Chapter 28: Hunter and Prey

Liu Quan's mouth gaped wide enough to hold an egg; he stared blankly at Wang Jin, doubting his own ears had a problem.

The boss had repeatedly ordered him to guarantee Assistant Secretary Wang's safety at all costs, even sacrificing a stand‑in team. Yet now, the main target actually wants to jump into the trap himself as bait?

"Messenger, this… this is absolutely impossible!" Liu Quan broke into a sweat, "The Night Owls' methods are no small matter, they…"

"My mind is made up." Wang Jin's voice was not loud, yet it carried an undeniable decisiveness; he cut off Liu Quan's persuasion.

His gaze fell again on the detailed map: "I need not only the intelligence from Fish Liang Crossing, but also you—use the power of the Listening Wind Firm to prepare some things for me before dawn."

Liu Quan looked at Wang Jin's eyes, shining amazingly in the lamplight, and his heart jolted. From this young fifth‑rank official he felt a pressure far beyond his years; he knew he could not dissuade him.

"Please give your orders, Messenger." Liu Quan bowed.

"First, I need at least twenty jars of fierce fire oil; the more, the better."

"Second, I need a large amount of sturdy fishing nets, with small mesh, soaked in tung oil."

"Third, prepare ten sets of the best‑swimming fishermen's tight clothing and short blades."

"Fourth, requisition all the small fishing boats near Fish Liang Crossing; I want them hidden tonight in the reed marshes of the north bank."

Wang Jin issued his orders one by one, his thinking clear and well‑ordered.

The more Liu Quan listened, the more shocked he became. These items—fierce fire oil is military supplies, while fishing nets and boats seem ordinary, but combined, together with the terrain of Fish Liang Crossing… a bold and crazy plan gradually formed in his mind.

This Assistant Secretary Wang intends to go… counter‑hunt!

"I understand!" Liu Quan no longer hesitated, nodding heavily, "Rest assured, Messenger, everything will be ready before dawn!"

Wang Jin returned to the temporary camp and immediately summoned Colonel Li and Zheng Ping.

When he laid out his plan in full, Colonel Li's reaction matched Liu Quan's—he was the first to stand up and oppose.

"Sir! No! You are the chief envoy, a son of immense wealth, who should not sit idle—how can you personally court danger? I, your subordinate, wish to lead a band of brothers to serve as bait in your place!"

"Yes, Assistant Secretary Wang." Zheng Ping also furrowed his brows; although awed by Wang Jin's daring, his duty as a guard compelled him to speak: "The boss's intention is also to ensure your safety. This plan is too risky."

Wang Jin's gaze swept over the two, then he spoke slowly.

"Colonel Li, I ask you: if we avoid battle and flee today, how will the world view me, Wang Jin, and how will it view my Imperial Guard escort?"

Colonel Li's lips twitched, but he could not speak.

"They'll only say, the Court‑sent Pacification Envoy to Annan is a coward who quails at the wind, and his Imperial Guard are a bunch of soft‑bellied weaklings who only protect their master while fleeing!"

Wang Jin's voice suddenly rose, carrying a fierce, back‑to‑the‑wall determination.

"We are heading southwest to face tens of thousands of rebels in those poor mountains and evil waters, a barbaric land. If even a few dozen assassins hiding in the water frighten us, how can we speak of pacifying the realm and securing the southern frontier?"

"This battle I must fight! It is not only to show Zong Chuke, but also to show the southwestern tribal chieftains who defy control! I want them to know that I, Wang Jin, am unlike the civil officials they have seen before!"

Colonel Li and Zheng Ping were shaken to the core by those words; looking at Wang Jin before them, they seemed to see a rising star of a general.

"But… the chief's safety…" Colonel Li still could not set his mind at ease.

"My safety I entrust to you." Wang Jin's tone softened; he stepped between them, placing a hand on each shoulder: "I trust you, I trust the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guard, and I trust the elite of the Yingyang Zheng clan."

"In this battle I will stay in the safest place. You are the blades in my hand."

These words were both encouragement and an entrusting of trust.

Colonel Li and Zheng Ping exchanged a glance, each seeing resolve in the other's eyes.

"Subordinate, I obey!" The two knelt on one knee in unison, their voices like a great bell.

Wang Jin helped them up, a smile on his face. He knew that this mixed unit of Imperial Guard and Zheng clan guards, at this moment, finally twisted into a single rope, gaining a unified spirit.

The night was deep.

Outside Facing Sun City, by the Han River.

The envoy's official ship lay quietly at the dock, appearing no different from usual. Yet inside the cabin and in the darkness along the shore, a tense preparation was underway in silence.

Jar after jar of fierce fire oil was quietly moved aboard and hidden in the hull's bottom. Sheet after sheet of large nets soaked in tung oil were folded, placed at the ship's sides, and covered with canvas.

Colonel Li personally picked ten of the Imperial Guard's finest swimmers and most skilled warriors. They shed their heavy armor, donned tight night garb, bound sharp short blades to their calves, and smeared their faces with mud to blend into the darkness.

Zheng Ping then led his Zheng clan guards to meet with the Listening Wind Firm's people, guiding the requisitioned small fishing boats into the deep reed marshes of the opposite bank, like a lurking pack of crocodiles, waiting for prey to enter striking range.

Wang Jin stood at the bow, gazing at the black river surface. The river wind stirred his robes, yet he stood firm like a spear.

He was not merely showing off personal bravery.

This was the method he found after returning to the modern era, searching and filtering for ways to deal with this situation.

He now possessed a basic understanding of fluid dynamics and combustion science. He knew that on a turbulent river surface, the power of a fire attack would be multiplied many times over. He also knew that oil‑soaked fishing nets could not only block the enemy but also serve as excellent accelerants.

He also had Gold Sore Ointment, which gave him the utmost confidence to let his men risk their lives.

What he must do now is to completely shift his role from prey to hunter.

And the Night Owls sent by Zong Chuke and Wu Sansi, who thought they were the masters of the hunt, did not realize that they were about to step into a death trap tailor‑made for them.

On the horizon, a hint of fish‑belly white appeared.

Upon the river surface, a light mist rose.

"Set sail."

Wang Jin uttered two words.

The huge official ship slowly left the dock, heading toward Fish Liang Crossing, shrouded in thick mist like the mouth of a giant beast.