Some commoners, clinging to the railings, shouted to the guards at the prison gate, "Officers, we were captured by those damned Jurchens! We are innocent! Let us out!"
Such shouts rose and fell until the people who came to verify the identities entered and heard the solid sound of combat boots on the ground, at which point the shouts gradually subsided.
Following Xu Di's instructions, a squad leader, speaking in Mandarin, called out loudly: "Fellow villagers, our superiors have invited you all here temporarily to identify any spies hiding among us. Please forgive us. Now, I will explain our identification methods."
It's actually quite simple: people who know each other should verify each other's identities, and those who are alone and cannot have their identities verified should be locked up.
A writing table was placed in front of each cell door, and then people began to ask each person in the cell what village they were from, what their name was, how many people were in their family, and who from their own village was among them. Soon, ten people who were left out were identified.
These ten lone men were all tall and strong. Although they were dressed in ordinary peasant clothes, their physiques were not those of ordinary peasants. The squad leader sneered at the ten men and said, "I'll have to trouble you all to stay in this prison until those Jurchens are driven out."
The ten men looked at each other in disbelief. They hadn't expected that the infiltrator could be identified so easily. However, it was also thanks to Xu Rao's good control over Liaodong in recent years. Because it was close to the Jurchens and a border city, vigilance had to be heightened. If they encountered any suspicious strangers, they had to report them immediately. The civilians who had been captured thought they were going to die here, but who knew that such a big turn of events would happen? Hearing the soldiers say that there was a spy among them, they naturally did their best to help identify the person.
After the common people were released from prison, they were led by a special official to have lunch, and then taken to the south gate of the city. The side gate was opened, and the people were released.
Xu Di instructed the people to go home, take their families and food, and hide in the mountains for a while. They were to return home and rebuild their homes after the invading Jin forces had been wiped out.
After Xu Di personally led a team to interrogate several captured Jurchen generals, he gained an understanding of the Jurchen army's marching plans.
There was another group of men at the north gate of the city. Since the border army's camp had to be reached through the north gate, there weren't many Jin soldiers there. Xu Di looked at the few dozen men under his command, went to the north gate to check, and then decided to hold back.
Xu Rao had been warned by Xu Di long ago and had planned to close the city gates and hold out. The city had abundant supplies, and most importantly, the walls of Liaodong Prefecture were very strong. The power of the cannons was not enough to breach the walls.
Back at the government office, Xu Rao was already up. After a quick wash, he drank two bowls of porridge. Seeing Xu Di return, he said, "Eat first, and we can talk about it after you've eaten."
Xu Di nodded, sat down, drank two bowls of porridge, and ate two steamed buns. Xu Rao watched as Xu Di devoured his meal before carefully questioning him about recent events.
Upon hearing Xu Di say that he had already sent Chen Zhaoci and the others to the capital, Xu Rao nodded and said, "What you did was the right choice. Nowhere is safer than the capital right now."
Xu Di nodded and said, "At first, I was thinking of taking advantage of the time difference and sending the people to the capital before they could react. Father, when we caught those two people at sea, I knew I had stirred up a hornet's nest. But we can't send them back, so we can only grit our teeth and keep going. I think with the help of the guards and the gang, my mother and the others will be able to reach the capital safely. Once they are safely in the capital, I can work hard here without any worries."
Xu Rao felt uneasy thinking about Xu Di's journey from Dengzhou to Liaodong. He said, "Actually, you didn't need to come in person. After receiving your letter, I immediately invited Cheng Kai and General Zhou over. We discussed our countermeasures carefully, but we didn't expect that the route from Liaodong to the capital would be blocked. The letter couldn't be sent, and the reinforcements from there couldn't get through."
Xu Di sneered twice and said, "They've been planning this for so many years, how can you possibly break their scheme just by having a few words? We should have caught that guy surnamed Su back then."
Xu Rao waved his hand and said, "No one can see in the future. Who could have known that he could mobilize three forces to launch such a war? Although we have had constant minor skirmishes with the Jurchens, we have been at peace for more than ten years. Now, I think the Jurchens have also mobilized all their forces. If we drive the Jurchens out like we did when we fought the Northern Barbarians, Liaodong can probably enjoy peace for several decades."
Xu Di shook his head and said, "Father, you're oversimplifying things. That man surnamed Su isn't an ordinary person. How could he fall twice in the same place? I always feel that he has a backup plan, but I just haven't figured it out yet."
After Xu Di arranged for someone from Penglai to deliver the letter to the capital, the messenger went straight to the Yongning Marquis's residence. It was already afternoon when the Yongning Marquis received the letter and immediately found Chen Wufu. Chen Wufu then led the messenger to Emperor Liang Cheng's study.
Emperor Liang Cheng sat before his desk, and after reading the letter written by Xu Di, he pondered for a long time with a solemn face. He then asked Marquis Yongning, who was standing below the hall, "Yuanheng, what do you think?"
Yuanheng was the courtesy name of Marquis Yongning.
Marquis Yongning bowed to Emperor Liang Cheng and said, "I beg Your Majesty to forgive Xu Di's audacity."
Upon hearing the words of the Marquis of Yongning, Emperor Liangcheng sneered and said, "Why should I forgive Xu Di? Xu Di has been loyal to the court and to the foundation of our Xiao family. What crime has he committed?"
Marquis Yongning bowed and remained silent. Emperor Liang Cheng felt very aggrieved. These two children were doing such treasonous things for the sake of the throne. If he killed them, they were his own children. If he ignored them, they would cause a huge disaster. The land that his ancestors had conquered was about to be invaded. He still had to rely on other people's children to maintain the face of the court. How could he feel at ease?
Seeing that Marquis Yongning remained silent, Emperor Cheng of Liang waved his hand and said, "Enough. Xu Di is doing this for the sake of the foundation of Liang. I cannot let down a loyal minister."
Emperor Liang Cheng stood up, turned around the imperial desk, walked to the side of Marquis Yongning, and said softly, "Yuanheng, I want to thank you. Thank you for everything your family has done for me. Xu Di can do whatever he wants. My unworthy sons will have to take responsibility for what they have done."
Marquis Yongning repeatedly said he dared not, but Emperor Liang Cheng patted Marquis Yongning on the shoulder and said, "I have already sent first-class guards to Liaodong. News from Liaodong will arrive soon. Rest assured, I will protect the lives of your family."
After thanking Emperor Liang Cheng, the Marquis of Yongning took his leave.
Emperor Liang Cheng stood at the door of the imperial study, watching the Marquis of Yongning walk away, and said to Chen Wufu standing beside him, "Wufu, am I really getting old? Why are these kids so disobedient?"
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