Chapter 430: All troops went out, completely overwhelming their army

The next day, in the central army's grand tent.

Xiao Yuanhang said: "Your Majesty, in warfare speed is essential; yesterday they just lost half their forces—this is the perfect moment to pursue the victory."

"The enemy will surely try to shut their gates again, but this time they won't get away with it."

"I propose to first employ a tactic to exhaust the enemy: starting today, each day we will send several-dozen-strong squads, taking turns at night to beat drums and gongs and launch fire arrows outside the enemy camp."

"This will keep their entire army sleepless, running around putting out fires, exhausted; after a few days I will lead troops out to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Lu Qi pondered: "Your Highness, since you want to do this, I have a plan—I don't know if I should speak of it."

Tuan Tuan was sitting in the Emperor's embrace, twirling a strand of his hair around her little finger as she played; hearing this, she lifted her head: "Wow! Uncle Seven, you also know how to fight!"

Lu Qi scratched his head: "Miss! I'm also trying to contribute!"

Xiao Yuanhang laughed: "But go ahead and speak."

Lu Qi replied: "Actually, this idea of mine also came from those child-mother thunderbolt bombs."

"Although we cannot immediately produce the same thing, clay jars are plentiful here, and since Your Highness's aim is to disturb them,"

He gave a wicked smile: "We can use similar clay jars, fill them with liquid gold and feces, and hurl them into their main camp."

"Although this does not injure people, cleaning it up is extremely laborious."

"Having been terrified by the child-mother thunderbolt bombs, they tremble at the mere sight of them—wouldn't this wear them out even more?"

Xiao Yuanhang laughed loudly: "Great idea! Great idea! Let's do it!"

Xiao Ran gave Lu Qi a once-over: "Not bad—indeed, you're a true veteran of the jianghu!"

Xiao Er pursed his lips and said nothing; the three Xiao brothers all raised their thumbs at Lu Qi in unison.

Tuan Tuan had already been giggling nonstop: "Uncle Seven, you're so awesome!"

Even Xiao Jieyun couldn't help but nod secretly, sighing that leaving the Imperial Palace this time had truly given him a profound lesson in the prowess of jianghu people.

Thus, starting that night, the rebel main camp never got a full night's sleep.

"The stables! The haystacks in the stables are on fire—quick, put out the fire!"

"So noisy! What are they trying to do?"

"Get down! Those clay jars are coming again—General Zhou was killed by that very thing!"

"Really stinky! It got all over me—didn't explode, pah! Just pure feces!"

"The entire army suffered beyond words."

"After just a few days, the soldiers couldn't take it anymore, all complaining that rather than continue like this, they might as well charge over and fight them—who could endure this?"

"Just as Xiao Yuanhang was planning to send troops to utterly crush the enemy,"

"Your Highness! Terrible! Over a dozen brothers have suddenly come down with a strange illness! Doctors, doctors can't diagnose what strange illness this is!"

Xiao Yuanhang's heart sank; in the army, what they fear most is plague!

He rushed to the wounded soldiers' camp.

The old military doctor, baffled, said: "Your Highness, please look—these soldiers all have fever, dry cough, and red rashes on their bodies."

"It progresses extremely fast; I initially thought it was just a common cold, but soon they all began to suffer diarrhea and vomiting, with blood streaks in the waste."

"It doesn't resemble typhoid fever; could it be malaria? But the season is wrong… I'm sorry, I'm unable to determine exactly what disease this is."

"I have prescribed medication to alleviate their symptoms, but administering it is like throwing a stone into the sea—it has no effect."

Xiao Yuanhang gazed at the pained faces on the sickbeds, his heart tightening: "Could it spread throughout the entire camp?"

The old military doctor shook his head: "Unclear, but they all fell ill at the same time—this bodes ill."

"Then let's treat it as a seasonal epidemic! What should we do?"

"If we follow seasonal epidemic protocol, we must ask Your Highness to isolate all the patients, and those exposed also need a separate camp."

"Soldiers who have not yet fallen ill must absolutely avoid contacting the patients' clothing, utensils, and so on."

"All right!" Xiao Yuanhang turned and left the tent: "Reorganize the camp according to the doctor's instructions, and please have His Majesty move to the rear camp!"

"The atmosphere inside the main camp suddenly grew tense."

"However, only on the third day after the outbreak, the first soldier to contract the disease and die appeared."

"It was a young crossbowman; he suddenly went into full-body convulsions, blood pouring from his nose and mouth, and after struggling for less than a moment he breathed his last."

"At death his skin turned a bluish-gray, and the ruptured red rashes oozed yellowish pus."

"The corpse was swiftly cremated, but panic had already spread like a wildfire."

"The soldiers eyed each other, terrified that the next to collapse might be themselves."

"Is it a seasonal epidemic?"

"Who knows!"

"We're doomed! How can we keep fighting this war?"

"Rumors sprang up everywhere, and morale disintegrated."

Xiao Yuanhang covered his face with a cloth, gazing at the black smoke from the burning corpses, his complexion turning ashen.

He had fought half his life, unafraid of swords and ambushes, but dreaded nothing more than plague.

"Father." Xiao Ningchen hurried over, saying: "I've checked—the patients are mostly concentrated in the western part of the camp, near the water source."

"But I have had people on night watch there continuously, and nothing unusual was seen."

"Is there anything abnormal inside the camp?"

"Some soldiers say they've seen occasional dead rats; I don't know if that's related to this epidemic."

"Rats!"

Xiao Yuanhang felt a chill rise in his heart: "If it truly is a rat-borne plague, with them scurrying everywhere, isn't the disease bound to spread throughout the camp before our eyes?"

"Issue the order: have the entire army search out rat burrows and exterminate them all."

"All grain and fodder, food and drink must be strictly guarded; anything taken in must be boiled!"

After saying that, he turned and went to inspect various places in the camp.

In the separated rear camp, Tuan Tuan watched her father's silhouette: "Daddy! Hug!"

Xiao Yuanhang didn't dare to touch her.

He could only soften his voice as much as possible: "Tuan Tuan, be good, stay with your mother there, Daddy is looking after the sick uncles, afraid the illness might spread to you."

"When they're all better, Daddy will hug you again."

Tuan Tuan pursed her little mouth, unhappy.

She lifted her little face to look at her mother: "Mommy, what illness did the uncles catch?"

Cheng Ru'an felt heavy-hearted; her husband and sons were all in the front camp!

She took Tuan Tuan's little hand: "It's nothing serious; many of the uncles came from Jingcheng, just not acclimated to the local water and soil."

"Come on, Mommy will take you to play with Xiao Yueyue."

Tuan Tuan took three steps, looking back each time, watching her father's tall figure grow farther away.

On a nearby high slope, Gongsun Heng watched doctors constantly entering and leaving the camp, carts transporting medicinal herbs, soldiers with face cloths… his lips slowly curled up.

The mountain wind was bitter, making his robes flap loudly.

In recent days, each day one could see thicker and thicker black smoke rising; obviously, the number of dead was increasing.

He couldn't contain his joy: "Success!"

He had traveled day and night, losing a dozen or so subordinates along the way, before finally managing to inject these diseased rats into Xiao Jieyun's main camp.

"Sir, shouldn't we head back now?"

The three remaining subordinates knelt on the ground, trembling violently, their eyes full of fear.

The brothers who had come out together, having contracted the disease, had all been ordered by Gongsun Heng to be buried deep on the spot; two of them were clearly still alive.

"Go back?" Gongsun Heng turned to look at them, "Fame and achievement are within reach; don't you want them anymore?"

The three dared not speak further.

Gongsun Heng took out that heavy token from his bosom.

The time has come.

He mounted his horse: "Go! Let's enter the main camp!"

The wind brushed past his ears, cooling his face, but could not extinguish the fire in his heart.

The Imperial Seal! The Emperor's head!

I, Gongsun Heng, am about to reach the pinnacle of power!

He even began to imagine, when he presented Xiao Jieyun's head and the Imperial Seal, what expressions of shock and admiration would appear on the faces of those around him.

Arriving at the main camp gate, Gongsun Heng produced the token.

The soldiers, upon inspecting it, turned pale and hastily led him to the central command tent.

Generals filled the main tent.

Gongsun Heng walked straight to the table and slapped the token down with a bang.

"I am an envoy appointed by the Imperial Court!"

Everyone's gaze focused on his face.

Gongsun Heng surveyed the generals, his blood rushing to his head: "The enemy camp's epidemic has broken out, morale is shattered! This is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

"Order your troops to mobilize immediately; the entire army shall go out and annihilate theirs!"