My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 275 Siege
"My lord, my lord, my lord."

Feng San looked extremely uneasy. "Please forgive my previous rudeness, Your Excellency. I truly did not know it was Your Excellency in person, nor did I know there were distinguished guests in the Right Mansion. I... I should not have been rude to Your Excellency."

He was about to perform a grand salute to Li Xuanba when Li Xuanba quickly grabbed him, saying, "No need for that, no need for that. Since joining the army, I have received much care from my elder brother; how could I accept such a grand salute?"

Feng San was on the verge of tears. He thought back to how he had arrogantly asked Li Xuanba to address him as "elder brother" in private, and he wanted to slap himself. Who was this "elder brother" of the Marquis? He was a prince of the Sui Dynasty! How could a lowly soldier like himself be worthy of such a title?
"My lord, please don't address me like that anymore! I truly didn't know the truth at the time!"

The Thousand Ox Guards of the Right Prefecture usually see many important figures. They would be surprised to know Li Xuanba's identity, but not too afraid. However, the Eagle Banner Prefecture in this region, especially outside Guanzhong and Hedong, rarely has the opportunity to see truly important figures. Not to mention the added bonus of being a Duke, just the title of Marquis would scare them to death.

This title is of a higher rank than their general's rank.

Li Xuanba helped Feng San up again and said with a wry smile, "There's really no need for that. I don't think you've been rude at all. Please don't treat me as a lord, but just as a fellow brother."

Wang Zhengzhang then spoke up, saying, "Feng San, please don't make things difficult for the squad leader anymore!"

As they were talking, Zhang Zhenzhou rode up on horseback. Looking at the few guards surrounding Li Xuanba whose attitude had changed drastically, he smiled and said, "What's wrong? Scared?"

"General!"

As everyone saluted, Zhang Zhenzhou waved his hand, looked at Li Xuanba with a fiery gaze, and said, "I really didn't expect that during our previous attempts to land in Ryukyu, this old man always opposed us, preventing us from conquering his capital. This guy is quite capable; you actually killed him in one move!"

"Captain Li!!"

"My subordinate is here!"

“I will give you another forty elite cavalrymen. From now on, you will lead these elite cavalrymen to my left and right and serve as the vanguard.”

"Here!"

Zhang Zhenzhou completely changed his opinion of Li Xuanba and dared not underestimate him anymore. This was no child; he was a fierce general, a talent who could be used by him.

While everyone was cleaning up the battlefield and registering military merits, Chen Leng had already begun interrogating the captured prisoners.

Inside the camp, the captured leaders were bound hand and foot and taken in one by one for interrogation.

Chen Leng sat in the high seat, his face fierce, and questioned loudly. Most of these leaders could speak the Central Plains dialect, but Chen Leng executed the few who did not.

"How many people are left in your capital?"

When did the veteran model set off?

There were few tough guys among these leaders, and Chen Leng easily obtained the information he wanted to know. At the same time, he also learned some special information.

"You mean, Old Mo's troop deployment this time is because of this heavy fog?"

"Yes, there is heavy fog during this season, which usually lasts for seven or eight days. The old man told the king that they should send troops to fight before the fog dissipates."

"How many days left?"

"They'll probably disperse tomorrow, and if they don't disperse tomorrow, they'll definitely disperse the day after tomorrow."

After learning about these circumstances, Chen Leng stroked his chin thoughtfully. He ordered these people to be imprisoned and forbidden from contacting others. Then he summoned a large army to gather.

Chen Leng stepped onto the makeshift command platform, where the army was already lined up in formation before him.

Chen Leng was surrounded by many messengers, and there were others in the distance as well.

Chen Leng shouted, "Soldiers! I have found out!"

"The thick fog is because we haven't offered sacrifices to the sea god! I plan to sacrifice a white horse to the sea god and inquire about the outcome of the battle!"

"If the divination is auspicious, and this battle can quell the rebellion and destroy the kingdom, the sea god will protect us and dispel this great fog for us! I will then lead you into battle to kill their king and gain great merit!"

The soldiers all agreed.

Afterwards, Chen Leng conducted a grand sacrificial ceremony, slaughtering a white horse to appease the sea god and inquiring about good or bad fortune. The soldiers dared not take it lightly, their faces solemn.

After the sacrificial ceremony was completed, Chen Leng allowed the soldiers to return to their camps and wait.

The soldiers were discussing the matter animatedly, and they all harbored a secret sense of anticipation.

The next day, the thick fog that had lasted for so long miraculously dissipated!

At this moment, the Sui soldiers were in an uproar, their morale soaring. They all said they were protected by the sea god and requested to go into battle. Chen Leng did not let go of this good opportunity. He immediately ordered his troops to split into five routes, attack the enemy camps along the way, and rush to the enemy's capital from different directions to meet up.

The Sui army set off in a grand procession. Thanks to Chen Leng's actions, the already formidable Sui army became even more valiant. These five powerful armies swept across the land, crushing the Liuqiu troops along the way with no chance of resistance.

Upon learning of the death of King Laomo in battle, everyone in the capital was greatly shocked.

This wasn't the first time the Sui army had come; however, in the past, each time they came, it was with hundreds or thousands of soldiers. Due to the terrain and strange climate, they were never able to achieve their goals and usually just killed some people before returning. But this time, the Sui army was clearly aiming to destroy the country.

King Kelidou could no longer sit still. He hurriedly ordered all the soldiers along the way to retreat, ordered all the armies in various places to go to the capital, and ordered the people in the country to be conscripted to temporarily reinforce the city walls in preparation for defending the capital.

He withdrew the soldiers from the front lines, which made the Sui army's offensive even more successful. Chen Leng's five armies encountered no significant resistance and captured territory along the way. After marching for sixteen days, the five armies had already reached the capital of Ryukyu.

The king, Kelidou, stood on the city wall, gazing at the terrifying Sui army in the distance, his face turning ashen with fear.

"How did the Sui people arrive so quickly?!"

"We haven't even assembled yet, but the enemy is already at the city gates. Do any of you have a plan to defeat them?"

The ministers within the kingdom were even more terrified than the king himself, and dared not speak. Only one man risked his life to say, "Your Majesty, the only option now is to open the gates and surrender. After my death in battle, we have only a few thousand soldiers left in the city. The city walls are not particularly high, and although we have enough food, morale is low."

"The enemy has more than 10,000 men, well-equipped and in high spirits. We are no match for them. If the city is captured, Your Majesty will suffer great humiliation. It would be better to open the city gates and surrender now. I think they will treat you well."

Kecidou was furious and drew his sword to kill the man.

"My son was killed by these treacherous villains, and you still want to persuade me to surrender to the enemy who killed my son?"

"Continue to fortify the city walls. I will make those traitors pay with their blood!"

Outside the city walls, Chen Leng rode his horse, observing the so-called capital with a smile.

The reason why Ryukyu is difficult to fight is because of the sea route, the climate, and some unique terrain, but it does not include their army and city walls. Take that city wall in the distance for example. This city wall may not even be as good as some of the training grounds of Eagle Yang Prefecture. Chen Leng felt that if he rode his horse at full speed, he might be able to jump over that city wall.

Chen Leng summoned many officers and captains.

"Kerchidou is gathering reinforcements from all over the country. Delaying is the worst thing for us. I plan to have the soldiers take turns launching fierce attacks, not giving the enemy any time to rest, and take this city as soon as possible."

Everyone agreed, so Chen Leng deployed his army to three sides of the city and ordered the construction of siege equipment in preparation for launching an attack as soon as possible.

Zhang Zhenzhou was in charge of the assault on the southern city wall.

While the soldiers were cutting down trees to build siege machinery, Zhang Zhenzhou summoned several of his captains, as well as fierce generals like Li Xuanba, for a small meeting.

"This time, I will lead the charge and launch a fierce attack. My idea is to have Captain Dugu lead the first wave, followed by Captain Sun, and then I will personally lead the third wave, with the other captains following, to break through this city."

Zhang Zhenzhou placed the key to breaking the city on the third fierce attack. Captain Sun asked doubtfully, "I don't think the enemy's city walls are very high. Perhaps we can break them in one battle. Why not send the whole army in for the first attack and keep attacking to break the city?"

Zhang Zhenzhou shook his head. "Such casualties are too great. Moreover, the king has been managing this city for many years. This time, he will summon the city's laborers to help defend the city. We have no reinforcements. If we cannot take it by force, we will be exhausted. If they send reinforcements later, we will have no choice but to retreat again. You should exhaust their energy first, and then launch a fierce attack. I predict that this city will fall."

Everyone agreed, and Zhang Zhenzhou pulled Li Xuanba aside.

"Xuanba, how many layers of armor can you wear?"

(End of this chapter)