Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 59 Scout

The aroma of meat filled the entire village.

The soldiers made a meat soup with horse meat and corn.

It just mixed with the smell of blood, which was a bit weird.

The soldiers didn't have time to think about that. After a night of fierce fighting, they were already starving. They couldn't help but eat the food before it was fully cooked.

Liu Zhong scooped a bowl and handed it to Liu Daogui. Just as he took a sip, he caught a glimpse of several children from Chishan Village with their eyes wide open and drooling at the corners of their mouths.

"Bear some pain for them, too. As long as you participate in killing the enemy, you will be one of us from now on."

These people have demonstrated their determination through their actions.

Liu Daogui let them leave on their own, but they all stayed.

"Although we have seized some food, there is still a long way to go." Zhao Lunzhi was a little reluctant.

"As long as there are people, there will be food in the future. People are more important than food." Liu Daogui explained patiently.

If you want to take root in Lanling, it is not enough to rely on just a few hundred soldiers. Moreover, the soldiers are on loan and will have to return to Guangling in two months.

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Lunzhi bowed and ordered the soldiers to cook the meat soup, and distributed the leftovers to everyone.

The children were overjoyed, and the other people's eyes softened.

In the chaotic times, every grain of food was precious. Liu Daogui fed them, undoubtedly treating them as his own people, and the previous hatred gradually resolved.

Those who have deep hatred have already run away...

"Excuse me, General, what is your name?" the burly man stepped forward and asked.

"I am Liu Daogui, a military officer in the expeditionary force. Where are you from?" Liu Daogui had a good impression of this man. If he had not stood up last night, although they would have won in the end, it would not have been so easy.

"I am Zhao Yuan, a native of Yangwu, Xingyang Commandery, Yanzhou."

"I hope Brother Zhao can provide you with more assistance in the future."

"I am willing to do my best to serve you." Zhao Yuan is also a straightforward person.

"Dao Ze, what should we do with these prisoners?" Gao Xun pointed at the seventy-nine bandit prisoners sitting on the ground.

Among them were quite a few red-haired and yellow-haired Hu people with deep eyes, high noses and thick beards.

Even after being captured, many people still didn't take it seriously and looked around.

Liu Daogui pondered for a moment, "A man without integrity cannot stand. I must keep my word. I said I would not leave anyone alive, and I will not leave anyone alive!"

"This... we are in need of people, so we can make them slaves..."

"We don't have that much food. These people are not interested in us. We can't keep them. They will definitely bite us back after they have eaten and drunk enough."

The captives from Chishan Village were enough. Liu Daogui had neither the energy nor the time to tame these people.

Liu Zun glanced at the old, weak, women and children in the village and said, "If we don't kill them, we won't be able to control them!"

Only by combining kindness and severity can people's hearts be stabilized.

Gao Xun nodded slightly, picked up the knife and left, and Zhao Lunzhi followed with his men.

puff--

Clouds of blood mist drifted in the morning breeze, heads rolled around, and blood was everywhere.

Several captives struggled to escape, but were pierced through the body by seven or eight long spears, lifted into the air, their chests and abdomens ripped open, and their internal organs spilled to the ground...

The captives in Chishan Village looked terrified and awed, and fell into complete silence.

After all the captives were killed, they took the initiative to clean up the corpses in the village, sweep the battlefield, and collect usable weapons. The women took the initiative to clean and bandage the soldiers' wounds...

Soldiers are also men and have man's instincts.

It is the instinct of the weak to rely on the strong to survive.

As long as it does not go against the woman's wishes, Liu Daogui will turn a blind eye. It is better than burning, killing, raping and looting.

It was almost noon and the three scouts still hadn't returned. Liu Daogui couldn't help but doubt his own speculation.

Could it be that these people had already noticed that something was wrong?

Those who can serve as scouts are not ordinary people, they are the elite among the elite.

But it's obviously too late to send people after him now...

Just as he was racking his brains for a countermeasure, Liu Guangzhi, who was guarding the arrow tower, said coldly, "He's back!"

Call——

Liu Daogui had never felt that the neighing of a warhorse was so pleasant, and he made a look at Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng took his men and hid.

Three horsemen appeared and wandered down the hillside, but never came up.

Like three sparrows, they were hovering and looking around vigilantly in front of a trap.

"Damn it, these three pigs and dogs are so cunning." Liu Zun held a long axe in his hand, looking ferocious.

Liu Heipi said, "Why not order them to come back?"

"As soon as I open my mouth, the three of them will turn around and run away! Don't do anything, just wait for them to come up." Liu Daogui kept his composure.

The fact that they came back means they were just hesitant and not sure.

Although the three scouts were alert, the horses under them had their necks lowered, looked listless and exhausted, and it seemed that they had been on a long journey.

Without their war horses, the three of them would be unable to escape today.

After hesitating for a stick of incense, the three scouts rode their horses slowly inside.

Liu Zhong took two people to hold the horses for them.

The three men dismounted and prepared to go find the troops ahead as if nothing had happened. Liu Daogui, along with Liu Heibi and Liu Zun, stopped them and asked, "Where have you been? Why are you coming back now?"

"Reporting to the general, we will go straight to Lanling County to conduct scouts." The three of them spoke without hesitation.

"It's hard work, hard work--" Liu Daogui turned around and swung his knife, hitting the face of the leader.

A flash of blood appeared, and the man fell straight down. He was not dead yet and was twitching on the ground.

The other two men pressed their hands on the hilts of the swords, but were held down by the soldiers who surrounded them.

Liu Daogui shook off the blood on the blade and said, "I'll give you two one more chance. Please answer truthfully. Where did you go last night?"

Interrogation requires taking the person by surprise and breaking their defenses.

Sure enough, fear appeared in the eyes of both of them.

"You better think about coming out first. I just need someone who can talk."

"Reporting to the general... it was us who contacted the Taishan bandits last night..."

"Who else did you contact?"

"Originally, the Cao family agreed, but they didn't send anyone. Only one of the seven beggar armies came..."

"Who sent you here?"

The two fell silent again, and one of them cursed, "Humph, Liu Daogui, you little bastard, kill me if you want. If I die, your entire Liu family will be buried with me sooner or later!"

After saying that, he rushed towards the blade beside him.

Another man suddenly jumped up and pounced on Liu Daogui, with three ring-handled knives piercing his chest.

Blood splattered all over Liu Daogui's face.

"They are servants of the Huan family, and their families are all in the hands of Huan Chengzhi." Zhou Zheng's face became even uglier.

These two scouts were so determined because they must have known their fate. Even if they gave Huan Chengzhi away, they would not be able to escape death today.

If he offended Liu Daogui, only he would die; if he offended the Huan family, his entire family would be buried with him.

There was no difference between Huan Chengzhi killing a few servants and killing a few chickens.

Liu Daogui wiped the blood off his face and said, "Brother Gao will take care of Chishan Village. Brother Zhou and I will return to Guangling immediately..."

Gao Xun frowned, "What does Dao Ze want to do?"

"Get rid of Huan Chengzhi." Liu Daogui was unusually calm.

"what?"

Gao Xun and Zhou Zheng's expressions changed suddenly.

"That's... Huan!"

"Of course I know he is from the Huan family, but if I don't kill him, he will kill me." Liu Daogui looked determined.

The assassin's poisoned arrows and the thieves who contacted Lanling County all showed Huan Chengzhi's determination.

This has long been a dead end where one side must die.

Strike while the iron is hot, and take revenge as soon as possible.

Liu Daogui had thought it through long ago. He rushed back to Guangling without anyone noticing and killed Huan Chengzhi. The people of the Huan family would not suspect that he was still suppressing bandits in Lanling.

Secondly, there are four divisions of the Central Army of the Conqueror, and the front is composed of the Huan family's trusted confidants. If Huan Chengzhi dies and the Huan family replaces him with someone else, it will be difficult to control the front in the short term, and then Zhou Zheng will have the opportunity to climb up...

Liu Daogui might even be able to reach out and dismantle the Huan family's influence in the army and support Zhou Zheng in the name of joining the army.

If the Huan family gets a good-for-nothing or a playboy, that would be even better, they can just be sidelined.

In short, if he goes back and kills Huan Chengzhi now, as long as he is quick, skillful, and stealthy, no one will think that it was him who did it!
The revenge for Liu Zhen’s broken arm must be avenged!

If Huan Chengzhi knew that all the people he sent died in Lanling, would the Liu family still be safe?
Liu Daogui had no choice but to get rid of Huan Chengzhi at the lowest cost.

"I swear to follow you and join the army until death!" Zhou Zheng half-knelt on the ground.

"Count me in." Liu Guangzhi's face was full of excitement.

"And me!" Liu Zun and Liu Zhong also came forward.

Although more than 20 soldiers did not speak, they all stood behind Liu Daogui, which made their intentions clear.

Gao Xun's eyes were a little complicated.

Liu Daogui could understand that killing Huan Chengzhi was a very serious matter. If the Gao family was involved, they would be in big trouble.

This is also the reason why Liu Daogui kept him in Chishan Village.

"Daozhe, go ahead without worry. I'm here to take care of Chishan Village. You can rest assured." Gao Xun gradually came to his senses.

Internal strife is more dangerous than war. It is either you die or I die. There is no way out. Even if you have the thought of retreating, you will be doomed!

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war, let's set off immediately." Liu Daogui wiped the blood off his body and changed into a slightly cleaner set of clothes.

Others followed suit, each armed with a powerful crossbow and a ring-handled sword.

He didn't wear any armor, as it would be too conspicuous. If he walked on the street in Guangling City with a knife in his hand, no one would pay attention to him. But if he wore a set of iron armor, it would immediately attract the attention of the government.

However, there were only nine war horses, and sailing south was against the current, so the speed was slow.

This time it was originally an assassination, not an open rebellion, and having too many people would only make things worse.

Liu Daogui simply took Liu Guangzhi, Liu Heipi, Zhou Zheng and his cousin Zhou Duo, a total of five people, and drove their horses south.

Liu Zhong and Liu Zun led 21 of their men and Zhou Zheng's 16 confidants and sailed south.

If the assassination fails, Liu Daogui plans to take all the Liu family members and hide in Mount Tai...

(End of this chapter)