Chapter 47 Plucking the Goose as It Flies

The teasing voice sounded like a ghost from the abyss.

As the words faded, figure after figure broke through the darkness, completely surrounding Cao Rui.

At the forefront stood Gao Changsheng.

"Where is Dou Yuan?!"

Cao Rui's expression turned grim.

He swept his gaze across the crowd, but there was no sign of Dou Yuan.

This force of thirteen hundred men was clearly led by Gao Changsheng.

Could it be...

"His Excellency the Duke of Wei need not guess."

"Neither is General Dou leading the supply train."

"If you wish to see the Great General, you need only open the North City Gate, and you shall meet him."

Gao Changsheng said with a cold laugh.

How could Cao Rui fail to understand such an obvious hint?

"Dou Yuan is not in the city?"

He asked in disbelief.

"Yet my men have been watching you and Dou Yuan constantly."

"The two of you have been inseparable these past few days..."

Halfway through his sentence, full realization dawned upon him.

Then, he stared at Gao Changsheng in shock.

"To lure me into your trap, you were willing to put yourself in such grave danger?"

"Since when has the Gao family become so utterly selfless!"

Cao Rui seemed to be mocking the imperial family.

Most of the founding ministers who had followed Emperor Shenwu on his campaigns across the realm harbored deep resentments toward the imperial family.

Gao Changsheng could understand this.

Unfortunately, his interests conflicted with those of Cao Rui.

Therefore, even though he understood Cao Rui, he had no choice but to eliminate him.

"Cao Rui, Duke of Wei, has raised the banner of rebellion and committed heinous crimes!"

"Hear my orders, all soldiers."

"Capture Cao Rui and escort him to Jinyong to await His Majesty's judgment!"

Gao Changsheng shouted, publicly pronouncing Cao Rui's sentence.

Only with such a logical pretext could he smoothly take over the defense forces of Fengxi County.

While he could not guarantee that internal strife would be entirely averted, casualties could be kept to a minimum.

Much of that depended on how many die-hard loyalists of Cao Rui remained within the Fengxi County garrison.

"The rest of you, follow Your Highness to attack the North City Gate and welcome the imperial army!"

With that, Gao Changsheng drew his sword and led the thirteen hundred men straight toward the North Gate.

Because Cao Rui was held captive in their hands, the garrison at the North Gate dared not act rashly.

This battle required minimal effort to successfully capture the gate.

As Dou Yuan led the main army into Fengxi County, the eastern and western gates naturally surrendered as well.

Only the southern gate, where the garrison commander was stationed, put up a brief, stubborn resistance.

But with the death of their commander, the soldiers lost all will to fight.

Finally, as dawn broke, the rebellion in Fengxi County was thoroughly quelled.

"I have already drafted the memorial and intend to send it to Jinyong City."

"Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

Dou Yuan stepped forward, handing over the memorial he had written.

Gao Changsheng raised his head, his face etched with exhaustion.

Having not slept all night, combined with working his brain anxiously through the dark, he had burned through countless brain cells. If he didn't have a hearty meal and a long sleep right now, he feared his lifespan would be shortened!

"As you wish, just report the facts truthfully."

"With the Qingwu Guards present anyway, nothing can be kept from His Father, so we might as well be honest and avoid arousing His Father's suspicions."

He yawned and instructed.

"The Qingwu Guards?"

Dou Yuan frowned, only now realizing that the Qingwu Guards had been operating within Fengxi County.

"What?"

"Did the Great General not see the Qingwu Guards when you rushed to the South Gate?"

Gao Changsheng asked in confusion.

At this, Dou Yuan shook his head.

"By the time I arrived, the battle was almost over."

"The garrison commander had already suffered several blade wounds and lacked even the strength to flee."

"I was puzzled at the time."

"The twenty thousand men in the supply train carried no weapons; how could they have slashed the commander?"

"Now that I think about it, it must have been the work of the Qingwu Guards."

"Yet, for Your Highness to command the Qingwu Guards—that is an elite agency that answers only to His Majesty!"

Dou Yuan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Hehe."

"The Great General overestimates me."

"His Father anticipated that a rebellion would break out in Fengxi County and dispatched the Qingwu Guards ahead of time to protect me."

"It just so happened that the strategy of luring the tiger from its mountain coincided with the mission of the Qingwu Guards, which is why they temporarily took orders from me."

Gao Changsheng grimaced with a wry smile.

Looking back now, he didn't even know the name of the commander of the Qingwu Guards.

That was perhaps the biggest flaw in this entire rebellion.

Of course, given the secretive nature of the Qingwu Guards, excessive contact would only arouse Emperor Shenwu's suspicion.

Whether this relationship ultimately proved beneficial or harmful was something Gao Changsheng could not predict.

"Your Highness, several bodies were found near the granary."

"After identification, one of them has been confirmed to be Wang Yong."

Miaofa hurried over to report the situation.

Hearing this, Gao Changsheng merely sighed and did not dwell on it.

To him, Wang Yong was nothing more than a temporarily useful chess piece.

At best, he carried the extra identity of Chu Yunyan's cousin.

Yet, Wang Yong had harbored inappropriate thoughts toward Chu Yunyan.

For that reason alone, Gao Changsheng could never harbor much fondness for Wang Yong.

However, out of consideration for his relationship with Chu Yunyan, the Chu family still needed to be informed.

"I shall write a letter, and you will send someone to deliver it to the Chu family."

"Since Wang Yong is dead, let us speak no more of the fire at the armory; consider his merits as balancing his faults."

"By the way, where is the Vice Magistrate of Fengxi County?"

Gao Changsheng suddenly remembered that there was another very important figure in this entire affair.

It wasn't that the Vice Magistrate himself held any great significance.

Rather, the promise the Vice Magistrate had previously made to Gao Changsheng was of considerable importance to him.

"Your Highness, this old servant is here!"

As the voice fell, a man whose face was blackened with soot squeezed out from the crowd.

Hearing this, Gao Changsheng looked up.

Although the Vice Magistrate looked rather filthy, he was completely unharmed.

Amidst such chaos, he had not sustained a single injury.

It was clear the Vice Magistrate possessed considerable skill when it came to preserving his own life.

"The Vice Magistrate has rendered meritorious service in quelling this rebellion. I will have the Great General make a note of it in the memorial."

* * *

"However, I wonder if the promise the Vice Magistrate made to me earlier still holds?"

Gao Changsheng smiled meaningfully.

"It holds!"

"Of course it holds!"

"Through this ordeal, this old servant has seen the light."

"External possessions amount to nothing; keeping one's life is more important than anything else!"

The Vice Magistrate said with an expression of utmost sincerity.

For a split second, Gao Changsheng almost believed the old man's nonsense.

These seasoned bureaucrats were consummate actors.

Had Gao Changsheng let his guard down even a little, the Vice Magistrate would undoubtedly have quietly pocketed the majority of the wealth he had promised.

These old foxes were entirely untrustworthy!

"Han Cong."

"Take a few men and accompany the Vice Magistrate back to the county office."

"Remember, wherever the Vice Magistrate goes, you go. Do not let him out of your sight."

Gao Changsheng said with a cold smile.

At these words, the Vice Magistrate instantly wilted.

*Hah*, you still thought you could pull the wool over my eyes? You need a few more years of training with Miaofa before you can pull that off!

"I've rested enough!"

"It's time to deal with the biggest trouble!"

Gao Changsheng slapped his thigh and sprang to his feet.

Then, his sharp gaze locked directly onto Song Ziyong and the nearly one thousand Northern Qi soldiers.