Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Tang Bao's expression turned serious. He looked at the confident Holy Lord and Tong Wei and said, "Don't be too confident. Chen Jiu Si and Yuan San Jia are not ordinary people."

Needless to say, Chen Jiu Si has always been a guy who can come up with all sorts of tricks. In the battle at Changbai Mountain, he actually defeated me and Tong Wei. At that time, he was only at the third level of the Fusion God realm, but now his strength may have already reached the fourth level of the Fusion God realm.

Moreover, he also cultivates the Three Divine Arts of the Human Emperor. Although his Four Seasons Celestial Phenomena Technique is not complete, the power he unleashes is definitely no weaker than yours or mine.

What's more, he also has Yuan Sanjia, the third best in the world, helping him!
They shouldn't be underestimated!
Tang Bao expressed his opinion. The Holy Lord and Tong Wei exchanged a glance. At this moment, Tong Wei said, "Old Tang is right, but these are all just our guesses. I think there must be something we don't know about why the morale of Huangzhou Prefecture has suddenly risen. Therefore, I think we should investigate further and not make arbitrary judgments about whether Chen Jiu Si has returned or not."

Tang Bao said, "That's right. Just yesterday, several powerful families in Huangzhou Prefecture contacted us overnight, hoping that after we enter the city, we would give them a chance to pledge their loyalty."

"It's good to send them to gather information; there's no rush to attack the city."

As Tang Bao spoke, Tong Wei, who was standing to the side, said, "Although these powerful families are willing to submit, they have no contact with the upper echelons in Huangzhou Prefecture, especially the military. How can they obtain accurate information?"

Tang Bao said, "Who said they can't get in touch with the military? For example, Zhou Wenfa's family."

"He has four sons in total. Three of them are in the family business, and the youngest son was sent to the army. It is said that he became a commander of the Azure Dragon Army. Officers of this rank should be able to access some core information."

Upon hearing this, Tong Wei said, "I do know Zhou Wenfa. It seems that his family used to be wealthy landowners in Huangzhou Prefecture. Later, they voluntarily handed over their land to the government and were recognized as outstanding gentry. After that, they actively responded to the policies of Huangzhou Prefecture and finally obtained the cotton cloth distribution rights in Fujian Road, and thus made their fortune."

"Many of the men under my command bought their winter clothes from him, and this time he defected to us through a quartermaster from Fujian Road."

Tang Bao said, "Hmm, very good. I'll leave this matter to you for now. You immediately contact the spies in the city and have them find Zhou Wenfa. Use his connections to get his son, who is a commander in the Qinglong Army, to pass on the message. Be quick."

"Okay, I'll contact them right away."

Tong Wei agreed and immediately contacted the intelligence in the city. There was no rush to attack; they should first find out the situation and see if Chen Jiu Si had returned.

The Holy Lord then looked at Tang Bao and said, "Is this Chen Jiu Si really that formidable? He hasn't even arrived yet, and we three fourth-level Molten God Realm experts are already so wary of him?"

Tang Bao said, "Better safe than sorry, especially since our opponent is Chen Jiu Si."

The Holy Lord looked at Tang Bao and said, "It seems that Mr. Tang knows him quite well."

Tang Bao said, "I've studied him. He's a descendant of fishermen. He started out as a gambling addict in Mianshui County, but somehow he rose to prominence overnight and gradually got to where he is today. This kind of person should not be underestimated."

Upon hearing this, the Holy Lord said, "Indeed, such people should not be underestimated, but they should not be overestimated either. In this year of great calamity, there are quite a few such strongmen. For example, Zhang Shicheng under my command was a salt merchant, and Zhu Chongba, who occupies Anhui Road, was a beggar."

"As for the other rebel kings, there are quite a few of them, so I don't think Chen Jiu Si is as terrible as you say. However, you are right in saying that even a lion needs to go all out to hunt a rabbit. It's good to know about him in advance."

Tang Bao looked at the Holy Lord and said, "Well, let's wait for news. Give the order for the three armies to cease their attack, but do not retreat. Encircle them without attacking, just put pressure on them."

After hearing Tang Bao's words, someone behind him naturally went to give instructions to the army.

The army immediately received the order, and Tang Bao said, "It's not bad to stop now. The morale of Huangzhou Prefecture is high. Let's suppress their high morale first. As the saying goes, 'One should strike while the iron is hot, but the second will be weak and the third will be exhausted.'"

"The best time to attack is after we have a clear understanding of the situation."

After saying this, Tang Bao turned and entered the military camp with the Holy Lord.

Meanwhile, the army outside was besieging Huangzhou Prefecture but not attacking it. On the walls of Huangzhou Prefecture, the soldiers who had decided to fight to the death were also stunned. Why was the enemy not moving?

Zhang Dingbian, the military commander of Huangzhou Prefecture, was standing on the city gate, holding a 'thousand-mile eye' made by the Huangzhou Academy of Sciences to observe the enemy's movements. When he saw that the enemy was not moving, Zhang Dingbian frowned slightly.

Looking at the three armies outside that had stopped attacking but were not retreating, Ding Pulang, the commander of the Buddhist army, said, "What are the enemy up to? Surrounding us without attacking, are they trying to outlast us?"

"The grain reserves in our Huangzhou Prefecture are enough to feed our army for a year. It's impossible for them to starve us to death."

After hearing Ding Pulang's words, his deputy Ou Puxiang said, "Senior brother, I feel that things are not so simple. Putting aside others, we all know Tang Bao from the Tang Clan. He is very cunning. Master almost fell into his trap back then. Moreover, this old guy likes to use feints and diversions. He may seem calm on the surface, but who knows what kind of evil he is plotting in secret. We cannot underestimate him!"

As the two talked, Jin Yanzi looked at Zhang Dingbian and asked, "Commander Zhang, what do you think is wrong with the enemy?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "The enemy can't figure out our intentions!"

"Pass the order down: the entire army should rest and reorganize, and some sentries should be set up to prevent the enemy from suddenly sneaking up on us."

As Zhang Dingbian spoke, Jin Yanzi replied, "Yes."

Then he waved his hand, and naturally the deputy general would handle these matters. At this moment, Jin Yanzi asked in confusion, "Commander Zhang, you just said that they can't figure out our pulse?"

Zhang Dingbian looked at Jin Yanzi and said, "It's obvious. They saw that the morale of our Huangzhou Prefecture garrison suddenly rose, which is why they became suspicious. If I'm not mistaken, they have already sent people into the city to gather information."

Upon hearing this, Jin Yanzi asked, "Gathering information? What information?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "The most important thing now is to win this battle. Therefore, what they need to figure out now is the factors that can affect the victory of the war. They have lost in terms of soldier quality, weapons, and strategy. The reason they can suppress us is their top-notch combat power."

"And now they are also wary of the changes in our top combat forces."

"Ah, you mean they're spying on whether our lord is in Huangzhou Prefecture?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "That's right."

Jin Yanzi said, "Then, we have to stop them!"

Zhang Dingbian said, "We are military commanders, and we are only responsible for fighting. Catching spies is the job of the police, so we don't need to get involved. Our lord must have already made arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Jin Yanzi nodded slightly and said, "Alright, Commander Zhang, I will return to the army to oversee things and prevent any trouble."

Zhang Dingbian nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble!"

Golden Swallow left without saying anything.

Meanwhile, inside the city, Zhou Wenfa's mansion was a small courtyard with three courtyards. Over the years, the Zhou family had made a lot of money by following Huangzhou Prefecture, transforming from small landlords into prominent gentry.

They made money by following Huangzhou Prefecture, and in principle he should be grateful to Huangzhou Prefecture. However, Huangzhou Prefecture is now in dire straits, and he has to consider the fate of his family. He cannot stand by and watch his family perish and be buried with Huangzhou Prefecture!
Therefore, he shared his idea of ​​helping Fuzhou with his partners in Fuzhou.

From then on, he became a traitor to Huangzhou Prefecture, and today, the spy from Fuzhou who had infiltrated Huangzhou Prefecture has come knocking on his door.

I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse!

Thinking it over, Zhou Wenfa went directly to the living room and met the spy from Fuzhou. The spy was dressed as a peddler and said to Zhou Wenfa, "Master Zhou, our general asked me to assign you a mission. If you do it well, it will be considered your pledge of loyalty. Even if the army breaks through the city, we will not harm your Zhou family in the slightest."

"If you don't do well, then all the conditions we discussed before are null and void. We won't protect your Zhou family even if the army breaches the city!" Hearing the vendor's words, Zhou Wenfa frowned and looked at him, saying, "Er Gouzi?"

The vendor then laughed and said, "Does Master Zhou still recognize me?"

Zhou Wenfa shook his head and said, "I never expected that you, a garbage collector, would actually be a spy from Fuzhou."

Er Gouzi smiled, thinking that this was also an opportunity; who knew why someone would take a liking to him.

Thinking this, Er Gouzi looked at Zhou Wenfa and said, "So, Master Zhou, I've delivered the message. I'll be leaving now."

"and many more!"

Zhou Wenfa looked at Er Gouzi and said, "Tell me the details of the mission. What am I supposed to do? You're just turning around and leaving without saying anything, what's the meaning of this?"

"Huh? Didn't I mention the mission?"

Er Gouzi was taken aback, then immediately said, "Oh, sorry, I was so nervous I forgot. They asked you to write to your fourth son, who is a commander in the army, to ask if the magistrate of Huangzhou Prefecture has returned."

"Hmm? The Lord of the Manor is back!"

Zhou Wenfa suddenly stood up, his eyes widening as he stared at Er Gouzi. Er Gouzi was startled and quickly looked at Zhou Wenfa, saying, "Master Zhou, why are you asking me? You should ask your son."

"By the way, after finding out the details, the message was sent to the Song family's oil and salt shop. The code was: 'Shopkeeper, do you have Shanxi aged vinegar?' The shopkeeper replied: 'We're out of vinegar. Would you like some fine Shaoxing wine?'"

After saying that, Er Gouzi said, "Then, Master Zhou, I'm leaving."

Zhou Wenfa then waved his hand and said to the gatekeeper, "Give them the two taels of silver."

The gatekeeper nodded slightly.

Zhou Wenfa's face was grim. Gathering military intelligence was a mission that could cost him his life. To assign him such a task was as if they wanted him to die sooner.

But if I don't spy on them...

At this point, Zhou Wenfa was caught in a dilemma.

At this moment, Er Gouzi looked at the two taels of silver in his hand, his eyes filled with surprise. Being a spy really pays better! Before, when he collected swill, he couldn't even earn two taels a year. Now, he was given two taels of silver just for delivering a message. He's really struck it rich.

It would be great if we could deliver it more often.

Er Gouzi shook the small silver ingot in his hand, somewhat disbelieving that it was real. Only after confirming that it was real did he put it in his pocket and then walk into a small alley.

In an instant, a sack was put over his head, and he was dragged to the yard next door. Then, several knives were held to his neck.

"Ah, sir, spare my life! I have money, I have money! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

As he spoke, Er Gouzi took out all the money he had earned, but at that moment a hand snatched the money away and said, "Take the sack off for him!"

Er Gouzi opened his eyes and saw several burly men in black. The one in the middle was probably the leader, with a knife hanging from his waist. However, this man looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Ah, you are Chief Zhou of the Police Station!"

Zhou Chu tossed the silver in his hand and said, "You know who I am? That makes things easier. Now that it's in my hands, are you going to tell the truth?"

Er Gouzi said, "I'll throw it all away!"

moment!

Zhou Chu said, "Go to the Song family's oil and salt shop and the Zhenfa Escort Agency to take control of the people."

"Yes!"

"As for him, throw him in jail and let the Ministry of Justice convict him."

"Yes!"

"Master Zhou, you can't send me to jail! I've already done it, sob sob..."

His mouth was instantly sealed shut.

A group of people dragged him away without saying a word. You dared to be a spy, and they thought they could let you off easily? What were you thinking?

At this moment, one of his men looked at Zhou Chu and said, "Chief, should Zhou Wenfa be detained?"

Zhou Chu said, "No rush. Let's wait until he sends the letter out. It'll be a good opportunity to see if our Qinglong Army commander is a traitor."

……

At this moment, Zhou Wenfa looked at the letter in his hand, the ink still wet, and took a deep breath. Once this letter was sent out, there would be no turning back for the Zhou family. Although he had previously expressed his loyalty to the people outside the city, it was only verbal and could still be justified.

Now that I've sent this letter out, it's no longer just talk; it's... a real spy operation.

The true extent of the Zhou family's prosperity will be revealed today.

Thinking this, Zhou Wenfa closed his eyes, then opened them wide and immediately put the letter in an envelope, sealed it with wax, and said, "Butler, give this to the Fourth Young Master."

"Yes!"

……

"Chief, the butler has gone out."

At this moment, the patrol outside informed Director Zhou, who said, "Go, first take control of Zhou Wenfa."

Just as Zhou Wenfa saw the butler leave, a group of men rushed into the courtyard. The guards in the courtyard tried to stop them but were punched and sent flying. Then, the group of men came up to Zhou Wenfa and said, "Zhou Wenfa, we are the police. You are under arrest!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenfa looked at the person in front of him in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief, and finally with deep despair.

It's over, the Zhou family is finished!
Moreover, that letter ruined his own most promising fourth son!

Zhou Wenfa slumped to the ground, the cold shackles instantly fastening around his neck! (End of Chapter)