Chapter 384: The Crown Princess Arrives in Beijiang

That "Jiangnan merchant caravan" was even more cunning.

They seemed to have sensed the surveillance, their behavior was extremely cautious, normal business dealings, and the occasional out-of-line words and actions never appeared again.

But Wang Hou had many capable people under his command, and his patience was also very good; they not only monitored them but also checked every local merchant, inn waiter, and even ordinary people who happened to ask for directions that they had contacted.

Finally, in the middle of the night, an accountant in the merchant caravan made an excuse of diarrhea, slipped out of the inn alone, and tried to stuff a letter into the brick cracks of a deserted small temple in the city.

The letter was intercepted by those lying in wait, and it was actually passing information about the shift change times of the Shuoning city defense, as well as several secret small paths!

Clearly, this merchant caravan was not only a destroyer but also Wei Xi Yuan's eyes.

"Close the net, leave no one. Pay attention to keeping them alive, especially that accountant." Wang Hou received the news and only gave a short order.

Several elite teams rushed to the three inns at the same time; there was no fierce fighting, only short muffled groans and the sound of blades entering flesh.

Most of the "merchant caravan" members were quickly subdued in their sleep, and the few who tried to resist were also quickly dealt with.

That accountant was given special care, his jaw was dislocated, and he was tied up like a rice dumpling.

However, just as everyone thought the situation was under control and began searching the rooms, a sudden change occurred!

A seemingly ordinary porter who had been subdued suddenly roared, ignoring the short blade stabbed into his body, and used his head to fiercely slam into the torch in someone's hand beside him!

Sparks splashed onto his clothes, which had long been soaked in fire oil, and with a "boom," the whole person instantly turned into a human torch! He laughed miserably and threw himself at the cargo boxes they had placed in the corner of the inn!

"Fire oil! Scatter!" The small team leader's pupils shrank, and he shouted sharply.

The fire oil in the boxes was taken out and immediately thrown at the inn and the houses all around, while he himself became the fire starter.

"Put out the fire! Maintain order! Capture everyone who takes advantage of the chaos to escape!"

Wang Hou, who received the news, had a gloomy face but did not panic, and orders were issued one after another.

The Ming Army patrol and yamen runners who had long been waiting nearby rushed over, putting out the fire while sealing off the streets and capturing suspicious individuals.

Clearly, this was the final move in Wei Xi Yuan's death squad plan! Once exposed, immediately self-destruct and create maximum chaos.

"Ruthless enough."

Wang Hou stood in front of the ruins emitting blue smoke, his face iron-blue.

"Investigate! Investigate all the routes these people took to enter the city, everyone they contacted, and the source of the goods, all the way to the end! Anyone with suspicious connections will be controlled and vetted!"

Wang Hou ordered, "In addition, impose martial law on the whole city, allow entry but not exit! Conduct a second round of screening for all inns, cargo warehouses, and vehicle and horse firms! Notify General Han to send more soldiers to patrol the streets, suppress possible riots, and reassure the people, just say that court spies have been captured, the remnants are struggling to the death, and have been extinguished!"

In the next few days, relying on tight screening and the sporadic confessions of captives, Wang Hou finally cleared out all the death squad groups Wei Xi Yuan had sent into Shuoning and the surrounding areas.

There were those who tried to set fire downwind of the grain warehouse, and those who mixed into the craftsmen's team to tamper with weapons, all discovered by strict procedures and mutual supervision systems.

There were those who disguised themselves as monks and Taoists, trying to spread rumors among the crowd, and were quickly reported by vigilant people.

There was even a death squad member who bribed a distant relative of a minor official, wanting to do something to the water source in the inner city; before he could act, that distant relative of the minor official who had been bribed surrendered to the government under huge psychological pressure...

Wang Hou personally returned to report the detailed results of the Shuoning clearing operation to Jiang Jinshi.

"A total of 127 death squads sent by Wei Xi Yuan were cleared or captured, of which 47 were killed on the spot, 34 were captured, and the rest self-destructed or went missing during the operation."

"Our side lost 9 brothers, 23 were injured, and more than ten civilians were killed or injured."

"The situation in Shuoning is completely under control, and the related hidden dangers have been basically eliminated."

Jiang Jinshi listened quietly and nodded: "Hard work, Wang Hou. Double the pension, and give heavy rewards to those with merit. Wei Xi Yuan is at his wit's end, even using such low-down means, it seems he won't last many more days on that side."

Jiang Jinshi was not wrong; what Wei Xi Yuan couldn't afford now was time, and with limited time left, he would definitely launch an attack on the Ming Army again in the near future, and this time would be his last chance.

Wang Hou suddenly said to Jiang Jinshi: "Lord, I encountered a foreign woman during the recent screening; her movements were strange and she had a large amount of money in her luggage, so I captured her, but she..."

"What's wrong?" Jiang Jinshi raised his eyebrows, thinking that the woman looked good and Wang Hou had moved his heart.

"She... she said she came to find Wei Xikang!"

Wang Hou was a bit hesitant; although the woman's movements were strange and she was sneaking around with a large amount of money, her speech didn't sound like she was lying.

No matter how Wang Hou asked, she only said she came to find Wei Xikang, and was not some spy or death squad member, but when Wang Hou asked who she was to Wei Xikang, the other party remained silent.

This woman didn't have the madness of those death squads, but was clear-headed and dignified; judging by her temperament, she should also be from a wealthy family.

Jiang Jinshi tapped the table and said: "Since that's the case, then you send two brothers to take her to Guangwu city to find old Wei, and see if he recognizes her; if he doesn't recognize her, then use torture!"

Guangwu city was Jiang Jinshi's current core, and also the place with the strictest control, so Jiang Jinshi was not worried that a woman could stir up any trouble in Guangwu city.

Moreover, he trusted Wang Hou's way of doing things very much and would never give the other party this opportunity.

If it weren't for the worry that the woman was indeed some relative of Wei Xikang, Wang Hou might have dealt with her directly and would never have reported this matter to Jiang Jinshi.

"Yes!"

Wang Hou accepted the order and didn't leave, because next they had to discuss the current situation, as well as how to deal with Wei Xi Yuan's army next.

Jiang Jinshi took the lead and said: "Wei Xi Yuan hasn't retreated! He just returned to the Shuoning front line, and now the main army is still outside the city!"

Luo Feng took over the conversation, "He has nowhere to retreat! Tongguan might be able to linger on for a few days, but he knows in his heart that retreating to Tongguan is just changing places to starve to death, or waiting to be swallowed by Western Liang."

Han Xiao frowned: "Lord, the scouts reported that the court camp has been unusually quiet these past few days, and the cooking smoke is much less than usual. But the patrol scouts are active and the vigilance is strict. Wei Xi Yuan... seems to be preparing for a final gamble."

It was normal for the cooking smoke to be less than usual; their grain was not much, so naturally, they had to save it.

Jiang Ze said in a deep voice: "The dog Emperor is stubborn and extreme; suffering such a great humiliation from this surprise defeat, he will definitely not be willing to let it go."

"He still has more than 200,000 troops in his hands; although morale is scattered and grain is insufficient, if he spares no cost and drives the soldiers to make a desperate strike, his destructive power cannot be underestimated."

"He is very likely... to launch a total attack that disregards casualties, does not seek victory, and only seeks to perish together. The target might be our Shuoning city, or you yourself, Lord." ===== CHAPTER 385 =====