What is that?!
The imperial soldiers had never seen sweet potatoes before. Their eyes widened as they stared at the small mountain of sweet potatoes piled up.
Is that edible?!
They watched in shock as the plague city soldiers buried these things in the fire pit. After a short while, they dug them out again.
Once the sweet potatoes had cooled a bit, they peeled off the outer skin and began eating with great relish, taking big bites.
The imperial soldiers swallowed hard, watching how delicious it looked when the plague city soldiers ate!
Not only did they have wild game to eat, but they also had this food the imperial soldiers had never seen before. Each of them could eat several, and some with bigger appetites even ate more than ten.
"What on earth is that? How come they're eating it with such gusto?"
"Can all the soldiers under the Elder Princess eat this much? Eat until they're full? Can she afford to feed them like this?"
"Didn't General Guan say the Elder Princess could only feed her troops once every two days? This doesn't seem to match his prediction at all."
"Hiss! They can still eat more?" The imperial soldiers whispered among themselves, their eyes gleaming.
Heavens!
Just how much food did the plague city have?
This pile of food was completely devoured by just a few thousand soldiers.
The imperial soldiers looked down at the hard rations and cold porridge in their hands, suddenly finding it difficult to swallow.
"What's the matter? Do you want to go eat in the plague city?" Guan Pei scolded harshly.
The imperial soldiers hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to steal any more glances at the plague city soldiers eating.
It seemed to take forever before the plague city soldiers finally finished their meal.
For the imperial soldiers, this was the longest meal they had ever experienced in their lives!
Even without looking, just smelling the aroma made every minute feel like a year. They prayed for the plague city soldiers to finish quickly, to stop tempting them.
They were about to lose their resolve...
But at this moment, the real test was just beginning.
The Elder Princess had long been standing on the city wall, observing the expressions of the imperial soldiers. Beside her was Gu Sang in a virtual projection state.
Seeing the imperial soldiers eyeing their side hungrily, with drool almost dripping from their mouths,
The Elder Princess sincerely praised Gu Sang: "Sang Sang, this idea of yours is truly brilliant."
"They wanted to trap our plague city this way, to cut off our food supply."
"We can turn their strategy against them, shaking their morale without expending a single soldier."
The Elder Princess had never imagined that warfare could be waged like this. She felt her horizons had truly been broadened today.
Seeing the unexpectedly good results, a smile spread across Gu Sang's face.
Gu Sang: "I got this idea yesterday from reading historical records, inspired by our ancestors. The imperial court only knows we have sweet potatoes, but they don't understand their exact yield and maturation period."
"Guan Pei probably thought our plague city couldn't survive, that you couldn't afford to feed so many troops, so he wanted to use this method to waste time."
"Unfortunately, they underestimated the yield of sweet potatoes and potatoes!"
"Now, we can proceed to the next step."
"Wei Qi, bring those people out!"
After receiving the Elder Princess's order, Counselor Fang immediately led more than a dozen people out of the city gate, standing between the two armies.
When these people appeared, the imperial army's side immediately erupted. Some soldiers even recognized them, their eyes widening in shock.
An imperial soldier pointed and shouted: "Isn't that Yang? He wasn't executed?"
"That's my fellow villager, he's actually still alive, thank goodness."
"Why are they with the rebels? Have they defected?"
Guan Pei didn't recognize them originally, but hearing his subordinates' discussions, he immediately roared: "Traitors! How dare you betray the imperial court!"
"Do you want to die without a burial place?"
The dozen or so captive soldiers retreated a few steps, frightened by Guan Pei's terrifying authority.
But thinking of the good treatment in the plague city and the Elder Princess's magnanimity, the captive soldiers gathered their courage and stepped forward again, facing the imperial crowd.
At this moment, the Elder Princess's voice, powerful enough to set hearts at ease, came from the city wall: "They are not traitors, and you imperial people have no right to accuse them of being traitors!"
"They are your comrades, who didn't flee with you after your defeat yesterday."
"Before you abandoned them, did you ever consider how miserable their fate would be if captured by the enemy?"
"You once fought side by side. Some of you may know them, some may be their friends or fellow villagers."
"But when they were wounded, the imperial court abandoned them to die!"
"What right do you have to accuse these people you abandoned!"
The Elder Princess's words were deafening, making every imperial soldier bow their heads in shame.
Yes, they were deserters!
What right did they have to call others traitors?
The dozen or so soldiers at the bottom of the city wall, hearing the Elder Princess understand and speak up for them, immediately felt their eyes grow hot with emotion.
The captive soldiers looked at each other, seeing determination and gratitude in each other's eyes.
Before the Elder Princess defended them, they had been anxious and guilty when Counselor Fang brought them out to face their former comrades.
Some even struggled internally, grateful for the Elder Princess's magnanimity on one hand, but wanting to remain loyal to the imperial court on the other!
But now, after hearing the Elder Princess's words, they suddenly understood.
Why couldn't they defect?
After all, the imperial court had already abandoned them, hadn't they?
Just based on what the Elder Princess said, they decided to follow her from now on!
So these dozen or so soldiers immediately spoke, their words resonant and heartfelt: "Listen to our advice, everyone. The Elder Princess is merciful and considerate of her soldiers. Only by following someone like her will our lives improve."
"Yesterday, after you fled, it was the Elder Princess who saved us."
"Although we were imperial soldiers, the Elder Princess doesn't kill indiscriminately. We few were less severely injured, while some of the more seriously wounded are still recuperating in the city..."
"The benefits of serving under the Elder Princess are excellent. Not only can our children receive free education..."
"Moreover, life inside the plague-stricken city is wonderful. You can eat your fill at every meal. The roasted sweet potatoes there are especially fragrant, and the common people are all......"
Under the persuasion of these dozen or so soldiers, the envy in the eyes of half of the imperial troops grew more and more intense.
Many soldiers began to waver.
Seeing this, Guan Pei's lips trembled with anger. He immediately drew his sword and killed two of his own men who were clearly considering defecting, which finally stabilized the morale of the troops.
Furious and anxious, he ordered, "These are treasonous words!"
"It's all fake! It's all a false image created by the Elder Princess to shake our resolve!"
"All troops, retreat!"
How could they continue this battle?
Before it had even begun, the siege was already over. Guan Pei was seething with rage.
Watching Guan Pei lead the army away, Gu Sang gazed into the distance beyond the city walls and murmured, "Very good. Now, it's up to General Qin!"
