nucmednet In Chapter 82, the inside man
In Chapter 82, the inside man
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Zhongming was a battalion commander in the standard battalion. He had always been close to Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng. During the Pi Island turmoil, his younger brother Geng Zhongyu was the leader. After Sun Yuanhua confirmed the news, he was supposed to submit a memorial to the court to punish Geng Zhongming. He had already ordered Zhang Tao to guard his door and not allow him to leave the house.
Liu Ye figured he probably couldn't sleep either, and was likely in the study or living room, so he went to the study to try his luck.
On the way, they encountered several guards. Bai Lian silently struck, striking the neck with her palm. The man immediately lost consciousness and collapsed limply, without making a sound. Upon arriving at the study, they found it brightly lit, with several figures flickering on the window paper in the candlelight.
The three quietly approached the door. Liu Ye dipped his finger in saliva and poked a hole in the window paper. Looking through the hole, he saw only three people dressed as military officers, who he assumed were Geng Zhongming and his men. He then pushed open the door and went straight inside.
Inside the room were Geng Zhongming, Chen Guangfu, Wang Zideng, and others. They were all old acquaintances of Dongjiang Town and held mediocre positions in Denglai Town. With the rebel army besieging the city, they were also suspected by Sun Yuanhua. So the three of them gathered together to discuss what to do.
Suddenly the door was pushed open, and a young man walked in with two women. Geng Zhongming and the others were startled, drawing their knives and shouting, "Who goes there?"
"Generals, please do not be afraid. I am here on behalf of Generals Kong and Li to deliver a message." Liu Ye raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.
Geng Zhongming did not put down his knife, and asked warily, "What message do you want to convey?"
"Contact several generals to open the city gates and let the army in. After the city falls, we will work together to accomplish great things!" Liu Ye didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, but in his heart he was thinking: It would be best if Geng Zhongming and the others didn't believe him, then he would have a reason to take Bai Lian away. After getting rid of the rebel spies outside the gate, he would find a way to persuade Bai Lian and her master to go with him to storm the governor's office.
Geng Zhongming turned to look at Chen Guangfu and Wang Zideng, both of whom looked blank and clearly hadn't realized what was happening.
Geng Zhongming's mind raced. Could this be Sun Yuanhua testing his plan? The guards at the gate were from the governor's battalion, Zhang Tao's confidants. If he barged in like this, he would definitely alert the guards. Only by possessing the governor's token could he enter silently without alerting them.
He looked at the three men warily, raised his knife, and hissed, "My gate is guarded by the governor's guards, and my own personal guards patrol outside the courtyard. How could you possibly get in so easily?"
Liu Ye didn't answer directly, but turned to look at Bai Lian, signaling her to show off her skills to intimidate the group. After working together for several days, Bai Lian and her apprentice had developed a good understanding with him and knew what he meant. Bai Lian raised her right hand, and a hidden sword flew out of her hand, embedding itself in the roof beam. Then, with a gentle pull, she used the momentum to leap onto the beam.
Liu Ye saw it clearly this time; indeed, the hidden sword was connected to his arm by a silk thread, but the thread was so thin that it was impossible to see unless you looked closely.
Geng Zhongming gasped, looked up, and blurted out, "Is this lightness skill?"
Liu Ye replied with a smile, "General, now you know how we got in, right?"
Geng Zhongming and the others knew that Sun Yuanhua was a governor, a high-ranking official of the imperial court, and it was impossible for him to have such a strange person from the martial arts world by his side. Therefore, it was highly likely that he was sent by Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng.
After stunning Geng Zhongming and the other two, Bai Lian lightly fell from the crossbeam, her hidden sword already concealed in her sleeve, as if it had never existed.
After confirming the other party's identity, Geng Zhongming's attitude changed considerably. He pointed to the chair next to him and said, "Young brother, please sit down!"
Liu Ye didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to Geng Zhongming. After he was seated, Geng Zhongming saw Bai Lian and her disciple and added, "Please, both of you, have a seat!"
Bai Lian sat down as well, but she had a strange feeling in her heart. She was the one in charge, but from the moment she entered the rebel army, she felt like she had become the one doing the work and running errands, while Liu Ye, who should have been the one giving orders, had become the one making the decisions.
Chen Guangfu asked impatiently, "What did Commander Kong and the others say? Is it a coordinated attack from within and without, or should they just open the city gates?"
"Guangfu!" Geng Zhongming stopped Chen Guangfu. Such impatience seemed beneath him. Although they were both old acquaintances of Dongjiang Town, even brothers keep clear accounts. Betraying the court should be sold for a good price, shouldn't it?
Liu Ye didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "I suppose this must be General Geng Zhongming? Generals Kong and Li asked me to deliver a message, asking General Geng to lead his old Dongjiang troops to find a way to open the city gates, let them into the city, and take Dengzhou City in one fell swoop!"
Since Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde started their uprising, the Dongjiang soldiers, who were already unpopular with the local military and civilians, have had an even harder time. Chen Guangfu and Wang Zideng were only Qianzong (a military rank), and were not even ranked in Dengzhou. Now they were being suspected and monitored, and they were already resentful. Now that they had a chance to turn their lives around, they were naturally eager to take action. They all turned their attention to Geng Zhongming. He was the highest-ranking among them, and his soldiers were the strongest. Whether or not to do this job was up to him.
Geng Zhongming pondered for a long time without answering. Chen Guangfu and Wang Zideng were so anxious that they were restless, but they dared not urge him.
Seeing Geng Zhongming's reaction, Liu Ye knew perfectly well that he was willing. The reason he hesitated to answer was probably because he was worried about not getting much benefit after the city fell and being marginalized by Li and Kong. He was eager to get away and find Sun Yuanhua and did not want to waste time here, so he took the initiative to say, "General Li also said that you are all brothers in Dongjiang. After the city falls, the grain, provisions and gold and silver in the city will be divided equally among you."
Chen Guangfu and Wang Zideng's eyes lit up, and Geng Zhongming slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair and whispered, "Cheers!"
In fact, even if Li Jiucheng hadn't sent anyone, Geng Zhongming had already considered how to contact Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde. Without destruction, there can be no construction; with the outbreak of the rebellion, the lives of the former Dongjiang people in Dengzhou City became increasingly difficult.
Now that an agreement has been reached, the next step is to confirm the action plan. Chen Guangfu proposed opening the south gate, arguing that the rebel forces were concentrated at the west gate, the north gate was connected to the water city, and the rebels would be vulnerable to a pincer attack from the north wall of Dengzhou and the water city when entering the city. The south gate, on the other hand, was relatively weaker in terms of troops compared to the west gate, and the distance for the rebels to reach the south gate from Mishen Mountain was also the shortest.
Wang Zideng also thought it was feasible, but Geng Zhongming remained noncommittal.
Liu Ye thought for a moment and decided that the rebels shouldn't be allowed to enter the city so easily. He needed to create obstacles for them, so he offered his suggestion: "Generals, I think that if we want to deceive the city's defenders, we should act at night. The south gate is closer to the Mi Shen Mountain camp, which is convenient for troop movements at night, but it is also closer to the west gate. The defenders can easily reinforce the south gate. If a chaotic battle breaks out at the south gate, capturing the city will probably be a complete waste of effort!"