Chapter 102 Defense

When Qi Rong saw the person arrive, he gestured for Qi An'an to be taken away first. After the person left, he said seriously, "The situation is tense lately. We need to patrol important places such as sheepfolds, stables, and granaries frequently. Have the administrative office, warehouses, and pastures close their gates today. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my token."

After Qi Rong finished speaking, he looked at Commander Zhou and said, "Go and find Magistrate Sun and Vice Magistrate Wu later. Today, you need to pay attention to everything, from the general drills to the supplies, logistics, and patrols. Don't let anyone find fault with you."

The group responded and prepared to leave. Before leaving, Qi Rong stopped Lin Changning: "Xiao Liu, stay. I have something to tell you."

After everyone had left, Lin Changning finally asked, "Second Brother?"

Qi Rong gestured to Wen Zhi to guard the tent before looking at Lin Changning seriously and said, "You shouldn't go patrolling the city recently. I suspect that there are spies planted by the court among some of the soldiers. I'm afraid that Duke Qi received some news and came here so quickly under An'an's name."

Lin Changning's right eye twitched: "Second Brother has someone he suspects?"

Qi Rong, remaining silent, dipped his finger in tea and wrote a single character on the table. Lin Changning's eyes widened in disbelief: "Impossible! Commander, are you mistaken?"

Qi Rong shook his head: "This is why I came to see you today. Tonight you..."

Lin Changning leaned in close for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he nodded: "Leave this to me, don't worry!"

After saying that, Lin Changning left the tent and walked straight to Commander Ma at the drill ground: "Uncle Ma, the commander has given me some instructions. I need to go out and take care of some things these few days. Could you help me make an inspection and keep an eye on their drills? Even though it's winter and cold, we can't slack off."

Commander Ma, correcting the foot soldiers' postures, turned around and said loudly, "Alright, Changping, you can go and get busy. I'll take care of the garrison matters."

After giving instructions to Commander Ma, Lin Changning went home. That evening, he told Shilang that he wouldn't be back that night and then headed straight for the grassland.

Lin Changning took the token and found the two deputy envoys. They talked for a while, and then Lin Changning led a group of soldiers to lead hundreds of sheep from the pasture to the city out of the city overnight.

Post Station

In the middle of the night, there was a sudden knock on the door of the Duke of Qi's room. The Duke opened the door impatiently and asked, "What is it?"

The guard lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Lord Duke, someone said they saw a commander under the young master leading several thousand sheep out of the city overnight."

Is this really true?

The Duke of Qi looked up excitedly, then realized he had spoken too loudly and lowered his voice to ask again, "You mean Qi Rong's men moved the sheep outside the city overnight?"

The guard nodded: "That's what the messenger said, so it should be correct."

Duke Qi couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You little brat, I've finally caught you red-handed! Did you think you could stop me by keeping me out here? Hahaha!"

The Duke of Qi excitedly ordered his men to prepare horses, intending to lead them out of the city to catch someone in the act.

The little brat! His own father came here and treated him like a thief. Not only did he kick him out of the garrison, but all the departments blocked him from entering. Even using the name of the Duke's mansion didn't work. In the end, he even had to stay at the post station. He's gone too far! This time, we've caught this brat plotting against a third-rank official. Let's see how he dares to act so arrogantly in the future. It would be best to strip him of all his military power.

After quickly packing up, the Duke of Qi led his men out of the city, intending to catch someone red-handed.

Garrison Camps —

Zhiqi's men, sent to supervise the Duke of Qi, immediately reported to Zhiqi upon seeing the man chasing after them out of the city gate. Zhiqi opened the tent flap, clasped his hands in salute, and said, "Commander, they've taken the bait. Shall we go?"

Qi Rong shook his head: "No rush, we'll have to wait a while."

After speaking, Qi Rong seemed to remember something and asked, "Were there any unusual movements in the homes of the several commanders today?"

After thinking for a while, Zhi Qi said, "Commander Ma has been inspecting the camp all day. Madam Liu went to help at Ma San Niang's shop. Both of Ma's sons are doing intensive training in the camp. After finishing his training, Commander Shi went out to buy some mutton tonight and then returned home. He also brought a piece of sesame candy for his son. Commander Zhou went to inspect the city wall after notifying the various departments today. Commander Lin stayed home tonight and went to the pasture to set a trap outside the city at night."

Qi Rong lowered his eyelids, seemingly lost in thought. After a few moments, he waved his hand and said, "Wake me up in an hour."

Zhou Qianhu did not have any contact with anyone today, so he could not be the traitor. Ma Qianhu is the most suspicious, but he had almost no contact with outsiders today. As for Shi Qianhu, Qi Rong thought about it briefly and really couldn't think of any honest man who would pass on a message to the Duke of Qi. He still needs to observe. As for Changping, needless to say, his background is as clean as a blank sheet of paper, and he is the one Qi Rong trusts the most at the moment.

Lin Changning, who was outside the city, had already sent several hundred sheep back in a circle, while he, along with Wan Jin and a dozen or so soldiers from the pasture, quietly waited for those who would fall into the trap.

Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was up, the city gate was opened again. Lin Changning sneered. Sure enough, there was a traitor in the garrison. Only a few commanders and two personal guards knew about what he had left behind today. Qi Rong's personal guards could not possibly have problems, so the only ones who knew her itinerary and would inform her were a few commanders.

Sure enough, they chased after people as soon as they left the city.

Duke Qi rode out of the city on horseback, followed closely by a dozen personal guards. The sound of hooves pounded the ground and dust billowed as they raced after Lin Changning and his men, determined to find Qi Rong's weakness. However, once they reached the city gates, they were caught off guard and the dozen guards, along with Duke Qi, fell into a pre-dug chevaux-de-frise pit.

Duke Qi felt his mount let out a terrified neigh as its front hooves dangled in the air. Before he could react, the horse and he plunged straight into the pit. In an instant, the world spun around them, and the guards behind them, unable to stop in time, also fell into the pit.

This pit was a trap set by Lin Changning and his men. Duke Qi felt a sharp pain in his leg, but before he could cry out, his warhorse slammed into him. There was a crack in his leg, and his chest felt like it had been hit by a hammer. He saw stars in his vision from the pain, groaned, and then fainted.

The guards were also thrown around in a daze, and five or six of them were injured, either with spikes piercing their feet or legs, or with their ankles caught in animal traps in the pit. For a moment, cries of pain echoed from the pit.

The unconscious Duke of Qi had a sharp wooden splinter deeply embedded in his thigh, quickly staining his trousers and sleeves red. The guards who were able to get up quickly dodged the traps and splinters in the pit and went to the Duke's side. Seeing the Duke's injury, they shouted, "Duke, a wooden splinter has been embedded in your thigh! Quickly, go and call for help!! Quickly!! Go and fetch the young master!"

A few lucky guards who had only suffered minor injuries from the fall and scrapes climbed out of the pit, dusted themselves off, and looked up at the four- or five-meter-deep crater above them: "Boss, how do we get out of here?"

Lin Changning, who had heard screams nearby, clapped his hands, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes: "It's done! Let's go take a look!"