A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

The Wang family only has a few dozen guards and servants, which is no match for the people from Lingtou Village.

However, if Lingtou Village is truly undefended now, and if this opportunity is missed, it will be too late once Chen Mo and the others have actually moved away.

"You're also a rebel, why should I believe you?"

Wang Laoqi looked up at Hu Jin, his tone quite cold.

"I'm willing to stake my life on it!"

Hu Jin immediately knelt down and kowtowed again.

"I know several plots of land belonging to the village on Black Wind Ridge, as well as where they hide their supplies. If you're willing to give me a chance, I'm willing to guide the government and wipe out those rebels in one fell swoop!"

He knew that only by offering enough incentives could he gain Wang Laoqi's trust.

Upon hearing these words, Wang Laoqi's eyes lit up.

Are there fields in Black Wind Ridge, or places where supplies are hidden?

This was the intelligence he had been dreaming of!

If we can really destroy Chen Mo's stronghold in one fell swoop, we can not only avenge the murder of our son, but also take back everything that was stolen, and even take the opportunity to annex Lingtou Village.

The Wang family is now severely weakened, and action must be taken.

Now that Hu Jin is going to be the Wang family's lackey again, Wang Laoqi is unwilling to give up this opportunity.

"What is your purpose?"

Wang Laoqi did not completely believe it.

"My only request is that after the government quells the rebellion, we can return to the village and continue to serve Wang Laoqi, even as slaves!"

Hu Jin said sincerely.

"Let's put that aside for now. I just want to ask you, are there really any bandits from Qingfeng Village in Lingtou Village?"

Wang Laoqi asked.

"Definitely not. I heard that the bandits came to help once before and then left. The people in the village now are the group that Chen Mo brought, and I also took a dozen or twenty people with me. They simply don't have enough manpower."

Hu Jin truthfully stated.

He wasn't originally a core member of Chen Mo's group, and he didn't know much about the village.

"You should know what will happen if you dare to lie to me..."

Wang Laoqi frowned, his tone carrying a hint of threat.

"I would never dare to deceive Master Wang. If I have uttered even the slightest lie, I will accept whatever punishment Master Wang may impose upon me!"

Hu Jin quickly became the central figure.

Wang Laoqi remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.

He now has no way out. Rather than sitting and waiting for the government troops to come, he might as well take the initiative and try.

We absolutely cannot let Chen Mo escape.

Wang Laoqi didn't want anyone else to get involved, lest the Huang family take the opportunity to make exorbitant demands again.

"You're coming with me to the government office now. Tell them everything about Chen Mo's plan. Also, your family must stay in Shannan Town. I'll let them go once it's done."

Wang Laoqi spoke slowly.

Hu Jin's heart sank. He knew perfectly well that Wang Laoqi was going to take his family hostage.

But now, he has no other choice.

"Yes, sir!"

Hu Jin gritted his teeth and quickly agreed.

Seeing his flustered appearance, Wang Laoqi felt even more relieved.

If what Hu Jin said is true, Wang Laoqi can take advantage of the government to launch a surprise attack on Lingtou Village.

If Hu Jin was deceiving him, then he should kill Hu Jin's entire family to vent his anger.

Although the government is currently short-handed, Wang Laoqi already has another plan in mind.

……

North City.

The Huang family mansion.

Huang Chengyue's face was quite gloomy when he saw Wang Laoqi visiting again.

"You mean, Lingtou Village is currently undefended, making it a perfect opportunity to attack?"

Huang Chengyue repeated what he said.

"That's right, Master Huang. Now Chen Mo and his group of rebels are trying to retreat to Black Wind Ridge. As long as we take over Lingtou Village, we will completely cut off their retreat route."

Wang Laoqi said respectfully.

"and then?"

Huang Chengyue picked up the teacup, looking rather impatient.

"Then we can send troops to seize the grain they have hidden in Black Wind Ridge, and wipe out these rebels in one fell swoop. We can't wait for the government troops to arrive; we must act quickly. All the government needs to do is send some manpower; I have another way to deal with Lingtou Village."

Wang Laoqi said again.

"Master Wang, do you think the government is your personal army, ready to fight and leave at any time? You lost half your men in the previous siege of Lingtou Village, and now the North City government can't even muster a hundred men."

Huang Chengyue's eyes turned cold, clearly indicating that he was going to refuse Wang Laoqi's words.

Although Huang Chengyue also wanted to take immediate action against Lingtou Village to avenge his previous humiliation, he preferred to wait quietly for the government troops to arrive and let them make their move rather than let the government take the risk themselves.

County Magistrate Yang Lide is still lying in a hospital bed, and most of the affairs in Beicheng are handled by Huang Chengyue.

If anything goes wrong again, I'm afraid those bandits from Qingfeng Village will get away with it.

"Mr. Huang, I have another idea!"

Wang Laoqi stepped forward and said.

"speak."

Huang Chengyue took a sip of tea and looked at Wang Laoqi.

"There are at least four or five hundred refugees around the North City. We can gather these people together and let them fight against Lingtou Village."

Wang Laoqi said.

"Refugees?"

Huang Chengyue put down his teacup and raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, these people are very obedient. They'll do anything for food. If we give them some grain and order them to besiege Lingtou Village, even if they can't break into the village, they can still delay Chen Mo's retreat. Once the Zhenbei Army arrives, they'll be trapped like turtles in a jar!"

Wang Laoqi looked excited.

"Even the government can't subdue these rebels, and you expect a bunch of rabble to do it? If I remember correctly, you used refugees to deal with Lingtou Village last time, but they ended up robbing your grain shop..."

Huang Chengyue said with a disdainful expression.

The group of refugees outside the north city originally numbered in the thousands, surviving on government relief grain. Now, most of them have died, and many have joined the ranks of bandits, making them a real threat.

Hearing Huang Chengyue's words, Wang Laoqi blushed.

He originally intended to use the refugees to cause chaos, but he didn't expect it to get out of control and even kill people, which alarmed the government troops.

The matter has blown up, so it's no wonder Huang Chengyue found out.

"Master Huang, that was just an accident. The situation is different now. Chen Mo needs to move supplies, and there aren't enough people to guard the stronghold. It's perfect to let the refugees do it, and besides..."

As Wang Laoqi spoke, he suddenly paused, observing Huang Chengyue's expression.

Seeing that Huang Chengyue reacted slightly, he continued, "Moreover, these refugees are a hidden danger. If we can use them to weaken Chen Mo, even if we fail, we can also eliminate this scourge. This would be a good thing for both Beicheng and you, Master Huang."

"I don't want all the refugees to die."

Huang Chengyue, however, said...

In this chaotic world, refugees are indeed a hidden danger.

But for the Huang family, it was also a way to make money.

It should be noted that, although it was a year of famine, in order to prevent the increase of bandits in various places, the imperial court would occasionally transport disaster relief grain from the prosperous Jiangnan region and deliver it to the refugees.

These disaster relief grains had to go through the hands of the government.

Wang Laoqi saw through Huang Chengyue's intentions; after all, he had done this kind of thing many times before.