Chapter 15 There really are three stages!

General Geng Zhong remained silent, obviously finding it hard to make a decision in such a short time.

Although Barbarian troops from Beidi were already at the city's gates, no one could clearly say when they would attack. What would they do if the Barbarians attacked right after they had killed the horses?

Keeping the horses would at least allow a small elite group to break out and either bring back reinforcements or preserve some manpower, which essentially provided an additional escape route.

Killing the horses would indeed solve the food problem for the short term, but what if the Barbarian forces continued the siege for several more days? Then, everyone trapped in the isolated city would lose even the last hope of breaking out.

Zhao Haiping made this suggestion precisely because he was well aware of when the Barbarian troops would attack.

Digging wells and splashing water certainly could serve a psychological purpose, but the prerequisite was to withstand the first wave of the Barbarian attack.

If the soldiers, overwhelmed by extreme thirst and hunger, were to collapse at the first touch, throwing water would be useless after all. The Barbarians from Beidi weren't fools and wouldn't be easily frightened away with the city almost in their grasp.

Therefore, they must kill the horses now to keep the soldiers in their best fighting condition.

Should the Barbarian attack be frustrated and they then discovered there was a new water source in the city, only then might they consider retreating due to the difficulty.

Yet, Zhao Haiping couldn't possibly disclose that a Barbarian attack was imminent; that would seem too much like fortune-telling.

He had to find another reason.

"General, the situation is urgent. We must make a decision soon!

"Even if we keep the horses, once the city falls, only about ten to twenty percent of the people would manage to escape. And once they attempt to break out from Beidi's encirclement, perhaps only one in a hundred might succeed!

"We are already in an isolated city, with the surrounding cities all conquered by Beidi. Trying to fetch reinforcements is akin to reaching for the sky.

"Moreover, if a few start attempting to break out on horseback, the morale among the other soldiers in the city will inevitably disintegrate, leading to complete collapse!

"But slaughtering the horses has two benefits.

"Firstly, it ensures that all soldiers confront the enemy in their best condition, relying on the city to inflict maximum casualties on the Beidi people; secondly, it shows your determination to stand or fall together with the city, boosting morale!

"Then, once the water is drawn from the well and heavenly soldiers seem to descend, a heavy blow can be dealt to the morale of the Beidi people, and only then do we have a chance to turn the desperate situation around!"

General Geng Zhong still remained silent, but his expression gradually became resolute.

Finally, he slammed his hand on the table.

"Well said!

"Instead of a few escaping and struggling to survive, it is better for everyone to stand together and share the city's fate!

"As long as there is a drop of hot blood in us, the soldiers of Great Chu shall defend our borders and never retreat a step!

"Order it, kill the horses! Dig the well!"

...

As the general's order was issued, the soldiers of Great Chu inside the city began to bustle about.

Tears in their eyes, the soldiers killed the warhorses that had fought by their sides for many years while the seventh well was fervently dug.

Bowls of horse meat were delivered to the top of the city walls, and the soldiers ate while shedding tears.

But as Zhao Haiping patrolled the city walls, he could distinctly feel that the entire city was in a state of high morale, a stark contrast to the previous low spirits!

Previously, these soldiers were suffering from the combined effects of hunger and thirst, and completely unaware of when the Beidi Barbarians might attack. Some thought of breaking out on horseback, while others felt like they were waiting for death, leading to discordance.

Now, with the general's order to kill the horses and eat their meat, everyone knew they had to share the fate of the city!

Full and no longer disoriented or hesitant, hatred for the Beidi Barbarians reignited.

In the soldiers' hearts, there was only one word.

Kill!!

Zhao Haiping took a broken bowl filled with horse flesh from a soldier's hand, the meat chunks were hardly tasty. After all, horse meat wasn't known for being delicious, especially now without any condiments.

But it still revitalized his hungry and thirsty body.

"This is indeed the right solution.

"Even if I had chosen the talent ability to endure hunger, it would have just kept me from being hungry. The condition of the other soldiers wouldn't have improved.

"If I had been stubborn before, the second stage would have become an endless loop that I could never escape.

"But now, with the physical strength and morale of all the soldiers greatly improved, there was hope for the city to hold."

...

As the sun set and soon rose again.

Rumbling sounds of war drums finally came from beneath the city.

The Barbarians of Beidi were attacking!

Zhao Haiping realized that the timing in this instance was dynamic; if he did nothing, time would swiftly pass, rushing to the moment when the Beidi Barbarians would attack.

But if he kept busy, he would have a whole day to prepare.

Now, the time was finally ripe.

Yet the well had been dug very deep with no signs of water yet.

General Geng Zhong was thinking of giving up, but Zhao Haiping insisted on continuing the digging, although retaining only a few soldiers, with most reassigned to the frontline at the city walls.

The Barbarians, as before, crazily lunged at the city!

A few barely functional defensive machines hurled stones at the Barbarians, but to little effect. Soon, the Barbarians had scaled the city walls and a melee ensued!

Zhao Haiping rushed forward again, staunchly standing by the General's side.

Because he knew very clearly that no matter how many died, General Geng Zhong could not die. If the General were to fall, morale inside the city would collapse, leading immediately to a disastrous defeat.

Fortunately this time, he discovered that the difficulty of the battle had surprisingly decreased compared to before.

Because all the soldiers were now well fed and their morale was high, their combat effectiveness was obviously not on the same level as before!

Moreover, Deputy General Zhao Haiping's ability to rally the troops had also noticeably improved.

In the first stage, when Zhao Haiping charged into the crowd, he barely received any support and was mostly fighting alone, but now, wherever Zhao Haiping charged, people would follow without hesitation, forming a small group, significantly reducing Zhao Haiping's pressure and allowing him to more freely fight among the Beidi barbarians.

Zhao Haiping didn't know how long he had been fighting, but eventually, he was relying purely on instinct, narrowly escaping death several times. It was only thanks to the Great Chu soldiers beside him who fearlessly blocked strikes for him that he survived.

Finally, the last Beidi barbarian on the city wall fell under his blade.

Zhao Haiping felt himself nearly collapsing. He used his long sword as a support, barely managing to keep standing.

At that moment, he was covered in blood, his armor riddled with slashes.

Looking back at the city head stacked with bones and corpses, General Geng Zhong was also bathed in blood, but fortunately uninjured.

"Did we hold them off?"

The happiness came so unexpectedly that Zhao Haiping was somewhat unprepared for a moment.

But the instance had not ended as he imagined, nor had it moved into a third stage.

The rolling drums of war resounded from below the city again!

Zhao Haiping was startled and quickly looked down, only to see the Beidi barbarians regathering!

Clearly, although the first assault had not taken the city and the Beidi barbarians had suffered heavy losses, they still believed that the Great Chu soldiers were at the end of their strength, so they were preparing to launch a second assault, regardless of the cost!

The soldiers on the city wall all showed signs of despair.

For they were indeed reaching their limits now, and if another attack like this came, they would certainly not hold.

Just then, a soldier hurriedly reported.

"General! There is water, there is water!"

General Geng Zhong, his face caked in blood, showed a ray of hope. After a brief pondering, he immediately commanded, "Quick, get the water up to the city head!"

Soon, buckets of well water were brought up to the city head.

Seeing the barbarians about to attack, General Geng Zhong ordered all the well water to be poured down.

General Geng Zhong stood on the city wall and laughed loudly, "Beidi barbarians! What good is your painstaking effort to cut off my water supply? The Great Chu has heavenly assistance!"

The other soldiers also stood on the city wall and laughed heartily.

As buckets of well water poured down, the Beidi barbarians poised to attack exchanged glances hesitantly and did not advance.

Clearly, even the leading Beidi general was hesitating.

Their long inability to conquer, coupled with low morale internally, had them thinking they would eventually starve the Great Chu soldiers to death by cutting off the river and water supply. They hadn't anticipated that not only were these Great Chu soldiers still vigorous and skilled fighters, but they had also found a new source of water within the city!

Could it really be divine protection?

This dealt a fatal blow to the Beidi barbarians' confidence, and they ultimately collapsed.

On the city wall, Zhao Haiping supported his body, slowly regaining his strength.

If it followed the script of history, the Beidi barbarians would be retreating now.

But this wasn't real history. Who knows if the game would suddenly stop making sense?

So, all he could do was wait with an incredibly anxious heart.

Finally, he saw that the Beidi barbarians did not launch another attack, and ultimately gave up, choosing to retreat.

Zhao Haiping finally breathed a sigh of relief, his strength drained, and he slumped onto the city wall.

The second stage, finally over!

…

The view was shrouded in heavy fog.

The fatigue and pain Hao Ping had felt before had all disappeared.

But this was not necessarily good news for him, as he knew all too well that the dreaded third stage was likely coming!

As the fog lifted, Zhao Haiping found himself back on the familiar city wall.

Only this time, it was completely different from the previous two stages.

Everywhere he looked was covered with pristine white snow, and large flakes were falling from the sky, landing on the shoulders of the defending soldiers.

But the gray-white on those soldiers' heads was not just snow, but white hair.

The soldiers, some hunched and some withered in appearance, had all turned into elderly men over seventy years old!

Looking down at himself, Zhao Haiping discovered his own body had also aged significantly, his armor battered and worn.

His body was still relatively strong, but it could not compare to his youthful state.

Next, Zhao Haiping felt a chill as the wind cut through the gaps in his armor, bone-chillingly cold.

Although he was wearing cotton under the armor, the cotton stuffing had disappeared at several torn spots, leaving him shivering in the icy wind.

The other soldiers' situation was even worse.

Below the city, the rumbling drums of the Di People sounded yet again.

Zhao Haiping sighed, his last bit of hope finally shattered.

This damn game really didn't care about humane treatment!

You actually have a third stage?

For just a novice instance, how difficult did it need to be!