Chapter 482: The Tribulation of the Common People (Part 2)
"Quick! Follow me!"
"Don't look around! We must reach the Niutou Mountain Pass before the hour of Xu!"
"Faster!"
“.”
Outside the carriage, noisy shouts could be heard from time to time, and the atmosphere became even more tense and depressing amid the rolling dark clouds.
However, the atmosphere inside the car was several times more tense than this.
Compared with You Wenzong, Han Zhao was obviously slightly inferior in scheming and planning.
Therefore, even if he is extremely cautious, it is possible that the former will catch his flaw at some point and discover his "true identity".
Of course, all this might just be a test by You Wenzong.
Therefore, Han Zhao’s next response is particularly critical.
"Is there another ambush at Niutou Mountain?"
He paused for a moment, then said slowly and solemnly: "Master You, if you ask me about this, my answer is no."
"The scout camp has already conducted several scouting missions in the Niutou Mountain area and found nothing unusual."
"So I don't know why you would doubt it."
"To take a step back, since the emperor has ordered the army to approach Shuzhou City via Niutou Mountain, I will naturally act in accordance with the emperor's order."
"So, unless you can come up with solid evidence, please stop engaging in such intrigues."
With every word he spoke, his tone became colder. Han Zhao's acting skills could be said to have reached a level beyond his normal level at this moment.
He stared at You Wenzong, and suddenly slammed the table in front of him, his expression suddenly becoming extremely gloomy.
"Master You! Now that our army has just experienced a beast tide, the situation in the battle of Shuzhou is no longer as clear as before!"
"I don't have time to guess with you at this time!"
"You're on your own!"
“.”
From simple explanation, to citing the holy decree, and then to using the tactic of "seizing the moral high ground".
Facing You Wenzong's doubts and tests, Han Zhao's response can be said to be very decisive, with basically no flaws revealed, which was completely consistent with the reaction of a loyal general who had been wronged many times.
This indeed caused You Wenzon to remain silent for a long time.
He just looked at Han Zhao, who no longer paid attention to him. After hesitating for a while, he slowly took out a small note from his sleeve.
"General Han, please calm down. I did offend you just now."
"But what I just said is not groundless."
Placing the note next to Han Zhao's hand, You Wenzong said softly: "General, you will know after reading this."
“.”
After glancing at You Wenzon, Han Zhao did not respond, but turned his head to look at the note.
But when he saw the contents on the paper clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted uncontrollably and his expression instantly became extremely stiff.
Those were eighteen small, somewhat sloppy characters; to be more precise, a sentence was repeated three times.
As for what it actually says. [Don’t enter Niutou Mountain]
[Don’t enter Niutou Mountain]
[Don’t enter Niutou Mountain]
“.”
With his hands clenched into fists, Han Zhao quickly forced himself to calm down, turned his head and asked, "Master You, where did this note come from?"
"I have no idea."
You Wenzon shook his head, and judging from his expression he did not seem to be lying.
Seeing that Han Zhao was full of disbelief, he gave a brief explanation.
"General Han, this note was put in a small bottle and thrown into my carriage this morning."
"But the strange thing is that the guards around did not find any suspicious people. I guess the person who delivered the message did not want me to know his identity."
"Hmm? Didn't find anyone?"
Han Zhao's heart was beating fast, but he didn't show any panic on his face. "Master You, there are at least hundreds of soldiers guarding your carriage. How could you not notice anything unusual?"
“That’s what’s so weird about this.”
You Wenzong took the note in his hand, frowned and said, "Unless this person knows some clever trick, it must have been done by one of his personal soldiers when no one else was paying attention."
"And I saw the handwriting of this person. It seems to be written by a woman."
"woman?"
Han Zhao looked confused.
Although he was nervous now, he was more confused.
This mysterious man obviously knew about the ambush in Niutou Mountain and was preparing to disrupt the ambush.
But how did such a confidential matter come to know about it?
Did someone from Wei Changtian leak the news?
But even if there really is such a spy, why is he unwilling to show up?
You know, words said in person are more credible than a mere note.
Oh, one more thing.
This person is actually a woman?
For a moment, countless questions flooded Han Zhao's mind.
Although You Wenzong couldn't figure it out, he was not prepared to discuss these unimportant details anymore.
"General Han, it doesn't matter who the messenger is right now."
"We should think about whether what she said is credible."
"Well, your Excellency is right."
Nodding, Han Zhao had already thought of an explanation: "From what I see, this might be Wei Changtian's conspiracy."
"He sent this message to our spies in the army, hoping to make us hold back and delay the army's advance until all the reinforcements from Dali arrive."
"If not, why would the messenger not want to show up?"
"It must be because this person couldn't explain why he didn't want to enter Niutou Mountain, so he could only leave a note with a few words!"
“.”
To be fair, Han Zhao's explanation can be said to be very reasonable.
Niutou Mountain is the fastest route to Shuzhou City. Any other route would take at least seven or eight days.
This is also the reason why Ning Yongnian ordered the army to go to Niutou Mountain, in order to surround Shuzhou City as soon as possible before the Li army arrived.
But the note that suddenly appeared now was intended to make the army take other routes, which was indeed in line with Wei Changtian's interests.
However, "General, what you said makes sense, but what if what this letter says is true?"
You Wenzong frowned: "If there is really an ambush in Niutou Mountain..."
"Master You!"
Han Zhao suddenly interrupted in a deep voice: "If a mere note of unknown origin can influence the deployment of our army, how can we fight this war?!"
"If we receive another note telling us not to enter Shuzhou City, will we really not attack the city?!"
“.”
The bumpy ride in the carriage made You Wenzong, whose already frail body was weak, somewhat unsteady.
Although Han Zhao's last two sentences were harsh in tone, they still made sense.
Indeed, if we believe every rumor, then we cannot fight this war.
Although You Wenzon was only a civil servant, he certainly understood these things.
So after some hesitation, he finally nodded silently.
"Don't blame me, General. We civil officials have been in the court for a long time, scheming against each other all day long, so it's inevitable that we are a little too worried."
"This is definitely not the way to march and fight, so let the general decide on this matter."
“.”
The sky was covered with dark clouds, and lightning could occasionally be seen rolling in the clouds.
The rain had not yet fallen, and in the gray sky, the 200,000-strong army was still marching quickly towards Niutou Mountain.
Han Zhao successfully deceived You Wenzon with several clever responses, but in fact, even if he failed to deceive him, there would most likely be no problems with the whole plan.
After all, it was less than two hours' journey to Niutou Mountain. If all else failed, he could use "physical means" to make You Wen Zong shut up temporarily.
In just two hours, General Han Zhao was able to gain complete control of the army.
In other words, even if Ning Yongnian suddenly sent a message asking the army not to enter Niutou Mountain, it would be of no use.
Just like this, after several twists and turns, the battle of Shuzhou is finally about to take an earth-shaking turn.
And it can no longer be reversed.
(End of this chapter)
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