Chapter 64: The Nine-Headed Dragon Retreats to Huayin (Part 3)

  Shi Jin's heart skipped a beat when he heard Li Bai Cao's sudden words of emotion. Before he could think more, Chen Da couldn't wait to ask on the other side: "How can you not hold on?"

  Lí Bǎi Cǎo slightly lowered his head, and his eyes also drooped as he said: "Huayin County is already a besieged city. The Yinghe River is the source of water for the city, but it's been controlled by government troops. Except for the limited number of deep wells within the city, almost all sources of water have been cut off. Moreover, I don't know if the master has taken stock, but how much grain and fodder are left in the county's granary?"

  Shi Jin's eyebrows furrowed even tighter as he listened, since waking up until now, he hadn't had a chance to get a clear understanding of the situation in the county town. As the saying goes "before the troops move, the grain and fodder go first", this grain and fodder are the pillars of defending the city. The importance of it is probably understood even by three-year-old kids on the street. Shi Jin turned his head to look at Chen Da, filled with sincere hope that Chen Da could give him an optimistic answer.

  But the people in the house became even quieter. Chen Da didn't say a word, only secretly sighed. Shi Jin knew that the situation was not good, and then he thought of Kui Er, guessing that it was him who had set fire to the place that night. Shi Jin had also heard Kui Er mention this before, because the original intention was to stir up the defending troops in Huayin City, so he didn't stop him, letting him do as he pleased. He didn't expect that now he would bring himself such a big trouble.

  Li Bai Cao suddenly said: "There is no food or grass left, and even the granary has been burned down. Our brothers from Shouhua Mountain only brought one meal's worth of rations when they came out, and by now, I estimate that they have all been eaten. This night can be endured, but what about tomorrow? If we continue to guard, how will we manage in the future?"

  Shi Jin knew the consequences of this grain shortage. If his brothers under him went hungry, not to mention having no strength to fight, their spirits would also be disheartened. Defending this city was truly difficult.

  "This is just a shortage of food and water, there are more troublesome things... The continuous war, the city still has corpses that have not been cleaned up. Everyone knows the customs of Huayin County, where life and death must be returned to their ancestors' graves for burial. If you ask them to cremate, who would agree?" Li Bai Cao didn't even wait for the previous trouble to come up with a solution before throwing out another difficult problem.

  Shi Qian's face changed as he listened, and he said: "In this besieged city, where is the opportunity to bury it back in the ancestral tomb? In this weather, if we don't burn it quickly, it will rot and stink in a few days. That would be inviting disaster!"

  Chen Da also knew that this matter was very tricky, and after making up his mind for half a day, he gritted his teeth and squeezed out a harsh sentence: "Then issue an order that the people must burn the corpses within three days!"

  "This won't do!" Shi Jing heard this and immediately vetoed it, saying: "If we are so tough, we will only make the rumors of that dog county magistrate come true, and push the people to our opposing side. If we can defend this city, what's the point?"

  "But if not like this, what else can be done?" Chen Da was in a dilemma.

  "There is a way" Lei Baicao heard this and interrupted, seeing everyone looking at him, he expressed his own idea: "Tonight, gather all the brothers in the city and break out of the siege. We can return to the mountain and make plans again later! Let the officials deal with the mess in Huayin County, when they're done cleaning up, we can come back!"

  In Shi Jin's heart, he didn't want to take down the city by force, but now, things have come to this point. At present, there is no better way out, and giving up or not giving up on Huayin County makes no difference. As long as Meng Dujuan's troops are not eliminated, even if they break through, they will not let everyone off.

  Chen Da stood up and said, "Bai Cao, I understand what you mean, but this city... really can't be abandoned. Here, we are tying down more than half of Meng Du's troops. If we break through successfully and return to the mountain stronghold, it will attract all the government troops there. At that time, neither the mountain stronghold nor Shi Jia Zhuang will have enough time to make corresponding preparations, let alone withstand the pressure of the siege."

  Shi Jin nodded after hearing Chen Da's idea, saying: "What Chen Da said is reasonable. Although I don't know what the situation is like in Shan Village and Shi Family Village now, if Huayin County gives up like this, it will not only boost the morale of the government army, but also bring more military disasters to the mountain stronghold side. So, the city must still be defended, but the problem must also be solved!

  Li Baicao heard the determination in Shi Jin's words, which was somewhat related to his will to save the city. Although Li Baicao didn't know Shi Jin well, after spending these days together, he felt that Shi Jin was an extraordinary person. His mindset couldn't be measured by ordinary people's thoughts. This time, facing so many difficulties, although Li Baicao couldn't reveal his true identity, he was secretly thinking of ways to help everyone. However, after thinking for a whole day, he still had no solution, which is why he suggested that everyone leave. Now that Shi Jin has expressed his intention to solve all the troubles, Li Baicao firmly believed in him without saying anything else. Why did he believe so strongly? Even Li Baicao himself couldn't explain it clearly, but with Shi Jin's words, it was enough to make him feel at ease.

  Li Baicao clasped his fists and said: "The master's mind is made up, to go through boiling water or raging fire, brothers will follow you!"

  Chen Dashi and others looked at each other with full confidence, firmly saying in unison: "To go through boiling water and walk through fire, we will not refuse!"

  "Good!" Shi Jin also stood up abruptly, looking at his brothers in front of him, and said with emotion: "Brothers unite, their power can cut through metal! What difficulty can stop us now?"

  Everyone nodded together and laughed heartily.

  In order not to expose Li Bai Cao's identity, he should not stay in the army for too long, because such an identity will have a significant role later. So, Li Bai Cao packed up his medicine box, slung it under his arm, turned around and instructed Shi Jin on some wound care precautions, then stepped out and headed back home.

  Shi Jin watched his back until he turned the corner and was out of sight, then turned around. Although Li Bai Cao was with them in life and death, Shi Jin's true thoughts were unknown to him. The reason Shi Jin did not want to abandon the city and guard it so desperately was that he had his own plan. To be honest, under such difficult conditions and facing such a powerful opponent, he really didn't know if they could hold onto Huayin County. But what Shi Jin knew in his heart was that even if the sky fell, he would lead his brothers to fight on!

  If Huayin County cannot be defended, Shi Jin will have to take all the blame and face certain death. However, Chen Da, Zhu Wu, and Yang Chun are secondary offenders, and if they can come to an agreement, they may be able to save their lives. Shi Qian and Li Bailing are not implicated in this matter and will not be listed on the official's roll of those accused. If the battle is unfavorable, he will be holding back troops here, giving his brothers from Mount Shao and the villagers from Shi Family Village a chance to escape with their lives, even if it means fleeing and becoming outlaws. This is still better than having Shi Jin return to defend the mountain and everyone dying together. But if they can hold on to the county, that would be even better, and naturally, another outcome altogether.

  Shi Jin had considered the worst outcome and made arrangements for his brothers to retreat, which gave him some peace of mind. This allowed him to worry less and do things with a free hand. Especially with his unyielding personality, he burst out again without reservation. Shi Jin walked back to the table, called over a lamp, and lit it up brightly.

  Shi Jin's bright and spirited eyes stared tightly at the map on the table, as his thoughts churned in his mind, his fingers began to wander over the map.

  Chen Da and Shi Qian looked at him seriously, quietly accompanying him on the side, and also deeply immersed their thoughts in the map. They knew that Shi Jin's terrible brain had started to turn, and it wouldn't take long for a solution to come out.