Chapter 1313

Li Xin and Zhao Tuo nodded in unison.

There was nothing wrong with what Han Xin had said.

It was likely just as the soldiers had said earlier: the other side must have run out of food.

Being able to hold out for so long had exceeded their expectations.

After all, they had no supplies.

Their movements had also become increasingly sluggish lately.

It was likely they were out of food; otherwise, they wouldn't be acting so abnormally.

Perhaps Han Xin was right—Ren Xiao and his men were lacking food.

They could probably only hold out for a few more days.

It was just that...

If Ren Xiao and his men couldn't hold on any longer, what would they do?

"Commander, what do you think they will do if they can't hold out?"

Li Xin was wondering if the other side would be driven to desperate measures.

After all, Shangqing Meng Yi was still in their hands.

If the other side was backed into a corner, would they take action against Meng Yi?

This was something they had to guard against.

If they really did take action against Meng Yi, they would need to come up with a countermeasure in advance.

Han Xin lowered his head and began to ponder.

Whether they would take action against Meng Yi was hard to say.

Many people were capable of desperate acts when backed into a corner.

Would they... use Shangqing Meng Yi as leverage?

If he were in a dead end, he figured he would do the same thing himself.

After all, having a hostage in hand made such an action understandable.

Otherwise, the hostage would lose his inherent value.

But what kind of leverage could they use Meng Yi for?

Thinking of this, the result was almost obvious.

Either threats or an exchange.

Besides that, what other leverage could there be?

Those were likely the only tricks they could use.

Han Xin quickly thought of Meng Yi's role as a hostage.

He had used such tricks back when he was still mingling in the marketplace.

Therefore, he was no stranger to these things.

"If I were Ren Xiao, and I were backed into a corner while holding an important hostage..."

"I would threaten the other side to give me what I want, or exchange it for what I want."

"What they want most right now is—food!"

"Besides that, there seems to be nothing else; they can't just be thinking of mutual destruction, right?"

"After all, the other side has over a hundred thousand people; they aren't stupid enough to have so many people be buried with one person."

Han Xin began his analysis.

Zhao Tuo and Li Xin nodded repeatedly as they listened.

They could not refute these words from Han Xin.

If they were Ren Xiao and his men, they would likely do the same.

After all, with a hostage in hand, if not now, when?

They were already at a dead end, so they had no choice but to do this.

As for whether they would use the hostage to exchange for food or to threaten them, they did not know.

But in their hearts, they suspected it would be the latter.

Because once they lost the hostage, they would lose their sense of security.

Therefore, the hostage could not be lost, which left only one possibility—threats.

"Using the hostage to exchange for food is unlikely."

"Then they should use Shangqing Meng Yi to threaten us."

Li Xin gave Han Xin an appreciative look.

He was indeed the person His Highness valued; his mind turned quite fast.

He could clear up these matters as soon as there was a hint of a lead.

All of this was speculated on the basis that Meng Yi was being held as a hostage.

Although these were all speculations, they were likely not far from the truth.

Han Xin nodded: "It should be threats."

"If I were Ren Xiao, I wouldn't exchange the hostage either."

"Once the hostage is gone, their security guarantee is diminished."

"If they threaten us, what should we do?"

Han Xin frowned, lost in thought.

He had promised General Meng Tian that he would rescue Meng Yi.

He could not disregard the life or death of Shangqing Meng Yi.

Meng Yi must be saved; if Ren Xiao and his men used Meng Yi...

They could not ignore it; they could not let Meng Yi die here.

Otherwise, he would not be able to answer to General Meng Tian, nor to the Crown Prince.

As a commander, he had to handle these matters well.

Otherwise, he would have no face to see His Highness.

His Highness trusted him so much; how could he let His Highness down?

Zhao Tuo and Li Xin also fell into deep thought.

After a long while.

Zhao Tuo raised his head and looked at Han Xin.

"Commander, can we take action in advance to rescue the person first?"

"That way, they won't be able to use Shangqing Meng Yi to threaten us."

"As long as we are cautious, we should be able to rescue him."

Li Xin shook his head; this method was impractical.

"In such a situation, Ren Xiao will likely dispatch many soldiers to guard him."

"At this time, trying to rescue the hostage is almost impossible."