Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1209 Severe Measures Must Be Used in Chaotic Times

Zhao Chuanzhi had no ambition and was a mature and prudent person.

He is over fifty years old. For the sake of his family, he should carefully choose to withdraw from the power struggle. If he can keep his current position, he will have achieved success.

Of course, Lin Feng didn't say much. Replacing Zhao Chuanzhi as the prefect of Jingnan happened after Cui Ying had completely taken control of the Jingnan garrison.

Given Zhao Chuanzhi's current attitude, Lin Feng would naturally not make things difficult for him and would arrange another official position for him, which would be a matter of course.

After Lin Feng bid farewell to Zhao Chuanzhi and returned to his residence, someone secretly delivered a piece of intelligence to him that night.

Upon unfolding the document, one finds a list of Wei Nanji's trusted officers among the troops stationed in Jingnan Prefecture, compiled by the local intelligence agency.

Although the number of people was small, they were all in important positions in the army.

Lin Feng must know the key to this; even without the list of spies, he has a corresponding plan.

That is, regardless of whether you are Wei Nanji's confidant, all officers in key positions will be eliminated.

In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary; it is better to kill the innocent than to leave any hidden dangers behind.

Early the next morning, Wei Nanji arrived at Lin Feng's residence and waited outside the gate.

At Lin Feng's request, they abandoned warhorses and switched to horse-drawn carriages.

Lin Feng only brought Qiao Jushan with him, while Wei Nanji only brought a deputy general.

Aside from the two coachmen, there were only four of them.

Lin Feng and Wei Nanji exchanged a smile, both knowing that they were trying to dispel each other's wariness.

Qiao Jushan didn't ride in the carriage; instead, he carried a thick iron rod on his shoulder and walked briskly behind the carriage.

He was too heavy to even sit on the carriage shaft.

Wei Nanji's carriage was in front, followed by Lin Feng's carriage. The two carriages traveled along the wide street and exited the east gate of Jingnan Prefecture.

The list of generals stationed in Jingnan has been handed over to Cui Ying. Ye Liangcai, along with two hundred cavalry, has also arrived at Cui Ying's residence to await her orders.

Gong Sanpao rushed into Jingnan Prefecture at dawn.

Cui Ying, dressed in full regalia, left the city with his twenty mounted guards and Lin Feng's two hundred mounted guards. He carried the warrant from Prefect Zhao Chuanzhi and Lin Feng's Regent's gold token. He exited the city through the north gate and arrived at the garrison camp south of the capital.

On the way, he had already explained the whole story to Gong Sanpao, letting him know how to cooperate with him to take down the garrison in southern Beijing.

At the entrance to the military camp, the guards took the warrant from Prefect Zhao, turned around, and ran into the camp to report.

The one left to guard the camp was Wei Nanji's trusted subordinate, General Wei, Chu Zhanxiong.

He received a report from a soldier in his tent that a troop of over two hundred cavalrymen from the Zhenxi Army was requesting to enter the camp.

Chu Zhanxiong sneered. Before leaving, Wei Nanji had already instructed him that he could ignore everything except his own orders.

He then waved his hand and said, "Just say that this is a military camp, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter."

The guards returned to the camp gate and shouted loudly to Cui Ying and the others through the fence.

"My General Chu said that this is a military stronghold and unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering."

Cui Ying received a response from the soldiers, who refused them entry into the military camp.

He frowned, troubled. If they wouldn't let him in, there was no use in it no matter what he did.

There was nothing they could do; facing such a large military camp, their two hundred cavalrymen were simply no match for it.

Cui Ying pondered for a moment, then waved his hand: "Let's go back to the city."

With the prefect's order, they entered the south gate of the capital. On the way, Cui Ying secretly instructed Ye Liangcai to take some men to inquire about the home of this Chu Zhanxiong.

The list of spies clearly states that this General Chu is definitely General Wei, Chu Zhanxiong.

Cui Ying's plan was to raid Chu Zhanxiong's home, making him unable to stay in the military camp and forcing him to lead his troops into the city to rescue his family.

It was easy to find out the home address of General Wei Chu Zhanxiong; the officials in the prefectural government knew it very well and cooperated readily upon receiving the prefect's order.

With the order from Prefect Zhao, Cui Ying mobilized more than thirty yamen runners and constables to rush to Chu Zhanxiong's house.

Prefect Zhao Chuanzhi personally wrote an order last night, requiring the troops stationed south of the capital to obey orders and assist the Zhenxi Army in all its operations.

Even if he woke up this morning and regretted his recklessness, it was too late to make amends. He could only pretend he knew nothing and hide in the mansion pretending to be hungover.

It was quite simple for two hundred cavalry to raid the home of a general; the house wasn't large, just a three-courtyard house.

Surrounded on all sides, another fifty or sixty soldiers scaled the wall, entered the courtyard, opened the gate, and then rushed in like a swarm of bees.

The next moment, the yard was filled with the sounds of chickens running wildly, dogs barking, screaming, and wailing.

Some family members climbed over the courtyard wall, but the Zhenxi Army ignored them.

They needed someone to go to the military camp to deliver the message.

Soon, the entire Chu family, young and old, were confined to a corner of the courtyard, and fifty or sixty soldiers began to enter the house, ransacking it and searching for valuables.

Cui Ying's excuse was that Chu Zhanxiong, the general of the garrison in Jingnan, was embezzling military funds and enriching himself, and that some gold and silver treasures had to be found.

Under such a system, how could there be any officials who were too clean? Chu Zhanxiong was no exception. As a fifth-rank guard general, it was impossible for him to be completely clean.

Boxes of gold and silver treasures were carried into the courtyard. There were four boxes in total. When the lids were opened, the gold and silver gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

Cui Ying stood silently at the gate of the mansion, waiting for Chu Zhanxiong to arrive.

In less than an hour, countless armed soldiers surged in from both ends of the street.

Cui Ying looked around and estimated there were over a thousand people.

Chu Zhanxiong rode ahead on his horse, shouting angrily.

"In broad daylight, what kind of bandits would dare to enter the city and plunder? Is there no law left?"

Shouting as they approached their own residence, the wide street was blocked at both ends by soldiers, their spears standing tall, surrounding the Zhenxi Army cavalry in the middle.

The soldiers of the Zhenxi Army, including Cui Ying, had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Faced with such a scene, they were naturally fearless and calmly looked at the soldiers on both sides.

As Cui Ying and Chu Zhanxiong approached, they raised the warrant from Prefect Zhao Chuanzhi in the air. A bright gold plaque, the Grand Regent's gold plaque, was hanging from his finger on a gold-threaded rope.

"The Grand Regent Prince Lin Feng and the Prefect of Jingnan, Zhao Chuanzhi, hereby issue the following order: Chu Zhanxiong, the General of the Guards stationed in Jingnan, has embezzled military funds and lined his own pockets. He shall be arrested and brought to justice immediately. All others shall not disobey this order, or they shall be punished for treason."

Her voice was shrill, and the nearby soldiers could hear it clearly.

"Bullshit, bullshit! I have never embezzled military funds! These bandits who came out of nowhere dare to impersonate the imperial army! Men, seize them all, life or death!"

Chu Zhanxiong gave the order loudly.

The surrounding soldiers stirred as they saw a dozen or so constables from the government office carrying four large boxes filled with gold and silver treasures onto the steps in front of the gate.

Knowing that the items were found in General Chu's house, despite his doubts, he chose to trust Chu Zhanxiong in the face of his direct superior's orders.

Seeing hundreds of soldiers about to charge forward with guns, Ye Liang signaled to one of his guards, who then fired a shotgun into the air.

The loud bang silenced the scene.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cui Ying shouted loudly, "The Regent has ordered that Chu Zhanxiong, if he dares to resist, be killed without mercy."