Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Hu Kui meticulously explained the entire plan, the life-or-death predicament, and the entrustment he had made. After listening, Xiao He, Cao Can, and the others felt only deep respect, and the thought of refusing him could not even arise.

Liu Bang glanced at Xiao He beside him, and seeing him nod slightly, indicating that this plan was the most feasible and quickest way, he immediately stepped forward, rolled up his sleeves, patted his chest loudly, and guaranteed in a loud voice:

"Prefect Hu, rest assured! It's just a matter of escorting the elderly, women, and children to break through the encirclement and find a way to survive. Leave it to us brothers. Not to mention that this time we have the advantage of timing and terrain, even back in Mangdang Mountain, under the inescapable net, I, Liu Ji, was able to lead my brothers to break through and fight back. Today I'm making this promise here—I will definitely protect the people of Chen County and ensure that not a single one of them escapes this dangerous place!"

He spoke eloquently, but when he actually saw the manpower they had available, Liu Bang was stunned for a moment.

More than fifty people, all wounded, pale and emaciated, dressed in rags, with only their eyes still bright and sharp. Even so, probably no more than half of them could be considered as effective combat force.

Looking at their weapons, they only had a few blunted spears and halberds, a dozen or so sharpened hardwood spears, and the rest were just hoes for plowing fields and woodcutting knives. They couldn't even put together a complete set of leather armor. Their fighting strength was far inferior to when they swept through Mangdang Mountain.

Looking at the shabby equipment of the centaurs before him, Shen Liang unconsciously rubbed his rough fingertips together repeatedly, his eyes filled with bitterness and helplessness:

"Gentlemen, I am truly sorry. The old troops of Yangcheng have been through several bloody battles, with some dead and some wounded. Only this little fighting force remains. I have to send some men to hold off the Song bandits' garrison and be ready to lead men to confront the enemy head-on at any time. The only people I can spare to escort the villagers and entrust to you are these people."

He paused, gritted his teeth, and swept his gaze over the remaining soldiers behind him, who were ready to die for their cause:

"But rest assured, everyone. They have all crawled out of piles of dead bodies. They are fearless and obey orders without question. They will definitely cooperate with you in the best of their ability. I know that it is too much to ask of you to escort 372 elderly, weak, women and children out of the siege with such a small number of people. But... I am powerless and have no other choice. I, Shen Liang, thank you all."

After saying this, he bent over and was about to bow deeply with his hands clasped in greeting.

Cao Shen reacted quickly, stepping forward to steady him and preventing him from bending over again.

His gaze slowly swept over the group of ragged, wounded soldiers, yet their backs were straight and their eyes were like iron, and his heart suddenly tightened with a bitter taste.

Shen Liang, leading a force that was negligible in the eyes of the Song bandits, and using weapons that could hardly be called weapons, managed to protect over three hundred unarmed elderly, women, and children from the jaws of death.

Shen Liang... is probably just as he said, turning into a lonely, vengeful ghost filled only with blood hatred and obsession, and burning himself out.

"Rest assured, Magistrate Shen, we will do our utmost to live up to your trust," Xiao He solemnly promised.

However, the current situation is far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

At this time, Liu Bang, Xiao He, Cao Can, and their entourage were not yet the heroes of the early Han Dynasty who would later fight countless battles and dominate the world. They were just a group of young people who had only experienced the suppression of bandits in Mangdang Mountain and had little practical experience. The youngest, Fan Kuai, was still a few months away from coming of age, and the oldest, Xiao He, was only in his early twenties.

A group of still-green young men, despite their intelligence, courage, and perfect teamwork, had to shoulder such a heavy responsibility of life and death. Behind them were more than three hundred innocent lives, and in front of them were Song Yun's spies throughout the city and vicious pursuers. Every step they took was as if walking on thin ice, and their journey was extremely difficult.

Over the next two days, Xiao He and Cao Can stayed in the inn, writing densely on stacks of straw paper in front of them. They repeatedly deduced the terrain of Chen County, the deployment of passes, the direction of tunnels, and the route of the pursuers. They revised the plan again and again, and their eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. Finally, they decided on the safest plan - to feint to the east and attack in the west, and break out through the secret tunnel.

Fan Kuai, the strongest general, was ordered to lead the elite young men to the abandoned city west of the city to create a commotion and feign a breakout, thus drawing the enemy's attention. Lu Wan was to clear and open underground tunnels to escort the elderly and weak civilians to safety. Liu Bang and Cao Can led troops to cover the rear and intercept the retreat. Xiao He was stationed at the center to control the overall situation and timing.

The plan was meticulous and thorough, and everyone acted with utmost caution. They hid during the day and went out at night, with scouts clearing the way and people in disguise, avoiding all official roads and checkpoints. The villagers also cooperated by moving in silence throughout the entire process, leaving no trace.

However, Song Yun had been operating in Chen County for many years, and his henchmen were everywhere in the streets and villages. No trace could escape his eyes. Liu Bang and his men moved through the countryside and checked outposts at night many times. Although they tried their best to conceal their activities, they still inadvertently left some traces, which were discovered by the spies planted by Song Yun.

The abandoned kiln in the south of the city was besieged. Shen Liang led his remaining troops to hold on desperately, trying to tie down Song Yun's forces. However, the stronghold had already been exposed and was attacked by the government and bandits in turn. His men suffered heavy casualties and ran out of food. They were already at their last gasp.

The night before last, the enemy launched a full-scale attack, and the defense line completely collapsed. After a night of fierce fighting, the abandoned kiln was reduced to scorched earth, with collapsed pits and charred wood everywhere. Shen Liang and his group were scattered and lost contact in the chaos of battle, and there has been no news of them since. Their fate is unknown.

With his rear no longer a concern, Song Yun immediately mobilized all his troops to rush west of the city, relentlessly pursuing Fan Kuai and his men who were using the enemy as cover.

On the other side, Liu Bang, Xiao He, Cao Can, Lu Wan and others had just successfully escorted the last batch of refugees from the west and south of the city to safety. Upon hearing the news, they were extremely anxious and did not dare to delay for a moment. They immediately rushed to the abandoned city in the west to aid Fan Kuai.

Unfortunately, it was still too late...

The entire abandoned village had already been sealed off by more than 300 county soldiers. The crisscrossing escape tunnels were all blocked by rubble and soil, isolating the inside from the outside and making it impossible to provide any assistance.

Xiao He and the others lay prone on the earthen slope behind them, using a clump of withered grass for cover, watching helplessly as the soldiers in official armor, wielding sharp blades, carried firewood and torches in an endless stream. The air was filled with the pungent smell of burning tung oil, clearly indicating their intention to set fire to the ruins and burn Fan Kuai and the others trapped inside alive among the broken walls and rubble.

"Bang!"

Liu Bang slammed his fist into the mud, his knuckles breaking and blood dripping out, but he seemed oblivious, letting out a low growl:

"These bastards are going too far! I'm going down there right now to fight them!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly gripped the short knife at his waist, straightened his body, and was about to rush down the slope.

"Liu Ji! Absolutely not!"

Xiao He cried out in surprise and grabbed him tightly.

With a "rip," Liu Bang's sleeve tore open, but his burning rage was unstoppable, and he was about to rush out.

With bloodshot eyes, Lu Wan lunged forward, wrapped her arms tightly around Liu Bang's waist from behind, and used all her strength to pin him to the ground.

"Lu Wan, let go!" Liu Bang struggled frantically, his chest heaving violently. "Kuai is still inside! Don't you know that? Why are you stopping me? Let go!"

Fearing that Lu Wan might loosen his grip, Cao Shen quickly leaped forward, placed one hand on Liu Bang's shoulder, and spoke rapidly:

"Calm down! Liu Ji, calm down. The fact that the area is heavily fortified yet we haven't launched a full-scale attack proves that Fan Kuai is still alive! If you rush down alone now, you'll just be throwing your life away. We still have time; we should quickly come up with a plan!"