Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Watching Yang Long lead his men to search for the wine cellar, Shen Qing stared blankly at the sky, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

Yang Long's advice was truly too ruthless; it was a move that would hurt the enemy a thousand while also hurting himself eight hundred. Admittedly, this plan would certainly force the barbarian soldiers to retreat, but the cost and consequences were not something Shen Qing wanted to bear.

"You brat, are you really going to listen to Yang Long's wicked scheme?" Li Chungang looked at Shen Qing with a solemn expression, waiting for him to make his final decision. Even with the experience of the old sword god, hearing Yang Long's plan made his hair stand on end, showing its extraordinary power.

If that plan goes out of control, it could result in the deaths of not just tens of thousands of people, but potentially hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Such a ruthless plan made Shen Qing hesitate and dare not make a decision easily. He might be ruthless enough to kill deserters for the sake of victory, but he was definitely not a cold-blooded and cruel butcher.

Home, country, nation—these words suddenly popped into Shen Qing's mind. During the chaotic Spring and Autumn Period, ordinary people like Yang Long had no concept of country or nation. Of course, this cannot be blamed on them; it was the influence of the times. People from the bottom of society like them only had the desire for victory and never considered anything else.

"Senior, let me have some peace and quiet." Shen Qing shook his head, not answering the old sword god's question, but instead falling into deep thought.

On the other side, the barbarian soldiers below the city retreated in disarray after being repelled by the defenders. Having lost half of their siege ladders, they were further berated by their leader.

“Chief Li, there’s no need to be angry. The previous battles have already proven that the city’s garrison is weak. If the enemy hadn’t been so unethical and used lime powder to launch a sneak attack, our men would probably have already captured Kuaiji City. Therefore, as long as we take good precautions, I believe we can definitely take the city in one fell swoop,” Chaya advised Li Ze.

The sun was already high in the sky, so Li Zeqiang immediately suppressed his impatience and ordered people to continue building siege ladders while arranging for the tribes to start fires and cook.

Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, after seeing that the barbarian soldiers had no immediate plans to attack the city, Shen Qing returned to his residence.

Not long after, Li Ying, her hands bound with cowhide, was brought before Shen Qing. Shen Qing waved for the escorting constables to leave, leaving only Li Ying and the old swordsman in the room.

Shen Qing picked up the tea and briefly looked at the barbarian girl in front of him. She was beautiful and full of vigor. Her appearance, which combined the features of a girl from another tribe, was completely different from that of the women from Liyang. She was full of wild beauty.

“You are the envoy of the King of Yue from Yin Tongxin.” Li Ying did not consider himself a prisoner at all. After being brought up, he looked Shen Qing up and down without any restraint. Then, with a look of fearlessness, he said, “Don’t think you can use me to threaten my grandfather. I, Li Ying, am definitely not a person who is afraid of death.”

Seeing this, Shen Qing chuckled and shook his head. The girl in front of him not only couldn't see reality, but she also wasn't very bright. If he really wanted to use her to blackmail Li Ze, why would he tell her?

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Li Ying glared at Shen Qing with displeasure, her expression almost murderous, yet somehow endearing.

"Nothing? Besides, I'm not called 'Hey,' you can call me Shen Qing." Shen Qing immediately stopped smiling.

"Shen Qing, what do you want with me here?"

"Li Ying, right? I want you to do something for me."

"What is it? No, I absolutely will not help you. Go ahead and kill me if you dare." Li Ying asked instinctively, but after regaining her senses, she immediately changed her mind and refused.

"I want you to help me deliver a letter to your grandfather and persuade him to withdraw his troops and leave Kuaiji City," Shen Qing said unhurriedly.

"Impossible, absolutely not! I would never persuade my grandfather to withdraw his troops. My Baiyue Allied Forces..."

“If you don’t withdraw your troops, not only will the 60,000 people outside the city die, but the entire Baiyue barbarian tribe will suffer extremely serious losses, and countless people will die.” Before Li Ying could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Shen Qing’s cold and sharp voice.

Looking at Shen Qing's cold expression, Li Ying felt a sudden tremor in her heart, and subconsciously began to believe him, but she still stubbornly said, "Why should I believe you..."

"If you don't believe me, come with me." Soon, under Shen Qing's guidance, Li Ying arrived at an abandoned, dilapidated temple in the suburbs, which was tightly surrounded by yamen runners. Inside was the strategy for defeating the enemy that Yang Long had presented to Shen Qing.

Meanwhile, an hour quickly passed, and the barbarian soldiers outside the city had all eaten and drunk their fill and were preparing to assemble.

Just then, a barbarian soldier in armor ran over with a letter and said to Li Ze, "Reporting to the leader, someone from inside the city has delivered a letter."

"Bring it here." After a brief inspection, Li Ze quickly opened the letter, which read, "Li Ying has been released. I hope you will withdraw your troops immediately, or we will all perish."

Just as Li Ze finished reading the letter, shouts of surprise rang out again from outside the camp, "The young chief is back! The young chief is back..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ze hurriedly walked towards the front of the formation. He saw Li Ying, who appeared to be in great fear, walking stiffly toward the barbarian army camp below Kuaiji City.

On the city wall, Shen Qing watched as Li Ying was released and sent back, and whispered, "Hopefully, Li Ze will obediently withdraw his troops, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Do you really intend to fight to the death, Shen boy?" Li Chungang's tone was somewhat solemn. Then he looked towards the outside of the city and said, "Shen boy, using such a vicious scheme will shorten your lifespan. If the barbarians do not retreat, I will personally step in tonight to help you kill their commander. I don't believe that without their leader, they can still attack Kuaiji City."

"Yingzi, what's wrong? Did someone bully you? Grandpa will avenge you right away." Li Ze was furious when he saw Li Ying looking distraught, and he was about to gather his army to attack.

"Grandpa, I'm fine. Let's go back to the camp first." As Li Ying spoke, she turned her head and took a deep look at Kuaiji City. Kuaiji City, which had once made her blood boil and determined to conquer it, now seemed like a den of demons. She just wanted to lead her tribe away from here as soon as possible, no, to be precise, to escape from here.

Knowing his granddaughter's temperament, Li Ze didn't press the matter further and immediately led her back to the camp's main tent. The other tribal leaders followed after seeing Li Ying return.

Only Chaya from the Kunyue tribe glanced at the city wall in surprise. He knew that Li Ying was a leading figure among the younger generation, and he found it hard to believe what could have caused Li Ying to show such fear.