flstandardbreds Chapter 168: Using Spies
Chapter 168: Using Spies
Inside the study, the air seemed to be frozen by an invisible force. The only sound left in the silence was the slight rustling of the letter in Wu Bin's hand, like the autumn wind sweeping through the withered yellow leaves. His eyes were as deep as a pool, and his brows were furrowed, as if he could hold all the sorrows and doubts in the world. As the words on the letter passed by line by line, his face gradually became gloomy, like the dark clouds before a storm, depressing and heavy.
Finally, Wu Bin raised his head, his eyes blazing with anger, as if he could burn all obstacles that stood in his way. He said angrily: "The food and grass that Qin Ming personally escorted were looted! Moreover, the soldiers and generals were severely damaged, and only a hundred people were left to survive! Those rebels are just a mob of refugees, how could they be so rampant!"
He turned around suddenly, his eyes were like torches, staring directly at Li Ye who was standing beside him. Li Ye felt the sharp gaze, and his heart tightened, as if being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand. But he quickly adjusted his demeanor, his eyes flashing with a firm light, as if an unyielding force was supporting him.
"Li Ye, please tell me in detail, what is the situation over there? Are those rebels really so brave and good at fighting?" Wu Bin's voice was low and majestic, as if there was an unquestionable power in it.
Li Ye took a deep breath, calmed himself, and spoke slowly: "Governor, I dare to speak frankly. General Zhou and his men were indeed attacked by the enemy, but the loss of food and grass was not as severe as you imagined. The enemy had only more than 2,000 people, and they just took advantage of the chaos at night to launch a surprise attack. As for General Zhou's delay in attacking, I guess it might be because the food and grass can still support him, and he wants to wait for a more appropriate time."
Wu Bin frowned, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes. He knew that food and grass in the northwest were more precious than gold, especially in this year of drought. He suspected that there was a bigger conspiracy behind this, perhaps Zhou Kai and Qin Ming and others colluded to enrich themselves.
"What about Qin Ming?" Wu Bin suddenly asked, his voice as cold as ice. "Why did the two thousand elite soldiers he led suffer such a tragic defeat?"
Li Ye's heart moved, he knew this was a great opportunity for him to sow discord. He pretended to hesitate, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "General Qin...he did encounter an ambush by the enemy. We actually knew that the enemy would set up an ambush on the road a long time ago, but...but General Zhou was worried that this was a trick of the enemy, so he did not send troops to rescue in time. And General Qin also sent people to ask for help after being ambushed..." At this point, he deliberately paused, and a cunning flashed in his eyes.
"Why didn't Zhou Kai rescue us?" Wu Bin's voice was so cold that it could freeze a person's soul.
"General Zhou... General Zhou... He didn't send anyone to rescue us, nor did he allow anyone to go to rescue us." Li Ye's voice became smaller and smaller, as if he was really afraid of something. "He said that General Qin's troops are all elite, and they will definitely be able to overcome the danger..."
Wu Bin's face was terribly gloomy. He knew in his heart that Zhou Kai did this simply because Qin Ming and he were not in the same party. Moreover, the elite division trained by Qin Ming was probably a thorn in Zhou Kai's side.
"It seems that I arranged the wrong person." Wu Bin sighed, a trace of regret flashed in his eyes. But then he regained his composure, "Now is not the time to completely turn against Zhou Kai. After this rebel army is pacified, I will find a way to seize his military power!" A fierce light flashed in his eyes, as if he had made up his mind.
He turned around and walked to the desk, picked up a pen, and quickly wrote a secret letter. Then, he shouted to the outside of the room: "Come here, pass the order to me, quickly let the adults come over to discuss together!"
Outside the study, footsteps were hurried and powerful, as if foreshadowing the coming storm. Wu Bin stood in front of the window, looking in the direction of the city, with a determined light in his eyes. He knew that he had to face this storm himself and calm it down.
After leaving the study, Li Ye sneered in his heart. He knew that he had successfully provoked a conflict between the governor and Zhou Kai. Next, he only had to wait for the storm to come.
The situation in the city was indeed not optimistic, as Li Ye had observed. Many citizens barely made a living by relying on the several porridge stalls in the city for disaster relief. The rice porridge was actually almost the same as rice washing water, barely enough to sustain life. Li Ye couldn't help but shake his head when he saw these situations. He knew that this was just a microcosm of the city in the northwest, and the entire northwest region was facing the same dilemma.
He went to the military camps to have a look. There were not many soldiers in the camps, only some old, weak and sick people lying there. According to these soldiers, it was better to lie down and sleep than to move around and consume the limited food. Seeing this, Li Ye knew that there were probably not many troops in the prefecture. After the Northwest County, it was probably their army that would rule the world.
After Li Ye got the news he wanted, he rode back to convey the governor's order. He did not deliver the letter to Zhou Kai's camp, but went directly back to Songshan County. He knew that the content of this letter was enough to change the fate of the entire Northwest County.
"Greetings, Young Marshal!" Li Ye soon met Yuan Quan.
"Thank you for your hard work! How's the situation?" Yuan Quan asked excitedly.
"I have delivered the letter to them! And I found a clue. Their governor Wu Bin no longer believes Zhou Kai! He thinks that Zhou Kai has been keeping a thief for his own benefit! However, he still agreed to Zhou Kai's plan and said that he would send people disguised as a grain transport team on schedule!..." Li Ye reported everything he had seen in detail.
"It seems that the next step is for us to prepare!" Yuan Quan nodded with great satisfaction. "Li Ye, you still have to take the trouble to go to Zhou Kai's military camp to deliver a letter! Tell them that the governor agrees with their plan! And the grain escort team has already set out! Let you come and inform them in advance!"
"Yes! Marshal!" Li Ye responded respectfully. He knew that he would embark on a new journey and fight for the future of the entire Northwest County.
The night was as dark as ink, and the walls of Songshan County looked old and heavy under the moonlight. Li Ye rode his horse at a rapid speed, and the sound of horse hooves echoed in the empty streets, breaking the silence of the night. His heart was full of anticipation and nervousness, as this letter would be a contribution to his military career.
It was late at night when they arrived at Zhou Kai's military camp. The lights in the camp were sparse, but the patrolling soldiers were still energetic and vigilantly watching the surroundings. Li Ye turned over and dismounted, holding the letter tightly in his arms, and walked straight to the entrance of the military camp.
"Who are you? What brings you here so late at night?" The soldier guarding the gate blocked Li Ye's way, his voice revealing a hint of vigilance.
"My name is Li Ye, and I'm here to deliver a letter to General Zhou on the orders of the governor." Li Ye bowed, a hint of calmness in his voice.
The soldiers looked at each other, and one of them turned around and ran to the camp to report. After a while, a general-looking man hurried over, and when he saw Li Ye, he showed a bit of surprise on his face.
"It turns out that you are the messenger sent by the governor. You come here so late at night, so you must have important business. Please follow me." The general took Li Ye to the meeting room in the camp.
In the meeting room, Zhou Kai was discussing military situation with other generals. When he saw Li Ye coming, he put down the map in his hand, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Are you the messenger sent by the governor?" Zhou Kai's voice revealed some majesty.
"The governor has a secret letter for the general." Li Ye presented the letter with both hands, a hint of respect in his voice.
Zhou Kai took the letter and quickly opened it to read. As the letter unfolded, his face gradually became solemn. The content of the letter was the news that Governor Wu Bin agreed to their plan and sent a grain escort team to come!
"It seems that our plan has the support of the governor." Zhou Kai put down the letter, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, "Pass the order to strengthen the security of the military camp. In addition, I will also trouble you all! Each of you lead a team to the ambush location! This time we must destroy the main force of this rebel army. Try to take Songshan County within two days! Otherwise, no matter our food or morale, we will not be able to hold on!"
The generals nodded and began to get busy. Li Ye stood aside, secretly happy in his heart. He didn't expect Zhou Kai to have no doubts at all. This time Li Ye did not leave directly, but continued to stay in Zhou Kai's camp.