Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 851 Choice
Upon seeing this, Wang Shilong's expression changed drastically.

Yang Tang sat high in the hall and smiled, "Commander Wang, aren't you going to ask why I, the chief steward, came without prior notice?"

Wang Shilong looked at Yang Tang in the main hall with a bitter smile on his face.

Seeing this, how could he not understand that his intention to return to the Song Dynasty had been exposed?

Even if he tried to embellish the situation at this point, it would be futile and would only bring shame upon himself.

Yang Tang waved his hand and shouted, "Bring him in!"

The side gates on both sides of the courtyard opened with a "whoosh".

Squads of fierce Jurchen soldiers escorted Wang Shilong's parents, wife, and children out.

Yang Tang slowly stood up from behind the desk and said loudly:

"Wang Shilong, as long as you resolutely turn against me and cooperate with me to put on a good show, I can guarantee your life and you will still enjoy high-ranking positions and generous salaries."

Wang Shilong laughed loudly: "Wanyan Liang rose to power through betrayal, and his greatest fear in life is that others will also betray him."

Yang Tang, what can your promise guarantee?

Yang Tang's expression changed, and he said in a deep voice, "As long as you cooperate with me obediently, atone for your sins, and lure Yang Yuan into my trap, I can at least guarantee that your wife, children, and elderly parents will not die."

Wang Shilong chuckled coldly, staring intently at Yang Tang, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I believe that, but my family is only living a life worse than death, is that it?"

Yang Tang's face immediately tensed up.

He knew perfectly well that Wanyan Liang hated betrayal the most and was most wary of it; those who betrayed him would never be let off easily.

Yang Tang originally intended to use Wang Shilong's wife, children, and elderly relatives to coax Wang Shilong into submission, so that Wang Shilong would conceal the news of the exposure and help him lure Yang Yuan into the ambush. However, he did not expect that Wang Shilong would see through it so clearly.

Enraged, Yang Tang shouted, "Can you bear to see your wife, children, and elderly parents suffer?"

As he spoke, he gave a wink to the officers on either side, and immediately two officers grinned and strode out of the command hall.

One of them grabbed Wang Shilong's favorite concubine and, with a "rip," tore off a piece of her robe.

It was the dead of winter, but the woman had been dragged out of her room and hadn't been given an outer robe, so her pale arm was immediately exposed.

The other general proposed a child of seven or eight years old, who was Wang Shilong's eldest grandson.

The general glanced at Wang Shilong and then placed his long sword against the child's neck.

With a clang, Wang Shilong drew the sword from his side.

He looked up to the sky and cried out, "The Song Dynasty is untrustworthy, and the Zhao family is not worthy of protection! The Song Dynasty is untrustworthy, and the Zhao family is not worthy of protection!"

He didn't understand how he had been exposed, but he knew the problem couldn't be with him.

He did not tell anyone about this, including his most trusted generals and confidants.

He was simply trying to win over these people and exacerbate the conflict between them and the Jurchen generals and soldiers.

He wanted to ensure that when he raised his voice, these people would follow him without hesitation.

However, he had never revealed his plan to return to Song to anyone before.

Therefore, the leak of the secret must not have been his fault, which is why he is so resentful.

After shouting, Wang Shilong suddenly stabbed himself in the chest with his backhand, then gripped the hilt tightly and twisted it forcefully.

Wang Shilong, his eyes bulging with anger and filled with remorse, took one last look at his family before collapsing to the ground and dying.

Yang Tang never expected that Wang Shilong would be so fierce and decisive, ending his life so cleanly and efficiently.

Yang Tang strode out of the tent, stood on the ground where Wang Shilong lay with his eyes wide open in anger, and gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The general next to him tore open the clothes of Wang Shilong's favorite concubine. Stimulated by her weak and struggling appearance, he couldn't help but be overcome by his bestial nature. He grinned and wanted to continue tearing her clothes.

Yang Tang kicked him in the butt in annoyance, making him stumble.

"Get out of my way! Aren't you afraid of offending my eyes?"

Yang Tang cursed the general, then looked at the lifeless Wang Shilong and waved his hand dejectedly: "Take Wang Shilong's family away and await the court's judgment!"

His purpose in torturing Wang Shilong's family was to force Wang Shilong to submit.

Wang Shilong is dead, why is he still doing all this nonsense? He's not a pervert.

……

Yang Yuan and Xin Qiji led their troops south, and when they were near Haizhou, they had already sent out two people in advance.

One of them was Yang Shou, who went to contact the three thousand scouts.

When they first entered the Jin territory, it was Yang Shou who led these three thousand light cavalry. Now, he has returned to the ranks as a full-fledged general.

The other one is Wu Youyao.

Yang Yuan sent the young nun Fanqing to the Jin camp to contact Wang Shilong.

Yang Tang arrived at Wang Shilong's camp suddenly.

After Wang Shilong's death, Yang Tang carried out a major purge of the troops stationed in Haizhou.

Of course, his purges were still quite restrained.

Yang Tang was not as bloodthirsty as some of the Jin generals.

He searched Wang Shilong's study thoroughly and interrogated Wang Shilong's wife, son, and trusted guards, but still could not get any detailed information about Wang Shilong's plan to defect to the Song Dynasty.

It is even more impossible to confirm which general was involved in Wang Shilong's plan.

Therefore, Yang Tang simply placed all the Han army generals who were relatively close to Wang Shilong under house arrest.

Since Pucha Alibu surrendered to the Song Dynasty, the Jin people could no longer be said to have absolute trust in Jurchen generals.

Fortunately, Wang Shilong was a very cautious person, and for safety's sake, he never tried to win over Jurchen generals.

Therefore, Yang Tang sent some of his own generals, along with the Jurchen generals from the original Haizhou garrison, to take full control of the Haizhou army.

He also left one of his main forces at the base, thus bringing the situation under control.

Yang Tang kept the news strictly confidential from the outside world.

The officials, gentry, and common people of Haizhou had no idea that the situation within the Haizhou garrison had changed drastically.

However, Wu Youyao is no ordinary person. Not only is she highly skilled in martial arts, but she also possesses the unique secret technique of "mind reading".

Wu Youyao first successfully infiltrated the Haizhou garrison camp, then took a soldier, changed into his clothes, and sneaked into the Haizhou Governor's Mansion.

Then, she sensed an intense aura of sadness, despair, and fear emanating not just from one person.

This is something that shouldn't exist in a general's mansion.

So, Wu Youyao followed this overwhelming information that she couldn't ignore, only to receive terrible news:

Wang Shilong revealed that the Haizhou garrison had been taken into control by Yang Tang, the Grand General of the Nanjing Road Army.

So, Wu Youyao quietly left the garrison camp in Haizhou.

The Jin soldier who was knocked unconscious and stripped of his clothes caused quite a stir.

However, in the end, it can only be attributed to offending someone and being teased by other soldiers.

Because, from beginning to end, nothing else happened in the entire military camp.

When the news reached Yang Yuan, the rebel leaders, who had been full of expectations, felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

On Mount Dawu, in a dilapidated Taoist temple, firewood crackled as it burned. Several rebel leaders sat around the fire, silent for a long time.

Xin Qiji took a deep breath and stood up.

"Gentlemen, we have arrived here, and there are countless pursuers behind us."

Moving forward offers a glimmer of hope; turning back means certain death. Although our messengers have been exposed, we now have no other choice but to continue forward.

Yang Yuan also stood up with a solemn expression.

"Going south was originally my alternative route."

My first choice was to launch a surprise attack on Jimo and leave by sea.

Unexpectedly, after many twists and turns, we finally arrived here.

The dilapidated temple was quiet. Although a bonfire was burning, everyone was only warming themselves by the fire.

The atmosphere suddenly became as cold as the winter night.

"Tanf is right. Although things are not going as we wish right now, moving forward is our only chance."

Yang Yuan looked at everyone and said, "Gentlemen, we still have three thousand Song light cavalry as reinforcements. If we fight to the death, we may be able to break through the Jin defenses!"

Because of his young age, Xin Qiji always took the opinions of several leaders in the rebel army into consideration.

However, he knew that at this point, there was neither time nor possibility for everyone to do their own thing.

Therefore, he immediately continued Yang Yuan's words, saying, "Your Majesty, since the Commander-in-Chief of Haizhou can no longer be our contact, we don't necessarily have to stick to the Haizhou route."

Yang Yuan nodded: "Tancheng or Pizhou, which one can't we choose?"
Think back to when we were on Shandong Road, surrounded by the Jin army, yet we were still able to move freely through the gaps.

The Jurchens can't blockade the entire border; we'll definitely break through!

Hearing this, Jia Rui, Deng Xun, and other generals were also invigorated.

They had witnessed firsthand how Yang Yuan had waged guerrilla warfare.

Now that Yang Yuan has said it, it really makes sense.

The dangers ahead seemed less daunting to them.

Although Zhang Anguo and Shao Jin were full of complaints, they also knew that Xin Qiji was right.

At this moment, the only way to survive is ahead. To go forward is a near-certain death. To retreat is certain death.

What else can they say?

Seeing that the leaders were silent, Yang Yuan said in a deep voice, "Alright, now go back and reorganize your troops."

Let's move under cover of darkness. In half an hour, we'll head towards Shaojiazhuang and wait for an opportunity to make our move again.

The leaders all stood up, clasped their hands in greeting to Yang Yuan and Xin Qiji, and left.

Shao Jin was walking forward with his head down when suddenly someone patted him on the shoulder.

Shao Jin turned around with a gloomy face and saw that it was Zhang Anguo who had caught up. He didn't say anything, but just stomped hard on the snow under his feet, making a "crunch crunch" sound.

Zhang Anguo walked alongside him and asked, "Old Shao, do you think we still have a chance to go south to the Song Dynasty?"

Shao Jin sneered: "I think Yang Yuan is just someone with a good reputation. He's the one who said he was leaving Jimo."

He spoke with absolute certainty, but what was the result? Now, he's saying he'll force his way through the Jin defenses.

Shao Jin took a deep breath: "Brother Zhang, when we started our uprising in Shandong, not a single soldier from the Song Dynasty entered the Central Plains."

Do they still have any credibility?

Zhang Anguo nodded gravely: "Old Shao, I'm starting to regret it now."

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have followed that hothead Xin Qiji in starting the rebellion.

Shao Jin suddenly stopped and slowly turned to Zhang Anguo.

Under the moonlight, Zhang Anguo's eyes were unusually bright, and an unusual light flickered in them.

Shao Jin gradually understood his meaning. After a moment of silence, Shao Jin slowly said, "Shall we... just leave?"

Zhang Anguo gave a bitter smile: "The world is vast, but where can we find a place to belong?"

"So... you and I were originally citizens of the Jin Kingdom, and we surrendered to the Jin Kingdom?"

"You and I raised an army in rebellion, turning Shandong into a complete mess. Even if we surrender now, what good will come of it?"

Both of them were testing each other, and even though they understood each other's feelings, they still refused to say it directly.

After this initial probing, Shao Jin had a better understanding of the situation and tentatively asked, "Wanyan Liang has issued an edict throughout the land, declaring that whoever can capture Yang Yuan alive will be made a king!"

Zhang Anguo was silent for a moment, then let out a strange laugh: "He and Xintanfu are inseparable. You saw how skilled those two are on the battlefield; they are both incredibly brave. With them together, it's even harder for us to take them down."

Shao Jin said, "It's not easy to capture him alive. If we take him by surprise and strike suddenly, it won't be too difficult to ambush him."

Shao Jin licked his lips: "Even taking one of his legs would make us a marquis. How about we steal one of his heads?"

Before Zhang Anguo could answer, a slender figure appeared like a ghost not far from him.

"Ah chirp~"

The ghostly figure first let out a pleasant sneeze, then said softly, "Finally, I don't have to keep freezing anymore..."

Zhang Anguo and Shao Jin, as if they had seen a ghost, gripped their knife hilts tightly and stared wide-eyed at the figure that had suddenly appeared.

Zhang Anguo stared intently, then exclaimed in disbelief, "You are... Miss Xiao Nai!"

Tsubaki Kana made a playful face at him: "Yes..."

Zhang Anguo felt a flash of light before his eyes, and he instinctively felt that he should dodge.

Before he could even think of it, his body had already made a dodge move, successfully sliding three feet away from where he stood.

Then, he felt a sharp pain in his throat.

Tsubakiya Kana had already plunged a shuriken into his throat.

As Zhang Anguo clutched his throat and collapsed, he saw the girl, who had already exchanged several blows with Shao Jin, suddenly lower her body and slide past Shao Jin along the snow.

As the girl glided past Shao Jin, she lightly raised her hand, a cold glint flashing in her palm.

From Zhang Anguo's perspective, the cold glint of light under the moonlight looked like a playful little fish that struggled forward and disappeared behind Shao Jin's buttocks.

With Shao Jin's scream, Zhang Anguo couldn't help but feel a tightness in his anus.

Then, he lost consciousness.

The rebel leaders regrouped at the Broken Temple.

Before them lay two corpses, one was Zhang Anguo, and the other was Shao Jin.

"Ah chirp~"

Xiao Nai sneezed, took the handkerchief from Yang Yuan, and wiped her nose.

"That's how it is. If you want evidence, I really don't have any. Even if I had captured them alive, they could still deny it."

Xiao Nai spoke with righteous indignation: "Unless they incite their men and actually take action. Gentlemen, you don't want things to actually come to that, do you?"

Of course, if things really develop to that point, the rebel soldiers would really need to have a fierce battle first.

Besides, who wouldn't believe what a sweet little girl who calls you "uncle" says?
Yang Yuan seemed to remember something, and he glanced at Xin Qiji with some guilt.

"I'm sorry, Tanf."

Xin Qiji shook his head sadly: "Zhang Anguo and Shao Jin were once distinguished men. They chose the wrong path themselves."

However, Yang Yuan did not apologize to him because Tsubakiya Kona killed Zhang Anguo and Shao Jin.

What Yang Yuan didn't say was: "I'm sorry to have made you miss out on a magnificent feat of fifty cavalrymen charging through a series of enemy camps."

"But don't worry, as long as we return to Lin'an alive, I'll give you ten more chances like this!"

(End of this chapter)