The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 524: Launching a Counterattack (5k)

dead... dead...

At this moment, the whole place was silent, with only Zhao Duan's voice floating in the air.

People stared blankly at the body lying on its back on the ground, and the blood gradually spread on the ground.

"Ah." Someone screamed almost instinctively, but was immediately covered tightly by the hand of the person next to him.

I dare not speak loudly, for fear of alarming the people in heaven!
The old man of the Lu family suddenly trembled, lowered his eyes, and clenched his hands on his knees under the table, and clenched them tightly...

The eldest son, the second son and other members of the Lu family who were extremely dissatisfied with their grandfather for handing over half of the family property were silent at this moment, with a chill running down their spines.

They finally understood why their grandfather was so servile in front of Zhao Duan.

This person is really willing to kill, and he shows no mercy.

The boss of a rice business who was a well-known figure in Linfeng Road was killed so casually.

And judging from the way Sun Xiaozhun read out the charges, it seemed that he already knew it.

This was a premeditated killing.

Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

Everyone picked out this word in their mind.

"It seems that no one has any more objections." Zhao Duan held the sword in his hand and waited for dozens of breaths. Seeing that no one answered, a satisfied smile reappeared on his face:
"In that case, let's happily decide. This governor knows that there are not many people who would blatantly violate the law, drive up prices, and profit from war.

I had planned to execute him later, but I didn't expect him to be so bold and reckless that he jumped out on his own initiative. I had no choice but to send him to death early. "Is the old man not minded that I soiled the floor of the Lu Mansion?"

Old Master Lu stood up and bowed:

"The governor has eliminated harm to the people, and I am so happy that I can't even applaud him. Why would I mind?"

"Good!" Zhao Duan laughed, and the sharp sword in his hand returned to its sheath with a 'swoosh' sound: "As expected of you, you are the best man in the city. You have great courage."

At this time, Qian Yuanwai from Datong Bank, who was stunned, stood up tremblingly:

"I am willing to follow the example of the Lu family and donate half of my wealth. I also have many rare antiques at home. I will go back and have someone present them to the governor."

He was scared and just wanted to leave this bloody place as soon as possible.

Zhao Duan said unhappily:

"What do you mean by being filial to me? We are all doing this for the great cause of suppressing the rebellion. Besides, how can the guests disperse before the banquet is over?

How about this, since you all brought your family members or servants with you, just write a letter and send someone to deliver it back to your respective homes, and let the servants handle the donation. We will continue to eat and drink so as not to waste this delicious food."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Xiaozhun gave a look and the officers guarding the door immediately drew their swords and blocked the yard.

Everyone's heart sank and a sense of panic spread, realizing that King Zhao was holding them hostages because he was worried that they would play tricks.

What kind of donation? It's just paying money to buy someone's life.

But the situation was stronger than the people, and the body in the hall was still warm, so no one dared to raise any objections.

"Governor Sun," Zhao Duan stood with his sword in hand and said to Sun Xiaozhun:

"I'll have to trouble you to dispatch officers and soldiers and collect the donated money."

Sun Xiaozhun nodded with a complicated expression and walked out expressionlessly.

As a local prefect, he was a man of great courage. He understood that after today, he, as the prefect, had become the enemy of all the gentry in the city.

In order to avoid trouble later, he had to take advantage of the opportunity of the army suppressing the city and use this "fundraising" to abolish these gentry, and then support a group of new gentry, so that he could sit firmly in his position.

Since there was no turning back, he also showed his iron-blooded side.

Zhao Shande, the grain supervisor in the hall, was called by the prefect. He stood up and was about to follow him out the door, but suddenly he remembered something and turned his head to look at Zhao Duan hesitantly:

"This Kangzhuang Rice Shop... is also donating half?"

Zhao Duan said calmly:

"Since he has been beheaded according to the law, let's just confiscate his property."

Immediately, he put down his sword with a smile, walked to the main seat of the banquet round table, sat down, asked the servants to carry the body away, and raised his glass with a smile:

"Don't be nervous, everyone. As long as you support the suppression of the rebellion, I believe you are not someone who breaks the law."

The gentlemen gritted their teeth and raised their glasses, putting on apologetic smiles but feeling cold all over.

Old Master Lu drank it all in one gulp. When he put the cup down, he saw the red lanterns under the dark sky and thought:
Heaven has changed.

……

……

The lights were on in the government office and the "temporary command center".

The generals led by Xue Shence were still discussing the battle plan and did not even have time to eat a bite of food.

"What happened?" Xue Shence was leaning over the sand table, suddenly straightened up, frowned and looked outside.

Shi Meng, Yuan Feng and others also heard the noise coming from outside. Someone pushed open the door, and in the darkness of the night, there was a large group of soldiers lined up with torches.

Xue Shence's heart tightened, thinking something had happened. He walked a few steps outside the door and saw an official from the government office walking in a hurry. He raised his hand to stop him and ask him. The official bowed and saluted before explaining:
"Reporting to the Privy Councilor, it was the prefect's order to mobilize the garrison troops in the city and to collect military rations, silver, and other items overnight."

Mo Chou also walked out of the house and asked in confusion, "Why is there such a loud noise?"

After taking a short rest, she returned here.

The official smiled bitterly:
"I just received the news, so I don't know the details.

All we know is that Governor Zhao held a banquet in Lu's mansion in the city, summoning the city's prominent gentry to attend the banquet, saying that it was to quell the rebellion and raise military rations and military expenses...

The gentry enthusiastically raised funds, and every family donated at least half of their wealth, so more manpower was needed..."

Mo Chou, Xue Shence, Shi Meng, Yuan Feng and others were all stunned.

I suspect I heard it wrong.

Donate half of your wealth?
When did these local bullies become so aware?
But they were not stupid. After a little thought, they realized that it must be Zhao Duan who put pressure on them and "robbed them by force."

"As expected of General Zhao, these local villains had their own ulterior motives. I didn't expect that General Zhao would bring them to justice without even waiting for a day after entering the city." A general applauded.

"That's really the style of the governor." Shi Meng sighed:
"I wanted to discuss military rations and supplies tomorrow, but now I don't have to worry about it for the time being."

Xue Shence also acquiesced. As the commander-in-chief, he did not want to interfere in local government affairs in order to avoid suspicion.

Although Zhao Duan's move was too drastic, since it could get him sufficient military funds, there was no reason for him not to support it.

"I know, go get busy."

Mo Chou frowned slightly. Although she felt something was wrong, she was not surprised when she recalled Zhao Duan's style of arresting officials at will when he was in the capital.

It's something he can do.

"Now that we have no worries about logistics, we can implement the plan we discussed before with confidence." Yuan Feng said in a deep voice:

"Governor Zhao and Prefect Sun will work together to ensure logistics, and the Privy Councilor will fight with us to defeat the enemy. The division of labor is also clear, and we will be invincible."

During the conversation, everyone agreed that Zhao Duan's actions were to ensure logistics.

The core responsibility of defeating the enemy and killing the bandits fell on Xue Shence's shoulders.

No one could guess the real purpose of Zhao Duan's doing this.

"Okay, since that's the case, let's carry out the plan." Xue Shence nodded.

He turned around and looked back at the sand table, only to see that the imperial soldiers on the sand table were divided into three teams, attacking from three directions respectively.

These are three tactical plans that will be implemented simultaneously in order to achieve a quick victory. Wei Xianzong's Death Battalion will be the last one.

……

at the same time.

Under the command of Sun Xiaozheng, a large group of officers and soldiers were divided into teams, carrying horse-drawn carriages, and rushed to various mansions and shops in the city.

Large amounts of grain and money were transported to the imperial warehouse. At the same time, the rare items Zhao Duan needed were also loaded onto the cart and sent to the Lu Mansion.

After a thrilling banquet, Zhao Duan finally let these gentry go.

Even though the entire "donation" has not yet been completed, on the one hand, such a large-scale transfer of wealth cannot be completed in a short period of time.

Secondly, many transfers require these gentry to do it personally.

After all, Zhao Duan is not a devil, it is impossible for him to send people to rob people at will.

Everything must be in accordance with the rules, otherwise what would become of the court? What would become of Zhao?
"In the next two days, Magistrate Sun will have to be more careful to prevent these people from being dishonest, playing tricks, and hiding their property."

In the villa of Lu's mansion, Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back, beside the pond, and spoke calmly.

Sun Xiaozhun stood behind him. The dark and thin prefect had a fierce look on his face: "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely do a good job on this matter. Those rare items have been sent to the outside of Lu's house, but it is only the first batch. These big families have hoarded a lot of them over the past hundred years. The rare items related to cultivation are more valuable than gold."

"Very good, have someone send it in. I will stay at the Lu Mansion for the next few days." Zhao Duan raised his hand and plucked a water lotus from the pond, broke it into petals, and threw it into the water where the red lanterns were reflected.

Sun Xiaozhun did not ask about the use of these rare items. He knew that Zhao Duan was a cultivator in the mortal world, so he naturally thought that he was collecting rare items to strengthen himself.

He immediately turned around and went out to make arrangements.

After the people left, one of Zhao Duan's eyes suddenly turned silver, and the invisible figure of a female sorceress in a wedding dress appeared above the pond.

Pei Niannu hung barefoot on the water and looked at him coldly:

"What... did you... do..."

"I have found a lot of items that can be used to smelt the Red Flame Sacred Armor. I want to ask, besides this, what else can I do to prepare?"

Zhao Duan asked calmly.

Pei Niannu was startled for a moment, as if surprised, and said:
"Black Turtle Seal... throw it into the water... absorb it..."

After a moment, the sorceress disappeared into the night. The Black Turtle Seal has a special ability, which is that it can absorb and store a large amount of water in the talisman.

According to her, if you want to make the clouds and rain, you can store up the Black Turtle Seal as much as possible, which can save a lot of mana.

Zhao Duan threw the torn petals into the pond, raised his right hand, the light distorted, and an ancient blue-black seal slowly emerged and rotated.

"Everything is arranged to avoid the worst possible situation. I hope I won't have to take action."

Murmuring softly, he threw the Black Turtle Seal into the pond. In an instant, a whirlpool appeared on the calm surface of the pond, like a black hole.

The pool water was quickly swallowed up and the water level dropped, exposing the mud and plant roots at the bottom of the pool. Zhao Duan activated the Black Turtle Seal and used his water-controlling ability to draw water from the underground river in the well connected to the bottom of the pool to replenish the water.

He raised his hand and a chair flew over from under the eaves.

Zhao Duan sat in the chair, looking at the bright moon in the sky, and gradually became distracted.

He decided to stay in the Lu Mansion for a few days, not only to have a separate space to smelt the holy armor, but also to bind the Lu Mansion to himself tightly.

"Will such a big family put all its eggs in one basket? I'm afraid they have already colluded with the rebels. But as long as I'm here, the Lu family can only sit at the table of the court and can't make any waves."

……

……

Silent all night.

The next day, Xue Shence began to mobilize troops on a small scale and launch tentative attacks, both to paralyze the enemy and to give the soldiers of the Beijing camp a window of time to rest and prepare.

On that day, the imperial court fought a small-scale battle with the rebels. The imperial court had the upper hand, but did not attack rashly.

Sun Xiaozhun was very busy dealing with logistical issues.

The commander of the rebel side, "Juren General" Su Dan, was stationed in Ning'an County, where he methodically transferred supplies, made arrangements for burning the city, and at the same time continuously evacuated his main force.

The assassin Nie Yurong sat in the government office for a whole day but failed to see Zhao Duan.

This day was almost "peaceful".

However, everyone knows that this is just the prelude to the storm, and beneath the calm water surface are surging waves.

……

Day three.

At dawn, when the sky was darkest, the Beijing camp quietly set out, divided into three routes, and launched a large-scale counterattack according to Xue Shence's arrangement.

In the darkness, on a hill somewhere in the suburbs, Wei Xianzong, dressed in military uniform with a sharp sword hanging from his waist, glanced at the members of the Death Squad standing in rows in front of him.

Each soldier had a sturdy aura and was the elite selected from the Beijing camp. In order to move quickly, they only wore soft armor, had no mounts, and had no firearms in their hands, only swords.

In front of the soldiers and in front of Wei Xianzong, there was a whole large wooden barrel, which was now open, and on the table next to it were stacked wine bowls.

"Today, I will lead you and sneak into the enemy camp like a sharp knife to open the way for the army in the rear. I will enter a dangerous place alone, so I dare to die!"

Wei Xianzong's eyes were sharp and his voice was sonorous and infectious:
"Drink this wine and set off immediately. I have nothing else to promise, except this: I will be the first to charge into the front of this attack. If I retreat, you will kill me!"

As he spoke, he took the lead and filled a bowl with wine. The soldiers followed suit and said in a deep voice:
"Death without regrets!"

The entire camp drank the cold wine at the same time and threw the wine bowls on the ground.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Wei Xianzong drew his sword, turned around, and pointed at a town in the darkness ahead.

This is Wuhe Town, an important garrison town in front of Wenshui County and also a frontline outpost.

At this moment, the darkness before dawn gradually dissipated, and Wei Xianzong led the entire Death Battalion, quietly approaching the town like a ghost or a black river.

Behind the low city wall outside Wuhe Town, rebels were on duty, with torches burning in the darkness.

They were not rebels from Yunfu, but officers and soldiers from the Wenshui County Inspection Office. They surrendered after being captured by the rebels and became "puppet troops."

In the past two days, the morale of the "puppet army" has been extremely low, and a sense of unease has been brewing privately.

Because they learned that with the arrival of reinforcements from the imperial court, Su Dan might not be able to hold on and would run away, and those objects that were transported over to ignite and burn the city were evidence.

Of course, the plan to burn the city was only circulated among the military, and the people in the occupied areas knew nothing about it.

Suddenly, the black dogs lying behind the city wall pricked up their ears and barked wildly towards the outside of the city.

The rebels of the Inspection Office suddenly lost their sleepiness and immediately became chaotic.

Someone standing on a high watchtower vaguely saw someone approaching and tried to ring the gong, but was suddenly shot out of the darkness by an arrow, which pierced his heart, causing him to fall helplessly off the watchtower.

The rebels were shocked. Most of them were archers, but it was dark and they could not shoot arrows. They hurriedly rushed forward, only to see a group of enemies climbing over the low "city wall".

"Enemy——" someone was about to shout, but was suddenly held down by his fellow patrol inspectors beside him:
"Why are you shouting? Can a small outpost like us hold them back? We might as well surrender."

The group of "puppet soldiers" had no intention of fighting, let alone fighting to the death. They tacitly squatted down with their heads in their hands, tied their hands, and revealed their former identities as patrol inspectors.

Some people even directed their companions:

"Go and kill those dogs quickly, and don't disturb the brothers in the Beijing camp."

"Also, take down those bows and crossbows and send them to the adults in the Beijing camp. Be quick and efficient!"

This scene stunned the soldiers of the Death Squad who had sneaked into the town.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They had even drunk farewell wine before the action and the atmosphere was set. However, it turned out that the defense of Wuhe Town was terribly weak. Was it possible to just surrender?
"Boss, are you going to kill them or not?" a soldier asked the adjutant of the Death Squadron.

The latter said unhappily:
"Kill them all, tie them up and wait for the team behind to take over. Hey, where's the guard leader?"

Wei Xianzong is missing.

……

At this moment, in the best house in Wuhe Town, Chen Yong, the captain stationed there, was awakened by the barking of dogs.

He quickly put on his clothes and walked out of the room in his slippers.

As one of Su Dan's trusted men, he was responsible for garrisoning the town.

However, since yesterday, the elite troops in the town began to evacuate, but he did not leave. One reason was to cover the retreat of the main force, and the other was to arrange the burning of the town.

"Dong dong."

There was a knock on the gate, and a hurried voice came in:

"Captain, there is something going on. It seems that scouts from the imperial court are approaching!"

What? Chen Yong was startled and walked out quickly, picking up his sword and asking, "What's the situation now?"

"It's all right for now, but the brothers are worried, so..."

"What a bunch of rabble!" Chen Yong yelled angrily. He unbolted the door and pushed open the gate. He saw a confidant standing outside the door with trembling legs. Behind him, a faint smell of blood was floating in the air.

not good--

Chen Yong felt a sense of alarm in his heart, and he chopped towards the door with the sword in his hand without hesitation. The confidant screamed and fell to the ground, but he did not see the enemy.

"You killed the wrong person." A cold voice sounded from behind.

Chen Yong was shocked and was about to turn around, but he saw a long knife had pierced his heart.

Wei Xianzong drew his knife and frowned as he looked at Chen Yong, who was lying on the ground with a gurgling sound in his throat. He frowned:

"The main force has already started to withdraw. Leaving you guys behind is just a decoy. Su Dan never wanted to fight the imperial court. He just wanted to run away. Xue Shence and the others were deceived by Su Dan. They should have sent out the troops yesterday."

At this time, a group of soldiers from the Death Squad ran over from outside the courtyard. After seeing Wei Xianzong kill the commander of Wuhe Town, they breathed a sigh of relief:
"Boss, the defense of this town is too lax. It's a bit too smooth. What should we do next?"

Wei Xianzong pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and smiled strangely:
"Are you interested in doing something big?"

(End of this chapter)