xymnovel Chapter 22 Ambush Encounters on the Way, Secret Letter Conveys Worry
Chapter 22 Ambush Encounters on the Way, Secret Letter Conveys Worry
In the southern part of Sichuan, the official roads are rugged.
Dust filled the air, obscuring the sky and the sun.
Li Hui was dressed in armor and had a sword hanging at his waist.
He led five hundred personal guards, galloping swiftly towards the south.
He carefully hid the tiger tally close to his body.
The convoy carrying Shu brocade and provisions followed closely behind.
The wheels rolled over the gravel, making a rumbling sound that echoed through the valley.
A guard rode forward, approached Li Hui, and whispered, "General, we have crossed the border of Yuexi."
"Further ahead lies Yong Kai's sphere of influence."
The guards' expressions betrayed a hint of barely concealed vigilance.
Li Hui reined in his horse and looked up into the distance.
The mountains are continuous, the forests are dense, and the terrain is very treacherous.
This place is clearly the perfect spot to set up an ambush.
[Li Hui thought to himself]: Yong Kai is cunning and suspicious.
He will surely ambush me on my way when he learns of my arrival.
The terrain here is treacherous, so we must be extremely careful.
Li Hui raised his hand, signaling the entire army to slow down.
He said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: all troops, prepare for battle!"
"Archers, form ranks in front! Infantry, protect the supply convoy!"
"Do not proceed rashly!"
"promise!"
The guards responded in unison, and the troops quickly adjusted their formation, advancing cautiously.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a whooshing sound suddenly rang out from the mountains and forests.
Immediately afterwards, a dense barrage of arrows rained down on the Shu army.
"There's an ambush!"
Li Hui shouted loudly and drew his sword to parry.
The arrow grazed his armor, sending sparks flying as it landed on the ground.
The next second, hundreds of rebels rushed out of the mountains and forests.
They each wielded long swords, their faces fierce, and charged fiercely towards the Shu army.
The leader was none other than a general under Yong Kai.
"Li Hui!" the general roared, his voice so loud it hurt people's eardrums.
"By order of my general, I have come to take your dog's life!"
Before he finished speaking, he swung his long sword, aiming straight for Li Hui's head.
Li Hui remained calm and charged forward with his sword.
The two swords clashed, producing a piercing clang and sparks flying.
"You cowardly rat!" Li Hui roared.
"You dare not come yourself, instead sending a scoundrel like you to your death!"
He exerted force with his wrist, and his longsword deflected the opponent's longsword.
Upon seeing this, the guards immediately rushed forward and engaged in battle.
Although the Shu army numbered only five hundred men, each one was an elite soldier.
With prior preparations in place, they were quickly engaged in a fierce and evenly matched battle with the rebels.
While engaged in fierce fighting, Li Hui observed the battle situation.
He discovered that the rebels were numerous and familiar with the terrain.
If the war drags on, the Shu army will inevitably suffer a disadvantage.
[Li Hui's inner thoughts]: A direct confrontation would inevitably lead to defeat.
It would be better to feign a breakout and lure the rebels into pursuit.
By setting up an ambush and launching a counterattack, we can both escape and dampen their morale.
Li Hui feinted and repelled the general in front of him.
He shouted, "All troops, listen to my command! Abandon your supplies and break out of the encirclement, retreating to the valley to the east!"
Upon hearing this, the Shu army immediately feigned panic.
They abandoned some of their provisions and rushed towards the valley to the east.
The rebels saw that the Shu army had abandoned their supplies and fled, and assumed that they had lost their will to fight.
Overjoyed, they all followed closely behind, giving it their all.
They were completely unaware that this was Li Hui's scheme to lure the enemy.
Once all the rebels had entered the valley, Li Hui suddenly raised his hand.
He lit the signal flare, and a plume of smoke shot straight into the sky.
The twenty elite guards who had been lying in ambush on both sides of the valley immediately launched fire arrows.
The dry grass on both sides of the valley instantly burst into flames, blocking the rebels' retreat.
"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!" the rebel general exclaimed in alarm.
He wanted to order a retreat, but it was too late.
Li Hui dismounted and charged into the rebel army's ranks, brandishing his sword.
The sword flashed, each strike aimed straight for the vital points.
The rebel army was thrown into chaos, suffering heavy casualties, with cries and screams filling the air.
After half an hour of fierce fighting, the rebels suffered more than half their casualties.
The remaining people all knelt down and surrendered.
The rebel general was also killed by Li Hui with a single sword stroke.
Li Hui sheathed his sword and stood there, gazing at the corpses scattered on the ground, his expression still solemn.
[Li Hui was secretly alarmed]: Yong Kai actually sent out so many troops to intercept and kill him.
It seems he had already received the news.
It must have been Sima Yi's mole who tipped her off.
He bent down and picked up the token from the rebel general's body.
The token is engraved with a large character "雍".
On the back, there is a pattern similar to that on Sima Yi's jade pendant.
"As expected, it was Sima Yi who was secretly helping us." Li Hui gripped the token tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"We will settle this score with them later!"
He turned around and ordered his personal guards, "Clean up the battlefield!"
"Leave some men to guard the surrendered soldiers; the rest of you, depart immediately!"
"We must reach the heart of southern China as soon as possible and contact the tribes loyal to Shu Han!"
"Yes, sir!" The guards bowed and acknowledged, quickly packed up, and continued their journey south.
Meanwhile, inside the Chengdu Imperial Palace.
Liu Shan sat upright on the dragon throne, his expression calm and composed.
He was fiddling with a jade pendant in his hand.
The jade pendant was as black as ink; it was the very one that Dong Yun had found on the body of the assassin.
Dong Yun strode into the main hall and knelt on one knee.
He said urgently, "Your Majesty, I have made a new discovery!"
"Speak," Liu Shan said calmly.
His gaze remained fixed on the jade pendant, but a sharp edge was already hidden in his eyes.
"I have secretly investigated and discovered that one of Your Majesty's personal guards is acting suspiciously," Dong Yun reported in a low voice.
"Last night, he secretly left the palace and met with a strange man."
"I sent men to follow them, but they were discovered."
"This is all I found."
Dong Yun handed over a small communication token with both hands.
The patterns on the token were exactly the same as those on the black jade pendant.
Liu Shan took the token and ran his fingertips along the patterns on it.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
[Liu Shan thought to himself]: Sure enough, there are spies right beside me!
No wonder Dong Yun couldn't find out.
It turned out to be my most trusted personal guard.
It seems that Sima Yi's scheme is even more profound than I imagined.
He looked up at Dong Yun and said in a deep voice, "This matter must not be made public."
"Continue to secretly monitor that guard and find out who he contacts and how he communicates."
"I want to lure the snake out of its hole and find all the hidden agents."
"Your subject obeys!" Dong Yun bowed and replied.
He admired Liu Shan's composure more and more—his Majesty knew there were spies around him, yet he remained calm and collected.
This kind of forbearance is something that no ordinary emperor possesses.
After Dong Yun withdrew, Liu Shan sat alone in the main hall.
He held the token and jade pendant in his hand, his expression solemn.
[Liu Shan's inner thoughts]: Sima Yi planted spies simply to spy on my movements.
To sabotage the grand plan to quell the rebellion in southern China.
I might as well turn the tables and have my spies spread false information to lure Sima Yi into a trap.
He raised his hand and summoned another trusted guard.
He whispered a few instructions, and the guard bowed in agreement before quietly leaving.
Inside the Wei camp, Sima Yi sat upright in his tent.
He was still toying with the black jade pendant in his hand.
His expression was grim as he patiently awaited news from Nanzhong.
A guard rushed in and knelt on one knee.
He handed over a secret letter: "Grand Tutor, a message has come from our informant."
"Li Hui was ambushed en route. Although he managed to break through the encirclement by chance, he suffered heavy losses."
"Most of the grain and fodder were also abandoned."
Sima Yi took the secret letter and quickly glanced through it.
A sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
[Sima Yi sneered inwardly]: Liu Shan, you little brat, do you think you can succeed by sending Li Hui deep into the south?
With Yong Kai around, Li Hui is doomed.
The rebellion in the south will eventually become your greatest threat!
He raised his hand, summoned his personal guards, and said in a deep voice, "Convey my secret order."
"Have the secret agents in the south speed up their work and urge Yong Kai to get rid of Li Hui as soon as possible."
"At the same time, have the spies lurking around Liu Shan closely monitor his movements."
"Report any secret orders related to the South to me immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" The guard bowed and turned to leave.
Sima Yi stood up and walked outside the tent.
He gazed southward, a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Liu Shan, Zhuge Liang, your good days are numbered."
He muttered under his breath, his tone full of disdain and malice.
In the heart of southern China, inside Meng Huo's camp.
Meng Huo sat upright in the main seat, listening to his subordinates report on Li Hui's movements.
"Chief, Li Hui was ambushed by Yong Kai on the way and suffered heavy losses," the subordinate reported, bowing.
"Now, he has detoured to Zangke County, hoping to make contact with the local tribes."
Meng Huo frowned, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
His expression was hesitant and indecisive, and he couldn't make up his mind.
Meng Huo thought to himself: Yong Kai is colluding with Eastern Wu, and Sima Yi is secretly helping him.
Despite their apparent strength, Liu Shan sent Li Hui with a promise of tribal autonomy and a three-year tax exemption.
If they surrender to Shu Han, their tribes will be able to live in peace and prosperity, and will no longer have to suffer from the ravages of war.
"Chief, Yong Kai has sent a letter." Another letter was handed over by the subordinate.
"Let us send troops to help us get rid of Li Hui together."
"Afterwards, they divided the southern lands with us."
Meng Huo took the letter and glanced at it quickly.
He tossed it casually onto the table, a flash of disgust in his eyes.
"Yong Kai is a coward who only cares about his own interests and colludes with foreign enemies," Meng Huo said in a deep voice.
"Sooner or later it will implicate the entire South Central region."
"Pass down the order to closely monitor the movements of Li Hui and Yong Kai."
"Do not send troops for now, and observe the situation."
"Yes, sir!" The subordinate bowed and left.
Meng Huo walked outside the tent and looked at the distant mountains.
He had already made up his mind—he wanted to see Li Hui in person.
Let's see what Liu Shan's true intentions are before deciding on the tribe's future.
At this time, Li Hui had arrived at the border of Zangke County.
But he discovered that the local tribes had already closed the city gates.
No matter how much she called out, she refused to see him.
[Li Hui was secretly alarmed]: Could it be that Yong Kai had already sent people to contact the tribes of Zangke County?
If that's the case, winning over the tribes and dividing the rebels will be as difficult as climbing to the sky.
As he was pondering, a bodyguard strode forward.
He whispered, "General, someone requests an audience."
"They said he was an envoy of Meng Huo, the leader of the tribe."
A hint of surprise flashed in Li Hui's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
When Meng Huo sent his envoy at this time, was it out of goodwill or a trap?
Meanwhile, inside the Chengdu Imperial Palace, there was the lurking bodyguard.
He was secretly hiding in a corner, copying down the "fake secret order" that Liu Shan had deliberately leaked.
The secret agent was prepared to pass the message to Sima Yi.
Unbeknownst to him, Dong Yun had already secretly planted spies.
His every move was clearly visible.
Could Li Hui persuade Meng Huo?
What exactly was the purpose of Meng Huo's envoy?
Will the hidden agents lurking around Liu Shan be successfully exposed?
What unexpected twists and turns will occur in Sima Yi's conspiracy?
The path to quelling the rebellion in southern China is becoming increasingly perilous.
The fate of Shu Han hung by a thread.
[End of Chapter]