"Are these the people?" Following the question, Zhao Huaiyi saw an officer walking towards him. He had a chubby face and seemed to have a smile on his face. He looked very kind.

The escorting officer bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, these are Liao people originally from southern Liaoning. They are either bondservants or Han soldiers. They were forced by the Jiannu to attack Ningyuan."

Yang Jie nodded, his smiling face making people feel friendly. After looking at each of them one by one, he turned around and handed over to the young officer.

"You are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. We attacked Ningyuan because we were forced to do so. You don't have to be afraid." Yang Jie smiled at the captives and said, "Follow me and stay here peacefully."

A dozen accompanying soldiers stepped forward and half escorted and half watched over the captives as they left the dock.

Although the situation is still not very stable, it seems that their lives are no longer a worry, and these people are somewhat relieved.

Yang Jie followed slowly behind, thinking about the instructions in the emperor's secret report.

One of the key tasks this year is to incite the Liao people to rebel and rescue the people in the Jiannu-ruled areas.

These prisoners were distributed according to regions. Some of them stayed in Dalian for training, while others were transferred to Pi Island to become spies and infiltrate the Later Jin-occupied areas.

The Jiannu suffered repeated defeats and were besieged and blockaded, so they were undoubtedly short of supplies. The Liao people in the occupied areas were already enslaved and oppressed, and coupled with hunger and cold, rebellion and escape were to be expected.

Yang Jie thought that this task of subversion was not difficult, but he was not very optimistic about another top-secret task.

The so-called top secret was something that only the emperor and he knew. Perhaps Gou Zhenhuai also had some information, but in his secret report, the emperor warned him not to let anyone else know.

Once there was news, they had to report it directly to the emperor, bypassing not only the Dongjiang Town, but also Yuan Keli, the governor who controlled the Dongjiang River.

Such an arrangement was obviously unusual, and one can imagine how high the emperor's expectations were for it.

Yang Jie pondered this deeply, and the only conclusion he came to was that the emperor had another spy. Moreover, this spy was probably lurking in the Later Jin Dynasty and was of a high rank.

The Jiannu were definitely not the Han officials, and the Han officials were of a higher rank—Yang Jie couldn't think of it. But he thought it was a good guess, otherwise there would be no explanation.

In fact, this wasn't a new thought. Before the Battle of Guangning, he and many Jinyiwei were dispatched, and he had assumed the emperor had other intelligence channels besides the Pacification Office. However, he hadn't thought about it that deeply.

"Lord Yang." A greeting interrupted Yang Jie's thoughts. He looked up and saw it was Kong Youde.

Yang Jie's face was smiling again, and he said with a cupped hand: "General Kong, it's rare to see you!"

Kong Youde had a deep-seated fear of this smiling fat man. When Dongjiang Town was first established, this smiling fat man took on the task of intelligence reconnaissance.

He once caught a living Jiannu and interrogated him. It is said that he personally peeled off half of the Jiannu's skin. The screams were...

What is even more frightening is that when Yang Jie gave his confession, he smiled as if nothing had happened.

Mao Wenlong privately reminded his trusted generals not to provoke Yang Jie, as he was the King of Hell.

Kong Youde quite agreed with this. You have a cold face and a bad temper, but your words and actions are consistent; but this smiling tiger is not someone a rough man like him can provoke.

It was a coincidence that day that they walked across from each other. Kong Youde said hello despite himself, but he was also worried that his courtesy would be lacking and Yang Jie would bear a grudge against him.

"Well, I'm going to Port Arthur to collect military supplies." Kong Youde said, "Master Yang, this is..."

Yang Jie chuckled and said, "It's just some official business, not worth mentioning. General Kong, please go ahead. There's no need to delay."

Kong Youde hurriedly bowed and said goodbye. After walking a distance, he rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh.

……………………Dividing line…………………….

The lively carnival of the Lantern Festival has just passed, and just like it’s time to get back to normal after a long vacation, the festive atmosphere in the capital has not completely dissipated, and people are smiling more than usual.

Bi Ziyan had been ordered to come to the capital two days earlier, but after reporting to the emperor, he did not immediately summon him. The imperial edict did not urge him to come, so Bi Ziyan thought he had arrived too quickly, so he checked into the post station and waited patiently.

As for the festival, Bi Zisu, who was granted a mansion by the emperor in the capital, knew that his brother had come to the capital, so he invited him to his home to celebrate the Lantern Festival together.

In just two days, Bi Ziyan had learned more about the court situation that he didn't know in Tianjin.

Although Bi Zisu was a strict and resolute man, he did reveal a few details about the Censorate's priorities for the year during his conversation with his elder brother. As Bi Ziyan had predicted, the emperor was indeed going to crack down on officials and businessmen.

It's not quite accurate to say they were taking action. According to the emperor, they were rectifying things, or rectifying them. If you want to be an official, don't go into business; if you want to make money, don't be an official.

As with clearing arrears and clearing military garrisons to pay military salaries, the emperor would soon issue an imperial decree, giving officials and merchants four months to make a choice: either resign from their official positions or sever ties with business.

In Bi Ziyan's view, resigning from office would be a relatively easy decision. Without a position, and living like ordinary citizens, which official would endure such a disparity?

For some officials who are deeply involved in business, drawing a clear line between themselves and others is not only a matter for themselves, but also for their families, relatives and friends. It may not be so easy or simple.

Especially among the powerful officials in Beijing, almost all of them were involved in business. Who didn't have a few shops in Beijing, and who didn't have white gloves running around in the outside world?

"The post of Superintendent of the Nine Gates Internal Affairs will be taken over by the Imperial Horse Supervisor Cao Huachun, and the Commander of the Five Cities Military Department will be taken over by the newly graduated Jinshi Lu Xiangsheng who returned to the capital after observing government affairs." Bi Zisu stated the emperor's appointment a year ago, but did not elaborate.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!