Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Seeing the look of relief on Li Ze's face, Li Ying excitedly said loudly, "Grandpa, you have to believe me. I would never joke about the future of the Li Yue tribe."

After Li Ying finished speaking, seeing the still unconvinced looks on the faces of the tribal leaders, she realized something. These people weren't so much disbelieving as they were unwilling to give up the benefits they had already secured. They were now only a step away from Kuaiji City; no one was willing to give up such a seemingly easy prize.

"Chief Li Ze, what should we do?"

"Yes, Chief Li Ze, we'll all listen to you..."

All the tribal leaders turned their gazes toward Li Ze. Faced with the enormous benefits of Kuaiji City, they found it difficult to control their own desires and were unwilling to believe Li Ying's words.

"This..." Li Ze struggled under the gazes of the leaders. Two completely different ideas intertwined in his mind, like a gambler about to place a bet—big or small, one step to heaven, one step to hell. If he chose correctly, he would be a hero of the Baiyue barbarians; if he chose incorrectly, he would be a sinner of the Baiyue barbarians.

"My Kunyue tribe has decided to withdraw its troops." Just then, Chaya's old but still strong voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked over in surprise, puzzled as to why Chaya had made her choice so quickly.

"Brother Chaya, what's wrong with you?" Li Ze looked at Chaya with a puzzled expression, his eyes narrowing. Although Chaya was known for his caution and wisdom, his quick decision was still unexpected by Li Ze.

Chaya, facing the gazes of the crowd, remained unmoved and said loudly, "Fellow leaders, although we do not know whether the plague is true or not, our Kunyue tribe cannot afford to gamble. I believe you all know the predicament of our Kunyue tribe. The thousand people who have come here represent the majority of our Kunyue tribe's strength. If any unforeseen circumstances occur, the Kunyue tribe will cease to exist."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought. It turned out that although the Kunyue tribe possessed a titled warrior comparable to the first-rank realm, the Kunyue tribe was in the most dangerous situation among all the Baiyue barbarians present.

The Kunyue tribe is located at the southernmost part of the Baiyue barbarian tribes. It not only serves as a southern barrier for the other Baiyue barbarian tribes, but also faces a more primitive tropical rainforest. In addition to extremely dangerous poisonous insects and beasts, there are also some ancient cannibals. Therefore, the Kunyue tribe faces enormous survival pressure every day, so Chaya dares not gamble with the future of the Kunyue tribe.

"Moreover, I believe that Young Leader Li Ying is not mistaken, therefore the Kunyue tribe chose to withdraw its troops." Chaya said, looking at Li Ying. He had a lot of faith in Li Ying, this young talent of the new generation, and did not think she would speak carelessly.

With Tea Tooth being the first to take the plunge, the greed in the eyes of the other tribal leaders became much clearer, and they began to seriously weigh the gains and losses.

"Report! A cart carrying several corpses wrapped in white cloth has been pushed out of the city gate for some unknown reason."

Just then, a messenger came again to report on the situation in Kuaiji City.

"Withdraw! Our Shanyue tribe is withdrawing..."

"My Mizuko troops are withdrawing..."

"I'm leaving too..."

Upon hearing the latest intelligence, the leaders, who had been hesitant, suddenly panicked and rushed to withdraw their troops.

Compared to the meager benefits of Kuaiji City, the threat of death from the plague was far more tangible, and Shen Qing's initial hesitation was shattered by the carts he had arranged.

Meanwhile, on the city wall, jars of fine wine sealed with yellow mud were placed close to the battlements, while logs and stones were piled up behind them.

Regardless of whether the barbarian soldiers would retreat, Shen Qing was prepared to defend the city in order to deal with any unexpected situations.

"Lord Shen, is this really going to work?" Yang Long asked, looking at the cart below the city gate with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Just now, Shen Qing had him find a cart, wrap several barbarian soldiers' corpses in white cloth, and push it outside the city gate.

"The best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting, and to win their hearts and minds is the ultimate goal. As long as the barbarians are unwilling to perish together with us, they will inevitably choose to withdraw their troops." Shen Qing looked confidently at the barbarian army's camp in the distance.

Just as Shen Qing was speaking, the barbarian army below the city began to stir. A portion of the barbarian troops who had been gathered outside the city began to return to the main camp under the orders of the messengers.

Upon seeing this, Shen Qing immediately dispatched scouts to follow the barbarian army at a distance until he personally witnessed them packing up supplies and breaking camp before returning to the city to report the news.

Upon learning that the barbarian army had indeed broken camp, Shen Qing breathed a long sigh of relief. The battle of Kuaiji City was now over, and the next thing to consider was the aftermath in Yuezhou.

As for whether the Baiyue barbarians had truly withdrawn their troops, Shen Qing was quite confident that it was true. The barbarian army outside the city consisted of twenty tribes that had come together, united only for mutual benefit. Under such circumstances, they might be able to fight a winning battle, but once they encountered setbacks, their thoughts would diverge.

However, even after learning that the barbarians had retreated, Shen Qing still strictly ordered the city to be defended, leaving no opportunity for the barbarians.

As the moonlight descends, inside the camp of the Li-Yue tribe.

After deciding to withdraw, the allied forces immediately disintegrated. The 60,000-strong army scattered and left, leaving only a few thousand soldiers from the Li-Yue tribe.

After arranging for the soldiers to set up camp, Li Ze sat wearily in a chair in the main tent. In just one day, he had gone from being full of vigor to looking old; life is truly full of ups and downs.

"Someone, summon the young leader to see me!"

"Reporting to the leader, the young leader has disappeared..."

"What? Send someone to look for it immediately..."

As if things weren't going to go wrong, Li Ze was already upset about the army's unsuccessful return, and when he learned that Li Ying was missing, he was immediately enraged.

Before long, Li Ying's personal maid was brought over. Li Ze stared at the maid, Azhuoma, with a cold gaze and said, "Tell me, where did Miss go?"

Faced with Li Ze's gaze, Azhuoma knelt down in fright and said, "Reporting to the leader, Miss said she was afraid that the Li Yang people would not keep their word, so she plans to stay in Kuaiji City to monitor their movements."

"Foolish! The people of Liyang are cunning and treacherous; how could she possibly guard against them? As for you, you failed to take good care of Miss. Go down and receive twenty lashes later. From now on, report to me immediately if she makes any move, or I will execute you on the spot." After receiving news of Li Ying, Li Ze felt relieved, as long as she hadn't disappeared without a trace.