Sweep Yuan

Chapter 2: Dark Moon Murder Night
According to later historical records, the first hero to respond to Liu Futong's uprising was named Sesame Li, and the uprising took place in Xuzhou—the very city that Shishan and Li Wu were guarding!
The two sides were locked in a life-or-death hostile relationship; one could not save one's life simply by shouting "I am Han" in the face of battle.

How to do?
To betray the Mongols and seek personal gain, to become a dog of a foreign tribe, and to be buried alive with the Yuan Dynasty? This thought flashed through my mind, only to be crushed by the stone mountain.

Joining Sesame Li's rebel army is one way out, but the problem is how to sneak out of the city? And how to meet Sesame Li and gain his trust?
After frowning and racking his brains for a while, Shi Shan still couldn't figure it out. He glanced at Li Wu's carefree appearance and thought to himself that this guy must know some news to be so calm.

"Fifth brother," Shi Shan said in a low voice.

Have you heard of Sesame Plum?

"I've never heard of it!"

Li Wu's eyes widened, and he asked in return:
"Third Brother, have you forgotten? The leader of the Red Turban rebels who started the uprising a few days ago."

what? !

Shishan's knowledge of Sesame Li comes entirely from online legends from his previous life: Sesame Li and eight others cleverly captured Xuzhou City, growing to over 100,000 people in the middle of the night.

However, Xuzhou was still in the hands of the Yuan army, so why did Sesame Li rebel first?
Shi Shan quickly covered his head, forcing himself to calm down.

"No wonder the name Sesame Li sounded so familiar, but I just couldn't remember what this guy did."

Li Wu didn't suspect anything and even slapped himself on the forehead.

"Hey! Look at my brain, I forgot that Third Brother just broke his head. There are rumors in the army that Sesame Li is recruiting soldiers and horses and will soon attack Xuzhou. I heard that Lord Darughachi has sent many messengers to ask for help and has also strictly ordered us to patrol every night."

Otherwise, why would that bastard Yang Chaolu get up in the middle of the night to keep an eye on us?

How many rebels are there in Xiao County?

"do not know."

Li Wu shook his head and answered honestly:
“But there must be quite a few! Yang Chaolu said there were only a few thieves and told us not to be afraid, but I think he’s just trying to fool us.”

Damn it, those idiot historians are killing people!
Shishan roughly figured out where the problem lay: the historical record of Sesame Li and eight others seizing Xuzhou should be similar to the "Dongdu Shilu" which states that "Song Jiang, with thirty-six men, roamed freely in Qi and Wei, and tens of thousands of government troops dared not resist him."
—These are all "masterful pens" that only record the leaders of the rebellion while ignoring the cannon fodder and henchmen.

However, now is clearly not the time to worry about such things.

Sesame Li has already raised an army and could attack Xuzhou City at any time. The most urgent thing is to save your own life.

As the saying goes, "a hero needs three helpers." Whether it's saving your life in a battle to capture a city or stirring up trouble in the impending chaos, you need capable people.

The only person Shishan can trust right now is Li Wu.

He stopped abruptly, turned around, and, using the faint starlight and moonlight, stared at Li Wu's face, his voice extremely low, and said:
"Old fifth."

The light was dim, and Li Wu couldn't see Shi Shan's face clearly, but he sensed the change in his third brother's tone and asked, bewildered:
"What... what's wrong, Third Brother?" Li Wu trembled at the chilling tone.

"If someone... wants to kill you or me..."

Shi Shan said, slowly and deliberately:
"What...are you going to do?"

"Who?!"

Li Wu instantly bristled, his waist knife already half-drawn, looking around warily, but there was only boundless darkness.

"I mean, if!"

Li Wu fell silent. The muscles on his face twisted and contorted, sometimes contorting in rage, sometimes in fear, and sometimes in confusion.

It's no wonder he was conflicted; the question his third brother asked was too broad.
If Yang Chaolu is still not giving up and dares to take his life with a knife, Li Wu will definitely fight him to the death.

In fact, Li Wu had already figured it out when his third brother died. Without his third brother's support, he would be killed sooner or later anyway.

But what if it wasn't a nobody like Yang Chaolu, but a powerful figure who could kill an ordinary person more easily than stepping on an ant, like Lord Dalu Huachi of Xuzhou who wanted to kill him?
"I...I don't know."

Li Wu was dejected and his sword hung limply at his waist.

Shi Shan's heart sank. In chaotic times, one needs the company of tigers and wolves to survive, but this fool... is hopeless!
Just as Shi Shan was lamenting that Li Wu, despite his young age, had lost his edge and was no longer fit for important tasks, the latter's tone became firm again.

"—That's all I know!" Li Wu's voice suddenly rose two decibels as he said:
"If Third Brother is gone, I won't live much longer either! Whoever tries to harm Third Brother, I don't care if they're the King of Heaven or not, I'll risk my wretched life to bite off a piece of their flesh!" Just then, a gust of wind blew in, dark clouds swallowed the moon, and the world fell into a deathly silence as if splashed with ink.

In the darkness, Shi Shan seemed to "see" Li Wu's earnest and bright eyes, and a surge of warmth welled up in his heart. He switched the patrol gong to his left hand and slapped Li Wu's shoulder heavily with his right arm.

"Brothers!"

"Third brother..."

Li Wu's voice was filled with doubt as he said:

"Why do I feel like you...you seem like a different person?"

Shi Shan secretly realized that he was not Shi San after all. Even if he had absorbed more memories, he could not hide it from Li Wu, with whom he spent every day. He was alert in his heart, but pretended to be relaxed on the surface.

"What's the difference?"

"It feels like, like you've become a different person. Yeah, you used to always say 'I, I, I', and never say 'I'."

With the city on the brink of collapse, it would be better to fully demonstrate one's transformation and gain the upper hand than to waste time and effort concealing oneself and thus miss the opportunity.

Shishan pointed to his head and solemnly said:

"I feel like I've been given a new soul! Not only am I cured of my illness, but my mind seems to have opened up as well. Before, I was confused and didn't understand anything, but now, I see people and things much more clearly!"

Li Wu's eyes widened, and his cheeks twitched with excitement:
"Really? Then if I roll off the wall too, will I also be able to—"

"Ha ha!"

Shishan was amused by the silly guy and quickly suppressed his dangerous thoughts.

"If you get down now, I don't know if you'll become enlightened, but if you do, I can't sew it back up. We're brothers who've risked their lives for each other; what's mine is yours. I'll teach you slowly later!"

"Ok!"

Li Wu nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with trust in Shishan.

"I'll listen to Third Brother!"

"it is good!"

With a weight lifted from his heart, Shi Shan immediately got to the point.

"Fifth brother, the garrison in the city..."

"Dulu~~ Lulu! Dulu~~ Lulu!"

The mournful, eerie cry of an owl ripped through the deathly silence without warning!
Shi Shan's hair stood on end, and Li Wu tensed up instantly!

"Third brother?!"

"Something's wrong!"

Shi Shan crouched low, his sharp eyes scanning the city like lightning—the cry was too abrupt; it was definitely not a wild owl, but a communication signal!

As if in response to his judgment, a short while later, an identical owl's reply came from outside the city.

Shi Shan lunged towards the inner edge of the city wall, his eyes fixed on the street where the sound originated.

At the alley entrance, a dark figure flashed out like a ghost, looked around warily, and then waved his hand, and more dark figures surged out silently like an undercurrent bursting its banks, heading straight for the ramp leading to the city.

"Enemy attack!! To the city gate tower! Quickly—!"

　A newbie author is being adorable online, asking for votes, to read more, to promote, and to be supported!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)