Chapter 162: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Part Two) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The question Zhai Huan raised was exactly what Commander Yang wanted to know.
At this moment, Zhai Le thought of something and cautiously asked Commandant Yang for confirmation: "Commander Yang, do you know about... the rebellion in Lingzhou?"
Commander Yang was stunned for a moment.
It wasn't that he had a problem understanding, but rather that he could understand every single word Zhai Le said, but he just couldn't process it all together.
What does "Lingzhou Rebellion" mean?
He couldn't believe it.
He jumped up from the spot, his eyes wide open like copper bells.
He paced back and forth like a raging, trapped beast, his aura dangerous and uneasy, his footsteps almost creating two craters in the ground. Finally, in a hoarse voice, he asked, "What did you say... Lingzhou?"
What happened in Lingzhou?
When did this incident occur in Lingzhou?
The Zhai brothers were even more shocked than he was.
You really didn't know?
This...this...even they didn't know what to say. Zhai Le could only give a general explanation of the situation, but he lied about his source. He only said that he had recently passed by a teahouse and heard merchants discussing it, without mentioning Shen Tang or the others.
Although he didn't know why Brother Shen intercepted the tax money, he believed that Brother Shen was a sincere and upright gentleman, and even if he had done something wrong, there must have been a reason—moreover, this matter might not even be considered a wrong. He could see the situation in Sibao County clearly.
The governor of Sibao County is a ruthless man to be able to squeeze so much tax silver from a group of emaciated people and also give away a large number of rare treasures in addition to the tax silver to please the king, Zheng Qiao!
From this perspective, Zhai Le is more inclined to side with Shen Tang.
Therefore, he kept quiet.
He did not reveal his speculation to Commandant Yang.
Commandant Yang: "I don't know, I've never received this news..."
He was so angry that his liver trembled, his eyes were filled with bloodshot spider webs, and his eyes were so fierce that he looked like he wanted to eat ten people in one meal.
His nostrils flared, he breathed heavily, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked, and suddenly, as if struck by a tantrum, his anger flared up, and he shouted, "No—with chaos erupting in Lingzhou, why does the prefect insist on paying taxes at this critical juncture?"
Zhai Le interjected softly, "Perhaps even the prefect doesn't know?"
Commander Yang could no longer suppress his anger, and his voice suddenly rose: "How could he not know? If he didn't even know this, has he lived this long solely by luck?"
Zhai Le: "..."
Well... it's hard to say.
But what good would it do for him, the governor, if Sibao County fell?
Zhai Huan said, "Commander Yang, don't be angry. We still don't know which force is besieging Xiaocheng, and it may not even be the rebels from Lingzhou. On the other hand, if it really is them, it's actually a good thing."
Commander Yang swallowed his anger reluctantly, his eyes red, and asked, "Why do you say that, Mr. Zhai? What if those rioters cause trouble..."
Zhai Huan said, "A mob is unlikely to amount to anything."
Commander Yang choked.
As a martial artist with courage, he agreed with Zhai Huan's point of view. A hastily assembled group of old, weak, and disabled soldiers, even if numerous, were only intimidating on the surface. The proportion of martial artists among them was too low; after all, ordinary people struggled even to make ends meet.
They would rise up in rebellion because they couldn't get enough to eat, and like a snowball rolling downhill, wherever they went, people in the same predicament would respond. But—can a group of people who can't get enough to eat really get enough to eat?
How much fighting power can you have if you're fighting on an empty stomach?
How much of a threat could it pose?
Even if the garrison in Xiaocheng chooses to cower and remain hidden, delaying the attack and exhausting the enemy's supplies, they can still wear them down. What's truly terrifying is if the attacking enemy is a well-trained "regular army" with ample provisions; that would be a real danger.
Commander Yang scratched his hair in frustration.
He simply couldn't think of any other possibility...
Seeing that there was no breakthrough on Commandant Yang's side, Zhai Huan could only shake his head inwardly, feeling powerless—he could only take things one step at a time now.
Privately, he noticed that his cousin seemed unwell.
He then proceeded to interrogate her.
Zhai Le stammered, "Brother, I...I—"
Zhai Huan: "Don't lie, you've never been good at this."
Zhai Le immediately deflated: "...Oh, it's like this...I actually have a suspect among those bandits from last night..."
Zhai Huan wasn't surprised, and simply asked, "Qi Yuanliang?"
Zhai Le was shocked: "Brother, you know too?"
Zhai Huan almost laughed in exasperation: "What's so difficult about this?"
Does he really think it's so easy to find a literary talent who can outshine him? Does Ah Le think everyone is as naive as him, believing in coincidences? From the moment Qi Shan appeared to the robbery of the tax silver, even if Qi Shan hadn't done anything, Zhai Huan would have immediately suspected him.
For no other reason than that the coincidences are too great to be coincidences!
Add to that Zhai Le's expression, which betrayed his inability to hide anything...
He asked, "How did you know that?"
Zhai Ledao said, "Oh, because of Brother Shen's sword."
There's almost no chance of them admitting they're wrong.
Zhai Huan's lips twitched, barely managing to match the "Brother Shen" that Zhai Le often mentioned with the scarred, burly man from last night.
"But wasn't he a scholar with a literary mind?"
Zhai Ledao said, "Yes, he is a scholar."
Zhai Huan: "...You call that a literary scholar with a literary heart?"
He remained silent for a long time before glancing at the disheveled Yang Duwei in the distance, as if a breath was stuck in his chest, making him uncomfortable.
Zhai Le stroked his chin, slightly hesitant: "He has a literary air, a literary mind and a literary signature... He is indeed a literary scholar, no doubt about it."
Zhai Huan: "..."
This is truly something I've never seen before.
As the two of them were talking about her, Shen Tang felt a tickle on the tip of her nose and sneezed uncontrollably.
I opened my eyes and sat up halfway.
When I woke up, it was already broad daylight.
The air was filled with the stench of earth mixed with the smell of blood.
She rubbed her temples, trying to recall the events carefully.
Haha, no surprise, I can't remember anything.
Practice makes perfect. Once you've tried it, you're familiar with it. The third or fourth time, you're a pro.
She knew she had blacked out from drinking, so she wasn't too surprised by the change of scenery. A little while later, Chu Yao and the others returned empty-handed, leading her to mistakenly believe that their tax evasion attempt had failed.
"Goro is awake?"
"How did the operation go last night?"
Chu Yao: "Everything went smoothly."
"What about the tax money?"
Chu Yao handed her a sheepskin map and said, "Of course we'll bury it and retrieve it when things calm down. Does your head still hurt? I don't know where that bastard Qi Yuanliang got that strong liquor. You fought like you were courting death last night... There won't be a next time!"
Although Goro's bravery and ferocity after getting drunk were unmatched by ordinary people, he also lost some of the "reason" that ordinary people possess, and didn't care about his body at all. Fortunately, those were all minor injuries, and although the blood volume looked large, most of them were from the enemy.
Qi Shan appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost, and said, "Chu Wuhui, although there are formations in battle, courage is fundamental. Young Master Shen is brave in the face of the enemy, unafraid of death. How can that be bad?"
Chu Yao countered, "Is Wu Lang a martial artist?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang's head, which hadn't hurt before, suddenly started buzzing. She hurriedly waved her hand and jumped up: "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt! Now that everything's resolved, let's hurry back. We still need to pick up Lin Feng from school. If we're a few days late, he'll throw a tantrum..."
She shamelessly used Lin Feng as a shield.
Chu Yao snorted and didn't bother arguing with Qi Shan.
The four took a short rest before preparing to return.
Her good mood came to an abrupt end at a teahouse on a main road.
|ω)
1. Although there are battle formations, courage is the foundation: This comes from the book "Mozi". It means that although there are battle formations, courage is the key to winning battles.
(End of this chapter)
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