Chapter 354 Getting on the Right Path
Seeing that this person was so cooperative, Lin Changning simply smiled and said, "There is indeed something that I need Wei Baihu's help with."
Wei Shao wore a respectful expression, but in his heart he thought, "Just as I thought. No wonder he's been so polite to me since I just recruited him."
"Please speak, sir."
Lin Changning sat next to Wei Shao, tilting his head to look at Wei Shao, and smiled very kindly: "Wei Baihu must know that the court will soon besiege Xincheng. Although we are under the command of the King of Chu, we really cannot bear to see our soldiers of Daxuan lose their lives here."
Lin Changning's face showed a deep sorrow as he spoke: "To be honest, Commander, I come from the Daxing Guard. Strictly speaking, I am an enemy of the Crown Prince and his men. Their rebellion has harmed thousands of my comrades. It's impossible for me to have no grievances at all. But the real culprit is the imperial court. Every year, the court withholds and delays the payment of rations and salaries. Many soldiers in Daxing have been fighting the Tartars on empty stomachs. If it weren't for the timely support sent by the Prince of Chu this year, Commander, you probably wouldn't be seeing me now. Not only are the rations and salaries withheld, but there are also traitors in the court who collude with the Tartars. The grain and fodder donated by the people were burned to ashes. It's truly..."
Lin Changning sighed deeply. Wei Shao, who was also from the garrison, could empathize with what Lin Changning said. He clenched his fists tightly and sighed after a long while.
He knew that what Lin Changning said was true; most of the soldiers in those border garrisons were indeed living a very difficult life.
Lin Changning raised his eyes, his gaze serious: "Although Prince Sheng's rebellion harmed my Daxing soldiers, the real culprit behind all this is the inaction of the court at the top and the rottenness of the lower levels. Prince Sheng is despicable, but his soldiers are truly the soldiers of Daxuan, and heroes who defend the border. I don't think they should have lost their lives here."
Wei Shao pursed his lips and cupped his hands toward Lin Changning: "I understand what you said, Vice Commissioner. I have also heard about the matter in Daxing. Please accept my condolences, Vice Commissioner. I have already pledged allegiance. If you have anything to say, just tell me your orders, and I will not hesitate!"
As he spoke, Wei Shao stood up from his seat, knelt on one knee, and pledged his loyalty to Lin Changning.
A smile flashed in Lin Changning's eyes as he hurriedly got up and helped the man up: "It's not really an order, but there is indeed something that requires the centurion to make a trip."
Wei Shao stood up with Lin Changning's help, clasped his hands respectfully, and said, "Please speak, Vice Commissioner."
Lin Changning sighed deeply, helped the man up, and then had him sit down. "You must know that the imperial court is planning to wipe out the Crown Prince's forces. Most of these men are frontier soldiers. My lord, we truly cannot bear to see our compatriots perish here. Therefore, I hope you, centurion, can go and say that we were ambushed here, and that you were the only one who escaped. Tell them that we will most likely be resting in the valley..."
A smart person understands immediately. Upon hearing Lin Changning's words, Wei Shao realized that Lin Changning wanted to use this opportunity to have him pass on false information so that he could set up an ambush and wipe out the pursuers behind him.
Wei Shao hesitated for a moment, but then he thought that now that he had already pledged allegiance, he naturally needed a pledge of loyalty.
If they refuse, they might not be able to leave this camp tonight. If they agree but fail to accomplish their goal, they will still face great risks when they return. They might be accused of betraying the court, and their entire family could be implicated and punished.
After a few moments of internal struggle, Wei Shao gritted his teeth and agreed: "Thank you for your trust, Vice Commissioner. I will certainly live up to your expectations."
At this point, he had little room for maneuver. Even if he went back to spread false information, the court would likely not let him off the hook.
Presumably, some noble children will try every means to steal his credit.
After Wei Shao agreed to Lin Changning's request, Lin Changning patted him on the shoulder.
"There's no time to lose, so I'll trouble you, Hundred-Household Commander, to make the trip today."
Wei Shao bowed his head to accept the order, but his eyes glanced at the brand-new suit of armor that had just been placed on the table.
Lin Changning raised an eyebrow and instantly understood what Wei Shao was thinking. If this person went back wearing their armor, it would be like trying to hide something obvious.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning looked at Wei Shao's reluctant gaze and suddenly burst into laughter: "Wei Baihu, there are plenty of armors here. If you can return successfully, I will go back and have the blacksmith forge you a fine suit of armor to ensure that you will not suffer the same fate as today."
Wei Shao blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed by Lin Changning's words.
But he really wanted a better suit of armor before he could fight Lin Changning.
He always felt that if the armor he was wearing today wasn't of such poor quality, he might have been able to put up a good fight with Lin Changning.
As for why he didn't defeat Lin Changning, Wei Shao sighed silently in his heart. No matter how exquisite the technique, it was difficult to resist innate divine power.
The young vice commander before me was a born general.
Although he hadn't read many military books, he knew that such a person was one in a million.
After bowing to the courtier, Wei Shao turned and left the tent. He asked Lu Shan where his horse was, then spurred his horse and galloped towards the other camps where the imperial court was stationed.
As the horse galloped down, a cool breeze brushed against Wei Shao's cheeks. Wei Shao's wounds from the horse's jolting throbbed with pain, and he just remembered the two bottles of wound medicine that Lin Changning had just slipped into his arms.
Subconsciously, he touched his chest. Wei Shao took out the small porcelain bottle, which had been warmed by the heat. Wei Shao bit open the small opening with his teeth and gently smelled it.
There was no pungent smell, only a cool and pleasant herbal scent, which suggests that high-quality ingredients were used.
Thinking of this, Wei Shao couldn't help but smile. Although it was to win him over, this vice commissioner was indeed willing to go to great lengths.
Back in their garrison, these two small bottles of top-quality wound medicine would probably sell for several dozen taels of silver.
Wei Shao was spreading false information under the guise of tipping someone off, so naturally his wounds couldn't be bandaged. Wei Shao felt a little regretful, and after resealing the plug, he put the wound medicine back into his pocket.
He was pondering how to leak the news to the court's generals. If the court's generals didn't fight and fall into the trap, it would be difficult for him to go to Taiyuan with the Vice Commissioner.
If even the slightest hint of his betrayal were to leak out, he and his family would be in grave danger.
Wei Shao slowly planned how to start the conversation and how to speak in a way that would increase credibility. He mentally prepared his speech and then pressed hard on his wounds.
The enemy attack today is a fact, there's no need to fabricate that. If the wounds on my body bleed a little, it might be better to pretend that I escaped at the cost of my life.
After running for nearly two hours, Wei Shao looked at the camp ahead, which was radiating a warm yellow light. He steeled himself and once again fiercely scratched at the wounds on his body.
The intense pain made Wei Shao's face even paler. Blood slowly seeped through his clothes from the wounds on his body. Wei Shao lay weakly on the horse's back, carried by his warhorse, and galloped quickly towards the camp.
The guards outside the camp became alert as they watched Wei Shao running towards them from afar and shouted loudly.
"Who goes there?!"
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