Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

"You brat, should I step in and drive these barbarians away?" Li Chungang asked Shen Qing, squinting as he watched the battle reach a stalemate.

After learning that Shen Qing had the ability to travel through time, Li Chungang gambled his future on Shen Qing, betting that he would resurrect Green Robe. Therefore, they were already bound together by fate.

"Senior, there's no need for you to rush. There's no need for you to take action right now." Shen Qing shook his head expressionlessly. He had anticipated the current situation and had already prepared a countermeasure.

The next moment, just as the battle reached a stalemate, white dust suddenly rose from behind the local militia holding shields and was thrown towards the barbarian soldiers who were desperately defending the siege ladders and ramparts.

"Cough cough..."

"Ah, my eyes, I can't see..."

"Despicable! They actually released poison gas..."

As white smoke billowed up, the stalemate was immediately broken. The barbarian soldiers screamed and panicked, and were quickly seized by the local militia to be killed one by one. At the same time, several unlucky local militiamen and warriors who charged ahead were also caught in the crossfire.

"You brat, you actually resorted to such a despicable method as lime powder." The old sword god recognized the origin of the white smoke the moment he saw it, and said with some disdain.

“That’s right, it’s lime powder. Right now, Kuaiji City is practically a ghost town. This is the only trick I can think of. And there’s no such thing as a despicable method. As long as it can defeat the enemy, it’s a good trick. It’s like a black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.” Shen Qing said with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Actually, the best defense for the city would be oil, poured onto the siege ladders. This would not only increase the ladders' smoothness, making them harder to climb, but also make them easier to ignite. However, as mentioned before, Kuaiji City was practically a ghost town at the moment, so Shen Qing couldn't even dream of having such a top-tier strategic resource as oil. Pepper powder or poison would also work, but Shen Qing still didn't have any. Finally, he had a flash of inspiration and thought of low-cost, easily found lime powder.

As expected, with the help of lime powder, the barbarian soldiers on the city wall were wiped out in an instant. Whether they were warriors or ordinary barbarian soldiers, after their eyes were blinded by lime, they all became lambs to the slaughter.

Since the lime powder had been exposed, fortunately, after Shen Qing had dealt with the barbarian soldiers on the city wall, he had them throw it down the ladders. The barbarian soldiers below were immediately attacked by the lime powder, screaming and in chaos. Only a very few clever ones saw the danger and escaped. Many others had their eyes stung by the lime powder and cried out in pain.

Soon, the barbarian soldiers' attack on the city was thwarted by a sudden attack with lime powder. They retreated, leaving behind hundreds of corpses. Half of the siege ladders below the city were taken away by the barbarian soldiers, while the other half were carried up the city wall and destroyed by the local militia.

Seeing the barbarian soldiers retreat, Shen Qing hurriedly ordered people to take stock of the casualties and material losses of the local militia, so as to have a clear understanding of the situation and prepare for the upcoming battle.

Before long, Pan Yang tallied the casualties. In just one short exchange, over fifty of the local militia had been killed, and more than twenty were wounded. Two of the martial artists who had come to their aid were also killed by the barbarian warriors. Most of the city's supplies had been used up, mainly because the local militia, participating in a city defense for the first time, had been carelessly wasting resources.

After learning of the losses, Shen Qing frowned involuntarily. The casualties were still within his expectations, but the consumption of supplies far exceeded his budget, and he feared it would be difficult to hold out until nightfall.

Just then, a shout suddenly rang out from inside the city.

"Young Master Shen, Young Master Shen..."

Shen Qing looked up at the sound and saw that it was Yang Long and his group whom he had met before. They were being stopped by the yamen runners below the city and could only attract his attention by shouting.

At Shen Qing's signal, Yang Long and the others successfully reached Shen Qing's side.

"We, Yang Long, Pang the Blind, Ah Hu, and Liu Dazui, greet Lord Shen." Upon seeing Shen Qing, the group immediately bowed and paid their respects.

Yesterday, when Shen Qing was recruiting local militia at the yamen gate, they learned of Shen Qing's true identity. The group had originally planned to wait for Shen Qing to come to them, but after learning that the barbarians were attacking the city, they discussed it and rushed to the city wall together.

Shen Qing looked at the group of people in front of him and smiled, saying, "What brings you all here? I was just saying I was planning to find you after we defeated the barbarian soldiers."

"Lord Shen, after learning that the barbarian troops were attacking the city, we also intend to do our part," Yang Long said solemnly.

"You're so kind. Just watch from the sidelines. If the barbarian soldiers attack the city later, you can help throw some stones." Shen Qing chuckled inwardly when he heard Yang Long's words. Although the battle was not going well at the moment, he didn't expect these few wounded people to be of any help, but he didn't refuse their kindness either.

Upon hearing Shen Qing's words, Yang Long realized that they had been slighted, but he did not get angry. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Lord Shen, do not underestimate us. I have a way to help you defeat the barbarian soldiers."

"What? Did I hear that right? You have a way to repel the barbarian soldiers?" Shen Qing was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at Yang Long with a serious expression and said, "Brother Yang, this is no laughing matter."

"I dare to pledge my allegiance; if I fail, I am willing to accept military punishment," Yang Long solemnly said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"No need for a pledge. Brother Yang, what brilliant plan do you have? Please tell me. If we can truly defeat the barbarian soldiers, I will reward you handsomely." Shen Qing straightened up, clasped his hands in a fist and said to Yang Long.

He knew he had just made the common mistake of judging people by their appearance. He knew that one cannot judge a book by its cover, and that there were many talented and extraordinary people in the world. He should not underestimate others because of his own subjective desires.

Just like Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms made the mistake of judging people by their appearance, which almost caused Pang Tong to leave him. If it weren't for Zhang Fei's recommendation, he would have missed out on a top talent.

"Lord Shen, I know of a secret wine cellar belonging to the Yin family in the city, where hundreds of jars of fine wine are stored." Yang Long paused here, looking at Shen Qing with a hint of consideration for Shen Qing's intentions.

After all, although he intended to join Shen Qing's group, he also wanted to know how capable Shen Qing was, whether he had real skills or was just a clueless bum.

"Fire attack." Shen Qing saw through Yang Long's thoughts immediately and said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Yang Long looked at Shen Qing with satisfaction, knowing that this Lord Shen was no ordinary person. He then stopped hiding his true intentions and said, "That's right. The city is currently short of oil. This wine can serve as a substitute for oil. Pour it down the siege ladders to ignite them, thus preventing the barbarian soldiers from attacking the city."

“This alone is not enough; it is not enough to repel the barbarian soldiers.” Shen Qing said, looking intently at Yang Long. He believed that this man would not dare to offer him advice with just a few jars of wine; he must have other plans that he had not yet revealed.

Yang Long's appearance was completely unexpected by Shen Qing, which gave him even more confidence in repelling the barbarian soldiers. Previously, his plan was to hold out and wait for news from He Zhu to spread so that a steady stream of martial arts practitioners would arrive. But now, he was more curious about Yang Long's methods.