Chapter 28

In the center of the training ground, Wang Tong arrived with two people as agreed. Xu Jingzhi and Xu Ji slowly walked over from the opposite side. Upon seeing each other, they recognized one another and began chatting with smiles on their faces.

Xu Ji laughed and said, "It's so hot today, let's talk about the main matters later. I'll have the servants set up a tent first."

Wang Tong, drenched in sweat, was more than happy with this. The servants quickly set up the tent, and then brought cool tea and snacks. After a while of eating and drinking, both sides finally sat down to discuss matters. Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, half an hour had gone by.

During this time, neither side was idle. Li Jinglong's 'army' was like a swarm of locusts, cutting down all the trees around the hill. Not only did they plan to build a camp, but Li Jinglong also ordered them to dig deep trenches and pile the earth on the highest ground to create a platform for him to command the battle. Additionally, he required the construction of arrow towers and barriers as defensive measures.

Under the urging of their young master, the servants, who were used to a comfortable life, reluctantly accepted the task. Many of them grumbled inwardly, thinking that walking around, practicing martial arts, and following orders was one thing, but being treated like lowly soldiers was another.

What was most infuriating was that the commander himself did nothing, hiding on the side and watching with folded arms, claiming that the elite needed to conserve their strength. So, they were just expendable troops?

Most of the servants from these wealthy families were skilled at shirking work. In such hot weather, they couldn't even get a drink of water, and they weren't from the same family, so who would work hard? As a result, the quality of the entire project was very questionable. Most of the young masters didn't think they would be on the defensive, so they turned a blind eye, and everyone worked together to deceive the commander.

Li Jinglong, on the other hand, slipped into the shade to hold a war council. The table was filled with wine and fresh fruit; he couldn't let the generals go hungry, could he?

The young masters and generals enjoyed their food and drinks while listening to Li's lengthy speech, which ranged from ancient times to the founding of the Ming Dynasty. It was more entertaining than listening to a storyteller.

Meanwhile, the other side was also busy with construction, and their scale seemed even more impressive. They had the spirit of building a fortress to match the camp.

The Xu family had fewer people who could fight, but they had more who could work. Even the onlookers were mobilized. Sandbags piled up like mountains, with wooden frames as the skeleton and stones, sandbags, and various fillers used as bricks. Soon, the outline of a small, square city began to take shape.

Wang Tong's subordinates, who were quite shrewd, immediately ran back to report. Li Jinglong sneered upon hearing the news. A mere castle made of tofu, what could it do to me? He waved his hand and ordered the entire army to build simple siege weapons.

However, his subordinates reported back that the men were demanding water, or they would go on strike. Li Jinglong, being reasonable, immediately sent thirty people to find fresh water.

At the Xu family's villa, Xu Hao and Zhu Gaozhi were chatting under a canopy. Over two hundred people lay around, taking the opportunity to rest and regain their strength. Outside, the world was scorching, but here it was cool and comfortable.

Xu Hao, who had been thrust into the position of commander, had no sense of being a great leader. Zhu Gaozhi, on the other hand, was used to handling everything personally. His first act that morning was to personally encourage everyone, so the two of them basically fulfilled the military book's requirement to share the hardships with their troops.

It was mostly for show, and true shared hardships would take time. However, Xu Hao was fine with it, while Zhu Gaozhi's status was significant, and the servants were excited to see a prince up close.

Xu Wen ran over from outside, excitedly saying, "The other side has sent a team toward Wang's village, and the negotiations are almost over."

Xu Hao stood up and stretched, looking at the city that had risen higher than the walls of the courtyard. He couldn't help but think of his computer games, where giving orders and having the peasants build structures was so simple. In reality, there were too many coordination issues, far from the simplicity of the game.

Building the castle was purely to accommodate Zhu Gaozhi, who was too fat to fight and too valuable to risk. It also served to mislead the enemy, achieving two goals at once.

The so-called negotiations were mostly just talk. One was to delay time, and the other was to avoid trampling the fields. Xu Hao planned to treat the fields as steep mountains.

What wouldn't these noble children do? He couldn't let the villagers suffer because of him.

In the tent, Xu Jingzhi proposed this, and Wang Tong, being smart, nodded in agreement. He then immediately proposed that the Xu family's villa be treated as a mountain, and during the battle, no one could hide inside or take food or drink from the courtyard. Xu Jingzhi thought about it and agreed.

Additionally, there were other miscellaneous rules, such as the weapons to be used, automatically exiting the battlefield if hit by an arrow, the entire area being the battlefield, no use of fire, and no time limit. Most of these rules came from Li Jinglong's ideas, aiming to make the battle more realistic.

After some haggling, both sides finally reached a verbal agreement.

Xu Hao ignored all of this. Expecting both sides to follow the negotiation content was like a fairy tale. Who would voluntarily exit the battle if hit by a wooden arrow?

As the eldest brother, Xu Wen didn't speak, but Zhu Gaozhi, seeing the situation, struggled to stand up and said with a smile, "Let's get started then."

On the other side, Wang Tong returned with his people and detailed the negotiation. Li Jinglong was delighted and said, "Bring the sand table."

The platform was almost ready, and from this high vantage point, the surrounding terrain was clearly visible. The young masters and generals praised the commander's foresight.

Li Jinglong, feeling self-satisfied, began to point out the strategic points: "Look, the fields are now cliffs, and no one can walk there, turning this open area into a long, narrow strip. The Xu family's villa is a fixed object, so that small city is the enemy's only stronghold. If I were Xu Jingzhi, I would hold out and hide cavalry in the nearby forest, attacking from inside and outside at night."

"Can a makeshift city hold out for long?" Cao Daxiong said dismissively.

Li Jinglong shook his head slightly and pointed to the servants who were working hard, their throats parched, and asked, "How long do you think we can hold out here?"

Cao Daxiong looked at the barriers, trenches, arrow towers, and walls, which were almost complete, and thought for a moment before saying, "If the numbers are equal, we might hold out for a day or two. Fortunately, we can't use fire."

"Never underestimate the enemy. The art of war says to surround with ten times the force, and to attack with double the force. We have over five hundred people, and the other side, as the locals, can at least gather three hundred. Do you think they can hold out until midnight with just that small city?"

"Cai Xiong, you're right; I underestimated them," Cao Daxiong said, blushing and lowering his head.

Wang Tong, feeling thirsty from the heat, had a sudden idea and said, "Since the other side plans to delay, why not send a team around to cut off their supply lines? They can't get supplies from their own homes, so if we wait three to five days, we can attack from both sides."

Li Jinglong inwardly acknowledged that Wang Tong's suggestion was excellent, but how would that show his leadership? He said coolly, "I said the Xu family are the locals and have ways to get food. We, on the other hand, came from afar and shouldn't divide our forces."

Wang Tong asked in confusion, "So, you mean to order a full attack immediately?"

"I have a bit of patience," Li Jinglong chuckled and ordered, "Pass my command: the entire army is to rest here."

Everyone followed Li Jinglong down from the platform. Wang Tong couldn't help but ask, "Why hasn't the water come back? How long have they been gone?"

Cao Daxiong calculated the time and said, "It's been almost an hour."