As the last vestiges of daylight vanished, hundreds of torches ignited across the enemy's vast encampment, illuminating the disciplined ranks of the Razaasia soldiers taking their night watch positions. The harsh light brought the horrific truth into sharp relief for the defenders above.
Yet, it was not the sight that was most agonizing—it was the sound and the scent. The night air, thick with smoke and the stench of death from the ruined city, was suddenly pierced by the sound of laughter, shouting, and cheerful music echoing from the Razaasia lines. This was no wary enemy anticipating a counter-attack; this was a force celebrating their victory.
Worse still was the aroma. With each night breeze, the heavy, rich scent of roasting meat and savory spices was carried directly over the destroyed wall and into the faces of the Gimsong soldiers. It was a smell utterly foreign to the defenders, who had been subsisting on meager, dry rations for weeks.
On the stable platform, the Gimsong soldiers standing guard felt their resolve physically crumble. Their stomachs began a loud, embarrassing chorus of rumbling and growling, the sounds clearly audible in the tense silence. Desperation and envy flashed across their soot-streaked faces. Some clenched their jaws, their eyes burning with resentment toward the feasting enemy and a profound, gnawing hunger. Others looked down in shame, pressing their arms against their aching stomachs. The sound of the enemy's casual enjoyment—paired with the tantalizing scent of a feast they could not share—was a potent, demoralizing weapon more effective than any siege engine. The Razaasia were not just holding their position; they were savoring the spoils of a battle they considered already won.
Standing alone at the ruined edge of the city wall, facing the enemy camp, Hye understood instantly. The music, the laughter, and the tantalizing scent of roasting meat were not casual indifference; they were a deliberate, sophisticated campaign of psychological warfare. If he were the Razaasia strategist, he would have employed the exact same tactic: using comfort and celebration to demoralize and hasten the internal collapse of a defeated foe.
But he stood opposite them.
His mind worked with cold, ruthless logic. He knew the Gimsong soldiers, starving and exhausted, were being tempted toward surrender by the promise of warmth and food. He had to find a solution to reignite their fighting spirit and prevent them from falling into the trap the Razaasia had so expertly set. He needed something immediate and powerful to replace the temptation of survival with the fuel of outrage.
Approaching from behind, Konn walked up and stood beside Hye, holding a roast potato—one of the meager surviving rations.
"I heard from General Chong that you're the strategist for that female general," Konn said, taking a bite and chewing slowly as he looked at Hye. He held the potato out.
Hye pushed the roasted potato back. "I don't need the strength. You go ahead." He glanced at Konn. "That female general is named Chinua."
"Whatever," Konn shrugged, taking another bite. "So, if you're her strategist, why are you helping us? Aren't we enemies?"
"You are the enemy of their king, not me or Chinua," Hye simply replied, his gaze fixed on the enemy camp.
"So, is it true that that Magoli female general doesn't harm surrendered soldiers and civilians?" Konn asked, his voice betraying a hint of curiosity beneath his defiant tone.
Hye smirked and turned to face Konn fully. "Why don't you find out yourself after this war is over? All you have to do is walk to Nue-Li City, bend your knee, and serve her."
Konn smirked indifferently. "You have so much confidence in her?"
Hye turned back to the enemy camp, his expression hardening. "Those who fight alongside her have no ill words to say. Those who stand opposite her tend to find a way to get rid of her."
"Oh... I thought she was a respected general among her ranks," Konn mocked, trying to provoke a reaction.
"Those who come across her will show her the greatest respect," Hye countered, returning Konn's mocking smile with one of his own. "Even General Chong." He paused for a moment, seeing that he had won the argument and left Konn speechless. He quickly changed the subject. "How many soldiers do you still have inside the city?"
The question immediately snapped Konn back to reality. Realizing that Hye was an agent of Chinua and could easily share this information, he bristled with renewed distrust. He shrugged his shoulders. "I can't answer you that question."
Hye didn't press the point. He simply turned around, placed his hands behind his back, and walked toward the stairwell. "I will ask General Xue that question then," he said, his voice echoing in the ruined space before he disappeared down the stairs into the night.
Hye descended the ruined stairwell, his steps echoing the methodical pace of a man with singular purpose. He found General Chong waiting near a makeshift command post, illuminated by a single flickering oil lamp in a relatively intact corner of the Citadel's inner perimeter.
General Xue, looking utterly defeated, stood opposite Captains Mao and Xang. Between them, a large sandbox held a detailed model of Zaoging City.
"You failed to extract the troop numbers from the young captain," Chong stated, his voice flat but not accusatory.
"The young captain is loyal, General, but wary—and wisely so," Hye replied, walking directly to the sandbox model. "Let us deal with the numbers we know."
Xue sighed, leaning heavily on a scarred table. "We have approximately five hundred and fifty soldiers left, Hye. Mostly scattered remnants from the outer wall, too few archers, and low on weapons. Your three hundred men are our only reserve."
Hye picked up a handful of loose sand and began sprinkling it onto the map, illustrating the enemy lines. "By observing the Zasra soldiers at the city doorstep, they are eight thousand strong," Hye said, picking up a stick and marking multiple 'O's in the sand to represent their positions.
"How do you know that, Hye?" Mao asked, his eyes wide with surprise and fear, instantly recognizing the colossal difference between "bandits" and eight thousand elite troops.
Hye looked up after marking all the 'O's where he had witnessed the Zasra soldiers lined up. "I have a very good friend who used to drill with the Zasra army," he said, offering no further detail.
He then quickly marked a small 'X' on the model wall, away from the current breach, before sweeping it away. "At this point, there is no reason for your soldiers to continue patrolling the wall," Hye stated. "Your enemies will not knock the wall down. Right now, they are toying with the mind of the soldiers by purposely laughing and eating to lower your morale." He turned his full attention to Xue. "I bet he gave you a deadline to surrender the city?"
Xue nodded grimly. "Three days."
"I thought so," Hye confirmed. "I believe he is waiting for the moment to strike and take the city whole. If I am correct, since the battle began until now, you have not gone out of the city to attack them face-to-face."
Xue and his two captains, Mao and Xang, nodded in unison.
"We don't have the manpower," Mao said, his voice flat. "So, we have been exclusively defending."
Hye rolled his eyes over the map, the left corner of his lips curving up in a knowing, dangerous smile. "Well, if that is the case, Generals, why not bring them the war?"
"What do you mean?" Chong asked, leaning forward, sensing the magnitude of Hye's impending proposal.
"If my prediction is correct, they are waiting for the complete surrendering of the city," Hye explained, his voice lowering with the psychological gravity of the situation. "If people are hungry enough, and smell death every day, while realizing that a few feet away from them, food can be eaten and laughter can be shared..." Hye looked directly at the four men, who were now hanging on his every word. "The enemy doesn't have to lift a single finger, because when people are desperate, they will do desperate things."
"Such as open the gate and surrender to the enemy," Xue finished, the horror palpable in his voice.
"General, they want to give you three days to surrender the city, but I believe the true purpose behind this waiting period is for something else," Hye said, his brow furrowed with genuine uncertainty.
He had already dismissed the possibility of them waiting for reinforcements; the Zasra Kingdom was located two kingdoms away from Gimsong, making an immediate troop surge impossible. But the persistent feeling of a strategic waiting game—of something bigger than troop movement—had not left his mind.
He knew the Zasra forces were strong enough to take the Citadel right now, yet they hadn't.
"The longer they wait, the more time they give us to organize, despite their psychological tricks," Hye continued, his eyes focused on the empty space of the map. "Also, a surprise attack, delivered during their time of preparation, will force them to rethink their entire strategy. And General Xue, you should never believe the words of a strategist."
Mao's gaze flicked anxiously between Hye and the sand model. "What could possibly be worth risking a counterattack now, when we are outnumbered by seven thousand?"
Hye's lips curved into a slow, knowing smile that was equal parts arrogance and deadly cunning. "Appear strong when you are weak and appear weak when you are strong," he quoted. He then added a chilling final line: "Besides, Captain, a smart strategist always lies."
He smiled at the men, allowing the weight of his words to settle. "By the way, General," he added, his tone abruptly shifting to one of practical demand, "I need a lot of corn."