Chapter 891: Chapter 525: Mission Accomplished
At this moment, another eagle flew in from the western sky.
"Report! Commander Shi sent a message! His troops have already captured Wenshui County and are advancing towards Chaoning County’s city!" The messenger came running in.
For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded.
"Wenshui County has already been captured?!" Xue Shence found it hard to believe.
It was known that Shi Meng’s purpose with that team was merely to restrain Wenshui County, not as the main attacking force.
Therefore, Chen Huoshen’s cannons were not equipped at all. Thus, Shi Meng could not have relied on firearms to seize the city.
The two cities occupied by the enemy were taken within a few hours, which was terrifying.
Could it be that the garrison inside Wenshui County had also retreated?
"Impossible, our spies have repeatedly confirmed that Ning’an and Wenshui Cities are occupied by the main rebel forces, and it’s improbable for them to retreat undetected! Such a conspicuous target, it’s impossible not to notice ahead of time!" someone questioned.
Xue Shence immediately snatched the letter, read it, and was slightly stunned.
Mo Chou moved closer, and his expression also turned strange.
According to the intelligence, the success in seizing the city was attributed to General Wei Xianzong leading the Suicide Camp.
The first target of the Suicide Camp was Wuhe Town, and the occupation was unexpectedly smooth. Afterward, Commander Wei Xianzong led the Suicide Camp soldiers to change into rebel attire, pretending to be "defeated troops" fleeing towards Wenshui County.
And they successfully deceived the gatekeepers to open the city gate.
Of course, achieving this was mainly due to the assistance of the "pseudo army" from the original Inspection Bureau in Wuhe Town, who had voluntarily surrendered.
Besides, another important factor was that the "garrison" of Wenshui County and Chen Yong, the captain of Wuhe Town, were relatives...
"After Wei Xianzong successfully entered the city, he disguised as one of Chen Yong’s subordinates, approached the Wenshui County garrison, found a chance to kill him, dismantled the rebel command in the city, then persuaded some of the court’s surrendered soldiers in the city...
opened the city gate to welcome Shi Meng inside, which led to the capture of Wenshui County. Yes, the Firearms Team under Shi Meng also played a significant role."
Mo Chou read the intelligence with a strange look:
"After Shi Meng captured the city, he found out that various burning points had been set up within Wenshui County. According to the intelligence given by the surrendered troops, the plan to burn Wenshui County was to be enacted today, but fortunately, we captured it in advance."
He paused and added:
"As for Wei Xianzong, he has already led the Suicide Camp, once again pretending to be defeated troops, escaping to Ning’an County, attempting to infiltrate it."
Could it be like this? The generals looked at each other in disbelief.
The intelligence briefed only mentioned the result in a few words, but one could understand that the process wouldn’t have been so simple.
The enemy commanders weren’t fools; how could they be easily deceived into opening the city gate?
"Wei Xianzong... Commander Zhao has preserved a great general for us," Xue Shence sighed, even he was amazed at the courage and capability of this former Qingzhou Commander.
Xue Shence waved and said:
"This is indeed good news. With Wenshui captured, Shi Meng over there won’t be hindered by refugees, very likely reaching the rear of Ning’an City first, cutting off their retreat route. This time Su Dan will have a headache. However, the time they can buy is limited, so we must speed up our advancement, we can’t afford to proceed steadily anymore, pass down the order to forcefully drive the refugees, and clear the road as quickly as possible!"
He turned back around, looking in the direction of Ning’an County, the Fangtian Halberd in his hand heavy and cold.
...
...
Ning’an County, inside the county government’s main hall.
The atmosphere was tense, generals were coming and going briskly, yet not chaotically. The entire city had begun the evacuation preparations since yesterday, all of which should have been chaotic, but under Su Dan’s governance, it displayed an orderly effect.
The current Ning’an County is almost emptied, with the citizens driven out, and the remaining rebels acting as a precise machine, executing Su Dan’s military orders.
The "Scholar General," the vanguard general of the Yunfu Rebel Army, sat solemnly in the main hall.
He wore official robes, a black hat, with half a piece of software on his upper body, and within the gaps of his armor were several frequently read books.
Su Dan was composed and decent, with a scholarly demeanor.
"General, sixty-seven fire points within the city have been properly arranged, the citizens have also been driven out of the city, as soon as the order is given, the city can be set ablaze."
There was an officer reporting below the hall.
Su Dan nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Good, order the army within the city to prepare to withdraw, today we will leave, and upon departure, the city will be set on fire."
The officer took his orders and left.
The order for withdrawal was only issued today temporarily, and no one below knew it was arranged this way to avoid being detected early by court spies within the city.
From the back of the main hall, a deep voice suddenly sounded, "Amitabha Buddha, wasn’t it said by the General earlier that holding the city and setting it on fire is an action only to be used in the event of absolute necessity?"
It was a grand monk speaking, but he was not dressed in monk’s robes; instead, he wore a long-sleeved tunic, with a large hat covered with gauze on his back, along with a long stick. However, the scars on his bald head revealed his origin.
Su Dan turned around, smiling as he addressed the great monk, "Master Fan Long, as they say, ’All’s fair in war,’ the court forces are strong, holding this city is useless, those messages released before were merely to confuse Xue Shence, including the condition that setting the city on fire would require fulfilling as many as four signals. Humph, no need for such trouble? The true signal is only one, which is ’burn when we withdraw.’ As for the city’s wealth, it’s indeed a pity, but attempting to move so much wealth would take too long and attract too much attention, definitely not escaping Xue Shence’s notice, so it can only be consigned to the flames."