A Prophet - Chapter 19 (Part 3)

Chapter 3 - Two Master Thieves Sneak Into the Japanese Secret Service Agency

Inside the Plum Blossom Mansion, Noda Jiayi was racking his brain in deep thought: The Jiangxiang Sect is truly difficult to deal with. He had originally thought that by digging up their ancestral graves, that Grandfather would act like a dog cornered on a wall and kill his way back to Jianghuai, turning it into a case of catching turtles in a jar where he could achieve glory and fame without even needing to enter the Yasukuni Shrine! Not only had they failed to capture anyone, but Zuo Yongchan's ancestral grave in Shanghai had been smashed to pieces, and a protector had even been lost! Now the Jiangxiang Sect was sitting tight and refusing to move. What on earth was he to be done? The deadline set by Eda Eiji was drawing closer and closer by the day—was his doom truly at hand?

"Jiang Tiancheng is here to report," came a voice from outside the door.

"Let him in!"

"Taijun..." Jiang Tiancheng lowered his head as he entered.

"What is it this time?" Noda's face was filled with resentment, thinking to himself: You claim to be like Jiang Ziya meeting King Wen of Zhou at the age of eighty, yet you with your old bones and granite head are only fit to fool illiterate common people—what kind of complete nonsense ideas do you keep coming up with?

Jiang Tiancheng lingered hesitatingly, wanting to speak but not daring to.

"Speak!"

"Taijun, spare your wrath... Uh, actually... this humble old man's ancestral home is also in Shandong. Back in 1899, because of livelihood issues, my whole family followed the great migration of people闯关东 [crossing into Northeast China] and came to Fengtian..."

"All of this is written in clear detail on your file. Why are you bringing this up?!"

"Therefore, this humble old man's ancestral grave is still in Shandong..."

"And then?"

"Taijun!" Old tears streamed down Jiang Tiancheng's face as he plopped down onto his knees. "Taijun, save my life!"

Noda Jiayi was startled. "What's going on?"

"That scoundrel Zuo Yongchan had his ancestral grave dug up by Grandfather, and he is now venting his anger on this humble old man. He said that if I cannot persuade the Taijun to exterminate the Jiangxiang Sect, he will leak the location of my ancestral grave to Grandfather, and we can all die together! That scoundrel is ruthless and capable of anything. If he really gets desperate and exposes my ancestral grave, my family's ancestral hall houses the tablets of our seventeenth generation of ancestors dating all the way back to the time when Prince Yan 'swept the north'. If those desperate gamblers from the Jiangxiang Sect destroy it, wouldn't I become a sinner to my entire clan? Taijun, save my life..."

Noda was stunned for a moment: That scoundrel Zuo Yongchan is truly despicable. But upon second thought, if his own family's burial grounds were vandalized and the bones of his parents scattered, he would likely do the exact same thing.

He looked back up at Jiang Tiancheng and his white beard: "You may withdraw for now. I will speak to Zuo Yongchan personally about this matter!"

"Thank you, Taijun!" Jiang Tiancheng kowtowed repeatedly, then turned away, wiping his tears as he retreated.

Noda sat down angrily on the sofa: Damn it, the blueprints are lost, the corpse-driving teams are being successively destroyed, and you're just hiding there at the border of the two lakes—can the Imperial Japanese Army really not deal with a band of grass-roots bandits like you?

Thinking it over and over, there was no other way left; he would simply have to write a "petition for orders" directly to Eda Eiji!

This petition looked more like a desperate military suicide pact. It frankly stated: The Imperial Japanese Army has already occupied the Three Towns of Wuhan, and currently there are four hundred thousand troops stationed in Wuhan alone. Those roving bandits of the Jiangxiang Sect are hiding right at the border of Hubei and Hunan. I request the military command to dispatch a force from Wuhan to directly enter the Hubei-Hunan border region, coordinated by the air force and directly swept by ground troops in a "carpet-style" advance to completely annihilate the Jiangxiang Sect. I volunteer myself to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bandit Extermination Campaign, and I don't need many troops—a force of one thousand men will be entirely sufficient! If this mission fails, I shall die to preserve my honor, unwavering in my loyalty to the Japanese Empire until death!

Upon receiving this letter, Eda Eiji thought to himself that Noda Jiayi had been driven insane! It was clear that giving him a one-month deadline to wipe out the Jiangxiang Sect was utterly hopeless.

Eda Eiji was also pondering: Our Imperial Japanese Army marched south with invincible might, crushing all resistance, and one-third of China is now in our hands. Why can't we deal with a mere minor Jiangxiang Sect? The more he thought about it, the more his head ached and the more upset he became. He turned around and went to the headquarters to consult with several senior military leaders.

A few days later, Noda Jiayi received a reply telegram: Noda-kun, do not act rashly. Advancing into Hunan is part of our strategic deployment, and the military command has long-term plans for it. You must on no account make reckless moves that might disrupt the command's overall arrangements. Furthermore, the terrain at the Hubei-Hunan border is complex, and the mountains are infested with bandit groups. Advancing deep into enemy territory alone runs the risk of falling into an ambush! The one-month deadline is temporarily suspended, and Noda-kun should devise alternative strategies.

After reading it, Noda burst into tears, suddenly developing a warm sense of affinity for his ruthless superior.

When one calms down to think about problems, the world takes on a completely different appearance. His head was saved and his heart was at ease. As he carefully sorted through everything, Noda was suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration: "I have it! I have it!"

"Call Jiang Tiancheng here!" Noda ordered.

Jiang Tiancheng was in the midst of consuming an elixir of immortality he had refined himself. It got stuck in his throat and he hadn't even swallowed it yet when he received the command, causing him to stumble and run over in a panic.

"I've found a way..." Noda told Jiang Tiancheng.

Jiang Tiancheng's eyes lit up. "What brilliant strategy does the Taijun have?" His voice was as thin as gossamer, trembling into a high-pitched squeak as if suffering torment.

Noda was startled. "What's wrong with your throat?"

Jiang Tiancheng replied with a face full of terror: "I was just taking an immortal elixir, but the pill was too big and hasn't gone down yet..."

Noda hurriedly poured a cup of water and handed it to him. "Wash it down quickly!"

Jiang Tiancheng took it and drank wildly, tilted his head back, smacked his lips, and said, "All better."

Noda felt a mixture of exasperation and amusement, thinking to himself: What kind of creatures are my subordinates! He then instructed: "You immediately notify Zuo Yongchan and find a way to transmit the location of your ancestral grave to that Grandfather through appropriate channels..."

"Ah?" Hearing this, Jiang Tiancheng's beard instantly began to tremble. "What does the Taijun mean by this..."

Noda smiled cryptically. "Master Jiang, listen to my explanation. To capture a person like Grandfather, we must force him to show himself—even if we only catch his subordinates, once we have someone in our hands, we don't have to worry about him staying in hiding. We deliberately leak the location of your ancestral grave to the opposition, and he will undoubtedly send people to destroy it. That man values both loyalty and filial piety; since we destroyed his ancestral grave, he will never let the matter rest, and right now he is also waiting for an opportunity. If we spread the word that you and Zuo Yongchan have fallen out and that Zuo Yongchan deliberately leaked the location of your family's ancestral grave, how do you think he will react? When the time comes, I will naturally dispatch men to keep watch near your ancestral grave and ancestral hall, waiting at our ease for the exhausted enemy, catching turtles in a jar—isn't that wonderful?"

"Uh... Hehe... Hehe..." Jiang Tiancheng finally understood. "A brilliant idea, a brilliant idea! The Taijun is truly wise, exceptionally wise! Why not simply have Zuo Yongchan publish it in the newspaper so the other side finds out faster!"

"No! To set a trap, it must look authentic. Given the intelligence of that scoundrel Grandfather, if we make it too obvious, he will see through it and won't take the bait!"

"Then how should we notify them?"

For a moment, neither of them had any further ideas.

Just at that moment, a soldier came in to report: "Fan Yifei has returned!"

"What?" Noda suddenly stood up.

"Taijun—I've returned! I've returned!" Fan Yifei rushed in.

"Who is he?" Noda noticed that someone was following right behind Fan Yifei.

"Taijun, don't be alarmed, please listen to me!" Fan Yifei ran in, completely out of breath. "Our corpse-driving team was wiped out by a gang calling themselves the 'Jiangxiang Sect'! Everyone else was killed, but because they saw my lightness gongfu was good and I could be of use, they spared my life and made me work for them. Then, taking advantage of their lack of attention, I managed to find an opportunity and escape!" He then pointed to the person beside him. "Taijun, I've even brought back an elite expert for you. This is the renowned chivalrous thief across the land, 'Walking on Grass' Yan Qi. The great robbery of two hundred liang of gold from the Zhengzhou bank back in the early years was his doing..."

Noda gazed grimly at Fan Yifei and Yan Laoqi, sizing them up from head to toe, before suddenly saying: "Drag them out and shoot them!"

"Ah? Taijun, what is the meaning of this?" Fan Yifei cried out in shock.

Two Japanese soldiers walked in and shoved the two men outward.

"Taijun! Taijun!" Fan Yifei yelled like a slaughtered pig.

"Hahahaha!" Yan Laoqi laughed out loud.

"Halt," Noda shouted, and the two soldiers let go. Noda walked up to Yan Laoqi. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at Fan Yifei for being blind!"

"Blind?" Noda looked at Fan Yifei. "Where is he blind?"

"Fan Yifei, Yan Laoqi, Deng Yunpeng, You Gezi—the four great bandits of the underworld. Deng Yunpeng surrendered to Dai Li, You Gezi died, and now all factions are trying to win over the remaining two. Yet I remained unmoved until Fan Yifei told me that only by following the Imperial Army is there a future, that China is about to be wiped out, and that the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere will soon arrive. He said the Imperial Army treats people sincerely, with modesty and respect for talent, which is why I, Yan Mou, followed him here. Seeing this today, Fan Yifei has truly misled me!" Yan Laoqi said.

"Heh, let me expose the both of you, and you can die with your eyes open," Noda glanced at Yan Laoqi and said. "The two of you—one plays the good cop and the other plays the bad cop—must be inner agents of the Jiangxiang Sect, pretending to surrender in order to extract information from me. Am I wrong? Furthermore, Fan Yifei, with your glib tongue, you claim everyone was killed and only you were spared. Who would believe such a lie?"

Yan Laoqi laughed on. "Fan Yifei, you've led me astray! Is this the enlightened ruler you spoke of? It's a waste that I brought along maps of the Hubei-Hunan border region, which clearly mark the stronghold locations of various bandit factions and the hiding places of the Jiangxiang Sect. Heh, looking at it now, they're useless!"

"Hm?" Noda tilted his head. "You said you have maps?"

"Treating me with such neglect, and you still have the nerve to talk about maps!" Yan Laoqi said resentfully.

"Uh... Fan Yifei, why didn't you mention this earlier?" Noda asked Fan Yifei with a sarcastic tone.

"Ah?" Fan Yifei was also dumbfounded, thinking to himself: Weren't we supposed to be stealing the dragon vein map? Why on earth did you hand our own maps over to the enemy? Could Yan Laoqi be turning traitor?

"Quickly! Please take a seat, Seventh Master Yan!" Noda ordered someone to fetch a chair. "Please—"

Yan Laoqi glanced at Noda and sat down with a huff.

"Serve tea!" Noda ordered again.

"Seventh Master Yan, I've long heard of your great name, and I apologize for the slight just now. Of course, to use your Chinese expression, the underworld is treacherous, and one cannot afford not to be on guard."

Yan Laoqi took the tea, took a sip, and cast a glance at Jiang Tiancheng standing off to the side.

"You are dismissed!" Noda instantly understood Yan Laoqi's intent and signaled for Jiang Tiancheng to leave. Jiang Tiancheng nodded and retreated.

Yan Laoqi put down his teacup, drew a map from inside his tunic, and handed it to Noda.

Noda took it and examined it closely, his heart surging with great joy. He immediately asked, "How did Seventh Master Yan come to possess these maps?"

"Heh, the Taijun wouldn't understand. I was originally a subordinate of the major bandit Hong Laohu..."

"Hong Laohu?" Noda couldn't help a slight shiver; that name carried massive weight.

"Right! These past few years I worked to the bone for him, yet instead of showing gratitude, the man was constantly on guard against me. The ancients say: Do not employ those you doubt, and do not doubt those you employ. I risked life and limb to steal countless treasures for him, but he practiced cronyism. The only ones with real power under him were his sworn brothers, while the rest of us were pushed aside. I, Yan Qi, am at least a real man—how could I be willing to swallow my pride and submit? So I proposed to voluntarily withdraw. Unexpectedly, Hong Laohu flew into a rage from embarrassment, had me tied up, and prepared to execute me. Fortunately, I displayed my bone-dislocating skill, stole the map, and escaped under the cover of night. Not knowing where to go, I saw a shadowy figure darting through the woods and followed it. That led to a few rounds of fighting with Fan Yifei, but we became friends after the clash. Who would have thought that two master thieves would both be running for their lives and bump into each other? It must be fate! Yifei urged me to turn away from the darkness and embrace the light, and feeling that made sense, I followed him here."

"Then how did you find out about the Jiangxiang Sect?" Noda pursued.

"The Jiangxiang Sect has thrown in their lot with Hong Laohu! Taijun, listen to me..."

Noda listened with rapt attention, while Fan Yifei stood dumbfounded, thinking: What is going on here? Why is he spilling everything?

"You've both had a hard journey. Sit and rest here for a moment," Noda said, then turned and walked out of the room.

After Noda left, Fan Yifei lowered his voice and said viciously, "You traitor! You sold out Grandfather and Commander Hong! You beast, you deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces!"

Yan Laoqi smiled faintly. "Being a big shot here is still better than being a bandit in the mountains. If you don't agree, you're free to leave on your own!"

"You... are you even human? Damn it! I'm going to butcher you!" Fan Yifei raged.

"Heh, our martial arts and lightness gongfu are evenly matched, and now I'm a man of the Imperial Army. Between the two of us, who is butchering whom!" Yan Laoqi sneered.

"Grandfather and Commander Hong won't let you off!" Fan Yifei said fiercely.

"We're all walking the rivers and lakes, who's afraid of whom!" Yan Laoqi said. "Let's do this together. Millions of Nationalist troops couldn't hold out; Hong Laohu's little bunch of men will be wiped out sooner or later. I figured it out long ago—living is living no matter who you serve. Having food and drink here is much better than rotting away in a poor mountain ditch!"

Fan Yifei looked at Yan Laoqi and suddenly said, "If that's really how it is, then the only option left is for both fish and net to perish together!"

"Oh? What can you do?" Yan Laoqi countered.

"I'll go straight to Noda and tell him that the two of us were sent by Hong Laohu and Grandfather. We'll all die together!"

"Will he believe you?"

"Heh, Noda is extremely cunning. Even if he doesn't believe you completely, he'll be on high alert against you and will never trust you with important tasks again! Ha, do you really think being a traitor to your country is so easy?"

Yan Laoqi stared fixedly at Fan Yifei without blinking.

"What are you looking at? Want to silence me right now?" Fan Yifei took two steps back.

Yan Laoqi suddenly lowered his voice: "Comrade, the supreme boss is setting up a scheme!" Using underworld slang, Yan Laoqi was telling Fan Yifei that this was a trap set for the Japanese.

"Ah? Really?"

Yan Laoqi nodded.

"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier? You scared the life out of me."

At that moment, Noda Jiayi was reporting to Eda Eiji in the Northeast, stating that he had obtained the hiding place of the Jiangxiang Sect, along with the unexpected acquisition of the stronghold location of the major bandit Hong Laohu.

Eda Eiji's very first response upon hearing this was to tell him: By intuition, this is a trap, and you must exercise the utmost caution.

Noda hung up the phone and sought out Jiang Tiancheng.

Jiang Tiancheng was turning over in his mind the matter of Fan Yifei's sudden return: "Taijun, there is something fishy about this!"

"Of course I know it's fishy! The military has already dispatched a reconnaissance unit from Wuhan to scout out the situation based on the markers on the map. If we find the bandits' stronghold according to these blueprints, we'll strike first to gain the upper hand," Noda said.

"What is the purpose of these two men coming here this time?" Jiang Tiancheng asked doubtfully.

"Hmph, I suspect it's the dragon vein map. Those people from the Jiangxiang Sect have some genuine skills; they probably guessed something from the blueprints but weren't certain, which is why they used a spy's method to probe our real situation," Noda said.

"Then why don't we eliminate these two hazards?" Jiang Tiancheng asked.

"No," Noda shook his head. "Master Jiang is well-versed in the principles of yin and yang; don't you know that the art of warfare emphasizes the interplay of truth and falsehood? We were just worrying that we lacked someone to bridge the gap—and lo and behold, here they come!"

"A counter-espionage stratagem!" Jiang Tiancheng realized.

"Heh, originally there was no one to leak information, but now there is. Notify Zuo Yongchan to come to Shandong immediately!"

"Understood," Jiang Tiancheng nodded.

That night, Noda hosted a banquet to treat Yan Laoqi and Fan Yifei, showering high praise on their decision to "turn away from the darkness and embrace the light." In the middle of the banquet, emboldened by the alcohol, Noda said: "The Imperial Army will soon conquer the entirety of China! When the time comes, rewards will be distributed based on merit. The two of you have rendered distinguished service and will undoubtedly be heavily rewarded!"

A few days later, Zuo Yongchan from Shanghai arrived at the Plum Blossom Mansion in Shandong.

Noda personally briefed him on the entire trap that had been set and instructed him to act according to the plan.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Yongchan secretly praised Noda's brilliance. That night, Zuo Yongchan went to the quarters of Yan Laoqi and Fan Yifei.

"Two gentlemen, I have a matter that requires both of your help. If it succeeds, it will be a monumental achievement," Zuo Yongchan said with a smile.

"Please speak!"

"Do you two know that digging up Grandfather's grave was Jiang Tiancheng's idea? That old fox is crafty and calculating; he originally thought he could flush Grandfather out, but who would have expected—sigh, who would have expected that I would be dragged down by him as well? Now Grandfather has counterattacked and dug up my ancestral grave, leaving both sides battered and bruised, while Jiang Tiancheng sits on the sidelines watching. I hate Grandfather, but I hate Jiang Tiancheng even more. I secretly sent someone to investigate Jiang Tiancheng's background and found out that his ancestral home is in Shandong, where he also has ancestral graves and an ancestral hall. I've written down the address; the two of you can spread the news and let Grandfather shovel up that old scoundrel Jiang's graves as well! At the same time, the two of you can personally lead some men to set up a defense perimeter around the area. When Jiang Tiancheng's ancestral grave is thoroughly demolished, you can suddenly launch an attack and capture the operatives sent by Grandfather. This achieves two goals at once: it relieves the hatred in my heart, and it captures Grandfather's men, securing a massive contribution before the Imperial Army. How does that sound?"

Fan Yifei and Yan Laoqi looked at each other and spoke in unison: "A brilliant strategy!" Then they added: "We two are newcomers here with unsolid foundations under the Imperial Army; in the days ahead, we hope Master Zuo will grant us plenty of protection and support!"

"Easily done, easily done," Zuo Yongchan said with a smile.

After the three of them discussed the details, Zuo Yongchan departed.

Noda was waiting expectantly, and seeing Zuo Yongchan return, he hurried to ask: "How did it go?"

Zuo Yongchan smiled and said, "Foolproof."

"Good. As soon as someone from the Jiangxiang Sect arrives, execute Fan Yifei and Yan Laoqi immediately!" Noda said viciously.

At that moment, a soldier entered: "Reporting, there is news." He stepped forward and handed Noda a secret telegram.

Noda opened and read it, bursting into laughter upon finishing: "The map is genuine! It seems they also made a heavy investment to win our trust!"

"Is the Taijun certain?" Zuo Yongchan asked.

"Of course. The Imperial Army's reconnaissance unit, following the markings on the map, groped their way into the mountains in the dark and indeed discovered the tracks of Hong Laohu and the Jiangxiang Sect. Hmph, it's the best of both worlds. When the time comes, the troops from Wuhan will enter the mountains to catch the bandits, and on our end, we will lure the enemy into the trap for a single sweeping victory, hahahahaha."

"Hehe! My deep blood feud can finally be avenged!" Zuo Yongchan laughed as well, dragging his lame leg.

Yet for several consecutive days, the ambush forces stationed near the ancestral grave of Shandong's Jiang Tiancheng discovered no movement whatsoever; no one showed up to blow up the tombs. Noda grew somewhat puzzled: "What is going on?"

"Could it be that you kept too tight a watch on those two fellows these past few days? Were they exposed?" Noda asked his subordinates.

"No! We followed your instructions and set up no defenses at all, letting those two wander in and out freely."

"That's strange then."

Just as he was pondering, someone came to report that Yan Qi and Fan Yifei were requesting an audience.

"Good, let them in!"

"Taijun, we came to submit to you, so why press us so hard?" As soon as he entered the door, Yan Laoqi said resentfully.

"What does Seventh Master Yan mean by this?" Noda feigned ignorance.

Yan Laoqi looked at the people surrounding them, and Noda ordered: "All of you, withdraw."

Yan Laoqi said, "Fan Yifei and I swore to pledge our lives to the service of the Imperial Army, even offering up Hong Laohu's lair to the Imperial Army, yet the Imperial Army still suspects us!"

"This..."

"A few days ago, Master Zuo Yongchan paid a visit in the dead of night, using his personal grudge with Jiang Tiancheng as an excuse to deliberately give us a burial ground address so we could spread the word. Think about it, Taijun—if we were to spread that news around, wouldn't it prove we are spies? Taijun, we threw our hearts into joining you, only to be met with suspicion. The Henan 'Maintenance Association' and the police force all say the Imperial Army's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and countless greenwood heroes are willing to serve under the Imperial Army's banner. If the Imperial Army treats people like this, how can you ever hope to use the Chinese to govern the Chinese?"

Yan Laoqi's words struck right at Noda's core concern. After the Battle of Wuhan, the Japanese devils had suffered a severe vitality blow and were temporarily powerless to launch major warfare; the Anti-Japanese War had entered a strategic stalemate. The devils had penetrated deep into the belly of China, stretching their supply lines far too thin, and manpower was already running short. Children barely in their teens within Japan were being drafted into military service. To maintain rule over these occupied territories, the only viable policy was to use the Chinese to govern the Chinese. With so many Chinese traitors available, stationing just one Japanese soldier per county could bring the entire county administration into absolute submission.

Noda fell silent.

"Taijun, if you want to kill us, then kill us. To endure such humiliation and cling to life is not something Yan Qi is willing to do! If you aren't going to kill us, then since this place won't keep us, there are other places that will—we're leaving right now!" With that, he made a motion to walk out.

"Wait!" Noda raised a hand. "Hahahahaha, Seventh Master Yan is truly a man of loyalty and courage. This was all just ideas cooked up by those 'Sectarian' fellows underneath, which caused Seventh Master Yan to misunderstand! The Imperial Army absolutely keeps its word, and even more so, we cherish talent as if it were our own life! Tomorrow, both of you will report for duty in the police force and serve as major commanders!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Yan Laoqi said. "Unearned rewards cannot be accepted! If we don't accomplish a deed that makes those 'Sectarians' tremble with fear, we will never be able to convince the masses! Why doesn't the Taijun notify the Imperial garrison stationed in Wuhan, follow the map's index, and directly raid Hong Laohu's lair? Fan Yifei and I are willing to lead the way and personally slice off the heads of Hong Laohu and Grandfather to present to the Taijun as a token of respect! What do you think?"

"Hmm..." Noda fell into thought.

"Does the Taijun still have concerns? That Hong Laohu has mere scraps of a hundred-odd men, and the Jiangxiang Sect is also a mob of rabble; combined, the two sides don't even reach two hundred people. The Taijun only needs to dispatch a force of five hundred men for a midnight raid to wipe them all out in one fell swoop! You must know, Hong Laohu has reigned as king of the mountains for ten years, looting countless gold and silver treasures. Just the back cave alone has two sacks of gold ingots!"

"Hmm, let me consider it. You two go back and rest first."

After Yan Laoqi and Fan Yifei left, Noda summoned Jiang Tiancheng and Zuo Yongchan.

"How do the two of you view this matter?"

"Taijun, viewed this way, these two men are hardly spies..." Jiang Tiancheng muttered, sucking on his back teeth.

"Not necessarily!" Zuo Yongchan said. "They volunteered themselves to wipe out the bandits—could they be trying to escape?"

"Escape? No matter how good their lightness gongfu is, is it faster than a bullet? When the time comes, I will arrange for men within the force to keep direct surveillance on them, and at the slightest sign of abnormal movement, execute them on the spot!" Noda said ruthlessly.

"How many men does the Taijun plan to dispatch to wipe out the bandits?" Jiang Tiancheng asked.

"I fear what Yan Qi said might be a trick; I must send at least a thousand men! I am currently communicating with the military command and the Wuhan garrison through the telegraph, and the specific timing is still under discussion."

"The Taijun is truly wise."