Chapter 00121: The Plan Succeeds
# The Plan Succeeds
Chapter 121
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 121: The Plan Succeeds
"Me?" The topic successfully piqued Lu Yao's interest.
He put down his wine bowl and frowned, thinking for a long while.
"Dong Haoming had impressive military achievements in his early years, but he became somewhat muddle-headed in his old age. He didn't even verify whether the emperor was in the palace before attempting an assassination. Who else would suffer a setback if not him?"
He took a sip of wine and ate a couple of peanuts handed to him by a bandit: "Besides, his sons are all useless. I fought his second son, Dong Haoye, by the Xiangrong Lake. That kid read a couple of military books somewhere and thought he could lead troops. His father probably wanted him to gain some military merit on the battlefield so he could rise quickly in the ranks. Little did he know, he ran into me in that battle!"
At this moment, the fish soup prepared by the cook was brought to the table.
The thick, milky-white soup was garnished with a few chicken feathers, two tender mushrooms, and a small handful of chewy handmade noodles.
He Chunhua added a few drops of wine to the soup while it was still hot, and the aroma was so enticing that carnivorous creatures within a two-hundred-meter radius were salivating.
He watched as Lu Yao slurped down most of the soup before asking, "How did that battle go, General Lu? Tell me about it."
Someone wanting to hear about his glorious past made Lu Yao happy.
He wiped his mouth and said, "At that time, Dong Haoye thought our lakeside camp was empty and brought over a thousand men to raid it. He almost succeeded! Fortunately, I was out patrolling with three hundred men and saw the distress signal in the sky, so I rushed back."
He Chunhua gave a thumbs-up: "Three hundred against over a thousand, impressive."
"Haha, that kid was so stupid he rode a white horse! On a dark and windy night, that horse practically glowed. I shot him down with one arrow. Once the general's flag fell, the morale of his troops collapsed. That thousand-man force was just a rabble, and we scattered them in less than two rounds..."
￥￥￥￥￥
Wu Shaoyi was lost in thought for a while, but before the troops from the mountain could arrive, the sable returned first.
"There's an army hidden under Whistle Rock, at least five hundred strong. They're sitting in the dark, not lighting any fires. I saw two guys whispering and laughing lewdly, and then one of them got whipped. Oh, and I saw a few familiar faces in there. These are definitely Lu Yao's men."
It actually spoke, but no one here was surprised.
They were used to it.
Wu Shaoyi asked, "How far is Whistle Rock from the Immortal Spirit Village?"
"It only takes me a few dozen breaths to jump over there. For you humans, it's probably about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea," the sable added.
"The space under Whistle Rock is quite spacious, enough to hold several hundred people at once."
Wu Shaoyi's expression immediately turned grim.
The distance was so close, yet these people didn't go to the Immortal Spirit Village to warm themselves by the fire and eat fish.
Instead, they chose to hide under Whistle Rock in the cold dew, not even lighting a campfire, afraid of being discovered...
Were they all squatting in a pit or something?
From the moment Lu Yao sent the invitation to join forces, the three parties agreed to bring two hundred men each to the Twin Moon Pool, both for balance and as a precaution.
Now, Lu Yao had secretly added more men under Whistle Rock.
This was a unilateral breach of the agreement!
He knew it—Lu Yao was not to be trusted!
Wu Shaoyi took a deep breath, reminding himself to stay calm, and then asked the sable, "What about the Immortal Spirit Village? What did you see there?"
"Lu Yao was sitting by the big lake at the village entrance with a man, in front of a huge fish king. They were roasting fish, drinking wine, and chatting happily. I heard Lu Yao boasting about his past military exploits and calling the man 'Lord He'! Oh, and he even gave him advice on how to capture Wuzhou and defeat the Grand Marshal!"
Wu Shaoyi's expression changed.
Lu Yao was sitting with a royal official, eating fish and drinking wine? The scene was just too incongruous.
As for dealing with the Grand Marshal, that was something the royal court had to worry about.
No one else would ask Lu Yao for his opinion on such matters.
That man surnamed He was undoubtedly an official.
"The two of them also gossiped about several generals, including General Pei. Lord He praised him for being resourceful and steady, but Lu Yao said that being steady had its pros and cons. He mentioned that General Pei's concubine had slept with someone else, and General Pei didn't even confront the adulterer."
The sable scratched its belly.
"The two of them laughed for a while, and when Lord He asked who the adulterer was, Lu Yao said it was General Xiaoyao."
"Oh, and behind that 'Lord He' were all lightly armored soldiers. I circled the village, and there were at least two hundred soldiers, all looking tense."
Wu Shaoyi placed a hand on his sword hilt, his face ashen: "Good, good. Lu is indeed planning to use our lives to curry favor with the officials!"
Old and new grievances surged up in his heart.
The guide beside him widened his eyes in shock: "General Wu, don't fall into the enemy's trap! Those soldiers are the ones we're supposed to kill! General Lu is just keeping him steady, waiting for you and General Pei to join forces and make a grand show of it!"
"You're drinking and eating fish with the people you're supposed to kill?" Wu Shaoyi laughed instead of getting angry.
"Didn't you say earlier that there was nothing unusual in the village?"
"I..."
"There aren't many soldiers. Lu Yao could handle them himself. Why does he need to wait for us?"
The guide couldn't answer.
He couldn't very well say that Lu didn't want to suffer losses himself, could he? He could only brace himself and say, "Think about that arrow message. Someone must be trying to sow discord between us!"
The guide wanted to argue further, but Wu Shaoyi was done listening.
With a backhand slash, he cut off the guide's head.
The blade was still dripping with blood when he sent orders to Pei Xinyong.
Lu Yao had not only broken the agreement by bringing all his men but was also conspiring with the officials to plot against him.
Did Lu Yao really think Wu Shaoyi was so easy to kill?
This alliance was something Pei Xinyong had pushed for.
He was a relatively calm person.
To secure his support, Wu Shaoyi instructed the messenger to emphasize Lu Yao's arrogant remarks.
Pei Xinyong's most beloved concubine was a stunning beauty, and the key point was that she was thirty years younger than him.
No matter how strong Pei was, he was already in his fifties and busy with military affairs.
How could he satisfy her every need? Once, when he led his troops out for over four months, the concubine not only had an affair but also became pregnant.
Even the steady Pei Xinyong couldn't tolerate this.
In a fit of rage, he killed the concubine without even finding out who the adulterer was.
He then drank in silence for half a month.
Such a thing was a thorn in any man's heart.
What made it even better was that the adulterer, General Xiaoyao, had already died in battle.
Even if Pei Xinyong found out now, he couldn't wake him up to kill him a second time.
Wu Shaoyi was burning with anger but didn't rush to act.
He ordered the entire army to stand by, waiting for Pei Xinyong's response.
During this time, Lu Yao sent scouts again.
Wu Shaoyi's men spoke kindly to them, saying that the general was still recovering from his drinking and had delayed entering the mountains.
They were taking a short rest and would continue soon.
After another half an hour, Pei Xinyong's reply finally arrived, very brief:
"Additional troops have been added. Willing to go to Whistle Rock to hold off seven hundred elite soldiers."
With this agreement, Wu Shaoyi felt more confident.
He waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Our target is the Immortal Spirit Village!"
Pei Xinyong also mobilized the remaining troops from the mountain, bringing their total forces to sixteen hundred.
(End of Chapter)