Chapter 00260: Closed Door Meeting
# Closed Door Meeting
Chapter 260
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 260: Closed Door Meeting
He was still unaware of the murder that had occurred in the town when he recognized Hong Chenglue, his face displaying surprise.
"Hong Chenglue, what brings you here?"
Hong Chenglue smiled and replied, "Someone asked me to find you."
"Ah, who?"
"Liu Yalin."
The young man who had just been executed was named Liu Yalin.
Chen Youjiao was taken aback, and his anger flared.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
"He said to take it slow and wait for you to head out together."
One of Chen Youjiao's subordinates, enraged, shouted, "Watch your mouth!" He raised his sword sheath, ready to slap the tall man.
In the next moment, he was sent flying.
A tree trunk, as thick as a bowl and a distance of ten feet away, was shattered upon impact.
The officer was already spitting out blood in mid-air, and when he hit the ground, he lost all breath.
A large hole, large enough to fit a fist, had been cut into his chest.
Another of Chen Youjiao's subordinates, who could not be called loyal, retreated two steps and then yelled, "Boss, be careful..."
He had just spoken when something flew toward him, rapidly enlarging in his field of vision before smashing into his face.
This man fell backward, knocked down by the sword of the first victim, still attached to its sheath.
Only then did Chen Youjiao truly feel fear.
He drew his waist sword and shouted, "What are you doing! I am just carrying out my duties. Those three were to be executed according to law!"
Hong Chenglue replied coldly, "In June this year, during the bandit suppression, you accomplished nothing but arrested innocent citizens in Jiulinggou to take credit, is that also according to law?"
"That doesn't make sense! You don't want blood..."
A soft swish interrupted Chen Youjiao's words as he stared blankly at Hong Chenglue.
The latter ignored him, turning to walk toward the carriage.
After taking three steps, Chen Youjiao's upper body suddenly slid down.
From left chest to right rib, he had been sliced open with a clean cut.
As he looked down to see his legs still standing on the ground, Chen Youjiao let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Blood gushed out, soaking the ground beneath him.
Being cut in half did not necessarily mean immediate death; if one had a bit of breath left, they might suffer for a while longer before dying.
After boarding the carriage, Hong Chenglue glanced out the window.
"Let’s go.”
Killing someone so casually and drawing the blade was perhaps a way to conclude that past with a sense of finality.
Wu Qing clapped his hands in admiration.
"General Hong’s blade is still as sharp as ever."
He watched in awe, having failed to catch how Hong Chenglue had drawn his sword.
Hong Chenglue chuckled, "Am I that old?"
Freed from the bindings of his vows, he felt an unprecedented sense of lightness.
Now, this was what it meant to be alive.
The past few years had only been a matter of existing like a walking corpse.
An hour later, the carriage arrived at Wujiazhuang.
The village was hidden near the forest, far away from the official roads; it was unlikely for anyone other than lost travelers to come close.
Although it was called a "village," in reality, it was a stronghold, surrounded by a circle of wooden spikes to keep out bandits and rogues.
Wu Qing stepped forward to call out, and someone came out to move the wooden stakes, allowing the carriage to enter.
Hong Chenglue disembarked and, following Wu Qing's lead, settled his wife in a nearby small wooden house.
Though small, the house was well-equipped, far better than the shabby home he had in Bailu Town; even the charcoal stove at the foot of the bed burned brightly, surrounded by a circle of stone barriers.
Although the ten or so wooden houses stood quietly, Hong Chenglue could sense that there were people inside.
Once he settled his wife, Wu Qing led him to the central wooden house.
As the door opened, over a dozen people stood up simultaneously.
Wu Qing introduced, "Everyone, this is the General Hong you have all been eagerly waiting for."
Then turning to Hong Chenglue, he added, "We have infiltrated the Summer Prefecture; these are the leaders of each team."
Both sides exchanged formal greetings.
Hong Chenglue also noticed a scholar in a blue robe sitting in the corner, wearing a mask, neither making a sound nor standing to greet him; next to him sat a brown-furred monkey.
He could not tell what breed it was, larger and more robust than an ordinary monkey.
While rubbing its hands by the fire, it nudged several chestnuts closer to the flames, displaying a certain intelligence.
Wu Qing directed everyone to sit down and then said, "Our three teams were intercepted by the Summer army, which exaggerated their achievements, boasting everywhere. The people of Summer are easily deceived, thinking the new governor has brought about a new situation. By the way, the new official of Summer has already taken office, called He Chunhua, and Marshal Nian has a deep grudge against him regarding his son's death. This news has reached Marshal Nian, and he has commanded us to cut off their supply routes."
"Spring is just around the corner. If Zhao Pan's army gets through this spring, once the summer harvest comes in, it will become even harder to push the front south."
Even without Wu Qing stating it outright, everyone present understood that the results of the battles in Yuanbei were far below expectations.
Wu Qing looked towards Hong Chenglue, "General Hong, my master has recommended you to Marshal Nian. Marshal hopes you will lead the next operations."
Hope? Nian Zanli just wanted to test his capabilities.
Hong Chenglue nodded.
"Alright, is there a sand table?"
At once, someone took out a square box, opening it up on the table.
It was clearly a magical tool; when closed, it resembled a tea tray, but when opened, it completely covered the table, the sand quickly shaping into the terrain of the entire Summer Prefecture.
"Where did we suffer in the last three battles?"
Wu Qing snapped a branch and pointed to three spots on the map.
"Our three cavalry units encountered ambushes at these locations. The Summer government published notices blaming the two commanders of the ambush on He Chunhua's subordinates, named Zhao Qinghe and Wu Shaoyi. As far as I know, Wu Shaoyi was originally part of Hong Xiangqian's troops, later surrendered to He Chunhua, while there is no detailed information on Zhao Qinghe."
"The Summer soldiers are not as formidable as claimed; to be defeated by them is simply unacceptable."
Hong Chenglue, having lived in Summer Prefecture for years, was clear on the caliber of the local soldiers.
Whether it was false heads, receiving empty salaries, or skimming off the top, they did it quite happily, but they fell apart on the battlefield.
Upon hearing this, the expression on the faces of the other leaders turned awkward.
"The last defeat was primarily due to being caught off guard," Hong Chenglue calculated.
"Since we are deploying cavalry, three hundred per unit is indeed too many; we need to streamline. Otherwise, we will be noticed by the locals, and they will report to the authorities."
Summer was not a big grassland; three hundred men required eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, making their movements too conspicuous.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Our strongholds in Summer are not limited to just this one, right?" Hong Chenglue said.
"Let’s divide and conquer; each team should consist of no more than ten men, disguising themselves as merchants, to gather information, while the others remain at the stronghold and avoid unnecessary outings."
Someone interjected, "I heard the new governor has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, managing to obtain significant military supplies and actively transporting them to the front lines."
Otherwise, why would Marshal Nian be so troubled?
"Ten days ago, a batch was sent through Bailu Town, and several villagers stole two carts of grain along the way; this shows that the guards are lax."
Hong Chenglue pointed at the sand table.
"No matter how they transport grain from south to north, they must pass through Bailu Town, Xinhang, and Jiazi Pass."
Wu Qing nodded.
"Yes, He Chunhua’s army won victories against ours in Xinhang, securing that batch of supplies."
The various generals exchanged glances.
"Should we lie in wait at one of these three locations?" Even just picking one out of three had a high chance of being the wrong choice.
"Exactly."
Hong Chenglue declared, "In the absence of information, a simple plan is usually the best. How many people do we have left?"
Wu Qing provided a number.
"Alright, we will guard Bailu Town and Xinhang, abandon Jiazi Pass, and send spies disguised as merchants in. This time, it will be our turn to ambush their grain supply."
One general questioned, "Abandon Jiazi Pass?"
"I have been to Jiazi Pass. That road has not been maintained for years; it’s difficult to travel on, and the defenses are weak, full of bandits. If I were a grain transport officer, I would avoid that path; on the other hand, Bailu Town and Xinhang have well-maintained roads, and the distance between them is only about forty miles, making it easier to seek help if needed."
Hong Chenglue analyzed, "Furthermore, we lack manpower; we must concentrate our forces and guard these two routes."
All the generals nodded in agreement.
Hong Chenglue was battle-hardened, knowing that simply dropping in to give orders might not win their acceptance.
After all, how often was war a done deal?
As long as they won, everything he said would be right.
The following discussions saw them make meticulous arrangements.
After two more days, Wu Qing rushed out and quickly returned, reporting to Hong Chenglue, "Our informant in Dunyu sent word that over nine hundred grain transport carts coming from the south have already arrived at Qing Pingxiang!"
The military meeting ended only when darkness fell.
Wu Qing was a merchant, solely responsible for intelligence and logistics, not directly participating in combat.
Just as he was about to count the horses and supplies, a young soldier approached.
"Lord Wu, General Hong's wife requests to see you."
Wu Qing was surprised, pointing at his nose and asking, "She is looking for me?"
"Yes."
"But is there something amiss in arrangements?"
"The details are unclear to me."
At that moment, Hong Chenglue was presiding over the military meeting.
After pondering, Wu Qing decided to go to Hong Chenglue's residence.
The door was slightly ajar, and he knocked gently.
"Madam?"
A Jin's voice came from inside, "Please, come in."
Upon entering, Wu Qing saw A Jin leaning against the head of the bed, covered with a cotton blanket, a pillow supporting her back, and the charcoal stove at the foot of the bed blazing brightly, filling the room like spring.
Because of the food and warmth from the fire, her complexion appeared much more radiant than before their escape, and her eyes regained a spark of spirit.
"Madam, is there any oversight in the arrangements?"
"No, everything is fine."
A Jin replied softly, "I heard that all the supplies for the entire troop are being planned by you, Mr. Wu?"
"Yes, I am responsible for the provisions for these hundreds of people."
If not, there would be no way to get by.
"I would like to ask Mr. Wu to help me find something."
A Jin said, "I heard from Hong Lang that scouts from Beijia Kingdom, as well as spies infiltrating enemy territory, always carried this with them. Mr. Wu must have it too?"
She then requested an item, and Wu Qing's expression changed drastically as he waved his hands vigorously.
"No, no! If I dare to give you this, General Hong will chop me up."
"It is for emergencies."
A Jin sighed, "If there were good days ahead and a hope for recovery, why would I think this way?"
Wu Qing stubbornly refused.
A Jin looked at the twilight, fearing that Hong Chenglue might return at this moment, and thus her expression became stern.
"If you refuse, I will tell Hong Lang that you disdained me, insulted me behind my back, and threatened to throw me into a ravine."
(End of Chapter)