In this realistic war game, only I understand the course of the battle.

Outside Jinan, at the Yan army camp.

We haven't even had a chance to drink the celebratory wine yet.

The lights in the central command post had been burning all night.

Shen Du sat in Zhu Neng's tent.

His left leg was resting on an overturned saddle.

On the night the city wall was blown up, Zhu Neng personally led his troops to rush through the breach.

The three-zhang-long gap in the west city wall resembled an open wound.

The vanguard of the Yan army surged upwards, stepping over the collapsed rammed earth.

The shouts of battle shook the water in the moat.

But Sheng Yong's reserve team arrived faster than he expected.

Inside the breach, Tie Xuan had already prepared sandbags and lime.

The defenders did not attempt to hold their ground at the breach.

They let the Yan army rush in.

Then pour lime down from both sides of the wall.

Quicklime boils upon contact with water.

The soldiers in the front ranks, burning, covered their eyes and rolled down the gap.

Immediately afterwards, Sheng Yong personally led five hundred sword and shield soldiers in a counter-charge from the inside of the breach.

They pushed the Yan army back inch by inch.

Zhu Nengchong made three consecutive urinations.

It was pushed back three times.

The burns on his right arm haven't healed yet.

During the final charge, he used his left hand to wield his sword and cut down two defenders.

However, he was hit on the shoulder by a sandbag thrown down from the wall.

He tumbled down the ladder.

It was retrieved by the guards at great personal risk.

"Sheng Yong hid at least three thousand men behind the breach."

Zhu Neng slammed the knife in his left hand onto the table.

"Three sides were covered with sandbags, and the lime buckets on the walls were raining down like rain."

"I've fought all my life, and this is the first time someone has poured lime on me."

Shen Du remained silent.

He tapped the brass band on the hilt of the knife with his fingers, which were resting on the hilt.

He was the one who suggested using tunnels to blow up the city wall.

The city wall was breached, but it wasn't captured.

Cheol-hyun reacted too quickly.

Even if they heard the noise underground beforehand.

They were able to organize such a tight defense and counterattack immediately after the breach was blown open.

This cannot be accomplished by temporarily deploying troops.

This was prepared in advance.

"He had prepared defenses in advance."

Shen Du put down the knife, his voice calm.

"The city's wiretapping team detected us when we were digging the tunnels."

"Otherwise, it would have been impossible to prepare sandbag bunkers behind the breach."

"Moreover, the lime bucket was less than twenty steps away from the breach."

"It's obvious that the distance was calculated in advance."

"He knew which section of the city wall we would blow up."

He looked up.

There was no sense of argument in his tone.

It's just stating a fact.

"I underestimated Cheol-hyun."

August.

The urgent message from Texas arrived in the afternoon.

The messenger's horse died at the entrance of the camp.

The horse foamed at the mouth when it collapsed.

The four legs twitched a few times and then stopped moving.

The messenger tumbled off his horse.

The armor was covered in dirt.

Blood seeped from the cracks on his face caused by the wind.

He stumbled and rushed into the central command tent.

They didn't even bother to announce the rules for notifications.

"Report—!"

"Ping An has led an army of 200,000 and has recaptured Dezhou!"

"All the grain and fodder in the North Factory's granary have been seized!"

Everyone in the large tent stood up.

Zhang Yu was the first to grab the military newspaper and unfold it.

His face turned ashen after glancing at it twice.

Zhu Neng slammed his fist on the table.

The shock caused the teacup on the table to jump up and shatter on the floor.

Zhu Di remained seated behind his desk without moving.

He didn't move from the moment the messenger entered.

He simply put down the cup of tea he was holding.

It was placed very lightly.

It was as if they were afraid of crushing the cup.

Two hundred thousand.

"Recapture Texas."

"Good, good thing, peace."

Zhu Di stood up and walked to the map.

Everyone present could see it clearly.

Dezhou was a key point in the Yan army's supply lines.

The grain supplies took seven days to travel from Dezhou to Jinan via the official road.

Texas is now lost.

The more than one million shi of military grain stored in the North Factory warehouse returned to the hands of the Southern Army.

The Yan army besieged Jinan for more than a month.

The grain and fodder supplies are already running low.

Losing Texas cut off their escape route.

"How much food is left in the army's reserves?"

Zhu Di asked.

Zhu Neng did not answer.

Zhang Yu answered for him.

"Enough to feed the entire army for four days."

The tent was so quiet that you could hear the candle wick popping.

Zhu Di pressed his finger on the location of Dezhou and paused for several breaths.

Then a line was drawn eastward from Texas.

Cangzhou, Hejian, and Baoding.

With each stroke, his breathing became heavier.

But his gaze remained firm.

"Sheng Yong had planned to win Texas Hold'em."

"Sheng Yong is holding us back in Jinan."

"Ping An stabbed us in the back."

"His calculations are correct."

"But—Texas cannot be lost."

Zhang Yu opened her mouth.

"Does Your Highness mean to turn back and recapture Dezhou, and then return to continue the siege of Jinan?"

"We can't surround it anymore."

Zhu Di's voice was calm.

But every word weighed heavily on everyone's chest.

"We only have enough food for four days, and there are 200,000 enemy troops in Dezhou."

"We lost this battle."

"If you lose, just admit it."

"Beijing still exists, but the Jingnan Rebellion is not over yet."

"Order: Break camp immediately and retreat north."

The order to break camp was given that night.

The Yan soldiers loaded all the supplies they could carry onto the wagons.

Burn what you can't take with you.

The siege ladders and battering rams piled up inside the West Gate barbican were doused with lamp oil and set on fire.

The firelight reflected on the city wall of Jinan.

The light shone on the ancestral tablets of the Great Ancestor hanging on the wall, making them flicker between light and shadow.

Shen Du stood on the east bank of the moat.

Looking at the crack in the city wall that he had blown open with his own hands.

The crack is still there.

The rammed earth fragments are piled up on the banks of the moat, and haven't been cleared away yet.

He fought fiercely over this crack for many days.

The position closest to capturing Jinan.

It was burned by lime once.

They were pushed back twice by Sheng Yong's swordsmen and shieldmen.

He couldn't even get up on his third attempt before Zhu Neng stopped him.

His left leg was still wrapped in bandages.

He propped the sword up on the ground and used it as a walking stick.

He's leaving now.

He attacked the city for over a month but failed to capture it.

When Zhao Laoliu loaded the last batch of gunpowder canisters onto a wheelbarrow and pushed it over.

He stopped next to Shen Du.

"Mr. Li, let's retreat."

"General Zhu Neng ordered our centurion to take the northern route to escort the supply train."

"understood."

Shen Du pulled the knife from the ground.

The tip of the blade left a shallow mark on the ground before it was sheathed.

He turned around and followed Zhao Laoliu deeper into the camp.

There was no turning back.

The dust and smoke from the northward retreat of the Yan army rose outside Jinan.

It stretches for more than ten miles.

It slants diagonally northward in the morning breeze.

On the city wall of Jinan.

Tie Xuan stood behind the crenellation.

Watching the black flag of the Yan army slowly disappear into the morning breeze.

His official robe was still stained with rammed earth dust that had splashed onto it when the city wall collapsed.

His official hat was askew on one side.

He didn't go to the correct place.

Behind him stood Sheng Yong, a man in a blue robe, and a group of soldiers whose armor was covered in blood.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the receding dust.

Sheng Yong took off his helmet and held it in his arms.

The three cuts on the armor still bore traces of blood left from last night's siege.

His hands, which were holding the helmet, were trembling slightly.

But the sound was very steady.

"Your Excellency, the Yan army has retreated; we have survived."

Tie Xuan did not answer immediately.

He watched the smoke and dust drift away.

Suddenly he turned around.

He bowed deeply to the soldiers defending the city.

This bow stunned everyone.

Sheng Yong was the first to react and was about to step forward to help him.

Tie Xuan had already straightened up.

"Generals, you fought valiantly to defend the city; you deserve this bow."

Sheng Yong lowered his eyes but hadn't spoken yet.

The man in the green robe had already lifted the corner of his robe and knelt down on one knee.

"Your Excellency is of noble birth, and we officials are unworthy to receive such a great gift."

The soldiers defending the city knelt down in response.

The sound of armor plates hitting the city bricks was incessant.

Tie Xuan helped them up one by one.

He lowered his voice when he helped the man in the blue robe.

"Pass down the order: the Yan army's northward retreat does not mean they will not return."

"The city wall must be repaired as soon as possible."

"Furthermore, I must submit a memorial to Nanjing—Jinan has been defended."

Shen Du received news of Tie Xuanju's arrival in Beijing while on his way north.

It wasn't through military newspapers.

It is done through the system's public chat channel.

The Yan army lifted the siege and withdrew north.

The system has determined that the Battle of Jinan has ended.

The wartime ban on public frequencies has been lifted.

Players from the Southern Army faction, who had been feeling stifled for days, almost immediately flooded the public chat with messages.

Some people are discussing Sheng Yong's counter-offensive.

Some people are criticizing Ping An for arriving too slowly.

Some people cheered for the Confederate flags that were being raised again atop Texas.

Shen Du did not speak.

I just silently scrolled through the messages.

【Young Master Yingtian】: "Tie Xuan's performance in this battle was simply divine. He used water jars to listen to the tunnels, sandbags to block the gaps, and lime to climb the walls. Not to mention that Zhu Neng, a veteran general with a straightforward fighting style, had no temper with him, even Li Jingzhong of the Yan army, who did not follow the rules, could not get past him. The report from the Provincial Administration Commission has been personally drafted by Lord Tie Xuan and sent to Nanjing City by express courier."

[Texas Boss]: "That blasting of the city wall was brilliant. It's a pity that Lord Tie Xuan had prepared defenses beforehand, otherwise Jinan would have been in real danger."

[Survivor of Baigou River]: "Who led the team that blew up the city wall? Was it Li Jingzhong from Dezhou before?"

[Young Master Yingtian]: "Who else could it be but him? The Yan army broke through the city's garrison and advanced from Baigou River to Dezhou and then to Jinan, blowing up three city gates and two city walls. But this time, Tie Xuan managed to keep his distance."

Shen Du turned off the chat channel.

Moonlight spilled onto the withered grass beside the official road.

The grass blades were white from the frost.

He looked down at the empty grain sack beside him.

It was half a bag at noon, but by evening it was almost empty.

He used a dagger to make a small cut in the hemp rope above.

Roll it up again and hang it back on the saddle side.

Old Zhao squatted next to the supply wagon, roasting a frozen, hard flatbread.

I didn't dare ask how much grain was left.

He simply broke the dry biscuit into two pieces.

He secretly slipped the larger half to the newly recruited soldier.