Chapter 204 Lin Zhongyun's alertness, flooding the army

"Didn't show up?"

Lin Zhongyun's heart sank suddenly and his expression changed slightly. Such abnormal behavior made him vaguely aware that something was wrong.

First, the declining Daqian court faced the siege of the rebel army. It was obvious that it could not hold out for a few more days, but it did not take any action, which was really suspicious.

Then came the news from Li Zhongwu. Since Chagan Uli had already made up his mind to return to the heart of the grassland for support, the sooner the better. Why would it be dragged on like this?
If Daqian's inaction was a sign of complete despair and he was lying down, then why would Beiman be so hesitant?

He lowered his brows and looked into the distance with deep eyes. Under the dark night, he felt as if he was trapped in a strange situation, and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger.

"The actions of Beiman and Daqian are definitely not a coincidence." He muttered to himself, thinking to himself: "There must be something plotted between the two."

He couldn't imagine what the cooperation between Beiman and Daqian meant, but this uneasy premonition followed him like a shadow and he couldn't get rid of it.

"But what exactly are they plotting? It means they are very confident in this plan, otherwise they would not do nothing like they are doing now." Lin Zhongyun's thoughts were racing, and he kept deducing possible situations in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not figure out what the Northern Barbarians and Daqian could be plotting.

"Could it be that my previous judgments were all wrong?"

He was shocked and began to re-examine the declining Daqian court. Could it be that the Daqian court still had some hidden power that had not yet been revealed? Could it be that the young emperor, who was full of vigor and blood, could really endure such a temper?

He knew that any unusual behavior could not be ignored, especially at this time.

Even a lion will fight a rabbit with all its might. He is confident that his rebel army is invincible, but he still cannot let his guard down, especially at this critical moment that will determine the fate of the world.

As the saying goes, knowing yourself and knowing your enemy means you will win every battle.
Intelligence becomes particularly important at this time.

The reason why their rebel army was so successful in the past was, on the one hand, because of their bravery, and on the other hand, because they had the support of the people. They didn't even need to deliberately collect information, as people would automatically offer all kinds of intelligence.

However, all parties are now extremely wary of the rebel army, and truly valuable intelligence is not so easy to find out. This also explains why the intelligence transmitted from Hanzhou every day was exactly the same.

It wasn't that the spies had made a mistake or there were other reasons. It was just that the intelligence they had access to was really limited. But this also meant that what was happening in Hanzhou was becoming more and more important, and it was even very likely to turn the entire war situation around.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhongyun's eyes suddenly became sharp. He turned around and looked at Yuan Jingxin, looking down at him and coldly shouted, "Immediately send people to sneak into the Beiman and Hanzhou territories to check what the emperor has done recently. If it is the same information as before, don't report it."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Yuan Jingxin's heart trembled. Although Lin Zhongyun's voice was not cold, there was an unquestionable domineering tone in his voice. He felt an invisible pressure, as if the air was heavy because of this domineering tone.

He had no doubt that if he messed up in this matter, then the image he had previously accumulated in front of Lin Zhongyun would be wiped out, and even his life would be in danger.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will send more people immediately." He said respectfully, feeling uneasy and panicking for the first time.

Lin Zhongyun's tyranny and strength made him feel somewhat unfamiliar. He realized that Lin Zhongyun had changed, and was gradually evolving from the previous amiable and benevolent King Wu into an unquestionable commander-in-chief of the three armies, or even an emperor.

"Tomorrow at noon,
I want to know what happened in Hanzhou by tomorrow noon at the latest."

Lin Zhongyun continued, without giving Yuan Jingxin any face, his face showing boundless solemnity.

Seeing Lin Zhongyun's gloomy expression, Yuan Jingxin responded and went down to work immediately without saying anything else.

He understood that this matter was of vital importance to him and the rebel army, otherwise Lin Zhongyun would not have issued a military order to him so forcefully.

Although Lin Zhongyun's tyranny made him tremble, he understood that only in this game of power and war could he find a chance to survive.

Various possible intelligence channels emerged in his mind, and he even began to think about how to gain a chance of survival for himself in this complicated situation.

After walking down from the city wall, he immediately called his men out.

Looking at these people in front of him, they were all trained by him personally, they were extremely flexible, the best at disguising and tricking others, they were the elite among the elites. They were like shadows in the rebel army, unknown, but an indispensable force.

Recalling Lin Zhongyun's arrogance and strength on the city wall before, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, although this change was a good thing.

But now he didn't know whether Lin Zhongyun's transformation was good or bad for him.

He retracted his gaze, suppressed the mixed emotions in his heart, looked at the people in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "As the saying goes, you raise an army for a thousand days and deploy it for a single moment. Now is the time for you to be deployed. Now I want you to..."

He pointed to the topographic map of Hanzhou on the table, his mind full of thoughts, and began to make plans and deployments.

Since he didn't know what was happening in Hanzhou, he decided to disperse everyone. There were six cities in Hanzhou, and he sent two or three spies to each city.

"Each of you is responsible for a city, and you must obtain intelligence in the shortest possible time." Yuan Jingxin's tone was firm and calm, and his eyes were as sharp as torches, sweeping across the faces of each of his men.

Of course, he did not do this in a rash manner, but made the decision after careful consideration.

First of all, the rebel army has millions of people. If they want to reverse the entire occupation, then the scale of this plan is doomed to be beyond the ability of people in one place or one city to accomplish.

No matter how well they keep secrets, once more people are involved, things will inevitably go wrong and information will be leaked.

Therefore, he chose to send a spy to each city, hoping that he would encounter one or two of them anyway.

"You must obtain information about the situation in Hanzhou as soon as possible, especially any news about Emperor Daqian. If there is any disturbance, be sure to report it immediately."

Yuan Jingxin continued, his tone revealing a hint of seriousness. He knew that intelligence was the lifeblood of war, and if he lost control of the situation, the fate of the rebels could be reversed in an instant.

……

Just when Yuan Jingxin was taking frequent actions and sending spies to Hongfang and Hanzhou.

Hanzhou, Miyun City.

Under the moonlight, Yuan Chenghuan and the middle-aged scholar had brought the Northern Barbarians' advance troops to Miyun City and stationed at the Miyun Reservoir. As for the Northern Barbarians' main force, they were stationed only thirty miles away. As soon as the Miyun Reservoir opened the gates to release water, they would quickly attack and wipe out the remaining remnants with lightning speed, leaving the rebels no chance to resist.

"General Yuan, hello!"

Wang De invited the two into the hall with a respectful look and a hint of excitement and anticipation in his tone. He said slowly, "I am following the order of His Majesty to fully cooperate with the general and the envoy's plan. Please give me your instructions. I will do my best to do it."

Yuan Chenghuan nodded and looked at everything around him, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.

He had been stationed in the northern border for several months, eating strange-tasting food with those northern barbarians. Now, even everything in the Central Plains seemed unfamiliar to him.

However, as time went on, he quickly adapted and his anticipation for the operation was rekindled.

The middle-aged Confucian scholar at the side looked at everything in front of him, with strange colors flashing in his eyes, mixed with a little yearning.

He had only heard of the architectural style of the Central Plains in various rumors and books before, but now that he was observing it up close, he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. Looking at everything in front of him, he felt more and more that the Northern Barbarians were backward, especially the backwardness of their nomadic habits.

Although the Northern Barbarians can still rely on their strong physique to gain the upper hand, these people from the Central Plains are the smartest. Once they create a method to target the Northern Barbarian cavalry, the Northern Barbarians will be at the mercy of others.

"So, this war is very likely to be the best opportunity for the Northern Barbarians." The middle-aged Confucian scholar thought to himself, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

He could even foresee that if the Northern Barbarians did not take this opportunity to attack, the gap between the Northern Barbarians and the Central Plains would only grow larger and larger, and they would be destroyed sooner or later. Therefore, this further illustrates the importance of this battle.

In this battle, he, Beiman, can only win and not lose.
The future of the Northern Barbarians all depends on this battle.

Thinking of this, he put away the longing in his heart and said to Wang De and Yuan Chenghuan who were chatting enthusiastically beside him: "Now everything is ready, only the east wind is missing. We can't delay any longer, and our plan must be carried out immediately."

"Also, I noticed the guards looked at us strangely when we entered the city just now. Could it be that they didn't know about this?" He frowned slightly, feeling vaguely uneasy.

At this point, their plan could no longer withstand any disruption.

When asked this question, Wang De laughed and explained, "Isn't this also because we are worried about leaks? As the saying goes, the fewer people who know about this, the better it is to ensure that the plan will not be leaked."

Hearing this, the middle-aged scholar frowned and said unhappily, "But now that the guard has seen us, what's the difference between this and them knowing about it?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was a little tense, Yuan Chenghuan stepped out to smooth things over and said, "In this case, in order to ensure the secrecy of the plan, all the people guarding the city today must be killed.

Therefore, it is just right to replace them with our people and keep Miyun City in our hands to avoid unnecessary troubles."

After hearing this, Wang De hesitated a little: "Is this... a bit too risky? If it is not handled properly, it may cause unnecessary trouble."

"Besides, wouldn't it arouse suspicion if the generals defending the city were replaced in this way?"

"Wang De, time waits for no one." Yuan Chenghuan's tone was filled with urgency. "We must take control of the situation as soon as possible before the enemy notices. If they notice, the consequences will be disastrous."

The middle-aged scholar felt uneasy when he saw this, but he also knew that he had to act decisively at this moment. He looked up and said in a deep voice: "I agree with General Yuan's opinion. Now there is not much time left for our plan, and the impact of replacing the generals defending the city is minimal.

Compared with the risk of the plan being leaked, it is more important to keep Miyun City in our hands."

Seeing the two's firm attitude, Wang De showed an unwilling look, but he could only nod: "Okay, in that case, I'll arrange it right away."

After watching Wang De leave, Yuan Chenghuan discussed the plan again with the middle-aged Confucian scholar to confirm that the plan was foolproof.

Then, when he saw that it was getting late, he left.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked out of the lobby door, he saw Wang De standing aside. He looked bored and his clothes were wet. It was obvious that Wang De was waiting for him here.

"Lord Wang, why are you here?" Yuan Chenghuan raised his eyebrows and looked at Wang De with a bad feeling in his heart.

"General, can we talk somewhere else?"

Wang De walked up to Yuan Chenghuan with a faint smile, and then whispered in his ear: "General, I brought the emperor's handwritten order..."

"The emperor's order?" Yuan Chenghuan's heart tightened and his vision blurred. At this moment, the emperor's order was undoubtedly an ominous sign. He couldn't help but think of various possibilities: Is the plan going to change? Or is there something else going on?
Soon, the two of them came to a secret room. It was quiet all around with only the faint flickering candlelight.

"Don't worry, there is no one else here except you and me." Wang De said slowly, his aura suddenly became domineering, as if he was a powerful official high above everyone else.

"May I ask what exactly is your Majesty's decree?"

Yuan Chenghuan felt even more uneasy. Such a secret was kept secret and even the northern barbarians were not informed. The implication was obvious.

"People of the bright side don't speak secretly."

Wang De nodded and got straight to the point: "This time, your majesty is not only targeting the rebels, but also the northern barbarians. After the plan begins, the Miyun Reservoir will open the gates to release water, but this is only the first time the gates are opened."

First time opening the gate?
Yuan Chenghuan was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Wang De in disbelief, looked at Wang De in surprise, and said: "Are you going to release the water a second time? But won't the people from the Northern Barbarians find out if they are here?"

Wang De waved his hand, shook his head and said, "You are right, but in addition to Miyun City, Hanzhou also has a Tongzhou Reservoir. Although the water storage capacity of Tongzhou Reservoir is not as large as that of Miyun Reservoir, it is enough to flood everything."

"That is to say, when the Northern Barbarians are ready to harvest, the Tongzhou Reservoir will open the gates to prevent flooding and flood Hanzhou for the second time."

Upon hearing this plan, Yuan Chenghuan couldn't help but take a breath and felt a chill on his back.

Even though he had been through a lot and seen countless tragedies in the world, when he heard such a plan, he still couldn't help feeling cruel and a chill in his heart.

He imagined the innocent people, facing the raging flood, with nowhere to escape, and their desperate cries echoed in his ears. Such means were simply inhumane!
(End of this chapter)