The wind was howling, and the bleak wind also took away the confidence of the army in Shangyong City. Finally, some soldiers began to whisper to each other, hesitating. Originally, this 800,000-strong army was put together temporarily, and many were deceived by sweet words; now that some of the lies have been exposed, many soldiers have begun to retreat.
Cao Guobin's eyes gradually became cold and stern, but he knew clearly in his heart: the soldiers must not be allowed to retreat, otherwise the army's morale would be scattered and the 800,000-strong army would become a pile of loose sand. Once the army of Tang and Anyang arrived, it would be very likely that they would be defeated without a fight. Reducing the fighting would allow the scattered army to be preserved; of course, stimulation was also needed.
After thinking for a while, Cao Guobin had an idea. "We have 800,000 troops, but we were actually frightened by the enemy's 200,000 troops. Are you so cowardly? What is the essence of cultivation? It is self-improvement. Only by self-improvement can we never stop! If we retreat now, this will become your inner demon and will always haunt your cultivation. Now, we are not only fighting for the State of Cai, but also for ourselves. Use victory to eliminate our inner demons! We have 800,000 troops, and we will split into four groups later to break out in four directions. As long as one of the groups succeeds in breaking out, we can surround the 200,000 troops of the State of Xiao from inside and outside and annihilate them in one fell swoop! Everyone, we are 800,000, four against one! Besides, many of your relatives are in the city. Can you guarantee that the 200,000 troops of the State of Xiao will not harm anyone after entering the city? When did they not burn and kill people after breaking the city? Our dignity needs to be obtained by ourselves. Do we have to rely on the kindness of the enemy for the lives of our wives and children? Besides, we are protected by the walls of the empire, and it is not easy for the army of the State of Xiao to break through the defense!"
There were stimulation, tactics, and hope for victory. Cao Guobin's speech temporarily stabilized the morale of the army. But it was only temporary! Cao Guobin was not the kind of person who took things for granted. He knew very well how big the difference was between these makeshift soldiers and the 200,000 elite troops led by Xiao Liming.
Not to mention, the army from Anyang and Tang is expected to arrive at noon, and by then... the situation will be even worse. It is really difficult to buy three days for the Emperor of Cai and his entourage!
Deep down, Cao Guobin kept sighing. There was a time when he was not thinking about winning, but about buying time. Was he getting old? Or was the world changing too fast
Looking at the black muzzle, Cao Guobin exerted a little force with his dry hands; artillery, which has only been around for less than four years, has already changed the mode of warfare. Locomotives, airplanes, machine guns, etc., all of them have posed new challenges to past military thinking.
Time passed little by little. Xiao Liming was very decisive. One hour was divided into eight quarters. Every time a quarter passed, Xiao Liming asked the soldiers to wave their flags and shout "One quarter has passed".
This was like a countdown to a death sentence. The torment caused by this process made many soldiers in Shangyong City sweat in their palms. In particular, some patriotic people who were temporarily aroused and filled with passion finally sobered up under this fear. War is not a joke!
Although the Xiao Kingdom only had 200,000 troops, they were 200,000 professional soldiers, fundamentally different from the mob. One elite soldier could beat three or two ordinary people; 10,000 elite soldiers could drive millions of people to flee.