The wind and sand in the Northlands were fiercer than the past few days, carrying gravel that hit the gates of Zhenbei City with a muffled thud.
The city gates were half open.
The soldiers guarding the city, wrapped in sheepskin coats, huddled at the base of the wall.
Seeing a convoy approach, the leading soldier finally dragged his spear forward.
Li Sheng pulled the reins and handed over the border pass stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of Revenue.
The soldier didn't take it; his gaze went over Li Sheng's shoulder, staring intently at the thirty large carts covered with tarpaulins behind him.
The news that the Princess was coming to the Northern Border on behalf of the Emperor had spread long ago.
The Northern Border lacked grain, and these thirty large carts were like meat in their eyes.
"Imperial Envoy from the Ministry of Revenue, patrolling the border by imperial decree."
Li Sheng flipped his wrist, the pass flashed before the soldier's eyes, and his other hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
With a push of his thumb, the straight sword was unsheathed by half an inch, making a metallic scraping sound.
The soldier shivered all over, tearing his eyes away from the carts.
He glanced at the official seal on the pass, took a half step back, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Let them through—"
The cart wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs as the convoy entered the main district of Zhenbei City.
Xu Qinghuan leaned against the soft cushions, a sheepskin map spread out on the low table in front of her.
She drew a horizontal line on the map with her finger, dividing the Great Qian's northern defense line.
"Jenny Huang, look closely at this map."
"The defense line of the Great Qian's Northern Border has been divided into three sections since the founding of the dynasty by the Great Ancestor."
Xu Qinghuan tapped the sheepskin scroll three times with her fingertip.
"The Liaodong Circuit in the east, the Xuanda Region in the middle, and the Northwest Route in the west."
"This is called the three-route division."
Jenny Huang frowned:
"Miss, if three armies are guarding the country's gates together, why isn't there a unified command seal in the middle?"
"Because the one sitting on the dragon throne is afraid of military generals rebelling."
Xu Qinghuan sneered, "The generals of the three routes don't answer to each other, and no one can mobilize another's troops."
"The most ridiculous part is that the military funds for these three routes are calculated separately by the Ministry of Revenue."
"Liaodong eats Liaodong's grain, and the Northwest takes the Northwest's pay."
Her fingertip traced the ink line on the map to a red circled position in the middle.
"The Zhenbei City we are stepping on right now belongs to the middle route, the Xuanda Region."
Xu Qinghuan looked up at Xu Wuyou: "The Xuanda Region is right at the throat of the steppe."
"Once the main force of the Left Luli King heads south, the first thing they will hit is the walls of Zhenbei City."
"But do you know which of these three armies is owed the most military pay on the Ministry of Revenue's account books?"
Li Sheng gasped: "The Xuanda Region?"
"For a full half year, the Xuanda Region hasn't seen a single tael of silver from the Ministry of Revenue."
Xu Qinghuan rolled up the sheepskin scroll and tossed it onto the low table. "So once the Left Luli King attacks the pass, the Liaodong and Northwest routes will absolutely not send a single soldier to help."
"Because they haven't received the imperial court's allocated military funds, and no one is willing to use their own resources to fill the hole in the Xuanda Region."
The carriage was so quiet that only the creaking of the wheels crushing the stone slabs could be heard.
"An isolated city of death."
Jenny Huang sighed.
"So the situation in Zhenbei City is more complicated than in the capital."
Xu Qinghuan lifted a corner of the carriage window curtain, and the wind rushed in.
"They have no grain and no pay, yet they still have to guard this gate."
"So the rules in this city aren't the laws of the Great Qian, but the blade of a sword."
Xu Qinghuan thought to herself that in such a situation, cement and the spinning jenny had made some contributions.
Since its appearance from Taoyuan, cement had been directly applied to military use, but thanks to the construction of border cities, it was indeed a conscientious project.
However, the economic benefits of cement were not high.
As for the spinning jenny, there was no need to mention it; the tax revenue it provided was ultimately limited.
...
The convoy proceeded along the main street.
Through the gap in the carriage window, Xu Qinghuan looked at the street scene outside.
On both sides of the street, border troops were patrolling in twos and threes.
These soldiers were visibly emaciated, their cheekbones slightly protruding, and their facial skin a sallow yellow.
The leather armor they wore had long lost its color, and some places even had holes, exposing the blackened, torn cotton stuffing inside.
The scabbards of the swords hanging at their waists were covered in rust, slapping against their legs and making a sound as they walked.
This was not an army stationed at the border; it was a group of refugees who could collapse dead on the street at any moment.
Even more abnormally, the entire main street was lifeless.
According to the laws of the Great Qian, when an imperial envoy patrolled the border, the civil officials of the local prefectures and the garrison generals of the Ministry of War should set up an incense altar and kneel in welcome ten miles outside the city gates.
But from entering the city until now, let alone high officials, not even a ninth-rank registrar had shown up.
The doors of the shops on both sides of the street were shut tight, dust accumulating on the door panels.
Occasionally, a few windows were open a crack, revealing gazes that retracted upon touching the swords at the waists of the convoy guards.
A gust of wind swept by, blowing several pieces of yellow paper high into the air at the street corner.
"A show of strength." Xu Wuyou rested his hand on his sword hilt. "The civil and military officials of the city are playing the Empty City Stratagem with us."
"They didn't come out to welcome us because they think a princess from the capital bringing dozens of carts of grain and forage is just bringing them meat."
"They don't take us seriously at all."
Xu Qinghuan dropped the curtain, her tone calm. "Pass down the order: full alert."
As soon as she finished speaking, a flurry of hoofbeats suddenly came from ahead.
These hoofbeats were uniform, heavy, and powerful—definitely not the kind of noise those sallow and emaciated patrol soldiers could make.
Li Sheng forcefully pulled the reins, and the thirty large carts stopped head-to-tail in the middle of the main street.
Ahead on the street, fifty cavalrymen formed a wedge formation, blocking the convoy's path.
These fifty men were entirely different from the sallow and emaciated border troops on the street just now.
The warhorses beneath them were robust, draped in cold-forged iron armor that gleamed darkly under the daylight.
Each man held a long spear, the tips pointing directly at the convoy.
These were the true elites of Zhenbei City.
The leading rider emerged from the group.
The man on horseback was burly with a rough face, sporting a scar on his left cheek that slashed from the corner of his eye down to his chin.
He reined in his horse, which snorted in place.
"Zhao Hu, adjutant under the command of General of the Striking Force Tie Lanshan."
The scar-faced man dismounted nimbly.
He walked to about three paces in front of Xu Qinghuan's carriage, knelt on one knee on the bluestone slab, and struck his left chest with his right fist in a military salute.
"Greetings, Imperial Envoy."
Without waiting for the carriage to issue the command to rise, Zhao Hu stood up on his own.
He patted the dust off his knee, his gaze sweeping brazenly over the thirty large carts behind.
"Your Excellency has had a hard and tiring journey."
"My general is busy with military affairs and could not come out to welcome you personally, so he specially ordered me to come and receive you."
Zhao Hu clasped his hands together, but there was little respect in his tone. "This city is a mixed bag and not peaceful."
"For Your Excellency's safety, how about my brothers and I take over these supplies?"
"I will personally escort Your Excellency to the relay station to rest."
Saying this, he raised his right hand and made a gesture.
The fifty iron-armored cavalrymen behind him all urged their warhorses forward ten paces, the horses' heads almost touching the noses of the Xu family guards.
This was daylight robbery.
Li Sheng's face darkened as he strode forward, blocking the space between Zhao Hu and the carriage.
Clang—
Li Sheng drew the straight blade at his waist half an inch, revealing a sudden gleam of cold steel.
Seeing this, the Xu family's personal guards immediately rested their hands on their own sword hilts and formed a protective ring around the carriage.
"We appreciate Adjutant Zhao's kind offer," Li Sheng said, staring directly into Zhao Hu's eyes, his voice cold and unyielding. "However, the Imperial Envoy's convoy is under the exclusive protection of the Chengyi Count's personal guards."
"Without a direct written order from the Lord Envoy, no one is permitted to take a single step closer to this carriage."
"The border army's duty is to defend the city walls, not to run errands for an armed escort agency."
Instead of backing down, Zhao Hu stepped forward until he was practically chest-to-chest with Li Sheng.
"Now, brother, that's no way to talk," Zhao Hu said, a hollow, mocking smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Just yesterday, the Ministry of War sent a military dispatch stating that the capital had allocated a batch of emergency provisions."
"Our brothers stationed here at the northern border haven't eaten in three days. They're so starved they can barely lift their blades."
"Could it be that this carriage holds the life-saving grain dispatched by the Ministry of Revenue?"
Without giving Li Sheng a chance to reply, he suddenly raised his voice, letting it echo down the street:
"Since these are life-saving provisions, I must ask the Lord Envoy to do us a favor and allow me to inspect them right here and now!"
"If the grain is all accounted for, I will immediately have my men distribute it to the camps. It's best to handle these things quickly, lest any unexpected complications arise in the night!"
