Chapter 166: Turning the Tables

Jiang Xiaomu took a deep breath and struggled to get out of bed.

Jiang Xiaoyu hurried forward to support him.

"Brother, be careful!" Jiang Xiaomu waved his hand.

"I'm fine, I need to go to the Governor's Mansion."

"Brother, your wound hasn't healed yet..."

Jiang Xiaoyu looked at him worriedly.

"It's a matter of great importance; I can't worry about so much."

"The plan for this night raid on the barbarian camp is known only to Prefect Zhao and a few elite officers."

"But unexpectedly, the barbarians were already prepared; there must be something fishy about this."

"If there's a traitor inside Wangzhou City, that would be troublesome."

Inside the Governor's Mansion, the atmosphere was solemn.

Prefect Zhao's face was dark as iron, and he tightly clutched a battle report in his hand.

Several shards of broken porcelain lay scattered on the ground, obviously from a tea cup smashed in his anger.

Jiang Xiaomu's arrival did not dispel even a hint of the gloom on Prefect Zhao's face.

"Prefect Zhao."

Jiang Xiaomu clasped his hands in salute, his tone grave.

Prefect Zhao lifted his head and wearily rubbed his temples.

"Mr. Jiang, you've come; we've suffered heavy losses in this battle..."

"Sir, I have a matter I don't understand."

Jiang Xiaomu got straight to the point.

"Only a handful of people knew about this operation, so how did the barbarians set up an ambush in advance?"

Prefect Zhao's face changed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"You mean... there's a traitor among us?"

Jiang Xiaomu did not answer directly, but said:

"We cannot afford to be careless, sir. The lives of our three hundred brothers cannot be lost for nothing."

Prefect Zhao fell silent for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table.

"Someone! Investigate this immediately! I want to see who has the gall to betray Wangzhou City!"

Several guards received the order and left, and the Governor's Mansion fell into a deathly silence.

Jiang Xiaomu endured the pain in his body, carefully observing Prefect Zhao's expression, trying to find some clues.

Prefect Zhao seemed to notice Jiang Xiaomu's gaze and gave a bitter laugh.

"Mr. Jiang, are you suspecting me?"

Jiang Xiaomu quickly shook his head.

"I dare not, sir; but this matter is of great importance, so I must be cautious."

Prefect Zhao let out a sigh.

"I understand. I am also shocked by this incident."

"I will fully cooperate with the investigation to ferret out the traitor hiding in the shadows."

After discussing some follow-up matters, Jiang Xiaomu bade farewell and left.

Stepping out of the Governor's Mansion, he lifted his head to gaze at the overcast sky, a vague unease stirring in his heart.

This war is far more complicated than he had imagined.

Back home, Jiang Xiaoyu had already prepared a bowl of medicinal broth for him.

Jiang Xiaomu drank the broth, feeling his body ease a little, but the doubt in his heart remained undiminished.

He always felt that he had overlooked something.

The next morning, before the thick fog had fully lifted, Jiang Xiaomu was summoned by the guards of the Zhao residence.

Inside the Governor's Mansion, Prefect Zhao's face was grim as he pointed at a person tightly bound and kneeling on the ground and said:

"Mr. Jiang, look, it's him!"

The bound man wore ragged clothes, his face covered in dirt, trembling as he knelt on the ground.

He was one of the city gate guards, named Liu San.

Jiang Xiaomu's heart sank; it seemed the matter was even more complicated than he had imagined.

"Last night, the soldiers on patrol discovered this person sneaking around the city gate, releasing carrier pigeons."

Prefect Zhao explained:

"A note was tied to the pigeon's leg; its contents..."

He paused, seeming unable to speak.

"The contents concerned the detailed plan of our army's night raid on the barbarian camp."

Jiang Xiaomu stepped forward, crouched down, and fixed his gaze on Liu San's eyes as he asked:

"Why did you do this? Who ordered you?"

Liu San trembled even more, his eyes darting, stammering for a long time without being able to speak.

Prefect Zhao bellowed: "Confess at once!"

Liu San shuddered with fright, his face a picture of despair, and said:

"I was forced too! General Tu... Tu Huai... he... he bribed me..."

"Tu Huai?"

Jiang Xiaomu frowned, his brows knit tight; this name was not unfamiliar to him—it was exactly the leader of the barbarian army.

"What benefits did he give you, that you willingly betray Wangzhou City, betray your comrades-in-arms!"

Jiang Xiaomu's voice was ice-cold to the extreme.

Liu San cried out.

"He… he… he seized my wife and children, threatening me… if I don't obey, he'll… he'll kill them…"

As he spoke, tears and snot streamed down his face, and he kowtowed like pounding garlic.

Jiang Xiaomu snorted coldly inside; he had heard this excuse too many times, truth and falsehood hard to tell.

However, now is not the time to investigate these; the urgent task is to find a way to turn the tide of battle.

He stood up and said to Lord Zhao:

"Sir, in my opinion, rather than kill him, we should turn the tables on him."

Lord Zhao was taken aback.

"What do you mean, Mr. Jiang?"

"Since Tu Huai already knows our plan, if we suddenly cut off contact,"

"he will surely grow suspicious; we might as well…"

Jiang Xiaomu leaned close to Lord Zhao's ear and whispered his plan.

Lord Zhao, upon hearing it, his eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly,

"Excellent plan! Excellent plan! Just as Mr. Jiang said!"

Afterwards, Jiang Xiaomu personally took up his brush and wrote a series of new "military deployments" on the slip.

He deliberately played along, clearly writing the false troop deployments and grain reserves inside Wangzhou City.

He even "unintentionally" revealed the number and arrival time of the impending reinforcements.

After finishing, he tied the slip to the carrier pigeon's leg and released it.

Watching the pigeon disappear into the vast night, Jiang Xiaomu's mouth curled into a cold smile.

Tu Huai, do you think you've won? This game has only just begun!

Over the next few days, Jiang Xiaomu pretended on the surface that nothing was amiss.

But secretly he was busy mobilizing troops and setting traps.

He gathered all the elite troops and strong generals of Wangzhou City and hid them in a secluded valley outside the city.

All that remained was to wait for Tu Huai to lead his troops in, then catch them in a jar.

He also sent people to spread rumors that Wangzhou City had ample grain and supplies.

Reinforcements were imminent, morale was high, and they had no fear of the barbarian attack.

These rumors quickly reached Tu Huai's ears, making him even more convinced that the intelligence he had received was accurate.

He immediately summoned the generals and displayed the contents of the slip for them to see.

"Old Zhao is muddle-headed and incompetent, actually leaking such vital military information!"

"It seems Wangzhou City is already in our bag!"

The generals all echoed him, only Deputy General Wu Mu hesitated and said:

"General, could this be a trap? That valley's terrain is perilous, easy to defend but hard to attack…"

Tu Huai impatiently waved his hand.

"Wu Mu, you're overthinking! I've already planted spies inside the city; this news is absolutely reliable!"

"Moreover, Old Zhao is spent; where would he get the troops to set an ambush?"

Wu Mu wanted to say more, but seeing Tu Huai's resolute gaze, he had to swallow his words.

Two days later, Tu Huai led his mighty army marching aggressively toward Wangzhou City.

When the army reached the valley entrance, Wu Mu reminded again:

"General, I still feel something is off; perhaps we should send a small detachment to scout ahead."

Tu Huai was somewhat displeased.

"Wu Mu, when did you become so timid? Are you boosting others' morale while destroying your own?"

"I dare not, General! It's just…"

"Just what? Do you doubt my judgment?"

Tu Huai's words carried a threat.