Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Inside the Chang residence, perhaps it was Chang Benchu's recent actions of "turning a deaf ear to worldly affairs and only wishing for family happiness" that moved heaven and earth.

Just as Shen Lang began to unleash his brutal attacks on the local aristocratic families of Suzhou, his son Chang Wei miraculously recovered.

Now, the whole family can finally be together.

"May the Heavenly Venerable protect us, may the Heavenly Venerable protect us!"

Chang Benchu ​​prayed excitedly, relieved that his youngest son had finally survived the danger.

Unfortunately, his joy was short-lived, as the gates of his residence were kicked open.

Before he could react to what was happening, a large contingent of soldiers from the Suzhou camp, led by Zhang Dayong, stormed into the mansion.

"Zhang Dayong, what are you doing!"

"Humph."

Faced with Chang Benchu's questioning, Zhang Dayong merely snorted coldly, then stepped aside and respectfully bowed to the newcomer, Zi'ang.

Shen Lang strolled into the Chang residence, took off his sunglasses, and looked at Chang Benchu ​​up close.

"who are you?"

"Ah."

Shen Lang chuckled and then asked a question.

"General Chang, is your son alright?"

"Uh, I'm fine."

Chang Benchu ​​replied subconsciously.

Shen Lang simply hooked his hand.

Zhang Dayong, standing behind him, immediately understood and shouted, "Arrest everyone in the mansion! Don't let a single one escape!"

Soon, chaos erupted inside the Chang residence.

Servants, Taoist priests, and stewards were all pinned to the ground by the barbaric soldiers.

Chang Benchu ​​became anxious: "Who exactly are you? How dare you cause trouble in my Chang residence! Guards! Guards, come quick!"

"Stop shouting. While you and these charlatans were performing your rituals, I had already taken care of all the martial artists you kept in your manor."

"what!"

Chang Benchu ​​was greatly alarmed.

"Who are you all, and what brings you to my residence?"

Snapped--

Shen Lang slapped him so hard he flew to the ground.

"The commander-in-chief of the Suzhou camp is so dignified that he doesn't even know about the major events that have happened in Suzhou these past few days. He deserves to die."

He waved his hand dismissively, signaling that everyone be thrown into jail, not bothering to say a single word to him.

"Let me go! I am Chang Benchu, the commander-in-chief of the Suzhou camp! Chang Benchu! I... Waaah..."

The next second, his mouth was gagged with a rope, and two soldiers dragged him away from the Chang residence.

As soon as Chang Benchu ​​was led out the door, Jiang Chaoyun rushed to Shen Lang's side.

"Lord Zhenguo, Mu Qingqiu has sent word that the troops from the Mingzhou camp have been mobilized and are heading towards my Suzhou Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang immediately perked up.

"Excellent! How many men did the Mingzhou camp send out?"

"All four battalions, totaling 16,000 men, were mobilized, with Yang Shuang personally leading the troops."

"great."

Shen Lang clapped his hands and immediately said, "Notify Meng Gong, stop hiding it. While the Jiangnan camp is mobilizing its troops, have your squads quickly take control of Mingzhou and Ningzhou."

Arrest Ma Ningyuan, Yang Maocai, and all other individuals involved in the case; let no one escape.

Remember, do everything you can to keep news from spreading within the city; don't let anyone leak it out.

"That might be a bit difficult."

"It's enough to ensure that Yang Shuang doesn't get the news of the changes in the city immediately."

Jiang Chaoyun responded and then asked, "How should we deal with Yang Shuang's army? Should I go back and report to His Majesty to request the allocation of another army?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "Yang Shuang is even worse than Chang Benchu. He's just a playboy who's addicted to wine and women and terrified of the enemy. He knows nothing about military affairs and only got the title of commander through hereditary recommendation."

Once Ming and Ning are under control, all that's needed is a letter to inform him. Given his indecisive nature and his infatuation with his beautiful wife, Meijuan, he will surely hesitate.

I am confident that I can make him willingly hand over military command of the Mingzhou camp.

Jiang Chaoyun: "Now that the Duke of Zhenguo has made his decision, I am relieved. Without further ado, I will go now."

"Ah."

……

The Mingzhou army marched in a grand procession toward Suzhou. After traveling thirty li a day, Yang Shuang ordered them to set up camp and rest on the spot.

As night fell, in the main military tent, Yang Shuang, dressed in a silk robe, savored the exquisite food on the table, eating with great care and slowness.

The deputy general, Gan Rang, asked in bewilderment, "General, why are we not marching anymore? We've only covered a hundred or so li in five days. What if something happens in Suzhou? How are we going to explain this to Minister Yang?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuang didn't seem to care at all. He used a knife to cut off a small piece of roasted lamb leg, dipped it in a small dish of salt, and slowly put it in his mouth to savor it.

After eating the mutton, he spoke to Gan Rang with the air of someone who had been through it all, saying, "Suzhou is also under Zheng's jurisdiction. Now the imperial court has sent people to inspect it."

It was simply because I feared the truth would come out. My brother (Yang Maocai) ordered me to lead troops towards Suzhou, just to show the court our stance.

So that they will back down and not actually attack Suzhou, then why should we be in such a hurry?

Why not take this opportunity to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan? Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Gan Rang could only echo, "General, you are wise."

As soon as he finished speaking, a trusted aide lifted the curtain and reported: "General, as you instructed, we have brought several women from the surrounding area."

"Excellent, excellent."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuang's face immediately lit up with joy.

"Let them in quickly."

Upon seeing this, Gan Rang immediately cupped his hands and said, "General, I will take my leave now."

"Go."

Before long, six women, dressed in rags but still quite attractive, nervously entered the tent.

Seeing that they were thin, Yang Shuang immediately pointed to the meat on the table and asked, "Want some?"

The women swallowed hard and nodded honestly.

"Then we'll see how you serve this general tonight."

Thus, a scene of singing and dancing filled the main tent.

……

At this time, in Mingzhou City, at the Governor's Mansion.

"What are you doing! What do you want to do?!"

"I am Yang Maocai, the Governor of Mingzhou! Who gave you permission to arrest me!"

"Let me go, let me go!"

Yang Maocai was tied up very tightly, as were his family members.

When Meng Gong led his personal guards into the city, his first task was to take control of the governor's office.

Without wasting any time, he brought Yang Maocai and his entire family to justice and immediately put them on a prison van, which headed straight for the capital.

"go!"

After confirming that no one was in the governor's office, Meng Gong immediately announced the withdrawal of troops and affixed a seal to the gate.

However, he overlooked one point.

Just after they arrived, an elderly man, about fifty years old, quietly crawled out from under the bed in the master bedroom.

His name was Fan Gui, and he was Yang Maocai's advisor.

When Shen Lang took over from Liu Wu to thoroughly investigate the salt tax embezzlement case, Yang Maocai keenly sensed that Shen Lang would definitely take control of the Suzhou camp first. He suggested that Yang Maocai rush to Suzhou to inform Zheng Bisheng before Shen Lang could, and seize military power if necessary.

Unfortunately, Yang Maocai did not adopt his suggestion, believing that seizing military power in the Suzhou camp would only arouse Zheng Bisheng's suspicion, and it would also be difficult to explain to Chang Benchu.

This caused them to completely miss the opportunity to take the initiative.

Later, when Zheng Bi sent someone to deliver the order to mobilize troops, Fan Gui again advised against it, because the situation in Suzhou was out of control and the best course of action was to move the troops from the Mingzhou camp into the city to reinforce the defenses.

Yang Maocai still didn't listen. Firstly, he was afraid that sending troops into the city would affect public order, and secondly, he simply didn't believe that Shen Lang had such great ability to turn the Suzhou officialdom upside down.

Therefore, Yang Shuang was sent with two sales representatives to Suzhou to investigate the situation.

Unfortunately, Yang Shuang loved grand gestures and was extremely afraid of death. Two battalions were far from enough, so he insisted on transferring the entire Mingzhou camp's troops away.

Thus, the city of Mingzhou, with only a few hundred city guards, was easily controlled by the Imperial Guard.

However, Fan Gui was not discouraged. After escaping this calamity, he immediately decided to find a way to leave the city and search for Yang Shuang. As long as his army could return to Mingzhou in time, everything could still be salvaged.