Inviting Aristocratic Families as Support

Public opinion is a fearful thing.

Once a lie is told a hundred times, it becomes the truth.

Especially when there was such a bloody and vivid example right before their eyes from last night.

In the aftermath of the event, the prominent aristocratic clans of Yecheng gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

"That brute Zhang He actually wanted to massacre the city?"

"Yuan Shao and his son Yuan Xi lost their lives, and Yecheng was lost, but that has nothing to do with us!"

"It was the Xu family that acted as inside informants; we are simply being implicated!"

"Saying these things is useless. We know the Xu family are insiders, but does Zhang He know?"

"Then how about we go out of the city and explain things to Zhang He?"

"Go out of the city? How can we go out? The city gates are tightly shut right now, we can't get out!"

"Then we wait for Zhang He to enter the city, and then go explain to him?"

"By the time Zhang He enters the city, it will be too late!"

These members of the noble clans chattered away like a flock of five thousand ducks, making a ceaseless din, yet they utterly failed to come up with a single viable countermeasure.

At this moment, someone asked with a suspicious tone, "Are we certain that the one who charged into the city last night was Zhang He?"

"Could there be some misunderstanding in all of this?"

No sooner had this person finished speaking than someone stepped forward to refute him, "It was definitely Zhang He!"

"I saw him with my own eyes last night! If I hadn't run fast, you wouldn't be seeing me today!"

As soon as that voice trailed off, another person chimed in, "It was Zhang He. I saw him through the crack of my door last night!"

"I saw him too!"

"I saw him as well!"

"He has served as a general in Yecheng, and we saw him every single day. Could we possibly mistake him?"

"It is one hundred percent Zhang He. I swear on my ancestors eighteen generations back."

Quite a few people stepped forward, swearing with absolute certainty that they had laid eyes on Zhang He the previous night.

Those who had initially harbored doubts became completely convinced upon hearing so many people claim they had seen Zhang He with their own eyes.

After all, Zhang He was quite a prominent figure in Yecheng; with so many people witnessing him slaughtering commoners and noble estates, this matter could not possibly be false.

It seemed that Zhang He was indeed furious and intended to massacre the city to vent his rage.

At this moment, everyone shared a lingering sense of having narrowly escaped death.

Fortunately, Zhang He had only led a small detachment to break in last night, and Su Ming had ultimately recaptured the city.

Otherwise, had Zhang He truly taken Yecheng, none of these people would have survived.

While these aristocratic clansmen were arguing over various countermeasures, Xu Qian walked in from outside.

Upon seeing Xu Qian, everyone present instantly glared at him with hostile eyes.

In fact, quite a few hot-tempered individuals rolled up their sleeves, preparing to beat Xu Qian right then and there.

These people hated Xu Qian from the very bottom of their hearts!

If his Xu family hadn't acted as inside informants, how could any of this have happened in the first place?

Xu Qian had once been one of them, and they had considered each other allies.

Consequently, Xu Qian knew their temperaments inside and out.

These people were notorious for acting tough amongst themselves, yet the moment they truly faced trouble, every single one of them turned out to be a coward.

A bunch of spineless cowards naturally had nothing to be afraid of.

"General Su requests everyone's presence to discuss matters." Xu Qian held his head high, completely unfazed by these paper tigers.

Before Xu Qian could finish speaking, someone immediately shouted, "Discuss matters? What is there for us to discuss with him?"

"Hmph!" Hearing this, Xu Qian let out a cold snort and said disdainfully, "I have delivered the message. Go if you like; stay if you don't."

"Once Yecheng falls and Zhang He enters the city, not only will none of you be able to save your families, but I fear even the eggs in your households will be scrambled, and the earthworms split vertically."

Having dropped these words, Xu Qian turned on his heel and walked away, completely ignoring them.

Seeing that Xu Qian was about to leave, someone grabbed his sleeve and hurriedly tried to play the peacemaker.

"Brother Xu, don't rush, don't rush!" Holding onto him with a fawning smile, the man asked, "Brother Xu, do you happen to know what General Su wants to discuss with us?"

Xu Qian shook his head, then nodded again.

After pondering for a long while, he replied, "General Su didn't spell it out for me, but I can guess a good eight or nine tenths of it."

"Brother Xu, we are all our own people, old friends of many years. Won't you share whatever information you have with us?" Another person nearby implored him.

Just moments before, when Xu Qian had first arrived, these very same people had rolled up their sleeves to beat him up. Now, suddenly, they were "their own people" and "old friends of many years."

Surrounded by the crowd, Xu Qian showed not a hint of stage fright as he slowly began, "Last night, relying on his superior numbers, Zhang He launched a sneak attack on the South Gate."

"Although General Su repelled Zhang He, he suspects there are inside informants within the city acting for Zhang He. My guess is that he wants to question you folks mostly about this matter."

At these words, the expressions of everyone present shifted instantly, their faces turning ashen and mournful, tears welling up in their eyes.

Just what kind of life were they forced to endure?

Last night, Zhang He suspected them of being Su Ming's insiders and wanted to slaughter the city to wipe them out.

Now, Su Ming suspected them of being Zhang He's insiders, and was likely going to have them killed as well.

These noble clansmen thought to themselves: Truly, we are like the legendary monkey gazing into a mirror—not a human being on either the inside or the outside.

"Brother Xu, we have absolutely never colluded with Zhang He!"

"We never did! You simply must put in a good word for us!" They began to plead with Xu Qian, terrified that Su Ming's wrath would cost them their lives.

Looking at the crowd, Xu Qian offered some reassurance, "You don't need to be afraid. General Su is a reasonable man. If he truly wanted to make things difficult for you, he would have killed every last one of you the moment he entered the city."

"As long as your hands are clean, I am certain General Su will not trouble you."

While these aristocratic clansmen remained terrified, Xu Qian alone wore a broad smile, showing no signs of fear whatsoever.

At this point, someone who had a relatively good relationship with Xu Qian probed cautiously, "Brother Xu, aren't you afraid?"

"Yecheng is in imminent danger right now, and it was your Xu family that brought General Su into the city in the first place."

"If Zhang He manages to retake Yecheng, your Xu family will likely be the very first to suffer."

"Hahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!" Hearing this, Xu Qian suddenly burst out laughing.

His laughter left everyone present utterly bewildered.

None of them could figure out what on earth Xu Qian was laughing about.

"Brother Xu, what are you laughing at?"

"Do you know something the rest of us don't? Give us some bottom line here!" someone pleaded desperately.

Instead of answering the question, Xu Qian turned the tables and asked the crowd, "Do any of you know the background of this General Su Ming of ours?"

Su Ming's background?

None of them actually knew.

All they knew was that Su Ming had descended like a heavenly divine soldier, seizing Yecheng with the speed of a thunderclap.

Yecheng still belonged to the Yuans when they went to sleep last night, but when they woke up in the morning, it belonged to Su.

"What background?"

"We don't know!"

"Brother Xu, stop playing coy. If you know something, just spit it out!" They all shook their heads to indicate their ignorance, then chimed in with a unified demand.