Chapter 780 – Breakthrough, the Beautiful Broker (4)
“An undercover agent is hiding among the remnants of Wolong County?”
Everyone gasped at this revelation, except for Feng Zhen and Yang Si, who remained composed as if they had anticipated it.
Li Yun, the inquisitive one, asked with surprise, “If an undercover agent is still hiding among the remnants of Wolong County, that’s incredibly bold! To secretly poison and cause the death of the Wolong County Governor along with over ten thousand soldiers… Is he so sure he won’t be uncovered?”
Meng Hunyun didn’t respond to Li Yun’s question but instead stated, “Cai Xiang is the only surviving bloodline of the Wolong County Governor and can be considered the second most important figure after him. The enemy took advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack precisely to eliminate this father and son duo. If they spare Cai Xiang, what’s to stop him from regaining strength and gathering the remnants of his father’s troops to seek revenge? Cut the grass but leave the roots, and trouble will surely follow.”
Li Yun listened attentively to Meng Hunyun’s words.
Despite Meng Hunyun’s usual silence and low profile, he was quite experienced and knowledgeable, making him a valuable mentor for young generals.
Meng Hunyun continued, “If the battle were merely stalemated, we could look for weak points and fight fiercely to break through. But according to what that person just said, the enemy forces are quite strong and the power discrepancy is vast. In such circumstances, breaking through would necessarily require diverting a significant portion of our elite for protection, reducing the odds of success. Even if we manage to break through, the pursuing troops would not relent…”
If the forces were comparable, gathering might at a single point could yield over a fifty percent success rate for a forced breakout.
However, if one side had overwhelmingly superior numbers, and the other was being crushed, then any attempts to break through would hasten their collapse.
Putting aside the chances of success for breaking out, if they do manage, the subsequent pursuers would be relentless.
One dead Wolong County Governor was not enough; to completely eliminate this threat, Cai Xiang must not be left alive.
If Cai Xiang were left, he could rally his deceased father’s old troops under the guise of a young lord, ultimately becoming a hidden danger.
Li Yun suddenly understood and sought confirmation from Meng Hunyun, “So, you mean that when our scouts discovered the remnants of Wolong County, they found no sign of pursuers? This goes against common sense, so… you suspect there might be another reason?”
Meng Hunyun nodded, saying, “If I were in charge, I would definitely send a strong force to capture Cai Xiang. Allowing just a few dozen people to protect the young lord right under our noses would seem overly deliberate. Hence, I suspect an undercover agent is still hiding among them. Only then would the enemy be unconcerned about Cai Xiang’s fate, allowing them to slip away unnoticed. If Cai Xiang and the others fortuitously encounter other feudal powers and seek help, the forces that assist them might indeed suspect that these remnants have something off about them.”
The military generals felt cold at heart; if this were true, they genuinely wouldn’t suspect Cai Xiang and his group.
To put it bluntly, Cai Xiang was just a stray dog needing others’ goodwill to survive—who would suspect him and his servants?
Many audience members also felt their brains were straining to keep up with the intricate schemes.
【Three Forest Sugar Sauce Melons】: No way, one of the people the streamer saved is really an undercover agent?
【Durian Osmanthus Cake】: Normal people habitually sympathize with the weak and have low guard against them. Who would have thought that hidden among those rescued remnants was an enemy spy? One careless move, and they might just repeat history, becoming the second Wolong County Governor.
【Coconut Juice with Egg】: If that’s the case, the streamer needs to be careful and definitely root out the hidden spy before it becomes a bigger issue.
【Tianjin Soup Dumpling】: It’s horrifying to think that if they weren’t sharp enough, they could have fallen for a trap.
The audience was filled with dread, their minds conjuring images of Jiang Pengji and her team falling into ambushes.
Li Yun’s face paled, a chill running down his spine, “If that’s the case, they would definitely be caught off guard.”
“Hmph!” Dian Yin grunted gruffly, “Those thieves think they can apply the same vicious scheme against us?”
“The effectiveness of a scheme doesn’t lie in its brilliance; it must be useful.” Feng Zhen’s gaze fell on Jiang Pengji as he said, “My lord, perhaps consider sending someone to investigate if any of Cai Xiang’s group carried sleeping herbs and nightshade powder. That person is the spy!”
Jiang Pengji nodded and said, “Have the medics check, but remember not to alert the snake. Everyone should continue with their tasks as normal.”
Just like how the strong wouldn’t guard against the down-and-out weak, the injured and sick wouldn’t be on guard against those trying to save them.
The medics under Jiang Pengji were mostly female soldiers; although fierce in nature, they were women, making people let their guard down.
Before long, news returned.
“My lord, these are the pouches we found inside the clothing of two among them; they were quite vigilant and it took some effort.” A female medic pulled out two grayish pouches from her narrow sleeves and opened them, revealing the contents inside, “The camp’s young doctor has confirmed this is powder made from sleeping herbs, significantly stronger than the average kind.”
The other pouch contained differently colored powders, which were from nightshade.
At this point, the evidence was conclusive—there was indeed a spy hidden among this group.
Dian Yin furrowed his brow and asked, “My lord, if we mixed all of this powder into the food, how many people could it incapacitate? It smells a bit strong; the soldiers wouldn’t be able to resist tasting it, would they? If the food has an off taste, they would surely become suspicious…”
Jiang Pengji smiled, replying, “The soldiers cook in large pots and eat rough food; it’s not that refined. If there is slight oddness, they wouldn’t question it. Moreover, the enemy doesn’t need to knock everyone out completely; just enough to leave them feeling sluggish and weak will do. If done carefully, the chances of detection are very slim. Just like that, the Wolong County Governor fell for it.”
“Should we capture the spy, my lord?” Li Yun asked for his lord’s opinion.
“Don’t alert the snake,” Jiang Pengji shook her head, signaling Li Yun to be patient. “The spy may be a pawn in the enemy’s scheme against us, but if used wisely, he can also become our pawn against the enemy. It all depends on how the player makes their move.”
Jiang Pengji had people secretly watch the spy while continuing with military operations, yet they found no anomalies.
Soon after, she encountered a significant problem.
“The Jia Gate has indeed fallen…”
Spotting the flags raised on the gates of Jia Gate from afar, Jiang Pengji’s expression darkened, showing signs of concern.
Everyone was shocked; Jia Gate was one of Dongqing’s most formidable defenses, easy to hold but hard to attack.
However, within just a few months, it had fallen consecutively to Changshou Wang, the King’s Alliance, and the current enemy forces, utterly tarnishing its reputation as a stronghold.
“My lord, what should we do? Jia Gate is not just a key passage into Chenzhou, but it’s also our only way back to Wanzhou. Given the current situation, with Jia Gate already lost, trying to pass through it again will probably require a forceful charge,” Meng Hunyun groaned, feeling a headache coming on.
