Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Chapter 107 Asking for Trouble

After considering the matter in his mind, he pretended to relax his tone and said, "Since you are willing to confess honestly, I will not make things difficult for you."

What happened tonight must not be told to anyone. I will arrange your escape, but you must continue to act as if nothing happened and proceed as usual.

Acheng was astonished, not understanding Lü Qian's intentions, but dared not disobey.

Lu Qian secretly ordered his men to release him, and instructed them: "Keep a close watch on this man and let him move freely. Make sure he brings the information back to lure the enemy into the trap."

That night, Lü Qian reported the matter to General Zhao. After discussing it, the two decided to release false information, deliberately revealing some false information about the defense deployment to Acheng and others in order to confuse the enemy.

At the same time, they deployed more people to conduct a covert search, determined to find all the hidden spies.

General Zhao further strengthened the defenses of the city walls to ensure absolute safety.

A few days later, sure enough, several suspicious individuals attempted to leave the city under the cover of night, but were intercepted by soldiers who had been lying in ambush.

Despite their careful disguise, these people were eventually exposed by Lü Qian's meticulous arrangements.

The small scrolls they carried contained false deployment information deliberately released by Lü Qian.

Upon seeing these clues, General Zhao finally revealed a cold smile:

"These enemy spies tried to disrupt our morale, but little did they know that I had already seen through them. It is thanks to Lord Lü's shrewd response that the situation was saved in time."

Lu Qian stood aside, his gaze still calm: "General, you flatter me. This matter is not yet over, and we still need to be careful and vigilant."

I have arranged for men to continue monitoring the city's movements, ensuring the enemy has no opportunity whatsoever.

After the relocation, the city of Hersha gradually returned to a semblance of calm; however, rumors and undercurrents had not completely disappeared.

Several people in the city behaved strangely and acted abnormally, either lingering near the military camp or whispering in groups of three or five in the city.

Lü Qian knew that if this lurking undercurrent was not completely eliminated, the city's defenses would be threatened.

Therefore, he decided to send several close associates, disguised as ordinary people, deep into the city to contact those suspected of being spies in order to find out their background.

On this day, Lü Qian's close follower, A Yong, disguised himself as an ordinary carpenter's apprentice, carrying a few woodworking tools, and mingled in various corners of the city market.

In the afternoon, Ah Yong deliberately knocked over a bucket of water outside a teahouse, splashing several passersby with water. He then hurriedly apologized.

Among the passersby was a middle-aged man who was not particularly noticeable in appearance and dressed simply, but he looked impatient and seemed unwilling to linger in front of people.

Ah Yong pretended to apologize and stepped forward, but he had already made a mental note of the man.

He calmly sat down at the nearby tea table and observed silently. He noticed that the man kept looking around, seemingly waiting for someone, and his expression was slightly flustered.

Ah Yong deliberately approached and whispered jokingly, "Brother, are you hiding from debt collectors? Your flustered appearance is just like one of my former friends."

Upon hearing this, the man's expression changed slightly, and he forced a smile: "Uh... not at all, it's just that there are some urgent matters." After saying that, he stopped talking and continued to look around.

Ah Yong smiled inwardly, his gaze shifting slightly as he lowered his voice and said, "Since you have important matters to attend to, brother, I shouldn't disturb you."

But which of us ordinary people isn't affected by this war? I heard today that some information is being sold for very high prices; I wonder if you've heard of it, sir?

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes flickered slightly, then he feigned composure and said:

"Brother, we're just small business owners, how dare we ask about any inside information? We might get arrested by the authorities, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"

When Ah Yong saw that although he tried to hide it, his eyes were darting away, so he knew that his test had worked.

So he nodded and said casually, "Alas, I have a friend who is quite bold. I heard that the city's defenses are worth a lot of money."

Unfortunately, I'm too timid to get involved in this, so I can only do odd jobs here.

When the man heard the words "city defense deployment," a glint of greed flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed his expression, pretended nothing was wrong, got up, and hastily took his leave.

Ah Yong smiled to himself, immediately memorizing the man's appearance and whereabouts. He then left the teahouse and quietly followed behind.

After nightfall, A-Yong reported the intelligence to Lü Qian, describing the man's features and whereabouts.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Lü Qian's eyes. He immediately ordered several of his close associates to lie in ambush near the man's residence, waiting for the opportune moment.

As night fell, the man indeed slipped out of his residence quietly. When no one was around, he began to quickly move through the streets and alleys, seemingly heading to a pre-arranged meeting place.

The attendants hid in the shadows and followed cautiously.

The man walked to a secluded alleyway, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then took out a small piece of paper from his sleeve, hid it in a crack in the wall, and hurriedly left.

After he walked away, Lü Qian's attendant quietly stepped forward, took out the note, and handed it to Lü Qian.

Lu Qian unfolded the paper and saw that it contained the patrol schedules and routes near the military camp in the north of the city!

Lu Qian smiled coldly, already having made up his mind.

He wrote the list of people into the case file and ordered his entourage to secretly detain them when they returned home and take them to the interrogation site.

The night wind carried a chill as Lü Qian entered the interrogation room. The dim lighting cast a long shadow of him.

He slowly walked up to the bound man, whose face was filled with terror. Upon seeing Lü Qian, the man struggled and whispered:

"My lord...I'm innocent!"

Lu Qian remained calm and stared at him, saying in a deep voice:

"Is that so? If you are innocent, why were you loitering near the military camp, and why did you write down your patrol schedule on a piece of paper and hide it at the alley entrance?"

Who taught you all this?

Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, the man turned deathly pale, cold sweat poured down his back, and he said in a trembling voice:

"My lord, spare my life! I was just confused for a moment, I really dared not hide the truth!"

Lu Qian sneered and said in a deep voice, "Stop pretending to be deaf and dumb."

Whom are you colluding with, and for whom are you gathering military intelligence? Several spies in the city have already been captured. If you don't tell the truth, you know the consequences.

The man, intimidated by Lü Qian's imposing presence, became increasingly flustered and repeatedly kowtowed:

"My lord! I am but a pawn bought by a merchant outside the city. He said he would give me money if I could leak the military intelligence of the city."

This note was written as he requested; as for the rest… I truly know nothing!

Lu Qian's gaze turned slightly cold, knowing that although he was not the mastermind, he was an important source of intelligence.

He then waved to his attendants to take him away and continue the interrogation.

Subsequently, Lü Qian ordered his men to intensify the search. They found several pieces of scrap paper containing military intelligence records in the man's residence, as well as an undelivered letter that prominently mentioned the "Black Rock Allied Forces."

This letter set off alarm bells in Lü Qian's mind.

The letter mentioned that the Black Rock Alliance was gathering on the border, intending to launch a surprise attack when the defenses of Hesha City were weak.

He immediately presented the letter to Zhao Lingfeng, and the two discussed it in detail that night, readjusting the plan and setting up strict defenses to prevent enemy attacks.