Chapter 405

Because these two were leading troops stationed at another location.

"I have reviewed this list, and I agree with my lord Wei's view; Ying Su is intentionally sowing discord among us."

"To speak of it, the two he most wishes to kill are us, yet in the surrender letter he lists us as objects of persuasion; this is enough to prove his sinister intentions," said Young Master Jiang Lu.

"I fear that if we go to surrender, we will be executed immediately," said Young Master Gao.

"What the two young masters say is correct; we are on the same boat and should advance or retreat together. However, it is unclear about the others," said a noble.

"The others? Who do you mean by the others?" asked Young Master Jiang Lu.

"We do not know what the situation is over there with General Meng," said the noble who had spoken earlier.

"Neither Meng Tian nor Feng Qiji appear on the list of those to be killed, and Meng Tian is a General commanding troops in battle; according to what was written on the kite, he belongs to the category of those who can be forgiven if they surrender," said Wei Pao.

"What if General Meng surrenders?" someone asked.

"Will he surrender? He openly opposed Ying Su before; can Ying Su truly forget the things he has done?" said another person.

"My lord Feng was one of the main initiators of the opposition against Ying Su this time; will Ying Su let him go?" said another person.

"It is hard to say... setting aside how Ying Su will deal with them, if they believe Ying Su will let them go, then it is hard to say," said Wang Wan.

Hearing Wang Wan speak thus, everyone else fell silent.

Sometimes, even when one clearly knows the opponent is using a scheme to sow discord, there is simply no way to counter it.

Now Meng Tian and Feng Qiji lead the great army stationed on the other side; if they wish to surrender, it would be very simple: they could just lead their troops out.

Now Wei Pao somewhat regretted having separated his troops from Meng Tian's at the beginning.

If he had known this would happen, he should not have split the army into two routes.

"Let us set aside Meng Tian's side for now and first discuss what we should do here," asked Wei Pao.

Regarding Meng Tian's side, he wanted to manage it but could not, and dared not.

If they were to push Meng Tian too hard, there was a chance that before surrendering, he would lead his troops to attack first.

"All of us here firmly oppose Ying Su, but it is unclear about those generals below," said Wang Wan.

190. Special Guard Captain

Hearing what Wang Wan said, everyone felt worried.

If those middle and lower-level generals were to defect, then they would die without even a place to bury their bodies.

"How about this: we send trusted confidants to assist those middle and lower-level generals; once they show disloyalty, we can eliminate them immediately!"

Wei Pao proposed an idea.

The "assistance" he spoke of actually meant sending people to monitor them.

If those generals were loyal to the nobles, the sent people would truly assist; otherwise, they would be replaced!

"This is a good method; I support it!" Wang Wan immediately expressed his agreement.

"I also agree; additionally, I believe we can form a special unit specifically, a unit that directly obeys us; once the officers below wish to rebel, we will send this unit to eliminate them!" someone proposed an idea.

"Good idea! This way we can firmly control the army in our hands!" Wei Pao was extremely excited upon hearing this.

After discussing for a while, several people decided to establish a unit named "Special Guard," composed of two thousand men.

Although the number of people was not large, their power was immense; they could directly conduct investigations on middle and lower-level officers.

For upper-level officers, if the Special Guard possessed Wei Pao's command token, they could likewise conduct interrogations, arrests, and house arrests, and so on.

Furthermore, some members of the Special Guard would go to "assist" the middle and lower-level officers in their work.

The officers would be responsible for military affairs, while the Special Guards coming to assist would be responsible for internal matters, such as capturing spies and enforcing military law.

In a camp near the front line, Zheng Zheng Zili walked out of the main tent with several attendants.

He was going to the forward position to take a look and see what else needed to be arranged.

As a great general commanding a force of twenty thousand troops, and one assigned to the front line to handle defense duties, he did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

How were the defensive works arranged ahead? He needed to see it with his own eyes before he could feel at ease.

Not long after walking out of the camp, a soldier came running from behind.

"Grand General, the Special Guard Captain has arrived; he says there is urgent business that needs to be discussed with you," the soldier reported after catching up to Zheng Zheng Zili.

"Special Guard Captain? What is this Special Guard? Have I heard of it?" asked Zheng Zheng Zili.

"This humble one is hearing of it for the first time as well, but the other party produced a handwritten order from my lord Wei; he said this is a newly established organization, a decision made jointly by my lord Wei, the two young masters, and several other leaders,"

the soldier said.

Zheng Zheng Zili frowned, thinking to himself: why was such an organization established without notifying us beforehand?

"Did he say what business he has with me?" asked Zheng Zheng Zili.

"No specific business was mentioned; he only said it was very important," the soldier said.

"Let us go back!" said Zheng Zheng Zili.

To speak of it, his unit could be considered private troops raised by the nobles, and Wei Pao was the leading figure among the nobles; regardless, Wei Pao's face had to be given.

Upon returning to the front of the main tent, he saw several people standing there.

One of them he recognized; his name was Peng Xiang, also a noble.

However, Peng Xiang's strength was far inferior to that of Wei Pao and others; he could only be called a minor noble.

"Captain Peng, may I ask what business brings you here?" said Zheng Zheng Zili as he approached Peng Xiang and greeted him.

"General Zheng, my lord Wei and others have decided to establish the Special Guard; I am one of the captains. Our main responsibility is to assist you generals in your work."

"Let us discuss the specific details inside."

Peng Xiang said.

"Please!" Zheng Zheng Zili made a gesture inviting him in.

Everyone entered the main tent; after exchanging some pleasantries, Peng Xiang stated the purpose of his visit.

The Special Guard is directly led by Wei Pao; below him are dozens of captains, each captain leading dozens or hundreds of men.

And Peng Xiang, as one of the captains, was assigned by Wei Pao to "assist" Zheng Zheng Zili here.

Hearing Peng Xiang's words, Zheng Zheng Zili felt extremely displeased.

Sending an "assistant" to me? This is simply sending a superior officer!

They speak nicely of assisting with the work, but in reality, it is seizing power.

Every decision I make must have Peng Xiang's approval.

They call it two people discussing together to avoid mistakes.

But in reality, it is a lack of trust in me.

Connecting this with the kite incident of these past few days, Zheng Zheng Zili vaguely felt that Wei Pao and the others were guarding against him.

But displeasure aside, Zheng Zheng Zili did not show it on his face.

"Then please, Captain Peng, arrange the next step of work," Zheng Zheng Zili said.

"You are the General; it should be you who arranges it," Peng Xiang said hurriedly.

"Lately, I feel my body is not as strong as before, yet matters keep increasing; I cannot keep up."

"Fortunately, the higher-ups sent you to assist me; do not be so polite."

Zheng Zheng Zili said calmly.

"General Zheng, I am indeed here to assist you. However, you should still arrange the work; I will simply carry it out," Peng Xiang said.

Zheng Zheng Zili thought for a moment and then said, "How about this: you help me patrol the front lines? I was just about to go patrol, but upon hearing you had arrived, I hurried back."

"Very well, then I will go patrol," Peng Xiang nodded.

"Thank you for your hard work," Zheng Zheng Zili said.

"General, you are too polite; this is what I ought to do." Peng Xiang looked around. "I am unfamiliar with the situation at the front lines; please, General, send someone to guide me."

"Good!" Zheng Zheng Zili responded, immediately ordering his subordinates to guide Peng Xiang.

As soon as Peng Xiang left, the deputy general under Zheng Zheng Zili entered the tent.

"General, I heard the higher-ups sent someone to spy on us?" the deputy general whispered.

"Who said that? Do not speak recklessly without evidence!" Zheng Zheng Zili said immediately.

"This is the soldiers' speculation, because..." The deputy general hesitated and did not continue.

"You mean to say the kite matter?" Zheng Zheng Zili asked.

"General, hearts are restless now; many are discussing the kite matter in private. Sending someone from above at this time is clearly a sign of distrust in us," the deputy general said.

"The higher-ups sent someone to assist us, not to spy on us. If such reckless talk spreads, we will all be in trouble! I tell you, this matter must not be mentioned again!" Zheng Zheng Zili shouted.

"Yes." The deputy general bowed deeply and then withdrew from the main tent.

On the other side, Peng Xiang brought his subordinates to the very front line of the position.