Time ticked by, but there was still no movement.

After several attempts, not only were the soldiers complaining, but even Deng Pengfei couldn't take it anymore.

"General, we can't see any lights. It seems the enemy won't be moving tonight," Deng Pengfei said.

Cao Zhenrong frowned and looked ahead, finding that he indeed couldn't see any light. He could only nod.

Soon, snores gradually filled the city wall, and even Cao Zhenrong began to doze off.

Just then, not far away, a series of eerie howls and unintelligible noises suddenly arose.

Cao Zhenrong woke up with a start and instinctively shouted, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The soldiers on the city wall all woke up in alarm, filled with panic.

But after everyone stood ready for battle, they found that no enemy forces were approaching at all.

Cao Zhenrong also looked bewildered, turning to Deng Pengfei.

Deng Pengfei was equally bewildered; he didn't understand what was happening either.

They stayed alert for a while, but nothing happened.

Slowly, the soldiers became sleepy again.

At this moment, the various sounds started up once more.

"Enemy attack!"

The soldiers on the city wall woke up again, frantically searching for the enemy.

But there was nothing but the darkness of night.

"What's going on? Investigate!" Cao Zhenrong said, his face full of anger.

"General, it's so dark. We can't leave the city lightly!" Deng Pengfei advised.

Cao Zhenrong took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

He was too angry to sleep, so he sat there, seething.

After a while, the sounds rang out again.

Cao Zhenrong rushed to the edge of the city wall, looked in the direction of the sounds, and shouted, "Shoot arrows in that direction!"

Arrows rained down in the darkness.

The sounds quickly stopped.

Cao Zhenrong snorted, his anger subsiding.

However, before he could retreat back to his temporary residence, the clamor started up again.

This time, the clamor seemed to carry a mocking tone.

Cao Zhenrong's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Go and kill those people!"

Deng Pengfei quickly advised, "General, this might be a feint to lure us out!"

Cao Zhenrong angrily said, "Then what do you suggest?"

Deng Pengfei was also troubled and could only say, "General, it will be dawn soon. Let's make plans then."

As dawn gradually broke, Cao Zhenrong discovered that the place where the arrows had landed was empty.

It was as if the sounds from last night had appeared out of thin air.

Looking at the soldiers lying all over the ground, Cao Zhenrong was even more furious.

"Despicable! Despicable villains!"

At this time, in the Pacification Army camp, Jiang Chen listened to Shi Ping's report and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Even Jing Yue, who rarely showed any expression, couldn't help but smile.

Jiang Chen's plan this time was simply too wicked.

After listening to Shi Ping and the others' reports, Jiang Chen turned to Yao Shouxin.

"Have you finished what I asked you to do?" Jiang Chen asked.

"It's already done!"

Jiang Chen then looked at Jing Yue, "In that case, find some skilled Dark Guards and carry out the plan."

"Yes!"

An hour later, just as Cao Zhenrong was inspecting the city wall, he noticed a dozen or so small black dots gradually approaching.

These black dots quickly drew closer, and when they could see them clearly, they discovered that each of these dozen or so people was carrying a shield that was as tall as a person.

"What are they trying to do?" Cao Zhenrong asked.

Although Deng Pengfei was a veteran of many battles, he shook his head with a blank expression.

He couldn't understand any of Jiang Chen's actions.

While they were wondering, they saw those dozen or so people turn their shields around.

Deng Pengfei looked and said, "It looks like there are words written on them?"

Cao Zhenrong also saw them and, after careful identification, read out word by word, "Only the leaders of corruption will be punished; the rest will be pardoned."

As soon as he finished reading, Cao Zhenrong's expression changed, and he quickly shut his mouth.

Deng Pengfei had also seen what was written on it.

When he noticed that some soldiers were craning their necks to make out the words, he quickly shouted, "All soldiers, listen to my command, turn around!"

The soldiers instinctively turned around.

Deng Pengfei and Cao Zhenrong looked at each other, and both couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

If the soldiers saw those words, the trouble would be enormous!

A drop in morale among the soldiers would be a minor issue!

If any soldiers rebelled, that would be a major problem!

"Jiang Chen, how can you use such methods!" Cao Zhenrong angrily said.

Deng Pengfei couldn't speak. Although he also felt that Jiang Chen's methods were very shameless, he knew in his heart that this method was very effective.

Fortunately, they had ordered the soldiers to turn around in time, or the trouble would have been great.

Just as they were feeling fortunate, they heard a distinct chant coming from below the city.

"His... Majesty... commands... only... the..."

Cao Zhenrong and Deng Pengfei, who had just relaxed, had a drastic change in expression.

They could order the soldiers to turn around and not look at the words, but what about the sound?

"All soldiers, cover your ears! They are trying to mislead you!" Deng Pengfei shouted again.

Although the soldiers didn't quite believe it, they still covered their ears.

However, a few soldiers were curious and secretly loosened their grip a little, wanting to hear what the other side was saying.

This secret act was seen by Cao Zhenrong.

Cao Zhenrong was furious. He drew his saber and rushed over, killing the soldier with a single strike.

Seeing the shocked looks on the faces of the surrounding soldiers, Cao Zhenrong snorted and said, "This person has already been misled and must be killed to prevent future troubles."

Unfortunately, he forgot that the soldiers were still covering their ears and only saw his cold-blooded actions.

The dozen or so Dark Guards, their voices hoarse, finally carried the placards back to the Pacification Army.

After listening to the report, Jiang Chen nodded repeatedly.

Cao Zhenrong was clearly thrown into disarray by his two methods.

It was likely that before long, they would be unable to resist attacking.

Jiang Chen looked at Jing Yue, "Pay close attention to the enemy's movements. If there is no action, continue to torment them."

"If there is any movement, implement the second plan!"

"Yes!"

After giving the order, Jiang Chen called Yao Shouxin over and quietly instructed him to gradually lead the army and the people away from the city, but to leave the flags and other items behind.

The second night, almost the same script played out again. When the defending soldiers were exhausted, the noisy and piercing clamor sounded again, accompanied by shouting.

This situation infuriated Cao Zhenrong.

But other than anger, Cao Zhenrong had no other options.

In particular, he had already discovered that the slogan "Only the leaders of corruption will be punished; the rest will be left alone" had spread among the soldiers, and a sense of fear arose in his heart.

If they continued to delay, it was very likely that before the battle even started, the soldiers under his command would rebel.

"No! We must take the initiative to attack!" Cao Zhenrong said.

Deng Pengfei nodded; he also felt that this was the only option.

Originally, he had planned to rely on the strong city and abundant food to last for a year or two.

But he didn't expect that Jiang Chen would not play by the rules and would come up with a plan to attack their morale!

"Pengfei, go to the other two cities and gather elite troops. Tonight, we will launch a night raid on the enemy camp!" Cao Zhenrong said through gritted teeth.