I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 789: Su Yao's great victory shocked the noble families, and the ancient city of Anyi was in turmoil (Chapter 7K2)

A few days later, Anyi City.

The morning light is like a veil, gently covering this ancient land.

The city gate slowly opened with a creaking sound, and the heavy sound seemed to awaken the city that was still a little sleepy.

At this moment, a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds suddenly rang out, breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

I saw a horse galloping into the city at lightning speed. The messenger on the horse waved the battle report in his hand and shouted at the top of his voice:

"Great victory, great victory!"

"General Su Yao defeated the Baibo bandits and killed their leader Guo Tai in battle. The entire Baibo bandit army was annihilated, and the entire Hedong region has now been recovered!"

This exciting news was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a thousand waves.

When the people of Anyi City heard the news, they were instantly in an uproar.

"what?!"

"The general won again?"

The first person to hear the news was an old man who had gotten up early and went out. After a moment of shock, his eyes suddenly filled with tears and he shouted in a trembling voice:

"The chieftain of the Baibo bandits surrendered, and we finally have peace in Hedong!"

"Yeah, that's awesome!"

Then the young man nearby also clenched his fists, his face excited:
"General, you are truly a god!"

With the arrival of the good news, people in Anyi City woke up one after another. They walked out of their homes and told each other in the streets and alleys. Joy spread quickly among the crowd like a spring breeze.

The children were laughing and playing as they shuttled through the crowd, their clear laughter adding a lively touch to the celebratory atmosphere; the adults gathered in groups of three or five, excitedly praising Su Yao's bravery and the court's victory.

Even the merchants in the city, who had always been stingy, opened their warehouses, took out their treasured wines and carefully prepared food, and happily prepared to reward the triumphant soldiers.

However, amidst this jubilation, all kinds of rumors were quietly surging in the city like a hidden undercurrent.

Especially those children of wealthy families who hurried to the streets to inquire about the news. At this moment, many of them gathered together in panic, whispering to each other, and the atmosphere was tense and depressing.

"Have you heard about it?" A young man from an aristocratic family said in a low voice with a terrified look on his face, "In the Baibo Village, the general found irrefutable evidence that many of our Hedong aristocratic families were colluding with the Baibo bandits. I heard that they will return to Anyi soon. I'm afraid a disaster is about to happen!"

"What? This... How is this possible? Don't lie to me!" Another young man from a noble family widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"How could I lie to you? My brother was serving in the general's expeditionary army and heard what those soldiers said with his own ears."

The young man from the noble family who spoke first gestured anxiously, trying to make everyone believe:

"And it's not just my brother. It's said that many soldiers have seen it. Those written evidences were pulled out of the bandit chief's mansion in carts without hiding from people. In a few days, they will follow the army back to Anyi."

"Oh my God!" Someone couldn't help but exclaimed, "This is the end, it's all over! My family gave gifts to the Baibo bandits in order to protect themselves. Now, isn't this a disaster?"

"Why are you panicking?" A young man from a noble family pretended to be calm and nonchalant. "With your family's little wealth, how could the general take it seriously? I've heard that the general is fair and righteous. As long as we know the current situation, take the initiative to cooperate with the court, and tell the truth, perhaps there won't be too big a disaster."

"Justice and benevolence?" Another voice came with a hint of sneer, "In my opinion, Su Yao is a man who is decisive and ruthless. Have you all forgotten the fate of Wang Kuang of Hanoi?"

People were talking in the streets and alleys, and fear and anxiety were spreading among the crowd.

The small and medium-sized families were in a panic, and the wealthy and prestigious families were no less worried.

At this time, in contrast to the bustling scene in the city, the mansions of the wealthy families were as silent as death.

When Fan Pang, the head of the Fan family, heard the news, the teacup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered, but he was unaware of it. The sounds of people celebrating outside the window sounded like sharp irony to him.

He has not had a good night's sleep since General Su Yao won a great victory at the Battle of Fushui and advanced into Baibo Valley. He was afraid of hearing the news now.

Fan Pang knew very well that there is no impenetrable wall in the world. Although his relationship with Mrs. Guo was secret, his Fan family still had large properties in the Baibo territory that needed the Baibo bandits' care. He deliberately left his nephew to take care of it there. While he contributed a lot of income to the Baibo bandits, he also took over many ownerless properties.

Now that the general has wiped out Bai Bo, and it is rumored that the fatal information has fallen into Su Yao's hands, wouldn't all the good things that the Fan family had done in the past to play both sides be exposed?

"Father, what should I do?"

The eldest son of the Fan family was anxious:
"I heard that General Su Yao hates evil and cannot tolerate any injustice. I'm afraid our Fan family will face a bloody disaster this time!"

"Why are you panicking?" Fan Pang glared at his eldest son and said in a low and powerful voice, "Now that things have come to this, running away will not solve the problem. We must find a way to deal with it as soon as possible in order to preserve the Fan family's foundation."

Having said that, his trembling fingers quietly revealed his inner anxiety.

The rumors circulating outside are like a sharp blade hanging over your head, which may fall at any time.

Fan Pang hesitated for a moment and then gritted his teeth and said, "Go, invite a few elders from the clan, and send someone to contact the Pei and Wei families to see what they are planning."

Fan Pang instructed his son like this. In his opinion, the aristocratic families would prosper together and suffer together, and the only way they could survive was to unite together.

Pei Mao, the head of the Pei family, deeply agrees with this.

When it comes to the crime of colluding with Bai Bo, his Pei family is even worse than the Fan family.

Pei Mao sat in the study, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm. Hearing Fan Pang's intention, he sighed heavily and said, "Brother Fan, we are really in a difficult situation now. Su Yao is not someone who can be fooled easily. I'm afraid that our previous tricks could not be hidden from his eyes."

"Brother Pei is right." Fan Pang nodded slightly, his eyes full of worry, "But what should we do now? Are we really going to sit and wait for Su Yao to come and deal with us?"

Pei Mao stood up and paced back and forth in the study room, frowning. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly stopped and a look of determination flashed in his eyes: "In this case, we can't just sit there and wait for death. I think we might as well take the initiative!"

"Strike first?" Fan Pang was slightly stunned, with a hint of doubt in his eyes, "Brother Pei, what do you mean by this?"

Pei Mao sneered and said, "Brother Fan, think about it. Su Yao now has a large army and evidence of collusion with the Baibo bandits. How could he let us go easily? Instead of waiting for him to come and punish us, why don't we take the initiative and catch him off guard!"

"Take the initiative?"

Fan Pang was shocked when he heard this:
"Su Yao's subordinates are all elite troops, and he himself is as strong as a monster. How can we, a small group of soldiers, deal with him?"

"That's usually the case." Pei Mao sneered, "But it's different now."

"Oh? What do you mean, Brother Pei?"

Fan Pang asked nervously, and Pei Mao lowered his voice:
"According to the latest news, General Su Yao is actually no longer in Hedong."

"what?!"

"The general is not in Hedong?"

In the study room of the Wei family mansion in Hedong, Wei Ji looked at his nephew Wei Ying with a serious expression, thinking about the future of the family.

"Yes, uncle."

Wei Ying said anxiously:

"A little later in the evening, there was another report from the front lines saying that the war in the north had started again. Ma Teng from Xiliang swept through Bingzhou and was heading straight for Yanmen. Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, also raised his troops to respond, and the momentum was great."

"Therefore, the general decided to postpone the celebration and directly lead the victorious troops north, and even mobilized the troops from Hedong and Henei to assist."

"Right now, the garrison camps inside and outside the city are in chaos. Soldiers have been urgently assembled and will be heading north to fight in the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ji frowned and thought to himself.

The news came too suddenly and coincidentally. The war broke out in the north and Su Yao hurried north. Could there be other hidden stories behind this?
He subconsciously felt that this might be related to the rumors that suddenly broke out in the city today that Su Yao had found evidence that the Hedong family was secretly communicating with the Baibo bandits.

"Ying'er, are you sure this news is true?" Wei Ji stared at Wei Ying with burning eyes and asked seriously.

"Uncle, it's absolutely true." Wei Ying nodded confidently, "I heard this from a reliable friend in the army. He is serving in the camp responsible for this troop movement."

Wei Ji was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the courtyard outside, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

With Su Yao's departure, the situation in Hedong suddenly became more delicate.

I'm afraid those noble families with ulterior motives will take advantage of this opportunity to make some move.

As one of the noble families in Hedong, the Wei family, although previously commended by Su Yao for their contribution in surrendering the city, is nonetheless inextricably linked with other noble families. In this impending storm, how should they choose to preserve the family's honor and heritage?
At the same time, in the Fan family mansion, Fan Pang and Pei Mao were still having a secret conversation.

"Brother Pei, you said that the general is not in Hedong. Is this information reliable? If it is a trap, we will be doomed if we act rashly." Fan Pang was still a little hesitant. After all, Su Yao's reputation made him feel afraid.

"Brother Fan, I also know that this matter is of great importance, so I have checked from many sources." Pei Mao's expression was firm. "As far as I know, in addition to Ma Teng and Han Fu raising troops, Liu Yu in Youzhou has also made unusual moves and seems to be secretly gathering troops. As a general, Su Yao naturally cannot sit idly by and must go north to deal with it. Moreover, my spies in the army saw the mobilization of the army with their own eyes, and this matter is absolutely true."

Fan Pang gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "Okay, in this case, let's give it a try. Brother Pei, what specific plans do you have?"

Pei Mao's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. He approached Fan Pang and said in a low voice, "Although there are still some troops stationed in Anyi City, the elite troops have followed Su Yao to the north, and the remaining troops are not to be feared. We will unite the family soldiers of various families and raid the key places in the city at night to control the situation. Then we can use the people in the city as hostages to force Su Yao to compromise. As long as he doesn't dare to attack the city easily, we will have bargaining chips."

Fan Pang frowned: "This plan sounds good, but will the various families really work together? People's minds are different, and I'm afraid that someone will back down at the last minute."

"Brother Fan, we are now on the same boat. If one suffers, we will suffer together." Pei Mao sneered, "I have sent people to contact other families and tell them that Su Yao wants to kill us all. The only way to survive is to resist."

"Moreover, I have prepared a great gift. Once they see this gift, they will have no choice but to cooperate with us."

"What gift?" Fan Pang asked curiously.

Pei Mao smiled mysteriously, took out a brocade bag from his bosom and handed it to Fan Pang: "Brother Fan, take a look at this."

Fan Pang took the brocade bag, opened it and looked at it. His face turned pale instantly: "This... this is not..."

"That's right, this is the evidence of our collusion with the Baibo bandits." Pei Mao said coldly, "I have had people make multiple copies. As long as the noble families don't cooperate, I will make the evidence public and report them. We will all be doomed together and no one will survive!"

Fan Pang felt a chill in his heart when he looked at the document which was called evidence but was actually an accusation. He did not expect Pei Mao to be so cruel and decisive.

But at this time, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and cooperate with Pei Mao.

At this time, in a secret stronghold in Anyi City, Guo Jia was meeting with Wang Ling in secret.

"Feng Xiao, will your plan really work? Will those noble families take the bait so easily?" Wang Ling was still a little worried. After all, this was a big gamble, and if one was not careful, it could cause chaos.

"Don't worry, Zhonglang." Guo Jia smiled confidently, "Those noble families usually live in luxury, and now that disaster is imminent, they must be panicking. Moreover, the news we released is half true and half false, and they have no way to judge the truth. In this situation, they will definitely take risks to protect themselves. As long as they take action, we will have a chance to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Wang Ling nodded slightly, and felt even more admiration for Guo Jia's wisdom.

He knew that this operation was of great importance. If successful, it would completely eradicate the hidden dangers of the Hedong family and clear the obstacles for Su Yao's reforms and Northern Expedition. However, if it failed, the consequences would be disastrous.

"By the way, Fengxiao, do you think General Su Yao will really go to the north?" Wang Ling suddenly asked.

"Of course it's true." Guo Jia smiled, "Ma Teng, Han Fu and others have revolted, the situation in the north is critical, General Su Yao is a pillar of the court, how could he sit idly by and watch?"

"However, he also has a backup plan, waiting for those noble families to take the bait."

Wang Ling's heart moved, he vaguely guessed what Su Yao's back-up plan was, but he didn't ask more questions. Since Su Yao and Guo Jia had arranged everything, he only needed to act according to the plan. In the next few days, the army in Anyi City was mobilized.

In the past, in order to prevent the Anyi noble families from causing chaos, Su Yao had sent a large number of garrison troops out of the city and headed north in batches. However, as the number of garrison troops decreased, the close coordination between the Jinyiwei and the garrison soldiers showed more and more loopholes.

The various noble families who kept a close eye on the changes in the situation in the city every day would naturally not miss this change.

Batches of weapons of unknown origin and waves of people with mysterious whereabouts are quietly gathering in the city. Although Anyi City seems calm on the surface, there are actually undercurrents surging and a storm is about to come.

During these days, Fan Pang and Pei Mao ran around day and night, contacting various families.

They spoke earnestly, describing Su Yao's "cruelness" and "heartlessness", and depicting the catastrophic disaster that the aristocratic families would face once the evidence was made public, successfully inciting the aristocratic families' fear and resistance.

Under coercion and inducement, the noble families who were originally skeptical joined their camp one after another, and a rebellion plan against Anyi City was being prepared in full swing.

At this time, the Hedong Wei family, which had previously remained neutral and watched the changes, finally had to make a choice.

"Uncle!"

Wei Ying said anxiously:

"If you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!"

"Now that Su Yao's army is heading north, the city is short of troops. This is a perfect opportunity to overthrow his rule!"

"Once the evidence is made public, even if the Wei family made contributions in surrendering the city, I'm afraid we will be unable to escape responsibility."

"In this case, instead of sitting and waiting for death, why not unite with the other families and give it a try!"

Wei Ji looked solemn as he paced slowly, his eyes sweeping across the walls of the study, where portraits of the Wei family's ancestors were hung:
"Ying'er, you only see the immediate crisis, but fail to consider the long-term."

Wei Ji stopped and turned to look at Wei Ying:
"Although Su Yao uses tough tactics, he does care about the country. The reforms he promotes will benefit both the court and the people in the long run."

"On the other hand, your so-called aristocratic alliance is nothing more than stirring up trouble for your own selfish interests."

"It would be fine if they fail, but if they succeed, the Han Dynasty will fall apart. What good will that do us?"

"You must know that my Wei family has been blessed by the emperor for generations, and has been loyal and good for generations. We have shared the honor and disgrace with the Han Dynasty. How could we easily rebel?"

"If we rashly participate, it will go against the general trend of the world. Even if we succeed by chance this time, how will we deal with it in the future?"

Wei Ji's speech was full of righteousness, but Wei Ying blushed and felt angry when he heard it:

"Uncle, how can you be so naive and old-fashioned?!"

"Mencius said: The kindness of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations!"

"My ancestor Wei Qing was forgotten by everyone. After his death, my Wei family was almost wiped out by the tyrant Emperor Wu of Han."

"The prosperity of our Hedong Wei clan today is not due to the emperor's grace, but the hard work of our ancestors."

"Su Yao's reforms affect the fundamental interests of our family!"

"The land has been divided up, and the privileges have been taken away. With his way of doing things, our Wei family, which has been operating in Hedong for hundreds of years, will have to watch helplessly as we hand over our business to those peasants!"

"This is truly a disgrace to our ancestors!"

Wei Ying became more and more excited as he spoke, waving his hands in the air, veins popping out on his forehead:

"Uncle, think about it. We, the children of the Wei family, have studied the classics since we were young and worked hard to make achievements in official careers and bring honor to our ancestors. But the reforms promoted by Su Yao allow those children of common people with no background to easily compete with us. Is this fair?"

"We are so hardworking that we have been trampled on by him like this? This is not fair!"

Wei Ji shook his head slowly, his eyes full of disappointment: "Ying'er, you value the family's private interests so much, but forget the way of being a minister."

"Su Yao reformed the imperial examination system, valuing talent and character rather than family background. The children of the Wei family have a profound family background and a deep foundation. Anyone who studies hard and has real talent and knowledge will not be afraid of competing with those poor boys."

"Uncle is pedantic!"

Wei Ying looked disdainful:

"Those who come from humble backgrounds, even if they have some talent, how can they know propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame?"

"Once they gain power, they will certainly act recklessly and make the court a mess."

"Uncle, I think you are just afraid of Su Yao. You insist on making amends for him and forget your own identity!"

"Shu Zi is so impudent!"

Wei Ji slammed the table so hard that the teacups on the table jumped up:

"You are full of nonsense. You are uneducated and unskilled, yet you want to use your family's wealth and glory to endorse you, and you don't care about the lives of the people of the world!"

"Su Yao's reforms, regardless of whether they can succeed or not, are ultimately for the purpose of reviving the great power of the Han Dynasty and allowing the people to live in peace."

"If you continue to be so stubborn, you will be the sinner of the Wei family. Do you believe that I will take you out and clean up the mess?"

Wei Ying was so frightened by Wei Ji's shout that his whole body trembled and his face turned pale and blue. Although he was still unwilling in his heart, he dared not say anything rudely. He just lowered his head and clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

The study room fell into deathly silence, with only the sound of the two people's heavy breathing.

After a long time, Wei Yingcai slowly spoke, his voice choking with sobs: "Uncle, I know I was wrong... I just don't want to see the decline of the Wei family, and I don't want to see the foundation of our ancestors destroyed."

Wei Ji looked at Wei Ying, the only direct descendant of the Wei clan, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided, replaced by deep helplessness and sorrow:

"Ying'er, why would I want to see the decline of the Wei family? But we can't ignore the justice of the world for the sake of our family's selfish interests."

"Do you think that by participating in this rebellion, you can save the Wei family? You are wrong. This will only plunge the Wei family into an abyss of no return!"

"You are obsessed with sensual pleasures and have no idea how powerful Su Yao is."

Wei Ji was very disappointed and said:

"The general's actions, words and deeds are not like those of an ordinary person."

"Not to mention his outstanding military exploits in the past, just take this time for example, you see him annihilate Bai Bo, he was unstoppable all the way in the front, and he also built Anyi City like an iron barrel in the back, tightly clamping down on the rebellious families in the city. You can tell that he is not just a brave man, he is also very thoughtful."

"But what about now? Now that Baibo is destroyed, everyone knows that he will come back to clean up the mess. But suddenly there was a war in the north, and he rushed north in such a hurry, and even mobilized troops from Anyi City to help. Ying'er, don't you think there is something weird about this matter?"

When Wei Ying heard what his uncle said, he was shocked and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

He recalled the various signs in the city in recent days, the rumors, the troop movements, and the secret gatherings of the noble families. Everything seemed too coincidental, as if it was controlled by an invisible hand.

"Uncle, are you saying... this is a trap set by Su Yao?" Wei Ying raised his head, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

Wei Ji nodded slightly: "Although I dare not make a definitive statement, there must be something fishy about this matter."

"Su Yao has always been careful in his actions. How could he let us take advantage of him so easily? He may have expected that those noble families would do something desperate, so he deliberately spread the news to lure them out so that they could be caught in one fell swoop."

After hearing Wei Ji's words, Wei Ying's face turned pale instantly. He realized that he almost led the Wei family into a huge trap.

If it is true as my uncle said, then the noble families who participated in the rebellion will suffer a devastating disaster, and once the Wei family is involved, they will be doomed.

"Uncle, what should we do then?" There was a hint of trembling in Wei Ying's voice. He was completely out of ideas at the moment and could only place his hopes on Wei Ji.

Wei Ji pondered for a moment and sighed:

"You were right about something you said before - if you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!"

"At this critical moment, we must make our position clear as soon as possible. Any vacillation will cause resentment from one side or the other."

"Therefore, I decided to report this matter to the general. I will go to the county governor's mansion to find Wang Zhonglang of the Jinyiwei and inform him of the Hedong family's conspiracy."

"That's right, uncle. If we do this, won't we offend the other noble families? If they knew we betrayed them, they would definitely not let us go."

Wei Ying's face was full of worry and despair.

He knew very well that Pei Mao had written an extremely damaging letter of accusation, which contained all the secrets of the past years and had forced the Hedong families into a desperate situation.

If he does not participate, or even betrays, he will definitely take revenge if he fails. Even if he succeeds, even if Su Yao does not pursue his own family, given the ruthlessness of the Pei family, they will definitely find ways to discredit the Wei family and make the Wei family the target of public criticism.

"Is there anything perfect in the world?"

Wei Ji clenched his fist and said:
"Since we are all giving it a try, instead of colluding with those traitors, we should stand firm and do our best."

"Notify the entire clan to prepare for mobilization. When necessary, we will go out as a clan to help the general quell the rebellion and show our loyalty."

"Based on Su Yao's past behavior, I believe he is a man who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. As long as we are loyal to each other, he will definitely not ignore our lives!"

"Okay, uncle, I'll listen to you." Wei Ying gritted his teeth and nodded.

Once the plan was made, the Wei family residence immediately became busy.

After Wei Ji explained the precautions, he hurried to the county magistrate's mansion to meet Wang Ling, urgently reported the rebellion conspiracy in the city, and expressed his willingness to fully assist the general in suppressing the rebellion.

At the same time, a secret meeting was taking place in Pei Mao's mansion.

In addition to Fan Pang, several heads of aristocratic families gathered together to discuss the specific matters of the rebellion.

"Everyone, everything is ready, just waiting to start tomorrow night."

Pei Mao said proudly:

"As long as we control Anyi City, Su Yao's escape route will be completely cut off!"

"By then, he will have Ma Teng's elite troops in front of him, Han Fu's army on the side, and us surrounding him from behind. If he goes deep into the enemy's territory alone under the siege from three sides, he will surely fall into a desperate situation!"

"Not only can we protect the interests of our family, but we can also destroy his unpopular reforms in one fell swoop."

"Brother Pei, can this really go so smoothly?" A family head was still a little worried. "General Su Yao is really not that easy to deal with. Not to mention whether he will be prepared in advance, I saw that kid from the Wei family just rushed to the county governor's mansion. I'm afraid he will ruin our plans..."

"Don't worry, I've sent people to investigate carefully."

Pei Mao said confidently:
"Su Yao did lead a large army northwards. The remaining troops in the city are nothing to be feared."

"As for the traitor of the Wei family, I have been prepared for it. Now it is just a useless effort. It is too late."

"Even without their support, we have so many noble families united together, and Su Yao's troops in the city cannot withstand our attack."

"When the time comes, after we have accomplished our great cause, we will start with the ignorant Wei family. We will kill all of their male members and divide up their land, wealth and women equally. We will make sure the world knows the fate of those who dare to go against us!"

(End of this chapter)