Chapter 52: Interrogating Fan Shun, Learning About the Local Specialty

However, in Lin Mu's heart, this Qingfeng Fortress was likely not as simple as it appeared on the surface. As one of the Azure Dragon Fortresses under the command of Xu Zhao—a warlord currently throwing Kuaiji Commandery into chaos—if it were merely an ordinary logistics base, they would have simply provided protection as they had before, letting the fortress produce finished goods without the need for military action to suppress a mere mountain stronghold. There had to be more to the story.

When Lin Mu saw Fortress Master Gao Hai, he did not abruptly inquire about the reasons behind this. He merely instructed Gao Hai to appease the common people of the fortress, restore normal order, stabilize the people's hearts, and erase the shadow of terror left by the Azure Dragon soldiers.

The dark clouds hovering over Qingfeng Fortress seemed to have long since vanished, replaced by a peaceful radiance of sunlight!

"Fortress Master Gao Hai, control of the fortress has returned to our hands. Next, you need to step forward to appease the residents. I will have Feng Zhong lead troops to assist you. Additionally, I hope you can introduce our True Dragon Village warriors to the people; I hope this does not disturb anyone!" Lin Mu did not want to bring fear to the residents. He hoped that by having the fortress master introduce the True Dragon Village soldiers, he could prevent any unforeseen accidents.

"Very well, thank you, Village Chief Lin. I shall immediately step forward to soothe the frightened people. I was incompetent and allowed them to suffer; I am truly ashamed!" Gao Hai said helplessly. He had driven away the tiger only to have the wolf arrive. How could Gao Hai not recognize Lin Mu's intentions? He just hadn't expected that a mere village of a few hundred people could now conquer the massive Azure Dragon Fortress. The world was truly unpredictable. Had the words of his ancestors truly come to pass? It seemed he needed to make plans early; with the world falling into chaos, his place of refuge should be this True Dragon Village. Should he use that secret to secure a better future and a good impression?

...

After letting Feng Zhong lead a squad of soldiers to follow Gao Hai to appease the residents, Lin Mu ordered his subordinates to bring in the captured leaders of the Azure Dragon Army for interrogation.

Soon, two soldiers escorted the bound Fan Shun into the room. After removing the cloth gagging his mouth, before Lin Mu could even begin the interrogation, Fan Shun suddenly shouted loudly, "Who are you thieves? Where did you come from? Do you know who I am? I am a Military Marquis of the Azure Dragon Army, a commissioned officer and a soldier of Kuaiji Commandery! We came here to suppress bandits—are you attempting to rebel?" He spat out a barrage of questions at once, as if trying to vent all his confusion while simultaneously attempting to bolster his own prestige to strike fear into these "country thieves."

"Heh heh, so it really is you!" Lin Mu muttered under his breath. Hearing this so-called Military Marquis's confession, Lin Mu's suspicions were confirmed.

"Hmph, regardless of whether you are government officials or not, we commoners have been squeezed so hard by you so-called official and local elites that we had no choice but to take to the hills and become bandits. Now that you want to suppress us, of course we must resist! Haha, now that you have fallen into our hands, this is your fate. Now, I have questions for you. If you refuse to cooperate honestly, do not blame us country peasants for being rude and making you lose a few body parts, hehe..." Lin Mu spoke with a bandit-like air, ending with a neurotic, low chuckle that sent a shiver down Fan Shun's spine, making his heart pound with dread.

"You... you..." Fan Shun thought for a moment, wanting to argue, but he was already a prisoner of war and lacked freedom. Trying to intimidate them with his official status was no longer working. These unruly people had been oppressed by the government and local elites, so their hearts were surely filled with resentment; if they lost their nerve and killed him, it would be a tragedy. He did not want to die!

"Brave warrior, please ask whatever questions you have. If this lowly one knows, I will tell you everything without reservation!" Fan Shun lowered his eyes and spoke with righteous indignation, "As an official, I have never oppressed the people; I have always loved and protected them. I also deeply detest those greedy and unrestrained local elites. I sympathize greatly with your plight! I even used to donate my salary to the poor. I hope the Great One can treat this lowly one with leniency!"

"Haha... I didn't expect a Military Marquis of the Azure Dragon Army to be so 'loving toward the people like a father'! Haha, I will certainly treat you well, but you must answer my questions properly. If you answer well, I will untie you and even treat you to meat and wine!" Lin Mu used a mix of provocation and incentive. He hadn't expected this Military Marquis to be such a piece of work! Judging by his demeanor, he was clearly a man who feared death above all else.

"Enough. I will ask, and you will simply answer!" Lin Mu went straight to the point.

"What is your name? Which army and battalion do you serve in?" Lin Mu asked first.

"I am Fan Shun! I am the Military Marquis of the Second Squad of the Second Battalion of the Azure Dragon Army's Scout Department," Fan Shun answered truthfully in a low voice.

"You say you are a soldier of Kuaiji Commandery. Why are you appearing here in the remote Qilian Mountains?" Lin Mu questioned.

"This lowly one does not know either. Usually, our squad just stays idle in the commandery's military camp. Although we occasionally suppress bandits, the world outside is peaceful and there is rarely any warfare, so we have very little combat experience; we only train in the camp, though it doesn't serve much purpose for actual combat training. Later, our commander had us lead our squads through a mysterious teleportation array to the Qilian Mountains for training, to prepare for future circumstances!" As a mere Military Marquis, Fan Shun likely knew nothing of the high-level plans.

"Prepare for what future circumstances?" Lin Mu pressed. Although he knew the Azure Dragon Army would rebel against the Han Dynasty, he did not know the specific details. He needed precise information to formulate an infallible plan.

"Warrior, please spare my life! I truly do not know!" Fan Shun smiled bitterly; this question was truly difficult for him.

"Fine, if you don't know, then forget it." Lin Mu did not force him and spoke again.

"How many people are currently in your Azure Dragon Fortress? Answer carefully, otherwise, if my scouts find that your information does not match reality, you will regret it!" Lin Mu had not actually sent out scouts; he was merely intimidating Fan Shun.

"Currently, our Azure Dragon Fortress has 150,000 people, reaching the maximum population capacity of the stronghold. Because the fortress undergoes a rotation every year, we just completed one a month ago, so the population is at its peak," Fan Shun answered cautiously.

"Rotation? A rotation every year? What is that about?" Lin Mu was very confused.

"Reporting to the Great One, the Azure Dragon Fortress is the training ground for our Azure Dragon Army. Every year, the veterans who have trained for a year are rotated back to the commandery, and then new recruits are transported here for training!" Fan Shun replied truthfully.

"What? They are just new recruits? Then were all the elite troops in the fortress transported away a month ago?" Lin Mu's breathing quickened, and he asked Fan Shun with excitement.

"Ahem, yes. Last month, the trained elite troops were transported back—100,000 third-tier soldiers and 30,000 fourth-tier elites. However, compared to your soldiers, they are all just chickens and dogs, hehe..." Fan Shun was somewhat agitated, but even now, he was still capable of flattery—a true character.

"Haha, good, good! To think that the elite troops of the Azure Dragon Fortress have all been moved away. Now our certainty of attacking the fortress is even greater! Haha, heaven is helping me!" Upon receiving this information, Lin Mu was ecstatic. He already had a seventy percent certainty of taking the fortress, but with this intelligence, his certainty reached ninety-nine percent; the remaining one percent was merely to account for unforeseen accidents.

In his excitement, Lin Mu wished he could lead his troops to attack the Azure Dragon Fortress immediately.