Liu Bei time-travels to become the Heavenly King Chao Gai

Chapter 48 Lord Liang... he's abandoning us!

Upon returning to the camp, the lieutenant general came to greet them.

"Commander, what about Zengtou City?"

Yang Zhi took off his helmet, threw it on the table, and said in a deep voice, "Not simple."

He sat down in the tent, poured himself a bowl of water, and took a sip.

"That old bastard Zeng was polite on the surface, but he was ruthless at heart. He had five sons, all of whom were skilled in martial arts. There were at least three or four hundred servants on the estate, and they were all well-trained. This wasn't just ordinary house guarding; it was like raising an army."

The lieutenant was taken aback: "Does the Commander mean... they really have treasonous intentions?"

Yang Zhi shook his head: "Treason is not necessarily the case. But it's probably true that he bought horses and stored grain for the Jurchens. It's just that without concrete evidence, we can't take action against him."

The lieutenant then asked, "So what do we do next? Should we continue monitoring Zengtou City, or go patrol elsewhere?"

Yang Zhi was silent for a moment, then said, "Send someone back to report to Lord Liang, detailing the situation at Zengtou City. Please make the decision. As for us..." He stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and looked at the lights of Zengtou City in the distance, "We'll camp nearby for a few days and observe the situation."

"Yes."

……

Zengtou City, main hall.

After Yang Zhi left, Zeng Nong sat in the armchair with a gloomy expression.

"Father," Zeng Kui stepped forward, "this Yang Zhi is up to no good. He's probably already suspicious."

Zeng Nong snorted coldly: "A defeated general who lost the birthday tribute dares to cause trouble in my Zengtou City. If it weren't for Liang Zhongshu's sake, I would have made sure he never left today."

Zeng Suo said indignantly, "Father, why are we afraid of him? At worst..."

"Shut up!" Zeng Nong glared at him. "The important matter is not yet settled; we must not act rashly."

He stood up, leaning on his cane, and walked into the hall, looking at a map hanging on the wall.

"News from the north says that the Jin army has captured Zhongjing, the capital of the Liao Dynasty. The Liao emperor has fled west, and the Jin's next move will surely be south."

He turned around and looked at his five sons.

"We've waited all these years for this day. Once the Jin army arrives, the Zeng family will be the first to achieve victory. Then, will we have to worry about not having a share of the lands in Shandong and Hebei?"

The five sons exclaimed in unison, "Father is wise!"

Zeng Nong added, "But before that, we must proceed with caution. Yang Zhi, that scoundrel, won't leave easily now that he's here. Pass down the order to the brothers in the village to be on high alert these next few days. No strangers are allowed to approach."

"yes!"

Zeng Kui hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Father, what if Yang Zhi comes again...?"

Zeng Nong sneered, "If he comes again, I'll show him the power of Zengtou City."

……

When Liang Zhongshu received Yang Zhi's secret report, he was admiring a painting in his study.

He put down the calligraphy and painting, opened the letter, read it twice from beginning to end, and then sat in the chair without moving for a long time.

The letter contained only one thing: Zengtou City was secretly colluding with the Jurchens, hoarding grain and raising troops privately, which was tantamount to treason.

He folded the letter and tucked it into his sleeve.

He stood up, walked a few steps in the study, and then sat down again.

Stand up again, walk to the window, open the window, and look out at the courtyard.

In the courtyard, two maids were watering the flowers.

The sun was shining brightly, the flowers were vibrant red, and the maid's clothes were bright and cheerful.

Liang Zhongshu looked at it for a moment and then closed the window again.

He thought of his father-in-law, Cai Jing.

My father-in-law is over seventy years old this year and has made countless enemies in the court.

Countless people are watching his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake.

He was his son-in-law; their fortunes were intertwined, for he shared both glory and misfortune.

If Zengtou City were to collude with the Jurchens, the imperial court would surely be shaken.

But what happens after the vibration?

Whose dereliction of duty should be investigated?

Zengtou City was within his jurisdiction, and it was he who failed to manage it properly.

The memorials impeaching him would be more numerous than snowflakes.

My father-in-law will also be implicated.

But what if we just ignore it?

Allowing the Jurchens' inside agents to grow powerful right under our noses will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later.

Liang Zhongshu sat back down in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table a few times.

He suddenly remembered someone.

Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi, the one who lost the birthday tribute, the one who was leading five hundred soldiers to set up camp outside Zengtou City.

Liang Zhongshu narrowed his eyes.

He stood up, walked to his desk, spread out a sheet of paper, and picked up a pen.

The pen tip hovered over the paper for a moment.

Then he started writing.

The letter was short, containing only two lines: Zengtou City is hoarding grain and fodder, and privately raising troops, with ulterior motives. You are ordered to immediately suppress them without fail.

He didn't mention the Golden Man, the reinforcements, or any backup.

He put down his pen, blew the letter dry, folded it, and stuffed it into the envelope.

He summoned a trusted messenger.

"Send it to Yang Zhi and hand it to him personally."

The messenger took the letter, bowed, and withdrew.

Liang Zhongshu stood in the study with his hands behind his back.

He looked at the painting on the wall, which depicted a landscape: a great river with green mountains on both sides.

"Don't blame me."

"It's because you... know too much."

.........

When Yang Zhi received the letter, it was still dark.

He stood in the tent, draped in his clothes, and read the two lines of text three times by the light of the candle.

"You are ordered to wipe them out immediately, without fail."

Suppression.

Zengtou City.

He looked up at the dark sky outside the tent.

Five hundred people.

He has five hundred men.

Zengtou City alone has three or four hundred servants, plus the five tigers of the Zeng family and those privately kept guards, there are at least seven or eight hundred people.

Moreover, Zengtou City also had earthen walls, arrow towers, and barricades.

This is still what he can see on the surface.

No one knows for sure how many people are being kept inside.

His five hundred men didn't even have ladders to attack the city.

This is sending him to his death.

He took two steps inside the tent and sighed deeply.

Lieutenant Zhang Cheng carried in a bowl of hot soup. Seeing that the commander's expression was not right, he asked, "Commander, what's wrong?"

Yang Zhi handed him the letter.

Zhang Cheng's expression changed after reading it.

"Has my husband... stopped sending troops?"

Yang Zhi shook his head.

"Just our five hundred men?"

Yang Zhi remained silent.

Zhang Cheng placed the letter on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his voice, saying, "Commander, there is something I'm unsure whether I should say."

"speak."

Zhang Cheng swallowed hard. "Does Master Liang mean to make us... scapegoats?"

Yang Zhi suddenly looked up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is... the commander has already reported the details of Zengtou City to you, sir. You know it's a tough nut to crack, yet you haven't given it any troops. If we lose, it's the commander's incompetence. If we win, it's your brilliant strategy. But how can we possibly win this battle?"

Yang Zhi's face grew paler and paler.

He wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words.

At that moment, the curtain was lifted.

The old steward walked in carrying a teapot.

Ever since he lost the birthday gifts, he had been accompanying the army, but he only took care of miscellaneous tasks and never participated in military affairs.

Hearing voices coming from inside the tent, they went over to investigate.

"Commander, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I've cooked some..."

He stopped speaking halfway through his sentence when he saw Yang Zhi and Zhang Cheng's expressions and the letter on the table.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Cheng handed him the letter.

After the old steward finished reading, the teapot in his hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

His lips trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Commander...Lord Liang...is he abandoning us...?"

Yang Zhi said in a deep voice, "Chief, you can't say things like that carelessly."

"Nonsense?" The old steward plopped down on a stool, bursting into tears. "I've served Master Liang for over ten years. Do you think I can't see through his intentions? If he really wanted us to attack Zengtou City, he should have provided soldiers and provisions. He gave us nothing, just one sentence: 'Go and fight...' He's sending us to our deaths!"

"I still have my wife and grandson at home... I haven't even seen him get married yet... I'm afraid I won't be able to go back this time..."