Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

"The terrifying pressure appeared on the grain transport General, making him even more afraid, and he hastily said, "I am willing, I am willing."

Chen Xiong looked at his reaction, and only then a warm smile appeared on his face as he said, "I want you to feign opening the gates of Ji City for me!"

But the grain transport General was startled upon hearing this. Ji City was the supply depot of the Allied Army; now, due to the tense frontline, many soldiers were called to the front, which left it rather vulnerable. If Chen Xiong really did manage to feign opening the city gates, then the situation of the war could be completely altered.

"How about it, dare you not? If successful, it would be a great achievement, enough for you to establish a foothold in Great Chu," Chen Xiong said softly.

The grain transport General was tempted. If he could indeed accomplish this feat, Great Chu would surely not ill-treat him, and he was also astounded by Chen Xiong's daring plan. Who could imagine that within the besieged Great Chu, there would be such a General daring to take this risk with a significant chance of success?

After a long deliberation, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fortune favors the bold, I'll do it!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiong immediately showed a happy expression; he knew that the battle he had long anticipated for his rise to fame was about to come. At this moment, his heart surged with excitement.

In the dead of night, the soldiers of Ji City had fallen into a deep sleep, with only a few still vigilant and patrolling the city walls. Before long, a disheveled army appeared in the distance.

"Who goes there?"

"It's me, Xu Shan!" The voice of the grain transport General rang out in the darkness, carrying a trace of fatigue.

"General Xu, didn't you go to deliver grain to the front?"

"No time to explain. We encountered the Chu Army on the way, the grain was burned. I escaped to bring you the news, to prevent the Chu Army from taking advantage," he said.

Upon hearing this news, the defending commander of Ji City immediately panicked. He, not being one to make decisions, was understandably flustered by such a pressing matter.

"Aren't you going to let me in? Or would you rather wait for the Chu Army to come and collect my corpse?" Xu Shan shouted deliberately loudly.

The commander, upon hearing this, hastily opened the city gates, preparing to let Xu Shan enter. Chen Xiong, lying in ambush not far away, saw the gates slowly opening, and a look of delighted surprise spread across his face—the grand plan was about to succeed.

The moment the gates opened, the soldiers of Great Chu following Xu Shan doffed their disguises and charged frenziedly. These men were the daredevil troops organized by Chen Xiong, each of them fearless and valiant. Their desperate onslaught stunned the defending soldiers, extinguishing their will to fight.

Soon the control of the gates fell into the hands of the Chu Army, and Chen Xiong, leading the Cavalry, rushed into the city. Faced with his well-trained Cavalry, the city's Defending Army collapsed like scarecrows in an instant. He didn't linger in the battle and set fire to Ji City. The roaring flames lit up half the sky.

Wang Tao was fast asleep in his camp, worn out by the days of battle that had drained him. Just coordinating the contradictions among the various factions of the Allied Army left him exhausted, not to mention the demoralization caused by the unsuccessful attacks. All of this had greatly wearied this hero risen from the chaos, who had finally managed to sleep soundly.

But a shout startled him awake, and upon looking up, he saw the commanding officer of Ji City, who was now kneeling on ground in utter disarray. He was covered in dust, with traces of blood and burn marks on his body.

Looking at Wang Tao, he shouted loudly, "My lord, I have failed your trust, Ji City has been burned!"

"What!" The still dazed Wang Tao stood up suddenly, asking in disbelief.

Not even bothering to put on his shoes, Wang Tao took two large steps forward, barefoot, and seized the guard commander's collar, his eyes red with fury as he demanded, "You say Ji City has been burned, who burned it, are you good for nothing, unable to defend a single Ji City?" After speaking, he threw the guard commander to the ground with force.

"My lord, Xu Shan has betrayed us, deceitfully opening the gates of Ji City," the defending army explained, emphasizing that they had fought valiantly even though they didn't mention their immediate collapse and panicked flight. "The Chu Army's leader Chen Xiong led his elite cavalry into the city, setting fires along the way. We fought fiercely for a long time before driving them back, but all the provisions were burned to the ground."

At that moment, Wang Tao was not in the mood to dwell on his subordinates' small schemes. With the loss of Ji City, he felt the tide was turning against him. Given the vast numbers of the allied army, provisions were crucial; now that the provisions were gone, it would be difficult to sustain the large army, and the various contradictions within the allied forces would begin to surface.

He weakly waved his hand for the guard commander to step down, knowing that now was not the time for assigning blame. He had to consider how to absolve himself of responsibility and handle the subsequent matters.

"Please summon Mr. Wu," Wang Tao instructed softly.

Soon, the fearsome Mr. Wu entered the tent and, seeing the look of dejection on Wang Tao's face, asked with concern, "My lord, what urgent matter compels you to summon me here in the dead of night?"

"Ji City is lost!" Wang Tao said softly, the words hitting Mr. Wu like a thunderclap, deafening him.

"Ji City is lost, how could it be, and the provisions..." He realized the gravity of the situation.

"Xu Shan has revolted, Chen Xiong's surprise move deceitfully opened the gates of Ji City, and burned all our provisions to ash," Wang Tao sighed, admitting he still admired Chen Xiong for being able to execute such a bold move, striking directly at his own lifeline.

"It's also my fault for being careless. Ji City was of such importance, I should have appointed a capable and reliable officer, but I used two useless ones instead; no wonder Chen Xiong seized the opportunity to pull off such a shocking feat."

"Our only recourse now is to burn our boats and have the allied army launch a frenzied attack tomorrow. If we can take down the city, the matter will be settled; if not, all is lost, and there will be no turning back," Mr. Wu said gravely.

Wang Tao nodded secretly, sharing the same thought. With their supplies dwindling, they could only fight a desperate battle, leveraging their numerical advantage to take the city and reverse the unfavorable situation.

Within the city, Lu Xun watched the dusty Chen Xiong with delight, laughing loudly, "Chen Xiong, you've truly earned great merit this time, with your long-distance raid, deceiving the city gates, and burning the supplies. With your singular effort, you've changed the course of the conflict."

The generals, looking at the excited Lu Xun, were also beaming with joy. They finally saw the glimmer of victory. In the end, such a great battle boiled down to a contest of endurance. The allied army outside the city was weary, as were the troops inside, but it was a question of who was more resilient, whose faith was stronger.

"It seems that tomorrow will be the decisive moment. The enemy, without provisions, can only choose to desperately take the city; otherwise, their efforts will have been for naught. Tomorrow will be a fierce battle!" Lao Han said, frowning slightly, as though he could already envision the fierce battle that would unfold the next day.

"A fierce battle? I, Lao Wang, have never been afraid of one. Let my lord send me up," chimed in the reinvigorated Madman Wang, eager to fight after two days of rest.

The other generals were no less ambitious, each requesting to fight. They all knew the next day's battle was crucial, a battle that would decide the fate of the land. If they won, the revival of Great Chu and the remaking of heaven and earth would no longer be just an empty slogan. If defeated, the land would fall back into an era of warlords vying for power, with no telling how long peace would take to return.

If they could shine in the great battle of the next day, it would be an excellent opportunity to make their mark in history; thus, each of them was raring to go, fighting to be the main force in the imminent struggle.

"Tomorrow is critical. The enemy's offensive will be relentless, so our defense must also be unyielding," Lu Xun said gently, knowing full well that the upcoming battle would test the cohesion of his forces, which he had built up with confidence.

The generals and Lu Xun then returned to rest, conserving their energy to present themselves in peak condition for the crucial battle ahead.