Zhenbei City, the study of the Vice General's Manor.
Ma Jin'an sat behind the desk, his fingers flicking the counting rods.
One, two, the third rod fell.
As the wooden rods dropped into the box, He Minghu's face grew increasingly dark.
One hundred thousand taels of silver, five thousand shi of provisions.
Ma Jin'an pushed the last counting rod into the wooden box and looked up.
The three banks under the Vice General's Manor have been completely emptied. The old grain in the two hidden granaries outside the city has also been scraped clean.
The Commander-in-Chief's Manor has already finished checking and receiving them.
He Minghu slammed his palm onto the windowsill.
That old scoundrel, Tie Lanshan!
The window lattice rattled from the impact.
He was certainly quick enough when it came to collecting the money!
He gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
All the wealth we have accumulated over the years, hollowed out by a single word from that greenhorn wench surnamed Xu?
Ma Jin'an picked up his cold tea and took a sip.
The tea had long gone cold and tasted bitter on the tongue.
Ma Jin'an's expression remained unchanged.
Now that the money and grain have been handed over, stop dwelling on it.
He put down the teacup, his voice kept very steady.
The most important thing right now is to fill this hole.
As he spoke, Ma Jin'an drew a gift list from his sleeve and pushed it across the desk.
The eight carts of colored glass and strong liquor sent by the Imperial Envoy's headquarters have been parked in the backyard for two days.
It is time to make a move.
He Minghu stepped forward, staring at the gift list.
That woman, Xu Qinghuan, is incredibly bizarre.
He frowned and cursed in a low voice, The things she gives, I find them too hot to handle.
Hot or not, we have to take them.
Ma Jin'an tapped his finger on the gift list.
Zhenbei City currently has all four gates under strict inspection, and the night scouts patrol the borders round the clock. Ordinary merchant caravans cannot leave, but we hold the Imperial Envoy's warrant.
He Minghu's eyelids twitched.
You want to trade with the Hélians right now?
Ma Jin'an did not deny it.
The Right Luli Prince, Ashina Gudu, has been waiting for us for a long time.
These eight carts of colored glass might not be rare in the capital, but on the grasslands, they are hard currency.
He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.
Besides, did Xu Qinghuan not want us to use these goods to exchange for cattle, sheep, and horses?
Ma Jin'an looked at He Minghu, his eyes darkening.
Use this batch of goods to exchange for three thousand head of cattle and sheep, and another batch of warhorses.
Slaughter the cattle and sheep for military provisions, and flip the warhorses to sell to the horse administration officials inside the pass.
With this transaction, we can patch up some of the hole.
He Minghu fell silent for a moment.
He knew this matter carried risks.
But with the Vice General's Manor hollowed out, if they did not recoup some losses, the men under them would eventually riot.
After a long while, He Minghu shouted toward the door.
Captain Zhang!
An armored man pushed the door open and entered, dropping to one knee.
Your subordinate is here!
He Minghu stared at him.
Pick fifty absolutely reliable brothers and have them change into merchant clothes. Take the Imperial Envoy's warrant, escort the eight carts of goods in the backyard, and leave through the west gate overnight.
Once out of the city, head straight north.
Go find Ashina Gudu's people.
Captain Zhang's heart tightened. He lowered his head and cupped his fists.
Your subordinate receives the order!
He Minghu walked up to him, his voice lowered fiercely.
Remember, if anything goes wrong with this errand...
He paused after every word.
...your entire family, old and young, will not live.
A chill ran down Captain Zhang's spine.
Your subordinate understands!
...
Eight days later.
North of the Yanmen Wasteland, at the outer camp of the Helian Right Tribe.
The wind swept in from the edge of the pasture, making the felt tents flutter loudly.
Eight horse-drawn carts were parked in the center of the camp, the tarpaulins on the carriages already pulled back.
The sun shone into the carts.
Colored glass cups, glass bowls, and jars of strong liquor were stacked neatly, reflecting a dazzling light.
Temur stood in front of the carts and reached out to hold a glass bowl.
He turned it over and examined it for a moment, then grinned.
Good stuff.
The craftsmen of the Great Qian truly have skilled hands.
He placed the glass bowl back into the wooden box and looked at Captain Zhang.
Your Vice General's Manor is quite generous this time.
Captain Zhang suppressed his inner nervousness and spoke according to Ma Jin'an's instructions.
Three thousand head of cattle and sheep, and fifty warhorses.
This is the price our Vice General He and the Right Luli Prince agreed upon earlier.
Temur laughed heartily, the leather armor on his chest shaking with the motion.
Three thousand cattle and sheep are easy to manage.
But warhorses are not a small number.
He reached out and patted the carriage, unable to hide the greed in his eyes.
However, for the sake of these glass pieces and the liquor, I will send someone to the pasture to allocate them right now.
Just as Temur was about to wave his hand to summon his subordinates, the felt curtain of the main tent was suddenly lifted from the outside.
A figure in a green robe strode in.
Amidst a camp full of leather armor, scimitars, and felt hats, that green robe was particularly eye-catching.
Chen Changfeng had arrived.
He walked up to Temur, untied a golden wolf-head token from his waist, and casually slapped it onto the wooden table.
I will personally inspect this batch of goods.
Temur saw the token clearly, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
He placed a hand over his chest in a salute and stepped aside.
Special Envoy.
Chen Changfeng ignored him.
He walked to the side of the cart, picked up a glass cup, and slowly rubbed his thumb along the rim.
The rim was smooth, without the slightest chip.
The goods were real.
And they were indeed high-quality goods.
Chen Changfeng placed the glass cup back into the box before looking at Captain Zhang.
Inspections in Zhenbei City are strict nowadays.
Caravans leaving the pass must go through the Commander-in-Chief's border market registry and also have the seal of the Imperial Envoy's headquarters.
His voice was not loud, but it made Captain Zhang's neck tighten as he listened.
Which registry did your eight carts of goods go through?
Cold sweat seeped from Captain Zhang's palms.
He forced himself to cup his hands respectfully.
To answer the Special Envoy, the Vice General's Manor has left the pass under the Imperial Envoy's warrant, in order to establish a long-term trade route with the Right Luli Prince.
The brothers guarding the city saw the warrant and naturally let us pass.
Chen Changfeng looked at him.
The Imperial Envoy's warrant?
Captain Zhang gritted his teeth, took a stamped document from his breast pocket, and offered it with both hands.
Chen Changfeng took it, unrolled it, and glanced over it.
The seal was real.
The document was also real.
Xu Qinghuan's name was placed in a prominent position.
Chen Changfeng smiled lightly.
Xu Qinghuan's approval.
Captain Zhang did not dare to reply.
He firmly remembered Ma Jin'an's instructions.
Say less, make fewer mistakes.
Chen Changfeng closed the document and tossed it back into Captain Zhang's arms.
Since you are under orders to exchange for cattle, sheep, and horses, why did you not have the quartermaster of the Commander-in-Chief's Manor accompany you?
Why are the ones escorting the carts the private soldiers of the Vice General's Manor?
And why are only fifty warhorses reported?
As the three questions fell, the color drained somewhat from Captain Zhang's face.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
He could not answer these questions.
Temur, standing to the side, also caught the underlying meaning.
His palm slowly rested on the scimitar at his waist, his eyes turning fierce.
Chen Changfeng did not continue to press him.
He walked a few steps in front of the carts with his hands behind his back.
A few days ago, Lao Gou, the spy planted in the Imperial Envoy's headquarters, risked his life to send out a secret letter.
The letter contained only a few words:
Vice General He held his troops back last night, cooperating perfectly; his contributions will be reported to the imperial court together.
Even earlier, Batur led a hundred elite rangers and was ambushed at the sand dunes.
When the Great Qian's new firearm, the Iron Watermelon, detonated, the hundred cavalrymen were completely wiped out.
Ma Jin'an and He Minghu were supposed to be the Hélians' inside men.
But that night, they had not sent out the slightest warning.
And now, the Vice General's Manor was holding Xu Qinghuan's warrant, escorting eight carts of goods, and grandly arriving at the Hélian camp.
Lao Gou's letter.
Batur's death.
The Imperial Envoy's warrant.
The Vice General's Manor escorting goods out of the pass.
With these four things connected, it looked exactly as if Ma Jin'an and He Minghu had submitted a pledge of loyalty to Xu Qinghuan.
Chen Changfeng stopped in his tracks.
But the next moment, his brows furrowed again.
Something was wrong.
It was too smooth.
Chen Changfeng never trusted things that went too smoothly.
For Xu Qinghuan to suppress the local tyrants of Zhenbei City in just a few days and force Tie Lanshan to yield, this person wouldn't act so carelessly.
Would such a person allow a servant like Lao Gou to hide under the corridor and eavesdrop during a military council meeting?
That phrase, "Vice General He cooperated perfectly," didn't sound like a slip of the tongue.
It sounded more like it was said intentionally for Lao Gou to hear.
Chen Changfeng's eyes gradually darkened.
What if this was a scheme to sow discord?
What if Xu Qinghuan deliberately let Lao Gou pass the message, just to borrow the blades of the Helian people to eliminate Ma Jin'an and He Minghu?
If he killed Captain Zhang today and confiscated these eight carts of goods, the connection between Ma, He, and the Helian Royal Court would be severed.
By then, with no way out, they would have no choice but to side with Xu Qinghuan.
Xu Qinghuan could even conveniently pin a charge of "failed treason and colluding with foreign enemies" on them and execute them directly.
This matter couldn't be viewed as a normal transaction.
Xu Qinghuan had already laid out the trap right in front of him.
Temur couldn't hold back any longer.
He unsheathed his scimitar halfway, a cold gleam flashing against the scabbard.
"Envoy, since the Great Qian people are playing tricks, I'll slaughter them all right now."
"We'll confiscate the goods directly!"
Captain Zhang's face paled, and the fifty soldiers behind him instinctively reached for the weapons at their waists.
The Helian cavalry in the camp surrounded them.
In the wind, the sound of weapons being drawn grew louder.
Chen Changfeng raised his hand.
"Stop."
Temur froze.
"Envoy?"
Chen Changfeng turned around and looked at Captain Zhang, whose head was covered in cold sweat.
"Three thousand head of cattle and sheep."
He paused.
"One hundred warhorses."
Captain Zhang was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.
Temur was also taken aback.
"Envoy! One hundred warhorses is not a small number!"
Chen Changfeng didn't even look at him.
"I said, not one head less, not one horse short."
"Allocate all of them to them."
Temur's expression changed repeatedly, and finally, he could only grit his teeth and lower his head.
"Yes."
Captain Zhang let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly cupped his fists.
"Thank you, Envoy! Thank you, Envoy!"
Chen Changfeng said flatly, "There is no need for thanks."
"Take the horses back."
"Take them to the people who are supposed to receive them."
Captain Zhang didn't dare to ask more, immediately leading his soldiers to handle the handover of the livestock.
Soon, the sounds of cattle and sheep bleating and restless horse hooves came from the direction of the pasture.
Temur watched the Great Qian people walk away, his expression very ugly.
"Envoy, this is clearly a trap."
"Why still give them the warhorses?"
Chen Changfeng looked toward the distant pasture.
"Fifty warhorses is business."
"One hundred warhorses is evidence."
Temur was startled.
Chen Changfeng continued, "The bigger the target, the harder it is to hide."
"Once this batch of horses enters Zhenbei City, they must be recorded, inspected, and distributed."
"If they go into the Zhenbei Army's public ledger, then Xu Qinghuan has swallowed this karma."
"If they go into the private stables of the Vice General's estate, no one can wash away the evidence of Ma Jin'an and He Minghu colluding with foreign enemies."
He withdrew his gaze, his tone calm.
"This batch of horses is not a gift."
"Whoever receives them will get burned."
Temur finally understood, and the fierce glint in his eyes dissipated somewhat.
"The Envoy is brilliant."
Chen Changfeng did not acknowledge the flattery.
"Send ten of the cleverest outriders to trail them from a distance."
"Do not get close, do not make a move."
"I want to know whose stable these five hundred horses ultimately end up in."
Temur placed a hand over his chest to receive the order.
"Yes."
Chen Changfeng turned and walked back to his main tent.
The light inside the tent was dim, with only a single oil lamp flickering on the desk.
He walked to the desk, spread out a piece of parchment, and dipped his brush in ink.
A moment later, a few lines of ciphered text landed on the paper.
After finishing, Chen Changfeng rolled up the parchment and stuffed it into a bamboo tube.
The candle flame flickered.
Sealing wax dripped down, sealing the opening of the tube.
Chen Changfeng pressed his private seal into it.
"Men."
A trusted attendant quickly entered the tent.
"Here."
Chen Changfeng handed the bamboo tube to him.
"Change into Qian clothing and take the secret passage through the pass."
"Deliver this to the capital with the highest urgency."
The attendant took the bamboo tube with both hands.
"To whom should I deliver it?"
Chen Changfeng stared at him, his voice dropping low.
"To that person."
