Chapter 123: He Renlong Diverts the Disaster

After inviting Flying Tiger to join him for breakfast, Li Yi left the auxiliary troops' camp to inspect the various unit garrisons. Since Longmen Town had plenty of buildings, there was no need to pitch tents.

Li Yi, accompanied by Buyan, conducted an inspection. Finding no evidence of gambling or brawling, he nodded with satisfaction. The Suijin Army had always prioritized military discipline and appearance, aiming to forge a well-disciplined iron force rather than a rogue army that harassed and harmed the people. Any violation of discipline was met with corporal punishment for minor offenses, or execution in public for major ones.

Upon returning to the tax office, the messenger sent to report their achievements to Hong Chengchou had already returned. Li Yi took the document, opened it, and frowned. He immediately ordered Gao Jie to summon the unit commanders for a meeting.

The commanders arrived shortly after. Li Yi handed them the document. "Take a look at this."

Gao Jie took the letter and read it carefully. Thanks to the literacy classes held previously, he could now recognize quite a few characters.

"Bang!" Gao Jie slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "This is absolutely outrageous!"

The others crowded around to see.

"This He Renlong is truly shameless! It was clearly us who fought tooth and nail to take Suijin Town, yet he has the gall to claim the credit," Liu Zongmin said angrily.

Gao Jie glared, shouting, "Commander, we must not let He Renlong steal our hard-earned merit!"

Li Yi looked at the indignant crowd and said with a smile, "He Renlong’s petty tricks are beneath contempt. Hong Chengchou’s attitude is already clear in the letter: he doesn't care about the truth. Whoever holds Longmen Town and keeps Wang Zuogua in check gets the credit. The most important thing right now is to hold Longmen Town."

Having said this, Li Yi looked at Gao Jie. "How is the city's defense?"

"As you ordered, we have set up many banners on the city walls and stationed men everywhere to keep watch. Anyone observing from the outside would certainly believe there are thousands of troops inside."

Li Yi nodded and turned to Gao Laoshi. "How are the defensive preparations coming along?"

Gao Laoshi replied quickly, "We have collected iron pots to boil 'gold juice' (excrement), transported stones to the city walls, and constructed arrow-blocking shields."

"From here on, the Second Unit will be responsible for the South Gate, and the Third Unit for the North Gate. Three auxiliary units will assist them. You must hold the line at all costs and block the rebels' advance." Li Yi issued his tactical orders.

Elsewhere, at the Longmen Water Stronghold, He Renlong and his border troops were hiding to avoid Miao Mei. Failing to capture Longmen Town or secure any justice had left He Renlong furious. He had preemptively reported his "achievements" to Hong Chengchou to usurp Li Yi’s credit, but upon receiving orders from Hong Chengchou to pin down Wang Zuogua, he found himself in a difficult spot.

A subordinate commander approached and said, "Sir, the rebels outnumber us by several times. This water stronghold has small walls and is easily breached; if the rebels attack in force, I fear we cannot hold them off."

He Renlong slammed his desk, cursing, "Hong Chengchou has ordered that anyone who retreats in the face of battle will be beheaded. So what if we can't hold them? It's better than retreating and being executed by Hong."

The commander looked around, then whispered, "Sir, let them fight someone else. If we can get the rebels to bypass us and attack Longmen Town instead, we might just escape this catastrophe."

He Renlong frowned. "But the rebels aren't my subordinates. Why would they listen to me?"

"The rebels are mostly greedy and cowardly. If we offer them silver to bribe their leaders and reveal the true situation at Longmen Town, they will surely launch a fierce assault on the town. We can then sit back and watch the tigers fight."

Hearing this, He Renlong’s brow relaxed, and he let out a hearty laugh. "That’s a good plan. The rebels want to reclaim the wealth in Longmen Town anyway. We'll watch Li Yi fight to the death. When he is defeated, we can retreat with a valid excuse."

"You are wise, sir," the commander flattered him.

That very day, He Renlong sent a trusted aide with five hundred taels of silver to Miao Mei’s camp. The idea of government troops colluding with rebels to sabotage their own side was unthinkable, yet it happened plainly and clearly.

After sending away He Renlong's aide, Miao Mei immediately summoned his subordinates to discuss the matter. He kept the five hundred taels of silver a secret, claiming only that He Renlong was unwilling to fight and had leaked the intelligence regarding Longmen Town.

When the rebel leaders learned that Longmen Town was defended by only three hundred government soldiers, they were shocked and skeptical. They knew that Flying Tiger had once guarded the town with two thousand men; how could it be captured by a mere three hundred? In their minds, the banners lining the walls and the dense presence of soldiers suggested a force of two or three thousand.