Chapter 94

Xin Jianli picked up the wine bottle in front of him and placed it in front of Jiandao. Jiandao, with red eyes, picked up the wine bottle, put the spout in his mouth, and gulped down the wine in one breath until the bottle was empty.

"Qin Lao in the princess's side, he is the great contributor who has escorted the princess safely all the way." Jiandao stared at Xin Jianli with wide eyes.

Xin Jianli nodded, "You can rest assured about this. Once Qin Feng arrives in the capital, he will be secretly arrested. He won't be an obstacle to you."

Jiandao let out a long breath, lowered his head, and looked at the empty wine glass in front of him.

"Are you afraid of him?" Xin Jianli asked with a smile.

"Not just afraid, but also respectful." Jiandao raised his head, "I came to the suicide battalion from Qiushui City as a complete novice. If it weren't for Qin Lao, I wouldn't have survived. In the suicide battalion, he taught me how to fight, how to lead and train troops, and how to survive like a wolf."

Xin Jianli nodded, looking at him with understanding, "I understand your feelings. He is like a second parent to you. Now, betraying him must be hard on your heart. We are all born of our parents, who can't harbor a sense of gratitude? However, Deputy Captain Duan, you must understand that what Qin Feng has done for you is a small favor, while what we are asking you to do is a great cause. You can imagine, if the things the Crown Prince is doing are exposed, wouldn't the royal family lose all its prestige? Without prestige, how can the royal family rule the country? How can it lead the Great Chu forward? Therefore, the royal family cannot afford to lose this face. So, the suicide battalion has to be sacrificed. This is an unavoidable matter. Moreover, dying for the emperor is not a disgrace. Under the sky, all are the emperor's subjects; on the land, all are the emperor's territory. Serving the country and the emperor with loyalty is our duty as subjects."

Jiandao sneered.

"You called me here, of course, because you know you can't handle the suicide battalion on your own. What do you plan to do?"

"Everyone in the suicide battalion, except you, will be eliminated." Xin Jianli's eyes turned from sorrowful to cold, "I believe you wouldn't want to see your former comrades in the future."

Jiandao drew a sharp breath, "If you want to frame the suicide battalion, taking just a few of the main officers and deputy officers would be enough. Why do you have to kill even the ordinary soldiers?"

"This is based on the overall evaluation of the suicide battalion by our Internal Guard. Deputy Captain Duan, if we only needed to take a few key people, do you think we would need you?" Xin Jianli said coldly, "You should be grateful for the Crown Prince's decision. Otherwise, you would also be on the death list."

Jiandao was silent for a moment, "The combat power of the suicide battalion is second to none in the western border army. There is no army in Anyang City that can match them. With the virtually useless Anyang county troops, even if I act as an insider, these county troops will only be slaughtered."

Jiandao spoke frankly, completely ignoring the fact that Yang Yi's face had turned as red as a cooked shrimp, sitting uncomfortably.

"We know this, and I can honestly tell you that the Crown Prince cannot send troops here, and there are no troops to send from the surrounding areas. We can only rely on these virtually useless troops, which is exactly why we are counting on you." Xin Jianli smiled, "I believe in your ability. You will find a way, won't you?"

The room fell silent, only the heavy breathing of the few people remained. Jiandao held the chopsticks and absentmindedly poked at the plate in front of him. After a while, he slowly said, "To completely annihilate the entire suicide battalion, two things must be done. First, the three battalions of the suicide battalion must be separated so they cannot support each other. Second, they must be lured to a place where they cannot deploy, a place that is absolutely advantageous for the county troops, and equipped with corresponding bows and crossbows. If it comes to close combat, the county troops will surely lose."

"You mean, we must first bring the suicide battalion into the city to have a chance?" Yang Yi finally had a chance to speak.

"Exactly. Now, the suicide battalion has established a complete position on Maor Mountain and set up a camp outside the city with numerous traps. Even the West Qin Thunder Army would not be able to annihilate the suicide battalion without paying a heavy price. The only way out is to bring them into the city and disperse them." Jiandao said in a low voice.

"That's easy." Yang Yi said happily, "To bring them into the city, the county magistrate can be asked to intervene. As for the accommodation, we can provide several places for them. I can guarantee that the places we provide will make it impossible for them to counterattack when attacked."

Xin Jianli smiled and clapped his hands lightly, "Good, very good. But getting them into the city won't be that easy, will it? The relationship between the suicide battalion and the county troops is not very harmonious. Can you handle this?"

"I can!" Jiandao took a deep breath, "Qin Lao and Doctor Shu are not here. The suicide battalion only has us three deputy captains left. Wild Dog is recuperating in Zhang Xiaomao's place in the city, not in the camp. Monk spends all his time in the brothel and is not in the camp either. The only one who stays in the camp all the time is me. So, bringing them into the city is not a problem."

"Very good, very good. It seems we chose the right person." Xin Jianli smiled, "You mentioned Doctor Shu. Who is Zhang Xiaomao?"

Jiandao looked at the other person, "These two must also be on your kill list. Zhang Xiaomao's real name is Zhang Xiaozheng, a colonel in the western border army's Chasing Wind Battalion, but he originally came from the suicide battalion and is a loyal follower of Qin Lao. This time, he survived because he was injured and did not go on the campaign."

Xin Jianli frowned, "The Internal Guard is really negligent. Such important intelligence was overlooked. If it weren't for you, we might have let an important person slip away. What about Doctor Shu?"

"He is a wandering doctor with superb medical skills, the best I have ever seen. Even I have been saved by him multiple times. He is my savior. But now he has left the suicide battalion and gone to the capital."

"Then why do you want to kill him? He is just a wandering doctor, how important can he be?" Xin Jianli asked in confusion.

"That's because you don't understand him. Doctor Shu's prestige in the suicide battalion is second only to Qin Lao. His feelings for the suicide battalion are something you can't understand. This time, the suicide battalion is stationed outside the city, facing hundreds of thousands of Qin troops. Even knowing it would be a certain death, he refused to leave. You think he is just a doctor, but he is more lethal than some martial arts experts, silent and invisible, impossible to guard against. If we leave him, one day we might all die without knowing why." Jiandao said grimly. "Since I have decided to be a traitor and go mad, I must do it thoroughly and eliminate all potential enemies."

"Very good!" Xin Jianli laughed heartily, "You are indeed a ruthless person. Now I believe you really did cut that guy's vital parts inch by inch with scissors. Doctor Shu went to the capital, that's like walking into a trap. Don't worry, he won't escape. As for Zhang Xiaozheng, since he is in Anyang City, we will take care of him too."

Jiandao glanced at Xin Jianli, "Lord Guo Jiuling is still in Anyang City."

"Yes, but this time I haven't met with him yet. There are too many people around him, and I'm afraid the news might leak. Once everything is planned, I will visit him. He is a trusted aide of the Crown Prince and an old general in the army. It's better to have him in charge to avoid any mistakes."

"Absolutely not!" Jiandao stood up suddenly, "Lord Guo was seriously injured in the Luoying Mountains and was sent to the suicide battalion by the West Qin people. Doctor Shu saved him from the brink of death. He has been recuperating in the suicide battalion for over a month and is very grateful to them. If you tell him this plan, and he feels sorry and leaks it, we will be the ones to die."

"Lord Guo is a trusted aide of the Crown Prince, how could he ruin the Crown Prince's big plans!" Xin Jianli said in confusion.

"Lord Guo comes from the army, and I see him as a man of great loyalty and righteousness." Jiandao said coldly, "We must be prepared for the worst. If you can't do this, I can't cooperate with you."

Xin Jianli looked at him for a while and nodded, "Alright, you are meticulous, and your concerns are not without reason. Since that's the case, I will inform Lord Guo after everything is done."