Chapter 412: Northern Rong Spy
After hearing this, other people in the village also expressed their desire to try planting some, so Chen Fenghe agreed to give each family some seeds.
Of course, except for a few individuals, the villagers did not ask for the Shenfenghe seeds for nothing. They all brought their own pickles, dried beans and other things from their homes as return gifts.
Chen Fenghe did not refuse. She smiled, thanked him, and stayed.
A few days later, Xiao Yunshuo came back late at night and briefly explained to Shen Fenghe how they were tracking down the Beirong spies.
It turned out that Xiao Yunshuo and Yuan Xu did not immediately rescue Princess Mu from the Beirong spies, but followed them secretly. After they met up with the contact person on the Beirong side, they suddenly took action, subdued them, and forced them to reveal Beirong's conspiracy.
Things were exactly as Xiao Yunshuo guessed. The Beirong kidnapped Princess Mu with the intention of taking her as a hostage to threaten Dingbei Bo and force him to surrender to Beirong, open Yanmen Pass, welcome the Beirong army into the country, and march straight down to attack Huanglong!
Of course, in addition to coercion, there are also inducements.
The offer was that once the Northern Rong had defeated Dayu and taken control of the Central Plains, Dingbei Bo would be made the founding prince. Dingbei Bo's daughter could also marry the Northern Rong Khan—the future emperor—as his empress.
The spy said this arrogantly, "I don't know who you are or why you would save this little princess and interfere with our plans. However, it's too late for you to do anything now. My Khan has already sent a pigeon to General Mu, and the Northern Rong army will arrive at Yanmen Pass in a few days. Even if you rescue General Mu's daughter now, I'm afraid you won't be able to stop General Mu from opening the gate to welcome our Khan!"
After saying this, he glanced at Xiao Yunshuo and Yuan Xu with disdain, and added, "I've seen that you two are very skilled. You can even subdue me. You're clearly masters of Dayu. As the saying goes, a man who understands the times is a hero. Ever since Crown Prince Dayu was falsely accused of treason and surrendered, the other princes of Dayu have formed factions and fought for the position of crown prince. This year, natural disasters and man-made disasters have plagued every corner of the country, and the people are complaining. It's clear that Dayu is rotten from within and its fate is over. Since you two possess such incredible talents, why would you still work for Dayu, whose fate is about to end? Why not release us and come with us to bring this little princess back to Beirong? I will speak to our Khan and praise your talents. When the time comes, our Khan will certainly appoint you to high positions. After we take control of the Central Plains, we will reward you according to your merits. Wouldn't you two enjoy endless glory and wealth?"
The spy was so tired of talking that he thought the two men would be persuaded.
After all, they were probably from Mu Xuan's faction, specifically there to protect his daughter secretly. How could being a bodyguard be more tempting than being appointed a general or prime minister, with high positions and generous salaries?
Xiao Yunshuo listened to him patiently and then sneered twice.
Seeing him like this, the spy was confused and asked arrogantly, "What are you laughing at? A high position, generous salary, glory and wealth, wouldn't it tempt you?"
Xiao Yunshuo still didn't speak, but just raised his hand slightly towards Yuan Xu who was standing beside him.
After receiving the order, Yuan Xu walked up to the spy and kicked him so hard that his whole body hit the wall.
"Ugh!" The spy's body rolled down from the wall. He felt as if all his internal organs had shifted, and he gasped in pain. He looked at the two people in front of him in disbelief, and then vomited a mouthful of blood.
Yuan Xu's face was cold as he walked towards him leisurely, with an expression as if the kick he just received was just the beginning.
"Wait... wait a minute!" The spy had long since lost his arrogance and confidence. He shrank back in fear, his voice trembling, "You... you don't believe me? This... this is a silver note worth one thousand taels. I... I can give it to you right now. You should believe me, right?"
As he spoke, he tremblingly took out a silver note worth one thousand taels from his sleeve.
No matter who it is, no one will remain indifferent when seeing a silver note worth one thousand taels!
Yuan Xu took a look at the ticket, then reached out to take it.
The spy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The fact that they are willing to accept the banknotes means that they are greedy for fame and fortune and can be bribed.
My life... should be saved.
"How is it? This banknote is from the Gu Bank. It's accepted throughout Dayu and even has a branch in our Beirong. No matter where you are, just take this banknote with you and they will immediately prepare the silver. They are honest and fair..."
He stopped talking halfway, and at the same time, a stream of blood spurted out from the spy's carotid artery and splashed on the wall.
The spy looked at Yuan Xu with dull eyes and disbelief. Then, his body fell to the ground with a thump, like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Why...why..." The spy uttered the words one by one with difficulty.
Yuan Xu looked down at him condescendingly, wiping the blood off his dagger with the 1,000-liang silver note and sneering, "You mean to ask, if there's 1,000 liang of silver, why would my master want to kill you?"
His dagger was exactly the same as the one used by Chen Xu, who had previously dealt with the palace's spies. The patterns engraved on it were naturally the highest-level patterns of the secret guards.
The spy was quite knowledgeable and recognized him at a glance.
His eyes widened in shock, and he raised his finger with all his strength to point at the dagger in Yuan Xu's hand: "You...you are the...Secret Guard of the...Palace of Dayu? Are you...are you...Emperor of Dayu...?"
Yuan Xu squatted down and said calmly, "It seems that you have done a good job in your studies. In this case, you should also know that besides Emperor Dayu, there is another person who can have the highest level of secret guards, right?"
There is another person... Are you talking about Prince Dayu?
He certainly knew it, but Prince Dayu was not...
Suddenly, surprise and disbelief flashed in his eyes again as he looked at Xiao Yunshuo behind Yuan Xu.
Could it be...
No! How is that possible!
Emperor Dayu was so afraid of the crown prince that if the crown prince was not dead yet, Emperor Dayu would have been unable to sleep or eat peacefully. He would have sent secret guards all over the world to investigate openly and secretly, and he would have wanted to assassinate the crown prince!
If there was such a movement, no matter how secretive it was, the intelligence network that Beirong had built up over the years in Dayu would have surely captured the news.
And yet... they didn't even discover anything?!
But, with the facts before his eyes, he had no choice but to believe it.
"You...you are...Da Yu...Mrs....Mrs...."
The spy was unable to finish the last sentence. His eyes suddenly became cloudy and dead, and his hands drooped limply, motionless.
But in his final moments, the only thing on his mind was that he had to pass this information back to Beirong as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too late...
This time, the Northern Rong army marched south in a huge force, but their preparations were extremely hasty and they were unable to sustain their food and fodder.
The reason why the expedition was launched despite the hasty preparations, and why the Northern Rong Khan personally led the troops, was because the drought this year was too severe. If the Northern Rong did not go south to Dayu to plunder food, half of the Northern Rong livestock and nearly one-third of the people would probably starve to death.
Secondly, it was because Crown Prince Dayu died in the Dayu power struggle. Without this Dayu "God of War" in charge, even if they were ill-prepared, the Northern Rong had the confidence to rely on their powerful and brutal cavalry and infantry to attack Dayu Pass in one fell swoop!
The cold winter is the time when people are most likely to slack off. If we can successfully instigate the rebellion of Mu Xuan, the commander of Yanmen Pass, the cost and losses of Beirong can be controlled to the lowest level, which is almost equivalent to attacking Huanglong without any effort and destroying the entire Dayu!
However, if Prince Dayu was still alive, that would be another matter.
In the past, the Northern Rong had been well prepared and marched south, but they always returned in defeat.
This time the preparations were so hasty, it was simply self-destruction!
We must... send this news back to Beirong...
However, his wish could no longer be realized.
The blood-stained silver note worth one thousand taels floated down and landed on the spy's face.
Xiao Yunshuo looked at the banknote, his heart stirring. He asked calmly, "I've heard a lot about this Gu family bank lately."
Yuan Xu was startled when his prince suddenly asked such a question, then replied, "Yes." The Gu family seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Originally a nearly bankrupt horse and carriage business in a town near Youzhou City, it was reportedly bought by a young man named Gu. From then on, in just over a year, they expanded their business throughout Dayu. The Dark Chamber had also noticed this family and sent someone to keep a close eye on it.
However, the boss behind this is very mysterious and no one has found out who he is. The only certain thing is that the boss has no relationship with anyone in the palace or the capital. Even the palace and the court have secretly investigated, but they have not found out the reason.
However, despite being mysterious, the Gu family is very good at doing business. They believe in being honest and trustworthy, and they are never aggressive towards their peers. They believe in harmony and that everyone should make money together. They have never done anything out of the ordinary.
The Dark Chamber ultimately concluded that the Gu family's assets posed no threat, so they let it go without further investigation. "I had no idea that the Gu family's bank would so quickly gain such high credibility, even gaining the trust of the Northern Rong spies."
After hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo pondered for a moment and said calmly, "Send someone to investigate his family's background in more detail."
"Yes." Yuan Xu agreed.
Then, Yuan Xu asked again: "Your Highness, Princess Mu is in the next room now and is still in a coma. Would you like to go see her?"
Xiao Yunshuo couldn't help but imagine Chen Fenghe's icy, beautiful face when she was jealous. He shook his head and said, "No need. Have someone send her back to the Earl's Mansion at Yanmen Pass. Also, send a pigeon to Yanmen Pass immediately, telling them to tell him that his daughter is safe and to keep an eye on Mu Xuan."
Yuan Xu agreed, then asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, are you worried that General Mu will actually rebel?"
Xiao Yunshuo narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "It's always better to be cautious. This is a different time. Yanmen Pass cannot be lost. Immediately have Luo Yan lead the Divine Fire Battalion to Yanmen Pass overnight. Also, have the two generals stationed in Taiyuan and Zhending prepare immediately and send troops to support Yanmen Pass at any time. I will go back to Shili Village and then set off immediately to rush to Yanmen Pass together."
Xiao Yunshuo briefly told Chen Fenghe about these things, but omitted the fact that he asked Yuan Xu to investigate the boss behind Gu's company.
After hearing this, Chen Fenghe's expression became unusually serious, and he whispered, "Are you leaving now?"
Xiao Yunshuo nodded and said, "I was afraid that you and mother would be worried, so I rushed back to tell you and set off immediately."
The military situation is extremely urgent and may change at any time.
Chen Fenghe knew that Xiao Yunshuo had rushed back specially, and this was probably the most time he could spare.
She nodded and said, "The kitchen made quite a bit of wild boar jerky a few days ago. They're all ready to eat. I'll prepare some for His Highness and Yuan Xu to eat on the way."
Xiao Yunshuo nodded without saying anything more.
Chen Fenghe went to the kitchen, and Xiao Yunshuo went to Qin Mengyue and gave her a brief explanation.
Qin Mengyue was naturally worried about Xiao Yunshuo's safety. Every time Xiao Yunshuo led his troops to battle, she was uneasy.
However, she also understood that as the Crown Prince Dayu, this was something Xiao Yunshuo had to do no matter how dangerous it was.
Therefore, Qin Mengyue said as she did when she was still the queen: "The Northern Rong are ready to make a move. As the crown prince, it is your duty to lead the troops. Please take care of yourself and return safely."
The mother and son said goodbye briefly without waking up the three children. Chen Fenghe quickly packed some food for the journey and walked in.
Xiao Yunshuo took the bundle and whispered, "I'll be taking care of Mother, Ninth Brother, and all the household affairs while I'm away."
Chen Fenghe nodded and said, "Don't worry. Go quickly and come back quickly. Make sure you are safe."
Having said that, Chen Fenghe couldn't help but feel a bit desolate and sad in his heart.
I'm afraid he won't come back once he leaves.
This naturally does not mean that he is in great danger, but it means that when Xiao Yunshuo goes there this time, he may still be Young Master Yun, but when he returns, he may already be Prince Dayu Xiao Yunshuo.
By then, it will be time for them to separate...
Xiao Yunshuo hugged Chen Fenghe tightly, and without lingering any longer, he immediately mounted his horse and rode away at full speed.
Chen Fenghe watched Xiao Yunshuo leave, and then persuaded Qin Mengyue to go back to her room before returning to her own room.
After a while of struggling, the sky was already getting light. Chen Fenghe did not fall asleep, but locked the door and went to Youzhou City through the space.
In the dim morning light, there were few people walking on the streets of Youzhou City.
Chen Fenghe walked through a hidden alley and arrived at the back door of a not-so-luxurious mansion.
Chen Fenghe knocked gently on the door. After a while, an old man came to open the door. Seeing that it was the changed-looking Chen Fenghe, he whispered, "Boss."
Then he opened the door and let Chen Fenghe in, and the old man went to report the news.
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