city wall.
"What the hell is this going on?" Zhang An frowned in confusion.
The team formation in front of us doesn't look like we are going to attack a city at all.
Not only Zhang An found it puzzling, but the soldiers guarding the city wall at this moment were also full of questions.
As more and more people arrived, the noise outside Fucheng became louder and louder, until the sound of drums rang out.
The sound of drums silenced the people outside the city and attracted the attention of everyone on the city wall.
A few breaths later, a group of knights appeared from the north, and the ones walking in front were still holding flashlights.
"Your Majesty is here!"
There was a "trumpet" shouting outside, so everyone on the city wall heard it and knew that it was King Yong himself who was coming.
For this man who easily commanded hundreds of troops, Zhang An felt hatred and curiosity at the same time.
This was the first time Zhao Yanxun appeared. Unfortunately, he was more than two hundred meters away and the sky was dark, so the people on the city wall couldn't see much.
Of course, Zhao Yanxun's appearance unsurprisingly aroused discussion, and everyone was wondering what was going to happen tonight.
What is going to happen tonight, only the top brass of the Yong Army know.
After arriving at the center of tens of thousands of people, Zhao Yanxun slowly stepped onto the temporary high platform.
Although the sky was already dark at this moment, when the soldiers of the Yong Army turned on more than a dozen searchlights, the place instantly became as bright as day.
Of course, there are two beams of light shining on Zhao Yanxun all the time, allowing everyone to see him.
When Zhao Yanxun stood still on the high platform, he heard Zhang Meng shouting into the "trumpet": "His Royal Highness has arrived, please bow down and bow down!"
Tens of thousands of people crowded together, looking at the figure in the beam of light in front of them, they all bowed obediently.
"See you, my lord!"
Although the sound was not uniform, tens of thousands of people shouted together, but it also had the potential to overwhelm the mountains and seas.
"No courtesy, everyone, get up!"
Zhao Yanxun's voice was very easy-going. This was the first impression of everyone present, including the defenders of Donghe Prefecture.
Such a "friendly" King Yong might really be a generous and kind person.
"How have you been eating these past few days?"
Facing Zhao Yanxun's question, everyone at the scene was stunned. No one expected that he would ask such a question.
"It's okay..." Someone said here and there, they must be brave.
Zhao Yanxun then asked: "I heard someone say yes, is it okay? Tell me loudly!"
"Okay!" The voice was louder this time.
Zhao Yanxun was extremely satisfied, and then said: "I believe you all know that I am adhering to the destiny of heaven and following the late emperor's imperial edict to attack the traitors in the court!"
"Since we are fighting against traitors, I will not kill innocent people indiscriminately!"
"Those treacherous people in the imperial court recruited you from your homes and prevented you from being reunited with your family. You are also the ones who were harmed by the treacherous and evil people in the imperial court!"
"Since I am fighting against evil, how can I harm you? Not only will I not harm you, I will also let you live a good life!"
Speaking of this, Zhao Yanxun said with a smile: "So, you can rest assured that you should eat and drink!"
Everyone has heard these words preached by Yong Army soldiers dozens of times in the past three days.
Now that it was said by King Yong himself, it made them feel more credible, and they all expressed their gratitude to King Yong for his kindness.
After all, in the past few years or even before the end of the world, who in power has cared about their "mean lives"?
When everyone was expressing their feelings, Zhao Yanxun said in a solemn tone: "When this battle is over, I will reunite you with your family and ensure that your life will get better and better!"
Having said this, Zhao Yanxun asked loudly: "Do you believe me?"
After a few more moments of silence, someone shouted: "Letter!"
So more people shouted the word "xin", and the voices gathered into a huge wave, crashing towards Donghe Fucheng.