Just then Huo Wujiu suddenly added, “There is one more thing that you must do.”
Lou Yue asked, “What is it?”
Huo Wujiu looked at him.
“My life and death is uncertain, and there may not be peace in the capital,” he said, “Pang Shao is keeping a close eye on Jingwang Manor. If there’s a war on the river bank, it’s impossible for the capital to be undisturbed.”
Lou Yue nodded.
“The remaining forces under your command must defend the city, you must not release any important person,” he advised.
Lou Yue replied, “You can rest assured, but you need to go and return quickly. There are garrisons in the surrounding counties. If they rush reinforcements to Lin’an at that time, we may not be able to hold on for long.”
Huo Wujiu nodded and then said, “There is also Jingwang.”
Lou Yue failed to understand: “What about Jingwang?”
Huo Wujiu looked at him deeply with unprecedented solemnity and seriousness.
“Protect him well. If he is hurt in the slightest, I’ll kill you.”
Early morning of the next day, the morning sun rose, and the city of Lin’an was still serene and beautiful. There wasn’t a hint of a dark tide at all.
The same was true in the courtroom.
Lou Yue was still fond of stirring trouble, and his indiscreet remarks and criticisms changed not a bit. Two days ago, he impeached Pang Shao, and today, he criticized the lack of defense in the northern border of the Great Jing, thinking that they could sleep in comfort relying on the natural moat near the river when in fact, it was difficult to contain foreign aggression. In the final analysis, it was due to Pang Shao’s lazy governance. He also suspected that he was embezzling state funds.
The Hou Zhu had been listening to him berate Pang Shao. After a long time, he was not only fed up with Pang Shao, but also fed up with Lou Yue.
He got a headache from Lou Yue’s booming voice and simply asked, “So, what does General Lou want?”
Lou Yue’s straightened his back and responded with a voice as loud as a bell, “Of course, this General wants to strengthen our defense in case of any danger.”
The Hou Zhu just felt a throbbing headache.
Although he only wasted money on romantic affairs every day, he was also aware of how much money he had in his pocket. The money was meant to support the beauties in his palace, his rich and privileged life, and the exotic animals in his imperial hunting park, so how could he afford to raise some useless military forces?
He waved his hand and said, “Then let your soldiers take the task, Aiqing. Aren’t there 50,000 of your soldiers outside the city? Set aside five thousand and send them there for now.”
Lou Yue showed displeasure: “But…”
“No buts.” The Hou Zhu didn’t leave any room for compromise. “We can’t dispatch troops either. Anyway, your soldiers are going to be sent to a useful place sooner or later. Sending them now will save you some money for army provisions.”
Lou Yue was rendered speechless.
The matter was then settled.
Outside the city, the soldiers were buzzing with activity, and inside the Jingwang Manor, Jiang Suizhou also learned about Huo Wujiu’s plan.
However, Huo Wujiu didn’t tell him everything.
He only said that he sent a missive by pigeon to Li Sheng, the defender of the north of the river. In a few days, Li Sheng would command 150,000 soldiers and send them across the river.
This time, he would follow Lou Yue’s troops to Jiangbei and take command of the 150,000 soldiers. After that, Lou Yue would besiege the city, and he would lead the troops for reinforcement. The day the 200,000 soldiers surrounded Lin’an would be the death of Pang Shao and Jiang Shunheng.
By then, they could quickly secure Lin’an, and then quickly march to Lingnan to block the 300,000 troops Lingnan and kill Pang Shao’s son and traitor generals. When that happened, the whole of Southern Jing would fall into their hands.
Jiang Suizhou brooded over it, but could not see any flaws in this plan. Nevertheless…
He was still quite uneasy.
If it was so easy for Huo Wujiu to move his troops, why didn’t he come up with such a simple strategy before? Since he was already moving freely and no one could catch him, why did he have to infiltrate the 5000 soldiers under Lou Yue?
He had some doubts deep inside, and the closer the day of Huo Wujiu’s departure, the more uneasy he became.
This went on until the day before his departure. He returned from the Yamen, and it was already nightfall.
He walked back to the Anyin Hall, but did not go to the main room. Instead, he stopped in the yard and went to Huo Wujiu’s room.
Huo Wujiu was sitting there, watching Wei Kai sort out their luggage.
They didn’t have much to bring, so it was easy to pack. When Huo Wujiu saw him enter, he raised his head and waved at him.
“Come here,” he said, “What’s up?”
Jiang Suizhou replied, “I just came to see…”
Huo Wujiu got up and went to pour him tea, but Jiang Suizhou stopped him. He looked up at Huo Wujiu, kept silent for a second, and then said, “I’m still a little worried…”
Huo Wu Jiu smiled and said genty, “What are you worried about? There’s going to be 200,000 soldiers. Even if Pang Shao has twice as many soldiers in his hands, there is nothing to be afraid of.”
“But what I’m afraid of is…” Jiang Suizhou frowned. “I’m just guessing, but can the Liang Dynasty’s soldiers be fully trusted?”
Huo Wujiu stilled imperceptibly, but it was fleeting.
He chuckled.
“Those soldiers are all from the Huo family. What’s there not to trust? Don’t think too much,” he said.
“But…”
However, Huo Wujiu gazed at him nonchalantly and said, “What? Have you got nothing better to do than dwell on it?”
Jiang Suizhou opened his mouth and was about to retort.
But Huo Wujiu raised his hand, pulled his wrist, and then raised his hand to signal Wei Kai.
“All right, don’t overthink. Let’s get you something to do,” Huo Wujiu said.
Jiang Suizhou quickly asked, “What can I do?”
“Lou Yue is going to treat the army outside the city tonight. I’ll take you there.”
