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Liu Guanlei and Liu Guanyu exchanged a wry smile. "Third Brother, you don't need to worry too much. We're not here to ask you for equipment today; we just want to ask you to go back. It's not safe for you to stay here."
Liu Guanfeng shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm staying here and won't be going back."
"It's too dangerous for you here. What if they really attack?"
"Don't worry, they won't come. Even if they do, I will be fine. The military camp still needs both of you to hold the fort, so just go back."
"Alright, we'll head back then. Take care of yourself while you're here."
"Eldest Brother, in five days, I will place all the weapons and equipment at the camp entrance so the soldiers can take them directly for the attack."
"Do you have enough food over there?"
"Don't worry, Eldest Brother, I won't let my brothers go hungry."
"Then we'll leave. We'll see you again in five days."
"Take care, both of you."
After Liu Guanlei and Liu Guanyu left Liu Guanfeng's tent, they returned to their own military camp. The following five days passed quietly.
In Shining Star City, the Spirit Pavilion was set up for three days, and all the soldiers, generals, officials, and wealthy merchants in Shining Star City came to pay their respects to the two generals.
Meanwhile, in the military camp outside the city, Liu Guanlei continued to organize morning and evening training sessions for the soldiers.
On the fifth evening, after having dinner, Liu Guanfeng was resting in his tent when he sensed someone approaching. At that moment, Little Black fixed his gaze on the entrance.
A voice came from outside: "Is General Liu inside?"
"Please come in," Liu Guanfeng replied. Little Black lay back down but kept his eyes on the entrance.
After the curtain was opened, it was unexpectedly Wu Ta who walked in, standing at the door and looking at Liu Guanfeng. Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly, "I didn't expect Wu the Great Marshal to come in person. I apologize for not welcoming you properly. Please, have a seat."
Wu Ta took two steps forward but did not sit down. Instead, he bowed deeply to Liu Guanfeng. Liu Guanfeng stood up from the bed and asked, "What brings you here, Wu the Great Marshal?"
"General Liu, I am here to sincerely thank you. If it weren't for you, the bodies of Generals Na Kuang and Zhong Yi would not have been returned, and we wouldn't have had the chance to pay our respects to them. In war, each side fights for their own master; I do not blame you for killing them. However, General Liu, your actions truly impress me."
"Wu the Great Marshal, I believe you are mistaken. The reason I returned the bodies of the two generals and gave you five days to bury them is not because of you; I simply admire their loyalty and courage. Loyalty can only be demonstrated at critical moments, and courage is only understood in times of danger."
Wu Ta nodded, "I understand, but I still want to thank you. I also know that this five-day period has caused some unpleasantness with your two brothers."
"These matters are my own concern; there is no need for you to worry about them, Commander. Have the bodies of the two generals been buried properly?"
"Thank you for your concern, General Liu. I have given both generals a grand burial."
"That's good to hear. Now, Commander, you should also take care of yourself. Today is the last day of our five-day deadline. Tomorrow we will launch an attack on Shining Star City. I hope you are prepared."
Wu Ta shook his head and sighed, "I know this well. I am also aware that if it weren't for the matter of the two generals, you would have attacked long ago. We are already grateful for this five-day respite."
"Wu the Great Marshal, I won't hesitate to tell you that I gave you five days to rest because I am confident of victory; otherwise, I wouldn't have granted you this time to regroup."
Wu Ta nodded in agreement, "I realized this during our last attack on your Starlight Village. However, as the Commander of Huaxing Kingdom, I will not easily give up. If our country hadn't been disrupted by the Mountain Bandits, I believe we wouldn't have lost so quickly."
Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly, "Do you have bandits in Huaxing Kingdom? What do your soldiers usually do?"
"I'm not sure. Originally, our country had no bandits; I don't know where they suddenly came from."
At this moment, Liu Guanfeng laughed heartily, "Then you should keep a close watch on your rear guard, Wu the Great Marshal. If enemies are not cleared from the front while fires break out in your backyard, you'll find yourself in a difficult situation."
Seeing Liu Guanfeng laugh made Wu Ta seem to recall something: "General Liu, could those bandits from Huaxing Kingdom be related to you..."
At this point, Liu Guanfeng merely smiled at Wu Ta without speaking, which effectively served as an acknowledgment. It dawned on Wu Ta: "No wonder! In the past, although those bandits were bold enough to rob homes and merchants everywhere, I've never seen any bandit daring enough to rob an army. These bandits not only stole our military supplies but also set fire to what they couldn't carry away. Now I finally understand; General Liu, your strategy is truly brilliant and quite ruthless. Without supplies reaching our front lines, we cannot fight back. Although those bandits number only in the hundreds, their strength is not weak at all; even my dispatched Advanced Knights are no match for them. It seems that your subordinates are indeed quite talented."
"Wu the Great Marshal, I have no choice. In terms of national strength, our Starfall Kingdom cannot compare to your Huaxing Kingdom. If I don't use some other tactics, it will be difficult for us to win against you. Everything I have done is out of desperation. If it weren't for your Huaxing Kingdom supporting Sun Yong's rise to power, and if Sun Yong hadn't sent people to raid my home and killed over a hundred members of my Liu Family, I wouldn't have come back for revenge.
In other words, everything I have done has been forced upon me by your Huaxing Kingdom. When we returned to rescue our parents and brother, your Huaxing Kingdom also considered killing me to silence me, but I managed to escape by luck. We are both men; if it were you, could you swallow this anger?"
"I understand everything you said. This may be the biggest mistake made by our Emperor; we shouldn't have offended you in the first place. If we did offend you, we should have cut off the roots directly. Now that your wings are fully developed, we should reconcile with you and definitely not let a petty person like Xiahou Zhongtian interfere. Perhaps this is the reason for our defeat today."
"This cannot be blamed on others; we can only blame your Emperor for being too greedy."
"General Liu, let's not discuss this matter anymore. It is the most basic duty of a minister not to speak ill of the ruler. Today, as the Grand Marshal of Hua Xing, I can only fulfill my obligations."
"I can understand that, and all I can do is wish Wu the Great Marshal well."
At this point, Wu Ta stood up: "General Liu, thank you here as well. It's getting late; I should head back."
"Then Wu the Great Marshal, I won't see you off. I hope you can prepare well; we won't let you live comfortably in the days to come."
"General Liu, rest assured. I have already made preparations in Shining Star City to welcome your Starfall Kingdom's arrival."
"I will not disappoint the Commander. Safe travels."
"Thank you." After saying this, Wu Ta left Liu Guanfeng's tent. Once outside, Wu Ta turned back and murmured at the entrance of Liu Guanfeng's tent:
"If there really were no war, we might have become friends. But since there is a war, I will not hold back; I await your arrival." After finishing his words, Wu Ta cupped his fist towards Liu Guanfeng's tent and then turned to leave.
Wu Ta's murmured words were all heard by Liu Guanfeng; he knew that Wu Ta could definitely hear what he said. However, such mutual respect cannot be expressed openly.
After feeling that Wu Ta had left, Liu Guanfeng called out: "Come here, let Bao Rui come to me."
Before long, Bao Rui entered after lifting the curtain: "Third Brother, you called for me."
"Bao Rui, go distribute our weapons and place them at the camp gate; they will come to collect them tomorrow."
"Third Brother, are we still going together tomorrow?"
"Of course we are. We need to help our brother resolve the issues with Hua Xing first."
"Are all the Squad Leaders returning to the army?"
"Let them all go back and tell them to focus on training a few people who can take over their positions."
"I understand. Do you have any other instructions, Third Brother?"
"None for now. You can leave."
The next morning, Liu Guanfeng got up and stretched lazily outside. At that moment, a guard ran over: "President Handsome has sent someone to collect the weapons."
Liu Guanfeng nodded: "Go notify each Squad Leader and tell them to return to their teams immediately without fail."
"Yes."
Soon, voices came from the entrance, and shortly after, Copper Bull and a few others arrived: "Third Brother, everything has been collected, and all the captains have returned to their units. What should we do next?"
"Pack up the camp; we are going to Shining Star City to take a look."
Before long, the camp was tidied up, and Liu Guanfeng's personal soldiers had all gathered together. This time, Liu Guanfeng had brought along Copper Bull and others, each leading three thousand soldiers for emergencies. Liu Guanfeng led his team to break camp, and reports from scouts came in.
When Liu Guanfeng arrived at Shining Star City, Liu Guanlei and Liu Guanyu had already begun their assault on the city. Although Liu Guanfeng had prepared advanced weapons for them such as Crossbows, Ballistae, and Shotgun Crossbows, their attack was still hindered.
The soldiers of Starfall Kingdom had managed to scale the walls once using advanced weaponry; even Shi Yong from the Shield Soldiers managed to reach the top. However, due to the high skill of the opposing generals, Shi Yong and his Shield Soldiers were driven back down, with Shi Yong sustaining serious injuries.
While the Ballistae attacked the city gates and walls, although they breached the gates, the opposing generals defended fiercely, preventing Starfall Kingdom's soldiers from advancing. The intensity of the assault indicated that Wu Ta was determined to defend with all his might. The Commander personally appeared on the city walls, accompanied by Divine Envoy Jiang Xingshi. Other generals from Huaxing Kingdom were assigned to positions on the walls and at the gates to fend off attackers.
At the same time, ordinary civilians not in military uniforms could be seen on the walls; these individuals were likely conscripted by Wu Ta to assist in defense.
The entire offensive lasted for a whole morning. Although some progress was made, the walls and gates remained in the hands of the enemy.
At this moment, Copper Bull and others asked Liu Guanfeng, "Third Brother, our troops are facing obstacles in their attack. Should we go up?"
Liu Guanfeng shook his head, "Not yet, let's wait and see."
Since Liu Guanfeng had given the order to wait, although Copper Bull and the others were eager to help, they did not take action. Since Liu Guanfeng arrived here, there had already been a skilled fighter, Liu Guanlei, but at that critical moment of the attack, Liu Guanlei had not come to find him.
The intense siege battle continued for an entire day. The soldiers of Starfall Kingdom attempted to scale the walls six times but were repelled each time. The city gates were breached, yet no one could penetrate inside.
Liu Guanlei looked at the sky and decided to withdraw the troops back to camp. At this point, Liu Guanlei and Liu Guanyu came to find Liu Guanfeng, "Third Brother, are you still angry?"
Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly, "I have never been angry; I am just adhering to my principles."
"Let's go back together."
The three brothers returned to the main camp side by side. After having dinner, Liu Guanfeng still went back to his tent. However, inside the tent, several young generals were arguing with Liu Guanlei. The main focus of their argument was Liu Guanfeng's return.
These individuals were among those who initially opposed Liu Guanfeng giving the enemy five days of rest. Now they bore various injuries and attributed all their wounds to Liu Guanfeng. They believed that if it weren't for him, they might have already taken Shining Star City.
To express their grievances about this matter, they wanted Liu Guanlei and Liu Guanyu to complain on their behalf. Moreover, seeing Liu Guanfeng return today only intensified their discontent. They insisted on reporting this to His Majesty and demanded that action be taken against Liu Guanfeng.
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