Chapter 150 Scaling the City Wall Under Cover of Night

"What?!"

Xu Wenshan nearly jumped to his feet. Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, yet he still could not fathom why Yu Dingyuan had rejected him so flatly.

"What exactly did he say?"

Pang Xing replied, "He just said it was getting late and a proper discussion was impossible tonight, so we should talk another day."

"What was his tone like when he spoke?"

"He didn't seem out of the ordinary at all."

Xu Wenshan thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know the current troop movements in Shaxian today?"

Pang Xing lowered his voice. "I do, and I was just about to report it to you. I spent a considerable sum to buy this information from a minor official. He said General Yu made a battlefield promotion of a former platoon leader, put him in command of troops, and dispatched them to raid our stronghold tomorrow."

Xu Wenshan gave a bitter smile. "You've been deceived. The raid was scheduled for today."

Pang Xing was struck dumb with shock. Xu Wenshan ignored him, having already pieced together the general situation.

If Yun Shang had been brought to Shaxian by the men Yu Dingyuan sent, Pang Xing could not possibly have failed to find out. Now that Yu Dingyuan's attitude was lukewarm, it was likely he had no idea he had captured Marquis Yun's daughter.

That being the case, the former platoon leader had either concealed the military intelligence or had never returned to Shaxian at all.

Xu Wenshan said, "Go back and ask Yu Dingyuan if he knows that the Marquis of Wu'an has been captured by us."

Pang Xing was startled out of his wits. "The Marquis of Wu'an has been captured by us?"

Xu Wenshan smiled mysteriously. Pang Xing wore an incredulous expression, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "I'll head right back. Wait for my news!"

After Pang Xing left, Tiger Lei sidled up from behind. "Commander, who is the Marquis of Wu'an? When did we capture him?"

"The Marquis of Wu'an? He is the second son of the Duke of Cai. The Duke has two sons: the elder is the Marquis of Qinyue, and the younger is the Marquis of Wu'an."

Li Dazhuang and Tiger Lei exchanged glances. "How come we've never heard of capturing him?"

"Because we haven't captured him at all."

The two men were somewhat speechless. Xu Wenshan explained, "If I went to Yu Dingyuan right now and told him we've captured the daughter of Marquis Yun, do you think he'd believe it?"

The two thought about it and replied, "It's hardly likely he'd believe it, but didn't we actually capture her?"

"What matters isn't the capture itself; it's making him afraid!"

Xu Wenshan looked back at the two men, deciding it was time to give them a lesson in politics. "The Duke of Cai has two sons: the heir is the Marquis of Qinyue, and the second son is the Marquis of Wu'an. There are widespread rumors in the capital that the Duke favors his youngest son."

"On this expedition, the Marquis of Qinyue commands the garrison forces, while the Marquis of Wu'an follows the Yingyang Army. Though nominally subordinate to Wei Xianyong, the Marquis of Wu'an is in reality the imperial censor and the supreme commander."

Tiger Lei chimed in, "Won't that easily lead to trouble?"

"Indeed," Xu Wenshan said. "That's why the Yingyang Army and the garrison forces naturally split into two factions, neither willing to yield to the other. The Marquis of Wu'an has Wei Xianyong backing him, while the heir has his own helper—Marquis Yun."

"Although the heir holds his title, he lacks the power that should accompany it. And though Marquis Yun is the only first-rank marquis in the country, he has no fief and remains trapped in the capital. Both men have their ambitions, so they hit it off immediately."

Li Dazhuang suddenly understood. "So Marquis Yun's daughter coming to the front lines was Marquis Yun's doing?"

Xu Wenshan nodded. "However, I lean toward believing that Yun Shang knows nothing of the relationship between Marquis Yun and the heir; she genuinely thought she was just coming out for a stroll. In reality, she is simply a gift sent by Marquis Yun to the heir—a hostage."

Li Dazhuang and Tiger Lei exchanged furrowed brows. "No wonder that Wang Debiao was searching for her like a madman. One moment he was talking about negotiations, and the next he tore off his mask to cause us trouble."

Xu Wenshan nodded. "Wei Xianyong previously spoke of negotiating with us merely to steady us first. If they could capture Lady Yun, it would effectively sever the ties between Marquis Yun and the heir. Marquis Yun has only this one daughter; if he loses her, their bloodline is broken. How do you think Marquis Yun would feel? If he breaks with the heir, the Marquis of Wu'an's position in the state of Cai will become even more secure."

Tiger Lei and Li Dazhuang understood half and didn't understand half. On one hand, they felt the young girl was quite pitiful; on the other, they felt the state of Cai was utterly sinister.

Li Dazhuang remarked, "If the politics in the state of Cai are full of such backstabbing and intrigue, how on earth did they manage to swallow up a territory as vast as the state of Chen?"

"You only see the internal strife in Cai, but was Chen any different? Wherever there are people, there is conflict," Xu Wenshan sighed.

Hearing this, Li Dazhuang and Tiger Lei swallowed back a thought: *How come there doesn't seem to be any internal strife in Luhe Gully?*

And soon, another thought popped into Li Dazhuang's head: *Probably because no one can outmaneuver the commander...*

With the brief political lesson on the state of Cai concluded, the three men harbored their own thoughts as another figure was lowered down the city wall of Shaxian. The person walked toward them from a distance, and upon closer inspection, it wasn't Pang Xing, but a military officer.

The officer cupped his fists. "Is the person ahead the chivalrous hero Zhu?"

Xu Wenshan had playfully dubbed himself "Spider Hero," but through word of mouth, it had mutated into "Hero Zhu." He didn't bother to correct it. "Who are you?"

The officer replied, "I am a nameless nobody not worth mentioning. General Yu invites Hero Zhu into the city for a discussion."

Xu Wenshan nodded, signaling the two men behind him. Instantly, ten soldiers clad in black emerged from the shadows, following closely at his heels.

The officer glanced at this group, wanting to say something, but ultimately kept his silence. Leading Xu Wenshan to the foot of the wall, the officer said, "Please ascend first, Mister Zhu."

Xu Wenshan stepped directly into the hanging basket. The ropes creaked and rolled, hoisting him slowly upward. As he neared the top of the city wall and looked down, the height was dizzying; his feet felt as though they were treading on air. If someone were to sever the rope right now, an ordinary person would surely be dashed into a pulp.

Yet Xu Wenshan safely reached the ramparts. The soldiers waiting at the top stepped forward to assist him, only to look startled as they realized this "Hero Zhu" stood as steady as a rock, unlike other first-time riders of the basket who stepped out as if walking on cotton clouds.

The soldiers began straining again at the winch. A moment later, the officer also scaled the wall and made a polite gesture. "Hero Zhu, please."

Xu Wenshan began, "My men..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the cable suddenly gave a sharp *snap* and broke. The hanging basket plummeted with a loud crash, and cries of alarm echoed from beneath the city wall.

Xu Wenshan was unfazed by such petty tricks, merely nodding to the officer.

*I truly didn't expect this little trick of yours. Impressive, most impressive. But just you wait.*

Shaxian was exceptionally quiet at night. The officer led a group of men escorting Xu Wenshan, carrying lanterns as they hurried toward the heart of the city. After turning several corners, the county government office seemed to loom suddenly before them—they had unknowingly arrived at the very place Xu Wenshan had once infiltrated.

A figure was already standing in the distance at the entrance of the government office to welcome them. "Welcome, Hero Zhu! Forgive me for not coming further to greet you—please forgive my offense."

Xu Wenshan squinted at the man for a moment and said, "Cut the formalities, Yu Dingyuan."

The person standing before him was none other than the one who had reaped the benefits Xu Wenshan had previously left drifting down the Sha River.