Lujia City was of modest scale, with only four main gates. In order to drive Shi Zhuhe’s cavalry into the territory of Lankang, the local elite guards were deployed, leaving only some archers and militia to defend the city. After Shi Zhuhe and his men seized the gates, they imposed a curfew in the city, forbidding residents to move about freely on the streets. They also conscripted the original laborers in the city to repair the city walls.
Shortly after they took control of the gates, beacon smoke suddenly rose outside the city. About half an hour later, a cavalry squad arrived with a message, saying that Ren Feihong had already carried out the previously agreed plan. Under the pretense of delivering news, she had charged into the fortified manors of the Ge and Gong clans, successfully taking control of the personnel inside. At the same time, she had transported as much of the internally stored grain and fodder as possible. As for what could not be moved, it was set ablaze along with the manors to prevent the enemy from making use of them.
At this moment, Gan Wei, who had been knocked unconscious and brought to Lujia City, had already regained consciousness. Sitting inside the city’s government office and gazing at the vaguely familiar furnishings around him, he momentarily felt as if he were still in a dream.
Shi Zhuhe and the others naturally did not trouble him. A junior officer even politely cupped his hands and said, “Sir, since you are unwell, please rest for now. We were able to take Lujia City so easily today, and we owe thanks to you for bringing us the message.”
Gan Wei was stunned. He stepped forward, grabbed the other’s sleeve, and urgently asked, “What do you mean, taking Lujia City? What exactly has happened here?”
Since they had only just gained initial control of the city, the junior officer still had matters to attend to. He left Gan Wei to the attendant who had accompanied him, and the attendant hurried over to support his master, carefully recounting the events that had taken place during this time.
When Gan Wei heard that Shi Zhuhe had led troops in a surprise attack on Lujia City early that morning and had tricked the defenders into opening the gates by using the name of the Gan family’s private troops, his heart felt as if it were plunged into ice-cold water. He stood there stunned for a moment, then collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly.
By now, how could he not realize that he had fallen victim to someone else’s counter-intrigue?
Gan Wei had thought he had concealed everything flawlessly, but in reality, he had been manipulated at every turn, deceived into continuously feeding false information back to his own side – successfully leading Ge’s rebel forces fatally astray.
From this perspective, the junior officer who had thanked him earlier was not exactly wrong in his gratitude…
Chen Ming passed by outside and, hearing the mournful weeping from within, chuckled through the window, “Rest assured. As a token of gratitude for your assistance, out of all the families outside the city, only your family’s fortified manor has remained untouched from start to finish.”
She was in a hurry to meet with Ren Feihong, who had just entered the city, and after leaving those words, she departed swiftly – this time, deliberately sparing the Gan family’s manor from the flames, not only because her troops were limited and could not be further divided, but also as part of a calculated design.
Due to the rapid speed of the capture, the county office showed little visible chaos from the battle. Rooms originally used for temporary rest by officials such as the county magistrate and clerks were requisitioned. Apart from military officers, some wounded soldiers requiring careful attention were temporarily housed here.
Ren Feihong, having removed her armor, was washing the blood from her hands when she saw Chen Ming enter. She stood up and cupped her hands in greeting, “Captain Chen.” Glancing at her shoulder, she asked with concern, “Is your injury all right?”
Chen Ming replied, “Just a superficial flesh wound.” Then she asked in return, “Are you all right?”
She had only felt somewhat at ease after hearing that Ren Feihong had returned safely. As a civil official, though skilled in horsemanship, her personal combat ability was not on par with military commanders like themselves. Moreover, Ren Feihong had been personally assigned by the Emperor – should she suffer any harm amid the chaos of blades and arrows, neither she nor Shi Zhuhe would find it easy to explain matters to the Emperor.
Ren Feihong smiled, “It wasn’t a matter of leading troops in a forceful assault – just a few fabricated words to deceive them. Naturally, I’m fine.” Then she asked, “What time is it now?”
Chen Ming replied, “It’s already half two.” She added, “The surrendered soldiers left in the camp won’t be able to stall for much longer. The Ge family’s so-called ‘mountain bandits’ have probably realized what’s happening and are rushing here.” Lowering her voice, she looked at Ren Feihong, “Could the Gan family outside the city take any action?”
Ren Feihong said, “I can’t claim absolute certainty, but I’d say there’s a seventy to eighty percent chance – in fact, before coming here, I discussed matters concerning Lujia City with Her Majesty.”
As she spoke, her gaze flickered slightly, unconsciously recalling the scene in the Western Yong Palace that day.
Though holding an official position, Ren Feihong still entered and exited the palace gates dressed in plain white civilian attire, studying the situation in the east. “…Lujia City has long been controlled by powerful local clans. If we wish to avoid drawing attention, General Shi will not be able to bring too many troops with him. In that case, even if we manage to capture the city, it would be difficult to eliminate all the enemies.”
The Sovereign, dressed in black robes and a gauze crown, leaned by the window reading. Without looking up, she remarked casually, “Why must all of them be eliminated?” She added, “If there are influential clans within the city willing to serve as our collaborators, wouldn’t that allow us to act with greater ease?”
Ren Feihong replied, “Since these people have resolved to rebel, how could they be easily swayed?”
At this, the Sovereign finally set down the scroll and let out a soft chuckle. She said slowly, “As long as everyone believes that certain individuals are collaborating with the imperial court, what does it matter whether they themselves are truly swayed or not?”
While the two were discussing matters, Gan Wei was weeping bitterly before Shi Zhuhe. “Even though you are the commander appointed by the imperial court, how can you seize the city without cause and slaughter its defenders? Could it be that you harbor rebellious intentions?”
His voice was so loud that many within the county office overheard him.
In truth, even in Lujia City, which was controlled by the Ge family, not everyone was wholeheartedly committed to rebellion. Many had simply gone along with the flow. The Ge clan and others had initially aimed to coerce the city’s inhabitants into joining their cause, ensuring that once everyone was on board the rebel ship, there would be no turning back. At this moment, however, the three clans – Ge, Gong, and Gan – had not yet openly broken with the imperial court, making Shi Zhuhe and his men appear more like the scheming rebels.
Shi Zhuhe sat in the main hall, clad in armor, and smiled, “How can we be the ones harboring rebellious intentions? If you had not come with the message that day, how would I have known that the Ge clan inside the city and the Ge rebels outside were still colluding?”
Gan Wei: “…”
Leaving other matters aside, the insider information about the Ge family was indeed something he had shared with Shi Zhuhe.
Gan Wei’s voice trembled as he asked, “And what crime have the Gong family committed?”
Shi Zhuhe sighed and said sincerely, “When the Ge clan raised troops in rebellion, chaos broke out among the city’s soldiers and civilians. It is truly lamentable that you were struck by a stray arrow. Rest assured. As long as I am here, I will surely pacify the rebels and avenge those who lost their lives in the city.”
Gan Wei opened his mouth, then closed it again, his face flushed with suppressed emotion. Judging solely by Shi Zhuhe’s demeanor at that moment, he seemed utterly sincere, not at all like someone weaving lies. How could a descendant of the prominent Shi clan, a great family of the Great Zhou dynasty, be so effortlessly skilled at deception, as if lying were as natural as eating or drinking?
Shi Zhuhe was unaware of Gan Wei’s thoughts and thus had no chance to explain. In his days at Jianping, he had simply been low-key and reserved. As for weaving stories to deceive others, those were skills he had accumulated through experience in his work.
They deliberately wanted the Ge clan and other rebels to believe that the Gan family truly served as their collaborators. To that end, they specifically kept Gan Wei himself in place and refrained from sending troops to attack the Gan family’s fortified manor, putting on a convincing show of camaraderie. Even Gan Wei’s own close attendants were somewhat bewildered, suspecting that their master might have entered into some new, secret alliance with General Shi and the others sent by the central court, unbeknownst to them.
Gan Wei was placed under house arrest within the county office, while the original master of the government office, the magistrate of Lujia City, was apprehended by Shi Zhuhe and his men. He was forced to write a letter stamped with his official seal and send it back to Jianping.
The county magistrate said tremblingly, “General Shi, even if I am willing to draft an official document, there is no guarantee it will be successfully delivered to Jianping.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a personal guard came in from outside to report: “General, the Ge family rebels have surrounded the city with their forces.”
The Ge family had only about ten thousand elite troops with them, insufficient to encircle the city like an iron barrel. However, they still retained many soldiers in their rebel camps outside the city. While these troops might struggle in direct combat, they were quite suitable for blocking the roads outside the city.
Shi Zhuhe and the others remained unfazed, but upon hearing this, the county magistrate couldn’t help but tremble, dropping the brush in his hand.
Shi Zhuhe smiled and said, “Your Honor need not worry. Write two letters – one stating that the Ge family’s rebellion was successfully suppressed by us, and the other claiming that we suddenly rebelled, deceived our way into the city gates, and slaughtered the city’s prominent clans, now having taken control of Lujia City. Then send both letters out together.”
The magistrate shivered. He was not entirely foolish and roughly understood Shi Zhuhe’s intention. Knowing that resistance was futile, he silently cupped his hands in acknowledgment and went to write the letters as instructed.
The rebels outside the city naturally did not want the true situation in Lujia City to spread, so they would undoubtedly try to block the roads around the city. However, if they believed the magistrate was still on their side – even using false information to frame Shi Zhuhe and his men and mislead the central court – the likelihood of the letter being sent out would greatly increase.
Ren Feihong and the others also grasped Shi Zhuhe’s reasoning – they currently held a significant advantage unknown to the enemy: the Emperor herself had a clear and accurate understanding of the situation in the east. Her Majesty had long known that the local magnates harbored disloyal intentions and would not misjudge which side were the true rebels. What Shi Zhuhe needed to convey now was essentially one message: they had already captured Lujia City.
Jianping.
In the early winter, the lamps and candles in the Western Yong Palace were already lit.
Wen Yanran had grown accustomed to the uselessness of the game interface – two days ago, [War Sandbox] had suddenly entered an update state and could no longer display the actual positions of her own forces.
This didn’t cause her much trouble. On one hand, she had made preparations long ago, and through analysis alone, she could roughly gauge the situation in Lankang Commandery to the east. On the other hand, this afternoon, [War Sandbox] unexpectedly popped up a notification indicating the update was complete.
Driven by its obsession with its own objectives, the system did not want the player to grasp the actual situation in the east. However, after the letters from Lujia City successfully deceived the Ge family rebels and were sent out without issue, the previous block was once again lifted due to its ineffectiveness.
[System:
[War Sandbox] update complete. This update successfully fixed some known bugs. Wishing the player an enjoyable gaming experience.]
Wen Yanran: “???” So, do the contents of those fixed bugs not deserve a detailed explanation?
If it weren’t for the fact that Guide to Becoming a Tyrant had yet to introduce any in-game purchase features, she might have suspected that the so-called “bug fixes” were nothing more than a careless excuse concocted by the panel’s creator to deceive users. After all, based on her own examination, she couldn’t find any noticeable differences between the current game interface and the previous one…
