Xie Ming

Upon hearing of the calamity in Hangzhou, Xiao Jingchuan was deeply worried about the safety of his relatives in the city, including Zhizhong and Xiao'e. Without regard for anything else, he led three thousand cavalrymen from the nearest city and rushed towards Hangzhou at breakneck speed.

However, given the limited troop strength available at the moment, Xiao Lang had to decide how to break through the city ten miles outside Beiguan, which led to a dispute with Yuan Ping.

If Yuan Ping's idea is followed, then a string of firecrackers will be set off, and cavalry will be organized on the spot to launch a surprise attack.

However, Xiao Nian knew that Hangzhou was a heavily fortified city with nearly ten thousand guards stationed there, so he was unwilling to risk the lives of his soldiers by forcing them into the city in order to save his own family.

When the conversation got heated, Yuan Ping became impatient and kept urging him to finish.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Chuan, this time you'll listen to me."

"There's no time for all that fussing over details. It's just one word: grab!"

"Seize the time, launch a surprise attack and a hard assault."

"Besides, isn't Jizu's troops also rushing here in a hurry?"

"Let's take advantage of the darkness and catch them off guard so they can't tell the difference between the items."

"Even if we can't break through the city, we can still scare them half to death."

"Once Jizu's troops arrive tomorrow, we will replenish our manpower and strength."

"We'll definitely get this done."

"What do you think?!" Yuan Ping was hot-tempered and spoke hastily.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang was displeased and immediately rejected the idea.

"No, no."

"If we do this, how many brothers will be sacrificed?"

"We'd better not take a direct approach," Xiao Bo said.

When Yuan Ping heard that his advice was not heeded, he became furious and suddenly started to shove at Xiao Chuan, intending to explode.

Before the other person could react, Xiao Jingchuan quickly stopped and continued speaking.

"Hey, hey, Brother Yuan, you... you let me finish what I have to say first."

"That's it."

With a quick movement, Xiao's face turned ashen, and he pressed down Yuan Ping's outstretched arm.

"If, I mean if."

"Let's try a different approach."

"But what if this Hangzhou city can be as successful as the Baoding Prefecture we previously devised?" Xiao pondered.

Following the clues, Gu Changting quickly answered the question.

"General, do you mean we should find a way to trick them into opening the city gates?" Changting asked.

Upon hearing this, Xiao opened his eyes and looked over, nodding solemnly in affirmation.

"That's right!"

"This is my plan."

"Before I came here, I asked the jinx to bring dozens of sets of armor and swords from the Imperial Guard."

"At this hour, it is deep into the night. Even with the light of a few torches, the city gatekeeper would not be able to see our faces clearly."

"We'll send a group of men, disguised, and pretend to be scouts on patrol, saying we've finished our patrol and need to enter the city to change shifts."

"Perhaps we can trick our way into opening the city gates."

"At that time, this group of soldiers will block the city gate and fight their way through."

"We will wait for the majority of our cavalry to press on and charge into the city."

He spoke and gestured repeatedly, then spread his hands, and Xiao Ce continued reciting his lines.

"Whoosh—" He blew out a breath and then extended three fingers.

"Three thousand people is indeed a bit too few."

"However, its advantage lies in its surprise attack."

"As long as we can break through the checkpoints and go straight in, then we'll head straight for the inner palace without stopping."

"They'll be completely bewildered in a short time."

"These pampered sons of the Imperial Guards can't really do anything to us."

"Moreover," Xiao said, then focused his gaze on Yuan Ping's face.

"Once this goes through..."

"The rest are also easy to handle."

“Brother Yuan, you don’t need to fight with us in the city.” “At that time, you will just guard the North Gate.”

"Send a few small teams of soldiers and give them advance notice."

"The organization has been moving back and forth between the North Gate and the outside world."

"Heh, let's create the illusion of a soldier passing through."

"Look, it's pitch black outside the city at night, you can't even see a ghost."

"By doing this, we can surely deceive everyone."

"As long as, as long as we can make it to tomorrow morning."

"Brother Yuan, your follow-up two thousand or so men will arrive soon."

“The procession that follows our ancestor will not be far behind.”

"At the latest, by tomorrow, once his troops arrive, everything will be settled."

"With this plan succeeded, the overall situation can be stabilized!"

"So, what do you think of this method?"

Xiao Jingchuan explained his plans in detail.

However, as everyone pondered, they still felt that something was amiss.

At that moment, Yuan Ping also loosened his grip on the arm he was about to grab, took a deep breath, and fell into a state of calculation.

Neither Gu Changting nor the jinx immediately responded.

Unexpectedly, during the silence among the generals, Master Liu, who had been standing a step away and rarely spoke up to discuss military matters, suddenly had something to say.

"Uh, Commander Xiao, I..."

Suddenly, the man spoke, and the generals who had gathered around him all looked on in astonishment, staring at him expectantly.

Master Liu felt embarrassed, but he had no choice but to continue speaking.

"Hehe, no, no, don't all look at me like that. I... I'm not trying to discourage you."

"Mainly, I wonder if anyone has thought about this."

"The current situation is that, firstly, the entire city of Hangzhou is under martial law, especially the four city gates, which are the most difficult to attack. According to the information, this should be true, right?!"

"If that's the case, then the North Gate is tightly closed, making it even more difficult to get in and out."

"Moreover, even without this incident, scouts patrolling the outer perimeter at night would still need a pass code to enter and exit the checkpoints."

"Well, we haven't caught any prisoners yet, and we don't know if there are any scouts outside the city to catch at this hour."

"We must not act rashly."

"If the disguise fails and the deception fails, wouldn't that just alert the enemy?!"

What do you all think?

Master Liu's words were like a thunderbolt, shattering Xiao Lang's scheme and hitting him where it hurt.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ping seemed to snap out of his daze and quickly added his own explanation.

"Oh, yes!"

"This second son of the Liu family is usually quiet and withdrawn, but his reminder is quite appropriate."

Yuan Ping was very easygoing. Having spent a long time in the army, he had become familiar with Xiao Chuan's close followers.

Therefore, the words were more straightforward.

Judging from Yuan Ping's tone, even the usually aloof and cold-faced Master Liu couldn't help but respond with an awkward, bitter smile.

Before Xiao Lang could refute him, Yuan Ping continued to steer the conversation back to its original point, clinging to the logic.

"If you ask me, we still need to use the most practical and straightforward methods."

"What's the point of all these fancy tricks?"

"Who, who is a decent person guarding this city? In the dark, who has the time and patience to let you through?"

"And as I said, on our way here, we haven't seen a single scout, patrol, or sentry, not even a single guard."

"Don't try to do this and that, you'll only end up losing more than you gain."

"Tell me, with just your words, you can claim to be one of our own. But with such a crackdown underway, who would believe you? Huh?"

"Let's do as I said: a surprise attack, with my men scaling the city walls in the dark – that's the most effective way!"

"Don't you think so?!"

Yuan Ping persisted in his opinion, and his plan to breach the city took another roundabout turn. (End of Chapter)