noveltune Chapter 60 Murder to Seize Power
Chapter 60 Murder to Seize Power
After reading the emperor's edict, the adjutant finally felt relieved. After seeing his family off, he turned to Liu Feng, who was already seated in a guest chair, and bowed, asking, "How should we cooperate with the imperial envoy?"
Liu Feng didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "What exactly happened in Datong City?"
The adjutant was silent for a moment, then replied, "To be honest, sir, I'm not entirely sure what happened either..."
He explained his speculations and coping strategies in detail.
Liu Feng nodded. It was already quite remarkable that such a thorough arrangement could be made under the circumstances of being cut off from communication.
"How many troops are left in the city? How many trusted men can you directly mobilize?"
"The four guards of Datong—left, right, front, and rear—plus the garrison battalion, brought the total number of registered soldiers to 30,000. The general and deputy general took away 12,000 of the main force..."
Before Liu Feng could catch his breath, the adjutant changed the subject: "However, the Four Guards have been severely understaffed for years, and currently, the number of truly usable soldiers in the city... is less than ten thousand..."
"How much?!" Liu Feng's face was full of disbelief.
The adjutant, forcing himself to speak, said, "About eight thousand."
The moment a phrase from a national treasure slipped out, Liu Feng was furious.
The salary is 30,000 short of 10,000, and the amount of money being received without working exceeds 30%. This is not just audacious, it's downright insane!
Liu Feng suppressed his anger. "These eight thousand men, are they all at your command?"
The adjutant slowly shook his head: "Apart from our own troops, the other officers each have their own backers. They're either trusted subordinates of the general or deputy general, or they're sons of local hereditary military families. It's hard to say..."
Liu Feng tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his expression grave: "The situation is unclear right now; we must first ensure the army's safety. Let's go to the main camp!"
......................
A deep, resonant drumbeat suddenly rang out, its powerful sound filling the entire camp and drowning out the thunder rumbling in the sky.
A flurry of footsteps rose and fell as figures hurried toward the central command tent.
"What's going on? The General is not here, who's taking the command?"
When they rushed into the central command tent, the officers were even more bewildered. The commander's seat was empty, and a bright yellow imperial edict was displayed on the large table.
Where did this imperial edict come from? The officers looked at each other in bewilderment and began to whisper among themselves.
The guerrilla general narrowed his small eyes and said, "The commander-in-chief is not here. It must be a mistake. Everyone, please disperse."
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Who said there was a mistake?"
The guerrilla general and his officers were all taken aback.
The adjutant accompanied Liu Feng, who had changed into his official robes, as they strode in.
Wang Daniu led a squad of Imperial Guards, who stood on either side of the main tent, each with their hands on the hilts of their swords at their waists, their eyes sharp and fixed on the officers.
Liu Feng stopped in front of the large table where the imperial edict was displayed, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group of officers under his command, finally landing on the face of the guerrilla general.
The guerrilla general caught sight of the Northern Garrison Commander's badge at Liu Feng's waist. He was initially hesitant, but then hardened up: "Lieutenant General Li, the General is not here. What are you doing raising the tent?"
Lieutenant General Li ignored him, introduced Liu Feng to everyone, and then respectfully knelt down in front of the imperial edict enshrined on the table.
Most of the officers dared not hesitate and immediately knelt down in unison.
The guerrilla general and several officers around him exchanged a glance before kneeling down.
Seeing this, Liu Feng gave Wang Daniu a wink before speaking: "As you all have probably noticed, the atmosphere in Datong City tonight is strange and unsettling... To be honest, the court has received a secret report that someone is colluding with the Mongol Tartars, deliberately plotting to lure the main force of Datong out of the pass, attempting to take advantage of the city's weakened defenses and launch a coordinated attack from within and without to capture Datong!"
There was a moment of silence inside the tent, which was then instantly filled with uproar.
"Silence!" Lieutenant General Li shouted.
The tent quickly fell silent again.
Liu Feng continued, "To ensure the absolute safety of Datong City, I request your cooperation in surrendering your official seals, command tokens, and military power... so that we can unify command and control, and defend the entire city with utmost utmost vigilance!"
Seeing the officers' expressions change, he added, "Gentlemen, rest assured, your contributions will not be diminished in the slightest. The imperial court will not take a single penny of the spoils from this battle. As for the matter of receiving salaries without working... once we leave Datong City, I will completely forget about it."
With a combination of harsh words and sweet promises, the officers' expressions shifted repeatedly, each one hesitant and uncertain.
At this moment, Lieutenant General Li gave his trusted confidant a wink.
Several trusted officers understood and stepped forward to place the seals and badges on the large table.
With someone taking the lead, those who were initially hesitant gritted their teeth and stepped forward to hand over their tokens of military power.
In the blink of an eye, only the guerrilla general and a few of his confidants remained in the tent, standing there with shifty eyes.
Liu Feng stared at the guerrilla general: "What, you have an objection?"
The guerrilla general straightened his back, showing no fear: "Not bad."
"explain."
"The imperial court has never before had the Embroidered Uniform Guard confiscated tokens of military power from border generals!"
Are you doubting that the imperial edict is genuine?
"I wouldn't dare."
"If you don't dare, why don't you hand it over?" Liu Feng pressed.
The guerrilla general gritted his teeth: "I want to see the imperial edict!"
"Is it absolutely necessary to see it?"
"You absolutely have to see this!"
A cold glint flashed in Liu Feng's eyes, but a smile played on his lips: "Very well. I will now request the imperial edict so you can see for yourself."
Lieutenant General Li, who was standing to the side, seemed to understand something and subconsciously took a step back.
The other officers weren't fools. The moment Liu Feng picked up the imperial edict from the table and turned to hand it to the guerrilla general, they all retreated to Lieutenant General Li's side, clearing the battlefield.
The moment the guerrilla general received the imperial edict with both hands, Liu Feng's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he drew his sword with lightning speed.
The guerrilla general saw a flash of white light before his eyes, and then his head flew off.
Liu Feng snatched the blood-stained imperial edict from his hand, and the headless body collapsed.
"General! General..."
Several trusted men were caught off guard by Liu Feng's audacity and gripped their sword hilts tightly, but dared not draw their blades.
With a cold snort, Liu Feng said, "Kill them."
A series of screams followed, and several people were hacked to death by the Imperial Guards.
Liu Feng's cold gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces, and Li Canjiang and the others lowered their heads.
Liu Feng: "After dawn, ransack the homes of these traitors and distribute the spoils among you."
"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Lieutenant General Li led the way, and all the officers bowed in respect.
Liu Feng tucked the blood-stained imperial edict into his robes and looked at Lieutenant General Li: "You're good at fighting, so I'll leave the defense and deployment of the city entirely to you."
"Yes," Lieutenant General Li replied, bowing.
Liu Feng: "Give me two hundred elite armored soldiers, and I will purge the entire garrison."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a thunderclap suddenly erupted outside, followed by a torrential downpour.
Li Canjiang swallowed hard; this man's actions were far too murderous.
......................
The torrential rain, howling and deafening, had already enveloped the dark and gloomy city of Datong.
A bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the night, and a group of armored soldiers rushed into the alley, stepping on the waterlogged stone path, and surrounded a house with a large red lantern hanging on it.
The squad leader raised his hand and waved, and four soldiers, carrying logs as thick as bowls, slammed them against the gate.
With a crisp "crack", the latch snapped off.
Soldiers wielding shields charged in first, followed closely by spearmen... Shouts of battle and screams of agony rose and fell.
Liu Feng, wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, walked in, and along the way were the corpses of yamen runners dressed in prison uniforms.
The Qianhu Office has been cleaned up, and the home of the Datong Qianhu has also been visited. The Datong Qianhu Office is rotten to the core. Not only do they gather people to gamble in the middle of the night, but they also bring prostitutes into the yamen. It's utterly absurd.
Before the Datong commanders could even be executed, they were all put to death.
The news did indeed leak out from his mouth. He usually embezzled public funds, colluded with local powerful figures, and dared to do all sorts of despicable things, but he would never dare to do anything as dangerous as colluding with the enemy and leaking secrets.
The prefect of Datong invited him to a banquet that day, and he got drunk. Only today did he realize what had happened and, fearing he would be silenced, he transferred the elite troops from the Thousand Households Garrison to guard his residence.
"How dare you! Trespassing on the residence of a court official, are you plotting a rebellion? You..."
The prefect of Datong was dragged out of bed. He wanted to reprimand the man sternly, but he was grabbed and forced to kneel on the ground.
The rain was pouring down, and a bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky. He vaguely saw several figures approaching. Another flash of lightning, and the people were already standing in front of him.
The prefect of Datong subconsciously looked up and saw the dripping raincoat and the official uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his whole body froze instantly. A plaque hanging on his belt clearly read "Northern Garrison Command"!