The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 514: You’ve been fooled, old man!

Shi Xie stood on the top of Jiaozhi City, looking at the continuous Tang army camps in the distance. Those were the Tang navy led by Gan Ning. When he got the news, it was too late, Gan Ning had already arrived.

He never expected that Sima Yi had secretly mobilized the navy and blocked all retreat routes along the coast of Jiaozhou.

"Brother, Liu Bei has been defeated, his head has been hung up, and Zhuge Liang has been captured." Shi Yi walked over quickly with a livid face. In fact, when they saw Huang Zhong's army under the city of Jiaozhi, they knew Liu Bei's fate.

Shi Xie clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. He recalled Sima Yi's meaningful smile half a month ago. At that time, he thought that the other party trusted him and regarded him as an ally. He secretly laughed at the other party in his heart.

Now I understand that it was just a mockery from the hunter looking at the prey caught in the trap. The other party had known Shi's intentions for a long time and even hoped for his rebellion.

"Report!" A personal soldier ran over in panic and shouted, "Huang Zhong led his army to break through Yulin and is heading towards Jiaozhi!"

There was a dead silence on the tower. Shi Xie slowly turned around and looked towards the mountains in the south that were filled with smoky fog. There was the foundation he had built for decades, and also his last choice at this moment.

"Send the order." Shi Xie suddenly tore up the secret letter, and the scraps of paper fell like snowflakes under the city. He snorted coldly: "Open the arsenal to arm the Li people. Since he wants our lives, let's see if he has the courage to do so."

"My lord, think twice!" The counselor beside him hurriedly advised: "Now that Liu Bei is dead and Zhuge Liang has been captured, we..."

In the past, there was a Liu Bei, and the two sides supported each other, so perhaps they could have held on for a while. But now that Liu Bei has been defeated, it means that the Jiaozhou troops have to face the imperial army alone.

If we use one corner of the country to fight against the whole country, the war will definitely be lost. Moreover, at that time, the entire Jiaozhou will be charged with treason. How can this be possible?

"That's why we can't surrender!" Shi Hui's eyes were bloodshot and he sneered, "Do you think the Tang Emperor will let go of a treacherous person? We will die anyway, so why not let the Tang army see the backbone of us Jiaozhou men!" He suddenly drew out his sword and slashed on the battlements, sparks flying.

"Sima Yi never thought of saving our lives from the beginning." Shi Xie said dimly, "From the very beginning, he wanted to destroy our Shi clan. Because our Shi clan's power in Jiaozhou is too great."

This reason was something he had just concluded, and it frightened Shi Xie. Unfortunately, he knew it too late. If he had known this earlier, he would have let Liu Bei enter the city, and the two of them might have been able to hold out for a while.

Now, Liu Bei was defeated and died, leaving Shi Xie to deal with the current situation alone, which made Shi Xie feel tired. Shi Xie only realized now that all this was planned by Sima Yi a long time ago.

No matter what happened, Sima Yi would find trouble for himself and would find ways to attack the Shi family.

Shi Xie's eyes swept over the Tang army that was surging like a tide under the city, with flags fluttering and swords shining in the sun. He took a deep breath, turned around and said to Shi Yi in a deep voice: "Order all the tribes to defend Jiaozhi to the death. Send fast horses to contact Jiuzhen and Rinnan counties, summon the leaders of the various tribes of the Li people, and promise them huge benefits to fight against the Tang army together."

"Brother, the barbarians have always been unwilling to submit to the king's rule. I'm afraid..." Shi Yi looked worried.

"I can't care about that anymore!" Shi Xie gritted his teeth and snorted coldly, "The Tang army is advancing by land and sea, Gan Ning is blocking the sea route, and Huang Zhong is pressing in from the north. If we don't borrow the help of the barbarians, we will all be trapped!"

That night, the city of Jiaozhi was ablaze. Shi Xie melted all the Tang-style armor he had stored into arrowheads and released all the prisoners to serve as soldiers. Even more frightening was that he sent people deep into the Li tribes, using salt and iron as bait to recruit thousands of mountain people who were good at jungle warfare.

Ten days later, Shi Xie in Jiaozhi City personally opened the treasury and distributed the mountains of gold, silver and silk to reward the soldiers. He also ordered people to carry out the Jiaozhou specialties that had been treasured for many years - rhinoceros horns, ivory and pearls, and displayed them in front of the hall.

"Everyone," Shi Xie raised the wine jar, his voice hoarse, and snorted coldly: "After drinking this cup of wine today, you will either defeat the enemy and be granted a title of nobility, or... die on the battlefield!" He threw the wine jar to the ground, and porcelain pieces flew everywhere.

Three days later, Huang Zhong's vanguard troops arrived at Jiaozhi City. The old general, with his white beard fluttering, stood on his horse with his sword in hand, and said loudly: "Shi Xie! His Majesty remembers your meritorious service in governing Jiaozhou. If you are willing to open the city and surrender, you can be spared from death!" Arrows rained down from the top of the city. Shi Hui drew his bow and arrow, and shouted sternly: "Don't be so arrogant, old man!"

The arrow grazed Huang Zhong's helmet, sparking a string of sparks.

"kill!"

Suddenly, a piercing bone whistle sounded from the tower. Shi Gan opened the city gate and led countless indigo-tattooed Li people out. Before Huang Zhong could react, poisoned darts poured down like a rainstorm.

The heavy armor of the Tang army was like paper in front of the poisonous arrows in the jungle. Those who were shot by the arrows fell to the ground with foam at the mouth in just a few breaths.

Huang Zhong was shocked when he saw this and ordered the troops to retreat. The Tang army's formation was in chaos and they retreated in a hurry, leaving behind hundreds of corpses. There was a burst of cheers on the top of the city wall, Shi Hui raised his long sword, and the Li people warriors let out wild howls.

There was no sign of happiness on Shi Xie's face. He looked towards the north, where smoke and dust were billowing. It was a sign that Huang Zhong was regrouping. The truth was that the Tang army had too many soldiers and horses, and the damage just now was only caused because they were caught off guard. The real battle had yet to come.

"Father, let's..." Shi Hui's hand holding the knife trembled slightly.

Shi Xie suddenly laughed, his laughter was a bit crazy: "Good! Very good! The Tang army thought they could trap us to death like this? What a joke, they forgot that this is our territory, the territory of the Shi family. He can defeat Liu Bei, but he may not be able to defeat us. This time, let them see how powerful our Shi family is."

That night, the city of Jiaozhi was silent and quiet.

Shi Xie personally donned armor and mounted his horse, leading 3,000 warriors to attack the Tang army camp. This team, composed of Li warriors and Shi's personal soldiers, passed through the jungle like ghosts under the cover of night.

Taking advantage of the terrain, Shi Xie decided to launch a surprise attack on Huang Zhong. This was the only thing he could do now, and it was also the simplest and most effective way.

"kill!"

Shi Xie's white beard was particularly conspicuous in the firelight. Holding a long spear, he rushed into the Tang army camp first.

The Tang army was caught off guard, and the front camp was instantly in chaos, with screams and soldiers fleeing in all directions, and countless people were killed and wounded in a short period of time.

Shi Xie burst into laughter upon seeing this, and said to Shi Hui beside him: "The Tang army has fought in many battles, and has been invincible. Now they have come to Jiaozhou, but they don't take us seriously. Now I will teach them a lesson, so that they will not look down on the people of the world in the future."

Shi Hui also nodded and said, "Father, Huang Zhong and Sima Yi are no better than this."

Just as Shi Xie was about to speak, there was a deafening sound of drums all around him. In the darkness, countless torches appeared, trapping the entire camp.

"Shi Xie, you've been fooled, old man."

Huang Zhong rushed out from the darkness.

(End of this chapter)