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The fleet was led by Wang Hengjiang's trusted confidant, Du Yuan. He was a brave warrior with little ambition, a man who obeyed orders without question, earning him the Marshal's trust. However, upon hearing the news of the fall of Luling, the Marshal's death, and the disastrous defeat on the front lines, he was distraught and lost his composure.
"How could this be? How could this be?" After pacing the furious cabin seven or eight times, Du Yuan still couldn't figure out how to respond. He was only there to contain the enemy, and the ship didn't have enough troops. A small fight was fine, but wouldn't a real war be courting death?
And what about the fleeing soldiers on the shore? Should he go back to rescue them? If he turned the boat around, would the Tianding Army behind him catch up? More importantly, now that the commander was dead and the city was lost, where would he, a mere figurehead of the navy, go?
After a long moment of anxiety, Du Yuan suddenly seemed to have remembered something and responded by shouting, "Quick! Go get Military Advisor Ning!"
He had been incredibly impatient when Ning Fu had boarded the ship, but now he felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw. After all, this guy had been the second-in-command of a major ship gang, and he was even trusted by the Marshal. So, asking him for advice now wouldn't be a bad idea, right?
Soon, the man in white came in front of Du Yuan and no longer hid anything. Du Yuan told him everything he had heard and looked at him eagerly.
Ning Fu didn't look surprised at all. Instead, he sneered, "I told you to be wary of the Red Flag Gang. Now the city has been suddenly attacked, and the Marshal has been killed. It must be this group of people who are causing trouble."
Du Yuan was stunned. "Aren't the Red Flag Gang pirates? Aren't they still far away in Yuezhou? How could they have done this? Could they have even flown over here?"
"You don't know that when they captured Leren City before, that group of red bandits used the same method. I heard that Miss Qiu has raised a lot of assassins, who are specifically used to assassinate and break through the enemy lines. It's just that I mentioned it to the Marshal many times before, but he didn't take it seriously, so he drove me out." Ning Fu showed a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth, and it was unknown whether he was mocking the tragic death of Marshal Wang.
Du Yuan was stunned for a moment before realizing that this was the reason he had left the city and come to the front lines. But it was too late to regret it now. Du Yuan anxiously asked, "So, what does the military advisor think we should do next? Should we go back and recapture the city, or pick up General Wang and escape as quickly as possible?"
Logically, after Marshal Wang's death, all this property should have been passed on to his children. However, the Marshal only had a few young sons, and it was uncertain whether they would survive the fall of the city. Furthermore, Wang Xing, his adopted son, had never thought much of him, so Du Yuan hesitated to risk his life to save him.
Also, whether fighting or fleeing, we must find a way to delay the Tianding Army. Before, the Tianding Army didn't want to contribute and just confronted us on the river, but now that the front lines have achieved military merits, how can they not move?
But now the army's morale is unstable and the troops are insufficient, so it is really difficult to fight. The more Du Yuan thinks about it, the more headache he feels. It almost drives him crazy.
Du Yuan didn't elaborate on these trivial matters, but Ning Fu had already seen through them. He sneered, "General Du, do you want to risk your life for the First Lord?"
Du Yuan's throat moved at these words, and he whispered, "The Marshal's revenge must be avenged."
He only talked about revenge, but didn't say when or how. He definitely put saving his life first.
Ning Fu nodded in understanding. "If it's just revenge, then General Du should immediately surrender to the Tianding Army. That way, he can protect his life and turn the Tianding Army against the Suoyi Gang, giving him a chance for revenge in the future."
Du Yuan was stunned by what he said. The next moment, he suddenly jumped up, drew his sword, and clamped it directly between Ning Fu's neck, shouting angrily: "Are you a spy sent by someone else, you bastard? Is it your stupid idea that caused the Marshal's death? And you want to sell out the only remaining boat division!"
His anger was undisguised, his suspicions sharp as a knife. Yet, facing this furious and unbridled man, Ning Fu calmly raised the corner of his mouth, "It's not that I didn't warn the Marshal, but he didn't listen, and that's how he ended up. Now, I'm just reminding you that there's still a way out. If you still refuse to listen, I'll kill you."
The smile seemed slightly distorted by the scar at the corner of his lip, but his composure was genuine. He was a weak scholar, and even with a knife pointed at him, he could still say this. Perhaps he had some confidence, right?
Du Yuan hesitated again, not knowing whether to chop down or put the knife away.
Ning Fu didn't wait for him to make a decision, and continued, "You took a lot of boats with you when you escaped before. With the victory of the Minoco Gang this time, they will definitely take the boats for their own use. You, the rebel leader's confidant, what use are you to besides being killed as a sacrifice? And if you go to rescue Wang Xing, not to mention the delay and the possibility of being caught up by the Tianding Army, will he still use you if you just save that kid? If I remember correctly, Wang Xing has already cultivated confidants in the fleet division. Even if you are lucky enough to survive, how will you survive?"
Du Yuan's forehead was covered in sweat as he heard these questions one after another. He couldn't answer them, but just hearing them made him tremble with fear. This was far more dangerous than he had imagined. After all, it was easier to avoid an open attack than to defend against an arrow from the dark.
Ning Fu looked at the sweat-drenched man and continued slowly, "Now that the Suoyi Gang's victory is a foregone conclusion, the Tianding Army has gone from being allies to close neighbors worthy of vigilance. If they can obtain this fleet, the Tianding Army's influence will surely expand rapidly. You have served with distinction and have a grudge against the Suoyi Gang. General Yuan will only trust you to use you. Wouldn't that save your life?"
Du Yuan's hands began to tremble. "But they, they are the culprits who harmed the Marshal. How can I turn against them in the middle of the battle..."
Ning Fu was so moved by the words that he laughed heartily, "Wang Hengjiang was originally a member of the Suoyi Gang, and he had great ambitions, which is why he rebelled. If others rebel for their ambitions, why can't you switch factions just to save your life? In a world of great strife, you have to survive first before you can discuss other matters."
This remark completely struck a chord with Du Yuan. It was true that the Marshal had done him a favor, but now that he was dead, his entire family was probably wiped out. And Wang Xing, that brat, certainly wasn't enough for him to turn to. In that case, he had to find a better way out.
With his mind made up, he involuntarily lowered the knife in his hand. After hesitating for a while, he said, "But even if I surrender, the other side may not accept me. I'm afraid it will still be General Yuan's decision."
The thief Yuan has become General Yuan. Ning Fu suppressed the sneer in his heart and opened the folding fan in his hand. "That's easy to talk about. Ning is willing to be the middleman and go and talk to Xiang."
Is this an attempt to escape? This was the first thing that came to Du Yuan's mind. He immediately reacted and tightened his grip on the knife. "Wait, why can you succeed just by going?"
Seeing the suspicion in his eyes again, Ning Fu casually replied, "He agreed to join forces with the Minoyi Gang, but when he arrived at the battlefield, he kept his troops in place, waiting to see how the battle unfolded. If General Yuan wasn't around, who would dare do that? Even if he didn't fly the command flag, he must be hiding on the ship. If I could only meet him, I'd be confident I could convince him!"
These words really moved Du Yuan. After sheathing the money, he ordered his men to fetch the gold and silver, and presented them with a cupped hand: "This is just a small gift, and I hope you, Military Advisor, will be grateful for it. If you can persuade me to succeed this time, I will never forget this favor and will reward you handsomely."
Although Du Yuan was also planning to change his master, a military advisor was different from a general like him. If it really worked out, he would be willing to pay, after all, it was a life-saving favor.
Ning Fu did not refuse, he took the gold ingot and put it in his sleeve, and also bowed in a formal manner: "Don't worry, General Du, I will be back soon."
With that, he turned around, his smile hidden in the shadows. For Ning Fu, this group of rebels wasn't the best option. While they had a fleet, they lacked access to the sea, and they would have to painstakingly capture Xinchang Prefecture in order to advance eastward. Prince Xin was even less likely. While his territory was near the sea, he lacked a navy, and couldn't break through the Qingfeng Gang's encirclement. In that case, wouldn't that leave only the Tianding Army?
By joining the Tianding Army, they could march eastward along the river to the sea estuary. Seizing Yuhang would further bolster their power. Yuan Tianding, a salt smuggler by birth, couldn't possibly care less about power at sea? And once Jiaolong entered the sea, it would only be a matter of time before they faced the Qingfeng Gang. With that formidable opponent defeated, who would be next?
He will have to take revenge eventually, but now it will be a little faster.
Not long after Ning Fu boarded the boat alone, the Tianding Army sent envoys to Du Yuan to surrender. Du Yuan did not hesitate and obediently accepted the command of the fleet.
Du Yuan's surrender unleashed unrest among the rebel fleet. Upon hearing this unexpected news, many leaders were enraged and furious. Dozens of boats, large and small, turned and attempted to flee, while others attempted to rush to shore to rescue Wang Xing and the remaining defeated troops. Unfortunately, they were too late, and Du Yuan, eager to gain merit, had already taken advantage. The Tianding Army, already poised for action, launched a fierce attack, cornering the group. A chaotic battle ensued on the river.
So when Wang Xing led his defeated army and painstakingly arrived at the riverside, this was the scene he saw. Who could have imagined that the death of Marshal Wang alone would cause the entire navy to revolt?
But what else could there be? The troops on board were insufficient, the elite troops had been deployed in ambush, and now the leader, General Du, had surrendered. Who would still fight for a dead man?
After figuring out the twists and turns here and realizing that his escape route had been completely cut off, Wang Xing gritted his teeth and said, "Keep going east. Let's go and surrender to the King of Xin!"
At this point, their territory was no longer tenable, and the only one who could protect them was Prince Xin, with whom they had previously dealt. Since those people had even defected to the Tianding Army, wouldn't it be normal for them to defect elsewhere?
Without hesitation, the remaining soldiers continued to disperse and chased after Prince Xin's troops who had retreated early.
While the farce was going on here, Sun Yuanrang finally led his troops into Luling City.
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