Xie Ji thought it made sense. Fruits and vegetables were in short supply these days, and the Xie family would send them to him, but it was different for the Hu people. They couldn't see these things all year round, so he even saved the apples he had and put them in the basket. Then he said to Xie Xiu, "I'll leave it to you to handle."
Xie Xiu smiled and said, "I will definitely make the Hu people satisfied."
Chapter 115 Smoke Bomb First Appearance
Seeing that the situation was improving, Yelü Lili realized that although the rumors were terrible, they had been suppressed by him and Xie Lanzhi.
He secretly began investigating his officials to see if they were involved with Fu Shou Gao (a type of rice cake) or had dealings with merchants who had sold it. Ten were found in total, each a high-ranking official, seven of whom were in charge of water transport, shipping routes, and security.
Yelü Lili focused on investigating key personnel in the water transport first. Seven of them were fine. Of the remaining three, two were in charge of accounting and transport in the inner capital, and the other was in charge of communications at the transit station.
Each one seemed suspicious, and each one had an alibi.
Seeing that he was in a daze, Xie Lanzhi took the initiative to ask, "If, as I say, none of these people have broken the law, how would you investigate?"
"What does the Marshal mean?" Yelü Lili felt that this person was always able to open up new ideas and make new discoveries, which made him secretly admire him.
Xie Lanzhi said, "To give an example, since our enemy is so cunning, he probably already anticipated our thoughts and ideas."
Yelü Lili was very surprised and said, "Is there really such a person who can predict the future?"
“Everything has its logic. We need to make assumptions, verify them, and then refute them until we find one that fits the current development,” Xie Lanzhi said. “The only thing we are uncertain about now is how long it will take to solve this case, but it cannot be delayed. So we need to find a way to take the initiative.”
She beckoned him closer. Yelü Lili lowered his head and heard Xie Lanzhi's unexpected arrangement.
He was stunned and didn't know whether to praise her or say that she had gone too far.
"Marshal, are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
The day Xie Lanzhi arrived at the Yelü Lili Grottoes base, she was already prepared to incorporate her troops into the front lines. This base was ideal for secret military training and was self-sufficient; there was no better place.
She calculated that this base could provide food, drink, and shelter for at least 100,000 people. If this auspicious land were hers, she could expand its use.
At the same time, the more trade the capital city does, the more soldiers will be stationed there.
Some of the Hu people who wanted to take advantage of the chaos dared not make a move. Because the Southern Hu people were all opposing the Xie clan's main camp, the Xie clan shifted its focus, causing many large businesses among the Southern Hu people to suffer losses. Some people felt that the commotion had gone on long enough, as there had been no movement from the Crown Prince or Marshal Xie, and even the Xie clan generals remained silent.
Once the rumors died down, the people of Nanhu suffered losses instead, with many merchants closing their shops and spreading rumors that the Xie family had deliberately cut off their food supplies as a threat.
The Hu people, whose survival was being challenged, began to calm down about the recent commotion. It seemed that all the benefits went to the poor people in the north. Now, the Xie family preferred to take a detour rather than stay in the south for even a day longer, so every day that the south did less business, the north prospered.
As a result, a great division arose among the Hu people. Some, in order to make a living, would set sail in the dark to the north to do business as soon as the rooster crowed three times. Then they would earn enough to support themselves and return in the dark at night.
The soldiers turned a blind eye to this, and the Xie family merchants simply continued delivering grain and then hiring soldiers to return to Tianjing. They were completely undisturbed.
After a while, the Hu people got bored and stopped composing folk songs for their children. Now everyone is busy making a living.
Some people kept shouting but didn't take any action; they were just making the loudest noise. Their shouting didn't disturb Xie's headquarters, but instead disturbed their own people, who then criticized them.
Those who continued to create momentum became particularly conspicuous because there was no group following them, and they even began to stand out from their surroundings. The soldiers immediately took action and arrested them all.
After a round of torture and interrogation, it was discovered that a small merchant was paying them twenty copper coins a day to shout. The soldiers immediately went to arrest the merchant, only to find that he had been dead in his room for several days without anyone noticing.
The investigation into the small businessman's associates revealed that his family had been living in Luochuan for a year without contact, and the trail went cold.
Taking advantage of the situation, the general announced that he had caught the culprit who incited the spread of rumors, and used a small businessman as a scapegoat to quell the remaining anger.
Although the trail went cold, the rumors that had been sowing discord between the two places have been dispelled. The southern Hu people are now all going north to do business, which has caused the southern water households to lose a lot of rent.
The people of Mito began to think of ways to lower their prices and make peace with the Xie clan's headquarters. However, there was no news from the Xie clan's headquarters for the time being. Instead, it was rumored that the Xie clan's general had sent 10,000 apples to the northern nomadic people, so that every household could taste what apples were like.
They enjoyed the treatment of nobles.
The Mito people in the south were filled with regret, but regret was useless; all they could do was keep sending friendly signals requesting to return.
Xie Ji was incredibly pleased with himself at his base. Before, they ignored him, but now they're begging him for mercy. Of course, he didn't intend to sever ties with the Southern Hu people. Since they were willing to apologize, he could choose a time to meet with those water people.
Where is the gentleman?
Soon, two guards outside the tent carried the badly injured Xie Xiu back.
Seeing the bruises and bloodstains on his face and hands, Xie Ji immediately stood up to help Xie Xiu: "What happened to you, sir?"
The two guards told him what had happened. It turned out that Xie Xiu had just delivered 10,000 apples to the northern Hu people when a group of southern water people suddenly appeared on the way. They were unhappy that their request to resume trade had been ignored, so they deliberately retaliated by stealing the apples and injuring the soldiers who were escorting them.
Xie Xiu tried to persuade the people to return, but was attacked by the Nanshui people. If a patrol hadn't passed by, Xie Xiu would have been killed on the spot. Afterwards, Xie Xiu used all her savings to buy apples to repay the Beihu people. The guards and patrols witnessed this firsthand.
What should have been an opportunity for the military and civilians to improve relations turned into a loss for the Xie family.
Xie Xiu gasped for breath, "I'm alright, General, don't worry."
"How could I not worry!" Xie Ji's face darkened as he looked at the wounds on the man's face and the back of his hands, which were the most vulnerable spots for scholars.
"These barbarians... are simply unforgivable!"
Inside the tent, Xie Ji paced back and forth with his hands on his hips, glancing at Xie Xiu's injuries from time to time, seemingly hesitant. Finally, he decided, "Send the gentleman to the army doctor. Come over tonight; I have important matters to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiu quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't be impulsive!"
Xie Ji said, "Rest assured, I will not act rashly before your injuries have healed."
"Now that I have lost you, sir, I don't know what to do. If you hadn't told me to be patient, how could I have received the marshal's commendation?"
Even if it's just an apple, it's still a form of recognition from the marshal.
Xie Xiu said with a face full of shame, "I should be serving you, how could I cause you trouble?"
"We are still friends." Xie Ji immediately ordered the guards to send the person to see the army doctor.
Then he summoned two captains, Xie Chong and Xie Fei.
As Xie Chong and Xie Fei entered, Xie Ji immediately ordered, "Prepare a thousand men to accompany this general to Nanshuiyuan tonight."
"yes!"
When news of Xie Ji's unauthorized actions reached Yelü Lili's ears, Xie Lanzhi was currently outside the Shiku Mansion, tending a bonfire and roasting a chicken with great interest, occasionally giving a thumbs-up to a burly barbarian soldier in praise of the pheasant he had hunted. The soldier became so excited that he became incoherent.
Yelü Lili's lips twitched slightly: "Marshal, it's best not to get too close to my people."
Xie Lanzhi turned her head, freed one hand and beckoned to him, then pointed to the stone benches piled up beside her and said, "Come here, there's roast chicken tonight."
After Yelü Lili took his seat, he looked at the sparks rising from the fire, his eyes gleaming: "Is your general any reliable or not?"
"It's probably hopeless." Xie Lanzhi cut a piece of chicken breast with a knife and saw that it was fully cooked. She tore off a chicken leg and gave it to the soldier who was hunting chickens.
Then I took one for myself, and then gave him a chicken butt. I don't know if it was intentional or not.
Yelü Lili finally couldn't hold back his anger: "Marshal, I've already told you not to have any more contact with my soldiers!"
"And did you hear me talking about General Xie?"
Seeing that he was angry, Xie Lanzhi quickly finished off the chicken leg, then wiped her hands before replying, "It's okay to give someone a chicken leg after they worked so hard to catch it. Alright, don't be angry, I understand."
"Xie Ji is probably about to take action, but as for why, I have no idea."
"What should we do if he really leads his men to attack the Southern Hu people?" Yelü Lili threw the chicken's rear end into the fire, where it crackled and emitted a fragrant aroma.
Xie Lanzhi finally stopped herself from eating the meat. She looked him straight in the eyes and said, "As I said before, I always make the worst-case scenario plan for everything I do."
"If Your Highness the Crown Prince wants to cooperate with me, how can you not keep up with my pace?"
Yelü Lili suppressed his irritation and muttered under his breath, "What a madman! How could anyone experiment on their own general? If Xie Ji dies, wouldn't you lose a great general?"
"I hope the Crown Prince understands that Xie Ji and I have always worked separately."
From the very first day of her arrival, Xie Lanzhi would handle all the official documents for the day and then hand them all over to Xie Ji, and she would also actively cooperate with Xie Ji to help him establish his name.
Since that day, she has never given Xie Ji any orders again; Xie Ji has maintained order on his own.
Xie Lanzhi looked at him intently and reminded him, "Compared to soldiers who know how to fight and learn to endure in foreign lands, they are also talents one in a hundred. Your Highness, the border is the national boundary, but isn't the sea also a national boundary?"
"Where in the world are there so many brave and skilled military geniuses? There are far more nameless people silently guarding the desert in various places."
The words had barely left his mouth.
A guard immediately relayed the news from outside.
Key figures in the water transport were all cleared of suspicion, but strangely, one small boat was missing. When it was discovered the next day, the boat was already downstream on a small river to the north, and its hull was completely destroyed.
Officials explained that the boats only drifted away on their own when the wind was strong on the bank or when some careless person failed to secure the ropes properly. However, they would usually stop when they touched the bank in the river.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi lost her appetite for the roast chicken and instead asked the soldier, "How many times does this happen in a month?"
The soldier said, "It happens two or three times a month, but not last month, and it doesn't happen every month."
She then turned to Yelü Lili and asked, "Did Xie Ji go to the South Water Source?"
Yelü Lili said, "And he brought a thousand men with him."
How far is it from downstream to Nanshuiyuan?
"Separated by a river."
Upon hearing this, the oil dripping from the roast chicken on the fire sizzled and fueled the flames.
"In other words, the river is in the middle." Xie Lanzhi's eyes gradually turned cold and unfathomable. The small knife in her hand nimbly spun and turned at her fingertips. Then, she gently tossed it, and the knife stuck into the roasted chicken's rump.
She stood up and said, "Your Highness, you must have some clever people on your side. I think that barbarian from the Central Plains is quite intelligent."
Yelü Lili stood up and saw her serious expression. He said, "You mean Liu Jie? Liu Jie has already investigated Nan Shuihu and is likely to run into your people."
"Should we intervene proactively, or continue as we are?"
Xie Lanzhi replied without hesitation: "Of course we should continue to let them run wild. If they can't operate independently without our command, why should we employ such incompetent people?"
Meanwhile, at the source of the South Water Source, Xie Ji led a thousand people up the mountain in a hurry.
It was already dark, and only the torches, like dragons, illuminated the path. Xie Ji led the way.
At the same time, Liu Jie, the county magistrate, received a report from a Nanshui household that Xie Jun intended to take revenge in the Nanshuiyuan area. Liu Jie immediately sought help from a soldier and led a thousand men to the Nanshuiyuan area.
One group of people is coming up from the front pass, while another group is coming up from the back pass.
The two groups were about to meet on the only hillside.
A sharp-eyed soldier in Xieji spotted a dark object swimming towards them in the deep, dark river. Upon closer inspection, the soldier realized it was a small boat with a box on it covered by a black cloth.
The soldier immediately pointed to the middle of the river: "General, there seems to be a boat over there! And, it's carrying a big bag of things."
Upon hearing this, Xie Ji stopped and immediately ordered those who could swim to bring the boat over. Xie's soldiers held torches along the shore, barely illuminating the direction of the boat. Two soldiers who could swim immediately swam over, climbed onto the boat, and pushed it to the shore.
The soldiers carried the two-person-wide crates from the boat to the shore. The heavy crates pressed a groove into the mud. Xie Ji personally lifted the black cloth, revealing a large wooden crate. He pried open the crate with a corner, revealing a pile of long bricks, brighter and more yellow than torches, filling the crate.