"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
"What is it? Is Qin's Lin Tian about to begin his siege?"
"No, it's not Qin attacking. It's our own army and our people – they've descended into chaos!"
"Chaos?"
The King of Yan did not understand. He believed his decisions were sound, so his army and people should still be defending the city walls. How could they be in chaos? What kind of chaos was this?
"Your Majesty, after our soldiers killed a civilian who tried to rush the camp, the other civilians immediately rioted!"
"They not only attacked our camp with weapons, but they also killed people!"
"In the confusion, civilians killed people, soldiers killed people, everyone seeking revenge. It's utter pandemonium now!"
"What? How could this happen?"
At this moment, the King of Yan had no idea that his deception had fueled the people's intense desire to leave. His attempt to forcefully subdue them had only intensified their resistance, leading to this situation. Hearing that his army and people were in chaos, his heart pounded with panic.
"What about Qin? Has Qin's Lin Tian made any moves? Have they seized this opportunity to attack the city?"
"That... no, they haven't. But our army and people are on the verge of collapse!"
"That's good, if they haven't attacked, we're fine!"
"Quick, dispatch more troops to subdue the civilians and stabilize the situation!"
"Those civilians don't have much combat power, they'll be easy to handle!"
Yan Wang Xi, who could even kill his own son, was capable of anything. Now that there was conflict between his people and his army, his first reaction was to suppress the civilians. This suppression, of course, was not with words, but with iron fists. Soon, many civilians would die under this brutal crackdown. Yet, Yan Wang Xi did not care; he only cared about stabilizing the situation.
Because of his mindset, the situation in the capital of Yan became even more chaotic. The soldiers he dispatched to suppress the civilians were his own Royal Guards. Most of these Royal Guards were from the capital's civilian populace. Therefore, many of the civilians they were ordered to suppress were their own relatives. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly strike? Thus, the dispute between the soldiers and the civilians grew even larger.
"These are the King's orders! We cannot disobey the King's orders!"
"If the King ordered you to kill your father, would you kill him? What crime did your father commit?"
"King Yan is a liar! He doesn't care about the lives of us common folk at all!"
"We're not defending anymore! We won't defend this city, no matter what! We're never going back!"
At first, Lin Tian didn't notice this. But he quickly realized that the walls of Yan were in disarray. The soldiers and civilians on their ramparts seemed to have started fighting each other. Simultaneously, the shouts from both sides reached Lin Tian's ears, leaving him astonished.
"I only intended to sow discord among them, to prevent those civilians from making futile sacrifices and obstructing our entry into the city!"
"I never expected Yan's methods to be so extreme, that they would forcefully suppress the very civilians who volunteered to defend the city!"
"Such a thing is truly unheard of!"
Not only had Lin Tian never heard of such a thing, but even the veteran general Li Mu was astounded by this absurd turn of events. Many even questioned if this was truly happening.
"General, this can't be a ploy by Yan to make us lower our guard, hoping we'll attack so they can ambush us?"
"Yes! General, this is too absurd. Who would suppress civilians willing to help defend a city? Even a tyrannical ruler wouldn't do something so ridiculous!"
"Great General, I think we should wait and observe. Perhaps they have a hidden agenda!"
Because the situation was so bizarre, Zhang Han and the others believed it couldn't be real, but rather a scheme by Yan. Therefore, their suggestion was to hold back and observe more carefully. They felt that caution was never a mistake.
However, Lin Tian's hearing was exceptionally sharp. He could hear the sounds of fighting and arguing within the city. He could even sense that this was a large-scale operation, fueled by genuine anger from many. This led Lin Tian to a decision.
"No need to wait any longer, now is the time to attack!"
"However, when we succeed, there's no need for a brutal purge. Inform them that all who surrender, except for Yan nobles, will be spared!"
"Yes!"
Since Lin Tian had issued his command, Wang Wu and the others immediately set to execute it. The drums of advance were soon beaten, and Lin Tian's army moved. Such commotion instantly drew the attention of those within the city of Yan.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting! The Qin army is attacking the city, we must defend it quickly!"
"Quick! Quick! Let's rush to the walls and defend the city! We mustn't let Lin Tian's army break through!"
"Hmph! We are just ordinary civilians. General Lin said he wouldn't kill us civilians. Why should we go to the city walls? Why should we defend the city?!"
"Right! We are just ordinary civilians, why should we defend the city?!"
At this point, how could these civilians still be willing to defend the city? The fact that they could even stop their arguments and fighting was a testament to their rationality. The Yan soldiers heard these words and immediately panicked.
"Don't believe the Qin's lies! If they break into the city, they won't spare you, and even your families will perish by their hands! Everyone, come with me to the walls and defend the city!"
"Impossible! We'd rather trust General Lin to keep his word than believe you again! You are true executioners!"
The slaughter of their own people by Yan soldiers had chilled many Yan civilians. They had initially considered defending the city. But now, all such thoughts were gone. Compared to the King of Yan, they were more willing to believe Lin Tian.
The King of Yan's heart was too cruel. He not only killed his own son but also ordered his generals to suppress and massacre the people. Such a ruler was not worthy of their trust, not worthy of their protection. They were even beginning to suspect that Lin Tian had never intended to massacre them, and that this was all a lie from Yan Wang Xi. With this thought, they became even less inclined to participate in defending the city. One by one, they retreated, heading towards their homes to protect their families. The general in charge, watching these civilians leave, desperately wanted to force them to defend the city. But he knew that if he dared to force them, it would inevitably lead to greater rebellion, and even plunge the entire capital of Yan into chaos.