Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1229 Extremely Hungry

This time, Lin Feng did not hesitate.

"Is your vow true?"

“I am a cultivator. If I break this vow, my path of cultivation will come to a standstill.”

Lin Feng knew that this was an extremely severe psychological punishment for a cultivator from a secluded sect. Once the oath was broken, a demon would be planted in his heart, and his cultivation would most likely come to an end.

"Okay, you can go."

Lin Feng waved his hand and said.

Atsumi Konosuke was able to get up with difficulty and staggered to Atsumi Akiyama. He reached out and checked her breath. Knowing that she was still alive, he was relieved.

"Your inner energy is profound; if you were to join my sect, your future would be limitless. I wonder..."

"Get out of here quickly, before I change my mind."

Lin Feng had heard Atsumi Konosuke's words more than once.

As an inner disciple of Yuquan Temple, how could I arbitrarily change sects? That would be a greater sin than getting involved in worldly struggles, and even I couldn't get past that hurdle.

Atsumi Konosuke could only nod, then bent down and hugged Atsumi Akiyama into his arms, disappearing into the night step by step.

Lin Feng stared blankly as he walked away.

Thinking of his master, Daoist Zhenzhuo, who cared for him deeply and sincerely hoped for his well-being.

Lin Feng was grateful, but he didn't know whether entering the Yuquan Temple was a good thing or a bad thing.

After a long while, Lin Feng shook his head, putting these questions aside. There was no point in thinking about them anymore. Since things had already come to this point, he should think more about how to deal with the pirates' attack tomorrow.

From the darkness in the distance came the thunderous sound of horses' hooves.

Before long, Pei Qiyin led three hundred cavalrymen and rode up to Lin Feng.

Pei Qiyin jumped off her warhorse and quickly approached.

He first looked Lin Feng up and down a few times, then leaned closer to examine Lin Feng's expression before cautiously asking.

"My lord, are you okay?"

Lin Feng smiled and said, "What could be wrong with me? How did you find me?"

Ye Liangcai had already run over and, upon hearing Lin Feng's question, quickly replied.

"We heard a series of gunshots inside the city, so we didn't know where they were coming from."

Lin Feng beckoned them with his finger, signaling them to come closer.

"When you return to the city, tell them I have gone missing. Tonight, mobilize all the troops and prepare to fight against the 30,000-strong pirate army."

Pei Qiyin was startled: "Your Highness, do the pirates really dare to come to Funing City?"

"You guessed it right. Tokugawa Iemochi is going to take a desperate gamble, bypassing Lao Hu's camp and attacking Funing City."

Pei Qiyin laughed: "What's the difference between this and courting death? Tokugawa Iemochi is finished."

Lin Feng shook his head: "Thirty thousand pirates, a large number, you must not underestimate them."

"Boss, where are you going?"

Ye Liangcai asked, still worried.

"I'm not going anywhere. Only when Tokugawa Iemochi hears the news of my disappearance will he feel safe enough to lead his men into Funing Prefecture to seek survival in the face of death."

Pei Qiyin asked anxiously, "Then how do we fight?"

Lin Feng squatted down and drew shapes on the ground with his finger.

"Okay, you should first inform Lao Hu and tell him to get ready, then..."

The three men huddled together in the field, whispering for a long time before separating.

Pei Qiyin led three hundred guard cavalry, turned her horses around, and galloped into the city.

Lin Feng walked alone in the moonlit wilderness.

When Tokugawa Iemochi did not see Atsumi Konosuke return, nor did he receive news of his defeat and death, he concluded that the man had succeeded. Excited, he knew that the opportunity was fleeting and immediately ordered all the remaining provisions to be transferred out, and even many warhorses were killed.

The 30,000 soldiers were only half full.

At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), all the soldiers assembled at the drill ground.

Tokugawa Iemochi divided his 30,000 men into two groups. One group left the city through the east gate and headed south, bypassing the Zhenxi Army camp, then went west along the Mi River, through Yingjian Gorge, and towards Funing City.

Another route went north out of the city, bypassing the enemy's camp, then turned back west, still heading towards Fuzhou City.

Before dawn, 30,000 troops marched out of the city gates in a grand procession.

The leaders of each unit have already told their soldiers that if they advance and capture Fu Ning City, they can eat and sleep well; if they retreat, they will face certain death.

Thirty thousand pirate soldiers, each with a resolute expression of facing death, followed the person in front of them, heads down, marching quickly forward.

The massive procession of tens of thousands of people was filled with the sound of thunderous footsteps; not a single person uttered a word, and the entire space was permeated with a solemn and tragic silence.

The crowd split into two streams outside the east gate of Ganqing Prefecture, each heading towards the empty and bewildering distance ahead.

The remaining warhorses of the pirates were assigned to scouts, who galloped around, constantly bringing back various messages to Tokugawa Iemochi.

The Zhenxi Army's camp was very quiet, as if nothing had happened.

Such calm only made people more uneasy.

Tokugawa Iemochi didn't want to delve into the details; in short, success or failure hinged on this one move, which made all his soldiers feel his unwavering determination.

Large numbers of people poured into the wilderness, leaving behind only a desolate, empty city that still reeked of a pungent stench.

Although the west gate of Yingjianxia County was tightly closed, the town was deserted.

As dusk fell, the 15,000-strong pirate force finally arrived at the city walls, hungry and exhausted.

After a day's journey, the soldiers were all starving, their eyes practically glowing with greed as they looked at the county town ahead.

They hoped that by capturing the city, they could seize enough food to fill their stomachs.

Before orders were even given, the pirate soldiers at the forefront quickened their pace and rushed toward the city gate.

At this point, disregarding their own lives and driven by hunger, they desperately rushed toward the city gate.

There was no counterattack as expected; everything was calm.

After the soldiers forcefully broke open the city gate, they cheered and rushed in.

The follow-up troops also saw hope. In high spirits, they seemed to forget their hunger, and their legs regained strength, allowing them to run quickly into the city.

They were afraid that if they went in too late, all the food would be gone.

The county town of Yingjian Gorge was neither too big nor too small. Fifteen thousand soldiers squeezed in, and it wasn't too crowded. They smashed open the wooden doors of the houses along the street, rushed into the houses, and searched high and low, hoping to find some grain.

After all 15,000 pirate soldiers rushed into the city gate, far away on the Zhenxi No. 2 warship at Yingjian Gorge Wharf, Captain Cao Chuhang was observing the situation from the third floor of the ship, holding up a telescope.

"Alright, fire!"

He calmly issued the order.

In stark contrast to his composure, the eight cannons on one side of the Zhenxi No. 2 warship almost simultaneously spewed out bursts of flame.

The artillery firing range had been adjusted long ago, and it was just waiting for the order to fire.

The violent shaking caused the entire warship to tremble, stirring up high waves on the river surface.

Since the distance between the city and the dock was less than four miles, and the rangefinder had already adjusted the cannon muzzle, the eight cannonballs, trailing red tails, landed accurately in the city, lined up in a row, and instantly exploded into eight clusters of fireworks with debris.

After two rounds of firing, the gunner raised the muzzle by two inches and continued firing.

Each cannon fired eight shells in turn, and Zhenxi No. 2 began to turn its hull around, aiming the eight cannons on the other side at the city.

The 15,000 pirate soldiers inside the city had not found anything to eat and were running around frantically when they suddenly heard a loud noise, followed by a tremor in the ground.