Chapter 331 - A Long Con (1/2)

The two of them entered the city. The situation in the city seemed, for all intents and purposes, the same as how it’d been the day before. Jiang Xi was conducting the hunt for spies in a covert way, and so far no common residents had come to know about the existence of spies in this city.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went into the General’s Office. It was located in Shao Feng’s residential compound. In the compound there was also a villa separated from the General’s Office, which was Yuwen Tong’s temporary abode. Currently Shao Feng was not in, and staying in the compound were his family members and personal bodyguards, so Yuwen Tong directly led Ling Zhang into the villa through the front gates. They didn’t go to the General’s Office, and n.o.body would come to the villa to disturb them.

At noon, Jiang Xi showed up. “Marshal, all spies on that list have been put into custody. These people were unaware that someone had blown their cover and all of them were still lingering in the city. This is what I got after interrogating them. The interrogation is still ongoing and I think I can get more details.”

Jiang Xi handed their confession to Yuwen Tong, who took a look at it and said, “There might be some who slipped through the net. Tell those on duty at the city gates to keep their eyes peeled and make sure no spy escapes.”

“I understand. I’ve already instructed them to tighten the security,” said Jiang Xi.

Ling Zhang also looked at the written confession and said, “It surprises me some of them have been hiding here for so many years.”

“The reason why the Luohai Kingdom dared ally with the Wan Kingdom and attack us was because they’d been plotting this for years. Previously they just couldn’t find a chance to make their move. If it weren’t for the civil strife in the Great Yue, they wouldn’t have dared take action,” remarked Yuwen Tong, looking at Jiang Xi. “Have every one of them make a full confession before dark.”

Jiang Xi inclined his head and hurriedly took his leave.

“Of what use could Chief He be to us as a p.a.w.n?” asked Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong replied, “Right now the war remains deadlocked. I’m sure the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom are more anxious than we are. Since they are more anxious to break the impa.s.se, I’ll provide an opportunity for them.”

Ling Zhang thought about it for a moment and got a vague idea of what Yuwen Tong meant. “You are going to use Chief He to send them some false intelligence?”

Yuwen Tong gave a bob of the head. “That’s right. I’ll have to consult with them about the specifics before I could finalize the plan. As a result, for this to work, I have to get some relevant intelligence out of those spies by the end of the day at the latest.”

Jiang Xi got the job done very quick and delivered a detailed written confession to Yuwen Tong before dusk. Yuwen Tong took a look at it, did some careful thinking and then came up with a rough plan.

“Let’s go back to the encampment. I’ve got to figure out a feasible plan before tomorrow morning.”

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong returned to the military encampment outside the city in haste. After they had a quick supper, Yuwen Tong summoned his inner circle of generals to consult with them about how to use Chief He, the spy caught by Ling Zhang.

“Marshal, I think we should put out feelers first. If we are to have the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom take the bait, first we’ll have to find out about their intentions, so that we’ll have a better chance of tricking them into swallowing the bait,” said Shao Feng.

“I agree with General Shao. Whether or not we should use Chief He as a p.a.w.n depends on whether the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom have enough trust in him or not. We might have to put on certain act according to the circ.u.mstances to cooperate,” said Jiang Xi.

The others also expressed their opinions. Although some of them saw things differently, they all believed that Shao Feng’s proposal was reasonable.

So Yuwen Tong bobbed his head. “Then let’s have Chief He sound them out first.”

They had ascertained how Chief He communicated with the Luohai Kingdom, and what they needed to do right now was create an opportunity for Chief He to make contact with the Luohai Kingdom without rousing the Luohai Kingdom’s suspicions.

Having undergone several days’ interrogation, Chief He was now utterly docile, didn’t even dare think about resisting or playing any tricks, and obediently agreed to cooperate with Yuwen Tong and the others.

There was nothing Ling Zhang could do to help with this plan. Not knowing what he should do before the Luohai Kingdom acted in response, he went to the infirmary with Ling Zhaowu to give the physicians there a hand. He had some acquaintance with medicinal herbs, so helping sort herbs and fill prescriptions was within his power.

There hadn’t been any messages from the Luohai Kingdom yet, so Yuwen Tong was also busy. The two of them could only spend some time alone with each other by night. Sometimes, when there was something Yuwen Tong had to consult with his men about, the candles in the meeting room in the main tent remained ablaze until midnight.

Naturally Ling Zhang’s heart ached for Yuwen Tong, but he also knew that these matters must be settled and couldn’t be brushed aside.

Finally, three days later, the Luohai Kingdom sent a small force to attack the city. Taking advantage of this opportunity, someone from the Luohai Kingdom delivered a message to Chief He.

In order to prevent the Luohai Kingdom from noticing anything anomalous about Chief He, it had been “Chief He” who provided the Luohai Kingdom with a method of communication. The message was delivered to him without any trouble. Unsurprisingly, the Luohai Kingdom didn’t a.s.sign Chief He any key tasks immediately. Instead, they tried to sound him out.

What with this, Yuwen Tong and some others had no choice but to cooperate with Chief He and put on an act.

Ling Zhang saw the whole thing. After they finished the act, he couldn’t help but ask apprehensively, “Will the Luohai Kingdom rise to the bait?”

Yuwen Tong said, “They will, because they have no other choice.”

The Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom must figure out a way to break the stalemate and win this war. Otherwise their only option would be to withdraw their forces and sue for peace.

This was also because the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom were no match for Yuwen Tong’s army. They had made one retreat after another and were completely incapable of getting the better of Yuwen Tong. If things went on like this, the army of the Great Yue would advance to the border city of the Luohai Kingdom, and there was no telling whether or not Yuwen Tong would be able to take the city. After all, he was a very formidable opponent, though the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom hated to admit it.

…

The headquarters of the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom.