Chapter Eighty-One: Chen Dacheng's Army Arrives at the City Walls

  Huayin County

  When Shi Jin entered the city gate, Li Bai Cao had already arrived first and bandaged Chen Da's wound. As soon as Shi Jin stepped in, Chen Da saw him with eager eyes, called out "Big Brother" and choked up, unable to say another word.

  Shi Jin saw him struggling to sit up, and hastily stepped forward to support him back down, and also sat down beside him. Shi Jin looked at Chen Da's chest, where a large piece of gauze was bandaged, and the bright red blood seeped from the wound, layer by layer, staining it. Just looking at this, Shi Jin knew that Chen Da's injury was not light.

  On the side, Li Bai Cao saw Shi Jin staring at the wound with a frown, and sighed: "This arrow is really dangerous, it pierced through the chest cavity, only an inch away from the heart. Alas, although his life can be saved for now, I'm afraid he won't be able to ride a horse for another ten or so days." As Li Bai Cao looked at Chen Da's injury again, he said to Shi Jin: "If there's any more jolting, pulmonary congestion might...be too late to treat."

  Li Bai Cao's words, Shi Jin understood clearly. If the city was broken, Chen Da would ride a horse to break through the siege and die of lung congestion due to his wound. So Shi Jin nodded, saying to Li Bai Cao and also to Chen Da: "You can rest assured, since we have Huayin County in our hands, there's no need to lose it again! There's no need to ride a horse to retreat, just let Chen Da go to your place to recover from his injury."

  Chen Da listened, and could only blame himself for being useless. He felt even more guilty and said with difficulty: "Big brother... I didn't break through... and also lost nearly half of the last cavalry unit... I..."

  "Brothers, just focus on recovering from your injuries, don't think about anything else. I not only got water, but also grain and soldiers, and even figured out a way to defeat the enemy." Shi Jin said with a half-truthful tone, seeing that everyone's eyes lit up, including Chen Da's dull eyes which now had a hint of hope, he continued to comfort them: "In just three or two days at most, seven or eight days at worst, we will definitely make the government troops retreat!"

  "Brother, is this for real?" Chen Da believed in Shi Jin's abilities, but he had just fallen into despair and was suddenly enveloped by this unexpected surprise, so he still found it a bit hard to believe.

  Shi Jin looked at Chen Da's eyes and nodded firmly. Chen Da saw it in his eyes, and his mouth excitedly said "Heaven won't destroy me!"

  Shi Jin finally managed to persuade Chen Da, and he was willing to go down the city with Li Baicao to treat his injuries. So Shi Jin had someone carry Chen Da down the city and send him to a secret room in Li Baicao's mansion, while pulling Li Baicao to a deserted corner and asking: "Baicao, I temporarily solved the problem of lack of food and water, but I don't know what role Huang Erlang plays in Huayin County. He has the intention to surrender to us, and I want to use his hands to get rid of Kong Ruzi, which can be considered as his gift for joining us. When the time comes, you help me carefully probe him."

  Li Bai Cao grew up in Huayin County, and with his exceptional medical skills and noble ethics, he was a notable figure in the county. Not only that, but he also had a good understanding of the leaders of various industries in Huayin County. At this moment, when he heard that Shi Jin had gone down to the city and caused such a stir among the Huang and Kong families, he felt a bit uneasy. He nodded hastily and said: "I'll pay attention to it. As for Huang Er Lang, his nature is not bad, but since his father passed away, he was led astray by his older brother Huang Tian Bao. Now that he wants to join us, Huang Tian Bao is such a cunning person, I'm afraid it won't be easy to talk to him."

  "Oh... so that's how it is. It seems that to reorganize Huayin County, Huang Tianba must also be eliminated. But I don't know what kind of business he's in?" Shi Jin looked at Li Baicao seriously, as if the answer was in his eyes.

  "Li Bai Cao knew this too, and whispered to Shi Jing: 'Huang Tianba's family has been military officials for generations. After his father died, he thought the life of a soldier was too hard, so he set up a household in our Huayin County. On the surface, he collects students and earns money as a teacher. In reality, he gathers rascals and does evil deeds. Their foundation is not clean, and their methods for making money are even more sinister. His household is right across from our pharmacy, which is why my son accidentally provoked him..."

  Shi Jin listened and secretly remembered it in his heart. Huang Tianba was to be collected, but now there were officials and soldiers outside watching him, so he couldn't take care of him yet. He could only put it aside for the time being and deal with him after the officials and soldiers retreated.

  Then Shi Jin instructed Bai Cao to take good care of Chen Da and the injured soldiers and civilians in the city, and then sent them down from the city wall. Under this bleak moonlight, when he could no longer see their figures, Shi Jin sighed and turned around with Shi Chuan to ascend the city again.

  Brother, don't worry about your injury. I not only got water, but also grain and soldiers, and even a way to defeat the enemy... Shi Jin walked up while thinking of his own words. Just now, he was trying to make Chen Da feel at ease with his injury, so he deliberately said that. Now, when he thinks about it again, it seems so ridiculous, so self-deceptive.

  The grain and grass are just that little, can hold on for a few days, no one can say clearly. And recently everything is the first time for Shi Jin, he has no experience in this aspect, naturally there is nothing at the bottom of his heart. To put it bluntly, these grains and grasses are just a temporary measure, after eating them up, it's still the same hardship. Not to mention the supply of soldiers, Chen Da's last prepared cavalry for breaking through was also lost by more than half, now the city defense force is obviously insufficient, let alone break through. Staring at the city, not to mention retreating strategy.

  Shi Jin couldn't help but let out a deep sigh at this thought.

  Shi Jin looked at Shi Jin's sorrow with a glance, patted Shi Jin's back with one hand and comforted him: "Brother don't worry, there will be ways to retreat the enemy."

  Shi Jin listened and sighed bitterly: "Now that our troops are exhausted and our horses are weak, all we can do is sit and eat away our resources. Where would we come up with a plan?"

  This is indeed true, and for a moment Shi Qian had no way to refute it. Then he heard Shi Jin let out a long sigh, and Shi Qian's words that were on the tip of his tongue finally came out: "Brother, good fortune has its own heavenly signs..."

  A noble man has his own destiny... Shi Jin couldn't help but gaze up at the starry sky, his eyes wandering with a sense of longing. The heavenly master in his dreams had also spoken these words, but where was this heavenly fate?

  Suddenly Shi Jin thought of something and asked Shi Qian: "How did Yang Chun lead the troops, are there no government soldiers in Shijiazhuang and Mountain Stronghold?"

  "There is no news from Shijiazhuang, but a troop has been stationed in front of the mountain stronghold. However, apart from coming to scold and curse every day, they don't seem to be taking any action. Yang Chun led two thousand strong men from Shijiazhuang to come and rescue, but was forced back by the government troops, and now it's unknown where they are stationed...". Shi Qian said more and more quietly, until he could barely hear himself.

  Shi Jin thought carefully and felt that with Meng's cunning and ruthless methods, it was impossible that there would be no more to it than this. Not attacking Shao Huashan and Shi Family Village, but only sending people to guard and scold, there must be some hidden scheme behind this.

  Now that things have come to this, Shi Jin has a clearer understanding of his own problems. There are not many generals, and the military strength is insufficient, and the logistics are in short supply, but they have dispersed their forces to defend three places. This was originally a matter of pretending to be strong, and the government soldiers were not so stupid that they would wait for our troops to be defeated. But since they want to suppress the bandits, why do they seem to be waiting for something?

  Shi Jin couldn't understand, but he vaguely knew that what they were waiting for was now linked to the life and death of his brothers. When they waited, it was also the time when everyone would fight to the death!

  Just as Shi Jin was lost in thought, the cowhorn flute on the city wall suddenly sounded a mournful tune. Shi Jin looked up and saw that the government soldiers were coming down from Huayin City like ants, their numbers endless.