Chapter 710: Seizing the Initiative

Chen Wuji and Xu Zengyi sat together and reviewed today's events.

Yu Ren's true conspiracy also surfaced.

"Using the common people as death soldiers, and piles of A Furong as weapons—this is Yu Ren's method of dealing with our army!" Xu Zengyi's expression was cold, and when he spoke of this his face was full of killing intent.

Chen Wuji had known him for so long, yet he had never seen Xu Zengyi reveal such direct killing intent toward anyone; he was truly angered.

"There must be an expert behind Yu Ren." Chen Wuji took a sip of tea, leaned back on the couch, and relaxed a bit, saying, "Although our reason for personally coming to Songzhou is to worry that Yu Ren will use the common people as death soldiers, to actually succeed in this is extremely difficult."

"All the worst things we had guessed have been brought out by this person; his methods will certainly not stop here—there will surely be even more heinous tactics we cannot imagine."

"Sir, this is truly a Poisonist; I think you should just drop that title!"

Xu Zengyi glanced at Chen Wuji and said, "My lord, don't joke with me now—I'm so angry I wish I could personally grab a knife and charge onto the battlefield, and slay that dog Yu Ren with my own hands."

"There's no need to personally go to the battlefield; however, I can leave this person Yu Ren to you, sir." Chen Wuji said, "Although the situation is severe, the outcome for us isn't too bad, so sir, don't be so angry—anger harms the body; have a sip of tea to calm down."

Xu Zengyi let out a deep sigh like an angry old lion, then gulped down a mouthful of tea with great force, saying, "The other side has no scruples; perhaps there really are even more heinous tactics ahead, but I just can't think of any. Compared to Yu Ren, I still have a bit of humanity—I can't come up with that!"

This was the first time Xu Zengyi so frankly admitted his inability.

"We have always faced human opponents, but suddenly encountering something like this really makes it hard to fathom." Chen Wuji also felt troubled.

His intuition told him that the other side certainly still had even more heinous tactics.

He, like Xu Zengyi, truly couldn't think of anything.

They were still too human, unable to keep up with the beasts' mental circuits.

After a pause, Chen Wuji said in a deep voice, "Qian Fugui, Chen Wu Yin, Hu Bu Gui, and Tang Yu's four divisions are all in place; we can no longer let the enemy lead us by the nose—we must strike first and seize the initiative."

For this small Songzhou, Chen Wuji could be said to have deployed an extremely luxurious lineup.

When fighting Lu Ping'an, he had never been this cautious before, nor had he mobilized such a large force; even then, he was still fighting on two fronts, each side separate.

Xu Zengyi nodded, saying, "Indeed we can't keep waiting; the people need to be saved, but we can't let Yu Ren continue to jump about outside. He is the head of the Heavenly Duke Cult—if this head doesn't die, the cult will keep stirring up trouble and harming the people."

"Sir, who do you think can hold this place?" Chen Wuji asked.

After garrisoning Wu'an City, his original plan was to stay here for a while, wipe out the Heavenly Duke Cult's terrifying influence in these three counties, and then continue north after finishing.

This was also Chen Wuji's plan to advance troops into Songzhou.

Using a large army to intimidate the locality, solving problems wherever they go, step by step approaching Zhuque City, the seat of Songzhou's government.

But today's events made Chen Wuji realize that this approach wouldn't work.

He must look at the big picture, first eliminate Yu Ren's living forces, then resolve the calamities he left behind.

Xu Zengyi pondered briefly, then said, "My lord, Zhao Gouer can take on this task!"

"Zhao Gouer, that's indeed not bad—let him stay and guard Wu'an City!" Chen Wuji merely considered it for a moment and then agreed to Xu Zengyi's proposal.

Zhao Gouer is a Training Officer under Lu Ji's command.

This person left a deep impression on Chen Wuji.

He rarely doesn't know about these Training Officers; the reason he has a special impression of Zhao Gouer is entirely because of that domineering name of his, and the fellow's occasional simplemindedness.

Even though they have become Training Officers, they still speak in a dazed, simpleminded way—just like his name.

When Chen Wuji first learned of Zhao Gouer, he still worried whether this fellow could really command his subordinates well, for a Training Officer is a true power holder in an army, and the post is not minor.

After multiple contacts later, Chen Wuji changed his view.

Zhao Gouer is merely simple on the surface; speaking kindly, one could even say he is great wisdom appearing as foolishness.

This person is thoughtful, his methods are simple yet effective; what's more valuable is that his thinking is especially crafty, yet often in handling certain matters he achieves unexpectedly good results.

Letting him guard Wu'an, Chen Wuji had no other major concerns besides worrying that he might occasionally be scatterbrained.

"A few days ago, I still chatted with Zhao Gouer for a moment." Xu Zengyi laughed.

"His name has always been mocked by his comrades; I happened to have time then, so I suggested he change his name, but he refused."

"Why refuse? Is it because his father gave him that name?" Chen Wuji asked.

Zhao Gouer's ability to become the most famous Training Officer under Lu Ji's command is at least half due to his name.

"My lord is wise; this is indeed one of the reasons." Xu Zengyi laughed and said, "But his true reason is that this name brought him good luck and made him known to many."

"Zhao Gouer's original words to me were, 'I don't want to change my name and become ordinary again.'"

Chen Wuji was silent for a moment, then said, "He is also a talent, though his words do make some sense."

Who says black-red isn't red? Anyway, because of this name he really let many people know him.

"Leaving him to guard Wu'an City, sir, you'll still need to put in extra effort—later give him a few instructions." Chen Wuji said, "Those Heavenly Duke Cult members in the prison need to be used well, but don't be soft-hearted; kill those who deserve to die."

"Yes!"

Afternoon.

A city-wide search yielded preliminary results.

They caught not a few Heavenly Duke Cult members mixed in the city, as well as an amount of A Furong vast enough to be described as massive, and also discovered a place where they made Yellow Talismans.

Chen Wuji personally went to the site to look; for a moment his feelings were extremely complex.

In this small courtyard filled with various foul odors, he discovered a blind spot he had never noticed before.

The paper he produced indirectly contributed to Yu Ren's plot that harmed the people.

The prefects of several western districts of Nan Jun, when writing to him, were still using bamboo slips.

But Yu Ren had already turned paper into talismans, and cleverly fused A Furong with the talismans to create an invisible poison that kills.

This matter made Chen Wuji think of his previous life.

When those high technologies emerged, ordinary people hadn't yet realized where they would be applied, while criminals had already turned high tech into a means.

Although the era is different, Chen Wuji saw in these things a striking similarity, as if they were a remake.