Chapter 1990: Chapter 2091: Harnessing the Power of the Masses

Xiang Yu and the people around him were all looking at Xi’er.

Xi’er, with eyes red from tears, stared at Xiang Yu and said, "Commander, Sun City was once a slum. We were all lowly people from the slums. No one outside was willing to acknowledge us; they all perceived us as embodiments of poverty and didn’t wish to associate with us."

"Whenever we tried to walk out of the slum, they would hit us back, and we were even afraid to admit we came from here. In the past, we struggled to have enough to eat. Some even committed crimes just to survive. We were in utter misery with no hope, living in dire straits every day."

"It was you; you came and transformed our city, changed the lives of everyone, made us stop worrying about survival, and stand up straight. You gave us the courage to keep living, gave us dignity."

"Without you, perhaps we’d have starved to death in the streets long ago. Now someone wants to destroy our home, try to drag us back to what we were before—we won’t agree even if it means dying."

"We’re not afraid to die; we’re just afraid of going back to the way it used to be. Commander, just give us a chance. Let us join the fight. We also want to contribute to our hometown."

Xi’er’s words were filled with emotion, tears streaming down her face, and she finally knelt down before Xiang Yu.

"Commander."

The people around all shouted and then knelt down too.

These individuals were former slum-dwellers turned soldiers; they feared not death but only wished to live with dignity.

Long Wu also looked at Xiang Yu with hope and then nodded, clearly wishing Xiang Yu would grant them the opportunity.

Xiang Yu had participated in countless wars by this point, becoming cold and ruthless after his brother died in battle, a man with a bloodied past.

But today’s passionate battle moved him like never before.

"Get up first." Xiang Yu tried to pull Wang Qian up.

"Commander, if you don’t agree, I won’t stand up." Xi’er stubbornly stated.

"Alright, I agree to you all, but I have one condition: everyone must comply with my orders unconditionally, absolutely no disorder." Xiang Yu said seriously.

After all, this is fighting, it’s war, and people will die.

Ri’er, upon hearing Xiang Yu’s consent, quickly stood up joyfully, and the others followed suit.

"Commander, folks are all outside; just give us the guns." Xi’er said excitedly.

As if she wasn’t going to war, but participating in a fun activity.

"Come on, let’s go outside." Xiang Yu said and walked outside.

Outside, there stood a large crowd, women, children, and the elderly, regardless of age, all with a fervent love for their home.

"Folks, I understand your feelings. Xi’er just shared your thoughts with me, and I agree to your participation in the war, but you..."

Before Xiang Yu finished his sentence, the crowd below already cheered joyously and only stopped after a while to listen to Xiang Yu.

"But you must follow my orders, no mistakes." Xiang Yu said sternly.

"Commander, rest assured, although there’s a lot of us without training, we will definitely follow your command." Said an old lady with a cane. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Seeing her, Xiang Yu sighed inwardly; this old lady must be over eighty and likely couldn’t even hold a gun.

"Alright, under that condition, I’ll divide you into groups. Those over fifty years old, step forward."

When Xiang Yu finished talking, a portion of people stepped out.

"Those under eighteen, step forward..."

Through a layer-by-layer selection, Xiang Yu identified those still capable of labor.

"Long Wu, take the others to Lieyun City." Xiang Yu commanded.

"Commander, we..."

"Follow orders." Xiang Yu insisted.

Some people, despite their love for home, simply lacked the ability to help and staying would only cause chaos for Xiang Yu.

"Alright, we’ll follow the commander’s arrangements." The old lady first led the group.

"Xiang Yu, I’d rather stay. I can still fight." Long Wu stood beside Xiang Yu and whispered.

"Your task is to take them safely back to the base." Xiang Yu said and walked away.

Long Wu knew Xiang Yu was worried about her, so she didn’t argue further and approached Xi’er, saying, "Take care of him for me."

Xi’er solemnly nodded, "Rest assured, I will do my best."

Long Wu nodded, then led all the people towards Lieyun City.

Long Wu was highly respected among the people; they viewed her as a goddess, hence many listened to her.

After seeing them off, Xiang Yu divided everyone into three groups.

One group was the rescue team, responsible for carrying injured brothers to safety and providing basic bandaging; another group coordinated with the self-defense team, responsible for transporting ammunition and replenishing workforce when needed.

The third group was stationed at various corners of the city on Xiang Yu’s orders, acting as his eyes, ready to spot anyone who snuck in.

As it turned out, Xiang Yu’s arrangements were quite sensible.

Because at around two o’clock, a ten-man squad from the opposing side secretly entered the city from the south.

They attempted to sabotage the City Guard Army’s defense line and capture its leader—Xiang Yu.

However, as soon as they snuck into the city, they were spotted by the local squad, who quickly reported the situation to Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu then led the guard platoon to surround them.

The ten-man squad was quick and discreet, but they hadn’t expected to be detected.

After their discovery, they tried to break through but were immediately wiped out by Xiang Yu’s team, leaving no survivors.

The fighting lasted until four o’clock in the morning; gunfire gradually eased.

The City Guard Army remained steadfast in their positions, not withdrawing an inch.

Tie Zhuzi had a wound on his arm but remained in high spirits. He went to Xiang Yu’s temporary command post, poured himself a glass of water, and laughed heartily, "Brother Yu, they were nothing, we beat them to a pulp."

"Don’t be complacent; their attack was fierce but didn’t seem to use their main forces, so we have to be cautious." Xiang Yu analyzed.

"Brother Yu, standing guard every day isn’t a solution. If they keep attacking for years, we’ll struggle to hold on." Tie Zhuzi said.

Xiang Yu nodded, "Rest assured, they came from afar and lack logistic support, they can’t sustain for long. Tomorrow, they’ll surely launch a fierce attack. The more anxious they are, the steadier we must remain, never losing our composure."

Tie Zhuzi put down the cup and laughed heartily, "Brother Yu, you’re a born military genius."