The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 110 Night Battle Imminent

After reading the letter, Quan Wenwei handed it to Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu also read it carefully, and the contents were not beyond his expectations.

It's just that Lai Shangrong was being somewhat presumptuous in this matter. He thought that because he had evidence against others, those people would help him save his life.

However, in reality, he sent someone to test the waters, and the person sent disappeared without a trace.

This also made him realize that those people never intended for him to live.

With no way out there, he thought long and hard and decided to run back and turn himself in.

That's why I wrote this letter and had someone deliver it to me.

After reading the letter, Tu Chengyu asked Lin Xiqiao, "Can you confirm that this letter was written by Lai Shangrong?"

Faced with this question, Lin Xiqiao cautiously replied, "Your Highness, I am merely relying on my own judgment and cannot be entirely certain that this letter was written by Lai Shangrong himself."

Tu Chengyu asked, "So, what criteria did you use to make that judgment?"

Lin Xiqiao replied, "Your Highness, one of them is a servant sent by Lai Shangrong to deliver a message. I know he is Lai Shangrong's confidant."

"Secondly, the messenger himself said that the letter was written by Lai Shangrong."

"Thirdly, I recognized the handwriting on the envelope as being written by Lai Shangrong himself, which is why I believe the letter was written by Lai Shangrong."

Based on his eloquent explanation and his own judgment, Tu Chengyu also believed that it was highly likely that the letter was written by Lai Shangrong himself.

However, adhering to his principle of not easily believing, he wanted to discuss it with Quan Wenwei.

So he asked Lin Xiqiao to leave temporarily, and then asked Quan Wenwei:
"Mr. Quan, do you think this document is genuine or fake?"

After reading the letter, Quan Wenwei also pondered this question, and he said:
"Your Highness, I believe this letter is genuine."

As he spoke, he picked up the letter and placed it in front of Tu Chengyu, saying, "Your Highness, please take a look. The handwriting in the letter is the same as the handwriting on the envelope, which proves that the letter was indeed written by Lai Shangrong."

"In addition, the current situation is just as described in the letter, which is very unfavorable to Lai Shangrong. If Lai Shangrong wants to live, he can only seek refuge with the prince."

Tu Chengyu nodded and said, "Since Mr. Quan thinks so too, should I grant his request in the letter and spare his life?"

Quan Wenwei said, “Your Highness, how to deal with Lai Shangrong is the Emperor’s prerogative. Even if Your Highness agrees to his request, you will ultimately not be able to make the decision. I’m sure Lai Shangrong is aware of this.”

"The students speculated that his letter to the prince was a desperate measure taken when he had no other choice. The prince could agree to it first, and then make a decision based on the situation after he was captured."

Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and said, "In that case, we should immediately send someone to the place he mentioned in his letter to see if he is there."

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Tu Chengyu didn't delay and immediately went out with Quan Wenwei to make arrangements.

Just then, Quan Xu returned with his men.

With his return, all of Tu Chengyu's capable subordinates were also present.

Tu Chengyu was planning to have Quan Xu and Su Xuanbao each stay at home, while the other would go and bring Lai Shangrong back.

Before he could make any arrangements, Quan Xu waved his hand, and the soldiers who had gone out with him pushed out four men who were completely covered in dirt.

Tu Chengyu asked in surprise, "Who are these people?"

Quan Xu said, "Your Highness, there was one of them who secretly followed us when we retreated. He may have discovered that we were putting on an act, so he ordered me to arrest him."

"The remaining three were spotted by me near the dock when I brought my men back. They were acting suspiciously, keeping an eye on the ship. I guess they were spying on us, so I caught them while I was at it."

So they were sent by someone else to keep watch. Well, let's just arrest them.

Tu Chengyu said, "There's no time to deal with them now. Send someone to lock them in the ship's stables."

As soon as Tu Chengyu finished speaking, the other three onlookers did not react at all, but the one furthest away struggled desperately, his mouth still covered as he tried to say something.

Tu Chengyu hadn't paid much attention to this person at first, but now that he was struggling, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but look over.

By the light of the torch, Tu Chengyu suddenly realized that the person looked familiar. After a moment's thought, he knew who it was.

So he pointed at the man and said, "He stays for now, take the rest away."

After Quan Xu sent men to take the three away, Tu Chengyu then had the ropes on the fourth person untied.

Tu Chengyu let him go because he recognized him just now.

This person was none other than the servant whom Ma Yizhen had recently sent to swim and deliver a message.

Once the ropes binding him were untied, Tu Chengyu asked, "Did Prefect Ma send you?"

The servant replied, "Your Highness, it was indeed the Prefect who sent me."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Does Prefect Ma have something to tell me?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's question, he did not answer immediately, but instead turned his head slightly to look at the people around him, clearly not wanting to reveal the matter in front of everyone.

Tu Chengyu understood his meaning, but seeing that everyone around him was someone he had brought from the capital, he said:
"There are no outsiders here, so please feel free to speak your mind."

Hearing Tu Chengyu say this, the servant no longer hesitated and said:

"Your Highness, the Prefect sent me to inform you that they have found Lai Shangrong's whereabouts and are gathering manpower to arrest him."

The servant only said "they," without specifying who they were. However, Tu Chengyu understood that "they" referred to the gentry of Jining.

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Besides that, what else did Prefect Ma say?"

The servant said, "The Prefect said that some of the men they've gathered might be salt smugglers mixed in, and that Your Highness must be very careful."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Did Prefect Ma say where Lai Shangrong is located?"

The servant replied, "Your Highness, the Prefect said that Lai Shangrong is located about ten miles south of here, on a small hill by the canal."

Upon hearing his words, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but look at Quan Wenwei, just as Quan Wenwei was also looking at Tu Chengyu.

Both men looked surprised, because the location the servant mentioned was exactly the location written in Lai Shangrong's letter.

It seems they have indeed found Lai Shangrong's location, so there's no time to waste.

Tu Chengyu immediately said to Su Xuanbao, "Quickly gather your men, leave only a small number of people to protect the ship, and the rest of you gather together to prepare to go and rescue the people."

Upon hearing that there was a mission, Su Xuanbao excitedly responded and prepared to go and issue the orders.

At this moment, Quan Wenwei suddenly spoke up, saying, "General Su, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing Quan Wenwei's words, Su Xuanbao stopped in his tracks and looked at Quan Wenwei with a puzzled expression.

At the same time, Tu Chengyu looked at Quan Wenwei with a puzzled expression.

Before Tu Chengyu could ask a question, Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, since we are sending more people, it would be better to take a boat instead of traveling by road."

Tu Chengyu said, "But it's nighttime now, the boat might not be able to travel that fast."

Quan Wenwei said, “Your Highness, if the distance is far, it is true that the boat will not travel very fast at night, but it is only about ten miles away now.”

“There are familiar boat trackers among them, and this section of the waterway is relatively straight, and we are going with the current, so the speed will definitely be much faster than going around on land.”

"Most importantly, once the ship has passed, the prince will be able to attack or defend as needed."

Tu Chengyu thought about it and realized that it was true; if there were many people, the waterway was indeed faster than the land route.

So why didn't Tu Chengyu consider sailing there from the beginning?

That's because Tu Chengyu didn't know the enemy also knew Lai Shangrong's location, so he planned to send a small number of men on horseback. Horseback riding would definitely be faster than boating. Now that there are too many people, horseback riding is not feasible; boating is relatively faster.

Thinking of this, he said to Su Xuanbao, "Quickly send someone to the post station to find that Shi Yi."

Tu Chengyu sought out Shi Yi because he was a local, and he would need his help when he went to Xiaoqiushan later.

Another point is that Shi Yi was able to so easily motivate the boatmen to shout and cheer for them, which shows that he has a way of getting these boatmen to work.

Tu Chengyu planned to send him to talk to the boatmen and persuade them to pull the boats willingly.

Otherwise, if you make these boat trackers get up in the middle of the night to pull the boat, they might get upset and slack off, which would delay things.

After arranging this matter, Tu Chengyu continued:

"Get everyone on board immediately, and have all the ships weigh anchor and be ready to depart at any time."

Upon hearing this, the people around quickly got to work in different directions.

Then Tu Chengyu asked Quan Wenwei, "Mr. Quan, do you have anything to add?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, I believe it would be better to divide our forces into two groups."

Tu Chengyu asked, "What's the strategy for dividing the troops?"

Quan Wenwei said, "We will split into two teams, one by land and one by water. On land, General Su will lead the cavalry to go ahead first. If the enemy has not yet arrived, we can go directly to Lai Shangrong."

“If the enemy arrives earlier, General Su can monitor them and wait for the Prince to arrive with his men.”

Tu Chengyu replied, "Dividing our forces into two groups is a good idea, but our cavalry is too few in number. If we encounter the enemy, wouldn't that put them in danger? I think it's better to be cautious."

After Tu Chengyu finished speaking, before Quan Wenwei could say anything, Su Xuanbao, who was standing next to him, objected and said:
"Your Highness, I am not afraid of danger. What can a few petty thieves do to me?"

Tu Chengyu said, "This is not the time to show off."

Su Xuanbao stubbornly said, "Your Highness, I am not trying to be brave. I am confident that I can bring my brothers back safely."

Seeing Su Xuanbao's resolute attitude, and not having time to argue with him about these things, Tu Chengyu said:

"Since you are confident, I will let you lead the cavalry first. However, you must remember your words and not act rashly."

Upon hearing this, Su Xuanbao happily replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, this humble servant will ensure a safe and smooth journey."

After saying that, he hurriedly ran off to gather the cavalry.

Just then, Shi Yi and his group arrived.

Without saying a word, Tu Chengyu sent Shi Yi to Su Xuanbao and asked him to lead the way for Su Xuanbao.

Then, Shi Yi's men were sent to persuade the boatmen who were resting.

As Tu Chengyu issued his orders, the area around the dock immediately became noisy.

With everyone's concerted efforts, the project proceeded smoothly.

First, Su Xuanbao led all the cavalry to take a detour along the riverbank.

Next came all the boat trackers, who, with the money as collateral, rose one by one and began to pull the tow ropes.

Finally, on Tu Chengyu's side, several boats also started moving one after another.

The sky was still pitch black, but with the old boat trackers leading the way on the shore and the old boatmen steering the boat, the journey was quite smooth.

It's about ten miles, which takes about an hour to get there.

Once you arrive at the destination, there's no need to distinguish which hills are which.

Because by this time, the hill was already bustling with people, and torches were lit everywhere.

Judging from the sound and the number of torches, they were clearly more numerous than the cavalry that Su Xuanbao had brought.

Therefore, it can be concluded that those currently on the mountain must be men sent by the enemy.

However, judging from the fact that they are still searching all over the mountains, it is estimated that they have not yet found Lai Shangrong's whereabouts.

In light of this, Tu Chengyu quickly said to Quan Xu on the nearby boat:
"Your ship, get to shore immediately."

Quan Xu's ship was full of soldiers ready for battle, so now only this ship needed to dock, while the other ships could drop anchor and stay in the middle of the canal.

As Quan Xu directed the boat to dock, he asked:
"Your Highness, what should I do after I get ashore?"

Tu Chengyu shouted, "With such a commotion, the people on the mountain must have already noticed."

"So, once you've brought your men ashore, immediately raise my banner."

"Tell those people that I am here to arrest the criminals, and that everyone on the mountain should come down and gather together to await my orders."

After Tu Chengyu finished speaking, Quan Xu asked loudly, "Your Highness, what if they don't obey orders?"

Without a second thought, Tu Chengyu said, "If they disobey orders, there's no need to talk to them anymore. Just charge in."

Quan Xu shouted, "This subordinate understands."

As soon as he finished speaking, the boat docked.

Without saying a word, Quan Xu jumped off the bow of the boat first.

Then the other soldiers rushed to follow suit and jumped down.

Two hundred elite personal guards of the former Jingying Jiedushi, plus dozens of guards from the Prince's mansion transferred from the Imperial Guard.

These two hundred-plus people were all wearing armor. In addition, they had already rested comfortably on the ship for an hour.

Disembarking at this moment is like a tiger entering the forest.

If Tu Chengyu hadn't said beforehand that they should try to be courteous first and then resort to force, they probably would have already charged over.

The people on the mountain seemed to have known all along that someone would come to the canal.

So, before all the soldiers on Tu Chengyu's ship could disembark, a group of men dressed in garrison uniforms ran out and blocked Quan Xu and his men's way.

The leader of this group stepped forward and shouted:

"Who goes there? Stop right there!"

Quan Xu didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "What do you do?"

The man replied, "We are from the Jining Garrison under the command of the Shandong Military Governor, and we are here on orders to arrest a wanted criminal."

"Where are you from, and what business do you have here?"

Upon hearing this, Quan Xu ordered the soldiers beside him to raise the banner of Prince Su, which had been prepared beforehand.

After illuminating the flag with torches, he said, "Open your eyes and see clearly. We are guards under the command of Prince Su, and we have been ordered by the king to arrest criminals."

"If you all know what's good for you, you'd better get out of my way right now."

Quan Xu had already raised the banner of Prince Su, but the group opposite him didn't seem to be afraid at all.

Instead of being afraid, they blocked the road even more tightly.

Upon seeing this, Quan Xu knew that a fierce battle was inevitable.

(End of this chapter)