Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Chapter 137 Bluffing

Zhang Songhu was a rough and tough soldier in the army. He didn't talk much, his emotions were always on his face, and he always looked at people with a cold eye.

Such a person is not easily bribed, but recently he has been carrying a cloth bag every time he comes out of Zhao Wenchang's tent.

Moreover, he appeared relaxed, with a smug look in his eyes, and would even occasionally show off in front of other soldiers.

To avoid alerting Zhang Songhu, Liu Yao did not directly follow him. Instead, he cooperated with others to conduct surveillance in shifts.

They observed that Zhang Songhu would visit Zhao Wenchang's tent almost every two or three days, while Li Tuo did it even more frequently, sometimes spending a short time in Zhao Wenchang's tent every day.

One night, it was Liu Yao's turn to be on night watch. He hid not far from Zhao Wenchang's tent and observed Zhang Songhu's movements.

Liu Yao noticed that when Zhang Songhu entered the tent, Zhao Wenchang's confidants immediately pulled down the tent flap and strengthened the guards around it, clearly doing something they didn't want outsiders to see.

A few minutes later, Zhang Songhu came out of the tent, carrying the cloth bag as expected.

He looked satisfied and patted the bag gently, as if he had received something precious.

Liu Yao held his breath and quietly followed behind him, keeping a safe distance so that Zhang Songhu would not notice.

Zhang Songhu walked all the way to his residence, looked around to make sure no one was following him, then hid the cloth bag in a wooden box under his bed and locked the box.

Liu Yao observed from a distance and couldn't help but speculate that the bag must contain some kind of "hush money".

It might be money, or other valuables, used to win people's hearts and ensure that Zhang Songhu and others keep Zhao Wenchang's plans a secret.

Liu Yao knew it was too early to uncover the contents of the bags. He needed to ensure there was enough evidence to prove that the bags were related to Zhao Wenchang's conspiracy before he could reveal everything to the public.

In order to learn more about the contents of the bag, Liu Yao decided to approach Zhang Songhu and probe his words.

A few days later, Liu Yao found an opportunity and invited Zhang Songhu for drinks after the patrol ended.

"Brother Songhu, how have you been lately? I heard you've been getting close to General Zhao recently, is there some good opportunity?" Liu Yao asked casually.

Zhang Songhu took a sip of wine, put on a smug expression, and sneered, "Hmph, General Zhao is a smart man. He knows who to reward and who to promote."

A hint of smugness flashed across his face, but he quickly realized he shouldn't say more, so he remained silent.

However, Liu Yao had already gleaned crucial information from his demeanor—Zhao Wenchang was indeed trying to bribe him with some kind of benefit, otherwise Zhang Songhu wouldn't have acted so frivolously and with such hidden pride.

Liu Yao continued drinking, feigning drunkenness, and mumbled, "To be appreciated by General Zhao is truly a blessing! When you have time, let me see what good things General Zhao has bestowed upon me?"

Zhang Songhu did not completely suspect Liu Yao's probing, after all, in his eyes, Liu Yao was just an ordinary soldier and no threat whatsoever.

He smiled slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "General Zhao appreciates useful people. A good-for-nothing like you probably won't get that chance."

After saying that, he laughed heartily and patted the cloth bag at his waist with a hint of pride, as if showing off the special reward he had received to Liu Yao.

During his covert investigation, Liu Yao not only discovered Zhang Songhu's unusual behavior, but also noticed Li Tuo's secret movements.

Although Li Tuo was not as high-profile as Zhang Songhu, he always carried a cloth bag when he came out of Zhao Wenchang's tent, and he was always very careful, afraid of being discovered.

Through surveillance, Liu Yao learned that Li Tuo's bag did not contain gold or silver, but rather some valuable military supplies, including food ration coupons and precious military medicines.

These supplies were clearly not something ordinary soldiers could use at will; they were obviously intended by Zhao Wenchang as part of a "hush money" payment to ensure Li Tuo's loyalty to him.

One night, Liu Yao deliberately passed by Li Tuo's residence and heard hushed conversations coming from inside. He vaguely heard Li Tuo say, "As long as we follow General Zhao's arrangements, we will be rewarded with these benefits."

This statement convinced Liu Yao that Li Tuo and Zhang Songhu were indeed the people Zhao Wenchang had bribed.

These bags were not only hush money, but also an important means for Zhao Wenchang to buy people's hearts and cover up his crimes by providing supplies.

As their covert investigation deepened, Liu Yao and his partners gradually uncovered the truth behind the secret transactions hidden behind Zhao Wenchang's sack.

They documented Zhang Songhu and Li Tuo's movements in and out of Zhao Wenchang's tent, carrying cloth bags, and compared the list of military supplies carried by Li Tuo to confirm that these supplies were indeed under Zhao Wenchang's jurisdiction.

Liu Yao calmly sorted through the evidence, and a complete chain of events gradually formed in his mind: Zhao Wenchang framed Gu Jinyan by forging secret letters.

At the same time, cloth bags were used as hush money to ensure that Li Tuo, Zhang Songhu and others kept silent about the "discovery" of the secret letter, in order to cover up their crimes of colluding with the enemy.

He handed the evidence to Gu Jinyan and whispered, "Commander Gu, Zhao Wenchang used hush money to buy people's hearts. He not only controlled Li Tuo and Zhang Songhu, but also strengthened his control over the soldiers in the army through these supplies."

All of this was to conceal his true purpose.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinyan frowned, and after a moment said coldly, "Zhao Wenchang has truly gone to great lengths, even using supplies to buy people's hearts and gain the soldiers' silence. But this evidence is enough to expose his crimes, and we are only one step away from overthrowing him."

In order to further uncover Zhao Wenchang's conspiracy, Gu Jinyan sent another group of soldiers to secretly find out the source of those rumors.

After much investigation, they finally identified several soldiers who were always stirring up trouble in the military camp.

The group often gathered in small groups to discuss Gu Jinyan's "secret letter" and claimed to have personally witnessed his "sneaky movements".

One of his men reported, "We found out that these soldiers who spread the rumors had been put in solitary confinement earlier for violating military regulations."

Unexpectedly, they've now gotten jobs under Zhao Wenchang; it seems they're trying to curry favor with him through this opportunity.

Gu Jinyan nodded slightly after hearing this, and a bold conjecture had already formed in his mind.

She whispered, "Zhao Wenchang deliberately spread rumors about these soldiers who made mistakes in order to control them."

He used his power to win people over, but once they revealed the truth at the crucial moment, Zhao Wenchang's plan would completely collapse.

Through a series of investigations, Gu Jinyan gradually uncovered the trap set by Zhao Wenchang and the evidence of bribing witnesses.

She gathered the group outside the tent and whispered, "We must report these findings to the high command in the military and expose Zhao Wenchang's conspiracy."

Otherwise, he will continue to wreak havoc on the military camp.

Wang Rui asked, "Chief Officer Gu, but Zhao Wenchang wields immense power. How can we make the evidence public?"

Gu Jinyan replied firmly, "We'll act tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll find Zhao Lingfeng and publicly expose this evidence in front of him."

Zhao Wenchang abused his power to oppress others, but our army values ​​loyalty and righteousness. Once the truth is exposed, Zhao Wenchang will have no power to retaliate.

The soldiers each carried out their assigned tasks: some sorted through the secret letters and handwriting evidence, while others were responsible for tracking Zhao Wenchang's confidants and recording their actions.

At night, Gu Jinyan closed her eyes to rest in her tent, awaiting the arrival of dawn. That night, her heart was as calm as the night, knowing that she was about to face a life-or-death battle.

The following morning, Gu Jinyan requested to see Zhao Lingfeng, claiming that he had urgent military information.

After Zhao Lingfeng gave her permission, she led Wang Rui and the others into the hall.

Zhao Wenchang was also present. He saw Gu Jinyan and gave her a cold smile, clearly not taking her counterattack seriously.

However, Gu Jinyan did not show any panic. Instead, he presented the evidence to the public one by one.

"The paper for this secret letter came from Zhao Wenchang's private warehouse, and the handwriting was also from Li Tuo, one of his subordinates."

While presenting the evidence, Gu Jinyan stated Zhao Wenchang's perjury, "In addition, we found that he used silver to bribe witnesses and spread rumors."

General Zhao frowned and asked Zhao Wenchang in a cold voice, "Zhao Wenchang, what is your explanation?"

Zhao Wenchang's expression was calm, but his voice carried a hint of indignation. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to General Zhao and said, "General, what Gu Jinyan and her men said is all fabricated and baseless."

My subordinate Li Tuo is illiterate; he has never written any documents, let alone forged any secret letters.

These so-called handwriting evidences are completely baseless accusations!

Upon hearing this, the surrounding generals began to whisper among themselves.

Zhao Wenchang continued, "As for the silver in the bag they mentioned, that's utter nonsense! Li Tuo's mother was seriously ill and needed money for treatment, so I took some silver to help him out."

As for Zhang Songhu, he had accumulated a large gambling debt. As his superior, I only paid off these debts out of pity. Does my slight concern for a subordinate really constitute evidence of bribery?

Zhao Lingfeng's gaze shifted from Gu Jinyan to Zhao Wenchang, his expression complex.

Seeing this, Zhao Wenchang's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness, and he seized the opportunity to continue, "General, Gu Jinyan's framing of me is truly sinister."

She's desperate to prove her innocence, yet she's using me as a scapegoat. General, you are wise; this is clearly a scheme to frame her!

Gu Jinyan listened calmly to Zhao Wenchang's explanation, secretly sneering to himself.

She had already anticipated that Zhao Wenchang would not easily admit his guilt. Faced with his sophistry, Gu Jinyan remained calm and said, "General Zhao, since you say that Li Tuo is illiterate..."

Why was he appointed as your subordinate, responsible for recording grain warehouse affairs?

"If he truly couldn't read, how could you entrust him with such an important task? This is military business, not ordinary business!"

Zhao Wenchang was slightly taken aback, but forced himself to remain calm: "General Gu, don't distort the truth!"

I assigned Li Tuo to be in charge of the granary because he is hardworking and reliable.

As for the records of the granary, those were always handled by others; he only assisted.

Gu Jinyan turned to look at the soldiers beside him, his voice calm and powerful: "In that case, we can find a few soldiers who have worked with Li Tuo in the army and let them testify to Li Tuo's duties."

Furthermore, if he truly was illiterate, where did Li Tuo's signature and annotations in those military records come from?

The soldiers present were also puzzled and began whispering among themselves, while Zhao Wenchang's face grew increasingly grim.

But he still argued: "Even if he occasionally writes, it doesn't mean he can forge secret letters! The similarity in handwriting only shows that someone intentionally imitated it."

Gu Jinyan knew that he had to further expose Zhao Wenchang's lies in order to completely break down his defenses.

She looked at General Zhao and said in a deep voice, "General, Zhao Wenchang's so-called 'aid' is probably just a cover for his way of winning people's hearts."

I have military accounts here, and you can clearly see Zhao Wenchang's private accounts, which show that he frequently withdrew large amounts of silver in a short period of time, for unknown purposes.

Could all this silver be intended for emergency relief for subordinates?

General Zhao took the account book presented by Gu Jinyan and examined it carefully, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Wenchang immediately said urgently, "General, the army is busy, and I have indeed spent some money, but that was all for daily military needs."

Must every penny I spend be viewed with such suspicion?

However, at this moment, Liu Yao stepped forward and said coldly, "Zhao Wenchang, I'm afraid your offer of relief is not out of kindness."