508: Chapter 508 General Zhang is a real man

"Men! Kill all these spies sent by the Wokou!!"

At General Zhang Yufu's command, the several colonels beside him were dumbfounded.

"General, are they Wokou?"

"They don't look like it to me..."

The soldiers below also looked at each other, feeling it hard to strike.

General Zhang Yufu looked at them with cold eyes and said, "Open your eyes and look clearly, isn't that a Wokou pirate ship from Haihua Island!?"

"These people came from Haihua Island on a Wokou ship. Could it be that the Wokou were kind enough to send them back!?"

"They must be here to gather intelligence for the Wokou, trying to sneak into the civilian population while our coastal army isn't paying attention!"

"Once they succeed, the Wokou will be even more unscrupulous when they pillage our Dagan coast in the future!"

As General Zhang Yufu spoke, he directly drew his blade. "What are you all standing there for? Why aren't you following this General to kill the Wokou!?"

Prompted by his words, a few of his confidants finally prepared to act.

The women were terrified, crying and begging for mercy, some even kneeling directly on the sand.

"General! General, we are not spies!"

"We really are people of the Eastern Territory, we were abducted to Haihua Island..."

The women felt despair. They had finally made it back to shore, so why did the Eastern Sea Army want to kill them?

General Zhang Yufu remained cold-faced. "Don't be fooled by their tears; these are common tricks used by female spies! Kill them!!"

With the order given, a dozen ruthless men charged forward first.

Lin Xiao saw that it was enough and raised his hand, sending out several streaks of sword qi.

Before the dozen or so Eastern Sea Army soldiers could realize what was happening, they had already collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The scene fell deathly silent!

General Zhang Yufu's face turned pale as he suddenly realized that Lin Xiao hadn't been boasting! Was he really a top-tier expert!?

"You... how dare you, you actually..."

Before he could finish a sentence, his head had already rolled off.

"general of the household!"

"The general of the household is dead!"

The remaining thousand or so Eastern Sea Army soldiers were all as quiet as cicadas in winter, looking at Lin Xiao in sheer terror.

At this moment, they didn't even dare to run away, only able to wait helplessly for their fate to be decided.

"Make way! All of you, make way for this official!"

At that moment, Baili Zhuifeng, who had been prepared in secret, arrived at the scene with his men in great strides.

"It's inspector general Han!"

"Why is the inspector general here?"

"The inspector general must have found out that the general of the household came to Qizhou without permission."

The Eastern Sea Army soldiers weren't worried about punishment at all; instead, they felt like they had seen a savior, as someone had finally arrived to speak for them.

Baili Zhuifeng, carrying the official prestige of the Qi Province inspector general, walked solemnly up to Lin Xiao and cupped his hands in greeting.

"May I ask who you are..."

"Yu Zecheng."

Lin Xiao had actually sensed Baili Zhuifeng nearby long ago; the old fellow was clever, showing up at just the right moment.

"Oh, Hero Yu."

Hearing the name, a trace of doubt rose in Baili Zhuifeng's heart, but he didn't show it.

"I am the Qi Province inspector general, Governor of Qizhou. Zhang Yufu's leading of troops here constitutes a desertion of duty and a violation of military discipline."

"Now that General Zhang Yufu is dead, I hope Hero Yu can spare these innocent soldiers; they were also acting out of necessity."

Hearing this, the Eastern Sea Army soldiers were so moved that tears almost flowed!

At the critical moment, the inspector general is truly righteous!

Exactly. They had been confusedly deployed to the seaside for an ambush, only to see no Wokou but instead a god of slaughter who killed General Zhang Yufu outright!

Damn it!

"Since the inspector general has intervened, I can indeed spare them."

Lin Xiao said, "Just leave some horses so I can take these poor women to the Yan Region as quickly as possible to find a place to stay."

Baili Zhuifeng nodded repeatedly. "Good, that's easy. Cavalry Battalion, hand over your horses immediately!"

The cavalrymen didn't dare refuse; they were just glad to keep their lives.

"Return to Qi Province immediately, do not delay for a moment!"

Baili Zhuifeng waved them off, signaling the colonels with his eyes to "run fast."

The soldiers were deeply moved; inspector general Han is truly a great man!

Thinking so much of the soldiers at such a critical moment.

Not only did he not blame them, but he also stayed behind to handle the aftermath.

Over a thousand Eastern Sea Army soldiers quickly left Qingshui Bay, filled with gratitude.

Once everyone was gone, Baili Zhuifeng put on a smile and whispered, "My Prince, you truly have divine foresight. Did you perhaps anticipate that Prince of Donghai would use the Wokou of Haihua Island to make a move?"

"You're overthinking it; it was just a coincidence."

Lin Xiao really hadn't expected that Prince of Donghai could also use the suppression of pirates as a card to checkmate him in return.

If the Eastern Sea Army had really been allowed to "show their might" in Qizhou today, it would have inevitably required another round of planning.

Back and forth, time would have been wasted.

"Your Highness is too modest. How could there be so many coincidences?" Baili Zhuifeng naturally didn't believe it.

On anyone else, it might have been luck, but for the dignified Prince of Zhenbei, a man who conquered half the country in over a year, how could it be luck?

Lin Xiao didn't bother arguing with him and pointed to the anxious women behind him.

"Send two men to escort them to the Qizhou relay station, and then send them to Xinghua Village in Lincang."

The northern liquor business was short of hands due to good sales, and these women were hardworking; going there would be a perfect way for them to start their lives anew.

"Yes, My Prince!"

Baili Zhuifeng didn't waste words and immediately complied.

After the women left, Baili Zhuifeng asked curiously, "My Prince, since you went to Haihua Island, are the corpses of the slain Wokou on the ship?"

Before setting out, Lin Xiao had said he needed stronger reasons for mobilizing troops, requiring more evidence of a Wokou invasion of Qizhou.

But Baili Zhuifeng looked around and didn't see the bodies of Ye Jiantaro and the others. They couldn't still be left on the island, could they?

By the time they went back to sea and brought them back to shore, what state of decay would they be in?

A playful look appeared on Lin Xiao's face. "Don't be in a hurry. Return to Qi Province City first; tomorrow you will naturally see the Wokou..."

Baili Zhuifeng was puzzled but didn't dare ask more, and immediately took his men back to Qi Province first.

The next morning.

Baili Zhuifeng was handling official business when his subordinate, the Qi Province Registrar, rushed in.

"Lord Han! Something big has happened!"

Baili Zhuifeng feigned displeasure. "Why the panic?"

The Registrar reported, "It's... it's the Yan Army general, Wei Kongming. He has delivered the corpses of thousands of Haihua Island Wokou outside our Qi Province City!"

"What did you say!?" Although Baili Zhuifeng knew that Wokou corpses might appear, the number was truly terrifying!

"I wouldn't dare speak nonsense; you will see for yourself, My Lord!"

Baili Zhuifeng hurried out of the office and rode swiftly all the way to the border between Qi Province City and Qizhou.

A large crowd of Qi Province commoners had already gathered here, most of them just to watch the excitement.

When Baili Zhuifeng saw the densely packed Wokou corpses strewn on the ground, a scene thick with killing intent, his pupils couldn't help but shrink in shock!

Yesterday he had seen with his own eyes that only one ship had docked. How did Lin Xiao transport so many Wokou corpses here!?

Baili Zhuifeng couldn't figure it out! His feelings were complicated!

If before today his respect for the Prince of Zhenbei was merely because of Lin Xiao's high martial arts prowess and his relationship with Shu Yelan...

...then at this moment, he was completely won over by Lin Xiao! It was too miraculous!

"Lord Han, this is the remains of Qi Province general of the household General Zhang Yufu. He was beheaded by Ye Jiantaro during yesterday's battle with the Wokou."

Wei Kongming now came before Baili Zhuifeng, delivering General Zhang Yufu's decapitated body on a cart.

The commoners witnessed it with their own eyes and couldn't help but cry out in shock, their voices rising in discussion.

One must know that General Zhang Yufu had been in Qi Province for many years; although his reputation was mediocre, he was still a prominent figure in Qi Province.

"Is it really General Zhang!?"

Baili Zhuifeng cooperated by asking loudly, "General Wei, why was General Zhang in Qizhou fighting the Wokou?"

Wei Kongming sighed. "General Zhang is a true man. He ran to our Yan Army camp to deliver news, saying a large group of Wokou would invade Qizhou."

"We were skeptical at first, but when we reached Qingshui Bay, we indeed saw the Wokou landing."

"After a bloody battle last night, General Zhang sacrificed himself. Fortunately, we killed these over two thousand Wokou, avenging him."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted!

The general of the household of the Eastern Sea Army knew the Wokou were coming, yet he could only go alone to deliver the news to the Yan Army?

What did this mean?

The Eastern Sea Army knew in advance where the Wokou were going!

Yet for a long time, the Eastern Sea Army had been fighting the Wokou back and forth, while the Wokou became increasingly rampant!

Why didn't General Zhang Yufu lead his troops to suppress the pirates? Was it that he didn't want to? Or that he couldn't?

Or rather, someone was preventing the Eastern Sea Army from suppressing the pirates!