Chapter 121: Success of the Plan

"Me?" The topic successfully piqued Lu Yao's interest. He put down his wine bowl and frowned in thought for a while.

"Dong Haoming had terrifying military achievements in his early years, but in his old age, he became somewhat muddled. He didn't even confirm whether the emperor was in the palace before attempting an assassination. If he didn't suffer a setback, who would?"

He took a sip of wine and ate two peanuts offered by a bandit. "Besides, none of his sons are particularly capable. I once fought his second son, Dong Haoye, by Xiangrong Lake. That kid, having apparently read a couple of military texts somewhere, dared to lead troops. His father probably wanted him to gain some military merits on the battlefield to smooth his path to promotion, but who knew he'd run into me in that battle!"

At this moment, the chef's well-simmered fish soup was also brought to the table. The creamy white, rich soup contained a few chicken feather greens, two tender mushrooms, and a small handful of thin, springy hand-pulled noodles. He Chunhua, while the soup was hot, dripped a few drops of wine into it, creating an aroma that made every carnivorous creature within two hundred meters salivate wildly.

He watched Lu Yao slurp down more than half a bowl of soup before asking, "General Lu, how did that battle unfold? Tell me about it."

Someone wanted to hear about his glorious past, and Lu Yao was delighted. Wiping his mouth, he said, "Dong Haoye had accurately calculated that our lakeside camp was empty, and he brought over a thousand men, intending to launch a sneak attack. He almost succeeded! Fortunately, I was on an external patrol with three hundred men and rushed back as soon as I saw the distress signal fire in the sky."

He Chunhua gave a thumbs-up. "Three hundred against over a thousand, impressive."

"Haha, that kid was foolish enough to ride a white horse! On a dark and windy night, that horse practically glowed white. I brought him down with a single arrow. Once the general's banner fell, morale scattered. Those thousand men were nothing but a rabble, and we dispersed them in just a couple of skirmishes..."

***

Wu Shaoyi was momentarily distracted. The troops from down the mountain hadn't arrived yet, but the sable returned first.

"There's an army hidden beneath Whistle Rock, at least five hundred strong. They're all sitting quietly in the dark, without lighting any fires. I saw two guys whispering and snickering slyly, and then they got whipped. Oh, and I also recognized a few faces in there; they're definitely Lu Yao's men."

It spoke, but no one present was surprised; they were already accustomed to it.

Wu Shaoyi asked it, "How far is Whistle Rock from Immortal Spirit Village?"

"It only takes me a few dozen breaths to jump there; for you humans, it's probably about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea," the sable added. "The space beneath Whistle Rock is wide enough to accommodate hundreds of people at once."

Wu Shaoyi's expression immediately turned grim.

So close, yet these people didn't go to Immortal Spirit Village to warm themselves by a fire and eat fish. Instead, they preferred to brave the cold dew and hide under Whistle Rock, not even lighting campfires, for fear of being discovered... Could it be that they were all waiting to ambush someone?

When Lu Yao sent the invitation for a meeting, the three parties agreed to each bring two hundred men to Twin Moons Lake, both for balance and as a precaution.

Now Lu Yao had secretly deployed additional forces at Whistle Rock. This was a unilateral breach of agreement!

He knew it: Lu Yao was completely untrustworthy!

Wu Shaoyi took a deep breath, telling himself to remain calm, and then asked the sable, "What about Immortal Spirit Village? What did you see there?"

"Lu Yao was sitting by the large lake at the village entrance with a man, with a huge 'fish king' in front of them. The two were roasting fish, drinking wine, and chatting cheerfully. I heard Lu Yao boasting about his past military achievements, and he even called the man 'Lord He'! Oh, and he was also advising the other party on how to capture Wuzhou and defeat the Grand Marshal!"

Wu Shaoyi's expression changed.

Lu Yao, eating fish and drinking with a court official? The scene itself was incongruous to imagine.

As for dealing with the Grand Marshal, that was a headache for the royal court, and no one else would seek Lu Yao's opinion on it.

The man named He must undoubtedly be an official.

"The two also gossiped about several generals, including General Pei. Lord He praised him as resourceful and steady, but Lu Yao commented that steadiness has its pros and cons, mentioning that General Pei's concubine slept with another man, and General Pei didn't even confront the adulterer." The sable scratched its belly. "The two chuckled for a while. Lord He then asked about the adulterer, and Lu Yao said it was General Xiaoyao."

"Oh, and behind 'Lord He' were all imperial soldiers in light armor. I circled the village and saw at least two hundred imperial soldiers, all looking tense."

Wu Shaoyi pressed a hand to his saber hilt, his face ashen. "Good, good. That Lu fellow really intends to use our lives to pledge his loyalty!"

Old grievances and new animosities surged forth all at once.

The guide beside him widened his eyes in alarm. "General Wu, don't fall into the enemy's trap! Those imperial soldiers are our targets to be eliminated! General Lu is just keeping him steady, waiting for you and General Pei to jointly offer sacrifices before battle!"

"You drink wine and eat fish with your target for elimination?" Wu Shaoyi laughed, not in anger. "Didn't you say earlier that there was nothing unusual in the village?"

"I..."

"There aren't many imperial soldiers. Lu Yao could handle them himself. Why would he need to wait for us to go together?"

The guide couldn't answer. He couldn't very well say that Old Lu didn't want to suffer losses himself, could he? He could only brace himself and say, "Consider that arrow letter! Someone must be secretly trying to sow discord!"

The guide was about to argue further, but Wu Shaoyi didn't bother listening. With a backhand stroke, he chopped off his head.

While the blade was still dripping blood, he dispatched men to relay orders to Pei Xinyong. Not only had Lu Yao broken their agreement by bringing all his men, but he was also conspiring with imperial soldiers to scheme against Wu Shaoyi. Was Wu Shaoyi so easily killed?

This meeting had been Pei Xinyong's strong initiative, and he was known for his peaceful disposition. To secure his fighting strength, Wu Shaoyi instructed the scouts delivering the message to emphasize Lu Yao's outrageous boasts. Pei Xinyong's favorite concubine was as beautiful as a flower, and crucially, thirty years younger than him. No matter how robust old Pei was, being over fifty and constantly busy with military affairs, how could he always satisfy her? One time, he led troops away for over four months of fighting, and his concubine not only started a relationship with someone else but also became pregnant.

Even with his steady temperament, Pei Xinyong couldn't tolerate this. In a fit of rage, he directly smashed the concubine to death, without even finding out who the adulterer was. Afterward, he drank heavily for half a month.

For any man, such an affair was a thorn in the heart.

Even better, the adulterer, General Xiaoyao, had already died in battle. Even if Pei Xinyong learned this news now, he couldn't wake him up to kill him a second time.

Wu Shaoyi, despite his surging anger, was not hasty. He ordered the entire army to remain on standby, awaiting Pei Xinyong's reply.

During this time, Lu Yao sent scouts again.

Wu Shaoyi's subordinates responded kindly, simply saying that the general was having trouble sobering up, which delayed their advance into the mountains, but they would soon continue after a brief rest.

Another half an hour passed before Pei Xinyong's reply finally arrived. It was very brief:

"Have replenished forces, willing to go to Whistle Rock to tie down seven hundred elite soldiers."

With this agreement, Wu Shaoyi felt confident. He waved his hand and declared, "Move out! Our target: Immortal Spirit Village!"

Pei Xinyong also brought up the remaining troops from down the mountain, totaling sixteen hundred soldiers.