The enraged Wang Xiang, at this moment, was like a wounded lone wolf. His originally somewhat cloudy eyes were now filled with savagery.
Merely being glared at by him, Chu Jianfeng felt as if he had been stung by two large hornets. He immediately cowered and dared not say another word.
As soon as he stepped out of Wang Xiang's study, he heard the sound of things being smashed in the study.
"Xin Xingzong, Xin Xingzong, you can't blame me for this. The only one to blame is yourself, for being too stupid!"
After a bitter smile, Chu Jianfeng could only mutter to himself and then retreated.
The crashing sounds continued for the duration of an incense stick.
Only after his physical strength was completely exhausted did Wang Xiang sit down in his chair, panting heavily.
With things having escalated to this point, Wang Xiang himself had no idea what to do next.
Although Xin Xingzong's men had now controlled the north, east, and west gates, as long as the south gate was not in their hands, Wang Bing, hidden in the shadows, could bring his troops into the city at any moment.
Only now did he realize that the perceived advantage he held on the surface had completely vanished.
He had originally thought that even if Han Mo had no match among his peers, he would at least show some flaws when facing an old fox like himself.
But what he hadn't expected was that this young man had completely crushed even this old fox in terms of his grasp of power, control of people's hearts, and mastery of the overall situation.
He had clearly gained the initiative and captured Han Mo, but the follow-up moves he launched were each more brilliant than the last.
First, he hid Wang Bing, then he set a great fire to awaken Li Yueyang, and now he had apprehended Xin Xingzong. These steps seemed unrelated, but when combined, they left him, the old fox with his meticulous scheming, completely unable to cope.
Unable to control Wang Bing, he dared not make a move against Han Mo. Unable to sway Li Yueyang, no matter what schemes or tricks he played next, he would first have to bring down Li Yueyang before he could deal with Han Mo.
The seemingly insignificant Li Yueyang had now, in fact, become Han Mo's firewall.
After all, all the orders Han Mo had previously issued, even those he had given verbally, were finally issued in Li Yueyang's name when they were put into official documents.
If he wanted to completely destroy Han Mo, the only places he could focus his efforts were the defeat at Xikou Town, the financial shortfalls in Mingzhou City that Li Yueyang and his associates had caused, and the unreasonable orders Han Mo had issued during the defense battle.
However, no matter how incomprehensible Han Mo's previous orders had been, who was to blame when he had won the battle?
Therefore, these issues could only be completely erased from his blacklist. What remained were the financial shortfalls in Mingzhou Prefecture and the attack on Xin Xingzong at Xikou Town.
Wait!
The attack on Xikou Town?
As this thought struck him, Wang Xiang suddenly felt something was amiss.
Damn it!
This useless Xin Xingzong had been captured by Wang Bing's men. If this fellow were to say something he shouldn't, then things would truly be over!
After figuring everything out, Wang Xiang was genuinely drenched in a cold sweat.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that he might have truly provoked someone he shouldn't have. If this fellow could even predict that Xin Xingzong would take charge of the city's defenses, then his mind was too meticulous!
Could there really be such a monstrous talent in this world?
After taking a few deep breaths, Wang Xiang could no longer afford to delay. He had to go and demand the person's release.
After all, Han Mo could afford to lose, but he couldn't. If he lost even this round, it would be incredibly difficult for him to make a comeback.
"Someone, prepare a carriage and horses, and arrange my ceremonial procession. I will go to the city gate to retrieve the person!"
"My lord, it's not even dawn yet..."
Wang Xiang's words truly stunned the servants around him.
He had just driven away Chu Jianfeng, who he had sent to fetch the person, and now, in the middle of the night, he suddenly remembered this matter?
***
"What do you want? I'm telling you, I am a dignified official appointed by the imperial court, I am the Governor of Zhongzhou!"
In Li Bao's military camp, looking at the lecherous, bare-chested soldiers in front of him, the bound Xin Xingzong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"You son of a bitch, what does your defeat have to do with this grandpa? Why should we grandpas not get rewarded because you lost the battle?"
Li Bao, sitting directly opposite Xin Xingzong, drank his wine and stared at Xin Xingzong with a cold smile.
"You, you're just a minor captain, what exactly do you want?"
"What do I want, grandpa? To become this damned captain, grandpa spent five hundred strings of cash. In this great victory in Mingzhou, your grandpa beheaded three hundred enemies. According to the rewards set by Lord Han, your grandpa should at least receive over a thousand strings of cash this time. But now, because of you, even Lord Han has been captured. How do you calculate this debt?"
Li Bao grew more furious as he spoke, and with a heavy thud, he smashed the wine jar in his hand to pieces.
Hearing the sound of the wine jar shattering, Xin Xingzong couldn't help but tremble.
"Han Mo's capture is a matter of the imperial court, what does it have to do with this general? I warn you, this is insubordination. Do all of you want your entire families to be executed?"
Seeing that they had brought up Han Mo, Xin Xingzong finally felt that the situation was not quite right. He spoke while cautiously observing Li Bao's expression.
"General, all of our brothers rely on these rewards to live. Now that these rewards have been lost because of this bastard, why are you still wasting your breath on him? I think it would be better to just chop him with one slash. Under the cover of darkness, we can leave the city and head to the mountains to make a living. With your abilities, where can't we eat our fill!"
As soon as Xin Xingzong finished speaking, a soldier behind Li Bao drew a steel saber with a sinister grin.
"General, Liu Erge is right. Just chopping him with one slash is too lenient for this scoundrel. I think he looks quite decent. Since you don't fancy this kind of merchandise, why don't the brothers have some fun with him?"
Before Li Bao could speak, a skinny, sallow-faced man, about seven feet tall, suddenly let out a sinister chuckle.
My god!