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Chapter 304: Chapter 304: The Fall of the City

"City Lord, the city is inundated everywhere. Some low-lying areas have already been flooded. Sixteen out of the seventy-two commercial districts are underwater. The citizens are terrified, many have moved to the hills. But the rain keeps pouring down; we can't go on like this," another general said with concern.

"This is probably the limit. The eastern wall of Tianhuo City is so long, it's unlikely the water can rise any further. Even if those dragons have powerful magic, how much longer can they hold out? Keep shooting, continue the barrage!" commanded the City Lord of Tianhuo.

The City Lord was acutely aware of the grave situation, a crisis at its extreme. An hour at most remained. But knowing this, what could he do? Could he admit defeat? No. As the representative of the Dayu Empire, he would not surrender until the last moment!

On the battlefield, situations change in an instant. Though the floodwaters threatened, who could say whether the tide would turn the next moment? Perhaps the dragons would stop following Zhong Shan's orders, or maybe the water had reached its peak. There was even a chance reinforcements might arrive.

The City Lord clenched his fists, waiting.

It was a tragic reality: to have the fate of the battlefield decided by the enemy, a predicament that no general wished to face.

The soldiers watched the rising water with growing anxiety. What should they do? The flood, a relentless deluge, once it overran the walls, would force them to retreat further into the city. The dragons would then breach the city, and Tianhuo would fall.

An hour later, the water finally reached the top of the city wall. The anticipated "momentous change" did not come to pass. The generals turned to the City Lord, their hearts filled with worry.

In the distance, atop a mountain peak.

"General! The floodwaters have forced the City Lord of Tianhuo to his limit. Should we stop now and pressure him to surrender again?" Shui Wuhen asked, frowning.

"Stop?" Zhong Shan chuckled.

"Yes, even if we can't force the City Lord to surrender, we could disrupt their morale, perhaps even compel their generals to seize him and surrender. Wouldn't that be better? Besides, if the flood enters the city, it will undoubtedly bring disaster to the citizens. Stirring up public outrage would be detrimental to us taking over Tianhuo. It would be a mess," Shui Wuhen analyzed.

"Haha, your reasoning is sound, but from a broader perspective, it's unwise," Zhong Shan said.

"Unwise?" Shui Wuhen was puzzled.

"Indeed, unwise. You worry about the suffering of the people? The destructive force of this flood will bring some disaster, but it's precisely this flood that will prevent a greater calamity," Zhong Shan asserted firmly.

"Oh?" Shui Wuhen was curious.

"First of all, if the flood doesn't recede, its force will crush the enemy's morale. Once their spirit is broken, it's hard to rally them again. A weakened morale will persist, and when we take the city, there will be little resistance from the Dayu forces. As for the citizens, we aim to conquer twelve cities, not just this one. To secure them all, we need to set an example. The disaster here will ensure that the other cities do not suffer similarly. If five thousand people die here because of the flood, and your method might have resulted in only a thousand casualties, in the grand scheme of things, if we used your approach, the cumulative death toll across the twelve cities might be at least twelve thousand. However, by dealing decisively here, only five thousand will perish, which is more beneficial for our subsequent conquests. We need to seize the twelve coastal cities swiftly and decisively, rather than wasting time negotiating at each city," Zhong Shan explained.

"Yes!" Shui Wuhen promptly responded.

There was one thing Zhong Shan didn't tell Shui Wuhen: on the battlefield, if you have absolute control and can dominate the situation, there's no need to mercifully grant the enemy the opportunity to negotiate. Just control the battlefield and the war according to your own strategy.

Finally, the floodwaters reached the top of the city wall.

"Splash～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

A torrent of seawater cascaded from the city wall, a terrifying deluge that engulfed the ramparts in an instant.

The defenders had no choice but to retreat into the city. Staying on the wall would mean facing certain doom, possibly even fighting the dragons in the water, which was unthinkable.

"Heaven has forsaken our Tianhuo City!～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～" The City Lord of Tianhuo lamented, having waited in vain for a "momentous change."

Under the protection of his generals, he retreated into the city, while the city wall was swiftly submerged by the flood.

Several flood dragons surged down the waterfall-like current into the city. The guards at the eastern gate had long since retreated, and the dragons quickly opened the gate.

As soon as the gate was opened, the immense pressure of the water from outside burst into the city, a force so powerful that even two of the dragons were swept far away.

Tianhuo City had fallen!

"Let's flush all this water into Tianhuo City. Once they surrender, they'll open the western gate, and we can enter," Zhong Shan said to Hao Meili beside him.

"You said it," Hao Meili retorted coldly.

With a wave of her hand, Xiao Jin let out another dragon roar toward the sky.

"Roar～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

The flood suddenly grew fiercer, crazily surging into Tianhuo City. This was because the dragons had stopped drawing water from the East Sea and were now concentrating all remaining water into the city.

The torrent raged into Tianhuo City with unstoppable force.

"General, if this flood continues, Tianhuo City will be in ruins," Liu Wushuang frowned as he spoke.

"Wuhen, tell Wushuang what happened when Wushuang City fell. How long did it take to recover?" Zhong Shan asked, unfazed.

"When General Zhong led us to capture Wushuang City, within two days, every building except the government offices was destroyed. In four months, new buildings sprang up, and the city was fully restored. Don't worry about Tianhuo City; every significant building is fortified with formations. The main structures will remain intact, and the citizens are cultivators. Rebuilding the inner city will be easy," Shui Wuhen replied with a smile.

After two more days, all the water had entered the city. As far as the eye could see, the accumulated water had mostly disappeared. The dragons had followed the flood into the city.

At that moment, a scout flew in from a distance and reported, "General, the western gate is open!"

"Good, enter the city!" Zhong Shan commanded.

With great excitement, the fifty-thousand-strong army descended from the mountain and marched into Tianhuo City, a city that had fallen in just three days.

As they stepped onto the ground, everyone felt a sense of unreality.

Flying ahead, Zhong Shan addressed Shui Wuhen, Zhao Chuan, and Liu Wushuang: "Issue orders to be cautious in your deployment. After entering the city, expect pockets of resistance. For those who surrender, provide comfort and reassurance, disperse small groups, and reorganize them. For those who resist stubbornly, kill them!"

"Yes!" The generals responded immediately.

Two days later, in the City Lord's mansion of Tianhuo City:

The generals were covered in dirt and grime, but their faces were alight with excitement.

In just five days, the mighty Zhong Shan had completely captured and secured Tianhuo City. His prowess was truly extraordinary.

"Shui Wuhen, how are the tasks I assigned you coming along?" Zhong Shan inquired.

"We've looted all the valuables from the government offices in Tianhuo City," Shui Wuhen replied with enthusiasm.

Zhong Shan's expression darkened slightly. Nearby, Nian Youyou couldn't help but stifle a giggle. Zhong Shan looked at Shui Wuhen in exasperation. Was his only concern the plunder like some common bandit?

"Oh, and all the other tasks you assigned are completed too," Shui Wuhen quickly added.

"Good," Zhong Shan nodded.

"We've pacified the citizens. Thanks to the 'three-year tax exemption' decree from you, all the merchants have started rebuilding, and the residents, having received compensation, show no signs of resistance. As for the original defenders, besides a few who resisted and were executed, nearly half fled with the former City Lord of Tianhuo. The remaining forces, about forty thousand, have surrendered," Shui Wuhen reported.

"Have the government positions been reorganized?" Zhong Shan asked further.

"Yes, according to your instructions, we've completely dissolved the old military units and restructured them. We've also promoted some of the previously underappreciated soldiers from the lower ranks to new leadership roles. In the Dayu Empire, they were mere soldiers, but under our Daluo command, they've become officers. They are very eager to work with us. But what should we do about the former surrendered generals?" Shui Wuhen asked, frowning.

"The former generals will naturally accompany us in capturing other cities. Wuhen, leave only twenty thousand Daluo troops here. Soon, the people from Great Xuan King will arrive. You can rest for a day, and then we will set out for our next target," Zhong Shan said.

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison.

"Remember, keep the city gates closed during this time. No one is to open them except for the envoys from Great Xuan King," Zhong Shan commanded.

"Understood!" Shui Wuhen affirmed once again.

After a day's rest, Zhong Shan led his army out of the city again, leaving behind fifteen thousand troops under Shui Wuhen's command. He also took with him the former generals of Tianhuo City and some elite soldiers, maintaining the strength of his fifty-thousand-strong army.

Zhong Shan was on the move again.

Meanwhile, in a distant valley from Tianhuo City, inside a tent, the disheveled former City Lord of Tianhuo listened to a scout's report.

"City Lord, Zhong Shan has left. We can return and reclaim Tianhuo City now," a general suggested.

"Reclaim? Zhong Shan captured Tianhuo City with fifty thousand troops. Do you think we can retake it with our fifty thousand troops? Haven't you noticed that Zhong Shan has taken all our generals with him? How can we assault the city now? With the gates closed and a few archers on the walls, no one will be able to open them," the City Lord said, despondent.

Yes, indeed. Once, they had laughed at Zhong Shan, but now attempting to retake the city would only invite ridicule. They didn't have a cadre of dragons to summon the waters of the East Sea.

"What should we do then?" the general asked anxiously.

"I've already sent messengers to urgently inform the other coastal cities. As for us, we should leave and go back to apologize to the Great Deer King," the City Lord sighed.

"Yes," the generals replied in a chorus of despair.