This damn fortress can no longer treat people, otherwise the defenders will go crazy and rebel sooner or later.
Li Zhao grabbed Ma Tingyun's sleeve and hesitated to speak. After a long time, he finally plucked up the courage: "Sir, otherwise... let's surrender."
Ma Tingyun looked at Li Zhao in disbelief: "Surrender? Even if my Dadi soldiers are shattered to pieces, they have never surrendered! Even if they die, they can gain a good reputation. If they surrender, they will be reviled by the people in the world."
Li Zhao took the risk and said in a deep voice: "We have been holding on until now, but we haven't seen any reinforcements. We have obviously been abandoned by the imperial court! Since the imperial court refuses to save us, what's wrong with us looking for another way out? Besides... Qin Feng doesn't Kill the captives, and as long as we open the city gate, they will end well!"
"Sir, if this is a county town and Qin Fengfeng is ruthless, we will naturally fight to the end even if it is to protect the people. But... this is just a military fortress."
"If you are worried about being severely punished by the court after surrendering, then you should just surrender to Qin Feng without any hesitation!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Tingyun was furious and grabbed Li Zhao's collar, trying to push the unsteady traitor off the city wall.
"Presumptuous! Surrendering to the Liang general? This is naked treason!"
"Even if I, Ma Tingyun, am chopped into pieces with knives and axes, even if I am suffocated to death by this filth, I will never betray Dadi!"
Li Zhao gritted his teeth and said: "Those who understand the current affairs are heroes. If you are stubborn and refuse to understand..."
With a wave of Li Zhao's hand, the already impatient soldiers directly pushed Ma Tingyun to the ground and tied him into a rice dumpling in a few strokes.
Ma Tingyun's eyes were full of shock. He never dreamed that one day the military advisor he personally promoted and his close soldiers would betray him without hesitation.
Ma Tingyun was about to rebuke angrily, but saw the captain of the soldiers spoke first.
"Sir, we are forced to have no choice. If we stay here, we will die. If we lose the city, we will still die. If we throw our heads and shed blood, it would be okay to die vigorously. But the way we die now is really humiliating."
There was no turning back after firing his bow. Li Chou no longer hesitated and directly ordered Ma Tingyun to be tied up and escorted to the city gate. At the same time, he sent messengers to surrender to Qin Feng.
When he saw the messengers rushing out from the Eagle Ridge Fortress, Qin Feng couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
"This long war of attrition is finally over."
Ning Hu, who was on the side, looked at the messengers coming straight to the forward camp, and immediately realized something, his expression was unprecedentedly shocked.
"Could it be said...that the defenders gave up?!"
When Ning Hu said this, he was shocked.
Ever since he followed Qin Feng, even Ning Hu couldn't remember how many vicious battles he had fought, but all the previous battles combined were not as shocking as today!
In less than a month, Qin Feng actually conquered the strongest fortress on the front line of Beidi!
Moreover...except for the initial charge by Lu Ci with his cavalry, which caused some casualties, the rest of the war of attrition can be described as almost no soldiers wasted.
Even the well-informed Ning Hu felt that his three views had been completely subverted at this time.
"Brother Qin, you are so amazing!"
"We actually captured Eagle Ridge. If Li Zhang knew our casualty rate, he would never believe it!"
Ning Hu looked at Qin Feng with admiration in his eyes.
As everyone knows, at this moment, Qin Feng's mood is as if he has escaped from a tiger's mouth. He feels that his nerves, which have been tense for a month, finally relax.
Once the defenders gritted their teeth and held on, Qin Feng's mental torture tactics would be considered a complete failure.
Because Qin Feng could no longer think of anything else that could torture the defenders more than feces and rot.
Moreover, if the army is stationed here, it will consume a huge amount of food, grass, and manpower.
Although Eagle Ridge is destined to be lost, its value will be greatly reduced after being besieged for a year and a half.
Fortunately, Qin Feng's intensive offensive finally drove the defenders crazy.
The messenger turned over and dismounted, knelt on one knee in front of Qin Feng, and said in a deep voice: "Li Chou, military advisor, ordered his subordinates to come and report to Qin Feng, the Marquis of Tianlu. I, the garrison of Xiongying Ridge, are willing to open the door and surrender, and respectfully welcome the Marquis of Qin into the city. Please Qin Qin The Marquis will fulfill his promise and spare the defenders in the city."
The messenger's heart was already in his throat, fearing that the long and fierce battle would wear out Qin Feng's patience and massacre the city in a rage.
Qin Feng looked at the messenger and asked casually: "Why Li Zhao? Where is Ma Tingyun, the guard of Xiongying Ridge?"
The messenger dared not hesitate at all and quickly replied: "If we return to the Marquis of Qin, the general guard Ma Tingyun will resist stubbornly and refuses to surrender. The military advisor has ordered people to take Ma Tingyun into custody and let the Marquis of Qin do whatever he wants."
As soon as these words came out, Qin Feng couldn't help but feel funny. He didn't expect that a civil strife broke out in the fortress.
Ning Hu next to him was filled with contempt when he learned that Li Zhao had betrayed Ma Tingyun.
After all, traitors are not welcome no matter where they are.
However, Qin Feng liked this Li Zhou very much. If it weren't for this Li Zhou, how easy would it be to force Ma Tingyun to submit?
Qin Feng immediately showed a smile and signaled to the soldiers not to be nervous: "Go back to the city quickly and tell Li Zhao that you can just lead the troops out. I, Qin Feng, will do what I say. Anyone who sincerely surrenders will be treated favorably."
The messenger's heart finally dropped, and he quickly turned around and ran back to the city.
In just one stick of incense, Li Zhao led the remaining 4,800 defenders out of the city gate.
Rather than walking, it would be better to say running. More accurately, it should be escaping!
Now the entire fortress is inhospitable, and the stench inside is beyond imagination.
Moreover, these defenders had been huddled in the fortress for a long time and were soaked from head to toe. Even though they were far away, Qin Feng could smell the smell of rotten eggs and couldn't help but frown.
Ning Hu was a straight-tempered person. When he smelled the stench, he immediately waved his hand: "Don't come close, just stand there."
Li Zhao was a little embarrassed, but at this time, life was more important than his dignity. He immediately clasped his fists and saluted: "I, Li Zhao, the deputy of Ma Tingyun, the general guard in the city, led the entire city's defenders to surrender to Marquis Tianlu Qin of the Liang Kingdom."
As he spoke, Li Zhao knelt down and kowtowed to show his sincerity, and then waved his hand and ordered his soldiers to send the tied-up Ma Tingyun forward.
Seeing Ma Tingyun with an angry face, Qin Feng couldn't help but sigh and said with emotion: "There is still a man in this Eagle Ridge."
"Ma Shou Bei, as the saying goes, those who know the current affairs are heroes. If you are willing to surrender to me, Daliang, I, Qin Feng, will guarantee with my personality that I will give Ma Shou Bei the highest preferential treatment."
Ma Tingyun did not hesitate and spat directly: "Dream! I would rather die!"
