novelSusiti Chapter 19 A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Despair, The First Signs of a Dark Move
Chapter 19 A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Despair, The First Signs of a Dark Move
Inside Zhuge Liang's camp.
The aroma of medicine mingled with the fumes of poison.
Li Yan's convulsions became increasingly violent.
His lips were bluish-black, and his breathing was intermittent.
Hu Miao's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
As the silver needles rose and fell, his expression grew increasingly anxious.
"Prime Minister, the poison has already invaded the heart meridian."
Hu Miao's voice trembled.
"At most two hours left."
"Without the Ice Lotus, there's no way to reverse the situation!"
Zhuge Liang gripped his feather fan tightly.
His knuckles were white, and his eyes were filled with melancholy.
He looked up and gazed outside the tent.
The night was as dark as ink, and the wind grew stronger.
The elite troops sent out are still nowhere to be found.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, thinking to himself.
Sima Yi was cunning and must have anticipated that he would send someone to seize the Ice Lotus.
A direct confrontation would inevitably result in heavy losses; the only way to survive is to use the battle at Ximen as a distraction.
He knew Chen Dao's White Feather Soldiers well; they were skilled in stealth and surprise attacks and possessed formidable combat power.
Although Ximen is currently under pressure, he can still draw upon his elite troops, making him the best candidate to seize the lotus.
But then he had another thought, since the defenders at the west gate had already suffered heavy casualties.
If we withdraw more troops, we may not be able to hold out. If Sima Yi takes the opportunity to attack the city, Chengdu will be in grave danger.
He was filled with mixed feelings, torn between Li Yan, a pillar of the Shu Han state, and the western gate of Chengdu.
Abandoning either side would be catastrophic; in this dilemma, the only solution is to achieve both.
He quickly sorted out his thoughts, sent a message to Chen Dao, and ordered 30% of the White Feather Soldiers to disguise themselves as Wei soldiers.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he infiltrated Wei's camp to seize the lotus, while he himself led men to reinforce Ximen.
This serves two purposes: it both restrains Sima Yi and supports the defense of the city.
He specifically instructed Hu Miao to increase the intensity of the acupuncture treatment to prolong Li Yan's life as much as possible.
When sending messages, avoid being seen by Wei soldiers to prevent delays.
"Someone come here!"
Zhuge Liang spoke in a deep voice, his tone firm and leaving no room for doubt.
"Quickly take fifty personal guards and rush with me to reinforce the west gate!"
"Send another message to Chen Dao, and seize Lian according to the plan!"
"promise!"
The guards responded in unison, quickly prepared their horses, and were ready to depart.
Meanwhile, deep within Wei's camp.
Two elite Shu Han soldiers huddled behind the tent.
His Wei soldier uniform was stained with blood, and he held a long sword firmly against a Wei soldier.
"Where is the Ice Lotus?"
The elite lowered his voice, his tone fierce.
Wei Bing trembled all over, shaking uncontrollably.
"In...in the tent of the envoy from the Western Regions."
"There are...a lot of soldiers guarding the area!"
The elite soldiers exchanged glances, secretly sighing inwardly, "It really wasn't easy."
Just as they were about to take action, they heard footsteps.
The Wei soldiers' patrol team is heading this way.
"Oh no, run!"
An elite soldier shouted and knocked the Wei soldier unconscious with a backhand.
The two quickly hid in the shadows, not daring to breathe.
On the city wall, the battle continued fiercely.
Liu Shan leaned on his long sword, barely managing to stay upright.
New marks appeared on the wounds on his body.
He looked at the Wei soldiers below the city, feeling anxious, as the Prime Minister still had not appeared.
A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. Sima Yi would surely become impatient and frustrated if he failed to break through after a long siege.
It would be better to feign weakness, lure them into underestimating us, and then seize an opportunity to raid their supplies and break the siege.
He remembered what Dong Yun had said in his secret letter: Wei soldiers' provisions were stockpiled on the south side of the West Gate.
The garrison is weak and not far from the city walls. If they burn the supplies, the Wei troops will surely be thrown into chaos.
But he immediately frowned; the defending troops had suffered more than half casualties and there were no soldiers left to spare.
The Wei army was heavily fortified, making a surprise attack extremely risky; the slightest mistake could result in the annihilation of the entire army.
He felt helpless as he looked at the exhausted guards around him.
I really can't bear to send them on any more risks; if we just sit here and wait to die, we'll only be at their mercy.
He quickly adjusted his mindset, ordered his men to discard the useless weapons, and pretended to be in complete defeat.
Lure the Wei troops into attacking the city rashly, then concentrate your forces to defend the breach.
At the same time, he secretly contacted Dong Yun and requested support.
He specifically instructed the messenger to avoid suspicious people in the city and to act discreetly.
To avoid being discovered by Sima Yi's hidden agents and ruining the grand plan.
"Someone come here!"
Liu Shan gave the order in a deep voice.
"Discard all the useless weapons on the city walls!"
"The defending troops feigned exhaustion, luring the Wei army to attack the city!"
"promise!"
The garrison immediately complied, discarding their swords and guns from the city walls.
The defenders bent over, panting, pretending to be exhausted.
Below the city, Sima Yi saw this and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.
"Liu Shan, that brat, really can't hold on any longer!"
He turned to Guo Huai and gave the order.
"Guo Huai, lead five thousand Wei soldiers and launch a full-scale attack on the city!"
"This humble general obeys the order!"
Guo Huai responded loudly, and with a wave of his long sword, the Wei soldiers swarmed forward.
Inside Chengdu city, outside the imperial palace.
Dong Yun led the palace guards, on high alert, his long sword drawn.
His eyes scanned the surroundings warily, not daring to relax for a moment.
"Sir, we've spotted someone suspicious!"
A palace guard came running up quickly, his voice tinged with urgency.
"On the east side of the palace wall, there were more than a dozen people dressed in Shu soldiers' uniforms."
"His behavior is strange; he doesn't seem like one of our soldiers!"
Dong Yun's heart tightened. Sure enough, Sima Yi's hidden move had arrived!
He immediately considered a solution. These people were dressed in Shu soldiers' uniforms, and a direct confrontation might result in friendly fire.
It would be better to set an ambush, lure them into a blind spot within the palace walls, and then capture them all in one fell swoop.
He knew that there was a narrow alley on the east side of the palace wall, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack, with no way to retreat.
Pretending to be lax in patrols will surely lure them into a trap, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
But he had concerns. These people were highly skilled, and if the ambush failed, they might break through instead.
Breaking into the palace would have unimaginable consequences, and His Majesty's safety would be threatened.
He was under immense pressure; His Majesty was overseeing the battle at Ximen, and he had to defend the palace.
Otherwise, if Your Majesty is distracted, the western gate will surely fall, and the Shu Han kingdom will be in crisis.
This is a do-or-die battle; if we can't defend the palace, we lose the whole game. We can only succeed, we cannot fail.
He quickly deployed twenty palace guards, who pretended to be on a lax patrol.
They lured suspicious people into the narrow alley, where thirty palace guards lay in ambush at the entrance.
Once they enter, immediately seal off and surround them, giving them no chance to escape.
He specifically instructed the palace guards to spare as many prisoners as possible.
Perhaps we can extract information from them about Sima Yi's other schemes and completely resolve the crisis.
"Proceed according to plan!"
Dong Yun gave the order in a deep voice, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Remember, do not alert the enemy; leave them alive!"
"promise!"
The palace guards immediately sprang into action, each fulfilling their duties and taking their positions in the ambush.
The dozen or so suspicious individuals were indeed fooled and quietly approached the narrow alley.
Within the Wei camp, Chen Dao's White Feather Army had already secretly infiltrated.
Dressed in Wei soldier uniforms, they blended seamlessly into the patrol, leaving no trace.
Soon, they found the camp of the Western Regions envoy.
Outside the camp, there were indeed few guards, only five Wei soldiers patrolling back and forth.
Chen Dao raised his hand to signal, and the White Feather Soldiers immediately understood.
He quietly circled behind the guard, his short knife flashing coldly.
Before the guards could react, they were silently eliminated.
Chen Dao strode into the tent and saw an old man from the Western Regions.
He was sitting in the tent, playing with an ice lotus.
The ice lotus was pure white and exuded a chilling aura; it was exactly what they were looking for!
"Let's do it!"
Chen Dao gave a low shout, and the White Feather Soldiers swarmed forward.
The envoy from the Western Regions was so frightened that he trembled all over and had no time to resist.
Chen Dao snatched the ice lotus away and shouted in a deep voice, "Go!"
Everyone immediately turned around and ran out of the tent.
But just then, a bugle call sounded.
A large number of Wei soldiers surrounded the camp, creating a formidable force.
The leader was none other than Sima Yi's personal guard commander!
"Take them down!"
The commander of the personal guards shouted sharply, his tone filled with murderous intent.
The Wei soldiers swarmed forward, completely surrounding the camp, making it impassable.
Chen Dao's face darkened. He hadn't expected to be discovered after all!
He gripped the ice lotus tightly in his hand, a resolute glint in his eyes.
Today, even if it costs us our lives, we must return the Ice Lotus!
The night grew darker, and the murderous intent intensified.
The battle at Ximen was at a stalemate, and every inch of the city wall was stained with blood.
The palace is lying in ambush, ready to strike; the hidden pawn has already stepped into the edge of a trap.
Wei Ying's attempt to seize the lotus was met with encirclement, and his life hung by a thread.
Zhuge Liang is rushing here; will he be able to provide timely support to all sides?
Chen Dao is trapped in Wei's camp, unable to escape; Dong Yun sets up an ambush, and the hidden chess pieces are about to be revealed.
Liu Shan held the western gate desperately, struggling to hold on; Li Yan was on the verge of death from the poison.
In this desperate situation, every decision was crucial to the survival of Shu Han, and no one could back down.
[End of Chapter]