Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

On the evening of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, cartloads of rice and grain were transported into Namhansanseong City.

"We have food now, and we no longer have to go hungry."

"Strange, is the king suddenly showing great kindness? He actually sent military rations on his own initiative."

"Never mind, at least we can have a decent meal today."

Upon seeing the military rations being transported into the camp, the Taiji Kingdom soldiers immediately erupted in cheers.

Wang Xuance, who was personally in charge of the transport, carefully checked the amount of grain and said to Jin Zizai with satisfaction, "Very good. You are very suitable to be an important minister of my Great Chu in Taiji Kingdom. This five thousand shi of grain will be enough for these soldiers for a while."

Jin Zizai: "It is my greatest honor to serve Her Majesty the Empress of Great Chu. I beg the angel to inform Her Majesty that I, Jin Zizai, am willing to be her dog and will forever loyally guard the land of Taiji Kingdom!"

Such a straightforward declaration of loyalty left Wang Xuance somewhat at a loss for words.

He could only try to appease him, saying, "Jin Yizheng is being far too modest. What do you mean by 'being His Majesty's dog'? That sounds awful. What Great Chu needs is a reliable ally, and you, Jin Zizai, are the best ally for Great Chu."

Jin Zizai's eyes were red and tears streamed down his face: "Your Majesty, these are my heartfelt words. To be a dog of Great Chu is truly a blessing earned through three lifetimes of good deeds."

"As long as Your Majesty the Angel commands, I, your humble servant, would gladly face any danger for Her Majesty the Empress."

Wang Xuance was speechless, staring blankly at Jin Zizai's performance.

Having perhaps seen sophisticated flattery, they were momentarily unable to adapt to such a simple declaration of loyalty.

There was no skill involved, only emotion; it was truly breathtaking.

However, after the initial shock, Wang Xuance felt an unprecedented calm.

"Rest assured, I will truthfully report all the contributions you have made to my Great Chu to Her Majesty, and she will naturally value you."

"Thank you, angels, for making my wish come true!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Zizai became so excited that he became incoherent.

"Please rest assured, angels, more provisions will arrive in a few days, and we guarantee that not a single grain of food will be missing."

"Ah."

Wang Xuanze responded and glanced at the heavy snowfall.

"The weather is getting colder and colder, so we still need to prepare some charcoal. We can't let people freeze to death like this."

Jin Zizai understood: "Don't worry, Angel, I'll go back and make the arrangements. It will be delivered in a few days."

Wang Xuance nodded: "Let's cook first. From today onwards, the soldiers must be guaranteed three meals a day."

"Yes!"

Jin Zizai responded and called Li Shunlong over, saying, "Go and prepare the meal immediately. From today onwards, there will be three meals a day without fail."

"clear."

Li Shunlong accepted the order immediately.

Soon, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys above Namhansanseong.

The soldiers guarding the garrison erupted in deafening cheers.

At the same time, in the Goguryeo camp outside the city, Xue Yan and Dang Rui frowned when they saw smoke rising from the city.

"Strange, it's only noon today, yet smoke is already rising from the Taiji Kingdom's camp? What's going on?"

"Quickly send someone to investigate."

About half an hour later, the scouts returned and reported: "Generals, the Taegi Kingdom garrison in Namhansan Castle is cooking."

Uh-huh~

Without saying a word, Xue Yan drew the sword from his waist.

"These swine dare to disregard my Goguryeo so much; they need to be taught a lesson."

Dang Rui: "Immediately issue an order to the entire army to launch a siege on Namhansanseong!"

"Archers in front, don't give the Goryeo people any time to react."

"Yes!"

The Goguryeo army was not even in the same league as the Taeguk Kingdom.

At a command, the soldiers who had been huddled in the snow and warming themselves by the campfire immediately extinguished the fire with snow, then grabbed their weapons and began to assemble.

In just the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the archers in front and the infantry behind quickly completed their assembly.

Goguryeo's archers were not just skilled archers; they were also close-combat infantrymen wearing two layers of armor and carrying nearly 30 kilograms of weight. Even when engaged in large-scale melee combat, their skills and tactics far surpassed those of the Goryeo army.

At this moment, the Taeguk army, who were still enjoying the scalding hot rice soup, had no idea that their unintentional actions had already aroused the anger of the Goguryeo army.

"Ah~~"

A Korean soldier took a sip of the thick rice soup, which scalded him, causing him to let out a series of strange cries.

"This is like a dream!"

He held the rice soup and shed precious tears. He had never imagined that he could have enough to eat while serving in the army. Naturally, he was so excited that he danced with joy.

The other Goryeo soldiers were the same, drinking rice soup in large gulps around the stove, completely ignoring the current situation.

Suddenly, a soldier from the Taiji Kingdom got up and started dancing.

The other soldiers also clapped and cheered.

For ordinary people like them in the Taiji Kingdom, who live at the bottom of society, having a bowl of rice to eat is already a great satisfaction.

While the soldier was still dancing with abandon...

飕～

"Pfft~"

A sharp, cold arrow pierced the air with a thunderous crack, striking him precisely in the back of the neck.

The cold arrowhead pierced his throat, drawing out a few drops of blood, and the joyful atmosphere came to an abrupt end.

"Uh~"

With a soft groan, the soldier collapsed beside the campfire.

"The Goguryeo people are here!"

Swoosh swoosh swoosh—

The next moment, someone shouted, followed by a fierce rain of arrows whistling in from outside the city wall.

Instantly, the crowd erupted in uproar.

All the soldiers instinctively cried out in alarm and began to scatter in all directions.

"what happened?"

Wang Xuance, Jin Zizai, and others, who were arranging tactics inside the camp, heard the movement of the defending troops and immediately lifted the curtain to check the situation.

Benedict——

Just as Wang Xuance stepped out of the tent, a wolf-tooth arrow struck the wooden pole to his left.

Seeing the still-shaking arrow shaft, Wang Xuance pulled it out and took a look.

"It was an arrow from Goguryeo!"

He decisively broke the arrow shaft and immediately gave the order.

"Prepare to defend against the enemy!"

However, Wang Xuance still overestimated the fighting strength of the Taiji Kingdom soldiers.

For a nation that relies on boasting to create history, apart from being stubborn in words, every other part of its body is soft.

The Goguryeo army was already on the verge of collapse the moment it launched its attack.

Despite the golden bells ringing a dozen times to signal the enemy's defense, no one dared to engage in battle.

What Wang Xuance saw was a scene of panicked figures running around everywhere.

Fortunately, the guard platoon around Wang Xuance reacted quickly and immediately stood guard around him and Jin Zizai, ready for battle.

"Kill!"

At this moment, the first Goguryeo soldier rushed up the city wall, drew his bow to his back with incredible speed, and grabbed the short axe from his waist.

With a single sweep, a large contingent of Taiji Kingdom's defenders fell.

puff~

With a sharp crack, the Goguryeo soldier plunged his axe deep into the abdomen of another Goguryeo soldier.

"Drink~"

With a loud shout, he swung his arm holding the short axe forcefully, sending up a spray of hot blood.

Soon, more Goguryeo soldiers climbed the city wall and quickly joined the chaotic battle with the Goryeo people.

Along the low city walls, there were mournful cries everywhere. A hundred or so elite Goguryeo soldiers had taken control of the battle in a very short time.

"It's really useless!"

Wang Xuance was utterly disappointed with the military strength of the Taiji Kingdom. After a sigh, he felt powerless to reverse the situation and could only quickly retreat from Nanhan Mountain City under the cover of the guard platoon.

The Battle of Namhansanseong lasted until evening, and the castle ultimately fell into the hands of Goguryeo.

The display of more than three thousand Goryeo corpses outside the city walls as a form of protest greatly shocked the entire city of Pyeonggyeong, which was within a hundred miles of the city.