Feng Liang had originally planned to use these troops to turn the tides, but upon seeing the situation, he was so enraged that he burst into a thunderous fury.
The more anxious a person, the likelier they are to make rash decisions.
He ordered his subordinates to kill all the captured deserters, hoping to deter others and prevent further fleeing.
However, what he hadn't anticipated was that the harder he pressed, the more he incited everyone's anger.
Eventually, even those closest to him had scattered.
Three days later, the military camp was left with only 120,000 men!
Over 60,000 had run off!
Of course, those who remained didn't necessarily want to stay; they simply had nowhere else to go.
After all, there was still food to eat in the camp!
That day, news arrived that Zhao Xiyan had fully taken over Longnan County Government, and Qi Yue was almost done preparing the antidote!
Upon hearing this, Feng Liang could sit still no longer.
He immediately summoned the officials who had followed him and the military camp leaders, declaring that they must launch a counterattack against Longnan County Government straightaway!
He was well aware that if he didn't take this opportunity to stir things up, once Qi Yue's antidote was available and the common people recovered their health, he would have no chance left.
By then, the mere hundreds of thousands of Longnan commoners alone could flay him alive.
His words had barely left his mouth when they were met with opposition from the officials!
"Lord Feng, if you ask me, we should just surrender!"
"Exactly, let's surrender. With a hundred thousand men in our hands, if we go over now we might still have a chance to return to the Governor's Office!"
"Zhao Xiyan taking over isn't necessarily a bad thing; it actually means everyone can live peacefully."
"That's right, we can still find posts in the Governor's Office. Xiyan can't possibly do all the work himself!"
"Anyway, Qi Yue, the Divine Doctor, is about to finish the antidote, we won't fall ill and die if we go back, so let's hurry up and surrender!"
"..."
The officials, each making their point, showed no regard for Feng Liang's lonely and despondent state of mind.
"All of you, shut your mouths!"
An angry Feng Liang jumped onto the table, pulled out a letter from his bosom, and shouted loudly, "Open your dog eyes and look, this is a personal letter from Prime Minister Lin! He has already appointed me as the next Governor of Longnan, in charge of the entire Longnan County Government. Zhao Xiyan is nothing but a rebel. Are you all planning to follow a rebel?"
Upon hearing this, the officials were taken aback, but they quickly burst into laughter.
"Out of respect for our former comrade, we address you as Lord Feng, but don't get delusions of grandeur!"
"Exactly, when is this letter from? Who are you trying to scare with it now!"
"Isn't this the same letter from before? I joined him because of this letter, and to think, I never anticipated... sigh... what a failure!"
"I thought the same. I wanted to climb up the ranks, and look where I've ended up!"
"I actually think that following Zhao Xiyan promises a more prosperous future; who can predict what lies ahead."
"..."
With a face ashen with rage, Feng Liang leapt off the table and grabbed one of the officials by the collar, shaking him madly.
"You scoundrels! Villains! Don't you know that Zhao Xiyan is a traitor, a traitor!"
The official shoved Feng Liang away and cursed fiercely, "What's so great about Prime Minister Lin? Isn't he just trying to steal the entire Imperial Court?"
The other officials also started to speak up, pointing fingers.
"That's right, Prime Minister Lin monopolizes the court, deceives the Emperor and the officials, and is even more detestable!"
"Marquis Zhao is such a good man, he naturally has the best interests of the Longnan people in mind!"
"True, for the sake of the Longnan people, we should surrender!"
"Yes, for the sake of the people!"
"...."
Ignoring Feng Liang, the officials started discussing how to surrender in a manner that would be acceptable to Zhao Xiyan.
"We might as well write a joint letter of appeal!"
"I think that's feasible. Marquis Zhao is a reasonable man; he will surely understand our situation!"
"Yes, yes, yes, that's the plan..."
"..."
While the officials were engrossed in conversation, none of them noticed Feng Liang slipping away quietly.
It wasn't until someone felt that something was amiss that they realized the council hall where they were gathered had been completely surrounded by the troops brought in by Feng Liang!
They saw countless soldiers, immeasurable in number, all holding spears and swords, aiming at the door they would exit and even blocking the windows.
Upon seeing this, all the officials panicked!
"Feng Liang, what are you doing? Are you trying to revolt?"
The Feng Liang at the forefront let out a laugh and cursed loudly.
"Revolt? Who exactly are the traitors here? Weren't you going to surrender to Zhao Xiyan? I'll slay all of you as a sacrifice to our banner and let you become ghosts of traitors!"
These officials were already soft-hearted, and upon hearing these words, they were terrified to the core.
A big-bearded man suddenly stepped forward to reason.
"Feng Liang, we are colleagues, why do you want to cut off other people's lifelines? Wouldn't it be better to let us go?"
Feng Liang snorted coldly, "Let you go? Why should I?"
He reached out, snatched a sword from the hands of a nearby soldier, and charged directly at the big-bearded man who had spoken.
The big-bearded man was quite agile and rolled on the ground to dodge the attack but was already scared stiff.
Seeing that Feng Liang was serious, all the officials kept retreating; some even crawled under the tables.
Two of them realized the gravity of the situation and immediately turned to flatter Feng Liang.
"Lord Feng, we'll do it, we're willing to follow you. Please spare us a way out!"
"Lord Feng, what we said earlier was just a joke, surrendering is out of the question..."
The two had not finished speaking when suddenly two figures in green emerged from among the soldiers.
Both in their twenties, their green uniforms featured the emblem of an eagle on the chest.
Without a word, they raised their hands and flung their swords at the officials pleading for mercy.
As the swords left their hands, they whizzed through the air like arrows released from a crossbow, emitting a buzzing sound and instantly burying themselves in the chests of the two men!
"Ah!"
With two screams, the men fell backward, perfectly rigid, with two patches of red spreading across their chests, dead beyond any doubt.
Then, with the sound of iron chains, the swords were pulled free from the lifeless bodies and returned to the hands of the men in green.
In such a scene, the rest of the officials were too terrified to speak.
But Hu Keqing had already gone up to greet the two men in green.
"Thank you, Lord Unrighteous, for your helping hand! Feng Liang is eternally grateful!"
The green-clad man on the left waved his hand dismissively.
"Lord Feng just needs to follow the Prime Minister's orders!"
As he spoke, he took a white handkerchief from his sleeve and casually observed the trembling officials in the hall, methodically wiping the bloody blade.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to die? Step forward!"
All the officials collapsed to the ground in a heap, not daring to say a word.
The green-clad man finished cleaning the blade and tossed the bloodstained handkerchief in front of the crowd, then suddenly smiled sardonically.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you all; my name is Lin An. Here, traitors and betrayers meet the same fate. So, which would you rather be: a traitor, or someone who is fickle and inconstant?"
The officials huddled together, too afraid to even breathe.
How could they choose in such a situation?
It was a question that sentenced them to death! If they still insisted on surrendering, they would become traitors; if they, like the two men who had just died, declared they would not surrender, they would be seen as fickle and inconstant.
Both choices led to death!
The only strategy was to play dumb and keep silent!