Whether we can win or not, we have to fight first and talk later.
If Guo Xiu really believed they could win, he wouldn’t have pulled the Prefect’s Captain to ask about leaving the city.
“Heh, you’re a Prefect after all, yet you’re afraid of a mere handful of mountain bandits!”
The Prefect’s Captain looked down on Guo Xiu’s behavior with contempt.
He had originally raised those mountain bandits himself, and now that the bandits had grown strong and turned against them, they came to attack, and yet he was scared?
Didn’t he expect this day to come?
Serves him right!
Although mocking a former ally at such a critical moment was a bit inappropriate, since the other side was already planning to run, the Prefect’s Captain didn’t care about saving face for him.
“They’re just some petty bandits. Gathering together, they gave themselves a fancy name, imagining they could overturn the court! Don’t forget we’re officials. Outsiders still don’t understand the situation in Ji Prefecture. If we win this battle, everything will be calm and peaceful. We’ll be recognized as heroes who suppressed the bandits. But if you run away…”
The Prefect’s Captain sneered and glanced at Guo Xiu, “Getting caught would mean the crime of exterminating nine clans!”Guo Xiu froze, furrowing his brows without saying a word.
Outside, the sky was pitch black. In the dim study, only the two of them were plotting quietly. The courtyard was silent, with only the faint sound of insects outside.
The Prefect’s Captain said all this naturally because he didn’t want Guo Xiu to run away.
The Captain wasn’t sure, but he believed he could win.
Though he was a military officer, he hadn’t really fought in many battles!
After all, Great Wei had been peaceful these years with few wars, and those battles that did occur had nothing to do with the soldiers stationed inland like them. As a small Prefect’s Captain, he hardly ever had a chance to go to the battlefield.
The pride of a military officer was only relevant when facing bandits.
From the bottom of his heart, the Captain didn’t really take the Oxhead Army seriously.
He thought they were just a disorganized mob, and that his elite troops would surely defeat them!
“They’re just a bunch of bandits. Don’t you trust the men under my command?”
He was a little annoyed by Guo Xiu’s doubt but didn’t say more.
Guo Xiu naturally didn’t trust him!
If he did, he wouldn’t ask.
But this couldn’t be said plainly — Guo Xiu still hoped the Captain could lead and protect him.
His tone softened, “Of course, I trust you. But you know, the Oxhead Army came all the way from Qiling, so they must have some skills. Judging by their tactics and behavior, I think someone must be guiding them.”
The Captain’s eyebrows twitched, “Someone guiding them? Who in Ji Prefecture would have that ability?”
If he knew, would he still be asking him?
Guo Xiu didn’t answer and instead asked about the scouts.
“Yesterday, you sent scouts out. Did you get any news about the Oxhead Army?”
Mentioning this made the Captain annoyed.
“There’s no damn news! None of them came back!”
None came back?!
Guo Xiu was stunned, “How is that possible?”
The Captain chuckled, “Why not possible? Eight men were sent out, none returned. They were either killed or captured by the Oxhead Army!”
Guo Xiu: “…What if they escaped?”
Captain: “…Do you think they’re like you?”
Both fell silent suddenly.
The scouts’ families were all inside the city. It was impossible for them to run away. After all, very few people would be cruel enough to abandon their families.
So the only possibility for the missing scouts was that they fell into the hands of the Oxhead Army.
Outside the city, at the Oxhead Army camp discussed by the two, the Second Prince was reviewing intelligence received from the scouts.
In the modest tent with the Second Prince sat also the Eighth Prince, Gongsun Yi, and Du Rulin.
“If Liu Wu hadn’t sent people over, we really wouldn’t have known he secretly had this many soldiers.”
The Second Prince shook his head, showing nothing but mockery and no fear at all about Liu Wu’s two thousand troops under the Prefect’s Captain.
After the Second Prince finished reading the intelligence, the other three took over.
After reading, they all had something to say.
Gongsun Yi: “Yuanyang isn’t Qiling. If we attack directly, casualties on both sides could be heavy. We need to come up with a perfect plan.”
Du Rulin: “What perfect plan? If we don’t attack directly, do you want them to just surrender? I’d like that too, but we’re bandits now! If anyone really dares to surrender, I’d tear down their ancestors’ ancestral tablets!”
The three present: …
Although they understood, it was indeed best if the other side surrendered willingly.
The Second Prince thought for a moment, “I wonder if we bribe the scouts to come back and act as insiders to open the city, how likely is that?”
Gongsun Yi smiled, “I think the chance is slim, Your Highness.”
The Second Prince was deeply regretful.
Well, he was just thinking. Of course, fewer deaths would be best, but with people like Guo Xiu and Liu Wu, it was probably more likely that they’d send their men to die while sneaking away quietly themselves.
There wasn’t a quick solution. Since it was late, the Second Prince prepared to dismiss and rest.
But the Eighth Prince spoke up.
“Second Brother, if you want to open the city secretly, maybe Ninth Brother has a method.”
The three of them were surprised.
Almost forgot about Ninth Brother. The startled Second Prince quickly responded, “What method does Ninth Brother have?”
That…
The Eighth Prince smiled. That smile was very similar to the official smile Wei Yu often wore.
“Oh, that matter actually goes back to when we were in Ziyang County…”
What the Eighth Prince was talking about was when at Oxhead Mountain in Ziyang County, a man named Tian Hu failed to poison them and was later captured by Wei Yu to be used as a spy.
Ding Facai’s sharp eyes found that Tian Hu was indeed fit for spying.
Wei Yu had Ding Facai teach Tian Hu how to be an excellent spy, and in less than a month, Tian Hu mastered the essentials!
Tian Hu was originally a farmer but had some bitterness due to the bandit affair. After learning from Ding Facai to hide himself, when he was brought before Wei Yu, besides his face, his entire demeanor had changed!
He looked very plain, very ordinary, just a random passerby!
He was perfect for being a low-profile, sneaky intelligence agent!
Wei Yu realized this and, to not waste the talent, had Guo Yajun change Tian Hu’s registration and gave him papers, then sent him to Yuanyang to gather intelligence.
So, with the current situation of the Second Prince and the others, asking Wei Yu for Tian Hu’s contact info was totally feasible.