On the twenty-seventh, the Huai Army launched the second wave of fierce attacks.

Luo Guang led a group of Commanders, personally coming to the battlements to supervise the battle.

The Huai Army's second siege was once again repelled by the Celestial Master Army, and this time the casualties were not as severe as yesterday.

Just as Luo Guang was planning to boost the morale of the entire army once more, the granary within the city suddenly caught fire, and the billowing smoke was visible to the Huai Army outside the city.

The Huai Army's leadership realized that the infiltrators they had arranged earlier were beginning to act.

That afternoon, the Huai Army commenced their third wave of siege, and this time the scale and intensity were far greater than the previous two, with their leaders personally directing, and Chu Ce leading the charge.

Faced with the formidable siege by the Huai Army, Luo Guang couldn't spare the effort to deal with the granary fire and had no choice but to assign Tang Xiude to take people to extinguish the fire.

However, Yan Hai and his men were not merely burning the granary; they took advantage of the Celestial Master Army's inability to attend to the rear while defending the city, dividing their forces to set fire to the previously scouted equipment warehouses.

Once all the fires were ablaze, Yan Hai and his team further created chaos within the city.

But the outcome they awaited was tragic.

Because before nightfall, the Huai Army failed to capture Linchuan City and had to retreat.

Luo Guang, coming to his senses, immediately handled the granary's fire incident.

Yan Hai and his men were naturally discovered and were executed by the Celestial Master Army; afterward, their heads were severed and hung above the city gate tower.

Despite Yan Hai and his team's demise, they achieved their goals.

The burning of the granary and equipment warehouses plunged the Celestial Master Army, already short of food, into a desperate situation, sinking the already low morale to rock bottom.

Ironically, at this moment, the Huai Army was not in a hurry to launch another attack.

Every day, they organized troops outside the city to shout that they only wanted Luo Guang's head, and anyone else who surrendered could be spared the death sentence.

Moreover, anyone bringing the heads of Luo Guang and the Thirty-Six Commanders would not only have their crimes absolved by Prince Huai but also receive bounty – Luo Guang's head worth one hundred thousand taels of silver, Grand Commander ten thousand taels, Small Commander five thousand taels, and even have their status reported to the Emperor for titles and ranks.

Although Luo Guang was aware of Prince Huai's tactic of sowing distrust, it was indeed effective.

The soldiers of the Celestial Master Army now viewed them with suspicion.

The thirtieth.

A Small Commander, recently promoted and only possessing Seventh Grade strength, was killed in his sleep by his Deputy General, causing the whole small contingent to mutiny.

Although quickly suppressed, this incident prompted the Commanders to become wary of their soldiers.

Luo Guang also became more guarded towards Tang Xiude.

Inside Linchuan City, panic spread among the populace.

Yet, even in such circumstances, the Huai Army was still not rushing to attack – they merely surrounded the city.

By this time, severe winter had arrived, and the cold wind blowing was as sharp as a knife, so the rumor within the Celestial Master Army that "persisting for a month would force the Huai bandits to retreat" turned out to be false.

Currently, even with Duke Lei's assistance, the Celestial Master Army had lost the will to fight, and a bleak mood had engulfed the entire army.

On December second.

Luo Guang, citing Duke Lei's assistance, led the entire army to break out of the siege.

He channeled all his Innate Spiritual Qi, summoning several Celestial Thunders, forcefully cutting a path to lead the army's breakout.

But what he didn't know was that this was a flaw intentionally exposed by the Huai Army.

Diwu Fusheng suggested to Prince Huai.

Given that there were still considerable Celestial Master Army troops within Linchuan City, it was not the best time to eliminate them.

Rather, they should employ a strategy akin to "boiling a frog in warm water" to gradually kill the frog.

If they started with boiling water, the Celestial Master Army would fight desperately.

Although the Huai Army was not afraid of a desperate fight from the Celestial Master Army, it would still result in significant losses.

Instead, it would be better to leave an escape route, allowing the Celestial Master Army to flee, then dispatch pursuit forces to gradually diminish their strength.

Of course, the pursuit needn't be too close; just keeping an eye on the main Celestial Master Army forces would suffice – other fragmented groups would only dwindle further on their escape, possibly even surrendering.

The results indeed went as Diwu Fusheng anticipated.

By the time Luo Guang led the Celestial Master Army to Fengzhou's north, the force had dwindled to less than ten thousand soldiers.

...

Chen Mo was unaware of the current situation in Fengzhou.

At this moment, he accompanied Xia Zhiqing, Xia Zhining, and Yi Shiyin – along with five hundred personal soldiers – just crossing Yu State, stepping into Qingzhou's territory.

The weather was frigid, and the horses dreaded the cold, slowing the marching pace.

The saying goes the Emperor rides six, Dukes five, Ministers four.

Chen Mo was rightfully acknowledged as the Marquis of Pingting County, traveling with the specification of five horses.

The carriage's quality was also relatively high.

It wasn't that Chen Mo was being overly particular at this point, but when a person's status and power reach a certain level, they need to maintain appearances – it increases the awe from subordinates, also showcasing strength.

After all, if a leader travels poorly, not to mention outsiders, even subordinates would perceive it as disgraceful.

Chen Mo's carriage was akin to a moving warm pavilion, furnished with a soft couch inside.

In front of the couch, Xia Zhiqing and Xia Zhining lay side by side, stretching like a cat lazily reaching out.

Chen Mo stood behind Xia Zhiqing, his hand resting on Xia Zhining's chest, appreciating the beauty of the landscape, occasionally patting, eliciting a faintly annoyed mutter; from Yi Shiyin's perspective, one could see a suspended full moon, waves rippling.

Chen Mo chuckled, "I have to say, even without lighting the fire pit, it's warmer than when it's lit."

Xia Zhiqing's face reddened, while Xia Zhining as the younger sister slapped Chen Mo's hand away, annoyed, saying, "You're getting crazier, doing this on the road... aren't you afraid of people outside hearing?"

"Personal soldiers, personal soldiers, do you know what personal soldiers mean?" ignoring Xia Zhining's annoyance, Chen Mo continued measuring her chest, then remarked: "Originally, I thought I could take Father-in-law home for the New Year, already promised Ru'Er, but now it seems that promise must be broken."

Seeing Chen Mo's advance slowing, Xia Zhiqing sighed with relief, turned back to inquire, "Would Prince Huai... honestly release him?"

Chen Mo held Xia Zhiqing's waist, replying, "He has no choice but to release him."

Xia Zhiqing unconsciously grasped the blanket tightly, hesitated a while, but couldn't help but say, "Once Prince Huai deals with the Celestial Master Army, his territory and strength will swell. Then Prince Huai's next step would be to seek conquest over Mo Lang. Although you signed a non-aggression pact with Prince Huai, you are his neighbor and have taken over the Three States, posing a significant threat to him, and the treaty cannot bind him.

Lips vanish, teeth feel cold, perhaps Mo Lang should not stand idly by as the Celestial Master Army is eliminated by Prince Huai."

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