Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

The oppressive chill of death suddenly dissipated, and Liu Bang was completely exhausted. His palms were sticky with blood, and he could no longer grip the dagger, which crashed to the ground with a thud.

His chest heaved violently, the cold wind mixed with the smell of blood choked his throat and made it hurt. His clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat and blood, but he didn't care at all. He turned to the side immediately to check on Lu Wan, who was swaying beside him.

Lu Wan's shoulder wound was still bleeding, and her robes were no longer recognizable as their original color. Her face was as white as paper, but she still forced her eyes open, staring blankly at the open space separated by the rain of arrows.

The corpses were piled up layer upon layer, the blood gleaming darkly in the moonlight. He stood there stunned for a full three breaths before his vision finally focused, his lips trembling:

"We're alive... Brother Ji, it seems like we can survive..."

"Yes! They survived."

Liu Bang nodded heavily, his eyes red-rimmed, the shock of surviving the ordeal still churning in his chest. With trembling hands, he tore open a corner of his still-clean inner garment, gritted his teeth and tore off a long strip of cloth, wrapped it around Lu Wan's blood-stained shoulder, and tied it tightly in a knot to stop the continuous seepage of blood.

After doing all this, the two of them looked up at the men who had just saved them from death.

The night was as dark as ink. The group of reinforcements were all dressed in black, almost blending into the darkness. Their exact number was unclear, but it was likely fewer than the county soldiers and bandits who were besieging them.

But they stood tall and straight like pine trees, their aura cold and intimidating. The powerful bows and crossbows in their hands gleamed with a chilling light. Their movements were measured and disciplined, a world apart from the scattered and violent rabble before them.

The glimmer of hope that brought them out of their desperate situation instantly ignited in their eyes.

Liu Bang immediately raised his voice urgently to the leading general, the only one dressed in red and black cavalry armor, his tone earnest and anxious:

"General! They have hidden oil, and one of my brothers is trapped inside. Please help us!"

"Don't worry, leave it to us."

Li Yi responded in a deep voice. Before he finished speaking, he took a step and turned around. Behind him, the black-clad guards surrounded him like a dark cloud, instantly protecting Liu Bang and his three companions in the core area.

He didn't turn around, but calmly divided his forces. Half of the guards drew their swords and cleared out the enemy soldiers who were counterattacking from the front, while the other half quickly drew their bows and arrows and continued to suppress the enemy in the direction of the pile of firewood. The rain of arrows was so dense that the approaching enemy soldiers did not even dare to raise their heads and scattered and fled.

After completely stabilizing the external situation and cutting off the threat of fire attack, Li Yi slowly turned around.

His gaze swept over the group of men—they were covered in blood, all wounded, and in a sorry state. Cao Can, in particular, was deathly pale, weak, and swaying precariously, being held tightly by Xiao He.

Li Yi frowned slightly, and without further ado, he reached into his robes and pulled out a ceramic medicine bottle, tossing it precisely to Xiao He, who stood at the innermost corner and appeared the most composed and clear-headed. His words were brief:

"One pill of medicine for each person. Take it first."

Xiao He quickly reached out to catch it, and in the instant he looked down, he noticed that Cao Can's body went limp and he had completely lost his support.

His heart tightened, and he dared not delay any longer. He immediately bit open the bottle stopper, poured out a pill, pried open Cao Shen's jaw, and whispered urgently:

"Cao Shen, hang in there! Can you hear me? Swallow it! Swallow the medicine!"

Only when he felt Cao Can's throat move slightly and swallow the pill mixed with blood did Xiao He's anxiety ease slightly.

He tossed the remaining medicine bottle to Liu Bang, telling him and Lu Wan to take the medicine and heal their wounds first. He then immediately tore off some of his clothing, bent down, and turned Cao Can over. Looking at the mangled, bloody wound on Cao Can's back, his heart clenched, and he gritted his teeth to quickly stop the bleeding and bandage him.

On the other side of the battlefield, Li Yi's gaze fell once again on the stubborn county soldiers resisting in front.

Seeing a troop that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, carrying bows and arrows, and his soldiers falling one after another under the arrows, the military officer in charge was already furious. His promise to the prefect to wipe out the bandits overnight was likely to fall through.

No! Even if it costs lives, we must take them down.

He brandished his ring-pommel sword and roared furiously, urging his soldiers to surround him again with fierce shouts:

"Surround them! Anyone who dares to retreat even half a step will be killed without mercy!"

The phrase "Kill without mercy" instantly filled Li with murderous intent.

How dare a low-ranking military officer in a county government say such things?

Without imperial decree, they privately mobilized troops, surrounded and killed innocent civilians, and even attempted to silence them by setting fires. They dared to abuse their power of life and death, uttering such presumptuous words—

The people of Chen County must have long harbored ambitions and acted lawlessly!

A cold glint flashed in Li Yi's eyes. He took the longbow from his back, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and tightened it to its fullest extent. The cold arrowhead precisely locked onto the arrogant military officer's throat.

"call out--!"

The arrow ripped through the night, so fast that it left no room for error.

A flash of cold light, and the arrow pierced straight through the opponent's throat.

The officer's words were still stuck in his throat when, with a "plop," blood splattered. His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, and he fell straight backward, his head hitting the ground with a dull thud.

The county soldiers surrounding them were all stunned.

In those eyes, there was first bewilderment, then a surge of panic, like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up, suddenly exploding.

They had only dared to fight to the death because of the leader's coercion and intimidation. Now that their leader had died tragically on the spot, everyone's spirits were broken and their fighting will collapsed instantly.

"The magistrate is dead!"

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Some people threw down their weapons and ran back, some spun around with their knives in hand, some shouted desperately to try to maintain order, and many more pushed and yelled like headless flies, creating complete chaos. The figures on the ground crisscrossed and swayed, making it impossible to distinguish between soldiers and bandits.

Li Yi did not retract his bow. The arrowheads gleamed coldly in the moonlight as he steadily aimed at each figure who was raising their arms and shouting, trying to rebuild their formation. He shot one arrow at a time, calling out names one by one.

With each twang of the string, a person fell to the ground, screams and cries of alarm rising and falling.

Seeing that no one dared to show their face, Li Yi snorted coldly, sheathed his bow, raised the eldest son's token high, and shouted the order with all his might:

"We are acting on the orders of the eldest son to wipe out the traitors! Lay down your weapons and surrender on the spot. We will forgive all past transgressions and spare your lives! Those who resist will be executed on the spot!"

The eldest son's order, coupled with his thunderous killing intent, completely extinguished the soldiers' will to resist, who were already terrified.

They all dropped their swords and spears, put their hands on their heads, squatted on the ground, and obediently knelt down to surrender. No one dared to resist anymore.

The guards spread out, surrounding the group of county soldiers and bandits who were crouching with their heads in their hands. Swords and blades were pointed at them from all directions, and not a single person was allowed to escape. Not even a fly could get away, let alone send a message.

The sounds of battle gradually subsided, leaving only heavy breathing and faint groans.

Behind him, perhaps because of that pill, the bleeding from the deep, bone-revealing wound on Cao Shen's back stopped.

Xiao He knelt on the ground. Upon seeing this, his tense heartstrings relaxed, and the surging moisture in his eyes almost overflowed.

He looked up at Li Yi's back.

The moment the words "eldest son" entered my ears, they had already stirred up a storm in my heart.

He turned and exchanged a glance with Liu Bang, both of them filled with excitement and ecstasy.

The eldest son has arrived, the delegation has arrived, Chen County is saved!

Their efforts were not in vain; the people they risked their lives to protect, and the truth that Hu County and Shen Liang persevered in, were finally revealed.

Dawn is breaking in Chenjun!

Just then, through the ruins and rubble, several urgent yet familiar shouts pierced through the dust and smoke:

"Clerk Xiao! Headman Liu!"

"Are you all alright?!"

The three of them turned around abruptly and saw several figures covered in dirt and exhausted, stumbling and running wildly toward them.

These were the former troops of Chen Commandery who had been left behind by Cao Can.

That's great! They're all doing well too.

"We're here!" Liu Bang immediately called out, his voice brimming with undisguised excitement. "This way! We're all safe!"

Several men rushed forward and immediately saw Cao Can lying unconscious on the ground, covered in blood. Their expressions changed drastically, their steps faltered, and their voices trembled:

"Cao, the prison clerk..."

"He's fine, he'll definitely be alright," Xiao He said firmly.

"Yes, Brother Cao will be fine. What brings you here?" Liu Bang asked.

The leading man suppressed his panic, carefully took out the well-preserved brocade letter from his bosom, and handed it over with both hands, his tone heavy with guilt:

"Cao, the prison clerk, entrusted us with the important task of overturning the case. We dared not take the risk, but hearing the deafening sounds of fighting here, we are really worried about you all."

"After discussing it, we decided to sneak out of the city under cover of night, even if it was just a moment earlier, to stop the delegation and plead our case. But we hadn't gone far when we encountered this general—"

He turned around and looked at Li Yi, who was slowly walking towards him.