69novels Chapter 148 Taking Personal Action
Chapter 148 Taking Personal Action
After the meeting, Hong Qi lost his usual carefree attitude. He walked out with his head down, muttering to himself.
"Infiltrating and poisoning... Why was this task assigned to an old beggar like me? It's asking the impossible, truly asking the impossible... How can I poison someone without being detected...?"
He muttered to himself all the way back to the Beggars' Sect's base in Xiangyang.
"Master, you're back!" Young Lu Youjiao hurried forward, his face beaming with excitement. "The Emperor of the Song Dynasty really came to Xiangyang in person?"
"Ah... um, coming." Hong Qi replied absentmindedly.
"What did the official say? How are we supposed to fight the Jin soldiers outside the city?" Lu Youjiao rubbed his hands together, eager to get started. "This is the first time we brothers have fought alongside the government troops. We don't know if we'll get along. The brothers can't stand it anymore; they're just waiting to kill the Jin soldiers."
Hong Qi looked troubled and scratched his head: "We definitely have to fight, but... the methods are a bit underhanded."
"Despicable?" Lu Youjiao was stunned. "Boss, what do you mean by that?"
"What Chief Hong means is that we should use every means possible to deal with those inhuman barbarians."
A clear voice suddenly came from outside the door.
The two turned their heads and saw a young man dressed in a light blue outfit striding in.
Hong Qi's eyes widened in surprise: "You... how did you get here?"
Lu Youjiao didn't recognize Zhao Yu, but he thought the man's words were pleasing to the ear, so he immediately nodded in agreement: "This brother is right. Those Jin dogs burn, kill, loot, and commit all sorts of evil deeds. What's the point of talking about morality with them? We should be as ruthless as possible."
He turned to Hong Qi: "Chief, who is this brother...?"
"Oh...this is a friend of mine from the martial arts world, who came here especially to lend a hand." Hong Qi stammered, trying to cover up his words, his back sweating.
How could he dare say that this was the current emperor? If he did, the entire Beggars' Sect headquarters would be in an uproar.
"So you're a friend of the gang leader." Lu Youjiao laughed heartily, cupped his fists to Zhao Yu, and said, "Thank you for coming to help, brother. With a hero like you joining us, we're even more confident in killing the Jin soldiers."
Zhao Yu smiled and returned the greeting without saying anything more.
Hong Qi quickly changed the subject, patting Lu Youjiao on the shoulder: "Youjiao, go check if all the other brothers have arrived, count the number of people, and make sure they are all settled in."
"Okay!" Lu Youjiao didn't think much of it and happily ran out.
After everyone had left, Hong Qi pulled Zhao Yu into the inner room and said in a low voice, "My lord, what are you doing here, and why are you dressed like this? If someone recognizes you, things will get chaotic."
Zhao Yu smiled faintly: "Let me ask you, if we're talking about lightness skill, is there anyone in the entire Jianghu (martial arts world) of Xiangyang City who is better than me?"
Hong Qi was taken aback, and subconsciously shook his head: "Of course not."
Back when they competed in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, Zhao Yu's Lingbo Weibu technique was so skillful that even the four of them combined couldn't defeat him, a fact that Hong Qi acknowledged.
"That's settled then. Infiltrating the enemy camp to poison them is a matter of great importance to the success or failure of the army, and there's no room for error. You people in the martial arts world value your reputation. What if someone is soft-hearted or your actions are exposed, ruining the whole operation? It's safest if I go myself."
"No way." Hong Qi refused without even thinking. "You are the Emperor, how can you personally venture into dangerous territory? There are many enemies in the Jin camp. What will happen to the Song Dynasty if something goes wrong? This is absolutely unacceptable."
Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow: "How about we spar a bit and see if my martial arts have declined? If even I can't protect myself in the Jin camp, then anyone else going there will only be sending themselves to their deaths."
Hong Qi was speechless.
He knew in his heart that Zhao Yu's skills far surpassed his own in terms of stealth, agility, and one-on-one combat.
If we're talking about infiltrating the Jin camp, Zhao Yu going personally would be safer than anyone else.
But the other party was, after all, the emperor. Asking the emperor to do the work of poisoning seemed absurd no matter how you looked at it.
"Don't worry, I'll only operate in the shadows and won't reveal my identity." Zhao Yu patted his shoulder. "To outsiders, I'm just a friend of the underworld you invited. You don't need to give me any special treatment; just treat me like an ordinary brother."
Hong Qi hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't go against Zhao Yu's wishes.
He also knew that this matter was of great importance, and with Zhao Yu personally taking charge, the success rate was indeed much higher.
In the end, he could only sigh and reluctantly agree.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high, making it the perfect time to make a move.
In a dense forest outside Xiangyang City, dozens of carefully selected masters of light-footed martial arts gathered together.
Everyone was dressed in black night clothes, their faces covered with black cloths, and they had cloth bags hanging from their waists, which contained the medicine powder prepared by Lan Fenghuang.
Zhao Yu took some time to visit the Ming Dynasty and asked her for enough poison.
Hong Qi stood at the front of the group and lowered his voice to instruct, "Listen up, everyone. We'll split up later. Our targets are the kitchen, the well, and the stable. Be quick, and retreat immediately after you've taken them. No lingering, no greed for credit. If we're discovered, prioritize survival, understand?"
"Don't worry, Chief Hong," everyone responded in unison.
Hong Qi's gaze swept across the line, pausing for a moment on the tall, upright figure at the end, his heart still pounding with anxiety.
He took a deep breath and waved: "Let's go."
The group quietly left the dense forest and, under the cover of night, made their way towards the Jin camp.
After traveling for a short while, the dark outline of the camp ahead gradually became clear.
The tents stretched as far as the eye could see, campfires twinkled, and patrolling soldiers moved back and forth, commands ringing out incessantly, the security extremely tight.
The group crouched down behind a sloping hill. Hong Qi was about to signal for them to split up when he saw a figure flash past him. Zhao Yu, who was at the back, had already silently drifted away.
He skimmed the ground a few times, bypassed the outermost patrol post, and disappeared into the shadows of the camp.
Hong Qi was startled and almost cried out.
He gritted his teeth and had no choice but to proceed as planned, leading the others to infiltrate from different directions.
On the other side, Zhao Yu used the Lingbo Weibu technique, his figure elusive, moving freely between the camps.
Although the Jin soldiers on patrol were alert, they could only feel a slight breeze and could not see a single person.
He evaded the patrols and made his way straight to the grain and fodder camp in the back village.
The Jin army's provisions were piled up like mountains, guarded by soldiers, but they could not stop Zhao Yu.
He quietly moved to the upwind side, took out the powder from his pocket, and flicked it with his fingertip. The fine powder, as fine as dust, was carried by the wind and evenly scattered onto the grain sacks and haystacks.
After doing all this, he did not retreat immediately like the others.
Instead, he turned and headed towards the most central and heavily guarded area of the camp.
There, the banners of the Jurchens fluttered, marking the location of the vanguard general.
Zhao Yu's eyes turned slightly cold.
Now that we're here, we can't just poison them and leave.
Capturing enemy generals and flags is the best way to boost morale.