in2ebook Chapter 201 A bloody storm
Chapter 201 A bloody storm
The Northern Army's sudden pursuit out of the city caught Zong Yanli off guard, but she was still able to cope with it. The soldiers under her command had experienced countless battles, and this was not the first time they had encountered such a situation. After a moment of confusion, they immediately counterattacked.
The soldiers reacted so quickly that Yi Tiangan, who chased him out of the city, didn't gain any benefit at all.
On the Liangcheng tower, Zhuang Chengbi witnessed Zong Yanli's counterattack with his own eyes. He was full of admiration and whispered, "It's amazing that Daqian has such a strong army. The soldiers under his command responded quickly and our army couldn't catch up."
Yu Jinghui remained silent, frowning as he watched the battle below until dusk.
Zong Yanli led his troops back to the camp, only to learn that Peng Hai was injured. He went straight to the wounded camp without stopping. Peng Hai had been stabbed in the chest and the bleeding had just stopped. He sat by the bed with a pale face, and the military doctor was applying medicine to him.
Looking at the bloody knife wound, it seemed as if the flesh was turned out.
Zong Yanli frowned and turned to check Peng Hai's armor. He stretched out his hand and tried to break it apart. It should have been an iron military armor, but it turned out to be fake!
"Call Qi Wenyao to me." Zong Yanli's eyes were full of hostility. He turned around and confirmed with the military doctor that Peng Hai's injuries were not life-threatening, then returned to his own military tent.
"Greetings, General." Qi Wenyao didn't know what had happened when he hurried over.
Zong Yanli wiped the blood off her hands with a cloth. She sat upright in the tent with her armor stained with solidified blood. She had a bronze mask on her face and her eyes slightly lowered, making it impossible to tell what she was feeling at the moment.
Until Gao Feilin came hurriedly, walked into the tent with armor in his hands, and then cut the armor open with a knife in front of Zong Yanli and Qi Wenyao. The iron armor was so fragile that it was directly cut into pieces.
Zong Yanli threw away the bloodstained cloth in his hand, stood up, walked towards Qi Wenyao and said, "Open your eyes and look. Is this the armor you made for this general?"
Qi Wenyao was filled with astonishment. He fell to his knees and hurriedly reached out to pick up the broken armor. When he looked closely, his face suddenly changed and he felt a chill on his back.
"General, please forgive me!" Qi Wenyao's mind was in a mess. He couldn't understand why the military armor had become like this.
"I was negligent in checking, but I have never taken bribes or taken the lives of soldiers as a joke!" Qi Wenyao kowtowed repeatedly, cold sweats all over his body.
"These military armors were sent by the Military Equipment Supervisor along with all the military supplies. There has never been a mistake over the years..." Qi Wenyao was shocked and scared. This was because there had never been a mistake over the years. This was Zong Yanli's account. Who dared to do anything to him?
So much so that Qi Wenyao actually neglected it. Now that such a big thing has happened, the counterfeiting of military armor will endanger the lives of the soldiers!
Qi Wenyao kowtowed repeatedly, and Zong Yanli clenched his fists as if trying to suppress the anger surging in his chest.
"Investigate!" She said in a voice that seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "If the cause cannot be found out, you will come to me with your head!"
"Everyone in the armory is negligent in their duties. Everyone will be punished with thirty military sticks each!"
"I would like to thank you, General."
Qi Wenyao's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He was grateful for the thirty military sticks that saved him from death.
Zong Yanli's eyes were stern and he called Gao Feilin and said, "Go tell all the generals under your command to check if the armors of the soldiers in the army are fake. Find out and report everything."
Gao Feilin quickly lowered his head and responded: "Yes!"
"Wait." Zong Yanli raised his hand and continued, "In the armory, all the military supplies that have been delivered recently should be checked layer by layer to see if there are any shoddy workmanship in other things except the military armor."
"Understood!" Gao Feilin's face was solemn. He turned around and went down to report immediately.
I had just fought a battle and didn't even have time to catch my breath before this happened.
If Peng Hai had not been injured this time, this matter would probably have continued to be concealed.
By late at night, the generals had almost completely checked their respective camps. A dozen or so pieces of armor were found in almost every camp. With so many soldiers in a camp, it would be difficult to find a dozen pieces of armor mixed in.
They were all unknown soldiers who wore military armor to fight the enemy. Even if they died on the battlefield, no one would notice anything.
The reason why he was discovered this time was that Peng Hai temporarily exchanged his military armor with a soldier under his command. Zong Yanli had given orders in advance, ordering him to go around and check the movements of the enemy troops, and whether they had sent troops to Taicheng for support.
Then Peng Hai ran into the five thousand elite soldiers sent by Yi Tiangan.
Logically speaking, with Peng Hai's ability, even if he couldn't fight with the enemy, he should be able to escape.
but……
He never expected that there would be a problem with the armor he was wearing, and the sword that came at him had no hindrance and cut right into his flesh.
"The wound was so deep that the bone was visible. General Peng was lucky to have survived..." Feng Pei also came to see him. He said with a look of regret on his face, "The conditions in the army are harsh and not suitable for recuperation. General, you should find a way to send General Peng to the main city and find a doctor for another examination."
"Yeah." Zong Yanli responded in a deep voice with a look of depression in his eyes.
Zong Yanli had no intention of resting, he stood up and said, "Wen Nian, follow me to Duzhe's tent and ask Princess Sai Ya to come over."
Wen Nian looked sideways and realized that Zong Yanli was going to settle accounts with the spies, so he immediately followed him.
When Zong Yanli arrived at Duzhe's camp, he didn't say a word and directly had Miu Mo arrested and pressed to the ground.
"General Zong Yan?" Du Zhe didn't know what was going on. He stood up suddenly and looked at Zong Yanli.
"Are you going to say it yourself, or do you want me to say it for you?" Zong Yanli's eyes were cold. He ignored Du Zhe and sat directly on the main seat, staring down at Miu Mo.
"What happened?" Du Zhe was still confused. He looked at the detained Miu Mo, then turned to look at Zong Yanli.
Zong Yanli leaned back slightly, squinted his eyes and looked at Miu Mo, saying: "General, I ordered you to pretend to attack Taicheng from behind, and then ordered you to stop halfway, and then ordered you to give up attacking Taicheng and launch a surprise attack from the rear of Liangcheng."
She paused and said, "But..."
"While the Wuhuan tribes were still stopping halfway, Yi Tiangan in Liangcheng had already sent 5,000 elite soldiers to support Taicheng!"
"General Du, where do you think Yi Tiangan got this information from?"
Zong Yanli glanced at Duzhe with a smile on his face, and Duzhe's face suddenly changed as soon as he finished speaking. He looked at Miu Mo with some fear and disbelief.
The order for today's march was given by Zong Yanli when he was left alone, and he never mentioned it to anyone.
Until today, when they were attacking Taicheng, Duzhe answered Miu Moshi...
He couldn't believe it, and glared at Miu Mo and asked, "You, you are actually from Yi Tiangan!?"
Seeing that she had nowhere to retreat, Miu Mo gritted her teeth and said coldly, "General Zong Yan is really capable. I was hiding so secretly, but you could still find me."
"Traitor!" After hearing Miu Mo's personal admission, Du Zhe became even more furious and kicked her.
“Wow!” Under Duzhe’s heavy blow, Miu Mo was kicked so hard that she vomited blood. With red eyes, she looked at Duzhe and said, “Traitor? You are the traitor!”
"Tell me! When did you collude with Yi Tiangan!" Du Zhe walked over with a sword in hand and stepped on Miu Mo's chest, his eyes full of anger of betrayal.
Miu Mo coughed, stared at Du Zhe and said with a smile: "General, you are joking. I have always been a northerner."
He sneered at Du Zhe and said, "General Du Zhe, you are so obedient and act like a dog for Zong Yanli even after having your palm cut off. Hahaha! You are so stupid!"
Du Zhe raised the sword in his hand and was about to chop it down, but Zong Yanli stopped him: "Wait a minute."
Zong Yanli stood up and walked towards Duzhe, lowered his eyes to look at Miu Mo and said, "This general still has some use for him."
Du Zhe paused, then stepped back, knelt on one knee with his sword in hand, bowed his head and said to Zong Yanli: "General Zong Yan, please forgive me. It is my fault that I did not control my subordinates well and almost let the spy escape. Fortunately, the general noticed it and it has not caused a disaster yet, otherwise..."
"I'm afraid this man has been following General Du for quite some time." Zong Yanli said nothing, only looked at Du Zhe and said, "To avoid leaving any trouble, General Du, please strictly check your personal soldiers and make sure no one slips through the net."
"Understood." Du Zhe nodded in response.
He knew that this was all thanks to Zong Yanli. Zong Yanli did not hold him accountable and was even willing to maintain an alliance, which was not easy.
So when Zong Yanli took Miu Mo away, Du Zhe had no intention of stopping him.
The spy was right under his nose, and he had been on good terms with him for so many years. This was undoubtedly a blow to Du Zhe. He had never doubted Miu Mo and had fought for them many times, but he never expected to be betrayed in the end!
Du Zhe was deeply shocked. Princess Saiya had already known about this when she arrived, and he was even more frightened.
"This time, it's all thanks to General Zong Yan..." Princess Saiya comforted Du Zhe and said, "I had long thought that Yi Tiangan might have planted spies around you, but I didn't expect..."
"It turned out to be the Miu Mo family." Princess Saiya frowned and said, "The Miu Mo family has accumulated a lot of connections in the army over the years. The general should know how to make a judgment."
"If the general can't bear to do it, this princess is willing to do it for you." Saiya said.
"No need."
Duzhe rejected Saiya, took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "I know what to do."
The next two days were filled with blood and gore in the military tent.
The Wuhuan were investigating spies, while Zong Yanli was investigating those who were causing trouble in the army. Qi Wenyao had been the bookkeeper in the army for so many years, so he must be capable. The thirty military sticks hit him hard on his body and face.
After continuous investigation, Qi Wenyao finally caught the person behind the scenes, who turned out to be the soldiers in his own account.
This man's name was Wan Junming and he was from the same hometown as Qi Wenyao. He used to do odd jobs in Maying. Later, Qi Wenyao transferred him to his own account out of friendship as they were from the same hometown. He asked him to help him move goods to various camps and they had always been living in peace.
But I didn't expect...
"I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!" When Wan Junming was brought in front of Zong Yanli, he cried with snot streaming down his face, his face full of panic as he kowtowed and begged for mercy: "I was bewitched, I just wanted to make some money..."
Wan Junming secretly replaced the military armors and secretly shipped them out to sell. At first, he only dared to get two or three pieces of military armors. This was faster than going into the battlefield to steal them from the dead!
As time went by, Wan Junming found that this was really easy, and with his fellow villager Qi Wenyao protecting him, no one would suspect him at all. So he gradually became bolder and started to replace his military armor in large quantities.
Wan Junming had always been very careful, knowing the importance of the armor, so he only got some armor for the small soldiers, and mixed the inferior armor he had exchanged for into the armor, and arranged it very well.
It will definitely not be discovered. Even if they die, they are just some insignificant soldiers. Who would care?
He thought he had done it perfectly, but he didn't expect...
"So, you have been doing this for three years?" Zong Yanli felt her heart bleeding every time she heard this. She couldn't imagine how many brothers had died in battle for no reason in the corners that she couldn't see!
"Two, more than two years..." Wan Junming swallowed tremblingly.
"You alone cannot transport so much armor." Zong Yanli said with a cold look in his eyes: "Who are the people who conspired with you? Anyone who participated in this will be killed."
Zong Yanli stood up and looked at Wan Junming, saying cruelly, "Take him away and execute him under our army's flag, to commemorate the brothers who died on the battlefield because of him."
Wan Junming's face turned pale and it was no use crying and begging for mercy.
Qi Wenyao knelt down beside him, also sweating profusely.
Zong Yanli's eyes fell on him, his expression calm: "Although Lord Qi was not involved, this person caused trouble because of you, Lord Qi cannot escape the blame."
"Confiscate your salary and fill a vacancy in the army, strip you of your military rank, expel you from the barracks, and go home to retire." After saying this, Zong Yanli strode out of the tent.
Qi Wenyao fell to the ground, his lips trembling, and he could no longer utter a word.
Such an incident in the army naturally aroused public anger. When Wan Junming was tortured, all the soldiers in the camp watched. Some even wanted to take the knife and cut his flesh themselves. Wan Junming's screams could be heard outside for a whole day, which allowed the soldiers to vent their anger.
Zong Yanli rubbed his brows tiredly. He had no idea who would be the bookkeeper. Finally, he went to see Zong Yanhongjing and asked his father to help him choose a trustworthy person.
"As a father, I am also responsible for what happened in the army this time." Zong Yanhongjing's face was full of worry. Zong Yanli was leading the troops outside and he, as a father, was unable to notice it in time while cleaning up the mess.
"It has nothing to do with my father." Zong Yanli shook his head and said, "This man acted boldly. If there hadn't been an accident with the replacement of his armor, I'm afraid it wouldn't have been discovered in ten years, let alone two or three years."
With the rapid increase in the number of people, such loopholes will happen sooner or later. Zong Yanli knows that human greed is the most difficult to control.
She looked at Zong Yanhongjing and said, "The most important thing now is that the number of military armors is missing. If we report this to the court, we will definitely be impeached and held accountable. What good solutions does father have?"