Chapter 515: Hidden Deep! (Thanks to book friend Long Xiao 111 for the reward!)

Cui Shao, who had not yet left, sat in his seat. He seemed to be very interested in the "Legend of the White Snake" being performed on the stage in front of him. His eyes never left the stage. Although it seemed so on the surface, he actually lowered his voice and said:

"Someone from the Murong family is coming..."

An Miaoyi, who was sitting beside him, felt depressed when she heard Cui Shao's words. She knew that Cui Shao's coming at this time today would definitely not bring any good news. She hesitated for a moment and asked:
"Who's coming?"

"Murong Hui!"

Still watching the Legend of the White Snake on the stage with great interest, Cui Shao quietly mentioned a name, and then continued:

"After Murong Yuliang joined the Fengwu Army and served as the Liaoyang Censor, the Murong family has been paying attention to Ye Mingsheng. Now that Ye Mingsheng has invaded Youyan and seized Yijing, he has already demonstrated his ability to dominate the world. If my expectations are met, it won't be long before the Murong family will contact Ye Mingsheng!"

"And the most important point is that he has arranged for me to go to Youyan as the governor and let Murong Yuliang take my place!"

Before Cui Shao finished speaking, An Miaoyi's heart was already in turmoil. It did not surprise her that Ye Mingsheng transferred Cui Shao away. In fact, it was something she had expected. As Ye Mingsheng's bedside companion, she had always known that Ye Mingsheng had been guarding against the power of the aristocratic families, and was also deeply afraid of Cui Shao, the biggest local tyrant in Liaoyang.

It was almost certain that Cui Shao would be transferred to Youyan, but An Miaoyi originally thought that Gu Sansi would replace Cui Shao, and never thought that it would be Murong Yuliang. After all, Murong Yuliang was also from an aristocratic family, and he was the second master of the top Murong family, whose strength was far superior to that of the Cui family...
After calming down her emotions, An Miaoyi continued to ask:
"Uncle, how did you know it was Murong Yuliang? Did he tell you before he left?"

Cui Shao said calmly:
"Of course not, why would he tell me this! But he has talked to Murong Yuliang!"

An Miaoyi was really shocked when he heard this, and subconsciously looked at Cui Shao beside her, but the next second she realized that she had lost her composure and turned back. Although Cui Shao's words were very calm and there was no ripple at all, she was very clear about the subtext of Murong Yuliang's words!
For such an important matter as the successor to the governor, given Cui Shao's cautious and steady personality, if he was not absolutely sure, he would never tell me, let alone come to the Governor's Mansion in such a hurry, so the authenticity of this matter is beyond doubt!
Murong Yuliang has been in the officialdom for decades, and he is not a rookie who does not know the importance of things. He would naturally not publicize what Ye Mingsheng told him. At most, he would talk about it with a few close confidants around him. The fact that Cui Shao knows about it now means one thing: someone close to Murong Yuliang secretly defected to Cui Shao and tipped him off!

Looking at An Miaoyi who had fallen into silence, Cui Shao seemed to have sensed his niece's inner thoughts and said with a faint smile:

“Miaoyi, don’t forget that this is Liaoyang! Although the Murong family’s five generations and three elders are famous throughout the world, in the final analysis, a powerful dragon cannot defeat a local snake…”

Feeling the confidence in Cui Shao's words, An Miaoyi hesitated for a while and asked:

"Uncle, what do you think?"

"Get rid of that evil!" Cui Shao's eyes flashed with a fleeting murderous intent, and he said decisively:
An Miaoyi hesitated for a moment and said:
"I heard that she hasn't been out lately and has been staying at their house. How could she do that?"

Cui Shao replied calmly:

"She shouldn't go out because of Murong Yuliang's request. Things seem to be developing in a direction we don't want to see. But if they think they are safe at home, they are totally wrong. Miaoyi, I just need you to make a decision, and leave the rest to your uncle!"

After hearing this, An Miaoyi hesitated. Seeing An Miaoyi's indecisive look, Cui Shao persuaded her:
"This is our last chance. He only gave me ten days. After ten days, I will go to Youyan. After these ten days, the governor of Liaoyang will be named Murong. We will never have such a good opportunity again!"

"You and I both know their methods. If we let them gain power, they will certainly be greedy and insatiable. Then we will be in a very passive position. If we don't make a decision, we will suffer the consequences. Don't be soft-hearted at this time!"

“Miaoyi, if you don’t think about yourself, you should also think about Jingren. Don’t let the child hate you in the future…”

As soon as Cui Shao said the last sentence, An Miaoyi, who was still a little hesitant, seemed to realize something and her eyes instantly became firm. After taking a deep breath, she said in a deep voice:
"Then I'll leave it to you, uncle. Please do everything cleanly. Miaoyi and Yongren will both be grateful to you!"

After listening to An Miaoyi's reply, Cui Shao smiled and said lightly;

"rest assured!"

After he finished speaking, Cui Shao continued:
"After I go to Youyan, Dakai will come to Dongning. If there is anything, you can ask Qiqige to contact him. Dakai will also come to the mansion to see Yunmei during the holidays. Although I left Liaoyang, Cui Shang went to Lelang Prefecture to serve as the prefect, and Xiaowen was also re-employed and served as the Tongpan in Dongning Prefecture!"

An Miaoyi's eyes flashed with brilliance when she heard this, and she immediately said:
"Did you make a political exchange with him?"

Cui Shao nodded and said with a smile;

“The emperor doesn’t need hungry soldiers! If you want an old man like me to abandon my home and career and go to Youyan to fight to the death with those bastards, you must give me some sweetness. But actually, I have lived in Liaoyang for a long time, and I also want to meet the heroes of the world..." Cui Shao, whose voice had been calm all the time, couldn't help but show a sense of eagerness to try at the end. Under his leadership, the Cui family has become the largest family outside the Great Wall. In Liaoyang, unless they rebel, the Cui family has nowhere to go. So even though he knew that Ye Mingsheng wanted to use himself to balance the local faction in Youyan, Cui Shao was willing to be fooled and act as a pawn for Ye Mingsheng!

An Miaoyi nodded silently. They had almost finished talking about the business. Cui Shao reminded An Miaoyi to take care of her health and then got up and left the yard. Even though he was the elder, cousin of Ye Cui and uncle of An Miaoyi, there was a difference between men and women after all, so he couldn't stay in the backyard with the women for long.

After saying goodbye to Cui Shao, An Miaoyi watched Cui Shao leave. Looking at Cui Shao's back, she felt infinite emotion in her heart.

Before, Ye Mingsheng had clearly already dismembered the alliance of the Liaoyang aristocratic families by striking at the Gongsun family and the Yun family, leaving the Cui family isolated and helpless. However, even so, Ye Mingsheng was still very cautious and careless towards Cui Shao. An Miaoyi originally thought that Ye Mingsheng was too afraid of Cui Shao.

But now it seems that Ye Mingsheng is right. Cui Shao, this old fox, is really hiding his true strength. He has even hidden a ghost next to Murong Yuliang. I just wonder if he has the same method of treating Murong Yuliang next to Ye Mingsheng.

Just as An Miaoyi was sighing in her heart, no one noticed that in a hidden corner more than ten feet away, a white figure was quietly watching her. No one knew how long she had been standing there, or whether she had heard the secret conversation between An Miaoyi and Cui Shao...
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Just as the Fengwu Army and the Yan Army were waging a war of public opinion on the land of Yan and Zhao, a new storm was forming not far away in Qi, Lu and Huainan.

Qilu, Guyang County.

Liu Guodong, the commander of the Anqing Army, was looking at Guyang County in front of him with great pride. His scouts had already found out that the large Guyang County force had gone to support Langya Prefecture, and there were only more than a thousand Qi troops in the city. This was the best time for him to take over Guyang County after lurking for many days.

After observing the city defenses of Guyang County, Liu Guodong waved his hand and one of his captains rode out of the formation and galloped to the foot of Guyang City, shouting:

“Our army is under the command of General Liu Guodong of the Anqing Army. We heard that you were committing evil deeds in Guyang City, so we came here to rescue the people in the city. If you don’t want to be torn to pieces, then quickly leave the city and surrender. Our general is a benevolent and righteous man. As long as you lay down your weapons, he will never embarrass you…”

Liu Guodong, riding on a tall horse, listened to his men's shouts, his square face full of arrogance. As the elder Yun of the Anqing army, he was naturally dissatisfied with Xu Zhaojie's powerful airborne attack, but the situation was stronger than the man, so he could only suppress his resentment and be loyal to Xu Zhaojie on the surface.

However, in secret, Liu Guodong has already contacted Feng Keqin, the governor of Huainan. Feng Keqin has said that as long as he can assist the Huai Army in defeating the Qi Army from the flank, then when Licheng City is broken and Qi-Lu Inspector General Cao Changping dies, that will be the day when the Huai Army will help him overthrow Xu Zhaojie and take the position of Inspector General of Anqing.

What Liu Guodong needs to do now is to remain patient and not let others notice any clues. This time Xu Zhaojie sent him to attack Guyang City, which is exactly what Liu Guodong wants. He has already secretly defected to Feng Keqin, so now is the time for him to perform well and show his loyalty to Feng Keqin!
Although he was thinking about taking Guyang County as soon as possible and supporting Feng Keqin in the direction of Langya from the flank, with his 5,000 soldiers, there was no suspense in conquering the Guyang County in front of him.

Although there are few soldiers and horses in Guyang County, as the western gate of Qi and Lu, the city defense facilities of Guyang County are still very complete. Although they can win if a battle really breaks out, there will inevitably be some casualties. In this chaotic world, soldiers and horses are the greatest asset in one's hands.

The 5,000 soldiers under Liu Guodong’s command were brought out by him alone, and he wished he could split one man into two to serve as two. So if he could persuade the enemy to surrender and seize Guyang County without spending a single soldier, that would naturally be the best thing...

Just when Liu Guodong was imagining that the Qi army in Guyang City would open the city gates and surrender under the pressure of his momentum, suddenly an arrow shot out from the battlements of Guyang City. The arrow was so cold and fast that the leader of the Anqing army, who was shouting to persuade them to surrender, had no time to react and was pierced through the throat by the arrow and fell off his horse.

This scene shocked Liu Guodong greatly, and he immediately became furious when he reacted. He never expected that there were only a thousand defenders left in the city, and the defenders of Guyang County dared to be so rampant and actually shot and killed his surrender envoy with an arrow. Are they really not afraid of death?
Driven by anger, Liu Guodong did not hesitate at all. With veins bulging and a ferocious look on his face, he drew out the sword in his hand and swung it towards Guyang County in front of him, roaring wildly:
"Attack the city! All forces attack! Leave no defenders alive!"

Under Liu Guodong's command, the 5,000 Anqing troops under his command, who had been ready for a long time, pushed battering rams, held ladders, and carried shields, and launched an attack on Guyang County under the cover of their companions' rain of arrows, amid a majestic drum sound. For a moment, shouts of killing were heard everywhere, and countless stray arrows flew across the battlefield.

“Charge...Kill...Kill all these bastards...”

With his eyes fixed on the top of Guyang County, Liu Guodong was waiting for his men to cut down the flag and seize the general so as to vent his hatred. However, to Liu Guodong's surprise, the battle had lasted for an incense stick of time. Although the Anqing army rushed to the top of the city many times, they were quickly beaten down without exception and could not stand on the opponent's city wall at all.

As a veteran soldier who had been through many battles, Liu Guodong was a little overwhelmed by anger at this time, but his many years of experience on the battlefield still kept him aware of something unusual. The Guyang County City was definitely not as his scouts had discovered in the intelligence, with only a mere one thousand or so defenders!
Realizing this, Liu Guodong's face changed immediately. He didn't have time to ask the scouts what was going on, so he directly ordered his men around him:

"Ming Jin withdraws his troops!"

Although no one knew why Liu Guodong, who had threatened to kill all the defenders an incense stick ago, was now willing to give in and withdraw his troops, his subordinates still faithfully carried out Liu Guodong's military orders and beat the drums to retreat. As the drums sounded, the Anqing army, which had been attacking the city with all its might, immediately withdrew slowly like a tide.

Although Zhao Fuqu reacted quickly, it was unfortunately too late. Just when Liu Guodong was anxiously praying to God that it was a waste of time and Guyang County was not a trap.

Several cannon shots suddenly rang out on the left and right sides of the Anqing army. Then, on the left and right wings of the Anqing army, thousands of fully armed Qi soldiers rushed towards them at full speed...

(End of this chapter)