Chapter 888: Chapter 524: Launching the Counterattack
Suspecting I heard wrong.
Donating half of their wealth?
Since when did this group of local tyrants have such high awareness?
But they are not fools. After a moment of thought, they realized it must be Zhao Douan pressuring them, "forcibly taking what he wants."
"As expected of Commander Zhao, this local gang of thieves with ulterior motives didn’t expect Commander Zhao to bring justice before even a day has passed since entering the city." A general clapped in approval.
"Indeed, it is the governor’s style." Shi Meng sighed:
"I had originally thought of discussing military provisions tomorrow, but now we don’t have to worry in the short term."
Xue Shence also silently agreed. As the main general, to avoid suspicion, he should not interfere in local government affairs.
Although Zhao Douan’s action was too intense, as it secured plenty of military funds, he had no reason not to support it.
"Understood, go get busy."
Mo Chou frowned slightly. Although it seemed inappropriate, recalling Zhao Douan’s style of arresting officials when he was in the Capital, it was not surprising.
This is something he would do.
"Now that logistics are assured, we can proceed with the plans we discussed earlier." Yuan Feng said in a deep voice:
"Commander Zhao and Governor Sun are working together to ensure logistics, the Secretariat Envoy and I will focus on battle and defeating the enemy, clearly divided responsibilities, surely ensuring victory."
In their conversation, everyone tacitly accepted that Zhao Douan’s actions were to ensure logistics.
The core burden of defeating the enemy and killing the bandits was shouldered by Xue Shence.
No one could guess Zhao Douan’s real purpose behind these actions.
"Alright, if that’s the case, let’s proceed according to the plan." Xue Shence nodded.
He turned back to the sand table, which showed the court soldiers divided into three units attacking from three directions.
These are three tactical plans, to be executed simultaneously to win quickly, with Wei Xianzong’s Suicide Camp at the end.
...
At the same time, under the command of Sun Xiaozhun, a large group of officers and soldiers moved in units, carrying carriages, heading to various mansions and shops in the city.
They transported large quantities of food and wealth to the court’s treasury, while the strange objects Zhao Douan needed were also loaded onto the carriages and sent to the Lu Mansion.
After a thrilling banquet, Zhao Douan eventually let these gentry go.
Even though the entire "donation" was not yet complete, on one hand, such a large-scale wealth transfer cannot be completed quickly.
On the other hand, many operations required these gentry to do them personally.
After all, Zhao Douan wasn’t some demon, he couldn’t literally send people to rob wantonly.
Everything had to be done by the rules, in compliance with the rules, otherwise what would become of the court, and what would become of me?
"In the next two days, I’ll still need Governor Sun to be vigilant to prevent these people from being dishonest, using tricks to hide and conceal their assets."
In the courtyard of the Lu Mansion, Zhao Douan stood with his hands behind his back by the pond, speaking calmly.
Sun Xiaozhun stood behind him, his face black and thin as iron, looking fierce:
"Rest assured, sir, I will handle this matter well. Those strange objects have already been sent to the Lu Mansion, but this is just the first batch; these big families have been hoarding for centuries, and items related to cultivation hold more value than gold."
"Very well, have them sent in. I will stay at the Lu Mansion for a few days." Zhao Douan raised his hand, picked a water lotus from the pond, and scattered the petals into the water reflecting the red lanterns.
Sun Xiaozhun did not ask about the use of these strange objects. He knew Zhao Douan was a cultivator in the world and naturally assumed it was to gather strange objects to enhance his abilities.
He promptly turned around to make arrangements.
Once he left, Zhao Douan’s eye suddenly turned silver, and the figure of a female sorcerer in a bridal gown, invisible to ordinary people, appeared above the pond.
Pei Niannu hovered barefoot over the water, coldly watching him:
"You...again...doing...what..."
"I have found a large batch of items for continuing to smelt the Red Flame Saint Armor. Besides this, what else can I prepare?"
Zhao Douan asked calmly.
Pei Niannu was momentarily stunned, as if surprised, and said, "The Mystic Turtle Seal... throw it into the water... absorb..."
A while later, the female sorcerer’s figure vanished into the night. The Mystic Turtle Seal has a special ability to absorb and store a large amount of water within the Suppressing Object.
According to her explanation, if one needed to conjure rain, it’s best to fill the Mystic Turtle Seal as much as possible, saving quite a bit of mana.
Zhao Douan threw the torn petals into the pond, raised his right hand, and, with a twist of light, a blue-black, ancient seal slowly emerged and rotated.
"All these arrangements are to avoid the worst-case scenario, hoping I won’t need to step in."
Muttering softly, he tossed the Mystic Turtle Seal into the pond, and suddenly, a vortex appeared on the calm pond surface, like a black hole.
The pond water quickly drained, the water level dropped, exposing the mud and plant roots at the bottom, and Zhao Douan manipulated the Mystic Turtle Seal’s water-control ability to draw water from the underground river connected to the pool.
He beckoned, and a chair under the eaves rotated and flew over.
Zhao Douan sat in the chair, gazing at the bright moon, gradually lost in thought.
He decided to stay at the Lu Mansion for a few days, both to have a private space for smelting the Holy Armor and to bind the Lu Mansion closely to himself.
"Would such a big family put all their eggs in one basket? I’m afraid they’ve already colluded with the rebel army, but as long as I’m here, the Lu family can only sit on this side of the court, unable to make waves."
...
...
The night passed without a word.
The next day, Xue Shence began small-scale troop movements, probing attacks, not only to mislead the enemy but also to give the Capital Camp soldiers a window for rest and preparation.
That day, the court and the rebel army engaged in small-scale conflicts, with the court having the upper hand, but they did not recklessly attack aggressively.