novelSusiti Chapter 37 Starvation and City Trapped, Shadows and Schemes Concealed
Chapter 37 Starvation and City Trapped, Shadows and Schemes Concealed
Thick smoke from the supply camp shot straight into the sky.
The smell of burning food drifted on the wind, filling every corner of Yuexi City.
The firelight dyed half the sky red.
The crackling of burning fuel mingled with the soldiers' shouts, creating utter chaos.
Li Hui leaned against the city wall, his chest wound throbbing with pain from the thick smoke.
A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained sharp.
He looked down at the soldiers frantically trying to put out the fire, and felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on his heart.
Even breathing became incredibly heavy.
[Li Hui was extremely anxious]: All the grain and fodder had been burned.
The city had fewer than 5,000 soldiers, and more than half of them had been killed or wounded.
Sima Yi was also lurking outside the city, watching them intently.
Can Yuexi City really be defended?
"General!"
Ma Zhong, carrying a blood-stained spear, strode up the city wall.
The armor was still stained with undried blood and dust.
"The fire involving the grain supplies is too big to be extinguished."
"The remaining spies have been eliminated, but supplies... are running low."
Meng Huo followed closely behind, his face full of anxiety.
His scimitar was still dripping blood, and his voice was urgent: "General Li."
"My tribe still has some food reserves, enough to last for two days."
"But we'll run out of food in two days!"
Li Hui slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, the panic in them had been replaced by determination.
Two days is enough.
His voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"General Ma, immediately take men to inventory the grain stored in the city."
"Allocation should be based on a fixed quantity per person, and waste is strictly prohibited."
"Chief Meng, I implore you to lead your tribe's soldiers to reinforce the city walls and repair the breaches in the city gates."
"Beware of Wei troops taking advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack."
"Yes, sir!"
Ma Zhong and Meng Huo agreed in unison, then turned and hurriedly left.
Li Hui stood alone on the city wall.
Looking at the Wei army arrayed outside the city, and then at the thick smoke rising from the depths of the camp.
My mind is filled with unresolved doubts.
[Li Hui thought to himself]: The masked man has the gold-patterned Wei Ling and the Sima bronze talisman.
This is by no means an ordinary subplot.
Was he Sima Yi's confidant, or did he have ulterior motives?
And what about the high-end custom-made item? Why did it contain a fire source after it was taken away by the masked man?
He must still be plotting something.
If he succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Outside the city, Sima Yi reined in his horse and stood at the front of the battle formation.
Gazing at the thick smoke within the city, he stroked his riding whip with his fingertips.
A faint, cold smile played at the corners of his lips.
The general beside him bowed and reported, "Sir."
"The Shu army's supplies have been burned; within three days, they will surely fall into chaos without a fight."
"We just need to hold our positions and wait for Yuexi City to fall without us having to attack it."
Sima Yi slowly shook his head, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
His tone was icy: "Hold back?"
"Li Hui was cunning, and Meng Huo was fierce and brave."
"Even if they run out of food, they will fight to the death."
[Sima Yi's inner thoughts]: There has been no news from the masked man's side so far.
What exactly is he doing?
Could it be that they want to claim all the credit for the Southern Region for themselves?
"Pass on my order: send scouts to closely monitor the situation within the city."
Sima Yi gave the order in a deep voice.
"Once any signs of the Shu army attempting to break out are detected, troops should be dispatched immediately to intercept them."
"In addition, send another team of assassins to sneak into the city."
"Find the masked man and find out his whereabouts."
"Yes, sir!" the general replied and withdrew.
Sima Yi gazed in the direction of Yuexi City, his eyes filled with calculation.
Li Hui, Meng Huo, your days are numbered.
Deep within the camp, the thick smoke gradually dissipated.
All that remained was a charred ruin, the air thick with the acrid smell of burning.
The masked figure moved stealthily through the ruins.
The gold-patterned Wei Ling in his hand gleamed coldly in the dim light.
He walked to a secluded corner and squatted down.
The fingertips tapped the ground three times, creating a peculiar rhythm.
A moment later, a dark figure darted out from behind the ruins.
He knelt on one knee, his voice low and deep: "My lord."
"The haute couture has broken free of its constraints and its whereabouts are unknown."
"Leaving only the trace of a spark."
The masked man shuddered, his tone tinged with impatience.
"Useless! You couldn't even keep an eye on one person who was tied up!"
"If he ruins everything, you will all be executed along with him!"
[The masked man was secretly furious]: That piece of trash Gao Ding dared to steal my fire seed.
They must be trying to take advantage of the situation and ruin my grand plan!
"Your subordinate knows his mistake!" The shadowy figure kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your subordinates have already sent men to search everywhere, and they will surely be able to bring Gao Ding back."
"We absolutely mustn't let him ruin the adults' plans!"
The masked man snorted coldly and raised his hand to signal the shadowy figure to get up.
Go quickly and return quickly.
"Furthermore, pass on my orders to proceed according to the original plan."
"We must take Yuexi City within three days."
"Yes, sir!"
The dark figure responded and darted back into the ruins, disappearing in an instant.
The masked man slowly stood up and looked towards the city gate.
A strange glint flashed in his eyes.
He gripped the Sima bronze tally tightly in his hand.
[The masked man sneers inwardly]: Sima Yi, you want to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.
I will not do as you wish.
This piece of fat meat in the South Central region will eventually be mine!
Inside the city, Ma Zhong was leading his soldiers to inventory the stored grain.
His face was full of heaviness.
"General, the remaining grain in the city, plus the grain stored by Chief Meng's tribe."
"It can only last for two days at most."
"If no reinforcements arrive within two days, we..."
A soldier's voice was hoarse, filled with despair.
Ma Zhong gripped his spear tightly and shouted sternly, "Stop talking nonsense!"
"His Majesty foresaw this; reinforcements will surely come."
"We just need to hold the city and wait for reinforcements!"
[Ma Zhong made a silent decision in his heart]: Even if there are no reinforcements, even if we run out of food.
I will also defend Yuexi City.
We will never fail His Majesty and General Li's trust!
He had barely finished speaking when a series of hurried footsteps approached.
A bodyguard rushed over, looking panicked: "General! Something terrible has happened!"
"The soldiers of the Meng chieftain's tribe suffered from unequal distribution of provisions."
"A dispute arose with the Shu soldiers, and they even came to blows!"
Ma Zhong's expression changed drastically, and his heart sank.
"Oh no! The Han and Yi soldiers have just joined forces to fight the enemy!"
"We must not let the issue of supplies cause a rift between us!"
Without a second thought, he turned and sped off in the direction of the argument.
On the other side, Meng Huo was leading his tribal soldiers to reinforce the city walls.
Hearing about the soldiers' argument, my heart tightened.
[Meng Huo's anxiety]: I have surrendered to Your Majesty and swore to live and die with Shu Han.
We must not let this trivial matter ruin the overall situation of unity between the Han and the barbarians!
He immediately instructed his adjutant, "Continue to lead the soldiers to reinforce the city walls."
"I'll be right back!"
After saying this, Meng Huo picked up his curved sword and hurried towards the direction of the argument.
On the city wall, Li Hui noticed the chaos below.
Holding onto the city wall, I walked down the city tower with difficulty.
He had only gone halfway when he saw a soldier covered in wounds.
He staggered over, knelt on one knee, and said weakly, "General...General!"
"We found traces of haute couture at the corner of the city."
"He...he's running towards the armory!"
Li Hui shuddered, his chest wound throbbing with pain, and he nearly fell over.
"Armory! Oh no! He's going to sabotage the armory!"
[Li Hui was shocked to realize]: Gao Ding had stolen the masked man's fire.
He then ran towards the armory.
He must be trying to set fire to the armory and cut off our escape route completely!
"Quick! Come with me to the armory!"
Li Hui gave a stern order, disregarding his injuries, and charged toward the armory with his sword drawn.
The armory contained the Shu army's bows, arrows, spears, and gunpowder.
If it were set on fire, the entire Yuexi City would be reduced to ruins.
At this moment, Gao Ding was hiding in the shadows outside the armory.
He clutched the spark tightly in his hand, his eyes filled with malice and triumph.
[Gao Ding was overjoyed]: Li Hui was seriously injured, and Ma Zhong and Meng Huo were entangled in a dispute.
No one can stop me!
Today, I will set fire to the armory and take the entire city of Yuexi down with me!
He took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
Just as he was about to sneak into the armory, a cold shout suddenly came from behind him.
"Haute couture! Stop!"
Gao Ding froze, then turned around abruptly.
Li Hui, carrying a long sword, was seen charging towards him with several personal guards.
His eyes were filled with determination.
"Li Hui? You actually came!" Gao Ding sneered.
He flicked the flame in his hand: "You think you can stop me?"
"Today, I will let you watch with your own eyes as Yuexi City turns to ashes!"
Li Hui continued walking, his long sword pointing directly at Gao Ding.
His voice was hoarse but firm: "Gao Ding, you colluded with Cao Wei and wreaked havoc in the south."
"Today, I will surely kill you to uphold military discipline!"
The two instantly became entangled in combat.
Li Hui was seriously injured, and his movements gradually became slow.
Gao Dingze relied on his ruthlessness, and every move he made was fatal.
The guards wanted to step forward to help.
However, he was entangled by several remaining spies that Gao Ding had arranged in advance, making it difficult for him to escape.
Gao Ding seized the opportunity and kicked Li Hui in the chest.
He was kicked to the ground.
He laughed triumphantly and raised the torch in his hand.
They walked toward the wooden door of the armory.
"Li Hui, go in peace."
"I will turn you and Yuexi City into scorched earth!"
Just as the flame was about to touch the wooden door.
A cold arrow pierced the air and aimed precisely at Gao Ding's wrist.
The tinder slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
It was stomped out by Ma Zhong who arrived at the scene.
"Haute Couture, your time has come!"
Ma Zhong roared loudly and thrust his spear straight at Gao Ding's back.
Caught off guard, Gao Ding was pierced through the shoulder by the tip of a gun.
Fresh blood gushed out.
He staggered back two steps and turned to fight back.
But Meng Huo grabbed him and held his curved blade to his neck.
"Gao Ding, you have committed countless evils; today is your death day!"
Meng Huo's eyes were filled with rage, and his tone was icy.
Gao Ding trembled all over, his eyes filled with fear, yet he remained defiant.
"Don't be so smug! Lord Sima Yi will soon breach the city gates."
"You will all die! And the masked man, he won't let you go!"
Li Hui slowly stood up and walked to Gao Ding.
His eyes were icy: "Who is the masked man? What is his purpose?"
"What other tricks does Sima Yi have up his sleeve?"
Gao Ding sneered, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"I won't tell you."
"I want to watch you all perish, one by one!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted force.
It charged toward Meng Huo's curved blade.
With a "whoosh," the curved blade sliced through Gao Ding's neck.
Blood splattered all over Meng Huo's sleeves.
Gao Ding collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with resentment.
A strange smile lingered on his lips before he breathed his last.
As Li Hui gazed at Gao Ding's corpse, the doubts in his heart grew even stronger.
[Li Hui thought to himself]: Gao Ding refused to reveal the masked man's identity until his death.
It seems there must be a bigger conspiracy behind the masked man.
Just then, a deafening battle cry suddenly came from outside the city.
Immediately afterwards, a scout, covered in wounds, staggered over.
He knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse: "General! Something terrible has happened!"
"The Wei army attacked the city again, and... and they brought catapults with them."
"It's hurtling towards the city wall!"
The three of them turned their heads at the same time and looked out of the city.
Sima Yi was seen personally overseeing the battle.
The catapults in the Wei army's formation roared into action.
Huge rocks came crashing down on the city wall.
Bricks and stones from the city gate tower began to fall, plunging the situation into crisis once again.
What made their hearts sink even more was that thick smoke rose again from the depths of the camp.
Immediately afterward, a soldier rushed over, his face filled with despair: "General! Something terrible has happened!"
"The armory...the armory was still set on fire!"
Flames shot into the sky once more.
The explosion at the armory was deafening, sending debris flying everywhere.
Looking at the chaos before him, Li Hui felt a tightness in his chest.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and nearly fainted.
[Li Hui was filled with despair]: The armory had been burned down and all the food supplies were gone.
The Wei army launched a fierce attack, but the masked man remained lurking in the shadows.
Are we... really out of hope?
Ma Zhong and Meng Huo supported Li Hui, their eyes filled with determination.
"General, we still have soldiers and tribesmen."
"Even if it costs us our last breath, we will defend Yuexi City!"
Li Hui slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the two people fighting side by side with him, a glimmer of light rekindled in his eyes.
Just then, a familiar horn sounded outside the city gate.
Unlike the bugle calls of the Wei army, which were rousing and powerful.
A soldier climbed onto the city wall and shouted, "General! Reinforcements!"
"They're reinforcements from Chengdu!"
The three of them looked out of the city at the same time.
Dust billowed in the distance.
A troop of Shu cavalry, carrying the Shu Han banner, galloped toward Yuexi City.
The leading general held a long sword and had a fierce expression.
But no one noticed, in the shadows at the corner of the city.
The masked man stood silently, watching the reinforcements rushing towards him.
A strange glint flashed in his eyes.
The gold-patterned Wei token in his hand was pressed tightly against the Sima bronze talisman.
He slowly turned around and walked towards the outside of the city.
He murmured to himself, "Liu Shan, you've finally come."
"This game has only just begun..."
[End of Chapter]