Chapter 955: Chapter 955 Extermination Chapter 955: Chapter 955 Extermination “`
“You sure have a knack for twisting logic, and even more tricks up your sleeve! It’s just so bitter dicine, yet you still manage to conjure up so many grand truths,”
Unconsciously, Granny Peng’s gaze towards Liu Sisi softened with a tinge of pity.
“That’s true, life is filled with philosophy everywhere, it’s just a matter of whether people notice it or not.”
Liu Sisi didn’t care whether the other party understood or not, she just chuckled and spoke her mind.
Granny Peng, too, smiled with her wrinkled, thin lips, appearing very aged under the dim candlelight.
Liu Sisi was in an unusually good mood today.
This morning and afternoon, she had written two short stories. She intended to sell them for a good price, thinking that this would significantly improve her life, and the thought made her eyes beam and her smile curve.
Cradling boundless dreams, Liu Sisi once again collapsed at the head of her bed, once again crafting short stories in her mind, planning to continue writing them down tomorrow.
–
Di Yelei’s mood was foul.
He had rushed following Da Niu to the place where they’d heard news, and upon a careful look, indeed there was a married woman resembling Liu Sisi, with a man in his thirties by her side. But they were definitely not Liu Sisi and Zuo Xingyu.
By the ti he returned to the hostel, it was already the first hours of night, and he had no inclination to sleep.
There was a knock on the room door, “Third Brother, have you gone to bed?”
Di Yelei quickly advanced to open the door, “Not yet. Big brother, please co in, why are you still not resting at this late hour?”
“As you age, naturally you sleep less. I heard there was news about our sister-in-law, so I ca to check on it. Well? Did you find her?”
Di Hongyuan stepped into the room.
The rooms in this hostel were simply doors facing each other, so naturally, Di Hongyuan knew when Di Yelei ca back.
“We found soone, but she wasn’t Sisi.”
Di Yelei felt exceptionally tired and simply shook his head, “Big brother, you didn’t co over tonight just for this, did you?”
“You’re right, I did have another matter to bring up tonight.”
Di Hongyuan affird his statent and took a careful look around before leaning close to Di Yelei’s ear, “I’ve discovered that sothing’s off with the Prefect of Wanzhou.”
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing major. Just that after we left, he released two carrier pigeons. Our n captured the birds and retrieved the paper strips from inside.”
“What did the paper strips say?”
“Take a look for yourself.”
As he spoke, Di Hongyuan pulled out two paper strips from his arms.
The strips weren’t large, with only two sentences on them. One read, “The matter has been taken care of,” and the other, “Everything is proceeding as planned.”
“Do you know who this Prefect of Wanzhou is in contact with?”
“`
Di Yelei’s eyebrows knotted into a tight rope.
“I have already ordered an investigation. I believe news will arrive before long.” Sotis, the identity of an Imperial Envoy is quite useful.
Di Yelei nodded, casually bringing the paper strip close to the candle fla to ignite it, watching the paper turn completely into ashes, leaving not a trace behind, before he turned back around.
“While investigating Sisi’s whereabouts, my brothers discovered many remnants of the rebel forces. Eradicating them completely is not sothing that can be achieved overnight. Moreover, Wanzhou is an important city for North-South trade, with vast numbers of people coming and going. Our n are unfamiliar with this land, making it extrely difficult to bypass the Prefect of Wanzhou and eradicate these remnants on our own.”
Di Yelei shared the information he had obtained.
“We have but over a thousand soldiers in our hands, how could we possibly confront these remnant rebels? His Majesty must have foreseen this situation long ago. So, on the surface, he is ordering us to eradicate the remnants, but in secret, it is actually an investigation of the current officials that is the true aim,” Di Hongyuan shared his thoughts.
Perhaps this was His Majesty’s true intent!
Centered around Gongzhou City, what Zhao Dun had established as the so-called “Great Song” had taken firm control over the various prefectures, avenues, and provinces nearby. While the surface semblance was that the Great Zhao had reclaid this vast expanse of land, in reality, the people here, from ordinary civilians to officials in the various prefectures, mostly adopted a wait-and-see attitude, hardly showing sincere loyalty to the imperial court.
With the arrival of Imperial Envoys headed by Di Yelei and Prince Luo, these officials showed excess enthusiasm but slow cooperation, rendering the orders issued basically unexecuted.
At the mont Di Hongyuan ntioned this, Di Yelei naturally understood the implicit aning in the other’s words.
“What you an, big brother, is…?”
After pondering for a mont, Di Hongyuan suddenly lifted his head, looking seriously at him: “I think, if we truly want to annihilate these remnants, I’m afraid we would have to carry out indiscriminate attacks on both the rebels and the common people!”
What a shock!
Di Yelei sucked in a breath of cold air!
He didn’t rush to object; instead, he stood up and walked in circles around the house for quite a while.
“Big brother, this idea couldn’t have originated from you, could it?”
Di Yelei was so certain because this strategy was unlike Di Hongyuan’s usual deanor.
Di Hongyuan didn’t conceal the origin, as he couldn’t have hidden it anyway: “Indeed, it wasn’t my idea. Prince Luo said it was an effective thod that would produce quick results.”
Indiscriminate slaughter of rebels and civilians—how many innocent lives would be lost? How many lives would be destroyed? What age-old trials would Gongzhou, this ancient city of a thousand years, have to endure?
“Big brother, I will not agree to this thod! Not to ntion how innocent these common people are, but solely, how certain is this thod to succeed? Even if it indeed succeeds, by that ti, I’m afraid it would be a Red Cliff deserted for a thousand miles, devoid of human habitation. Moreover, I cannot be certain of Sisi’s whereabouts. If by any chance a mistake is made, resulting in… an irretrievable situation, what then could be done?”
As long as a day passed without seeing Sisi’s corpse, Di Yelei would not give up hope!
Di Hongyuan wanted to say more, but ultimately sighed: “I see Prince Luo is quite determined. If you truly disagree with this, you’d better think of so other way. Otherwise, once Prince Luo gives the command, ordering the soldiers at hand to act, I’m afraid nobody will be able to help you.”
“This matter is, after all, simple. Tomorrow, I will send out the soldiers at hand to quickly locate Sisi’s whereabouts. As for the Prefect of Wanzhou… as long as he makes no suspicious moves, our n should not strike first.”
After much consideration, Di Yelei ultimately agreed.
“That’s better, since you are determined, I won’t say more,” Di Hongyuan said as he finally stood from the chair: “The hour is now late; you should rest quickly.” He refused Di Yelei’s offer to see him out and went straight back to his room.
The reason he had entertained Prince Luo’s suggestion of indiscriminate attacks was that he hoped to quickly stabilize the chaos here, to boost the economy sooner rather than later, and settle the state affairs of the city.
Little did he expect that his Third Brother would be so thoughtful, considering everything so thoroughly.
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