"General, this is a battle report we just received. That fellow named Han managed to find a formidable fighter who, with only a few hundred men, nearly killed Lü Shina!"
Xin Xingzong was in his command tent, idly eating roast meat when his deputy suddenly rushed in.
"What did you say? A few hundred men nearly killed Lü Shina? Is this news accurate?"
Hearing this, Xin Xingzong leaped to his feet.
Though these rebels were a ragtag bunch, the idea that a mere few hundred men could almost take down Lü Shina was something Xin Xingzong found hard to believe.
"This news was brought back personally by our scouts, it shouldn't be false. Over a dozen scouts all said the same thing!"
Seeing Xin Xingzong's disbelief, the deputy quickly explained.
"Even the men around Wang Bing are formidable, but not to this extent, surely?"
Xin Xingzong's brow furrowed even deeper.
If Han Mo truly had such a fierce warrior under his command, then it was possible that Mingzhou City might indeed be held by him.
If that were the case, their subsequent plans would have to change.
"General, why don't we head to Mingzhou now?"
Seeing the rapid changes on Xin Xingzong's face, the deputy asked softly.
"Even if thirty thousand pigs stood there motionless, it would take them three days and three nights to kill them! No rush, let's wait and see. Also, quickly investigate the background of the commander of that force! I suspect there's more to this than meets the eye, or perhaps Lü Shina is just too incompetent!"
After a moment of hesitation, Xin Xingzong stubbornly declared.
"What about the rebels in front of us? Should we deal with them first?"
"If we deal with them, what excuse do we have to stay here?"
"General, shall we find a detachment to test the combat strength of those rebels?"
The deputy hesitated before tentatively asking.
"That's an interesting idea. Having someone go and test them wouldn't be bad. How about this: tell the men to rest well tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, we'll fight them first!"
After careful consideration, Xin Xingzong finally agreed.
After all, he was truly curious at this point whether the unknown newcomer was that fierce, or if the rebel forces were truly as pathetic as could be.
"Yes!"
"Attack the city!"
After a night of rest, though the soldiers' morale was still somewhat low, Lü Shina eagerly sent them back onto the battlefield.
In light of Han Shizhong's previous performance, and to prevent Han Shizhong from repeating his tactics, Lü Shina had specifically prepared a large number of barricades to defend against Han Shizhong's cavalry.
"General, look! We only have a few dozen cavalry, and they've prepared so many barricades!"
Looking at the rebel center below the city walls, which was almost entirely encircled by barricades, Han Shizhong's deputies couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, it seems the old man is scared of you, General!"
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. The rebels are already attacking the city, we need to be careful and avoid any further mistakes!"
According to the original agreement, after tonight, Han Shizhong would have completed his mission. With victory so close at hand, Han Shizhong did not want any other incidents to occur at this final moment.
"Yes!"
With their previous experience, the soldiers were now handling various situations with ease. Furthermore, citizens from within the city were constantly and voluntarily helping them transport supplies and care for the wounded.
Despite the rebels launching another suicidal assault, the two sides were surprisingly engaged in a back-and-forth battle.
It wasn't until close to noon that the rebels had achieved any success, and the number of people who managed to scale the city walls was extremely small.
"Bastards! What are all of you doing? What are you thinking? Do you know what awaits us if we can't capture Mingzhou City!"
This was already the third day. Although there had been no news from Qiu Rixin yet, Lü Shina felt a sense of unease. Seeing the stalled offensive, he couldn't help but fly into a rage again.
"General, the brothers have done their best, but..."
Seeing everyone bow their heads in shame, Lü Biao, who had injured an arm, could only steel himself and step forward.
"Yes, General, they are already mobilizing the common people to assist in the defense. There are hundreds of thousands of civilians in this city, and we..."
"I'm telling you, if we don't take Mingzhou City today, Song reinforcements will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest. You don't intend to stay here, do you?"
Seeing that everyone was starting to make excuses, Lü Shina sneered and delivered a final blow.
"Remember, what we do is a bloody business. If we fail, our entire families will be annihilated!"
Seeing them fall silent again, Lü Shina added the final killing blow with a sneer.
"There are only a few hours left until dark. Whether we live or die, you decide yourselves!"
Upon hearing Lü Shina's words, those present suddenly remembered that they were not official imperial troops. Even if they were defeated, it wouldn't matter.
They were now true bandits, rebels!
If they were defeated and captured, there would likely be no other outcome than the execution of their entire clans...
"General, give me another chance. This humble officer is willing to lead the charge personally!"
After taking a deep breath, Lü Biao spoke again.
"Let's forget it. Since you are injured, I think you should withdraw your men."
After giving Lü Biao a deep look, Lü Shina finally spoke.
"But..."
"General, this humble officer is willing to lead his unit to replace General Lü!"
Seeing Lü Shina remove Lü Biao, several deputy generals immediately stepped forward, offering to fight.
"There are only a few hours left until dark. I don't think we need to distinguish between main attack and feint. Everyone is on the main attack. The first person to break open the city gate will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and ten beautiful women!"
"Yes!"