Chapter 89: Where Is Everyone?

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The morning light pierced the horizon as the first rays of dawn rose over the distant mountains.

Inside the East City.

The townsfolk gradually emerged from their homes, yet the thought of the hundred-thousand-strong rebel army outside the city walls filled them with unease. Unlike the soldiers of the Sui Dynasty, who received titles and rewards for their merits, the rebel leaders had no treasures to offer. After capturing a city, they often permitted looting, burning, and slaughter.

The people inside the city trembled at the thought of the rebel horde ravaging the lands beyond, bringing destruction wherever they went.

“Hey! Look over there!”

“Why is someone tied up?”

A few townspeople had just reached the city walls when they noticed a man hanging from the gate. Whispers quickly spread among the crowd.

Soon, the news circulated throughout the city, drawing more and more citizens to the city gate.

The venerable elders of the prominent Lin, Xu, and Lu families, accompanied by their descendants, also gathered beneath the East City gate. When they saw the man hanging there, they exchanged glances.

“Wu, Captain Wu, who is that man?”

Old Master Xu scanned the dense crowd and stepped forward to Wu Liuzu, pointing at the suspended figure and inquiring.

“That man was caught last night when Captain Fu led his men out of the city!” Wu Liuzu replied proudly, glancing at Xiang Yifeng.

“This man’s name is Xiang Yifeng, a general in the rebel army!” Wu Liuzu announced.

“What? He’s a rebel general?” Old Master Xu’s eyes widened in shock as he pointed at Xiang Yifeng.

Not only Old Master Xu, but Old Master Lu, Old Master Lin, and the gathered townsfolk were taken aback, murmuring among themselves.

“That man is actually a general from the rebel army outside the city…”

“The captain went out last night and captured a rebel general from the enemy’s ranks! How is that possible…”

Amid the bustling chatter, nearly everyone, including the elders like Old Master Lu, looked at each other in disbelief.

Last night, the captain didn’t just lead a sortie outside the city walls—he captured a rebel general and brought him back!

Who wouldn’t be bewildered by such news? Who would believe it?

After all, it was East City that was surrounded now, not the other way around.

Beneath the city gate.

Hearing the townsfolk’s conversations, Wu Liuzu couldn’t help but smile. Not only the people but even he himself initially doubted the truth of this matter.

Yet…

“Everyone, take a look!” Wu Liuzu shouted loudly. Before Old Masters Xu and Lu and the assembled crowd, he took from a wooden tray nearby Xiang Yifeng’s seal and sword.

“Today, everyone on the city walls can loudly challenge the rebel army outside to ask where their General Xiang is!”

Wu Liuzu called out with a smile.

Hearing his words and seeing the items in his hands, Old Masters Xu, Lu, and the crowd finally had no choice but to believe that the man hanging there truly was a general of the rebel army outside the city.

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Captain Fu really took advantage of the night to capture a rebel general and bring him into East City…

Captain Fu was truly formidable!

“The city’s defense looks promising!”

“With Captain Fu here, we can surely hold the city!”

These were not only the heartfelt hopes of the gathered townsfolk but also the sentiments of the venerable families.

Among those most shocked were the young heirs standing beside Old Masters Xu and Lu. In the past, these young men of East City had privately mocked Fu Zihou, calling him a cowardly officer.

Recalling those days, they often gossiped behind his back, ridiculing Fu Zihou’s title as a valiant officer. Now, facing the rebel army of a hundred thousand outside the city and seeing a rebel general hanging right before them, each man hung his head in shame.

Inside the mansion.

Fu Zihou lay fast asleep on his bed, having had little rest for over a day and night, his nerves taut until now. At last relaxed, he had fallen into a deep slumber.

The door slowly opened, and a woman quietly stepped inside.

As she approached the bedside and looked at the peacefully sleeping Fu Zihou, she reached out her hand—only to hear a voice suddenly speak.

“What are you doing?”

The woman turned to see a young girl watching her with a wary gaze.

“Miss Li?” Di Shi asked.

Cui Wenjin did not answer but, looking upon Di Shi’s enchanting face and figure, felt a strange discomfort. Step by step, she entered the room.

Seeing the clothes casually tossed beside Fu Zihou, Cui Wenjin understood Di Shi intended to take them.

Yet, despite knowing this, Cui Wenjin could not help but wonder why those garments concerned Di Shi at all.

When had it been Di Shi’s place to handle such matters?

Thinking this, Cui Wenjin silently picked up the clothes by the bed. Glancing at the still sleeping Fu Zihou, she knew how exhausted he had been these past days.

“I, Di Shi, am from Taiyuan and can be considered part of a respected family. I once happened to meet Li Huanzhu of the Longxi Li clan…” Just as Cui Wenjin, holding Fu Zihou’s worn garments, was about to leave, Di Shi’s voice came softly to her ear.

Instantly, Cui Wenjin’s expression shifted subtly, her face unreadable as she looked at Di Shi.

“Who exactly are you?”

Di Shi fixed her gaze on Cui Wenjin with keen interest.

“An ordinary person wouldn’t garner such concern and care from a young captain like you. A common noblewoman would never dare impersonate a child of a prestigious family.”

Di Shi watched Cui Wenjin closely. Though Cui Wenjin now wore simple clothes, Di Shi sensed that her background was no ordinary matter.

“Knowing too much isn’t good for you. Nor for your family,” Cui Wenjin whispered.

Di Shi’s smile froze. She glanced once more at Cui Wenjin, then at the sleeping Fu Zihou, quickly grasping the implication behind those words.

If she knew too much, she might be silenced in the future.

If it were anyone else, Di Shi would have scoffed, but looking into Cui Wenjin’s eyes, she found no cause for doubt.

“Well, I won’t ask further. Is he your man? If not, then I could…”

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Di Shi curled her lips, refraining from further questions, instead looking at the sleeping Fu Zihou. Yet before she could finish speaking—

“No!” Cui Wenjin’s eyes warned her sharply as she turned and walked toward the door.

“He already has a fiancée!” Cui Wenjin’s voice reached Di Shi’s ears. Di Shi couldn’t help but smile as she watched the young woman’s retreating figure. “Such a young girl,” she murmured.

…

“General Xiang was ambushed and captured?”

Early in the rebel camp, Zhen Zhaier heard this startling news.

Gathered around the map were Tang Zhenhao, Yang Boyue, Qin Guangzhi, along with strategists Cai Ran, Dou Lichuan, and others. Upon hearing the news, all frowned and exchanged uneasy glances.

How could this be possible?

Both East and West Cities of Jinyang were already surrounded, with troops guarding all roads leading to other prefectures.

Who would dare ambush Xiang Yifeng? And where would they take him?

“Could there be hidden Sui troops outside the city?” Cai Ran asked doubtfully.

“Impossible!” Yang Boyue shook his head. When the army arrived, he dispatched troops to patrol around Jinyang. There could be no hidden Sui forces.

“Were there any unusual signs last night from the patrols outside East City?” Zhen Zhaier turned to an aide for information.

“Reporting to the general! Several sentries outside East City were killed last night, but the patrols and covert scouts found nothing unusual. No signs of missing men or further killings today.”

Hearing this, everyone in the tent dismissed the possibility of East City’s involvement.

Sentinels being killed was as common as scouts falling on the battlefield—it happened almost every night.

Not only East City but also West City across the Fen River faced the same. Soldiers continually tried to slip out to gather intelligence or seek reinforcements.

What truly mattered were the patrols and covert scouts. Sentries could be overcome with numbers and time, but patrols and scouts operated in darkness without light. Usually, if one side was discovered, the other had already been spotted.

Sentries could be wiped out by sheer force, but covert scouts could not vanish without a trace.

“Who could it be? And where?” Zhen Zhaier pondered upon the aide’s report, unsurprised.

He remained deeply confident in his defensive arrangements. Without detailed plans, no general in the world could bypass their defenses undetected.

With East City ruled out, only two possibilities remained: either the enemy hid in the deep mountains around Jinyang, which Yang Boyue’s men had already searched with no success, or they were within the camp itself.

The former seemed unlikely to Zhen Zhaier, but the latter chilled him to the bone, sending a shiver down his spine.