Chapter 154: The Cannon Arrives
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“Wait,” said Xiao Ming, eyes fixed on the fortress ahead, issuing the command calmly.
Atop the walls of Wubao Fortress, a figure who appeared to be the leader stepped into view, observing the incoming reinforcements from the Qingzhou army.
Pointing toward the wall, Chen Fu said, “Your Highness, that’s Liu Chuang, the ringleader of this band. His father was involved in the Lotus Pond conspiracy against you. After their plan failed, I led the Cangzhou troops in a surprise attack on the Liu family’s fortress. We wiped out most of their retainers, but Liu Chuang managed to escape.”
The harsh sunlight made Xiao Ming squint. After the Lotus Pond barbarians were wiped out, he had ordered the news to be sealed and immediately launched an operation to capture the aristocrats involved in the rebellion. Many were caught before they even had time to react. Had the Liu family been more alert at the time, they might have held onto Wubao.
Lu Fei had reported that Chen Fu had used a trick to take the fortress—posing as a merchant buying grain, his men launched a surprise attack at the gates and captured it.
But now, barely a month later, the Liu family had used the exact same method to take it back.
“Let’s go with the usual plan,” Xiao Ming said. “Try to persuade them to surrender, buy time, and wait for them to let their guard down.”
These rebels were different from the retainers of noble houses like the Sun or Wang families. Back then, many were reluctant servants who could be talked into surrendering. But this group had resisted even after the barbarian war, which meant they were ready to fight to the death.
Worse, most of them were likely young nobles themselves, not oppressed servants. Persuasion would have no effect on them.