Chapter 227 Outwitting the Birthday Gifts
"Oh, right, Your Excellency,"
Yang Dali snapped back to attention and quickly reminded him.
"As per the agreement, tomorrow General Zhao of Yan State is supposed to bring people over for the handover. Now that Liu Wenxuan is dead, what should we do tomorrow?"
Shen Yulou sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"What should we do? Let's mess with them!"
"Perfect. This Official will intercept his batch of warhorses and equipment! When delivery comes right to your door, why wouldn't you accept it?"
"Yang Dali!" Shen Yulou commanded.
"Go immediately and scour the entire county for all the Datura, Drunken Immortal Peach, and Sheep-poisoning Rhododendron you can find!
No forced seizures, and don't short the common people a single penny. Move fast!"
"Understood!"
Yang Dali accepted the order. As Shen Yulou's former apprentice and a master of surgery, he naturally knew what these items were for.
Given their level as surgical experts, concocting a highly effective anesthetic was practically a dimension-reducing attack (an overwhelming advantage).
In less than a day.
A batch of super knockout drug was freshly made by Shen Yulou.
Forget people; even an elephant would sleep for three days and three nights after one sip of this stuff.
"We have the drug,"
Yang Dali said, looking at the large pot of colorless, odorless medicinal broth, still feeling worried.
"But the other side has at least one or two thousand elite soldiers, and they are much better equipped than the men under Wang Zhi.
A head-on fight is definitely out of the question, but... how can we make them willingly drink this stuff?"
Shen Yulou was amused watching his worried expression.
"What's so hard about that?"
He patted Yang Dali's shoulder, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Then we'll just have to take advantage of the fact that they haven't read *The Water Margin*."
... The next day, at Wolong Mountain Canyon.
The scorching sun hung high, and the air was so hot it felt like it was about to ignite.
An army of over a thousand men was marching in neat formation, struggling along the narrow official road.
The leading general was built robustly, with a stern face, riding a magnificent black horse.
It was the Fierce Tiger General of Yan State, Tiger Zhao.
Behind him were a thousand well-equipped Yan State elite soldiers.
Each man carried heavy packs and shouldered a set of brand-new armor, panting heavily like dogs from exhaustion.
"General, this cursed weather is too hot, the men can barely hold on!"
A lieutenant wiped the sweat from his face, approached Tiger Zhao, and said with a grimace.
Tiger Zhao looked up at the scorching sun, then at his somewhat dispirited troops, and frowned deeply.
"Pass down the order! Rest in place and replenish rations!"
"Understood!"
The soldiers felt as if they had received a great pardon, throwing down their gear and collapsing onto the ground.
They pulled out dry, hard military biscuits from their bags and gnawed on them ravenously, washing them down with the small amount of water left in their canteens.
Already parched, these few bites of biscuit made their throats feel even drier, as if they were smoking.
Just then, a drawn-out hawking cry, accompanied by the rich aroma of wine, drifted from the front of the canyon.
"Wine for sale—! Ice-cold Peach Blossom Wine! Fragrant and sweet, thirst-quenching and cooling—!"
The soldiers' eyes instantly lit up!
Just around the corner, a group of peddlers driving carts slowly ambled into view—it was Shen Yulou and his party.
"General!" The lieutenant was practically drooling, pointing at Shen Yulou's group and speaking excitedly.
"There's wine for sale! How about... we buy some for the men to quench their thirst?"
Tiger Zhao looked in the direction he pointed, his eyes instantly becoming vigilant.
He scrutinized the ordinary-looking peddlers and sniffed the overly sweet aroma of wine in the air, letting out a cold snort.
"Absolutely not!" he flatly refused, his tone brooking no argument.
"This place is the border between two states; the situation is complicated. Who knows if there's anything wrong with this wine? All of you, endure it!"
Tiger Zhao naturally understood what the lieutenant was thinking.
He knew his soldiers were all parched.
Even his own throat felt like it was on fire.
But damn it, military orders are absolute!
The reason Tiger Zhao had climbed to his current position was not reckless valor, but extreme caution!
Hearing the quiet complaints of the men.
"All of you, shut up!"
Tiger Zhao roared in anger, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a knife.
"If anyone dares to say one more word, they will face military law!"
The soldiers immediately fell silent, each of them angry but daring not to speak.
They could only hang their heads and silently continue chewing on the crumbling military biscuits.
However, their eyes uncontrollably drifted toward the wine barrels on Shen Yulou's cart.
Those gazes were intensely hot.
Gulp.
The sounds of swallowing were incessant, impossible to suppress.
Shen Yulou was practically bursting with laughter internally.
These guys were so thirsty they could probably drink an entire vat of water.
He wasn't in a hurry. He slowly walked forward, a harmless, honest smile plastered on his face.
He casually strolled past them.
"Sirs, would you like to try our homemade Peach Blossom Wine?"
He pointed to the plain wooden barrels on the cart behind him, his tone utterly sincere.
"It was just pulled from the well, ice-cold and thirst-quenching!
This wine was originally a birthday gift for our County Magistrate Liu of Anyuan County. We prepared a few extra barrels, hoping to earn some money for our efforts on the road."
"Five barrels for one tael of silver, it's very cheap! One barrel is enough for ten brave men to drink their fill!"
Five barrels for one tael of silver?! The soldiers' eyes instantly lit up again!
That price is great—high quality and low price!
Moreover, their army conditions were good, and their pay was sufficient.
What was this small amount of money?
If they successfully secured the iron mine this time, let alone one tael of silver, even one tael of gold per person would be nothing!
"General..." The lieutenant couldn't help himself again. He leaned close to Tiger Zhao and whispered, "How about..."
"Scram!"
With that one word, Tiger Zhao immediately choked back the rest of the lieutenant's sentence.
He glanced coldly at Shen Yulou, waving his large hand as if shooing a fly.
"Go, go, go! Don't you know alcohol is forbidden in the army? Get lost immediately, don't stand here blocking the view!"
Shen Yulou didn't get angry, he just sighed regretfully.
He shook his head, shouldered his carrying pole, and slowly turned to leave.
Just then, from the other end of the canyon, came the sound of rolling wheels and clopping hooves.
A seemingly luxurious merchant caravan was slowly approaching.
The leading carriage driver wore a neat, short outfit and had a veil over his face, obscuring his appearance.
But his figure and demeanor immediately suggested he was no ordinary person.
It was Madam Li, disguised as a man.
As for Yang Dali and Wang Zhi, the two men were currently bouncing around in the carriage like two sacks of potatoes, utterly disoriented and barely daring to breathe.
The few "servants" following the carriage were all burly men with bulging temples, disguised personal guards of Wang Zhi.
Madam Li drove the carriage past Tiger Zhao's troops without even lifting her eyelids.
Just as the two groups were about to pass each other, a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly came from inside the carriage, sounding somewhat lazy and impatient.
"I'm dying of thirst... Ah Fu, go see what's going on with that wine seller up front and buy a few barrels to quench my thirst.