Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 545: Latest Intelligence

At dusk, Hua Chenggui and Li Hongchang met again in a quiet courtyard in the mansion. The two sat facing each other, Hua Chenggui's face was a little solemn, while Li Hongchang looked calm and relaxed.

Hua Chenggui spoke first, with a hint of worry in his voice: "Mr. Li, Huang Changfeng suddenly summoned me yesterday and asked me many questions. He was testing me in every word. He even mentioned you on purpose, which clearly shows that he has some doubts about us."

Hearing this, Li Hongchang took a sip of tea and smiled nonchalantly, "Brother Hua, you are worrying too much. My identity is there, even if they are suspicious, what can they do? Besides, the Huang brothers are in a delicate situation now, and it is normal for them to distrust anyone."

Hua Chenggui frowned and said, "That being said, we must be more careful. Once we reveal our true colors, the consequences will be disastrous."

Li Hongchang nodded in agreement, his tone showing a hint of calmness: "Brother Hua is right. We just need to keep our footing, act according to the plan, and not reveal any flaws."

After the two of them discussed it, Hua Chenggui suddenly remembered something and his expression became serious: "Mr. Li, there is something important that I must tell you. I learned from Huang Changlin the exact location of their evacuation tunnel."

Li Hongchang's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he asked, "Oh? Where is the exact location?"

Hua Chenggui whispered, "The entrance to the tunnel is hidden under a rockery in the back garden of the Huang Mansion. It's quite hidden. Huang Changlin mentioned it accidentally, and I took the opportunity to write it down."

After listening to Hua Chenggui's narration, Li Hongchang frowned slightly, revealing a trace of contemplation. He tapped the table lightly with his fingers, as if thinking about the various possibilities.

"Did Huang Changlin really mention it unintentionally?" Li Hongchang spoke slowly, with a hint of doubt in his tone, "How could he reveal such an important thing to you so easily? There might be something fishy going on here."

Hua Chenggui was also stunned when he heard this, and then he said, "Mr. Li is right. I have thought about this question before. But Huang Changlin's expression and tone at that time did seem like he accidentally let the cat out of the bag."

Li Hongchang shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Huang Changlin is one of the leaders of the Huang family. He can't be so careless. I guess this is probably the news deliberately released by the Huang brothers in order to test you."

Hua Chenggui's heart tightened, and he asked uneasily, "So you mean that this news might be false?"

Li Hongchang nodded and said, "It's very likely. They revealed it to you on purpose just to see if you would investigate and reveal your true identity. So, we can't act rashly."

Hua Chenggui frowned and said unwillingly, "But if we don't confirm it, how can we be sure whether the news is true or not? After all, this is a rare opportunity."

Li Hongchang smiled and said, "Brother Hua is an excellent hunter. He must be patient while waiting for his prey to appear. We cannot disrupt the overall plan because of a piece of news that we don't know whether it is true or not."

He paused and continued, "Also, even if this news is true, we can't act rashly. I need to communicate with the higher-ups and wait for the next instruction. We must act cautiously to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

After listening to Li Hongchang's analysis, Hua Chenggui's uneasiness gradually dissipated.

He nodded and said, "Mr. Li is right. I was too impatient. I will keep my troops in place and pretend nothing happened."

In the Li Mansion in Wanbei, Li Hongchang sat in front of the telegraph machine with trepidation, typing out the latest news he had received one by one into telegrams and sending them to the distant Beilong City. He knew very well the importance of this intelligence to the decision-making of the upper echelons, so he did not dare to be careless with every word and every punctuation mark.

Soon, Li Hongchang received a reply from Beilongcheng. He quickly decoded the message and saw that it said: "Analysis shows that this is a trick by the Huang family to lure the enemy. Do not act rashly and keep a close eye on the Huang family's movements." This was the order from Zuo Yunfei and Yan Shuangying, brief and clear.

Li Hongchang breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time felt a surge of excitement. He knew that he had not wasted the trust of the higher-ups. He immediately replied by telegram: "As you command, I will keep my troops in place and at the same time strengthen surveillance on the Huang brothers to prevent them from escaping suddenly."

After sending the telegram, Li Hongchang felt an unprecedented sense of responsibility and mission. He understood that every action of his was related to the success or failure of the entire plan. Therefore, he had to be more cautious and could not be negligent.

As night fell, the lights in the Huang Mansion's study were bright. Huang Changlin and Huang Changfeng, the Huang brothers, sat side by side, their faces solemn, as if they were discussing something that concerned the survival of the family.

Huang Changlin sighed softly, breaking the silence in the study room: "Three days have passed, and there has been no movement from Hua Chenggui. He goes in and out of the Huang Mansion almost every day, but he has never shown any intention of spying on the so-called tunnel entrance."

Huang Changfeng nodded in agreement: "Yes, it seems that he really has no problem. Of course, it is also possible that the other party has seen through our intentions."

Huang Changlin let out a long sigh and said, "That being said, Hua Chenggui's family is under our control after all. It is impossible for him to betray us. We just overthought it before."

Huang Changfeng said in a deep voice: "Brother, what you said is very true, but the current situation is imminent, and we must leave this vortex as soon as possible. Whether Hua Chenggui has any problems or not, we can only put it aside for the time being. The most important thing is that we must ensure our own safety."

Huang Changlin sighed and said, "You are right. Our most important task now is to evacuate. As long as we leave Liuwan, we can start over."

Huang Changfeng nodded, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes: "In this case, let's speed up the action. I have arranged the personnel, and we can set off immediately after the order."

Huang Changlin smiled and said, "We deliberately spread the news that the entrance to the tunnel is in Huang's house. But in fact, the real entrance is in the backyard of the inconspicuous police station in Taolin District, Wanbei City. In this way, even if Hua Chenggui has a problem, his attention will be attracted to Huang's house, and we can evacuate from the tunnel quietly."

Huang Changfeng heard this, and a trace of praise flashed in his eyes: "Brother is really wise. This way, we can ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Huang Changlin and Huang Changfeng began to carefully plan their escape. On the table in the study was a detailed map with the exact location and route of the tunnel entrance marked on it.

Huang Changlin pointed at the map and said, "We must act in advance and not let anyone notice. Even the guards arranged by Chang Tai cannot be fully trusted."

Huang Changfeng nodded: "That's right, we can't trust them completely. We can only rely on ourselves for this evacuation."

Huang Changlin pondered for a moment and continued, "I have secretly instructed people to prepare the supplies and necessities in the tunnel. We must ensure that there are no accidents during the evacuation."

Huang Changfeng added: "Also, we must keep our actions secret and not let anyone else in the palace know our plan."

The two discussed every detail of the evacuation, including when to assemble, how to enter the tunnel, and the gathering place after evacuation. They decided to act in the dead of night, using the concealment of the tunnel to avoid everyone's eyes and ears.

Huang Changlin took a deep breath and said, "This time, we must succeed. Liuwan is no longer our safe place. We have to find a new living space."