Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

"Listen up, soldiers on the city walls! Our leader, Li Ze, has ordered that if you hand over Young Chief Li Ying and surrender the city, you will be spared..."

As soon as the barbarian army formed its ranks, a barbarian soldier who could speak the Liyang dialect would loudly persuade them to surrender. This was a common psychological tactic used by the army to undermine the will of the defenders.

Shen Qing carefully observed the movements of the barbarian army below from the city wall. He wondered if the barbarian soldiers were unfamiliar with siege warfare or had other plans. All 60,000 troops were crammed outside the eastern wall of Kuaiji City, while no one was sent to the other three sides of the wall. When others attack a city, they usually surround three sides and leave one open, but the barbarian soldiers did the opposite, surrounding one side and leaving three open.

Furthermore, Shen Qing noticed that the barbarian soldiers outside the city were all gathered together in the attire of their respective tribes, without any unified commands or discipline. However, when Shen Qing then saw the five hundred local militiamen beside him, who were trembling like leaves, his lips twitched. Don't be fooled by the disorganized state of these barbarian soldiers; at least in terms of ferocity and bravery, they were far superior to his own local militiamen.

After sensing the fear in the local militia, Shen Qing's heart sank. He knew that today's battle would be difficult. If these militia were all well-trained, the barbarian soldiers with their twenty-odd siege ladders would not be able to shake Kuaiji City. But now it was hard to say. Once the barbarian soldiers climbed up the siege ladders, these militia would probably collapse immediately.

Shen Qing had already made up his mind. He would try to avoid close combat as much as possible and let these local militiamen get used to the atmosphere of the battlefield first. As long as they could hold out for the first day, their fear would be greatly reduced when they went to defend the city tomorrow. The so-called elite soldiers were forged in battle after battle, from initial fear to indifference to life and death, killing without hesitation.

"Pan Yang, immediately divide the local militia into three teams. One team will throw rolling logs and stones, another team will be responsible for killing the barbarian soldiers climbing the city walls, and another hundred men will be selected as an emergency team to rest below the city walls and await orders. Also, have you prepared everything I asked you to prepare?" Shen Qing said to a man with a resolute face after scouting the enemy situation.

The man with the resolute face was named Pan Yang. He was a garrison captain promoted by Shen Qing from among the five hundred local militiamen. There were also two adjutants, named Pang Yun and Wang Hu.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the city. A moment later, a local militiaman came to report that sixty or seventy warriors were shouting that they had come to help in the battle.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing looked over and saw the remaining martial artists, led by Shan Eryi and Song Tinglu. Most of them were bandaged with wounds, clearly having been injured the previous night. However, they were now clamoring to help defend the city, likely because of the extra reward Shen Qing had offered the night before, which had made them risk their lives.

Upon seeing these martial artists, Shen Qing was overjoyed. Despite his extensive preparations, he couldn't guarantee the local militia's ability to hold their ground should the barbarian soldiers manage to scale the city walls. The appearance of these martial artists perfectly solved his immediate problem. Unlike the local militia who feared the barbarian soldiers, these martial artists were fearless and daring. Even if the barbarian soldiers successfully scaled the walls, it would only be credited to the martial artists.

"Thank you all for your help, fellow martial arts enthusiasts. I thank you all here. Once we repel the barbarian invasion, I guarantee you will all return with a full load." Shen Qing immediately greeted everyone with a smile, cupped his fists in salute, and then turned to Pan Yang, saying, "Pan Yang, send out another squad of local militia to guard the city walls with shields. Whenever the enemy fires arrows, raise your shields to block the rain of arrows for everyone. Also, if any barbarian soldiers manage to climb up the ladders, immediately have the shield bearers press down on them, compressing their space and creating opportunities for these martial arts enthusiasts."

"Listen up, soldiers on the city walls! Our leader, Li Ze, has ordered that if you hand over Young Leader Li Ying and surrender the city, we will spare your lives..." The barbarian soldiers' pleas for surrender echoed once again from below the city walls.

"Hey, ask your leader Li Ze if I release Li Ying, will he withdraw his troops?" Shen Qing arranged everything and had someone shout down to the city walls.

In warfare, the key is to strike while the iron is hot, then weaken, and finally exhaust. The barbarian soldiers have been holding onto their momentum since the attack last night, and Shen Qing's response to the people outside the city was precisely to buy time and let them gradually dissipate that momentum. As for whether or not to release Li Ying, it wasn't important to Shen Qing. If he could really use her to force the barbarians to retreat, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

The barbarian soldier who shouted probably didn't expect anyone inside the city to respond. He was stunned for a moment, then turned and ran towards Li Ze's location to report what had come from the city wall.

"Brother Li, the people inside the city are clearly scared. Let's just attack the city..."

"No, no! If we attack the city, what if the enemy, enraged, kills Li Ying?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the leaders had various opinions, causing Li Ze a great deal of trouble.

"Stop arguing, everyone. Yingzi is my only bloodline, so we must save her. However, we can't let the enemy lead us by the nose. Besides, Kuaiji City is just around the corner, so we can't just give up for no reason." After Li Ze ordered everyone to quiet down, he quickly thought of what to do.

“Chief Li, I have an idea. We can pretend to agree to the city’s demands and get them to release Li Ying. Whether or not we withdraw our troops then is up to us. This way, we can save Li Ying’s life and not lose the opportunity to take Kuaiji City,” said an old man with sunken eyes and dry skin.

Upon hearing the voice, everyone looked over and discovered that it was Cha Ya, the leader of the Kun Yue tribe. He was known for his wisdom and prudence. The only titled Totem Warrior among the 60,000 troops was his personal bodyguard, the Bear Hunter Warrior, who was said to have torn a brown bear apart with his bare hands.

Chaya's words were met with unanimous agreement from everyone present, and the messenger quickly relayed the message to Shen Qing.

"It seems the barbarians aren't all fools, but they think they can fool me with such a trivial trick? They're too naive." Shen Qing smiled slightly upon hearing the news. "Go tell Li Ze that if he wants me to release Li Ying, he must immediately lead his troops to retreat thirty miles. If he can do that, I guarantee I will release Li Ying."

In ancient times, an army could only march about thirty li a day. Shen Qing's plan was to trade space for time. If Li Ze agreed to retreat thirty li, and Shen Qing led his army to Kuaiji City, it would take two days for them to return. By then, the message spread by He Zhu should have taken effect. Many people from the martial arts world who received the news would surely rush to Kuaiji County, and their situation would be much better than it is now.

"Chief Li Ze, the defenders are cunning. It seems they won't release Li Ying unless we withdraw our troops. What do you suggest we do? We'll all listen to you." After hearing Shen Qing's words, Cha Ya passed the buck back to Li Ze to make the choice. After all, Li Ying's life was at stake, and he didn't want to easily cause trouble.

Seeing the gazes of the crowd and thinking of Li Ying, Li Ze hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and shouting, "Kuaiji City concerns the future of Baiyue! Prepare to attack!" Li Ze ordered the attack because he was willing to gamble. He wanted to save Li Ying, and he wanted Kuaiji City too; he didn't want to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Moreover, he didn't believe the city's defenders would kill such a valuable asset as Li Ying. If he could breach Kuaiji City, even if Li Ying was in their hands, they wouldn't have much room for negotiation. Then, if he promised to release them, he could likely save Li Ying.

With Li Ze's order, all the tribal leaders breathed a sigh of relief and began to arrange for their tribes' barbarian soldiers to prepare for the siege.