When the setting sun was swallowed up by the mountains, the battle that lasted for a day came to an end temporarily.
Dispersing the troops in the huge Jinxia City is obviously a taboo in the art of war, so Ning Wanjun ordered the troops to retreat steadily and orderly to the west gate, relying on the towering city walls to establish outposts and defense lines.
Although the granary was recaptured from the enemy's hands, a few hours were not enough to empty the warehouse. In order to prevent the enemy from obtaining supplies on the spot, the princess made a bold decision. Before retreating, she ordered people to set fire to the granary and burn the rice that would not be transported in time.
Of course, this day was not without success.
The two southwest walls of Jinxia City are still in the hands of the princess. With these two passages in hand, the army has the initiative to avoid falling into an arduous siege battle.
In addition, the "defense arsenal" also greatly enhanced the strength of this unit. Before setting off, some of them did not even have a standard long gun. The weapons they used were all brought by themselves. With the princess's own strength, it is obvious that It is also impossible to prepare three thousand sets of equipment. But now, these people are wearing armor, hanging scimitars on their waists, and holding iron spears. The officers can even get a handy light crossbow.
But the biggest achievement is undoubtedly the residents of Jinxia City.
Under the coordinated guidance of the reserve team and the Privy Council, nearly 100,000 people were gradually evacuated from the interior of the city. Within a few miles of the outskirts of Xicheng, it had become a huge camp. When Xia Fan climbed up the city wall and looked to the west, he was really shocked - when he was all in the city, he didn't think it was so obvious, but when he pulled them all out, it became shocking. The campsites were filled with black heads. , and the gray-green tents are lined up to the end of the field of vision.
"If they didn't have these reserves in the weapons arsenal, they really wouldn't be able to accommodate so many people." Ning Wanjun said with emotion, "The troops I led at the border could only reach 20,000 people at most. That’s all.”
"It's not enough to have supplies alone." Xia Fan smiled, "The most important thing is because of you."
In terms of status, she is the princess of Quang Binh, and she has charisma that no one else can match; in terms of experience, she has served as a general of an army, and she knows how to plan, and her subordinates are also good at setting up camps. It can be said that she is the best person to handle this matter. If it were another person, even the local government governor, he might not be able to be as organized as she is.
"Ahem..." The princess paused unexpectedly, "Are you so straightforward when you praise others?"
"Just tell the truth. What, do you think it's inappropriate?"
"This... is not impossible..."
"Your Highness, this humble minister is guilty!" At this time, He Guicai came up and knelt down on one knee and said, "Your Highness, please punish me!"
Ning Wanjun immediately returned to her normal expression, "Get up and speak. There is no need to act this way when discussing matters in the army. Is there news from the north?"
"Exactly!" He Guicai stood up and replied, "Reporting from the northern expedition, there is still no sign of the Shenzhou Army!"
"Even if there is no beacon fire, the sentry tower should still see the billowing black smoke rising from Jinxia City." Ning Wanjun pondered for a moment, "Even if the military discipline of the Shenzhou garrison is lax and unable to quickly assemble a large army, at least a vanguard unit should be dispatched Inquiry into the situation. If we want them to remain silent now, Dongsheng Kingdom alone cannot achieve this."
"Wei Chen agrees. This attack is probably a coordinated and long-planned attack. The purpose is to seize the city rather than plunder. But Wei Chen failed to see this and almost made His Highness make a wrong decision. As a military staff officer, I am willing to take the blame!"
"Okay, you just express your thoughts, I am the one who makes the final decision." Ning Wanjun said disapprovingly, "In reality, it is also possible that after we finally repelled the pirates, we were blocked by the Shenzhou Army in the city and were in a dilemma. .Do you still feel guilty?"
"..." He Guicai was speechless.
"The world likes to judge heroes based on success or failure, but generals of an army cannot do this. Otherwise, who would dare to speak freely at a military meeting? Even if he is really guilty, it is just me who failed to make correct judgments."
"Your Highness... you are serious!" He Guicai bowed and saluted, "But now that the granary has been burned, the quantity shipped out is only enough to evacuate the people for two or three days. If arrangements are not made early and the rations are cut off, the consequences will be disastrous. .”
"I've thought about ways to do it, but I don't know how much food I can raise in the end."
"Your Highness Princess," Qiuyue suddenly ran up the city wall, "The grain transport team from Gaoshan County is here!"
"So soon?" Ning Wanjun looked happy, "Come on, take me to see it."
When the group arrived at the south gate of the city, they saw a group of carriages parked by the roadside. Soldiers were carrying food back and forth, and there were people counting on the side.
Among the crowd, Xia Fan saw a familiar figure.
"Chow Tai Fook?"
"Master Xia!" Zhou Dafu also noticed Xia Fan's arrival, quickly patted the dust on his body, rushed to him in three steps and two steps at a time, bowed and saluted, "I heard that you want food, my father Let me quickly find a car to deliver it to you. This is just the first batch, and there will be many more later, all of which were cobbled together by the villagers."
"I want food?"
"Sorry, I borrowed your name when I asked someone to bring the news." The princess winked at him slyly and whispered, "I think your name is more useful than mine in Gaoshan County."
Zhou Dafu looked at the princess next to him, then looked at Xia Fan, "Uh... Sir, don't you want it?"
"No, I need it." Xia Fan immediately said seriously, "Thank you for everything you have done for Jinxia City."
"Hi, sir, it should be us who are thanking you!" Chow Dafu waved his hands repeatedly, "If it weren't for your support at that time, my family's few acres of land would definitely not have been saved. What's more, you also brought down County Magistrate Hu and brought everyone down. After being liberated from his fields, everyone remembers this kindness! Now you have to raise food, and the price is 10% higher than usual. There is no reason for us not to respond. In the words of my father, even if we don’t have this If there is a price difference, then I have to repay you for your life-saving grace!”
When the carriage slowly drove away, the princess breathed softly, "Sure enough, you are right."
"What?" Xia Fan looked at her.
"The new image can bring me a new Jinxia City."
"What do you know next?"
"Probably. If I do anything wrong, I hope you can give me more advice, Mr. Xia." Ning Wanjun joked, "Let's go to the camp!"
…
Facts have proved that Ning Wanjun not only knew what to do, but also accurately grasped the core.
When she entered the evacuation camp along with the hot meat porridge and handed the wooden bowl filled with porridge to the people, the crowd suddenly became excited.
In this chaotic noise, there were people talking, crying, thanking, and praising.
But in the end they all became the same sound.
"Her Royal Highness Princess Guangping—Chitose!"
Everyone has no doubt that the princess can completely defeat the enemy and recapture Jinxia City.
The two-color flag standing at the top of the city gave them great confidence.
Looking at the fluttering flag, Xia Fan noticed that the evening wind seemed to be particularly strong today.
For the first time, he did not see the sunset in Jinxia City.