Chapter 86: Hidden Agendas, Each with Their Own Ghosts

Hearing the deep meaning in Che Che Hongda's words, Huang Huang Chaoran immediately stretched out his neck, his eyes gleaming, and asked impatiently, "What exactly have you discovered? Speak quickly!"

Che Che Hongda quietly organized his thoughts before opening his mouth to explain, "Recently, I discovered many armed soldiers in Shangmu City that I have never seen before." His tone faintly revealed panic and tension.

"To investigate the reason, I specifically sought out several local commoners to inquire, and only then learned that Jiang Jiang Mingyu has recently been conscripting troops on a large scale without authorization." Speaking to this point, a trace of gloomy cold light flashed in Che Che Hongda's eyes.

He gazed at Huang Huang Chaoran's face, eager and longing for new intelligence, thinking, You surely do not know this situation yet.

After hearing this, Huang Huang Chaoran was stunned for a moment, then spoke listlessly, "So that is it. I thought it was some major news. I have known about this matter for a long time. Jiang Jiang Mingyu is currently the acting Commandant of Shangmu; recruiting some soldiers is merely to guard against external enemies."

"This situation is known to everyone in the entire Prefectural Yamen; there is nothing strange about it. Relying solely on this to kill Jiang Jiang Mingyu is impossible." A tone of contempt and disdain permeated Huang Huang Chaoran's voice.

Che Che Hongda snorted in disdain and lowered his voice, saying, "You may find it hard to believe, but the soldiers Jiang Jiang Mingyu recruited this time number in the tens of thousands! The commoners say that a large batch of troops is also on the way."

"According to my rough estimate, solely in Shangmu, the troops Jiang Jiang Mingyu has recruited amount to at least forty or fifty thousand!" A look of worry appeared on Che Che Hongda's face.

"Forty or fifty thousand!" Upon hearing this, Huang Huang Chaoran's previous lazy attitude vanished instantly; his eyes lit up, and he became interested.

Seizing the right moment, Che Che Hongda lowered his voice and said slowly, "Does a small Shangmu really need so many soldiers? Is it not brewing a rebellion? This is a great opportunity to eliminate Jiang Jiang Mingyu!"

Che Che Hongda spoke softly, "Jiang Jiang Mingyu's unauthorized large-scale conscription makes his intentions blatantly clear." A trace of gloom flashed in his eyes, and his voice was low and resolute. "Simply report this matter to the Inspector, and even if Jiang Jiang Mingyu is a glib-tongued orator, he cannot escape death."

After hearing this, Huang Huang Chaoran's eyes instantly gleamed, his excitement overflowing. A joyous expression he had not felt for a long time surged onto his face, and he said repeatedly, "Exactly! If Jiang Jiang Mingyu is gathering armies on such a grand scale, what else could it be but rebellion? Based on this alone, it is enough to cause his family's destruction and warrant his execution without trial!"

Che Che Hongda nodded repeatedly and agreed, "Precisely so! This matter is of great importance; please, my lord, quickly present this to the Inspector to stop Jiang Jiang Mingyu's rebellion and remove a harm from the people. In this way, you can also clear your name and injustice sooner, and show your brilliance again!" His tone was earnest and full of expectation.

Just as Huang Huang Chaoran was about to nod again, the joy on his face gradually faded. He frowned tightly and shook his head helplessly, "This is probably not feasible. For certain reasons, the Inspector Wang Zhe has long favored Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Even if we report this, Wang Zhe will likely shield Jiang Jiang Mingyu and cover up the truth. In that case, I would merely become a troublemaker who displeases the Inspector."

Upon hearing that Wang Zhe favored Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Che Che Hongda's face first went blank, then he hung his head in despair, unconsciously scratching his messy topknot with his right hand, his face looking dull and lifeless.

Just as he was giving up on himself, Huang Huang Chaoran propped his hands on the table, leaned his upper body forward, assumed a posture of endless speech, and shook his head while analyzing, "No, no, Regional Military Commissioner Yasmo not only has Inspector Wang Zhe, but also Tang Sima Tang Cheng'an!"

"This Tang Cheng'an is a trusted henchman of the Rabbit Minister, and has always been like wolves and tigers with Wang Zhe, the close confidant of the Crane Minister, being mutually incompatible. If we make a big deal out of this matter and have Tang Cheng'an strike down Jiang Jiang Mingyu, we can kill two birds with one stone; it is a great opportunity to overthrow Wang Zhe!"

Speaking to this point, Huang Huang Chaoran's eyes rolled, and a sinister smile floated onto the corner of his mouth.

"Furthermore, I have a very close personal friendship with Tang Cheng'an and frequent interactions; asking him to step forward and help me subdue Jiang Jiang Mingyu, he would have no reason to refuse. Even if Wang Zhe finds out afterwards, with the Rabbit Minister's backing, Wang Zhe can only grit his teeth and endure."

Huang Huang Chaoran spoke with foam flying from his mouth, becoming more and more excited as he spoke, feeling that this idea was simply brilliant to the extreme.

"Good! There is no time to lose; let us quickly go to find Tang Cheng'an for a detailed discussion." Having said this, Huang Huang Chaoran suddenly waved his large sleeve, hummed a little tune joyfully, and, as if he had caught Jiang Jiang Mingyu's fatal weakness, took a step three feet long and floated away.

Seeing him in high spirits, Che Che Hongda also regained his confidence and followed closely behind.

The north wind howled, and the city defense camp north of Shangmu City had long been expanded to more than three times its original size.

On the vast parade ground, more than forty thousand soldiers who had rushed from various places to register stood, all raising their long spears high under the supervision of the commander, the Beautiful Yan Wang, emitting a deafening roar of battle cries to accumulate fighting power.

At this time, more than a dozen men dressed in coarse cloth clothes arrived at the camp gate against the wind and snow.

The leader was a tall man with broad shoulders, a rugged face, and a beard on both sides of his face, but a kind and amiable smile hung on the corner of his mouth.

He looked up and carefully examined the large characters "City Defense Camp" on the door frame, blew a whistle lightly, then said in a deep voice, "After walking such a long way, we have finally arrived." Having finished speaking, he strode confidently through the city gate, and the others followed in a single file.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Goudan, who was in charge of registration, looked them up and down and asked in a rough voice, "Where are you from?"

The leading man put his palms together and replied politely, "My lord, we come from Du Family Village, thirty li west of the city. My name is Du Du Gaocen. These are all brothers from our village. Hearing that soldiers are being recruited, they all came with me to register."

Li Goudan nodded and said, "Good, everyone is strong and sturdy, and looks to have considerable strength. Take them all in. One by one, come up to report your names, then go inside to receive military uniforms and weapons."

After changing into the military uniform and picking up a weapon, Du Du Gaocen looked around, appearing nervous and curious as if it were his first time entering the city, and kept sighing, "Oh my, this City Defense Camp is too big!"

Other local soldiers, seeing his foolish appearance, all mocked them as "frogs at the bottom of a well."

As the sky grew darker, the bustling City Defense Camp, which had been noisy all day, gradually quieted down, and everyone fell asleep one after another...

The full moon cast hazy light through the window lattice, illuminating the barracks of the military camp.

Du Du Gaocen, who should have been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes. He rose silently, crept over to the dozen or so brothers who were still fast asleep, and coughed lightly.

Everyone immediately woke up, quietly climbed up, put on their shoes, and carefully followed Du Du Gaocen towards the barracks door.

The night was quiet, with only the wind rustling through the treetops.

A young man lowered his voice and said, "Master, all the brothers are here."

At this moment, Du Du Gaocen changed into the domineering and arrogant demeanor of the shanzhai, and shouted in a low voice, "Good! Move quietly; absolutely do not wake the soldiers guarding the camp. Go!"

Having said this, he strode confidently outward, and the dozen or so men followed, taking long strides and trying their best not to make a sound.

The figures of this group quickly disappeared into the flying night snow, and their footprints were filled clean by the heavy snow that fell afterwards, as if they had never been here.

Early the next morning, the Black-faced Yan Wang Tu Tu Kesiluo was still immersed in his dreams when he was suddenly shaken awake by a soldier. Tu Tu Kesiluo unhappily rolled his eyes and was about to continue sleeping when the soldier, out of breath, said, "Report, my lord, a major incident has occurred!"