Chapter 967 - 967 967 Eradicating the Rebel Remnants
Chapter 967: Chapter 967: Eradicating the Rebel Remnants Chapter 967: Chapter 967: Eradicating the Rebel Remnants Thoughts are always beautiful, but reality is always cruel.
Di Hongyuan and Di Yelei’s net had been cast, and the storyteller’s tale was circulating in various teahouses, large and small, yet there had been no sign of Liu Sisi.
Niuniu, Chou Chou, and others also received Di Yelei’s “command” and, protected by several guards, began to wander near the hostel, hoping for a miracle.
In Wanzhou Prefecture, there was a sudden surge in the population, making the already bustling Wanzhou even busier. Those waiting to enter the city formed four columns outside the city gate, with the long queues stretching far into the distance.
This anomaly was naturally detected by the Prefect of Wanzhou.
Nowadays, with both the Imperial Envoy and Prince Luo within the walls of Wanzhou City, if any trouble arose, he feared even his official position would not be safe.
He personally visited the entrance immediately and upon returning, his furrowed brow never relaxed again. He hurriedly gathered all the manpower he could muster from his subordinates. He swiftly dispatched these forces to all four city gates, tightening the inspection of those entering the city and significantly reinforcing the city’s security patrols. Especially around the bustling wharf area, the number of patrol officers was significantly increased.
Even so, the number of outsiders coming into Wanzhou City each day was still multiplying.
Di Yelei was very well informed about all this. His forces had combed through Wanzhou City like a fine-toothed comb repeatedly, and the rapid surge in population was immediately reported back to Di Yelei.
“Your Honor, there has been a sudden surge in the number of outsiders in and around Wanzhou City over the past three days, increasing by over sixteen thousand in three consecutive days. They are mainly concentrated around Shahe Street and the bell and drum tower area, and the wharf near Double River Entrance is even more crowded with large groups of people. Even the nearby towns like Sun Family Town, Zouma Town, and Tailong Town have seen a significant increase in idle people. If these people were to cause any trouble, the consequences would be unimaginable,” the Deputy General said with a worried look on his face.
Di Yelei glanced at Prince Luo, who seemed as if he hadn’t heard the Deputy General’s words at all, furrowing his brows in thought.
Having no choice, Di Yelei coughed lightly and said, “Prince Luo, what is your view on this matter?”
Only then did Prince Luo lazily raise his head to look at him and chuckled lightly, “What is there to think about? One must share the sovereign’s worries in exchange for the sovereign’s bounty. Since His Majesty has dispatched us to Wanzhou, our purpose is to eradicate these rebel remnants, so naturally, we should do what needs to be done.”
What he meant by “do what needs to be done” was obviously to act according to the original plan.
“To eradicate them is not out of the question, but given the current opposing forces, if we really engage in battle, we may struggle without gaining favor. And the civilians of Wanzhou City might once again find themselves in trouble,” Di Yelei said, hesitant to see Wanzhou City, which had just been pacified, return to conflict.
“Marquis Yongping does indeed think thoroughly, but I fear the current situation does not allow us to say no,” Prince Luo sneered repeatedly, “His Majesty only provided us with this limited number of troops. Does he expect our forces to defeat the many with the few, or does he have other plans? That’s hard to say. If you are indeed planning to send troops, I’m afraid I cannot accompany you!”
If he and Marquis Yongping were genuinely intended to eradicate the rebel remnants, why would they be so openly dispatched on an official ship with such a scant number of troops? In his view, perhaps their true role was to serve as bait.
Since they were the bait, then who was the angler?
This was what Prince Luo cared about most.
However, his return to the court had ultimately been thanks to Princess Ruyu. He sat here patiently, listening because of her, as the saying goes, “Look to the Buddha face to face, not to the monk’s face.”
Prince Luo’s words had hit the nail on the head for Di Yelei!
However, whether those words were spoken by him or by Prince Luo first made a world of difference.
“Since Prince Luo has spoken thus, Ye Lei naturally stands with Prince Luo in solidarity! However, given the situation, I’m afraid that not sending troops is out of the question, but we also cannot send troops just like that,” Di Yelei said, his face full of scheming.
“Oh? Does Marquis Yongping have any good strategy?” Prince Luo was also interested.
“It can’t exactly be called a good strategy, but this method can solve our current predicament. It goes like this… and like that…” Di Yelei chuckled twice and shared his plan.
That night, cries and shouts of fighting filled the city of Wanzhou.
Many people were still in their dreams when countless soldiers and officers suddenly appeared at inns and wine-houses, and with the speed of lightning, they wiped out these so-called “remnants” temporary abodes in one fell swoop.
These forces were mainly composed of soldiers brought by Di Yelei and Prince Luo, combined with the horsemen of the Prefect of Wanzhou and the followers of major powers from the wharf.
Their actions were swift, accurate, and ruthless!
In their attacks, they adhered to the principle of rather killing by mistake than missing an enemy, leaving no room for the other side to escape!
By the time day broke, the main streets of Wanzhou City that had been stained with fresh blood were cleaned spotless and looked as good as new.
The snowflakes dancing in the sky complemented the faint wails heard in the distance, adding a touch of desolation to the early morning.
“It seems there were still some wrongly killed last night.”
Di Yelei’s expression was somewhat forlorn.
“My Lord, those so-called wrongly killed might well have been the accomplices who harbored the remnants of the rebels; it’s hard to say it was truly a wrongful killing. Even if there truly were one or two wrongful killings, compared to the countless civilians at dawn, what do they amount to? And the soldiers on the battlefield, each raised by their parents, when it comes to the point where each serves his own master, it’s hard to say what is right or wrong,” the Deputy General consoled him.
Di Yelei bowed his head and pondered for a moment, then nodded, “You’re right, I was being narrow-minded!”
But he was thinking of Sisi, wondering where she could be amidst the chaos in the city.
And Liu Sisi, whom Di Yelei was missing at the moment, was unaware of what was happening outside.
As her internal injuries healed rapidly, Young Master Wuxin truly lived up to his heartless name, showing no mercy in his use of medicine on Liu Sisi, often causing her excruciating pain and leading her to rapidly lose weight.
All night that night, she had been soaked in a large bathtub by Young Master Wuxin, filled with pitch-black medicinal water. At first, she felt nothing, but as the soaking time lengthened, her skin began to hurt like it was being pricked by needles, so painful that she hated not being able to leave the bathtub immediately, but she was firmly held down by two maids until she was lifted out at daybreak.
Indeed! She was carried out because her whole body was sore and limp, without even the strength to move her fingers.
“Have you heard? Something happened in Wanzhou City last night. It’s said that Lord Imperial Envoy ordered a slaughter in the city, killing countless people. I wonder if it’s true?”
As she lay there unable to move, the idle chatter between two little maids caught her attention.