"You don't need to come with us. Stay here and lead the rest of the militia. If anything happens, consult with Mr. Guo and listen to his advice."
Wu Shuangren gave the order.
Chen Tie was somewhat disappointed after hearing this, but he didn't say anything. He immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, sir! I guarantee I will complete the mission!"
Wu Shuangren patted the other person on the shoulder, then turned and left.
Soon, more than two hundred riders left the manor to engage in an ambush where their fate was uncertain!
Guo Jiwang at the entrance of the manor, watching the direction where Wu Shuangren and the others had left. Once they were completely out of sight, he turned and called Chen Tie:
"Battalion Commander Chen, there are some things I need to discuss with you."
Chen Tie immediately agreed and followed Guo Jiwang into a room.
Inside the room, only two people sat facing each other.
Guo Jiwang, unusually, showed hesitation and did not speak immediately.
Chen Tie looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What would you like to discuss, sir?"
Guo Jiwang up at Chen Tie and said, word by word, "If I told you I wanted you to lead men to kill Fan Yu, the military commander of Yi Province, and his personal guards, would you obey?"
P. S.: Sorry, I can only update once today. I'll make up for it later when I have a chance.
134 Heroes and villains, bloodshed engulfs all
"They killed the Yi Province military commander and his personal guards?!"
Chen Tie stared wide-eyed at Guo Jiwang, a look of horror on his face. "What do you mean by this, sir?"
Guo Jiwang expressionless, staring intently into Chen Tie's eyes. "To win the upcoming ambush, Militia Commander Wu went so far as to coerce Fan Yu, forcing his personal guards to hand over their armor, crossbows, and warhorses. Do you think Fan Yu will hold a grudge?"
Chen Tie opened his mouth. "But, that can't be..."
Guo Jiwang spoke rapidly, "If Militia Commander Wu loses the battle and we have to retreat, should we return the armor and warhorses to them? We're already enemies; if you return the items, they won't appreciate it at all, and it will only reduce the chances of our own people surviving. If we don't return them, without their warhorses and armor, the most likely option for them is to surrender to the bandits!"
"What if Militia Commander Wu wins?"
"Even if we win, we'll face the same problems. Will we still be able to cooperate with them? Can we trust each other?"
Guo Jiwang shook his head. "Do you know what I fear most?"
Chen Tie asked instinctively, "What is it?"
"We finally won this battle after a lot of hard work, and even saved Yi Prefecture City, but what awaits us in the future is not the imperial court's reward and glory for our ancestors, but a Yi Province military officer who will not only steal our credit, but also take the opportunity to retaliate against us!"
"How can he steal the credit we earned...?"
"Do you think the higher-ups trust a military commander from Yi Province more, or a local militia leader?"
"..."
"If the governor in the city were still alive, we might still be able to fight for it, but his fate is currently unknown. If the governor is dead, then Fan Yu will have the final say in this battle for Yi Province. Whatever he says will go. Are you willing to take that gamble?"
"..."
"Would you be willing to let someone else easily reap the rewards of your brothers' hard work, even at the cost of their lives, and even suffer retaliation?"
Guo Jiwang's words were like needles, piercing Chen Tie's heart!
He thought of the militiamen who had died under his command and instinctively clenched his fists.
Guo Jiwang noticed the change in his expression and softened his tone. "Chen Tie, it's not that we necessarily want him dead, but he forced us to take this step! As the military commander of Yi Province, he only thought of running away when faced with the enemy, doing absolutely nothing! If he had been willing to take his personal guards and join Militia Commander Wu in ambushing the Mount Liang forces, things wouldn't have come to this!"
Chen Tie's breathing became rapid, and his thoughts began to waver.
Guo Jiwang continued, "Why do you think Militia Commander Wu would risk leading just over two hundred men to ambush more than six thousand?"
Chen Tie: "In order to... win this battle?"
Guo Jiwang sighed, "He did it all to save Yi Prefecture City."
Chen Tie was taken aback.
Do you know why he was so determined to save Yi Prefecture City?
"I don't know..."
"Because as long as Yi Prefecture City stands, Bo County will have one more layer of protection and a bit more stability. So, Militia Commander Wu is doing this not only for the people in Yi Prefecture City, but also for all of your families in Bo County! He's leading his men to fight on the front lines, and all we can do is relieve him of his worries about the rear."
"... I understand!"
Chen Tie stood up, his back straight, bowed to Guo Jiwang, and said, word by word:
"Please give the order, sir. Chen Tie guarantees to complete the mission!"
Guo Jiwang nodded. "Very good."
A moment later, Chen Tie walked out of the room.
After he left, Zhou Zhengqing, who had been standing guard outside to prevent others from approaching, came in.
"Grown ups."
Zhou Zhengqing looked at Guo Jiwang with a worried expression, "You've already given him advice and even risked your life to come to Yi Province with him. Isn't that enough? Do you really have to go this far?"
Killing the military commander of Yi Province and wiping out his personal guards—if this were to be leaked, it would be a heinous crime punishable by the confiscation of his property and the extermination of his entire clan!
Zhou Zhengqing couldn't understand why Guo Jiwang, a county magistrate, would personally plan and participate in such a matter.
Even if Fan Yu seeks revenge in the future, Guo Jiwang in Xi Province, so what is there to worry about?
Guo Jiwang looked at Zhou Zhengqing: "Did you bring any wine?"
"Grown ups!"
Zhou Zhengqing's tone became more forceful.
Guo Jiwang laughed, "Zhengqing, I asked Wu Shuangren the same question before."
"What did the master ask?"
"I asked him, 'This battle has already cost Mist Hidden Temple over a thousand monks, but we've gained a large amount of armor and weaponry. In terms of results, this expedition has been a success. Isn't that enough? We can take these spoils back and find another opportunity later. Saving Yi Prefecture City wasn't even his duty. Why did he have to risk his life? Did he really have to go this far?'"
"... What did Militia Commander Wu say?"
"Him."
Guo Jiwang smiled and shook his head. "He said that someone as smart as me wouldn't be unable to figure out the answer?"
"..."
Zhou Zhengqing remained silent.
He understood that the so-called 'answer' was what Guo Jiwang had just said to Chen Tie.
"Zhengqing."
Guo Jiwang's smile faded. "Actually, someone with Wu Shuangren's personality is suited to be a hero, but not a tyrant. I want to serve a tyrant, not a hero who could die at any moment."
Zhou Zhengqing asked in confusion, "Then why did the official help him kill Fan Yu?"
Guo Jiwang stood up, looked outside, and gazed at the distant clouds:
"Perhaps, I also want to see how far this hero can go."
Following Guo Jiwang's instructions, Chen Tie began selecting people.
He prioritized relatives from the Wu and Liao families, and then had these relatives recruit their own relatives and people they could absolutely trust, eventually gathering more than two hundred people, all from Bo County.
At this moment, Chen Tie also realized why Mr. Guo had asked Militia Commander Wu to leave him behind and let Bai Jinhuan go with him.
Even if Bai Jinhuan is highly regarded, he is still an outsider, while I am a relative of the Wu Clan.
If this kind of thing is exposed, the entire family may be implicated, so only the family can do it!
After selecting the people, Chen Tie began explaining the necessity of this matter to them.
He didn't actually need to think about what to say; he simply repeated Guo Jiwang's words over and over again.
Although his words were not as inflammatory as Guo Jiwang's, the underlying principles were the same.
For these people who had never left the county town in their entire lives, the Yi Province garrison commander was already a very important figure!
That's precisely why retaliation from powerful figures is all the more terrifying!
Their future depended entirely on Wu Shuangren; if Wu Shuangren were to face retaliation, their future would be over.
More importantly, Wu Shuangren is leading his men to fight desperately to protect their families, and this damned general not only doesn't help but also hinders them, and may even seek revenge in the future?
"Fuck him!"
Angry shouts erupted from the gathered crowd.
While Chen Tie was selecting men, Guo Jiwang had already had Fan Yu's more than one hundred personal guards "invited" into the manor.
"Commander Song, to prevent any disturbances, please hand over all your weapons."
After everyone had entered the manor, Guo Jiwang walked over and calmly said.
Song Qi's face darkened. "We've already handed over our armor and horses, and now you want us to hand over our weapons too? You're going too far!"
Guo Jiwang looked at the other party and said, "Commander Song, please don't worry. We'll be living together all the time, and we're concerned about you carrying weapons all the time. Once you hand over your weapons, everyone will feel at ease, and this is for your own good."
Song Qi stared at Guo Jiwang, his eyes practically spitting fire.
The other guards also stirred, some whispering and others cursing.
Guo Jiwang's gaze turned cold. "Commander Song, you've handed over your armor and horses, what use are your weapons now? Commander Song, please don't push me too far."
"..."
They were the ones being forced, yet now they were being used as a pretext by the other side.
Song Qi and the others gritted their teeth!
But looking at the militiamen around them, spears in hand, and glaring menacingly, they knew they were now fish on a chopping block.
Just as Guo Jiwang said, "We've handed over the armor and the horses, what's the point of keeping the weapons? Can we still resist?"
Resistance means certain death!
Give them the weapons.
Song Qi had no choice but to issue the order in the end.
"Thank you, Commander Song."
Guo Jiwang politely bowed to the other party and turned to leave.
The guards cursed and threw their weapons out, which soon piled up on the ground.
The surrounding militiamen took all the weapons.
A moment later, the militia guarding Song Qi and the others were replaced by a different team.
Moreover, the large number of militiamen in the village also withdrew.
About an incense stick later.
Outside the room where Fan Yu was being held in solitary confinement, Chen Tie walked over and dismissed the two militiamen guarding the door.
After waiting for a while, Chen Tie took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and went inside.
Fan Yu's armor and weapons had been removed, and his hands and feet were bound.
At first, he wasn't tied up and could move freely inside the house. Later, Guo Jiwang suddenly ordered him to be tied up, and he realized something was wrong.
Unfortunately, one wrong step leads to another.
If it weren't for coveting Wu Shuangren's troops and underestimating their audacity, I should have left with my personal guards immediately after learning that Yi Prefecture City was under Mount Liang's control.
Fan Yu was filled with regret!
He looked up at Chen Tie as he walked in, a bad feeling creeping into his heart. "What do you want?"
Chen Tie looked at the Yi Province military commander, paused for a moment, and then drew the sword from his waist.
"What do you want?!"