Chapter 97

Head hanging low, he walked down the deserted street, where the solitary clouds and the waning moon cast mottled shadows on the bluestone pavement, creating a scene reminiscent of a gloomy hell. Each step he took fell heavily on his own shadow. The entire street was devoid of light and human voices, filled only with boundless desolation. Since the invasion by the Western Qin, the curfew in Anyang City had not been lifted, and as soon as night fell, the city plunged into darkness.

From a corner, came the sound of heavy panting. Scissors stopped, raised his eyes, and saw a large, fat dog sitting there, tongue out, green eyes staring at him with a ghostly gaze.

Perhaps sensing the intense aura of death emanating from Scissors, the dog suddenly stood up, fur bristling, baring its sharp fangs, and began to bark fiercely, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

Looking at the dog opposite him, Scissors suddenly laughed, starting with a cold laugh, then growing louder until it almost turned into a maniacal laugh, bending over and even shedding tears. His knees slowly bent, and he knelt on the cold, empty street. His laughter gradually turned into sobs, heart-wrenching and soul-shattering, until the dog opposite him retracted its fangs, tucked its tail, and fled into the depths of the alley, hiding in the darkness and barking a few more times outside.

The sobs echoed loudly in the silent night, traveling far and wide. In the courtyard beside the street, a child's cry could be heard, but it was quickly muffled. Only from a distance, the faint sound of barking could be heard.

The Hat Mountain Suicide Corps.

The monk leaned against the tall flagpole of the Suicide Corps, watching a figure approach from afar, gradually appearing before him. The Suicide Corps, as always, had no fence, no trench, no obstacles, and the tents were scattered haphazardly on Hat Mountain, but only those who truly understood them knew the hidden dangers in this seemingly chaotic layout.

The monk had lost weight, and his hair had grown to about an inch. With his arms crossed, he watched Scissors stop before him. The two men glared at each other coldly. In the Suicide Corps, they were the ones who disliked each other the most. Scissors, due to the changes in his family, deeply despised men like the monk, who had been caught for womanizing. The monk, naturally, was not one to back down, and he and Scissors were always at odds, fighting every few days.

After a moment of mutual glaring, the monk suddenly sneered, "I thought you, Scissors, were a decent man, but it seems you couldn't resist running into the city to find a woman."

"Bullshit!" Scissors' response was brief and to the point.

"Still trying to hide it from me?" The monk walked up to Scissors, stretching his nose to sniff him, not fearing that Scissors would take the opportunity to punch him. "If you hadn't gone to find a woman, where did the scent of a woman come from?"

Scissors was taken aback. When he entered the Fragrant Tower earlier, two women had indeed clung to him, but just that much was enough to leave a scent on him? He raised his sleeve to sniff it, but only smelled alcohol and sweat, nothing else.

Seeing Scissors' action, the monk laughed heartily, "No matter how cunning you are, you still have to drink the water I, the monk, have used to wash my feet. You've been exposed, haven't you? I'm not a stray dog, but my nose is sharp. Just a little trick, and you revealed yourself. Ha ha ha, how will you have the face to say anything to me in the future?"

The monk danced around, looking more delighted than if he had won a fight with Scissors.

Scissors' face darkened, but he did not argue further about this issue. The monk knew his character well, and delving into this matter would inevitably bring up many unpleasant things. And those were things he did not want to mention.

"I went to see Little Cat," he said to the monk.

"Oh, to freeload on a meal? I must say, Little Cat's woman has hands like green onions and cooks a good meal," the monk nodded.

"There, I met Cheng Pingzhi."

"What did that corrupt official want from Little Cat? When a night owl enters a house, it's never a good sign. Whatever he wants, we won't do it!" the monk sneered.

It must be said that the onlooker is always the clearest. The monk, who had not seen Cheng Pingzhi, naturally had not seen his worried and heavy expression, and thus was not influenced by him. He made the most correct choice based on his own judgment and a basic assessment of Cheng Pingzhi. But unfortunately, this was only his choice. Among the three deputy commanders, the monk was the least decisive and the most conformist, so in the Suicide Corps, his unit always followed Qin Feng.

"Yang Yi, due to the downfall of Yang Yihé, shows signs of instability. Cheng Pingzhi is worried that Yang Yi might stage a mutiny, endangering the city's civilians. Therefore, he asked us to move into the city to balance the county troops. Little Cat agreed, and so did Wild Dog and I. Are you coming into the city?" Scissors tried to keep his voice as calm as usual, as if he were discussing the matter with the monk, but in reality, he was just informing him of the decision. He knew the monk would grumble but ultimately go along with the majority.

Sure enough, after hearing Scissors' words, the monk scratched his head and stomped his feet, cursing, "Damn it, we are just damn fools. If there's a mutiny, so be it. It's none of our business. When we faced hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city, they didn't show us any mercy. Now that they have problems, they immediately remember us."

Scissors turned and walked inward, stopping halfway to look back, "Don't forget, you are wearing the uniform of the Great Chu. You are not an ordinary civilian in the city. They have the right to complain, but you don't, because you are paid. Also, you should shave your head and trim your beard."

Watching Scissors' back, the monk touched his head and his rough beard, and laughed, "I won't shave. Little Night said it feels good to touch. But wait, this damn sneaky bastard, why is he suddenly concerned about me? Something's not right, something's not right."

A day later, the 2,000 soldiers of the Suicide Corps began to pack their belongings, preparing to move into the city for defense. At the same time, in a secret room in the county governor's office, Xin Jianli, Yang Yi, and Cheng Pingzhi were sitting in front of a sand table. Yang Yi held a long bamboo stick, pointing out the city's terrain.

"Please look, these are the three former camps of our county troops, which will now be occupied by the three battalions of the Suicide Corps. These three locations are in the east, west, and south of Anyang City, forming the three corners of a triangle, ensuring that they cannot support each other when the time comes. Secondly, these three places are carefully chosen, and in military terms, they are considered dead zones. The eastern camp is flanked by the city wall on two sides and a wealthy merchant's courtyard on the other. The courtyard can easily hide a thousand soldiers, and the only street can be sealed off with archers, leaving them no place to run. The second location is our oldest camp, entirely made of wood, making it easy to set on fire. When we withdraw, we have already made preparations, ensuring that once it catches fire, the enemy soldiers will be trapped in a sea of flames. We have also deployed a significant number of archers in the surrounding civilian areas, ready to shoot at the burning soldiers."

Xin Jianli and Cheng Pingzhi both nodded slightly. The current plan was to bring the fierce tiger of the Suicide Corps into the city. If they failed to kill the tiger, they would suffer the consequences. Even Cheng Pingzhi, who had initially had reservations, was now the most determined to eliminate the Suicide Corps.

"The last battalion will be stationed at the eastern camp, which is also the closest to the governor's office. We will deploy our most elite and capable troops here, a total of 5,000 men, to besiege the 1,000 soldiers of the Suicide Corps. We will also have 500 cavalry, with 100 of Xin's best inner guards leading the charge. Fire cannot be used here because this area is home to officials and important government offices. We can only fight them head-on. However, the Suicide Corps does not have many skilled fighters, and with 100 of Xin's inner guards leading the charge, once the enemy soldiers are scattered, it will be easier to deal with them."

"Excellent plan!" Xin Jianli clapped his hands. "There are no flaws. General Yang, it seems you have a deep understanding of military strategy! This great achievement will surely earn you the favor of the Second Prince."

"Sir Xin, you flatter me. Serving the Second Prince, I must spare no effort and cannot afford to be careless," Yang Yi bowed humbly.

"Sir Cheng, before the operation, only the three of us should know about it. On the night of the operation, the other commanders will be informed. Also, the families or relatives of the commanders who live in Anyang City should be controlled. Sir Cheng, you will host a banquet in your wife's name, inviting all their families to the governor's office."

Cheng Pingzhi nodded slightly.