Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 83 Key Intelligence

Stepping out of the central command tent, a cool night breeze was blowing.

Zhao Changying stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Boss, has the deal been reached?"

"It's done."

Lu Yan's face betrayed no emotion. "Governor Zhao has approved my plan. We'll begin in three days. After the city falls, you can choose any craftsmen and ironware you like."

"What about Kong Youde, the one appointed by Governor Zhao?"

"I was just about to go talk to him. But first, let's see if Fan Fu has any news."

"And what's the price?"

"The price is that I personally lead the team."

Zhao Changying's expression changed: "Master, this is too risky. We have no idea what the situation is inside that water gate. What if there's an ambush..."

"Therefore, we need more detailed information."

Lu Yan interrupted him, turning to look in the direction of the camp. "Where's Fan Fu?"

"They're waiting in the tent. They said they have important news."

The two quickly returned to the camp.

Fan Fu was sitting in the tent, looking nervous. When Lu Yan entered, he immediately stood up and took out a wax pill from his pocket.

"Boss, we just received it. It was delivered by the line in the city."

Lu Yan took the wax pill, crushed it, and unfolded the paper strip inside, which was as thin as a cicada's wing.

The note contained only a few lines of text, but every single word was worth a fortune:

"The water gate guards have been withdrawn, leaving only two. Xu's army is running out of food and morale is low; several of his trusted men are plotting an escape. A major upheaval is imminent within three days. Over three hundred artisans are imprisoned in the blacksmith's shop in the east of the city. Come quickly."

After reading it, Lu Yan brought the note close to the candlelight and watched it turn to ashes.

"Is this line reliable?" Lu Yan asked.

"Reliable," Shen Qing's voice was certain. "This connection was made by Fan Fu. He has an old acquaintance in Yuncheng, surnamed Wang, who was originally a local ruffian but rose to a minor leadership position during the White Lotus Rebellion. This man is greedy and cowardly, and has long been looking for a way out. After Fan Fu made contact with him, his subordinates spent three thousand taels of silver and made him a promise—to spare his life after the city falls and send him south to avoid trouble."

"Where did the money come from?"

"It came from the intelligence budget allocated by the employer to its subordinates," Shen Qing replied. "Manager Hu has the accounts; the employer can check them."

"How much silver did we spend?"

"Three thousand taels. In addition, I made him a promise—that after the city falls, I will spare his life and send him south to lay low."

Lu Yan nodded.

Buying a city for three thousand taels of silver is such a good deal.

Did he mention the specifics of the water gate?

Shen Qing took out another piece of paper from his pocket, on which was a simple sketch.

"This is a rough sketch of the water gate that I had drawn," Shen Qing said, pointing to the markings on the map. "Chaoyang Water Gate is an underground channel. The entrance is in the reeds at the northeast corner of the moat, and the exit is beside a stinking ditch inside the city. The underground channel is about thirty zhang long, four chi wide, and five chi high, barely wide enough for one person to bend over and pass through."

He pointed to several marks on the sketch.

"There's an iron fence at the entrance, made of three-inch-thick iron bars spaced half a foot apart. There's another one at the exit, but it's been in disrepair for years and is rusted; you can just push it open."

"Where are the guards?"

"Originally, there were ten people working in shifts, but a few days ago Xu Hongru transferred them all to guard the city gates. Now only two old, weak, and disabled people are left there just to get by."

Lu Yan closed his eyes and visualized the entire operation in his mind.

The underground canal is thirty zhang long, about fifty meters. Passing through it while bending over will be very slow. The iron gate at the entrance needs to be blown open, which will create a huge noise. From the time the gate is blown open to the time it takes to rush out of the exit, there will be at most the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"What about the patrols inside the city?"

"It's a complete mess." Fan Fu gave a wry smile. "Xu Hongru's men are no longer organized. Each leader manages their own territory, and patrols are entirely at their discretion. Especially late at night, there's practically no one in charge."

"What about food? Are we really running out?"

"It's true." Fan Fu's expression turned grave. "The city's food supplies can only last five days at most. Xu Hongru has already started slaughtering horses, and I heard even the rats have been caught. If this continues, the city will descend into chaos on its own, without the government troops even needing to attack."

Lu Yan opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning.

"Good. That's enough intelligence."

He stood up and walked to the map of Yuncheng hanging in the center of the tent.

"Changying, go and fetch Kong Youde."

"Kong Youde?" Zhao Changying was taken aback. "Why do you want to call him?"

"The assault team needs a vanguard who dares to fight and take risks." Lu Yan's lips curled slightly upward. "In the entire government army camp, no one can match the ferocity of his group of Liaodong veterans."

"But...why should he listen to us?"

"Based on merit."

Lu Yan turned around and stared intently at Zhao Changying.

"Kong Youde is just a lowly battalion commander with a few dozen men under his command. In the eyes of these generals, he's less than a dog. But he's ambitious and capable; all he lacks is an opportunity."

"I'm giving him this chance."

"After the city falls, he will deserve the greatest credit. I will personally recommend him to Zhao Yan, and he will be promoted to at least a guerrilla commander."

Zhao Changying suddenly realized: "The master wants to use merit to save his life?"

"It's not about exchanging his life, it's about exchanging his loyalty."

Lu Yan's voice was deep and resonant. "This person will one day become a powerful regional ruler. Establishing this bond now is more valuable than anything else."

He patted Zhao Changying on the shoulder.

"Go. Tell him that immense wealth has arrived, and ask him if he dares to accept it."

……

Half an hour later, Kong Youde arrived.

This man from Liaodong was travel-worn, his face covered in dried blood from his thick beard. He swaggered into the tent, plopped down on the ground, and without any hesitation, grabbed the water bottle on the table and started gulping it down.

"Scholar Lu, Governor Zhao ordered me to work for you, so here I am. But I have something to say first—is your plan even feasible?"

Lu Yan didn't say anything, but simply pushed the map of Yuncheng in front of him.

Kong Youde looked down and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is……"

"Chaoyang Water Gate." Lu Yan's voice was calm. "Three days from now, I will lead a commando team to infiltrate the city from here and open the gates."

Kong Youde raised his head and stared intently at Lu Yan.

"Are you crazy? That's a den of dragons and tigers!"

"Therefore, I need a fearless vanguard."

Lu Yan met his gaze and said, word by word, "Commander Kong, do you dare?"

A deathly silence fell over the tent.

Kong Youde's eyes narrowed, like a wolf that had caught the scent of its prey.

How is merit calculated?

"The credit goes to you. After the city falls, I will personally recommend you to Commander Zhao, and you will be promoted to at least the rank of guerrilla."

"Guerrilla warfare?" Kong Youde sneered. "When I was in Liaodong, I killed more Jurchens than you've ever seen. A guerrilla commander? You think you can fool a beggar?"

"So what do you want?"

Kong Youde was silent for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer to Lu Yan and lowered his voice:

"I need one sentence from you."

"What did you say?"

"When you become successful in the future, don't forget your father."

Lu Yan was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Commander Kong, you think highly of me."

"I've never misjudged a person," Kong Youde stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "You look refined, but you're ruthless to the core than I am. People like you either die young or rise to great heights. I bet you're the latter."

He stretched out a large, calloused hand.

"make a deal?"

Lu Yan grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"make a deal."

Their hands were clasped tightly together, like two wild beasts making some kind of pact in the darkness.

Kong Youde turned to leave, but as he reached the tent entrance, he suddenly turned back:

"By the way, Scholar Lu, I have a question."

"ask."

"What are you after?"

Lu Yan remained silent for a moment, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"What I'm after, you won't believe me even if I tell you now. You'll find out after the city falls."

Lu Yan watched Kong Youde's retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

This man is capable, ambitious, and has a thuggish streak. If used well, he can be a sharp blade; if used poorly, he can be a venomous snake.

He silently noted in his heart: This person can be used, but we must be wary of him.

Inside the tent, only Lu Yan remained.

He stood before the map, his gaze fixed on the location of the water gate circled in red, and muttered to himself:

"Three thousand taels of silver for a city, plus a future warlord."

"This deal has a return of at least 500%."

He turned and walked toward the depths of the tent, where several flintlock muskets newly made by Zhao Tie were placed, their iron parts gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

Three days later, the fate of Yuncheng will be rewritten in a stinking ditch.

Lu Yan is standing at a turning point in history, preparing to personally push the first domino.