Volume 2 Wu Zhong Ke Chapter 29: Raising an Army to Punish a Crime

  Night, in Fan-yu County government office.

  Yesterday, Wu Mei and her mother were successfully rescued, and Chen Kui and others were caught. The good news of the uprising in Daze Township came again in time, making Yin Xu extremely excited and secretly delighted: history is indeed not deceiving me, this time it's a successful gamble.

  Wu Rui no longer hesitated and resolutely decided to raise an army to resist Qin. On the same day, he gathered thousands of troops, and for a time, the momentum was greatly boosted. The bow has no turning back arrow, after raising the army, after all, facing the siege of the Qin army, now there are more than 4,000 horses stationed in Pengli Marsh, only tens of miles away from Fan County.

  Therefore, the most urgent task at present is to solve the problem of the more than 4,000 cavalrymen led by Qin's left school lieutenant. At this time, Wu Rui and his son, Yin Xu, Pu Jun, Gao Yi and others were discussing military affairs, while Ying Bu did not attend due to his injury.

  "An Tong's unit has over 4,000 people, and we also have nearly 5,000 people now. We are evenly matched in strength, and a head-on battle is not to be feared." One of Wu Rui's generals appeared extremely confident.

  Gao Yi shook his head and said: "Although a fierce battle may have some chance of winning, it is not the wisest move after all. If we can win by strategy, that would be for the best."

  "Mr. Gao is right!" Wu Rui said: "It's best to capture them, annihilate the enemy, and also reduce the casualties of our comrades." After finishing speaking, he looked at Yin Xu with a deep meaning.

  Wu Chen's eyes sparkled as he spoke quickly with a smile, "Brother Yin has always been known for his wisdom and strategic thinking. Previously, with just over a hundred men, you were able to turn the tables on An Tong's troops. I'm sure you must have come up with some extraordinary plan to deal with Zeng's defeated generals?" Wu Chen had long admired Yin Xu, and after last night's events, their relationship had rapidly become closer, with them now addressing each other as brothers.

  Everyone's eyes unconsciously fell on Yin Xu, and with the previous rumors and last night's performance, everyone admired him greatly. At this moment, they all had high expectations for him.

  Yin Xu felt a slight awkwardness and smiled lightly: "Thank you for your appreciation, I do have some ideas, please let me share them with you!"

  Wu Chen eagerly awaited, laughing and saying: "Brother Yin, please go ahead and speak, we will listen with reverence!"

  Yin Xu smiled at him and said, "An Tong's grain is supplied by Fan Yi, and the heavy rain for more than a month has not added new supplies. The grain will be cut off sooner or later, and it will collapse without fighting. However, to prevent him from jumping over the wall in desperation, this is also our first battle since we started the army, we must take the initiative to attack and win beautifully. In our situation, the morale of our soldiers is greatly beneficial!"

  Everyone nodded in agreement, and this point has already been reached a consensus.

  "We took action in time last night, and Chen Kui's men were caught off guard. Today, the city gates are also restricted, it seems that the news has not yet leaked out, this is our opportunity. Since Chen Kui can send a message to An Tong, it can be seen that they have contact with each other, I'm sure An Tong will believe us."

  "Alas! It's just a pity that we were delayed the day before yesterday, and the letter wasn't delivered in time. If we had helped out, I believe County Magistrate Chen would have been grateful to us even after his death." As he spoke, the letter of betrayal seized from Zhang Gongcao was already in his hand.

  "Are you going to send this letter to An Tong again?" someone asked in doubt. Wu Rui nodded slightly, smiling but not speaking.

  Wu Chen clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! Brother Yin's plan is truly ingenious. An Tong has a hot temper and will definitely send someone to demand an explanation immediately."

  Yin Xu smiled and said, "Exactly! Let's add some fuel to the fire, it would be best if An Tong leads his troops here immediately. That way, we only need to set up an ambush halfway, and wait for them to tire themselves out. When An Xun comes to ask for punishment, won't that be wonderful?"

  Haha! Everyone burst out laughing! Discussing the time, place and strategy for an ambush...

  The next day, just after dawn, an unexpected guest arrived at the Qin army camp by the side of Pengliu Ze!

  In the grand tent, a man dressed as a scholar bowed respectfully: "Greetings, General An!"

  An Tong, who had just gotten up from his bed, sat in the main seat and lazily asked: "Who are you?"

  "Wen Shi bowed and said: 'I am Zhang Bo, the county clerk of Fan County, here on the orders of County Magistrate Chen!'"

  "Oh?" An Tong asked: "What's the hurry? Has my military rations arrived?"

  Wen Shidao said, "Inspector, please don't be in a hurry. I have a letter from my county magistrate here, and I would like to ask you to take a look at it first." He respectfully handed over a silk letter.

  An Tong took over the fine reading, his eyebrows gradually twisted into a knot, and his face turned iron blue. Xingang, who had already recovered from his injuries, stood by, feeling a little strange, and curiously stretched out his head to take a look. The letter read: Wu Rui, the county magistrate of Fan County, colluded with bandits and enemies, privately released Yin Xu and others to pass through the border, and conspired against the imperial army.

  At the same time, it was revealed that the bandits had stolen and burned the camp's grain supplies on that day. Xingang only then understood that Yin Xu and others had indeed arrived at Fan County, and afterwards took the Pengli Ze waterway northward, circling around to the rear where they would have an opportunity to strike. Yin Xu was the chief culprit, but Wu Rui could not be forgiven either; thinking of the sword thrust to his chest, Xingang's hatred made him grit his teeth in anger.

  An Tong read it and was furious. This time, Peng Ze's suppression of bandits failed, not only did he fail to achieve anything, but he was repeatedly attacked by the bandits, injuring hundreds of people. Although Zhao Gao didn't scold him harshly, he also lost face greatly, and the soldiers' "respect" for him quickly decreased. What made him even angrier was his colleagues' ridicule - with an army of 5,000, they couldn't even defeat a hundred or so bandits, An Tong had really lost all dignity.

  There was indeed a factor of underestimating the enemy, but at this moment, he unconsciously attributed all the blame to Wu Rui's head, and everything was caused by Wu Rui's protection of the bandits. An Tong was furious and couldn't control himself, suddenly drawing out the precious sword from his waist and chopping the small table in front of him into two halves. He angrily shouted: "Old Wu Rui, I will definitely chop you into ten thousand pieces!"

  "Zhang Bai" hastily bowed and made a fist, saying: "Colonel, calm your anger. My county magistrate, under the pretext of hosting a banquet, falsely claimed to be drunk and stayed overnight, and has already detained Wu Rui in the government office."

  "Ah?" An Tong, who was in a rage, heard this and felt slightly relieved, and asked: "Did Chen Kui frame Wu Rui?"

  "Yes!"

  Zhang Bai replied, "My county magistrate has always suspected that Wu Rui was colluding with thieves and had a disloyal heart, so he has been paying attention to him all along. Last time the government army camp was attacked, the county magistrate felt suspicious, and after making discreet inquiries for a long time, he finally confirmed it."

  "Oh!"

  Zhang Bai continued, "My county magistrate originally intended to report this news to the school lieutenant and have you handle it. However, Wu Rui received news of Chen Sheng and Xiang Liang's rebellion and uprising, and Wu Rui was eager to take action. The county magistrate feared that if things dragged on, there would be changes, so he used a banquet as an excuse to invite Wu Rui to the government office, where he was placed under soft detention. He then sent his subordinates to report the news to the school lieutenant overnight."

  An Tong nodded and said: "County Lieutenant Chen did a great job!"

  "Zhang Bai" spoke in a timely manner: "County Master temporarily closed the city gate on the grounds of catching thieves, but it can't last too long. Moreover, Wu Rui was placed under house arrest for drinking at night, which is only temporary, and if time goes by, there will be unexpected branches. The thousands of troops stationed in Fan County are all under Wu Rui's command, and if we delay, I fear something will change, so please, Colonel, make a decision as soon as possible!"

  "What does 'Chen County Wei' mean?" An Tong asked in a low voice.

  "My county magistrate thinks that if it's possible, please ask the Colonel to dispatch troops immediately, advance and station in Fan Township. The grain, grass, and camp tents are all ready-made. Deter Wu's army, punish Wu Rui!"

  A general beside him suggested: "Sending troops is certain, but let's send someone to scout first!" In his opinion, Zhang Bo was just one person's words, and for the sake of caution, they should verify first!

  "Zhang Bai" showed a dissatisfied expression, feeling suspected by others, and immediately calmly said: "What the general said is not bad, but the situation in Fan County is critical. If the Wu family discovers something unusual and rescues Wu Rui, it's likely to cause trouble, which would be very bad. Please, Colonel, make a decision quickly!"

  Bu Jiang was about to speak again, but An Tong waved his hand and said: "This is indeed Chen Kui's handwriting, and the county lieutenant's seal cannot be mistaken!"

  Xin Gang's heart was already filled with hatred, and he said indignantly: "Wu Rui has colluded with the enemy and caused significant losses to our army. If we delay any further, Wu Rui will escape, and not only will Chen County Magistrate's life be in danger, but also Wu Rui may learn from Liang Jue and raise an army to rebel. Zhou School Lieutenant has already returned to Kuaiji, and we have only a few thousand soldiers left, with very little food and grass remaining!"

  Ever since the General Sword incident, An Tong has regarded Xin Gang as his confidant and often listens to his opinions. Now that he has analyzed it this way, punishing Wu Rui is one aspect, but if another rebellion were to occur under his nose, the consequences would be unthinkable. Moreover, he is furious with Wu Rui to the extreme, and his decision can be imagined!

  An Tong loudly said: "Quickly take roll call, although I will kill the barbarian village, raise an army to punish them, and chop Wu Rui's old body into ten thousand pieces!"

  "Yes!" Xing Gang led the way, kneeling down to receive orders!

  "Zhang Gongcao, let's set off a little later!"

  "Promise!"

  An Tong led the generals out of the account to point soldiers, Fan Yi's Gong Cao "Zhang Bai" fell far behind, no one noticed that a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and it was gone in an instant!