Chapter Twenty: Taking Advantage of the Fire to Loot

  When I heard that Shu and Xiangyang were attacked at the same time, it didn't seem strange to me. In my opinion, if you want to attack Southern Chu, a two-pronged approach is essential. Although it takes a long time, as long as Jianghuai is captured, why worry about the south not being pacified? So when I heard that King Yong led 20,000 light cavalry to Jianye, I was stunned at the time. I immediately pulled out the map and looked at it for half a day. The more I looked, the more confused I became. King Yong is a heroic and broad-minded person, how could he do this? This way, although Jianye can be occupied for a while, it will definitely be lost soon. Even if the king and ministers of Southern Chu fall into his hands, there must be someone who will establish a new king, or even replace him directly. Moreover, this will inevitably lead to Southern Chu being divided, and wanting to pacify it requires fighting city by city and pool by pool. This way, without twenty years of time, Jiangnan cannot be pacified at all. I thought about it for half a day, but I still didn't understand Li Zhi's intention.

  If I change my perspective, I suddenly thought that war is just a continuation of politics. What benefits can Li Ze get? But no matter how hard I think about it, it's just that a chaotic Southern Chu will make Crown Prince Li An not dare to bully Li Ze. However, if Li Ze defeats Chu in one move and really falls out with Li An, what does it have to do with him? I don't believe Li Ze can't defeat Li An. The more I think about it, the more confused I become. With a million doubts, I put down the intelligence report in my hand. Although these are unexpected, I can take advantage of the situation to implement my plan. Thinking of this, I calmly said: "Chi Ji." Chi Ji, who was organizing the map for me, looked up at me. I ordered: "Send a message to your master, I want to see him tonight." Chi Ji responded with a "yes" and left immediately.

  By nightfall, Xiao Shunzi arrived quickly. I sat behind the desk, with Ba Ma and Chi Ji standing on either side of me. Chen Yin and Han Wuji stood at the head of the left and right sides respectively. As soon as Xiao Shunzi entered, he walked to my back, where his position was. Now, Chen Yin is the leader of the secret camp, and Han Wuji is the general manager of the Tianji Pavilion. Although Xiao Shunzi does not have a clear identity, everyone knows that he is my substitute and can replace me in issuing orders. Moreover, Xiao Shunzi is also the martial arts master of the disciples of the secret camp, and the disciples of the secret camp are very respectful to him, which has formed his lofty and transcendent status. However, he has always been like before, willing to be my servant and attendant.

  "I see that everyone is here, so I'll start by saying: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I established the Secret Camp, Tianji Pavilion, and have been waiting for this day. The timing has matured, and today I ask you all to work together with one heart and help me complete my great revenge.'"

  "Sir, just give the order. If you hadn't insisted on waiting, we would have risked our lives to kill Liang Wan long ago."

  Everyone else was just quietly listening, following my rules, it wasn't their turn to speak, Chen Jin was the leader of the secret camp, except for Xiao Shunzi and Han Wuji, everyone else was his subordinate, Xiao Shunzi didn't need to be silent, but Han Wuji's status was below Chen Jin's, so he wouldn't interrupt either.

  I looked at Han Wuji and asked: "Is everything ready in Tianji Pavilion?"

  "Han Wuji bowed and said, 'Don't worry, young master. Although many merchants have started to flee due to the news of the approaching Yong army, everything you previously instructed is under control.'"

  I nodded and said, "In the past, I have been waiting for this opportunity. Only when Nan Chu and Da Yong completely break their faces will I have the chance I want. That is Princess Chang Le, the queen of Nan Chu. From the beginning, I felt that Emperor Da Yong really loved this princess very much. You see, he sent so many beautiful palace maids to accompany her as a dowry. Looking at Princess Chang Le, she has always been on and off with the king for many years. It can be seen that Princess Chang Le only needs someone in Nan Chu. I think that in order to avoid difficulties for the princess in the future, Emperor Da Yong did not hope that the princess and the king would have too much affection."

  After hearing my words, Xiaoshunzi and others were first puzzled and suspicious, then their expressions gradually cleared up. Xiaoshunzi said: "The young master is right, I know in the palace that the queen basically doesn't live with the king, except when necessary. The queen always tries to stay in the temporary palace, even if she stays in the palace, she's always lonely and never fights for favor. Before, I thought the queen was virtuous, now it seems that what the young master said is true, she has no intention of staying in Southern Chu."

  "I exclaimed, 'Yes, if it weren't for Emperor Da Yong's fondness for this daughter, he could have ignored her feelings and let her win over the king, which would have yielded better results. Since he is so fond of Princess Chang Le, we must rescue her before Da Yong and Nan Chu turn against each other. Liang Yu will undoubtedly be in charge of this matter. Even if she's not afraid of death, if anything happens to Princess Chang Le, she'll suffer more than death itself. So, as long as we capture them when they escape from the palace, for Princess Chang Le's safety, Liang Yu won't be able to keep her mouth shut even if she wants to. Once she confesses, her life or death will no longer matter, and I can finally avenge myself. However, there must be many skilled protectors of Princess Chang Le; we must be absolutely careful and not let them escape. Xiao Shunzi, you're my mainstay this time; are you confident?"

  Xiao Shunzi thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, young master. With my current martial arts skills, it may take some effort to capture them, but killing them won't be difficult at all. As long as you plan carefully, I can guarantee that they won't escape."

  "I'm glad to say: 'Good, good, Hua and Lu, you two lead the hidden group, must grasp their every move. Bai Yi, Yu Lun, Shan Zi, Qu Huang, you four lead the tiger group, dark group, are the main force to surround them. Chi Ji, Dao Lü, you two lead the dragon group responsible for coordination and aftermath. Specific matters will be commanded by Chen Jin and Han Wuji. Now, act immediately. Xiao Shunzi, you first go follow Empress Wang, as long as we grasp this thread tightly. Liang Yu will definitely not escape.'"

  In my anxious various intelligence, good to determine which strategy to adopt, the court was already in chaos. The monarch Zhao Jiaman's eyes were all red threads, and he said angrily: "Every day I hear you say what, my South Chu army is strong and well-fed, but Danyang has broken through the defense line, and after three more hours, the Yang army will be under the city, what do you say to do, what to do."

  The Grand Marshal Shang Weijun said, "Your Majesty need not worry, the Yong army's light cavalry has traveled a thousand miles and is now at its last gasp. Although Jianye is empty, there are still 50,000 imperial guards. As long as we defend for a while, the relief troops will arrive."

  At this time, a minister said: "Your Majesty, although the words of the Grand Minister are polite, but the Yōng army is elite. If we can't hold on to Jiàn yè, won't it be a disaster for the country? In my opinion, Your Majesty should temporarily move the capital to a safe place and avoid danger until the enemy retreats, then return to Jiàn yè to reorganize. The body of the emperor is worth thousands of gold, and cannot be easily put in harm's way." As soon as this was said, all the officials agreed with it. These people usually spent their days drinking and having fun, or chasing after women. Since Zhao Jiā ascended to the throne, many good ministers had been pushed away, while small-minded people became more and more numerous. The previous time because of the matter of ascending to the throne, a large number of good ministers were demoted, so now that things are urgent, there is no one to discuss state affairs with. Shàng Wéi Jūn was usually mediocre, but this time he was relatively wise. However, it's hard to go against the will of the crowd, and in the end, they had to compromise: "Since it's like this, Your Majesty can temporarily visit another place, and let the old minister lead the Imperial Guard to defend Jiàn yè. Please also allow the Crown Prince to oversee the country." Zhao Jiā repeatedly agreed: "Good, I'll entrust Jiàn yè to the Grand Minister. It's just that the Crown Prince is only four years old, and it's probably not very useful for him to stay behind." Shàng Wéi Jūn thought to himself, if we don't leave a prince here, how can we resist the Yōng army? He repeatedly requested, but Zhao Jiā didn't have deep feelings for his son. However, now that he discovered that among the concubines other than Yōng's daughter, only Shàng's wife had given birth to a prince, he naturally paid more attention to him. But with the Yōng army about to arrive, Zhao Jiā finally didn't want to waste any time and hastily left with some trusted ministers, concubines, and several thousand Imperial Guards half an hour before the Yōng army arrived. Before Zhao Jiā had even left the city, Shàng Wéi Jūn ordered the Imperial Guard to ransack Míng Yuè Lóu and surround the inner palace, putting the still-present in the rear palace Princess Cháng Lè under house arrest. Although Zhao Jiā had ascended to the throne, because of the remaining unrest from the war between Dà Yōng and Nán Chǔ, he hadn't yet promoted Wáng Hòu to empress. From the time Lǐ Xiǎn first attacked Xīang Yáng, Zhao Jiā had sent someone to bring Wáng Hòu back into the palace, but because he feared Dà Yōng's power, he didn't dare openly put her under house arrest. On the other hand, Princess Cháng Lè was very understanding of the situation and never took a step out of the palace gates. Now that she was under house arrest, it was just for show. Who knew that when the Imperial Guard returned, Míng Yuè Lóu was already empty and Princess Cháng Lè had also disappeared? All the palace maids were locked in one room. Shàng Wéi Jūn was shocked and lost color, he knew he had lost his protective charm. Without even checking the defenses, he ordered his trusted warriors to come and protect Shàng's wife and the Crown Prince, disguising them as commoners and immediately escaping. Then Shàng Wéi Jūn immediately went to the city wall to oversee the defense.

  At the same time, in a farmhouse north of Jianye City, there was a scene of white blades and blood. Liang Wan wore a green robe, holding a short sword with a snowy-white blade, but she had sweat on her forehead. Behind her chair stood a delicate-looking maid, also holding a short sword, while more than a dozen farmers in disguise as secret agents stood on either side, all bearing injuries. On the ground were scattered some blood-stained crossbow arrows.

  Li Wei did not expect that as soon as she brought the Princess Chang Le to a pre-selected hidden farmhouse, they were ambushed. She was caught off guard and could only retreat into the farmhouse with the princess. It was then that she discovered that the two people who had been arranged to be there earlier were both tightly bound up, their feet cut off, and then carefully handled. Li Wei tried several times to break through with the princess but was blocked by crossbow arrows each time. Once, Li Wei relied on her soft armor to charge out, only to be intercepted by four masked men holding long knives as soon as she rushed out of the courtyard gate. The martial arts skills of these masked men were only second-rate in Li Wei's eyes, but they were fierce and brave, their knife techniques ruthless, and they worked together seamlessly, forming a knife array that trapped Li Wei for a moment. Just as crossbow arrows were about to arrive, she had to fight desperately to retreat back inside. If it weren't for the timely response, her life would have been left outside. If the Princess Chang Le hadn't been there, Li Wei could have arranged for them to scatter and break through, and with her martial arts skills, the possibility of escaping was great. But now she was in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. The people surrounding her were extremely elite soldiers, at least not much worse than the most elite troops of Da Yong. And those who blocked her way were not ordinary experts either. In today's Nan Chu, how could there be such an elite army near Jianye? Even if they were really spies from Nan Chu, why did they only take action here and now? They could have taken action when she was rescuing the princess from the palace. Li Wei couldn't figure out what was outside, but she knew that she had to hold on. For safety reasons, she hadn't informed the Yong army of this location. If the Yong army didn't arrive in time, not only would her life be lost, but also the princess's. If anything happened to the princess, even if Li Wei died, it would be difficult to appease the anger of Emperor Yong. At that time, the one who would bear the brunt of his anger would be Feng Yimen.

  Liang Wan was thinking, when a low voice said: "Miss Liang, they're awake."

  Liang Wan's heart was filled with joy, the people who stayed here were injured and had been treated, but they hadn't died, yet they remained unconscious, probably due to some kind of medication. She walked over and hastily asked: "What happened? Who ambushed you?"

  A man licked his dry, cracked lips and said: "Miss, he came alone, wearing black clothes and a mask, didn't say a word, his martial arts skills were incredibly high, just one move and he injured both of us. That person was about to kill us, but was stopped by someone who came later. That person shouldn't have any martial arts skills, because his footsteps were light and floating, lacking inner energy. He ordered our legs to be chopped off, and then we fainted."

  Liang Wan listened to their conversation, but it didn't help much. At this time, a cold voice came from outside: "People inside the house listen up, we're getting impatient. If you don't come out, after one incense stick's worth of time, we'll attack with fire."

  Liang Wanting said loudly: "If you use fire attack, aren't you afraid of attracting other people's attention?" She wanted to probe the visitor's stance.

  The man outside fell silent for a moment, then said: "Nanchu is busy with its own affairs, and Dayong will arrive in half an hour. The time is sufficient. The longer you think, the more severe our treatment will be later. If you surrender now, I can guarantee that at least you won't die too painfully."

  Liang Wan broke out in cold sweat, for the first time regretting not bringing more people here. As she hesitated, several bundles of straw were thrown at the door, and a fire starter was tossed over, flames rising up. Liang Wan had no choice but to loudly shout: "We surrender."

  Two pitchforks were used to remove the straw, and a black-clad figure of average height appeared at the door. He had empty hands and no weapons, but Liang Yu felt an inexplicable pressure emanating from him. She pressed her left hand against the dagger at her waist, but lost the courage to draw it. The black-clad man spoke in a soft, melodious voice: "Come out one by one with your hands tied behind your backs." Liang Yu was startled - she had heard this tone before, it was the intonation of eunuchs. But they shouldn't be from Southern Chu! She steeled herself, dropped her short sword, smoothed out her disheveled hair, and walked towards him with a gentle, alluring gait. She knew that this person was likely to be a eunuch, or at least someone who had cultivated extremely sinister internal energy, so she didn't dare try to entice him with her beauty. Instead, she made every effort to appear submissive and obedient, putting her hands behind her back as she approached him. As she passed by his side, her body seemed to twist and slide like a venomous snake, and the flying dagger in her right hand shot towards his throat - it was a sudden, unexpected strike. However, the man's right hand lightly swept out, and Liang Yu felt a numbness in her wrist before that pale, icy hand clamped down on her throat. She felt as though that hand was like a poisonous snake, evil and terrifying, and then she lost consciousness.

  As soon as Liang Wan woke up, she found herself in a dark place. She listened carefully but didn't feel anyone around her. She moved her body and found that her hands were tightly tied behind her back with cowhide straps. Her martial arts skills were still intact, and there was nothing unusual about her body. She let out a sigh of relief and didn't move again, not wanting to attract any attention. At this time, an icy voice said, "You're awake, the young master wants to see you." The lights turned on, and Liang Wan instinctively closed her eyes. Two people came over and pulled her up. From their movements, they seemed like young men. Liang Wan thought that they didn't want her to walk by herself, so they dragged her to a spacious room without windows - it was a secret chamber. Torches were lit all around the room, and in the center of the room, there was a chair with a man wearing a black Confucian robe and a mask. On the walls around him, all of Liang Wan's subordinates were locked up with iron rings, without any signs of torture. Besides them, Liang Wan saw that next to the black-robed man stood the person who had captured her - she could tell from his hands. There were also six black-clad men standing in the corners of the room. Liang Wan was dragged all the way to the wall opposite the black-robed man. The two people skillfully locked Liang Wan's wrists and ankles with iron rings, then tightened an iron chain around her waist. Liang Wan felt that she couldn't move at all. Another black-clad man brought over a bucket of cold water and poured it on her. Liang Wan was completely soaked, revealing the contours of her slender and mature figure. She felt both ashamed and angry - although she was already 27 years old, she was still a virgin, how could she endure such humiliation? The black-clad men all looked at her with unbridled gazes, even her subordinates couldn't help but steal glances at her.

  Liang Wan angrily said: "What kind of person are you, why make things difficult for me and Da Yong?"

  "That black-shirted Confucianist said lightly: 'I'm not making things difficult for Da Yong, Liang Yu, I want you, the others are just innocent bystanders.'"

  Li Wei's heart skipped a beat as she thought to herself, "I've been working for Da Yong all these years, how could someone seek revenge against me?" Seeing the hesitant gaze of her subordinates, she felt somewhat embarrassed and asked, "What about the other two girls?"

  She didn't dare to reveal the identity of Princess Chang Le, but the man in black said: "Are you referring to Her Highness Princess Chang Le? The princess is not related to this matter. I sympathize with her situation and have arranged for her to stay in a separate room. Her maid's martial arts skills are similar to yours. She tried to take advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack, but was mistakenly killed by my subordinate."

  Liang Wanting's heart ached as she said, "You people are truly ruthless. My junior sister is only 19 years old this year. I didn't expect you to be so cruel."

  The man in the black shirt didn't say a word, but the person standing behind him spoke in a soft and sinister tone: "What's the big deal if we mistakenly killed someone? If you refuse to answer our questions, I'll make you wish you were dead."

  Liang Wan angrily said: "Who are you people, what kind of grudge do you have against me?"

  "That black-shirted scholar coldly said: 'I only ask you one thing, was it you who killed Liu Piaoxiang?'"

  Liang Wantong was stunned, she never thought that someone would ask her this question.