Chapter 173

While others might not have been too concerned, Qin Zhao’s heart was in turmoil.

This was a situation that had never occurred in his previous life.

He recalled that the villagers here were exceptionally fierce; even children as young as eleven or twelve could wield knives and forks to attack invading soldiers.

This made him extra cautious.

He sent two more scouts to gather information.

However, after waiting for half a day, there was still no news.

The eerie silence was perplexing. Qin Zhao decided to climb a hill overlooking the village to get a better view.

From his vantage point, he saw three dark figures hanging from a tall locust tree at the village’s eastern entrance.

They were unmistakably the three scouts he had sent earlier.

Qin Zhao was shocked.

It seemed that the villagers had somehow discovered the impending raid and had captured and hanged the three scouts at the village entrance.

The warship was a must!

Even if the villagers had found out, it didn’t matter.

He had always known that these villagers were troublesome, and this time he had brought more troops than in his previous life.

If the stubborn villagers refused to comply, they would simply kill those who resisted.

The fishing boats would eventually return, and by holding their children hostage, they could force the boats back to shore.

With this in mind, Qin Zhao ordered his troops to split into two groups.

The main force, led by a general, would storm the village, while Qin Zhao would command the remaining troops from the hill outside the village.

Qin Zhao watched as the long-tailed army, like a black serpent, slithered into the eerily quiet village.

Once inside, the soldiers kicked down doors and searched the houses, but found them empty.

Even the chicken coops were devoid of chickens, leaving only droppings behind.

The commanding general sent a messenger back to the hill to report.

Qin Zhao, however, had a sinking feeling.

After a moment’s thought, he realized something was wrong and immediately ordered the troops to withdraw from the village.

But just as the messenger reached the village entrance, a thunderous roar echoed from the hills.

Qin Zhao focused his gaze and saw a torrent of water rushing towards the village from the surrounding hills.

The “thunder” was actually the sound of the floodwaters.

Someone had opened the village’s floodgates, diverting the river that was supposed to flow into the sea into the village instead.

The soldiers who hadn’t managed to retreat were swept away like ants in a flood.

Some were knocked unconscious by the logs carried by the water and soon sank to the bottom.

This shocking turn of events was completely unexpected for everyone on the hill.

The water was rising rapidly, and if they didn’t descend soon, they would be trapped.

Fortunately, Qin Zhao, relying on his knowledge of the terrain from his previous life, managed to escape the rising waters and made a hasty retreat.

Fearing further ambushes, Qin Zhao and his remaining troops fled like startled birds.

Meanwhile, when Feng Liwu relayed the orders to the front lines, Jiang Xiurun, inspired by her earlier conversation with Feng Liwu, asked her sister-in-law if she had any connections with the smugglers in Huiwang Village.

Her sister-in-law was surprised and asked how she knew about them.

After all, the smuggled goods from those shipowners were of the highest quality, though they were unregistered and tax-evaded, making them somewhat illicit.

They had settled in Huiwang Village because it was a lawless area.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiurun immediately asked if her sister-in-law could quickly contact the shipowners through her associates to warn them of the impending rebel attack.

Her sister-in-law wasn’t sure, as the shipowners had retired from smuggling some time ago, but she decided to give it a try and sent a carrier pigeon to her associates near Dong Island.

Her sister-in-law was a natural at making money, dealing in rare goods, so having timely information was crucial.

She had a dedicated pigeon loft in the capital, with high-quality long-distance pigeons.

Her shops scattered across the region also had pigeon coops.

Raising and maintaining these pigeons required significant manpower and money, but for a wealthy businesswoman like her, timely information was worth the investment.

Thanks to her sister-in-law’s help, the message quickly reached Dong Island.

The shopkeeper on Dong Island happened to be close friends with one of the shipowners in Huiwang Village.

Upon receiving the message, he immediately sent a fast boat to warn the shipowner.

If the message had come from Feng Liwu’s officials, the villagers might not have believed it.

Even if Feng Liwu sent troops to protect them, they would have been suspicious.

But since the message came from her sister-in-law, who was trusted in the maritime trade community, the villagers believed it.

Her sister-in-law had a reputation for honesty and integrity.

The villagers of Huiwang Village, having been involved in smuggling for years, were all wealthy.

Faced with an impending rebel attack, defending their homes was impossible.

As long as their families were safe, they could abandon their homes.

So, the night before the attack, they packed their belongings, herded their livestock, and quietly boarded their ships, leaving behind an empty village for the invading army.

Meanwhile, the general on Dong Island also received her sister-in-law’s letter.

Although he couldn’t send troops to assist due to the need to defend Dong Island, he dispatched a vanguard to wait at the floodgates three miles from Huiwang Village, ready to release the floodwaters to drown the rebels.

When the three scouts entered the village, the vanguard from Dong Island killed them and hung their bodies at the village entrance to lure the main force.

Once the army arrived, they signaled to release the floodwaters and retreated by sea.

Thus, the three counties’ plan to seize merchant ships and convert them into warships was completely thwarted.

When Feng Wu heard the news, he was meeting with a secret envoy from Luo’an City.

Though he was furious inside, he maintained a calm demeanor and continued to smile.

Feng Liwu’s autocratic rule and his shift away from relying on noble families in governance had made the century-old noble families of Qi sensitive to the changing political climate.

Since both Feng Wu and Feng Liwu were sons of the late emperor, and Feng Wu even had the late emperor’s edict, his actions couldn’t strictly be considered rebellion.

The noble families, adept at playing both sides, maintained a delicate and distant relationship with Feng Wu, except for the Wei family.

The Yang family’s attitude was particularly peculiar.

Although the family head hadn’t made his stance clear, he allowed his daughter, Yang Ruxu, to exchange letters with Feng Wu.

Naturally, the letters didn’t bear any names, containing only melancholic musings typical of a young girl.

Even if intercepted by the emperor’s spies, they wouldn’t be incriminating.

Feng Wu knew that Yang Ruxu had been keeping her options open.

Now that Feng Liwu, the stubborn donkey, refused to let her ride, she had fallen from grace and was relying on him to climb back up.

Besides the Yang family, there was also the Qin family.

Due to Qin Zhao’s actions, Feng Liwu had distanced himself from the Qin family.

He preferred to promote young generals rather than rely on the Qin family.

As a military family, having no troops would leave the Qin family vulnerable.

Thus, even though Qin Zhao had faked his death and hadn’t shown himself, Feng Wu had already established contact with the Qin family.

Now that the ships from Huiwang Village were out of reach, Feng Wu wondered if the Qin family would be willing to join forces with him to take Luo’an.

Outside, the rain fell steadily, and the conversation between Feng Wu and the Qin family’s envoy was drowned out by the rolling thunder…

The timely self-rescue of Huiwang Village, aided by the vanguard from Dong Island, resulted in a great victory for Qi’s forces in their first encounter with the three counties.

When the news of the victory reached the capital, Jiang Xiurun’s heart remained uneasy.

The events in Huiwang Village convinced her that someone in the three counties had foresight, as if they knew the future.

She carefully recalled past events but couldn’t determine whether Feng Wu had been reborn or if someone close to him had guided him.

However, one thing was certain—someone had indeed been reborn.

This worried her greatly.

Although she had been adept at navigating political intrigues in her previous life, she had no military experience and couldn’t know everything.

With the enemy lurking in the shadows, she had no idea who they were, making it impossible to guard against them.

As Qi’s army prepared to march, her anxiety grew.

In recent days, Feng Liwu had rarely returned to the palace.

It was said that the army was fully assembled, but a few key positions had yet to be finalized.

A few days ago, Bai Qian had also received a special appointment from the emperor, being granted the title of “Peerless General” and assigned to the Left Vanguard Battalion.

As the champion of the martial arts tournament, Bai Qian, though a general from Bo, held dual military titles due to her empress’s marriage into Qi.

The title of “Peerless” carried profound implications.

To avoid conflicts of interest, Bai Qian requested not to be placed in the Right Vanguard Battalion with General Dou and his son, hence her assignment to the Left Vanguard Battalion.

This time, Jiang Xiurun visited the training grounds with double the usual supplies, naturally including a share for Bai Qian.

Since Feng Liwu was in a meeting with military officials, Jiang Xiurun took a stroll around the training grounds.

As she walked, she noticed Bai Qian and Dou Sixue standing together, deep in conversation.

Women have sharp eyes, especially someone as astute as Jiang Xiurun.

From a distance, she could see Dou Sixue leaning slightly forward, his gaze fixed on Bai Qian like an eager puppy.

Bai Qian, however, looked visibly annoyed.

Jiang Xiurun approached, and as she drew near, she signaled to her attendant, Taohua, to cough lightly.

Hearing the cough, Dou Sixue straightened up and turned to see the empress approaching leisurely with her entourage.