Suddenly appeared out of nowhere

  In the mansion of the Taishou, what seemed to be a fierce and intense scene of people fighting was actually just an unexpected event that occurred in an instant. Before Chen Liang and others could clean up the chaotic battlefield, a private army leader rushed in quickly, bowed his hands to Chen Liang and said:

  "Big Head, we have occupied the yamen and the armory, what's next?"

  At the sound, Chen Liang smiled very confidently and pointed at the head of Nanguo Taishou Ying Long on the ground, saying:

  "Bring along this dog official's head and come with me to meet that Water Army Commander, Situ Ya."

  "Exactly!"

  Everyone present gasped at these words. This was like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth; Chen Liang must be courting death.

  Tonight, taking advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on Jiangling, every step, every link is perfectly matched, and the plan is progressing smoothly. Everyone feels like they are in a dream. Chen Liang personally planned and implemented the entire plan, and also initially established his authority as a leader in the hearts of his subordinates. Seeing him seemingly confident, the crowd didn't dare to say much, although they didn't understand what Chen Liang was going to do, but people believed he must have reasonable reasons. After a slight hesitation, the crowd chose to believe in Chen Liang's judgment.

  Others did not dare to speak out against him, Chen Liang's cousin Chen Yi came over at this time and said in a low voice:

  "Second brother, that's a water army camp of over 10,000 people! With our small number of men, aren't we just meat buns hitting dogs?"

  "Haha, what are you guys afraid of? I have this thing in my hand, can't I still get in?"

  As he spoke, Chen Liang extremely confidently raised the forged seal and a roll of yellow silk that had been prepared long ago, about the legendary story of Jing Ke's assassination of the Qin Emperor, which he had heard from old villagers telling ancient tales since childhood.

  Since childhood, Chen Liang has always admired the heroic deeds of his predecessors, but he has been disappointed that he hasn't had a chance to show off his own extraordinary bravery. This time, he plans to follow in the footsteps of Jing Ke and make a desperate last stand.

  In this study filled with the strong smell of blood, Chen Liang, who was sprawled out in a majestic posture, was indeed very happy, but Lin Xu, who was secretly standing by and serving him, actually felt a chill run down his spine.

  Chen Liang has a five-colored aura, and is naturally considered to be a strong person with the fate of an emperor. Ordinary people are easily infected by his strong personality charm, and then give birth to a heart of subjugation and loyalty. Although the actual effect is not as exaggerated as the legendary "kingly aura" that makes younger brothers knock their heads in awe, it's undoubtedly a very powerful cheat. The key is that different people have different tastes, and no one can guarantee that he won't meet someone who eats uncooked rice one day. If Chen Liang encounters that kind of person who comes at him with sword drawn without saying a word, then wouldn't Lin Xu's early investment be all for nothing?

  Thinking about Chen Liang's personality flaws, Lin Xu was thinking that he still had to find an opportunity to enlighten him, but unfortunately tonight was not the right time for a conversation. Sighing helplessly in the darkness, Lin Xu resignedly took a step forward and went to the Water Army's camp to pave the way for Chen Liang.

  Located outside the city of Jiangling, on the riverbank, the naval camp was still brightly lit with torches even in the dead of night. The elite naval soldiers, dressed in their finest armor, held long spears and patrolled back and forth within the camp, filling the entire camp with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

  As the commander of the water army, Situ Ya's hometown was in Guanzhong Weinan, so he found it difficult to take a stance like that dead ghost Prefect Ying Long, treating the northern Hu people's invasion with indifference.

  Some time ago, Sito Ya secretly sent a few teams of elite soldiers to his hometown to gather information. After paying a considerable price, they finally transmitted a message back.

  The old residence of the Situ family in Weinan County was scattered and looted by the Tie Le people after they broke through, and then a big fire was set to burn it down. All of Situ Ya's relatives were either killed in the chaos or disappeared without a trace. He worried about the safety of his ancestral home and the graves of his ancestors that he couldn't escape, and recently Situ Ya had been unable to sleep at night and had lost his appetite. The once robust man had now become thin, weighing only over 150 pounds, and even the old clothes in his wardrobe no longer fit him well.

  Just as Sītǔ Yǎ was drinking alone, the Central Army Lieutenant pushed open the door curtain and walked in, bowing his hands and saying:

  "Report to the Commander-in-Chief, there is a team of soldiers and horses outside knocking on the door, claiming to be an imperial envoy from Luoyang who has come to deliver an edict."

  Upon hearing this, Situ Ya was puzzled and scratched his head. It had been a long time since Jiangling had seen an envoy from the Luoyang court. What play was being performed tonight? After careful consideration, Situ Ya continued to ask:

  "How many horses have come?"

  "Reporting back to the commander, less than 100 riders."

  A mere few dozen people were nothing to the powerful and majestic naval camp, so Situ Ya put his mind at ease and instructed:

  "All right, pass on the general's order, open the camp gate and let them in. Ask the envoy to come to the central army tent."

  "Yes, I will follow your orders."

  About the time of burning an incense stick later, dozens of cavalrymen in bright armor rode slowly and surrounded a luxurious carriage, which stopped slowly at the gate of the central army tent.

  Before Xie Ya came out to greet him, he immediately heard a sharp and piercing eunuch's voice saying:

  "The eighty-fifth emperor of the Great Qin Empire has issued a decree, where is Jiangling Water Army Commander Situ Ya? Why hasn't he come to receive the edict quickly?"

  The story of Meng Zong's narrow escape from the State of Qin tells us that even people like thieves and robbers can be useful, it all depends on whether you know how to use them. For example, in this case, Chen Liang knew his own affairs well and understood that his thick Southern accent would not fool anyone with discerning eyes, so he selected a professional swindler who had spent many years operating in the Guanzhong region to pose as an eunuch sent by the Luoyang court.

  When acting, one must do the whole set. Even if there were still doubts before, when Situ Ya heard that kind of standard eunuch's tone that made his skin crawl, he didn't dare doubt the true identity of the person in front of him anymore.

  I'd like to ask, who would be so idle as to chop up the following miscellaneous items for no reason? Only royal families use eunuchs, they are not only the emperor's household slaves but also the emperor's most trusted officials. Although it is not quite in line with court rules for eunuchs to serve as imperial envoys, this matter seems reasonable.

  At this point, Situ Ya stood up straight and knelt down on both knees, bowing his head and saying:

  "Wei Jiang Si Tu Ya, respectfully welcomes the imperial decree of Your Majesty."

  "Come on! Quickly take down this traitor, Situ Ya!"

  With a shrill and piercing shout, several warriors jumped off their horses, stepped forward and pressed down on Situ Ya, making gestures as if they were about to tie him up.

  Seeing this, Situ Ya, who had already been frightened out of his wits, struggled with all his might and shouted loudly:

  "What does this mean? I, Meng, have committed no crime, how could it come to this?"

  The professional swindler, dressed as a eunuch, coughed industriously and then pinched his delicate fingers together to say in a sonorous voice:

  "Nanjun Taishou Ying Long submitted a memorial the day before yesterday, impeaching Jiangling Shuizong Dudu Si Tu Ya for holding troops and being self-aggrandizing, seemingly having ulterior motives. Your Majesty decreed to strip Si Tu Ya of his position and investigate him. General Si Tu, can you hear clearly?"

  Upon hearing this, he thought he had grasped the true situation and couldn't help but fly into a rage, loudly cursing:

  "You are an old dog, a shameless scoundrel, I will never live with you."

  Seeing that Sze-toh Ng had given up struggling, the fake imperial envoy, following the pre-arranged script, said in a sharp and shrill voice:

  "It is unacceptable for an army to be without a commander, where is the deputy general of the Jiangling naval force?"

  At this time, a military school student next to him spoke up nervously:

  "Report back to His Excellency, all three deputy generals are resting in their tents. Should we summon them to come forth?"

  He sneaked a glance at Chen Liang's expression, and found that his own leader's face didn't change color. This fake who was also nervous in his heart felt relieved, and he pretended to be profound, raising his tail finger and waving his hand, saying:

  "This envoy has other important matters to attend to and cannot stay for long. Since they are resting, let's consider it settled! You go inform the three deputy generals that the Jiangling naval forces will be temporarily managed jointly by the three of them. If there is any decision to be made, it must be agreed upon by all three before it can be implemented."

  "Yes, I will definitely convey the adult's message."

  Satisfied, he nodded his head, and this fake imperial envoy said with a spring breeze on his face:

  "Come on! Let's go back to town."

  Having said that, this professional actor who can rival Oscar-winning actors in terms of acting skills got into the car with a twist of his butt.

  A majestic procession, with only Xiāo Yǎ, bound by five flowers, forced to walk behind the carriage. As soon as they entered Jiangling City, Chén Liáng couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, saying:

  "Haha, as I said earlier, taking the head of a top general in the midst of a large army is like reaching into a sack and grabbing something."

  To say that Situ Ya was also a personal genius, earlier he was blinded by the terrible hallucinations constructed in his own mind. As soon as he heard Chen Liang's arrogant remarks, Situ Ya immediately came to his senses and said with a trembling voice:

  "What? You... you're not imperial envoys?"

  At the sound, Chen Liang raised his hand and patted Situ Ya's shoulder, saying:

  "Of course it's not your whatever dog fart errand, we are righteous army, righteous army you understand?"

  Born into a family of generals from the old Qin, he had been familiar with military books and battle strategies since childhood. Sutu Ya never expected that one day he would be manipulated by a group of people without realizing it. At this time, he only felt a dizziness in front of his eyes, a slight salty taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out.

  So depressed that he spat up blood, even Situ Ya's life was hanging by a thread, yet his mouth still kept muttering:

  "I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

  Seeing this scene, Lin Xu, who was hiding nearby to watch, also hesitated. He was considering whether to save this unlucky guy and leave him for Chen Liang to control, or to watch him being suffocated to death and then turn Situ Ya into a ghost soldier.

  After careful consideration, Lin Xu felt that it was better to let things take their natural course. With too many gods intervening in human affairs, it's inevitable that some merit would be lost. Let's just wait and see how things develop!

  In just one night, the governor of Nangong, Ying Long, was beheaded, and the commander of the navy, Si Tu Ya, became a prisoner. The change in the world is really unpredictable. In Jiangling and even in Jingzhou, two big men who were crucial to the situation were easily manipulated by Chen Liang, a small character, and could only make people sigh at the unpredictability and helplessness of fate.

  Ordered his subordinates to rest in the governor's mansion, Chen Liang carefully instructed:

  "Remember tomorrow morning, in the name of Qin Shi, summon the generals and officials of Jiangling to the governor's mansion, and make sure to capture them all at once."

  This time, the two powerful figures in Jiangling were either dead or captured. Chen Liang had settled these two big shots, and the remaining military generals, as well as the lower-ranking officials in Jiangling, did not have the courage to resist the imperial envoy's orders, nor did they have the ability to act on their own. All that was needed was for them to be summoned to the governor's mansion under the pretext of the imperial envoy's orders the next day, and it was believed that few people would dare to disobey. Although up until this moment, Chen Liang still only had the 1,800 undisciplined troops he had recruited in Anzhou, there was no doubt that from this moment on, Jiangling city belonged to the Chen family.