"What is the situation in Xin Cheng?"
"Reporting to the King, Xin Cheng has a hundred thousand defending troops. Although the Qin army is strong, they cannot easily break through with a hundred thousand soldiers!"
"Hah! That's good! If we can weather this storm, our Han Kingdom will surely be able to rise again!"
In the warring states, it was not uncommon for royal capitals to be attacked.
Both Qin's Xianyang and Zhao's Handan had been attacked by large armies.
Yet, after recovering, they remained powerful.
Therefore, even though the Han Kingdom was about to have its capital, Xin Zheng, attacked, King An of Han remained calm.
What's more, with a hundred thousand troops defending Xin Cheng against the Qin army, he believed that the Han Kingdom would be able to hold out this time.
Such confidence naturally reassured many Han ministers, calming their restless hearts.
But there were still some who worried.
"Your Majesty, while our Xin Cheng has a hundred thousand troops defending it, our capital, Xin Zheng, only has five thousand standing troops left. Could there be any unforeseen circumstances?"
"Unforeseen circumstances? The Qin army is being held back at Xin Cheng, so how could there be any unexpected events?"
"But the only way to approach Xin Zheng is not through Xin Cheng. There is also Maling. If the enemy were to attack from Maling, wouldn't we be caught completely off guard?"
"This, this shouldn't be the case. Maling City also has defending troops, and Maling City is a strategically advantageous location. If enemies were to attack, the soldiers in Maling City would surely notify us!"
"Better safe than sorry!"
Upon hearing this, many of the Han court officials fell silent.
When it came to their safety, no amount of caution was too much.
Even King An of Han thought so.
However, he still felt that the possibility was very small.
Therefore, he casually ordered,
"Then mobilize the household troops from the mansions of the various ministers to assist the city guards in defending the city!"
"Yes!"
The household troops of each family were naturally different. While their combat capability in small skirmishes was not bad, they were far inferior in large-scale battles.
After all, they were not soldiers serving in the regular army, and their coordination would be greatly lacking.
But it didn't matter; they had the numbers.
The household troops from all families combined would amount to at least three thousand men.
With these men and some militia, it would be no problem to gather ten thousand men to defend the city.
The main Qin army had been stopped, and with ten thousand men defending the capital Xin Zheng, there should be no issues.
With this thought, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After King An of Han issued the order, many household troops were mobilized.
They were temporarily deployed and their discipline was not as strict.
However, their sheer numbers were quite intimidating.
A group of people standing on the city walls put considerable pressure on anyone looking.
A little over half a day later, Lin Tian also received this news.
"Reporting to the General, according to the scouts, the Han capital Xin Zheng has a large number of defending soldiers, estimated to be around seven to eight thousand, with the actual defending force potentially reaching ten thousand!"
"Ten thousand?"
Before Lin Tian could say anything about this number, Wang Wu and the others frowned.
Defending a city already gave them the advantage of using the city's strength to resist the enemy.
Now, they also had a numerical advantage, which made things difficult for Wang Wu and the others.
With ten thousand defending troops, it would be extremely difficult for their five thousand men to take the city.
If things went wrong, they could be annihilated.
Therefore, many people hesitated at this point.
"General, with our five thousand men, it will be very difficult to capture the Han capital Xin Zheng!"
"Yes, General! Why don't we report this news to General Teng and await his reinforcements?"
"With General Teng's reinforcements, we will surely be able to capture Xin Zheng!"
With the enemy having such a large number, they naturally wanted reinforcements.
If General Teng's army could arrive before the Han capital Xin Zheng, then capturing Xin Zheng would undoubtedly be an easy task.
However, Lin Tian shattered their illusions in the next moment.
"If General Teng could lead his army to Xin Zheng, he wouldn't have sent us to sneak through Maling City!"
"General Teng's army must have been blocked by the Han army at Xin Cheng and cannot possibly reinforce us!"
"Therefore, this time, we can only rely on ourselves!!"
Lin Tian had anticipated this situation, so he already had a plan in mind.
"Let me ask you, are you afraid of death?"
"We are not! General, we are from the vanguard battalion, how could we be afraid of death?"
"Yes! General, since joining the vanguard battalion, we have long cast our lives aside. How could we fear death?"
"From the moment I joined the battlefield, I knew that we were people who kept our heads in the hands of Yama. We might be alive in the morning and dead by noon. General, whatever plan you have, just tell us, we are willing to do it!"
From the moment Lin Tian asked this question, everyone understood that Lin Tian had a plan.
This made each of them both nervous and expectant.
Seeing this, Lin Tian spoke frankly.
"In fact, what I need you to do is very simple. You will follow me, ignore everything else, and just charge forward!"
"I will lead you to break through the city gates of Xin Zheng and charge into Xin Zheng!"
Lin Tian's answer surprised everyone.
Although they knew that Lin Tian's combat prowess was unparalleled, they still couldn't understand how he had the confidence to say such a thing.
However, Lin Tian's face was serious, clearly indicating that he was not joking.
"General, can this... can this really work? The city gates of Xin Zheng were forged with great effort and are extremely sturdy. Beyond the city gates are heavy troops guarding them. It is completely incomparable to the city gates of Maling City. Can you really break through the city gates of Xin Zheng?"
"I have confidence!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was silent for a moment.
Then, as if having made up their minds, a general spoke,
"Alright! Then we will stake everything with the General!"
"Even if we cannot capture Xin Zheng, we will still chip off a few of their teeth, give them a good scare, and force the army at Xin Cheng to retreat, creating an opportunity for General Teng to attack Xin Zheng!"
In their opinion, their chances of attacking the city were not high.
But even so, they were willing to follow Lin Tian, face death together, attract enemy fire, and create an opportunity for General Teng.
Therefore, their desperate struggle was not only for themselves but also for Great Qin.
They were willing to be the vanguards, stepping stones for the Great Qin army, to create an opportunity for the Great Qin army to attack the Han capital Xin Zheng and destroy the Han Kingdom.
With this thought, many felt their hearts suddenly broaden.
"General, we are willing to die with you for Great Qin!!"