OBS Chapter 330 The real target is this official.
Chapter 330 The real target is this official.
Glancing at Linqu City, which was not far away, Yang Shaofeng took a deep breath and instructed Limpy Wu and the commander of the Imperial Son-in-Law's personal guards: "Take Sun Black Donkey and hurry back to Penglai."
This is really too strange.
First of all, Yang Shaofeng did not remember offending any great teacher, and he had never even heard the name Sun Gupu before.
Secondly, judging from the information provided by Sun Heilv, this so-called Taiping Dao should be active in the Qingzhou area. There is a Laizhou between Qingzhou and Dengzhou, so how could the followers of Taiping Dao get to Penglai?
If they travel by land, which official would dare to issue them a travel permit?
Taking the sea route? Do you really think those garrisons stationed along the coast are just sitting around doing nothing?
The last and most important point is, what makes them think they can break through Penglai's defense system?
The Leopard Guard and the Dengzhou Guard, both with a full complement of more than 5,000 men, together had a total strength of over 10,000. The Leopard Guard, in particular, was not only one of the seventeen guards directly under the Imperial Guard, but it was also entirely composed of cavalry.
In addition, a naval battalion is stationed on the coast of Penglai County. This level of defense would require at least 20,000 men, let alone Taiping Dao believers, to break through.
Most importantly, the military tallies for the Leopard Guard, Dengzhou Guard, and the Naval Camp are in Yang Shaofeng's hands. Without the tallies, even if Wang Guangyang, the Vice Minister of Shandong Province, came, he wouldn't be able to mobilize a single soldier.
So, who gave Sun Gupu the confidence and courage to believe that he could break through the defenses of Dengzhou Prefecture and successfully kill him?
Liang Cuiping?
Or, to put it another way, what price must the person behind Sun Gupu pay to instigate him to do something so reckless?
After rushing back to Penglai County, Yang Shaofeng immediately sent Limpy Five to find the commanders of the Leopard Guard, Dengzhou Guard, and the Naval Camp.
"Someone is planning to attack Penglai County."
Yang Shaofeng pointed to Sun Heilv, who was tied up like a dumpling, and said, "According to what Sun Heilv said, their attack on Penglai County was just a side effect; their real target is me."
As soon as Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, Hu Biao, the commander of the Leopard Guard, immediately stood up, cupped his hands and bowed to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "Your Highness, may I interrogate him?"
After obtaining Yang Shaofeng's permission, Hu Biao drew his cleaver from his waist, approached Sun Heilv, and with a few swift movements, severed all of Sun Heilv's tendons in his hands and feet.
Immediately afterwards, Hu Biao grabbed Sun Heilv's chin and dislocated it with a little force. Then, he grabbed one of Sun Heilv's hands, turned the knife handle upside down, and smashed it down.
Despite the excruciating pain, cold sweat poured from Sun Heilv's forehead, and the veins on his face and neck bulged out. However, with a rag stuffed in his mouth, he could only make muffled noises.
Hu Biao reached out and patted Sun Heilv's cheek, grinning maliciously as he said, "If you're willing to confess honestly, then nod. By the way, don't even think about biting your tongue to commit suicide; that stuff is all a lie. I've encountered countless idiots like that back in the day in the army."
Only after Sun Heilv nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice did Hu Biao reach out and pull the rag out of Sun Heilv's mouth. He grabbed Sun Heilv's mouth and squeezed it slightly, saying, "Speak, who sent you? Who are your inside agents in Dengzhou Prefecture? When and where did you agree to start the uprising?"
Sun Heilv stammered, "I am just a small leader of the Taiping Dao. I was ordered by Chief Yu Laohei to go to Linqi to gather the believers and ask them to find a way to meet up in the Guangling area. But before I could even get to Linqi, I ran into the Prince Consort."
"As for other matters, I know nothing about them. I am just a small leader, not trusted or relied upon by the commander, and I have no idea about the plans of the great teacher and the commander."
Hu Biao hummed in agreement and chuckled, “Very good. Now, let me ask you, who is this Great Teacher of Virtue, what is his name, and where does he live? And what about that Chief Yu Laohei, where is he from? And who issued your travel permit from Yidu to Linqu?”
Sun Heilv stammered, “The Great Teacher’s surname is Sun, and his name is Sun Gupu. He is from Yidu, but I don’t know which county or community he is from.”
"Chief Yu Laohei seems to be from the same hometown as Daxian... and Sun Zei. He has a higher status than the other chiefs. Sun Zei will consult with Yu Laohei about everything."
"And a travel permit."
Sun Heilv licked his lips and said, "The travel permit was given by Commander Yu Laohei. I don't know where he got it from."
Hu Biao chuckled and nodded again, then grabbed Sun Heilv's hand, examining his fingers as he casually asked, "What else do you know?"
Sun Heilv followed Hu Biao's gaze to his palm, but Hu Biao suddenly exerted force and snapped off Sun Heilv's left index finger. He sneered, "Think it over before you answer. No rush."
After a slight pause, Hu Biao added, "Think carefully before you answer, and don't try to fool this commander like you did before."
Sun Heilv was terrified and cried out to Hu Biao, "I really don't know, and I dare not deceive you, sir!"
Hu Biao chuckled again, released Sun Heilv's hand, and then slammed the hilt of his knife into Sun Heilv's fingers once more. Amid Sun Heilv's screams of pain, he calmly said, "Do you know how many of Hu Yuan's spies I've interrogated?"
“There are cowards who will wet themselves with the slightest torture, and there are also tough guys who won’t say a word from beginning to end. Even if I use a small hammer to crush their bones inch by inch, they still won’t open their mouths.”
"As for you?"
Hu Biao laughed mockingly, "You're no good. You're not the kind of person who's tough. You're afraid of dying. You want to confess, but you're also afraid that confessing will implicate your family, so you're unwilling to confess honestly, right?"
"However, since you're afraid that this so-called Great Teacher of Virtue will implicate your family, aren't you afraid that I, the Commander, will slaughter your entire family?"
"That Great Teacher of Virtue has to be sneaky when he wants to kill someone. I, the commander, don't need to. I can just swagger over and lead my troops there. If I say I'll kill your whole family, then I won't leave a single one alive."
The more ruthless Hu Biao's words were, the calmer his expression became. Even when he talked about wiping out Sun Heilv's entire family, he said it with a calm smile.
As Hu Biao finished speaking, a large area under Sun Heilv's body became soaked, followed by a strong smell of urine.
"I admit it! I admit it!"
"This time it's not just the followers of the Taiping Dao, but also the Japanese pirates! The Japanese pirates!"