Chapter 89: A Small Trial of Strength

In the pitch-black, silent night, Du Du Gaocen's face still wore a triumphant smile, but it froze in an instant. For Tu Tu Kesiluo's silver-white long blade had silently left its sheath, the cold edge pressing against his throat.

Du Du Gaocen felt darkness before his eyes, as if he already saw the fangs of the King of Hell; he never expected that the "woman" he had held in contempt possessed such swift martial prowess.

This sudden change of events stunned the remaining bandits; they stood frozen in place, forgetting that the weapons in their hands could still be used to resist.

Tu Tu Kesiluo let out a cold snort and said calmly, "Bring them in, arrest them." No sooner had the words left his lips than dozens of soldiers surged out from the darkness all around, surrounding the bandit gang with raised blades.

The bandits, instantly surrounded by layers of warriors, turned pale and obediently laid down their weapons, the clatter of metal echoing through the night sky.

The crisp sound of weapons hitting the ground jolted the dazed Du Du Gaocen back to reality; he asked in a trembling voice, "W-what is going on?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo held a blade in one hand and lightly brushed his disheveled hair with the other, speaking carelessly, "Surprised? You thought your plan was flawless, but in fact, it has long been under my lord's control."

"Enough, you cold-hearted fool, I have no desire to waste any more words on you."

"Enough, the night is late, and I am too lazy to argue further. Spend your final night well; tomorrow you shall descend to hell to meet Wei Wei Aotian." Tu Tu Kesiluo raised his eyebrows and ordered, "Escort them to the dungeon, guard them strictly, and await my lord's judgment!"

As Du Du Gaocen was led away, he looked back with regret at the small underling who had tried to stop him, clearly meaning he regretted not listening to his words.

Before dawn broke, Jiang Jiang Mingyu received an urgent report and rushed to the City Defense Camp. After listening to Tu Tu Kesiluo's detailed recounting of the previous night's events, his gloomy gaze fell upon the dozen or so bandits kneeling on the ground, his expression as dark as water.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke indifferently, "Escort these bandits to the execution ground at the training field tonight and behead them; avenge the fallen soldiers!" His tone was thick with killing intent.

As the heads of Du Du Gaocen and the others were severed and rolled through the swirling heavy snow, the brief turmoil in the City Defense Camp subsided once more, and everything returned to a death-like silence.

At the same time, Tang Cheng, seated in a carriage and heading toward Shangmu County, was immersed in a world of thrilling anticipation. The cold wind blew in through the window, but he felt nothing, his heart entirely occupied by beautiful fantasies.

Huang Huang Chaoran was indeed correct; Jiang Jiang Mingyu was indeed plotting rebellion in Shangmu.

As long as Tang Cheng witnessed the crime with his own eyes and then reported it to Prime Minister Tu, Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Wang Zhe would have no room to survive.

Most crucially, once this news reached the Emperor's ears, it would surely add fuel to the fire.

By then, Prime Minister He would likely find it impossible to escape death, and Tu's succession as Chief Grand Councilor would be just around the corner.

As the Shou Gong, his own future would be limitless.

Thinking of this, Tang Cheng could not help but feel a sense of intimacy and expectation toward Shangmu, which he had previously regarded as a flood or a fierce beast.

And Tang Cheng, who had long been unable to wait, kept urging the carriage driver loudly, "Faster, even faster."

The wind and snow outside the window still howled; with the driver's whistle, Tang Cheng's carriage gradually moved further away into the heavy snow.

Shangmu County City.

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu lost in deep thought, Tu Tu Kesiluo could not help but ask, "My lord, what are you considering?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu returned from his contemplation and said with a smile, "This official is thinking it is time to lead you and your subordinates to get some proper exercise."

Tu Tu Kesiluo was utterly confused and pressed, "What do you mean?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu narrowed his eyes, a hint of cunning smile playing on his lips, and softly uttered two words: "Bandit suppression."

Tu Tu Kesiluo paused for a moment and repeated, "Bandit suppression?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned to look at the swirling heavy snow outside the window and slowly began, "From the robbers and thieves of the Green Dragon Stronghold, to the murderers and robbers of Little Eagle Mountain later, and now Du Du Gaocen and others, who openly infiltrated the military camp intending to incite a mutiny and plot against this official's life."

"Having witnessed this with your own eyes tonight, you see to what extent these lawless bandits have become rampant. To prevent future chaos, this official has decided to launch a massive military campaign starting tomorrow to comprehensively surround and annihilate all bandits within the entire county."

A flash of cold light passed through Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes, his tone firm and powerful.

Tu Tu Kesiluo exhaled a cloud of white vapor and said hesitantly, "My lord is correct, but sending troops out in such severe cold seems disadvantageous to the soldiers; could we perhaps wait a few more days?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed at the swirling heavy snow outside the window, shook his head gently, and said calmly, "Wait until when? Until the third month when spring returns to the earth? By early spring, the external enemies will surely return; where will we have the energy to suppress bandits then?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo frowned tightly, still pondering the connection. Seeing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu showed a hint of concern on his face and continued to explain persuasively.

"Most importantly, have you considered what we should do if, among the remaining bandits, there are those who wish to avenge Du Du Gaocen and the others?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo frowned tightly, finding it difficult to fathom the connection at that moment, and asked in confusion, "What does this mean?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu then patiently explained, "I am worried that those bandits holding grudges, finding themselves powerless against the army led by this official, might secretly ally with foreign tribes to help them invade Shangmu. If these bandits, familiar with the terrain, act as internal guides for the foreigners, it will be a catastrophic disaster for the common people."

After hearing this, Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyes rolled as he gradually grasped the connection, murmuring, "So my lord is worried about the possibility of them defecting to the enemy and becoming internal guides."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded with a stern face and said solemnly, "What I say now is merely speculation, but the matter is of great importance, and we must not take it lightly. I believe the safest course is to completely annihilate all bandits within the borders before anything happens. Even if it is a groundless worry, suppressing bandits benefits the people a hundredfold and harms them not at all."

After hearing this, Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly understood, nodded heavily, and said, "My lord's analysis is extremely thorough; I fully understand your considerations and fully support this decision."

Seeing Tu Tu Kesiluo's change of attitude, Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded slightly as well and continued, "Besides this, I have even deeper considerations..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's wise gaze fell upon Tu Tu Kesiluo as he asked earnestly, "May I ask, in your opinion, to what extent have the troops we currently hold, after training, grown?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyes brightened slightly, and confidence emerged in his tone, "It is not for me to boast, but their speed of progress is very fast. Even if external enemies attack now, I am confident in leading them to resist bravely. As long as the timing is right, completely crushing the external enemies is by no means impossible."

It could be seen that the Black-faced Yama, serving as the instructor, had full confidence in the soldiers under his command.

After hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu slowly shook his head and said calmly, "I do not doubt the effectiveness of your training, nor do I doubt their rapid growth. It is just that, in my view, they are still lacking one very crucial thing."

Tu Tu Kesiluo frowned slightly, still racking his brains to think about what Jiang Jiang Mingyu meant.

"What my lord refers to is..."

Seeing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu took over the conversation and guided him, "What they lack most right now is combat experience; they have not experienced the clash of blades or the bloody storms of war."

"You have seen it yourself; merely because a dozen or so people died, the entire army was thrown into disarray, and morale suffered greatly. If they were to encounter a surprise attack by foreigners, how much courage would they have to sacrifice their lives for righteousness?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu muttered to himself, "It can be said there is none. Only by personally experiencing the baptism of war and facing the fear of life and death can they grow into true soldiers."

"And this bandit suppression campaign is precisely a good opportunity for training, to hone them into sharp weapons. Do you understand what I mean?" A light of wisdom shone in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes.

Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly understood, nodded heavily, and said, "What my lord says is very correct; this subordinate understands."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled with satisfaction and ordered, "Since you understand, that is good. Today, dispatch scouts to investigate the bandits' movements, have the City Defense Camp make preparations, and be ready to launch the bandit suppression at any time; let us first make a small trial of our strength."

Having just entered Shangmu City, Tang Cheng looked around and saw that the residential houses on both sides were neat and well-maintained, and the city gate was heavily guarded; it was a completely different county from the dilapidated Shangmu he had imagined.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes and asked the carriage driver in some surprise, "Is this really Shangmu County?"

Seeing the carriage driver nod confidently to confirm it was indeed so, Tang Cheng could not help but exclaim, "The city gate defense is so strict, and the residential houses are completely renewed; it seems this Jiang Jiang Mingyu indeed possesses some governing ability, making this place prosperous and thriving."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Tang Cheng quickly sighed lightly, "It is a pity that such an intelligent and capable talent should walk the wrong path of rebellion; it is truly regrettable."

The carriage driver asked sharply, "My lord, shall we proceed directly to the City Defense Camp to verify the facts?"

Tang Cheng stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then slowly shook his head, "No rush; we have just arrived in Shangmu, and the situation is still unclear. Let us first find an inn to stay at and slowly investigate the truth."

He understood that Huang Huang Chaoran and Jiang Jiang Mingyu had a personal grudge; although he suspected the latter's possibility of rebellion was extremely high, he could not rule out the possibility of being wrong. If he overthought and acted rashly, it would be disadvantageous to himself. This would give Inspector Wang Zhe an opportunity to punish him, so he must be extremely cautious.

Tang Cheng An instructed the coachman to find an inn first; after receiving a reply, he turned the carriage toward the inn.