Chapter 1566: News
Chapter 1566: Chapter 1566: News
He complained again: "What’s with that expression? We saved you, and you still treat us like bad guys. Do you have any conscience?!"
The person listened but didn’t speak, instead asking: "If you are soldiers from He’an Prefecture, do you have military tokens?"
"Hey, you brat! You’re not old, but quite shrewd. Can’t you see the huge government army flag? Still doubting us!" Niu Dabao was almost exploding with anger. If the person weren’t injured, he’d definitely pick him up and give him a good beating.
Despite hearing this, the person didn’t relent and continued to doubt: "Flags can be counterfeited if you know their design."
Qin San Lang took out his military token and handed it over: "Company Commander of the Tianfu County Military Office in He’an Prefecture, Qin San Lang."
The person immediately took it, confirmed the name and origin on the token, and checked the pattern was correct, finally relaxing: "Please don’t be angry, the information I’ve discovered is too significant. If I can’t confirm you’re allies, I wouldn’t dare lower my guard."
Niu Dabao retorted with bad mood: "Now you know we’re allies, you can relax, right? What have you found out? Hurry up and say it, don’t dilly-dally."
After handing the token back to Qin San Lang, the person said: "Those with official position stay, the rest of the people, step back three zhang."
Honestly, if this person wasn’t a Great Chu soldier, Niu Dabao could have drawn his knife and chopped him up right away.
Qin San Lang didn’t waste words and instructed Zhang Zhong: "Make them step back."
"Yes." Zhang Zhong immediately complied. Once those who weren’t Company Commanders stepped back three zhang, the person revealed what he had discovered.
This person was named Yao Wan, a small Section Leader soldier under Troop Commander Li, stationed in Guanlu County, ordered to patrol.
"It’s been almost three months of patrolling like this, and yet this time something went wrong. When I was patrolling Tang Manor, I found three skilled people entering Tang Manor, so I immediately led the troops for investigation. But once inside Tang Manor, those three were nowhere to be found. We went to question the Tang Manor village chief. He flatly denied it, claiming there were no martial arts experts in his village, and drove us out with the villagers."
Yao Wan said: "I felt something was off, so I didn’t really leave. I hid with troops near Tang Manor. Three days later, I saw those three people again in the mountains. When they returned to the village, I immediately led the troops into the village to question them and the village chief, seeing he couldn’t hide anymore, said those three were refugees, hired cheaply by the village for night watch. Because they didn’t have household registration, he didn’t dare tell the truth."
"General Xu was afraid that Rong people would infiltrate Great Chu, had long ordered villages not to shelter refugees. I scolded the village chief and was about to arrest those three, but they suddenly rose up, trying to kill us."
Yao Wan shivered at this point, as if recalling something terrifying.
After a moment, he looked at Qin San Lang and said: "They weren’t just three, there were many, at least over a hundred, they burst out from the village chief’s cellar, slaughtered all my soldiers. I only escaped Tang Manor because I had a horse."
But those people relentlessly pursued from dusk till midnight; he was almost killed by them.
Qin San Lang and others were shocked upon hearing this, not expecting Rong people to become so cunning, managing such infiltration!
"Are those people still in Tang Manor?" Xie Cheng asked.
Niu Dabao said: "What’s there to ask? We should hurry up and lead troops to kill them."
Zhang Yan looked at Qin San Lang, saw him silent, and asked: "San Lang, what are you thinking?"
Then to Niu Dabao and others, he said: "Don’t argue yet."
San Lang was very perceptive about Rong people’s matters, his silence meant he noticed something and was thinking deeply.
Qin San Lang raised his head, looking at them, said: "After the Rong people seized Yutian Prefecture, they stayed calm for months, probably seeing heavy troops suppressing Long’an Prefecture, knowing it’s hard to attack so they changed strategy, bypassing our defense to attack Xing’an Prefecture."
Xie Cheng frowned, said: "That shouldn’t be possible, if they seize Xing’an Prefecture, General Xu would immediately bring troops to encircle them, then they couldn’t escape. Besides, though Xing’an Prefecture doesn’t have as many soldiers as Long’an Prefecture, they aren’t few either, Rong people wanting to capture Xing’an Prefecture is no easy task, they’d need to mobilize large troops for a siege. But large Rong troops can’t silently bypass our defense."
Qin San Lang: "What if it’s small groups slowly infiltrating Xing’an Prefecture over months instead? As for being encircled after seizing Xing’an Prefecture, they have a way to break it."
That is...
"Other Rong people would immediately come to attack Long’an Prefecture, if General Xu takes troops to rescue Xing’an Prefecture, Long’an Prefecture will be undefended. Rong people could seize Long’an Prefecture effortlessly. Meanwhile, Xing’an Prefecture’s Rong people can abandon the city and flee to Long’an Prefecture. By the time General Xu reacts, Long’an Prefecture would already be occupied."
Xie Cheng was shocked, cold sweat bursting forth: "...This is actually possible, but where do they hide?"
Qin San Lang said: "Enter villages, hide underground. Villagers for self-preservation definitely wouldn’t dare to report them."
"Just like Tang Manor!" Yao Wan said: "Tang Manor’s village chief is just sheltering Rong people, providing cover for them!"
Though this is despicable, Tang Manor’s village chief likely had no choice. With so many villagers, women, and children, if they didn’t help Rong people, the whole village could be slaughtered!
"San Lang, what should we do? We need to hurry and kill our way into Tang Manor to save people!" Niu Dabao was desperate to act immediately upon hearing this.
Qin San Lang nodded in agreement, but: "We must first settle our families. We can’t rescue others while allowing harm to our own families."
"True, true, we must first settle our people. But in this wilderness, where can we hide them?" Niu Dabao was unfamiliar with the Northwest, couldn’t think of a safe place to settle so many soldiers’ families.
Qin San Lang said: "Lei Family’s Trading Team has a manor nearby; it only takes a four-hour journey to reach. Let’s have the families hide there first."
Lei Family’s Trading Team is well-known in the Northwest, with Protector guards, common bandits wouldn’t dare create chaos at Lei Family’s manor.
"Right, Lei Family’s Trading Team. Let’s hurry back and have our wives inform our families to rush to hide at Lei Family’s manor." Niu Dabao said and took the lead to leave.
Qin San Lang said: "Everyone, go arrange. We’ll gather in 30 minutes."
"Hey." Xie Cheng and Zhang Yan responded, the troop went back to find their wives, explaining about going to Tang Manor to kill Rong people.
Gu Jinli listened and said: "Cheng, we’ll leave overnight; by dawn, we’ll reach the manor."
Then added: "Those Rong people probably communicate; we must hurry to kill them. Otherwise, come daylight, if the Rong people stationed at Tang Manor don’t see those pursuers returning, they surely will send messages to all infiltrated Rong people. Then if they attack ahead of schedule, Xing’an Prefecture will be in danger."