Pacifying the Rebellion

Shen Hui narrowed his eyes slightly after hearing the soldier's words. "Everyone in the city is rebel troops?"

"Th-this..."

The soldier stammered, "This lowly one doesn't know either. The higher-ups only said that no one in the city was allowed out, and no one outside was allowed in. Even a fly passing by was to be shot down..."

Shen Hui asked again, "Where is your commander?"

The soldier shrank his neck. "The general led a squad of elite troops into the city through the side gate..."

Shen Hui raised his brows at once and looked up toward the distant city walls.

The brickwork of Qingxi County Seat's walls was neat, and the battlements were intact. Clearly, some high official or famous general had once "donated funds" for it to possess such grandeur.

He then looked at the roughly two hundred soldiers below the walls. Their tents were scattered sparsely, and their weapons were a motley assortment.

Something was wrong.

If rebel troops truly occupied the city, these few hundred men should have fled long ago. Why would they instead be laying siege to the county seat?

And that "general" neither attacked the city nor issued a challenge, but merely led a squad of elite troops inside through the side gate...

This did not look like suppressing a rebellion. It looked more like using a siege as a smokescreen to sneak in and do something that could not bear the light of day.

Shen Hui rose to his feet and swept his sleeve, drawing the soldier into it.

Then his gaze fell upon the city gate, and he said blandly:

"Let's go into the city and take a look."

The long street stood empty, bleak beneath the autumn wind.

The shops on either side had their doors tightly barred, their windows