1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3864

Following Shi Chengwu's orders, the Haihan Army quickly mobilized and conducted a thorough search of the area within a five-mile radius of Jiujiang City.

For these troops who came to Jiujiang, if the peaceful handover was completed smoothly, it would mean that there would be no merit to be earned in battle.

The orders they received at this time were likely one of the few opportunities to earn merit in battle. The troops ordered to attack were like they had been injected with chicken blood, eager to dig three feet into the ground and capture as many Ming soldiers lurking inside and outside Jiujiang City as possible.

To their slight disappointment, they encountered no further organized resistance during the search. As for the Ming army, they did find a small number of garrison soldiers who had deserted and returned home, but these men had deserted because they did not want to fight and were completely unaware of the situation in the city.

However, the two points of doubt that Lu Congshan had previously pointed out to Shi Chengwu were indeed found by the Haihan Army.

Two miles east of the city, a farm was found to have a huge pigsty where no pigs were being fed. Instead, more than twenty horses were hidden there, all equipped with saddles, bridles, dry food, and water, ready to set off at any time.

The farm owner did not resist, claiming that he was just doing his job for money and did not know the identity of the person who had boarded the horses there a day in advance.

The other party requested that the horses be saddled, equipped, and supplied by 1:15 AM. If the person did not arrive by 1:15 PM today, the horses, supplies, and pre-paid fees would be handed over to the farm for disposal.

This was undoubtedly a profitable deal for the farm, but they never expected that the people who came knocking on their door were not the ones who had paid, but the Haihan Army, who had just occupied Jiujiang City. All the wealth they had acquired just one day ago was now confiscated.

Two suspicious boats were quickly found on the riverbank outside the city. The boat captains confessed that they had also received payment in advance and were waiting at a designated location to pick up passengers, with the time also limited to 15 noon.

These findings were certainly not coincidences, and combined with the confessions of prisoners captured in the city, the truth quickly came to light.

After Lu Congshan issued an ultimatum to local officials yesterday, some people were unwilling to follow Lu Congshan in surrendering to the approaching Haihan army, but were powerless to change the status quo in Jiujiang. So they hoped to organize an assassination to create chaos during Haihan's takeover of Jiujiang.

Most of the generals who truly held military power in Jiujiang Prefecture chose to flee to Nanchang because they had access to higher-level information and knew that the Ming army was no match for the Haihan army. Staying to defend the city without any support would be futile.

However, it was a few mid-level military officers who chose to stay in Jiujiang and organize small groups of men to lie in wait in the city.

Some who were frustrated in the army hoped to rise to prominence through this operation and be given important positions by the court; others who were blindly loyal to the court were unwilling to flee and planned to die for their country.

They were given only one day to prepare, so they couldn't discuss and formulate a detailed action plan. They simply divided their limited manpower into groups, selected locations, and planned to ambush the Haihan officials entering the city. Although these men didn't have high authority, each had a group of personal guards willing to stay and carry out their plan.

As for the evacuation route, although corresponding arrangements were made, everyone understood that regardless of whether they succeeded or not, once the operation was launched, the chances of safely evacuating from the Haihan Army's guns were extremely slim.

Prefect Lu Congshan was indeed completely unaware of this, and just as Shi Chengwu had predicted, Lu Congshan, considered a traitor, was also one of the group's assassination targets. When the time came to act, someone would be specifically tasked with dealing with Lu Congshan. However, they ultimately lacked sufficient preparation time, their action was too hasty, and they were exposed before they could even get into position, ultimately ending up being captured without resistance.

After confirming that Lu Congshan was indeed not involved, Shi Chengwu ordered the lifting of his house arrest.

When Lu Congshan came to express his gratitude, Shi Chengwu threw the confession he had just obtained at him and said, "Lord Lu, look at the mess your men have made. Think about it carefully. Don't you think you have failed in your duty of oversight?"

Lu Congshan quickly glanced at the statement and felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

He recognized the names of the officers mentioned in the confession. He had assumed that these men had either followed their superiors to Nanchang or gone home to await official notification. He never expected that they would gather a group of people to lie in wait in the city.

If Shi Chengwu hadn't been cautious and sent people into the city to investigate beforehand, this could have caused a huge mess, and he might have even lost his life.

Lu Congshan lowered his head and said, "My lord, I have nothing to say. Please punish me."

Lu Congshan actually sensed that Shi Chengwu's tone did not imply any accusation. If he corrected his attitude and took the initiative to admit his guilt, he might be able to get Shi Chengwu to punish him less severely.

Shi Chengwu said, "Now that the administration of Jiujiang is changing hands, it is precisely the time when we need capable people. As the former prefect, you are quite familiar with the local situation. I intend to give you another chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service. Are you willing?"

Lu Congshan quickly replied, "Please give your orders, sir. I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life!"

Shi Chengwu said, "I think that these people almost succeeded. Besides their own planning, there must have been other people providing them with various conveniences. Moreover, these people who provided assistance must have some power in the local area. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why they were able to completely deceive you, Lord Lu. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Although Lu Congshan did not understand Shi Chengwu's purpose for the moment, he immediately nodded and said, "What you say is absolutely right, sir!"

Shi Chengwu said, "You should have a good idea of ​​who is secretly helping them. I'll entrust this matter to you. First, make a list, and then you will personally lead the team to arrest them one by one."

Lu Congshan now understood. Shi Chengwu wanted to use this as a pretext to eliminate the local forces in Jiujiang who were close to the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, if he were to handle this matter himself, the news would definitely spread, which would be equivalent to completely offending all the local people who held this position. Even if he wanted to back out in the future, he would have no way out.

But Lu Congshan also understood that he had no other choice at the moment. Otherwise, if Shi Chengwu could just pin a crime on him, he would immediately say goodbye to his future wealth and honor.

"Please rest assured, Lord Shi, I will definitely handle things perfectly and will not let you down!"

The only thing Lu Congshan can do now is to quickly agree and seize this opportunity to turn his life around.