Chapter 272 Danger or Opportunity

"You two, please bear with me for a moment. You've caused such a scene today, and I, an old woman, risked everything to follow you all the way to Sanping County. One of you will go and knock on the city gates later, and the rest of you, the dozen or so brothers, stay behind. If the gates don't open, I will torture them to death!"

At the critical moment, Granny Yinhua did not forget to put on a thick face scarf and ordered her subordinates: "Go, let those who are infected follow them! Don't pass by us, pass by the side! Although the situation is chaotic now, I don't want to be infected! Don't let the gates of Sanping County be closed and we all die of illness here!"

An Peilin immediately volunteered, "Granny Yinhua, I hold the highest position here, so let me go! We've received a secret order from the City Lord. The Sanping County Magistrate might not have received any notice; they only know me!"

Granny Yinhua kicked An Peilin in the back and said, "Don't even think about trying to get away with it. I'm telling you, all your brothers are in our hands!"

"I know. You are our enemies, yet I am willing to sacrifice my life to save you. How much more so for my brothers who have been through thick and thin with me! Don't worry, I, An Peilin, will never abandon them, let alone you! Give me some time to negotiate with Lu Shiwen!"

"You sound very righteous! If you can't enter Sanping County today, I will sacrifice the lives of your brothers to heaven!" But Granny Yinhua didn't give in at all. She called another hundred or two hundred people. An Peilin was dragged forward almost like a duck to the rack.

Gu Xiaonan was the first person An Peilin met in Gongzhou, so the two of them had the best relationship. While holding him, Gu Xiaonan asked him, "Brother Goudan, tell me the truth, can we really get in?"

An Peilin didn't know how to respond. "What I can guarantee is that I will try my best."

"I believe you! Just because you stood up and fought the leader for us, I believe you are not a bad person!"

"Wang Lun is nothing but a piece of shit. He's using your lives to attack the city. You're all good citizens. If you contracted smallpox, you certainly wouldn't want to infect the people of Jinzhou Prefecture. You were forced by them! I believe in you, too!"

Tears welled up in Gu Xiaonan's thin eyes. "Brother Goudan, is the vaccine really effective? Can those of us who are sick use it?"

An Peilin wanted to tell the truth, but he held back.

The cowpox vaccine plays a preventive role, and it is not yet known whether it is effective for people who have already had smallpox.

"Anyway, I got the vaccine before I left. Look, a lot of people fell ill in the Gongzhou camp, but I'm fine. It proves that the cowpox vaccine is effective!"

Gu Xiaonan was worried about his younger siblings, "After today's commotion, I'm afraid the disease will spread completely!"

Someone nearby said, "We're all in this camp, living and eating together every day. How can anyone escape? It's only a matter of time! Regardless of whether the smallpox vaccine works or not, at least the people of Jinzhou Prefecture are living well. They have money and medicine. If they don't open the city gates, we'll have no choice but to fight our way in!"

An Peilin had no other choice but to tell everyone with certainty: "I can swear on my head that our city lord is the greatest good person in the world! When she was in Lan County two years ago, there was a shortage of food, but she dared to accept 40,000 to 50,000 refugees. No matter how many refugees came, she never refused. She once said that she didn't want to give up on any suffering person in this world, and everyone in this world deserves to live a good life! If she hadn't said these words, why would I stand up for you today! If you really want to attack us, then we are irreconcilable enemies! But in the final analysis, how can we be enemies? We are just some poor people! You and I are the same. We just want to live, live uprightly, live like a human being, right?"

These words instantly ignited infinite hope in the hearts of Gu Xiaonan and others.

The man next to him echoed, "Yeah, we joined the White Lotus in the first place because we wanted to live a good life. Now those of us who are sick probably have no hope. Our only hope is that our families can live a better life. That would be a worthwhile death!"

An Peilin had nothing to say, he just felt heavy in his heart.

As the group was talking, they arrived at Sanping County.

Lu Fei on the city wall saw from a distance a group of people moving towards this side quickly.

Their position was high above the ground, allowing them to see clearly everything that happened within a radius of five kilometers. In addition, before leaving, the research institute provided each of their generals with a telescope according to Xu Zhenying's instructions.

Therefore, when the black spot appeared in his sight, Lu Fei immediately ordered people to beat drums to convey the message to all the people in Sanping County.

The soldiers were ready to go, the archers were on standby, and Lu Shiwen was running all the way from the county government office in a hurry.

Lu Shiwen took the binoculars handed to him by Lu Fei, panting, and then shouted "Not good!"

Lu Fei also had a serious expression on his face: "Although this team only has one or two hundred people, the main force is behind. Do you see the crowd moving quickly behind them? There are at least tens of thousands of people!"

Lu Shiwen wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice filled with bitterness. "I was hoping they wouldn't call, but it seems I was too naive."

Lu Fei smiled brightly, "They say a sharp sword is forged through constant grinding. The city lord has supported us for so long, and now it's finally time to repay him! After so much waiting, it's finally here!"

Lu Shiwen sighed, "We have to send a letter to Xingyuan Prefecture quickly!"

Lu Fei first ordered everyone to prepare for the battle. The soldiers drew their long swords, the archers drew their bows and strung their bows. All weapons and ammunition were ready, including the crossbow that was first developed by the institute. They only needed to pull the lever lightly to easily fire continuously again!

There were also supplies such as black powder, armor, horses, etc. that arrived later.

Everything is ready, only the east wind is missing!

Everyone's face was tense, waiting for Lu Fei's signal to start war!

Lu Fei then took the telescope and carefully observed the people coming. As the group got closer, Lu Fei saw a very familiar face.

Lu Fei's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to believe who he was seeing. He quickly patted Lu Shiwen on the shoulder and said, "County Magistrate Lu, come and take a look... Does that man look like the former head of the City Lord's personal guard? And the former captain of Team Three, An Peilin?"

"Ah?" Lu Shiwen looked down quickly, then exclaimed, "Oh my God, it's him! How could he be in Gongzhou?!"

The city lord's personal guards actually appeared in the enemy camp?

Did An Peilin betray the city lord, or was he carrying out a secret mission?

But bringing tens of thousands of people to attack the city gate of Sanping County doesn't look like they are carrying out a mission, does it?

Lu Fei didn't care about that at all. He pointed the specially made iron barrel at the people below and shouted, "Stop! If you move forward, I will order people to shoot arrows!"

The group of people immediately stood still, with fear flashing across their faces.

Only An Peilin raised his head and waved his arms at them with difficulty.

The ground was a little slippery due to the recent snowfall, and the sky was gloomy, so he couldn't see the man's expression clearly. But somehow, Lu Shiwen felt that there was an indescribable sense of desolation and loneliness about An Peilin.

"General Lu! County Magistrate Lu! I am An Peilin, the captain of the City Lord's personal guard!"

Lu Fei stared around warily, grinning broadly as he said, "I know you! Last year, you were ahead of me. During the competition, I lost to you in the five-kilometer weightlifting race! What's going on, Captain An Peilin of the Third Brigade, you've defected to the enemy now? You're only given this few soldiers? You look so skinny and pale, you don't want to use these few to attack my Sanping County, do you?"

An Peilin forced a smile. "General Lu, stop teasing me! I was ordered by the city lord to lurk into Gongzhou and wait for action. Unexpectedly, a few days ago, a plague was discovered in the Gongzhou camp, and many people were infected! In order to prevent his followers from mutinying, Wang Lun, the leader of Gongzhou, spread the news that there was a vaccine in Jinzhou Prefecture, which attracted tens of thousands of believers to attack Jinzhou Prefecture. Today, he has sent these sick people to serve as the vanguard. Now I have killed Wang Lun and brought 50,000 people to surrender! Please open the city gates and let the people in!"

"What?! An Peilin, are you fucking crazy? Bringing 50,000 or 60,000 people to surrender, and some of them have smallpox—"

Before Lu Fei could finish his words, Lu Shiwen covered his mouth and dragged him away.

Gu Xiaonan and the others became nervous!

What did that person say?

Are you disliking them because they are sick and not allowing them to enter the city?

Didn’t they say Sanping County has vaccines?! But judging from An Peilin’s tone just now, he had no idea about the situation in Sanping County!

Everyone was stunned, not knowing what to do, when they heard another person on the wall grab the microphone and say, "We understand the situation. Give us half an hour to discuss it! Don't leave yet!"

An Peilin's palms were full of sweat!

He was afraid that he would be stabbed in the back like Wang Lun!

His mind raced, but he couldn't guess how this farce would end. He could only smile awkwardly, "They probably haven't received the city lord's notice yet. They need to discuss something this big. Let's wait another half hour."

Gu Xiaonan has a good temper, but the people around him can't stand it: "If you can't enter the gate of Sanping County today, I will kill you!"

Gu Xiaonan's eyes were filled with sorrow, and his voice seemed to be begging: "Brother Goudan, this is our last hope - please don't lie to us!"

An Peilin's heart ached, and he could only repeat over and over again, "Don't worry, the city gate will definitely be opened! The city gate will definitely be opened!"

I don’t know whether I am saying this to myself or to others.

On the city wall, Lu Fei was forcibly dragged away by Lu Shiwen. The eldest brother was dissatisfied and angrily said, "Lu Shiwen, why are you stopping me?! I want to curse this An Peilin to death for causing us so much trouble! This is a plague! Big brother, it's a plague! He actually brought the plague to Sanping County! Is he crazy?! Or does he want to destroy the foundation that the city lord worked so hard for?!"

Lu Shiwen said sternly, "I know. Calm down! Have you forgotten that our area has already been vaccinated against smallpox? An Peilin couldn't have been unaware of this!"

Lu Fei calmed down a bit, "Then it's still unknown whether the cowpox vaccine is really effective?!"

"Why, you don't trust the City Lord, nor do you trust Dean Qiu and the others?"

Lu Fei frowned, "It's not that I don't trust them! I just..."

"You just haven't been among plague patients and haven't experienced smallpox yourself, so you don't believe it?"

Lu Fei shrugged his head, then said viciously: "This is not the reason why he brought troops to our Sanping County! How could he bring so many people to attack the city! Doesn't he know the situation in Sanping County?!"

"General Lu, please listen to me first."

Lu Fei was so angry that his chest heaved. He glared at Lu Shiwen but did not interrupt him.

After spending these days together, Lu Fei has discovered that Lu Shiwen is smarter than most people. Lu Fei has always admired smart people, so he is willing to listen to what Lu Shiwen says.

"Actually, An Peilin just explained the whole story very clearly. Even without him, that so-and-so leader would have already prepared to send the sick to attack the city. In other words, this war wasn't caused by him, but was inevitable. As long as they knew Jinzhou Prefecture had the cowpox vaccine, they would have rushed over like crazy! If it weren't for General An Peilin, our two forces would have been locked in a war now, isn't that right?"

Lu Fei gritted his teeth, but refused to admit it. "But he should have found a way to lead these people to other places. Why bring them to Sanping County? Even if we really open the city gates, can you guarantee that the vaccine will be effective for everyone? Can you guarantee that they won't take advantage of their numbers to attack the city? Not to mention, Sanping County is a small county and has no capacity to accommodate so many people! What's more, these people are ambitious and not of our race. They will definitely not sincerely surrender to our master. Letting them into the city will only lead to disaster!"

"But if we don't let them into the city, An Peilin will surely die!"

Lu Fei was stunned for a moment, then said word by word, "Let him die, but sacrifice him to save the entire Sanping County! I will personally go and plead guilty to the city lord, and then ask for the honor of a martyr for him!"

Lu Shiwen frowned, "But the problem now is, if we don't let them enter the city, they will break in anyway!"

"Then let's fight! Who's afraid of who? Brothers, we've been training for so long, it's time to see some blood!"

"The city lord said that attacking the city is the worst strategy. Once a war breaks out, both sides will suffer casualties. And think about it, that person has the world at heart. The people you kill now will become her people in the future."

Lu Fei said nothing.

"Most importantly, the City Lord has always been benevolent in his administration. Have you forgotten that last year, when Lan County ran out of food, 40,000 to 50,000 refugees still came to surrender, and the City Lord didn't refuse them. Now, these 40,000 to 50,000 people have become the City Lord's absolute supporters. The City Lord once said, what should war be like?"

Lu Fei replied unconvincedly: "We must unite all forces that can be united."

"That's right." Lu Shiwen finally smiled. "I think this is both an opportunity and a challenge. It depends on how we handle it. If we can cooperate with General An, we might be able to take Gongzhou without bloodshed—"

Lu Shiwen's voice was gentle and persuasive, with a kind of bewitching power: "General Lu, think about it, taking a city effortlessly is a much greater military achievement than killing thousands of enemies."

Lu Fei thought about it, then looked at the fox-like man in front of him and took a deep breath, "Okay, I, Old Lu, will listen to you this time!"

"I've been waiting for you to say that!" Lu Shiwen laughed heartily, snatched the loudspeaker, and quickly walked to the edge of the city wall. He said to An Peilin, who was sweating profusely below, "General An, how many people did you bring this time? Who led the troops? How many people are sick?"

An Peilin heard Lu Shiwen ask this and knew that today's matter was very promising. He couldn't help but feel his heart almost pounding. "A total of more than 50,000! Currently, there are about 5,000 or 6,000 sick, and the leaders are still behind!"

"Go get them all! I have an announcement to make!"

An Peilin didn't understand what this meant and his heart was pounding, but someone had already gone to call Grandma Yinhua and the others.

In fact, Granny Yinhua followed them quietly and heard the sound of iron from far away, so she naturally knew what had happened before.

Some people were very alert, "He asked us to come over, isn't he going to catch us all in one fell swoop?"

"I see that the walls of Sanping County are impregnable, and the soldiers there are all tall and strong, looking very scary!"

Granny Yinhua sneered, "Doesn't this just prove they have a strong army? Strong army means good food, they have food! We've come all the way here, even if it's just for that smallpox vaccine, we have to fight for our lives and move forward!"

Everyone nodded.

Once they killed the leader Wang Lun, they had no way to retreat.

If they turn back, King Zhoushan will sooner or later send people to wipe out these rebels.

Can only move forward——

There is no way out!

"Let's go! There are tens of thousands of us, why should we be afraid of him?"

At Grandma Yinhua's command, the thousands of people in the front slowly moved forward.

Almost all of them wore face coverings, and from the city wall, they looked like moving black dots. They were densely packed, and there were coughs, and some even collapsed mid-stride. All of this truly frightened Lu Shiwen.

Not only An Peilin, but also Lu Shiwen, he was also very panicked, and he also had no way out.

This group of people followed An Peilin all the way here despite their sick bodies. They had to either go into the city or mutiny. If one of them was not handled properly, Lu Shiwen's future and life would probably be ruined here.

Not only that, there are more than 10,000 people behind him!

At this moment, Lu Shiwen finally understood the courage and determination that the city lord had shown in resettling 40,000 to 50,000 refugees last year!

If the city lord can do it, he, Lu Shiwen, can do it too!

Because he was chosen by the city lord!

He can't bring shame to the city lord!

Looking at the sea of ​​heads below, Lu Shiwen was so nervous that his legs felt weak, but he tried his best to make his voice sound calm.

"Everyone, I'm sorry, I can't let you into the city-"

As the commotion below began, Lu Shiwen cooperated by beating the gongs and drums, temporarily suppressing the wave, and then immediately shouted loudly: "But! But!"

Everyone's breath was held in their throat, unable to move it up or down.

"Please listen to me first!" Lu Shiwen's eyes sparkled as he stood tall on the city wall, like a god that everyone looked up to. "You are infected with smallpox. If you enter the city, the disease will spread rapidly. Although we have the cowpox vaccine, it is not yet clear whether it is effective against smallpox. Therefore, even if I, Lu Shiwen, cannot bear it and agree to let you enter the city, the people of Sanping County will not agree!"

Someone in the crowd cried out excitedly, "He lied to us! Sanping County won't let us in at all!"

Granny Yinhua and the others glared at him, then waved their hands and said, "Go and cut off An Peilin's head for me!"