northernbook Chapter 128 Get moving
Chapter 128 Get moving
Cangnan Town, the base of the stunt team.
Inside the general's tent.
Zhu Ling and Xing Xiaoyu were still awake. After sending the Yun mother and daughter back, they went to the flying car team's base to continue analyzing the current situation with Yue Zhen.
"Our scouts have some new information. Our first wave of attack went well. The Uro people were quite frightened by our flying cars. They clearly don't know what to do next."
Yue Zhen gripped the sword hilt with one hand, his eyes fixed on the simple map in front of him.
"The flying vehicles were quite powerful; they burned down some of their tents in one go. We only sent five vehicles this time, and before the fire had even started, it was already like this. If we could force them to surrender directly, we could save some money. Sigh, it's come to this point; it can't really be called 'subduing the enemy without fighting.'"
All three were silent.
Zhu Ling sighed, "The emperor's decree is hard to disobey. Nobody wants war, but since His Majesty wants to..."
Zhu Ling couldn't say the rest, Xing Xiaoyu couldn't say it either, and Yue Zhen had no reason to say it.
"In short, we're hoping that Uro will surrender directly, which would save us from complaining here."
"That's true," Zhu Ling replied reluctantly, then asked, "Have you made contact with General Chai?"
"General Chai is at the front line. Given the current situation, he should be at the front line. I told him about the situation on your side. The enemy is scared now and probably won't launch an attack for a while, so he said he'll come to town to meet you tomorrow."
When Yue Zhen returned from the front lines today, the Cangnan army was in high spirits and praised the flying car team for their miraculous arrival.
General Chai of the Cangnan Army also warmly received the flying car team.
"General Chai said that the enemy's morale is currently low. Although they seem to be coming on strong, as long as we organize a strong resistance, they will be routed. In the previous battle, the enemy had a large number of troops and attacked from multiple directions, which made it difficult for us to divide our forces, which led to the setback in the previous battle."
"That's good. Did General Chai mention the situation with supplies? Have any supplies been burned on their side?" Zhu Ling pressed.
Yue Zhen shook his head. "I asked about that. Since General Chai has been on the front lines, their supplies have always been sufficient. His quartermaster was also there at the time, and it seems there haven't been any problems. There haven't been any losses of food or supplies yet. However... regarding the attack on the messenger, it seems General Chai has some thoughts on it. He didn't say it explicitly, only that he would discuss it with you in person tomorrow."
Zhu and Xing nodded, and had nothing else to say.
"The current situation is absolutely urgent and cannot be delayed at all. Alas, there is also a traitor within the city. Prefect Zhu, the Changgan City you have come to is truly fraught with danger."
Zhu Ling forced a smile. "Actually, I had my own thoughts about the traitor before. If I had to guess... the one in this region who doesn't want us to conquer Wuluo and wants to weaken our strength... I guess it's that Marquis Ankang."
"Marquis Ankang? Oh, that's Deng Jixiang, right? He's a nephew of the Empress Dowager's family, isn't he?"
Yue Zhen was, after all, the Empress's younger brother, and he had a clear understanding of the relationship between the Empress Dowager's faction and the Emperor.
Normally, everyone treats the Empress Dowager's faction with caution.
"So, General Yue, think about it, who could possibly be causing trouble here?"
"You mean, the people who attacked the messenger were sent by the Marquis of Ankang?"
Zhu Ling nodded, "This isn't something I'm trying to label this Marquis. When I was investigating some time ago, I discovered that this Marquis of Ankang might have a private army, and I've had my people send the relevant evidence to His Majesty."
"Huh?" Yue Zhen seemed surprised, but after a moment's thought, he could understand.
"His Majesty has indeed deployed personnel in various places. Since that's the case, I won't say anything more; I'll believe your speculation. Anyway, let's focus on eliminating the enemies in Uro first, and deal with the enemies at home later."
And so it was early the next morning.
Yun Yuke and Zhu Xing met up and learned more about the situation in the vicinity.
Fearing being seen, Yun Yuke placed Yun Qingjin inside the house, and also left behind many useful magical treasures.
"Qingqing, rest inside. Don't be afraid. I've left you a concealment talisman, as well as many other magical treasures. I'll be back as soon as possible. Once everything is settled, we'll head back to the city."
Zhu Ling quickly joined forces with General Chai of the Cangnan Army.
General Chai returned directly from the battlefield without much grooming; his beard was tangled and matted.
"Prefect Zhu! I didn't believe it when I heard the new prefect was a woman, but you actually came here like this!"
General Chai didn't waste any more words. "General Yue already told me about the situation yesterday, and we've also matched the tokens. You can trust him. I'll explain the details to you as well."
General Chai, what's going on?
"No need to ask too many questions. I know you are trustworthy now, and that's enough."
“Then… General Chai, the person I sent a few days ago? Your messenger specifically sent someone to Marquis Ankang’s manor to deliver the message, so I specifically sent someone here.”
"Let me explain this matter to you," General Chai began.
"Since the Cangnan Army was stationed here, it has been subject to infiltration by various forces. I was granted the authority to act expediently in the vicinity of Cangnan by imperial decree, so I simply stayed here and established this Cangnan Town."
“Since some people want to infiltrate, I built a town specifically to allow all sorts of people to infiltrate.”
“The merchants from Wuluo, the local merchants, the people of the Marquis of Ankang, and the people of the former Prefect of Changgan, are all here. If they want to do something good, I will cooperate with them. If they want to cause trouble, I will let them take away what they need to take.”
When General Chai mentioned this matter, his face was full of pride.
"So, this town..." Zhu Ling was somewhat shocked.
“Every merchant in this town was originally a member of my Cangnan Army. My subordinates and their families who accompanied the army together made up this town. Any merchants who wanted to open shops afterward were also within my control.”
"So you mean, a mutiny?"
"Someone tried to infiltrate, but we've already taken them under control. The mutiny was a false rumor I deliberately spread."
"That's good. I was worried that if something really happened to the Cangnan Army, it might be difficult to arrange for rescue in time." Hearing this news, Zhu Ling breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the worst-case scenario had not occurred.
"Then what is it for?" Xing Xiaoyu asked from the side.
"In order to get those who want to cause trouble moving, and to lure them out, I'm sorry, but all the spies who were sent to gather information were detained as soon as they entered the city and gave anything away."
General Chai bowed to Zhu Ling and apologized, "Prefect Zhu, I'm sorry. The former Prefect of Changgan also had ill intentions, so I couldn't confirm who you really were. I also detained the messenger you sent."
"Ah, well... but I understand, I respect your arrangements." Zhu Ling now knew she had been tricked, but after thinking about it carefully, she couldn't really blame the other party too much.
The general will be outside.
"So, as expected, the current situation has stirred up all the forces involved. The opportunity His Majesty has been waiting for has finally arrived."