“From the vantage point of the present, this is most likely to be the case, given that Shan Congyi is now in league with Wang Xiangxin,” observed the General Zhongwu (AKA the General of Loyalty and Valor).
However, part of it still didn’t make sense. The collusion between Shan Congyi and Wang Xiangxin was covert. The reason why the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom were supporting Wang Xiangxin was because they wanted to throw the Great Wen into civil strife. There was no way they would actually help Wang Xiangxin take the throne. Besides, the two countries didn’t dare let this matter go public, and under no circumstances would they let it be brought to light. No matter which perspective Ling Zhang saw this issue from, it struck him as quite confusing that Wang Xiangxin would cross swords with an army of the imperial court just because of Shan Congyi. Firstly, Wang Xiangxin’s troops were stationed in four different checkpoints far away from each other. Even if he built another army by press-ganging residents of Jiangzhou, he would definitely save it for more important purposes and would by no means treat them as cannon fodder just to breach the defensive line of the enemy; secondly, considering Shan Congyi had managed to make contact and collude with Wang Xiangxin despite the blockade, he didn’t need to specially breach the defensive line to stay in touch with his ally. Besides, on no account would Shan Congyi dare blow his cover.
Unless… there was something very important which Wang Xiangxin wanted to get at all costs.
What could that thing be?
While Ling Zhang was casting around for an answer with a frown on his face, the General Zhongwu had finished analyzing the situation of the checkpoint in Xishan County and that of the one in Jincang County as well.
“No matter what Wang Xiangxin is up to, we must stop him,” said the General Zhongwu.
Ling Zhang was still racking his brains. Yuwen Tong wanted to use Wang Xiangxin to teach the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom a lesson because no matter what the two countries were plotting, they would need manpower and money if they wanted to support Wang Xiangxin, and both these two things were what Wang Xiangxin needed the most. Without these two things, it would be utterly impossible for Wang Xiangxin to stage an uprising or do this country harm in any other ways.
Shan Congyi didn’t seem to have what it took to offer Wang Xiangxin manpower or anything else, because currently he was hiding in Cangzhou. He had had a hard job getting into Cangzhou, eluding yamen patrols to keep his true identity secret. Between the Wan Kingdom and Jiangzhou was the vast territory of the Great Wen covering tens of thousands of square kilometers. No matter how capable Shan Congyi was, by no means would he be able to send any soldiers or other resources into Jiangzhou through that checkpoint.
So it was most likely that he would support his ally financially.
When it came to money, silver ingots were pretty heavy, and it would no doubt take a lot of silver to cover the expenses of the whole Jiangzhou garrison. If it was indeed silver ingots that Shan Congyi would give Wang Xiangxin, he might really have to breach the defensive line…
Ling Zhang, after giving it some careful thought, told the General Zhongwu about his conjecture.
The General Zhongwu wasn’t as well-informed as Ling Zhang, but he caught on to the situation immediately, feeling that Ling Zhang’s words were very plausible. Apart from reinforcements, money was the only thing that Wang Xiangxin would breach the defensive line of his enemy in that area at all costs to get.
“Your conjecture makes a lot of sense, Childe Ling. There’s a very high chance that it’s silver ingots which they’re going to transport into Jiangzhou. Now that we’ve come to know about their intention, things would be a lot easier.”
Ling Zhang said, “For now it’s still just a conjecture. We need to verify it. Before I came here, I chanced upon a secret agent from the Wan Kingdom.”
After saying this, Ling Zhang gave the General Zhongwu an account of what had happened in the wood previously. “There’s no doubt Shan Congyi is hiding somewhere nearby. The reason why that secret agent went to such great lengths to spy on your army definitely had something to do with Wang Xiangxin’s abnormal behavior. Right now what we need to do is ascertain Shan Congyi’s whereabouts as soon as possible and see if he’s hiding large sums of money.”
The General Zhongwu inclined his head. “You’re right, Childe Ling. I’ll send some men to covertly look for Shan Congyi’s hideout.”
Ling Zhang nodded. Thinking about what Jiang Yu was doing, he felt that it was okay for two groups of people to perform the same task. Currently, finding Shan Congyi as soon as possible was the most important.
“There’s no way I’m going to let them transport any silver ingots into Jiangzhou. Now that the Wan Kingdom has waded in, they’ll have to leave the money before we let them go elsewhere,” said Ling Zhang, a flinty look in his eyes.
The Wan Kingdom was in dire need of time to rebuild its economy. Its domestic situation was severer than that of the Great Wen. Firstly, what with its geographical location, its food production was lower than that of the Great Wen; secondly, the Wan Kingdom had suffered a spate of defeats during the past few years and had sued for peace twice in a row, offering the Great Wen money in war reparations again and again. Its economic situation had always been more serious than that of the Great Wen. It would need money to rebuild its strength, which meant that if Shan Congyi was really here to provide Wang Xiangxin with money, then this sum of money must be a considerable chunk for the Wan Kingdom, and it would take its toll on the Wan Kingdom’s vulnerable finances. If Shan Congyi had his way, it might be okay, but if his plan failed, the monarch of the Wan Kingdom would probably vomit blood with anger.
Moreover, Shan Congyi was supposed to leave the Great Wen, but he had secretly went to Cangzhou. Legally speaking, he was an infiltrator, and his action was against the law, which meant the Great Wen, naturally, could well execute him, and the Wan Kingdom wouldn’t dare say anything about it. Shan Congyi would die for nothing.
Now that he’d entered on this, he should go the whole hog and inflict on the Wan Kingdom such agony that even their breathing would be painful.
Ling Zhang had made up his mind some time before. Since he’d personally come here, he would, by hook or by crook, make sure Shan Congyi wouldn’t make it back to the Wan Kingdom alive!
“When the matter of Jiangzhou is settled, the people there would need help to restore their lives, which means they’ll need money. We may take those silver ingots as economic aid given to Jiangzhou people by the Wan Kingdom,” remarked Ling Zhang.
The General Zhongwu said, “Okay. If those silver ingots do exist, we’ll sure as hell confiscate them!”
It struck the General Zhongwu that Ling Zhang’s plan was well for his liking, so he was thrilled by it, his eyes glinting with determination to get those silver ingots.
…
Ling Zhang had no intention to let his arrival in Cangzhou go public, so after conferring with the General Zhongwu, he prepared to leave quietly.
“I’ll see you out, Childe Ling,” offered the General Zhongwu.
“That won’t be necessary. You’re a busy man, General. We can manage it ourselves. Currently, the first priority is to ascertain Shan Congyi’s whereabouts. I’ll come here to meet you again after Shan Congyi is located,” said Ling Zhang.
“I don’t dare have you personally come here again, Childe Ling. Just send me a message and I’ll go back to the city to see you,” the General Zhongwu hurriedly said.
“There’s no need for you to bother yourself about that, General. This encampment is a more suitable place for consultations.” Ling Zhang declined the General Zhongwu’s offer and made his decision about this matter final.
The General Zhongwu made no more remarks and had his henchman personally see Ling Zhang and Yao Yi out.
Before leaving, Ling Zhang looked in the direction of the distant checkpoint in Jincang County. What with the long distance between them, he was unable to get a clear view of it and could only tell that Wang Xiangxin had indeed deployed a lot of soldiers there to defend the checkpoint. It seemed that Wang Xiangxin was not really unafraid of death.
Ling Zhang and Yao Yi quietly left the wood. A short while before Ling Zhang had talked with the General Zhongwu about money. He still remembered his father had once mentioned to him that Zhu You, the so-called Jiangzhou governor, kept large sums of money in a vault in his mansion. Apart from this money of the Wan Kingdom, he was resolute to get that money as well.
On their way back, they went past Xiaofeng Village again, which was still well defended, with dozens of strong villagers holding knives and iron harrows on guard duty outside. They also organized their teams to make regular patrols.
Yao Yi, who could tell that Ling Zhang was fairly concerned about Xiaofeng Village, said, “This village is very close to the encampment. If it were only a common village, the villagers would have long since evacuated. However, Xiaofeng Village is beside a national road, and there’s even an inn in it. There are a lot of villagers here, and their houses are large and substantial, which shows that the villagers here have made quite some money because of the many itinerant traders traveling along the national road. The villagers are not going to give up a place like this. Although they’re fully aware that an army of the imperial court is stationed right outside, and that this area could be turned into a battlefield at any moment, they wouldn’t leave until they really have to.”
Ling Zhang slightly inclined his head. Actually, from the scale of Xiaofeng Village and the average living conditions of the villagers, he had vaguely guessed why they were staying.
“It can never be right to force people from their homes. It is prevent people from losing homes that we’re supposed to do. It’s just… No matter what, send some men here to check on them when necessary.”
Yao Yi grasped the undertone contained in Ling Zhang’s words. “Rest assured, Childe Ling, I know what to do. The General Zhongwu probably has made some arrangements in this regard some time ago.”
Ling Zhang gave a nod and said no more. After glancing in the direction that secret agent from the Wan Kingdom had gone previously, he told Yao Yi to remember that direction.
“After we go back, have some men go in that direction to conduct the search.”
“Yes, Childe Ling.”
…
The two of them retraced their steps back to the county seat. When they entered, the yamen patrols happened to be changing the shift. The two of them had just left when the new patrol relief arrived.
After returning to the residence, Ling Zhang found that neither Jiang Yu nor his bodyguard was back. Knowing what the two of them were engaged on, he had Yao Yi make arrangements for some men to ascertain the whereabouts of that secret agent and Shan Congyi.
He himself retreated to his bedroom to write Yuwen Tong a letter.
Chances were that Shan Congyi was indeed here to deliver money to Wang Xiangxin, and the amount of it must be enormous.
…
Yao Yi personally took some men to conduct the search. The security in the residence was mainly in the charge of Wang Dashan and the other twenty-three guards.
After finishing the letter, Ling Zhang called Wang Dashan in and asked, “Did anything particular happen in the county seat this morning?”
“No. It’s very quiet. From morning till now, no stranger has entered the county seat. Locals here have their own subterranean organizations, and they always secretly keep a weather eye on out-of-towners whose faces are unfamiliar to them. There were three batches of people who’d entered the county seat before us. All of them are small trade caravans, but the current circumstances in here are not very favorable for business, so the caravans are barely making any profits. One of them has already left ahead of schedule. The other two are staying in a local inn. They seem to still hold out hopes,” said Wang Dashan.
Caravans? Some caravans had ventured to this place at this point in time? Ling Zhang’s brow corrugated in a slight frown. Caravans traveled all around the country, and they were among the most well-informed. There was no doubt it had come to their knowledge that an army of the imperial court had been stationed near Xiaofeng Village. The reason why they had still dared to come to this county was either because they were audacious and wanted to chance their luck, or because they had some ulterior motives.
“When Jiang Yu comes back, have his bodyguard take you to secretly check the two caravans. Find out what they’re selling and where they’re from. I want every little detail.”
“Yes, Young Master,” answered Wang Dashan. “Except for the caravans, no stranger has entered the county seat so far. By the way, earlier this day some residents were staking out this residence of ours.”
