Chapter 492: Conspiracy
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
With disheveled hair, Qi Haoran licked his peeling lips and asked, “How many days can our food and water last?”
Deputy General Zhong’s face was filled with bitterness as he said in a low voice, “It’ll only be enough for tomorrow…” Moreover, they could only eat until they were 30% full.
Qi Haoran was indeed a rare general, to actually withstand more than 36,000 enemies for 18 days with just 3,000 men. He did not know if General Yuan could achieve such a feat, but the general he had followed for eight years who had been an assistant commander for ten years clearly could not do it.
Moreover, Qi Haoran wasn’t even 20 yet.
In the end, their defeat might not be because they were no match for the enemy. Instead, they might die because they didn’t have any rations or reinforcements. Deputy General Zhong had been filled with anticipation at the beginning, but now, he was disheartened. Although he could accept the upcoming outcome, he still couldn’t calm down.
If Deputy General Zhong was already in such a state, there was no need to mention the soldiers below. A few of the younger ones hugged their knees and cried softly. They asked their companions beside them, “Is the Imperial Court giving up on us?”
The veterans who had been in the army for a long time had ashen expressions. If it was in the past, they would definitely curse out loud. However, they could not do so now. If it affected the morale of the army, their last chance of survival would be gone.
As Qi Haoran walked over, his expression darkened. If he gave up on these people, it would not be difficult for him to escape with his martial arts skills. However, if he gave up on them, would he still be a general?
Thinking of the pregnant Mu Yangling, Qi Haoran’s heart ached for a moment.
He clenched his fists tightly and turned around to look at Deputy General Zhong with bloodshot eyes for a while. His gaze made Deputy General Zhong’s hair stand on end. Only then did Qi Haoran say in a low voice, “Get someone to keep an eye on Adjutant Lin and the others. Bring over a regiment commander of the camp that we can trust.”
A dark glint flashed across Deputy General Zhong’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before retreating.
When Qi Haoran returned to the tent, Fei Bai said anxiously, “Master, what are you doing? We don’t know Deputy General Zhong that well yet. I’m afraid we can’t trust him.”
“What do you think I’m going to do? Instigate him to rebel?” Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not a fool. The priority now is to survive. I won’t mention such a thing.”
Fei Bai heaved a sigh of relief and asked curiously, “Then why did you ask him to keep an eye on the three adjutants?”
Qi Haoran snorted coldly and said, “Of course it’s to do something shameful. We fell into this situation because of the selfishness of the three of them. So many of our brothers died. Won’t it be normal for them to die on the battlefield?”
Fei Bai nodded. “Master, leave this to me.”
“No.” Qi Haoran shook two drops of water from the water bottle into his mouth and licked his lips. “Let Deputy General Zhong and the others do this. After they kill the Emperor’s emissaries, we’ll be in the same boat. We won’t be afraid of them betraying us after this.”
“Are they willing to let us have such a huge hold over them?” Fei Bai asked worriedly.
Qi Haoran sighed. “That’s why the soldiers of our West Camp are so useful.
Most of them are loyal. Even if they’re not, they can be intimidated.” He continued, “Regardless of how unwilling Deputy General Zhong and the rest are, as long as they want to survive, they have no choice but to do it.” Deputy General Zhong did not delay. After making up his mind, he quickly found a few trustworthy regiment commanders and asked them to control the three adjutants. Then, the few of them entered Qi Haoran’s tent nervously. Deputy General Zhong thought that Qi Haoran wanted to use the rebellion flag to rebel. This was too easy in the current situation. Previously, they had spoken to Liu Dahei and Lin Man. As Qi Haoran was more inclined to recruit and not exterminate the bandits, the relationship between the two sides wasn’t so terrible.
At this moment, the soldiers in the camp were filled with resentment towards the imperial Court. As long as Qi Haoran ordered it, everyone except for a few officials would probably agree to it for the sake of their own survival.
Should Qi Haoran revolt, the siege below would naturally end without a fight. Even if they weren’t on friendly terms with Lin Man and Liu Dahei, they could at least sit down and talk. During this period of time, Qi Haoran’s military talent had been so vividly displayed that even they had come to admire Qi Haoran, let alone those bumpkins who did not even know how to arrange troops.
But were they genuinely willing to rebel alongside Qi Haoran?
Deputy General Zhong didn’t know what the others were thinking. In any case, he was quite reluctant since his entire family was in his hometown. If he rebelled here, his entire family definitely wouldn’t be able to escape. However, he wasn’t willing to surrender, either. If one could survive, who would be willing to die?
The other regiment commanders also had the same thoughts. Everyone walked into Qi Haoran’s tent hesitantly.
Qi Haoran was sitting on the ground with his hands spread out. He had no choice. He really wanted to maintain an upright posture, but he had not eaten his fill for four days. In addition, he had only slept for two hours a day. It was already not bad that he could still stay awake. Naturally, he had to conserve his energy for the war. When he saw them enter, he waved his hand weakly and said, “Sit anywhere.”
The few of them sat down uneasily. Qi Haoran said, “I won’t beat around the bush. You’ve seen the current situation. It’s impossible to break out.
The few of them felt a chill in their hearts when they heard Qi Haoran say, “So we can only bluff them and negotiate with them.”
Deputy General Zhong asked carefully, “How do we negotiate?” Qi Haoran opened his eyes and glanced at him. “How else can we negotiate? Naturally, we collude with them to exchange information and trade fairly. Anyway, I don’t care, we’ll say whatever it takes to get us out. Aren’t they just afraid that we’ll eliminate the bandits and the previously discussed amnesty will be left unsettled? Tell them that if they let us go, we’ll help them deal with the Imperial Court. What’s the use of wasting their troops on a few thousand of us when there’s a 200,000-strong army outside?”
Deputy General Zhong and the others widened their eyes and looked at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran continued, “Even if the two sides have no choice but to fight in the end, we can promise both sides that we will leave them a chance of survival when we encounter them in the future. For example, we won’t kill them during the battle and will leave them a gap when we surround them. In short, we’ll let them retreat first.”
Deputy General Zhong and the rest felt their hearts drop from their throats to their stomachs. At the same time, they praised Qi Haoran’s shameless wit. He was indeed suited to be a general, and was not someone mere mortals like them could compare to.
A regiment commander raised his hand weakly and said, “General, what if they don’t believe us?”
■That’s right. What if they don’t believe us?’
Everyone looked at Qi Haoran in unison. After all, they would be like fish in the sea after they went down the mountain. If they denied it in the future, what could they do?
Qi Haoran looked at them in disdain and said, “That’s why we have to sign a contract.” Qi Haoran took the official seal from Fei Bai’s hand and threw it on the ground. “This thing is very useful.”
“With this weakness of mine in their hands, would I dare to disobey?
The few of them heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, super glad that they might be able to get out alive and not have to rebel.
“However, now that they have something on me, what do I have over you guys?”
The few of them stiffened as they heard Qi Haoran say, “We can’t let the three adjutants know about our discussion with the bandits, so I’ll leave those three to you. Deal with them properly and don’t miss a single one.”
The few of them swallowed their saliva. The crime of killing the Emperor’s secret envoys was indeed as serious as Qi Haoran colluding with the bandits. Looking at each other and thinking of the current situation, they gritted their teeth and knelt down to accept the order.
Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, “Alright, go now. Tonight, I’ll go down and chat with them. If I succeed, we’ll all make it out alive. If I fail, I’ll be the first to die..”
Chapter end
