Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

At this moment, Wu Heng was discussing with his elders, feeling agitated, how to deal with the impending war.

Suddenly, soldiers burst in:

"Lord City Lord, our scouts just reported that Zhuang Chenyue, the president of the Weapon Refiners Association, announced that all members of the association must sever ties with you. Any weapon refiner who does business with you in the future will have their weapon refiner qualification revoked. Furthermore, the vice president, who was on good terms with you, has been expelled from the association. He has been taken away by his enemies and his fate is unknown. Although the Alchemists Association has not stated its position, it is clearly showing signs of distancing itself from you."

"roll!"

Wu Heng angrily slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground with a loud 'thud,' startling the soldiers who immediately fled.

"Damn it, they've already started betraying us before we've even made a move! Do they think I, Wu Heng, am made of clay? I'll send men right now to wipe out these bastards!"

"Lord, please calm down. We cannot touch the Refiners' Association. They are the most powerful organization besides the Feather Emperor Palace. If we offend the Refiners' Association, we will truly be finished!"

An elder hurriedly intervened.

"Outrageous! We haven't even lost yet, and they're already rushing to choose sides! The Refiner's Association is going too far!"

Wu Heng cursed.

"Lord of the city, our scouts have reported that the enemy army has encamped in the woods thirty miles east of the city, numbering as many as thirty to forty thousand."

Another soldier rushed in to report.

"They're here already? Elders, what should we do? Fight or not?" Wu Heng asked anxiously.

“We have an army of 100,000 and the advantage of the city. Why should we be afraid of his 30,000 or 40,000 troops?” an elder said.

"Let's play defensively and wait for them to attack! We're going to die anyway, so what's there to be afraid of!"

"Alright! Third Elder, you immediately take the order to lead 50,000 troops to seal off the entire Central Plains City. From this day forward, no one is allowed to enter or leave the city! Especially weapon refiners, not a single one is allowed to step out of the Weapon Refiner Association. The rest of you, come with me to the East Gate to defend against the enemy's attack." Wu Heng was going all out, preparing for a desperate fight.

On the hotel's top floor, Mo Yuming watched as squads of soldiers emerged from the city lord's mansion across the street, and smiled as he spoke to Sun Min and the hotel manager standing beside him:

"They've finally made their move. Once our army begins its assault on the city, how long do you think they can hold out?"

"I estimate it will take at most one day."

The hotel manager said.

“They’ll collapse completely in half a day at most!” Sun Min said.

“Hehe, how about we make a bet? I bet they can only hold out for half an hour at most. From the moment the soldiers outside the city start their attack, our army will only need half an hour to storm the city. And when the Wu Heng army retreats to the city lord's mansion, they won't be able to get in! The entire battle will end within four hours!” Mo Yuming said.

"How could that be? It can't be that fast! I bet it will take at least a day!" the hotel manager said.

"I think it will take at least six hours!"

"Okay, Ah Hao, you keep track of the time. Whoever loses has to treat us to dinner in a private room on the sixth floor. Remember, you have to pay for it yourself, no extra charges!"

"Okay, Master, when will the soldiers outside the city start their attack? What should I do if I can't see them from here?" Ah Hao asked, puzzled.

"It's already past noon, everyone needs to rest and regroup. Let's do it tomorrow. Tomorrow's an auspicious day, perfect for war! And watching the show! Haha!" Mo Yuming replied with a smile.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, the city's residents, who rose early in the morning, discovered that the streets were plastered with notices. The notices read:

"Three types of people will not be killed: First, those who stay at home and hang red ribbons at their doors to show their submission to the Great Xia Empire will not be killed; second, all merchants and shops that have severed ties with Wu Heng or remain neutral will not be killed; third, all soldiers who lay down their arms and leave the city through the south, north, and west gates will not be killed."

Upon learning of this, Wu Heng, who was stationed in the eastern part of the city, flew into a rage. He immediately ordered his soldiers to tear down the notices everywhere and to impose a city-wide curfew, searching for any suspicious persons. Anyone found guilty would be executed immediately. Any residents of the city who did not cooperate would also be killed without mercy.

Just as Wuheng's soldiers began searching the streets and alleys, a rebellion broke out among the city's residents, who clashed with the soldiers. Many residents joined the fray. Disagreements also arose among the soldiers involved in the search; some soldiers used the opportunity of searching for rebels to plunder the people's money, while others felt this was unfair to the people they had lived with day and night, leading to further fighting among the soldiers. Soon, Zhongyuan City was in chaos and devastation.

Standing on the top floor of the restaurant, observing the battle, Mo Yuming said to Sun Min behind him, "It's time!"

Sun Min's figure disappeared from the room immediately. A moment later, a whistling arrow was heard shooting out from the street. The sharp whistling sound resounded through the sky. The arrow exploded with a 'bang' in the air, bursting into beautiful fireworks.

No one in the city had ever seen such fireworks before. Everyone looked up in disbelief, wondering what was happening. Just as everyone was speculating, a riot suddenly broke out in the city lord's mansion. It turned out that deserters stationed in the military camp had started fighting amongst themselves. Many soldiers then realized that many of their comrades who had fled into Zhongyuan City with them were not deserters at all, but enemy soldiers.

The moment they drew their Xuan Tie treasures from their tattered sword and knife sheaths, their expressions changed drastically. They were no longer the thugs and hooligans like themselves, but war gods radiating murderous intent. These soldiers, who had no will to fight and only wanted to escape, immediately began to flee desperately in all directions.

The five thousand disguised soldiers didn't pursue the cowardly fleeing soldiers, but instead engaged in battle with the soldiers guarding the city lord's mansion. These five thousand soldiers were elite selected from the Great Xia army; Great Xia soldiers were known for their high quality, and these soldiers were even more formidable. Wu Heng's guards were no match for the Great Xia soldiers wielding Xuan Tie magical weapons, and the battle was essentially one-sided.

At the same time as the internal strife began, the Great Xia army besieging the city also launched its attack. One hundred catapults had been deployed the night before, but they were all outside the range of the magic crystal cannons that Wu Heng had set up on the city walls. The magic crystal cannons were extremely destructive; each shot could blast all soldiers below the Heavenly Rank within a range of one hundred feet long and three feet wide. Although Heavenly Rank experts could withstand one hit, they would be seriously injured.

Every mile along the city walls of Zhongyuan City, there was a magic crystal cannon, which could basically cover the entire combat area. Therefore, before the siege began, the commander of the Great Xia Legion placed catapults a hundred zhang away. However, the catapults' firing range was only about a hundred zhang, so they couldn't hit the city walls at that distance.