amaotonovel Chapter 325 Luo Tong's defenses are completely breached
Chapter 325 Luo Tong's defenses are completely breached
Under the watchful eyes of Wang Bin and Zhu Kang, the farmer stepped forward nervously and said, "After receiving the reward from the county government, I notified the villagers to be on the lookout for strangers, but no one, including myself, took it too seriously. After all, our Jitou Village is too remote; even stray dogs from neighboring villages don't usually come here, let alone strangers..."
Cheng Li, annoyed by the rambling, said, "Can't you just get to the point? Where is Luo Tong?"
The farmer quickly replied, "At Jitou Ridge, this afternoon when I was working in the field, two people suddenly came down from the mountain. They were cursing as they walked, and the cursing was really nasty. But the gist of it was that they were sleeping peacefully in the cave when a group of men suddenly rushed in and scared them away. They also said that one of the middle-aged men looked a lot like Luo Cheng."
"Oh, right, they also said there was a really hot girl in that group, and if they were lucky enough to spend a night with her... hehe..."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Li and Zhu Kang instinctively looked up at Wang Bin. Wang Bin rubbed his nose and chuckled, "That guy is probably Luo Cheng. The girl must be Yao Yao. Let's go to Jitou Ridge to catch him. If we're too late, Luo Tong might escape."
Cheng Li stroked his beard and said, "Zhu Kang, you followed General Guan to resist Zhang Cheng back then, so you should know the terrain of Jitou Ridge. You lead a group of men to attack from the front, and I will lead another group to enter from the cave entrance in the back mountain. Let's try to capture Luo Tong before dark, so that everyone can get a good night's sleep."
The caves at Jitou Ridge are located halfway up the mountain, and there is only one road leading up to them. Moreover, the caves inside are intricate and complex, and people unfamiliar with the terrain can easily get lost. But this did not stump Cheng Li. Before meeting Guan Xing, he and Feng Tiezhu had been imprisoned in the caves by the Bee King Yan Zhen for several years and worked illegally. He knew the cave terrain like the back of his hand.
After meeting Guan Xing, they evacuated together through a secret passage behind the cave. Knowing the location of the secret passage, he was the perfect person to lead the team.
Upon hearing this, Wang Bin asked anxiously, "What about me?"
Cheng Li said, "You continue to oversee the steel mill to prevent any accidents. The Luo clan has many members, and who knows if Luo Tong will play the trick of feigning an attack while secretly advancing. Besides, don't you think this news came too timely? We just issued the bounty and received news of Luo Tong's whereabouts. Would Luo Tong, the local tyrant of Wushang, be so careless?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Bin realized the problem and frowned, saying, "It is indeed too easy. It's like someone knew we were dozing off and immediately handed us a pillow. This is not normal."
Cheng Li said, "So you have to guard the steel mill and not give the enemy any opportunity. As for Luo Tong, now that we know where he is hiding, we have to go there. Let's take it one step at a time. That's the decision. Let's move out."
The steel plant was garrisoned by an entire battalion of soldiers. The battalion was divided into three groups: Cheng Li and Zhu Kang each led one group, while the remaining group stayed behind to guard the steel plant with Wang Bin.
Cheng Li and Zhu Kang led their troops out, and half an hour later they split up at the foot of Jitou Ridge. Zhu Kang was in charge of the frontal attack, while Cheng Li rushed to the entrance of the secret passage in the back mountain. When they arrived at the entrance of the secret passage, they left a troop of soldiers to ambush nearby to prevent any escapees. The others moved the rubble at the entrance of the cave and followed Cheng Li into the cave.
Meanwhile, deep inside the cave.
Luo Tong and his nephew Luo Cheng sat in the spot where Feng Tiezhu had forged the blacksmith that day, along with several clansmen, lost in thought.
Luo Tong grew angrier the more he thought about it. Gnawing on his dry rations, he gritted his teeth and said, "I never imagined the steel mill was so heavily guarded, and the officials Guan Xing appointed were so vigilant. Damn it..."
He's the real local bully in Wushang. He thought it would be easy to get things done in his own backyard, but when he actually tried, he found it was incredibly difficult. How could this damned world suddenly become something he doesn't recognize?
Luo Cheng said, "We're too close to the county town. Should we go deeper into the mountains and hide somewhere else?"
He had been hiding and running away these days, truly terrified of being chased by the Han army.
Luo Tong, however, said confidently, "No need. First, we've shaken off the Han army's spies, so they don't know our location. Second, Guan Xing fought Zhang Cheng here, and after the battle, the Han army stopped paying attention to this place, so it's been abandoned. We're hiding here in the dark, and the Han army won't think of us. Furthermore, things aren't over yet. We still need to find a way to break into the steel mill. It's close to the county town, which makes it convenient for our operation."
Luo Cheng thought about it and agreed, so he stopped arguing and continued to ask, "So what do we do next?"
Luo Tong pondered, "If we can't catch the general, we'll catch the soldiers. There are three hundred craftsmen in the steel mill. I don't believe that all of their families are as heavily guarded as the Feng family. You should double-check the backgrounds of these craftsmen and choose one or two as a breakthrough point. Kidnap their parents and children, and have their wives lure the craftsmen back by claiming that their parents and children are seriously ill. Then kidnap the craftsmen on their way back to the county government after leaving the steel mill. Once you've kidnapped the craftsmen, leave. After all, we want the craftsmen themselves, not their wives and children."
"But to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, we will make a backup plan by selecting one or two craftsmen from the family to try to infiltrate the steel mill and become apprentices of Feng Tiezhu to learn his skills. After they have mastered the skills, they will leave the steel mill and return to the family."
"Although this method takes longer, it's safer. If we don't have any craftsmen, we can borrow them from other families. I don't believe we can't find a few blacksmiths among the many noble families in Wushang."
"Clap clap clap..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of crisp claps rang out behind him, startling Luo Tong and his nephew, who turned around abruptly, their expressions changing drastically.
They were horrified to discover that a bearded old man had appeared beside the stalactites a few meters away, smiling at them.
Seeing them looking over, the old man clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "General Luo, do you still remember Cheng Li? I treated your grandmother ten years ago."
Luo Tong quickly scanned his surroundings, and after confirming that no one was nearby, he stared at Cheng Li and said unhappily, "Commander Cheng, I've long admired your name."
He certainly knew Cheng Li, a renowned physician in Wushang and even Kuaiji Prefecture, whose treatments were sought by almost all the major clans of Kuaiji.
But this old man, instead of being a good divine doctor, actually followed the example of the aristocracy and entered the officialdom. Moreover, his promotion speed was faster than the arrow that Lu Bu shot when he shot the halberd at the gate. In just a few days, he was promoted to the position of prefectural commander.
Cheng Li laughed and said, "Stop looking. We have people behind you and down the mountain. You are surrounded in the mountain cave and have nowhere to escape. You might as well surrender and save yourself some dignity."
After speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and all the Han soldiers hiding behind the other stalactites emerged and quickly gathered around Cheng Li, drawing their bows and aiming at Luo Tong and his nephew.
Luo Tong's heart sank to the bottom, and he sighed helplessly, "Surrender is not impossible, but there are two questions I would like to ask Commander Cheng to answer for me. First, didn't you go to Zhuji? When did you return? Second, how did you know I was here?"
He clearly chased away the spies from the Han army who were tailing him, so how could Cheng Li know that he was here and easily get close to him?
Cheng Li smiled and said, "Let me answer your second question first. Someone told the villagers down the mountain that you were in Jitou Ridge. The villagers immediately reported it to the county government. At first, I didn't believe it. After all, the news came too easily. There was obviously a trap. But after seeing you, I understand. You were betrayed."
Luo Tong's face turned ashen instantly, as if struck by a powerful blow. He asked in a chilling tone, "Who betrayed us?"
He has been away from Wushang for many years and has not offended any locals. Even if he had, so what? He returned secretly and could not possibly have told his enemies about his whereabouts.
Moreover, he had only just arrived at Jitou Ridge, and his enemies clearly had no time to investigate him. In such a short time, the only person who could have sent the message to the county government was someone who had come to Jitou Ridge with him. Who could it be? Could it be Luo Cheng?
Before he could figure it out, Cheng Li continued, "Now to answer your first question, I not only went to Zhuji but also to Shanyin. I met General He Qi in Shanyin. He Qi, Yu Shaoquan, Shang, and others have all been arrested. Are you sure you want to continue struggling?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Tong could no longer hold back and completely broke down, screaming in shock, "What? He Qi has been arrested too?"