Chapter 56: I'll go prepare some more gasoline

Carbon-based organisms capable of enduring torture must possess sublimated souls and steadfast faith.

Without question, this assassin possessed none of these.

After enduring heart-rending torture, the assassin quickly confessed everything.

He was a spy planted by Shi Zhao within the Refugee Army, lying in wait for years.

When the Guangzong County Refugee Army split, they followed Lin Dao to Xiangguo City.

Originally, he only gathered intelligence on the Refugee Army and sent it out via carrier pigeon.

But two days ago, he received an order to assassinate Lin Dao at all costs.

And so came today's events.

Half-squatting on the ground, Lin Dao looked at the dying assassin, whose body had not a single piece of intact flesh, and said, "How much did the Qianghu give you, worth selling your life like this?"

Such an assassination, whether successful or not, is a dead end either way.

Only dead soldiers could do such a thing.

Lin Dao did not understand why a Han would serve as a dead soldier for the Qianghu.

The Qianghu treat the Han like two-legged sheep~~~

"My wife and children are all being watched."

The assassin coughed blood and panted, "I did it for my family."

"Have you ever thought," Lin Dao sneered, "that your family is not locked up?"

He stood up and looked down at the assassin, "A spy like you has no chance to go back."

"I heard grain prices in Ye City are two gold per peck?"

"Do you think you are important enough for the Qianghu to use expensive grain to raise your family?"

"Actually, your family has long been served up on the table."

The assassin, in a final flare of life, roared desperately, "No, impossible~~~"

Lin Dao continued to provoke him, "Actually, you know this outcome; you're just lying to yourself."

"Your family is dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!"

The assassin, who had only one breath left, suddenly widened his bloodshot eyes, twitched and spasmed for a moment, then fell completely still.

As for whether Lin Dao provoking a dying man is inhumane~

Anyone who said that to his face would get a faceful of spit from Lin Dao.

'This bastard wants to kill me! Do I have to care about his mental health?'

'Sick!'

"Throw him out to feed the dogs, then kill the dogs and throw them in the dry latrine."

Lin Dao was very angry, and the consequences would be severe.

"Shi Hu, you're playing this game with me, right?"

"Good, good, good, you just wait for me. Once I catch you, I'll give you a hundred rockets!"

Shi Zhao Central Army Tent.

Shi Hu let out a loud sneeze, completely unaware he had taken the blame for his own son.

He rubbed his nose and looked at the anxious Refugee Army commanders.

He greeted them enthusiastically, "Gentlemen, as long as you breach the city, I, the solitary ruler, will surely not be stingy with rewards."

"After the city falls, no sheathing of blades for three days."

"All captured goods belong to you all."

"You can all be made marquises, and from now on be the pillars of my Great Zhao~~~"

After the Refugee Army commanders left the tent, Shi Xuan jumped out impatiently, "Father, how can you give them so many rewards!"

Not to mention anything else, just the mountains of supplies piled up in the city are enough to make the civil and military officials of Shi Zhao turn red with envy.

Not to mention the good things like flying crossbows, divine fire, canned food, heavy armor, and so on.

Shi Hu slowly picked up the wine jar on the table in front of him.

After drinking the wine, he spoke, "Do you think they can breach Xiangguo City?"

Shi Xuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "Impossible."

Even the elite troops of Great Zhao cannot take it down during a siege; how could these lifeless Refugee Army possibly do it?

"Since they can't take it down, the promise of rewards is just empty talk, amounting to nothing."

A beauty beside Shi Hu poured wine for him.

Shi Hu, holding the wine jar, narrowed his eyes, "Even if they take it down, what then? There will be plenty of ways to make them hand it over!"

"Fu Hong."

Shi Hu glanced at his subordinate general, "I have a task for you."

Fu Hong quickly stepped forward and saluted, "Please order, Heavenly King."

"While the Refugee Army besieges the city, arrange men to dig tunnels day and night, digging all the way into Xiangguo City!"

Fu Hong's heart tightened, but his face remained calm.

"I obey!"

Xiangguo City city tower.

"These dogs who bite the hand that feeds them, pah!"

Looking at the Refugee Army preparing to besiege the city outside, the defenders on the wall were furious.

They actually allied with the Qianghu, with whom they have a blood feud, to attack their own people.

This truly disgraces the name of the Refugee Army!

"They are unworthy of the name Qiaoqi Army." Lin Dao slowly nodded. "They betrayed the Qiaoqi Army; they are a rebel army."

Everyone responded in unison.

Lin Dao turned and instructed, "Prepare for battle, exterminate the rebel army!"

The siege battle that followed was extremely cruel.

The rebel army had no other way out; they could only fight to the death attacking the city.

These rebels, composed mainly of scions of great clans and their vassals, had very strong combat power.

Several years later in history, the main force with which Ran Min slaughtered in all directions and destroyed Shi Zhao was precisely these Qiaoqi Army troops.

Many in the army wore armor, their martial skills were proficient, and their combat will was also relatively firm.

Only, they lacked well-fences, siege carts, and other large siege engines, relying entirely on flesh-and-blood bodies to impact the city wall.

Facing rolling stones and logs falling from the sky, boiling oil, and arrows like rain, they still fell in swathes.

Feng Dun and the others supervising the battle watched with hearts dripping blood.

Those falling beneath the city were, after all, their Nine Clans.

Especially when the city defenders began throwing smoke pots, and the steel balls flying after the explosion shot people into sieves.

Marshal Feng Dun, even more so, had eyes splitting with rage.

"Had I known today would come, why did I act as I did at the start!"

"At the start we should have followed Lin Merchant Master and left!"

Seeing the Qiaoqi Army infighting, aside from Shi Min, the Qianghu all laughed with satisfaction.

During these days, they had suffered such great losses at the hands of the Qiaoqi Army inside the city; this could count as venting their resentment.

Here with Shi Min, after accepting the surrender of the Guangzong County Qiaoqi Army, in his heart he already faintly regarded them as his own foundation.

Now this kind of meaningless consumption, he was also dissatisfied in his heart.

Only his position within Shi Zhao was awkward.

He was called the Heavenly King's grandson, but in reality he was a Han.

He himself did not have much speech right; at this time he could only watch helplessly.

The siege battle, unsurprisingly, failed.

The attacking rebels suffered heavy casualties.

Shi Hu comforted them well, bestowed wine, meat, and hot food, and encouraged them to make persistent efforts and continue attacking.

Evening.

Several Settlement Commanders gathered in Feng Dun's tent.

The Wall Commanders complained incessantly, "If we keep fighting like this, everyone will die."

"We don't even have a single well-fence, siege tower, or cloud ladder; it's all carrying ladders up. No amount of people is enough to die."

"We've become cannon fodder."

"Those dying are our loved ones, our brothers."

Blue veins bulged on Feng Dun's forehead, his eyes bloodshot.

He said not a word, gazing at a corpse before him.

This was his elder brother; though born of a concubine, he was also a core member of the family.

Today during the siege he led a team charging the city.

Never expected that upon return he would have become a corpse.

"Even armor this thick couldn't stop it!"

Feng Dun's large hand stroked his half-brother's armor, full of holes.

On it were densely distributed dozens of small holes.

An armored soldier reported at the side, "At the time the city threw down many clay pots."

"Those clay pots turned into huge fire light—stinging people's eyes so they couldn't open them."

"And there was the flat-ground thunder sound, shaking people's ears bleeding, heads buzzing."

"Two clay pots fell beside the Zhuangzhu; fire light and smoke spread."

"When the smoke dispersed, the Zhuangzhu had already fallen to the ground, body covered in blood—"

Feng Dun exhaled, stood up, and signaled the armored soldiers to carry his half-brother's corpse out.

"We cannot keep fighting like this."

"We are clearly being used as cannon fodder to be consumed."

All the Wall Commanders agreed, but the problem now is: "The Qianghu are at our side; what can we do?"

Disobey the Qianghu's orders—is this planning a firefight?

Feng Dun calmed his breath. "Find someone who can help us."

"Among the Qianghu, who can help us?"

"Shi Min!"

Seeing the Qiaoqi Army Wall Commanders come visiting, Shi Min was also somewhat surprised.

"I also want to help you, but I am powerless."

Not an excuse; in truth his speech right is limited.

"Marquis Shi." Feng Dun solemnly cupped hands in return. "Tracing back to the source, you are also of Qiaoqi Army origin."

"Could it be you truly want to be an adopted grandson for a lifetime?"

"We Qiaoqi Army, high and low, are all willing to follow Marquis Shi!"

Shi Min's father Ran Liang was of Chenliu Qiaoqi Army origin.

When the Jie Hu destroyed the Chenliu Qiaoqi, Ran Liang was captured and assigned to Shi Hu as an adopted son.

Saying Shi Min was of Qiaoqi origin, this statement was not wrong.

If he were loyal to Shi Zhao, Shi Min should now bind Feng Dun and the others and send them to Shi Hu.

However, he merely froze slightly, paused for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Delay for now; when it can't be delayed any longer, attacking the city just for show will do."

"As for matters outside, I'll think of something."

Delaying can only provide temporary relief.

Only by making Shi Hu decide to withdraw his troops can this Guangzong County Qiaoqi fall into his hands.

Having grown up in the Shi Zhao nation since childhood, Shi Min understood the Jie Hu's survival rules very well.

Troops directly belonging to himself are the foundation for standing firm and saving his life.

This Qiaoqi, he absolutely must grasp in his hands.

Internally speaking, there's no method.

Shi Hu is not someone whose resolve can be easily shaken.

Then one can only think of a way from the outside.

For example, the Murong Clan moving south, Liangzhou Great Horses eyeing Guanzhong, Jingzhou Jin Army moving north, and even local chaos everywhere.

As long as one is willing to think, there will always be a way.

"Lord."

Atop Xiangguo City, Qin Lang saluted Lin Dao: "These past few days those traitors' attack momentum has weakened, it's more like they're going through the motions."

"Perhaps they have hidden means."

"What means could they have." Lin Dao glanced at Qin Lang: "Could it be they can still fly into the city? This isn't an A San divine drama."

Though he spoke like this, Lin Dao still responded seriously.

He fetched a Drone and surveyed the Later Zhao Army camps from a commanding height.

Flying over a somewhat remote camp, he detected an abnormal situation.

Large batches of Civilian Laborers, split into two long lines, pushed One-Wheel Carts in a continuous flow.

The ends of both long lines were a huge Tent.

The Civilian Laborers going in pushed empty One-Wheel Carts.

While the Civilian Laborers coming out pushed One-Wheel Carts filled with mud.

Even occasionally, there were those pushing wooden planks and round logs entering the Tent.

"This is."

A thought rose in Lin Dao's mind: "Digging a tunnel?"

He was somewhat uncertain, and called Qin Lang and the others to observe carefully.

Everyone asserted: "They're absolutely digging a tunnel!"

"Look at this camp's Distance." Lin Dao pondered carefully: "It's a good several Li; can they really dig in?"

"Day and night without stop, staking their lives to fill it." Qin Lang replied seriously: "They dig fast."

Lin Dao pondered for a moment: "How to respond?"

"The city interior is already full of Listening Jars."

Qin Lang was full of confidence: "Now we also know where their departure point is; the tunnel digging is doomed to fail!"

"Is there a possibility." Lin Dao spoke blandly: "After confirming their exit, we pretend not to know and secretly make arrangements."

"Let a large batch of Jie Hu in to surround and annihilate them."

"Those sent to steal the city are presumably all elites."

Everyone agreed in succession: "Only elites are sufficient for such a heavy task!"

"Good." Lin Dao clapped his hands: "I'll go prepare more Gasoline."

(End of Chapter)