The daughter of a noble family is reborn, and she is doted on by her godmother.

Chapter 129 The Marquis of Ankang's Preparations

"opportunity?"

"The time has come for what His Majesty desires."

General Chai smiled and waved his hand, "In short, since the Prefect was sent by His Majesty, I am at ease. As for the subsequent arrangements for the transportation of supplies, you can communicate directly with my quartermaster, Staff Officer Liang."

A man not wearing armor walked up and said, "Greetings, Prefect Zhu. I am the quartermaster. You can call me Lao Liang."

"Officer Liang, General Chai, please don't leave yet. I have something else I'd like to discuss with you." Zhu Ling quickly stood up.

Zhu Ling still had some uncertainties and wanted to ask this all-powerful general if he knew anything about the situation.

However, there were still quite a few other soldiers here, and Zhu Ling wondered if she should ask the others to leave so she could speak with General Chai alone.

However, General Chai did not give Zhu Ling much time to think.

"You mean... the Marquis of Ankang, right?"

Zhu Ling's eyes widened suddenly, but she still tried her best to control her impulse.

"Old Liang, go check on the wounded first. I need to discuss some things with Prefect Zhu." General Chai dismissed everyone, as did Yun Yuke, who had come with Zhu Ling.

Only Zhu, Xing, and General Chai remained in the room.

"You've come for Marquis Ankang's private army, haven't you?" General Chai said with a thoughtful smile, exuding confidence.

"How did General Chai know that this was what I wanted to ask?"

Zhu Ling was very puzzled, just like when her secret was exposed.

If Zhu Ling hadn't known that General Chai was also someone the emperor trusted, he might have thought he'd been betrayed.

“When Changgan City was first placed under control, some of the spies detained were sent by the Marquis of Ankang. And the messenger I sent a few days ago who was attacked has already returned to the camp yesterday. I asked him, and he still remembers the attackers.”

"What happened? We asked your messenger when we were in Changgan City, and he said he didn't see anything either." Xing Xiaoyu remembered the situation at the time and quickly asked.

"I'm really sorry, but I told them that outsiders cannot be trusted. It's better not to pass on intelligence than to report it to someone who can't be trusted. We didn't know who you were at first, and he didn't say anything. After he returned safely, he told me that although the people who attacked him tried to hide, there were many of them, and their attack was methodical. They must have received professional training and were definitely not ordinary bandits."

General Chai didn't care about the complaints of the two ladies in front of him. After all, he had his own rules and didn't need to explain himself to outsiders.

"General Chai, you just mentioned the Marquis of Ankang's private army? Do you know anything about it?"

Zhu Ling took the initiative to ask. Now is not the time to worry about whether he is being valued or not; the most important thing now is to ensure the safety of Changgan City.

In addition, since he was originally appointed as the prefect of Changgan City, his primary goal, besides taking office, was to find out the relevant information about this Marquis of Ankang.

Although the evidence found was not irrefutable, the Emperor did not need any particularly conclusive evidence; what he needed was a reason to weaken the Empress Dowager's family.

The original evidence has now been sent over; what to do next is up to His Majesty's judgment.

Among these issues, corruption and bribery do not appear to affect the stability of a region at present.

However, if the Marquis of Ankang had a private army, no matter how many soldiers there were, it would be an unstable factor.

"General Chai, did you already know that Marquis Ankang was keeping a private army?" Zhu Ling asked, looking up.

"Yes. It's alright to tell you this, since your Changgan City also needs to prepare for defense."

General Chai walked to the main seat and waved his hand, gesturing for Zhu and Xing to sit down.

"As I just mentioned, the entire Cangnan Town was established under the arrangement of our Cangnan Army. No one knows about this except His Majesty. Therefore, my men will know immediately if there is any unusual activity in the vicinity."

"So that's how it is. General Chai's arrangements are meticulous. Zhu Ling has learned a lot."

These words came from the bottom of his heart. Facing such a general who had fought on the battlefield, he was able to pay attention to such details. No matter what, he could not let his guard down.

"Excuse me, do you know approximately where this private army is stationed, and how many people are there?"

"Regarding the first question, my answer is I don't know. It's not appropriate for our people to keep a close eye on things. What we know so far is that the approximate location of their encampment should still be within the fiefdom of Marquis Ankang, specifically behind the Marquis Ankang's residence. The terrain there is quite unique, and since it's private territory, the topographical maps we have are from a long time ago."

"As for the second question, if I were to speculate, well... there should be at least two thousand people."

"Two thousand people?" Zhu and Xing were shocked.

“The daily guards of Changgan City number only about a thousand, and that includes the three shifts of yamen runners.” Zhu Ling’s lips trembled slightly, and for the first time he truly felt the “bitterness”.

"Therefore, Prefect Zhu, your task is still very important."

General Chai gave the other party a hint.

"Even if this Marquis of Ankang is incompetent, surely he wouldn't attack Changgan City..."

Zhu Ling felt it was a bit tricky and carefully considered whether he had given himself away earlier.

I am not afraid of death.

However, if the people of Changgan were dragged into a war that should never have happened, then he would truly be a sinner.

Moreover, these private soldiers could not have appeared out of thin air; they may have come from villages near Changgan.

If a war really breaks out, and they launch an emotional offensive to attack from within, their own defenses are very likely to be compromised.

“Prefect Zhu, calm down and don’t be afraid. I’ve met Marquis Ankang before. He’s quite arrogant. A few years ago, he was rather flamboyant and, relying on his connections, committed many murders. But in the last two years, he’s become much more restrained. I believe he has someone backing him up. Someone like that probably wouldn’t attack Changgan City directly; it wouldn’t be worth it for him.”

“So, if he really sends troops…” Xing Xiaoyu was also listening from the side.

“He will choose to lead a ‘small’ force to seize the spoils of victory when both we and Uro are exhausted.”

General Chai calmly stated his judgment.

"So, it seems General Chai, you are ready?" Zhu Ling asked.

"Yes. Before the flying car team arrived, I was actually a little anxious. My brothers are fighting bravely on the front lines. If outsiders were to steal the credit, not to mention me, my brothers couldn't accept it. Now that the flying car team is cooperating, that's great."

General Chai was very excited and looked in one direction. That was the location of the flying caravan.

"When His Majesty first told me that he had developed a new type of weapon, I was a little dismissive. What's the use of good weapons if the soldiers are bravely fighting the enemy? Now I'm convinced. This is truly a game-changer!"

Zhu and Xing didn't say much, they just nodded.

"Alright, that's about all I have to say. Prefect Zhu, is there anything else? If not, I need to go check on my wounded soldiers; they've had a tough time."

"That's all. Thank you for your help, General Chai. Thank you."

"You're too kind. We'll need your help to replenish supplies in the rear later, so we'll have to trouble you again then."