Chapter 40: The Bystander Sees More Than the Player

"The granary is on fire!"

As the flames soared into the sky, chaos erupted within the granary. Tens of thousands of people were packed together, colliding blindly like a dense swarm of headless flies.

"Kill them!"

Just then, shouts of battle erupted from outside the granary. It was like throwing a firecracker into an anthill; the already chaotic situation descended into total pandemonium. People were trampling over one another, and reports of deaths from the crush began to surface. Yet, this was merely the beginning; the true crisis had yet to arrive. How could an army like this possess any combat effectiveness?

"My Lord!" Han Cong could no longer bear to watch. If the chaos were allowed to continue, the two-man supply team would destroy itself before the enemy even had to strike.

"Wait a little longer!" Gao Changsheng sat in his chair, his brows knit together. The more chaotic the situation, the more one must remain composed. As long as the enemy did not show themselves, the true nature of the threat remained unclear. At this moment, Gao Changsheng urgently needed to determine exactly how many factions were lurking within Fengxi County.

His suspicions were correct. At this moment, there was indeed more than one faction outside the granary. Five miles away, in the darkness, a group of men with foreign features had long since set an ambush.

"What is going on?" the middle-aged man leading them asked, his face full of confusion. "This is not the time we agreed upon."

"Have the moles inside the granary sent word?"

"Reporting to the General, the granary has turned into a complete mess. Our moles have had no time to send any messages out," a subordinate replied. "Furthermore, this fire was clearly set intentionally, which means there are other factions here besides us."

"General, should we still strike?" the men behind him asked, looking equally baffled.

"Wait and see," the leader said, his expression grim. "The sounds of battle from earlier were not far from here, yet the number of attackers seems small. Send men to investigate. We will decide our next move once we know who they are."

If only the granary were on fire, it would certainly be a great boon for these foreigners. But if there were another faction present, they had to be careful. They didn't want a situation where, instead of killing Dou Yuan, their own forces ended up fighting each other—wouldn't that be a joke?

Meanwhile, in a teahouse on the main street, a middle-aged man in official robes gazed at the fire in the distance.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

After a series of hurried footsteps up the stairs, a man stopped behind the official.

"Magistrate Cao, two factions appear to have emerged around the granary," the subordinate reported. "One of them is confirmed to be from Northern Qi. The other is smaller, but we have yet to identify them."

Magistrate Cao turned around, his face betraying a hint of confusion. "There is yet another faction within Fengxi County? Could it be the Empress's people, or those of the two princes?" He was utterly perplexed. "That doesn't make sense, though. The two princes already caused a scene at Longling Mountain and would be desperate to keep their heads down now. Why would they send people to cause trouble in Fengxi County? Even if their goal was to assassinate the Sixth Prince, setting fire to the granary is a crime far greater than simple assassination. Have Gao Changwen and Gao Changfei truly become as foolish as pigs?"

The more he analyzed it, the worse his headache became. Finally, he gave up on thinking. "Have you finished the tasks I assigned you?" he asked, looking at his subordinate again.

"Reporting to you, Magistrate, the four city gates have all been closed. Archers have been stationed on the city walls; no one will be able to escape," the man reported immediately.

"Very good," Magistrate Cao sneered. "Remember the most important thing: leave no survivors among the foreigners. Only then will we give the Qingwu Guard no excuse to hold against us!"

Having said this, he picked up his teacup and toyed with it, as if the entire situation in Fengxi County were already firmly within his grasp.

At the same time, five miles from the granary, a dozen men in black were hiding in the streets, watching the granary from afar.

"God truly helps us!" the leader said, his eyes glinting with malice. "The more chaotic it is inside, the better our chances. The Noble One said that whoever wounds Gao Changsheng will receive a hundred taels of gold. If we can take his life, the reward is ten thousand taels. Our future prosperity depends on today!"

"Move!" Following his order, the dozen men slipped into the granary amidst the confusion. But as soon as they entered, they were stunned. There were over a hundred camps—which one was Gao Changsheng in?

"Boss, how are we supposed to find him?" a subordinate asked, bewildered.

"You idiot, just grab someone and ask!" the man said viciously. "It's such a mess anyway, killing a few people is no big deal."

The subordinates nodded in agreement. Clearly, these men were just a bunch of desperate criminals, lured by the promise of heavy gold. As for who this "Noble One" was, these men would likely die without ever knowing. Furthermore, they probably didn't realize that the bounty on Gao Changsheng's head was merely a tactic of casting a wide net and gambling on luck. If they could get the news, so could others.

"Boss, there's another group of men in black over there!" a subordinate shouted, pointing in a direction.

No sooner had he spoken than both sides spotted each other.

"Damn it, these bastards are here to steal our business! Men, slaughter them!" The leader drew his blade and charged at the other group of men in black. The opposing side seemed to have the same idea.

The two groups of thugs, despite not having even caught a glimpse of Gao Changsheng, began fighting each other. Yet, stupid as they were, they were the first to ignite the combat in this chaotic scene. The shouts of battle and the clash of weapons acted like a fuse, becoming the final straw that broke the camel's back.

"They're fighting inside?!" The foreigners heard the shouts too. Though they didn't know exactly what was happening in the granary, once this chaos began, no one could turn back.

"General, some of the men we sent have returned, but they couldn't uncover the bottom line of the other faction. I will send more men to scout!" the subordinate apologized.

"No need, it's too late!" The foreign general shook his head. "They have already started fighting inside, and that is not good news for us. Do not forget that Dou Yuan is a general of the Great Yong Dynasty. Even if the twenty thousand men in the supply team are just commoners with little combat power, once integrated by Dou Yuan, they will inevitably form an unstoppable force. Our thousand men cannot shake them! Moreover, there is a hundred-thousand-strong army of the Great Yong outside the city. Time is too precious for us."

The general's face was grim. He decisively drew his sword and looked at his men, shouting, "The fate of Northern Qi lies with these thousand of us! If Dou Yuan dies, the Northern Frontier will surely fall. The people of Northern Qi will remember us, and our descendants will remember us. Long live Northern Qi!"