vrcanaries Chapter 190 Annihilation of Black Wind Stronghold
Chapter 190 Annihilation of Black Wind Stronghold
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Zheng Hao rubbed his fingertips together, appearing calm on the surface, but in reality, a multitude of thoughts were passing through his mind.
After their last conversation, knowing that Uncle Gu disliked his probing, Zheng Hao stopped testing him.
The young military supervisor lowered his eyes, thinking about how to put himself in the position of the victim and explain to Uncle Gu that poisoning Yu Feng was a last resort, so as to arouse Uncle Gu's pity for him.
Zheng Hao lowered his eyes in thought when he suddenly heard the young man ask Da Zhuo, "Is it all handled properly? Will anyone find out?"
Zheng Hao stopped rubbing his fingertips, lifted his eyelids, and looked at the young man who had turned to look at Da Zhuo.
Da Zhuo was already very experienced in handling these matters, so how could anyone possibly find fault with him?
He said to Gu Lin, "Don't worry, my husband, this matter will not leave a single trace."
Although Da Zhuo did not specify how to prevent others from discovering it, Gu Lin knew that it was better for both of them not to ask about some things. After realizing that this matter would not affect Zheng Hao, he did not continue to investigate.
Seeing that Da Zhuo still had important matters to report, he got up to leave the study. Before stepping out of the door, Gu Lin turned to Zheng Hao and said, "We are one, and we will share the responsibility for what you do."
Was Zheng Hao ruthless in sending someone to poison Yu Feng? Gu Lin was kind but not naive. Seeing that others wanted them dead, if they didn't strike first, they would be the ones to die.
If this trip is a crime, he and Zheng Hao will bear the consequences together.
After Gu Lin left, the young military supervisor's gentle expression vanished completely. Da Zhuo reported, "Sir, what should be done with Yu Feng's family?"
Zheng Hao raised his cold eyes and said, "The main culprit is dead. The others must not be harmed. Have the imperial envoy escort them back to the capital to await the judgment of the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice."
Da Zhuo paused slightly. In the past, when they did such things, they always eliminated the entire enemy force completely. But now, their lord was showing mercy...
Could it be because of her husband?
Da Zhuo pondered for a moment, thinking that the master might still be concerned about Yu Feng being a court official. If they were to eliminate him completely, it might attract the attention of the court and expose them.
A few days later, the cause of death of the traitor Yu Feng was found out. After learning that Yu Feng had plotted a rebellion, General Yu's wife was afraid of being implicated by the traitor and did not want him to return to the capital alive. So she took the initiative to poison her husband. Immediately, the general sent troops to guard Yu Feng's entire residence and not allow anyone else to be harmed.
Faced with the results reported by his generals, General Chang intuitively felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't find the answer even as he frowned.
"There are many suspicious points surrounding Yu Feng's death. How could the case be closed so quickly?" General Chang asked.
The general replied helplessly, "The Imperial Envoy has been urging us to close the case quickly. With the deadline for returning to the capital to report on our duties approaching, the Imperial Envoy has even sent people to the military camp to jointly interrogate the traitor and others. Since we really can't find any evidence that Yu Feng was poisoned by others, we have no choice but to make this result public."
The general continued, "The Imperial Envoy intends to escort General Yu's wife and the remaining traitors back to the capital for His Majesty's decision."
With the Red Army in the lead, even though Yu Feng's death revealed something unusual, General Chang didn't have the extra energy to investigate. He handed the remaining criminals over to the imperial envoy and then didn't bother with them anymore.
However, after taking control of the Red Army in the town, General Chang discovered that the Red Army faced numerous problems, especially in terms of food and supplies.
If the imperial court does not allocate funds and provisions, the Zhenhong Army will run out of food supplies this month. However, because the Zhenhong Army often asks the imperial court for more food supplies, the imperial court is unwilling to allocate any more. After General Chang became the commander-in-chief, he was only happy on the first day, and afterwards he was worried about money and provisions.
The tent flap was opened, and General Chang looked up with his fierce eyes. A soldier reported, "General, Military Supervisor Zheng requests an audience."
In front of others, General Chang put away his worry and said, "Quickly invite Lord Zheng in."
The soldier turned and left, and a moment later, Zheng Hao stepped into the tent.
General Chang rose to greet him and asked, "Is Lord Zheng's illness better?"
Zheng Hao replied without changing his expression, "Thank you for your concern, General. After drinking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, my condition has improved."
General Chang nodded and said, “You scholars are physically weak and easily fall ill from the slightest breeze. Lord Zheng, don’t stay indoors all day dealing with official business. Going to the courtyard to stretch your limbs when appropriate can help you stay healthy.”
Without further explanation, Zheng Hao patiently said, "General Chang's words are reasonable, I have learned from your teachings."
General Chang nodded with satisfaction.
Then he said to Zheng Hao, "It's almost noon, Lord Zheng, please stay for lunch."
Zheng Hao did not refuse and agreed.
General Chang had the soldiers outside have lunch, and then led Zheng Hao to sit down at the table.
After a while, two soldiers came in to deliver lunch. Looking at the few dishes on the table, none of which were real meat, but only coarse grains and vegetables with no oil in them, General Chang was a little embarrassed: "The army is short of funds, Lord Zheng, please make do for now. I will invite you to have a chat another time."
Zheng Hao reached out and picked up the earthenware bowl, took a mouthful of coarse grains, swallowed it without changing his expression, and said to General Chang, "In my early years, my family was poor, and I often ate coarse grains. It has been a long time since I have eaten them, so they taste quite different."
Seeing that the other party did not mind or find it disgusting at all, General Chang breathed a sigh of relief and laughed heartily: "I have been used to eating coarse grains in the army for a long time. When I occasionally return home, I feel that coarse grains are not as enjoyable as fine grains."
When it comes to getting along with people, Zheng Hao has never failed if he wants to befriend someone.
General Chang was a generous and forthright man. He alone could create a lively atmosphere at the two of them's meal. Zheng Hao did not let the other party's words fall to the ground. He would either nod in agreement or reply seriously, but he did not appear to be flattering or perfunctory. On the contrary, it made people feel that he was listening to him seriously. It was the first time that General Chang had eaten with a civil official. He felt extremely comfortable and did not feel the slightest bit uncomfortable when he was with scholars in the past.
The two ate and chatted, one a scholar and the other a warrior, and they had endless things to talk about.
After the meal, the soldiers came in and took away the leftovers.
Seeing the cheerful smile on General Chang's face, but with worry in his brow, Zheng Hao put down the tea he was rinsing his mouth with and asked, "General, have you been worried about the Red Army's food supplies lately?"
Running out of food supplies in the army is a serious matter. If it were to be revealed, it could undermine morale. Therefore, General Chang did not tell anyone except his trusted generals about this matter.
Even though he had gotten along well with Zheng Hao just now, General Chang still looked at Zheng Hao with suspicion after hearing the other party's question: "How does Lord Zheng know about this?"
Seemingly oblivious to the other party's wariness, Zheng Hao said, "I once oversaw the investigation of tax revenues in various regions. During the verification of tax revenues, I inadvertently discovered that the Zhenhong Army had repeatedly requested grain from the imperial court. Counting the days, I suppose they should be out of supplies by now."
General Chang had heard a little about Zheng Hao's position and reputation in the capital, and the wariness in his eyes subsided slightly.
"So... Lord Zheng brought this up?" General Chang asked in return.
Zheng Hao looked at Chang Wei and asked, "Is the capital unwilling to allocate more money and supplies to the Zhenhong Army?"
After a slight hesitation, General Chang nodded silently under the dark eyes of the young military supervisor.
“Running out of supplies is no small matter. If the Red Army finds out, the Zhenhong Army’s situation will turn from advantageous to disadvantageous.” Zheng Hao said, “I have a plan that can help the general solve the current problem.”
Upon hearing this, General Chang did not immediately believe it. He stared at the young supervisor and asked, "What is Lord Zheng's plan?"
Without showing any displeasure at being suspected, Zheng Hao said, "There is a mountain stronghold called Black Wind Stronghold on the outskirts of Jibei Prefecture. When I came to Jibei Prefecture to take up my post, I stayed overnight in the outskirts. The third leader of Black Wind Stronghold led his men to ambush and kill us. I ordered an interrogation and learned that the traitor Yu Feng had colluded with Black Wind Stronghold and that the embezzled grain and salary were all hidden in Black Wind Stronghold. Now, before the news of Yu Feng's death spreads out of the city, General, you should immediately send troops to wipe out Black Wind Stronghold to prevent them from transporting the grain and salary elsewhere."
General Chang remained silent. Zheng Hao said, "General, you may interrogate Yu Feng's family to verify whether this is indeed the case."
Immediately, General Chang stood up and said to Zheng Hao with a solemn expression, "Lord Zheng, I must take my leave."
Knowing what the other person was going to do, Zheng Hao took the initiative to say goodbye.
Upon returning to his residence, news from the military camp reached Zheng Hao's ears in real time.
After learning that Yu Feng's embezzled grain and salary were likely hidden in Black Wind Village, General Chang saw hope for the Zhenhong Army's supplies. After bidding farewell to Zheng Hao, he did not waste time interrogating Yu Feng's family and directly ordered his men to lead troops to Black Wind Village to suppress the bandits.
Fearing that letting a single bandit escape would affect his own military pay, the general ordered his soldiers to focus on guarding the main roads and side paths around Black Mountain Stronghold that were easy to escape through. Seeing that the entire mountain was surrounded and the Black Wind Stronghold bandits had no way to escape, the general stared at the stronghold on the mountain and gave the order: "Attack!"
"—Report!"
The man, looking panicked, hurriedly ran into the main hall of the village. A banquet was being held inside, and sitting at the table were the chief and second-in-command of Black Wind Village, as well as the leaders of the surrounding villages, all of whom regarded Black Wind Village as their leader.
Disrupted from his enjoyment, the gang leader, who was embracing a beautiful woman, threw his wine glass at the messenger: "You unlucky bastard!"
Despite being hit on the head by the wine glass and bleeding profusely, the man dared not move and continued, "Master, please forgive me. I have important matters to report."
The second-in-command advised the first-in-command, "Brother, don't be angry. Listen to what he has to say first. If it's not important, then you can deal with him later."
After saying that, the second-in-command said to the man, "Hurry up and tell me."
The man succinctly stated the important matter: "Chief, Second Chief, something terrible has happened! Our Black Wind Stronghold has been surrounded!"
The second-in-command narrowed his eyes, gazing at the pitch-black night outside. For some reason, a bad premonition arose in his heart.
The chief slammed his fist on the table and said, "Which village has the audacity to provoke my Black Wind Village again?"
The man, with a mournful face, said, "It's not—it's not from other villages, but—the government troops!"
The leader immediately sobered up, disbelief appearing on his fierce face. He and the second leader exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with seriousness.
After a night of fighting, the generals brought all the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold back to the military camp, including the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold. As for the leader, he had been killed by Niu Qiang the night before for resisting.
Thinking of Niu Qiang's bravery last night, the general said, "Good lad, how about working for me?"
Niu Qiang replied, "I will obey General Chang's orders."
Upon hearing this, the general knew that the promising talent had been snatched away and that he had no chance.
When the bandits from Black Wind Stronghold were brought back to the military camp, Zheng Hao and General Chang were discussing important matters in their tent. Upon hearing of their return, General Chang said to Zheng Hao, "Lord Zheng, why don't you come out and take a look with me?"
Zheng Hao did not refuse.
Outside, soldiers were carrying food and wooden crates into the camp. One soldier tripped over a stone while carrying a crate and fell to the ground. Immediately afterward, the crate opened, and heavy pieces of silver fell out. The surrounding soldiers and officers all looked over and swallowed hard as they saw the gleaming silver.
General Chang shouted at them, "Look at your pathetic state! This is all your military pay, what's there to be greedy about?"
One of his close generals said, "We've never seen so much silver before!"
General Chang glanced over.
After being glared at by General Chang, the general who had spoken immediately said, "That Yu Feng is really greedy. We eat coarse food and wild vegetables, while he uses our military pay to eat meat and drink alcohol."
These words deepened the dissatisfaction of many generals and soldiers around Yu Feng.
General Chang waved his hand and said, "Alright, tonight the cooks will cook meat and make soup, so you can eat your fill!"
"General!"
Everyone booed.
With the embezzled military pay and provisions recovered by Yu Feng, General Chang had accomplished a major task.
At the same time, they also found a lot of gold and gems in Yu Feng Mansion and Black Wind Village. General Chang turned to Zheng Hao and said, "Lord Zheng, go and see if there is anything that catches your eye. We were able to find the military supplies and provisions this time thanks to Lord Zheng's reminder."
Chang Wei was fair and strict but not pedantic. He allowed his subordinates to extort benefits for him, but there was a limit.
Zheng Hao said, "Although I am a scholar, I admire the general's efforts to recover lost territories. The general's generous treatment of the soldiers with money and provisions is his way of thanking me."
Seeing that the other party was not making excuses but was sincere, General Chang thought for a moment and said, "Then I, Chang, will thank them on their behalf."
Then, Zheng Hao asked, "How does the general intend to deal with the Black Wind Stronghold bandits?"
Upon hearing this, General Chang frowned. He was not an expert in this matter. General Chang wanted to hand the bandits over to the prefect, but with Yu Feng's downfall, the current prefect was also imprisoned, and a new prefect had not yet been appointed.
They were all roughnecks who only knew how to march and fight. If anyone in the army made a mistake, they would be dealt with according to military law. They couldn't possibly treat the Black Wind Stronghold bandits according to military law as well.
General Chang had a headache. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the young military supervisor and suddenly realized that the man was a top scholar in the imperial examinations, a true civil official, and could even serve as a prefectural governor.
He asked, "Lord Zheng, what do you think should be done with the Black Wind Stronghold bandits?"
Zheng Hao had no intention of letting the Black Wind Stronghold members go that night at the inn, since they dared to harbor murderous intent.
He paused for a moment as if thinking, and then said, "According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, Black Wind Stronghold has committed serious crimes such as murder and misappropriation of military funds, and shall be severely punished."
All principal offenders in murder cases, regardless of age or gender, are subject to the death penalty; accomplices receive a reduced sentence, ranging from exile to imprisonment.
After spending many days at the Hanlin Academy, Zheng Hao memorized the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty.
After a moment's thought, Chang Wei felt that Lord Zheng's handling of the bandits was very reasonable. Without hesitation, he called over a soldier, repeated Zheng Hao's words, and said, "Do as Lord Zheng says."