Lin Zhen nodded confidently and said, "It is indeed this person. I saw him when I was on official business at the Shili Post Station in the capital. I was checking the people at the post station with two of my brothers. At that time, he was accompanied by the Third Prince's attendants. That's why my brothers didn't chase after him and let the Third Prince's attendants take him away."
Xu Di sneered twice and said, "Lord Lin, do you know who this person is?"
Lin Zhen shook his head. Xu Di pointed towards the boundary river and said through gritted teeth, "I saw this person in the main tent on the other side. Some people call him Military Advisor An, and say that he has countless spies in Daliang. His spies in Daliang can find out any information. Lord Lin, how should we report this matter to His Majesty now?"
Lin Zhen's expression immediately turned serious. He stood up abruptly and said to Xu Di, "This matter is of great importance and the situation is urgent. Please, Lord Xu, hand over this portrait to me. I will set off for the capital immediately."
Xu Di didn't pay any attention and handed the rolled-up portrait to Lin Zhen. Immediately, Lin Zhen led his men and set off on horseback towards the capital.
Zheng Boyuan watched Lin Zhen's retreating figure and asked Xu Di, "Brother, what should we do now?"
Xu Di sneered twice and said, "Do what you're supposed to do. Find a few chess pieces, stick them on the cliff, and send people over to guard them every day. Make sure the people on the other side can see our people. As for us, go and build the road. I still have to help Xiao Jiu build the water pool."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Zheng Boyuan was at a loss for words. Ma Ming asked Xu Di, "Young Master, what about the rest of us? When we came here, the general instructed us to help guard Luzhouwei. He also said that he would send men from Yanmen Pass to help with the defense in a few days."
Xu Di thought of the landmines buried by the river and couldn't help but sneer, saying, "A ungrateful bastard thinks he can manipulate everyone just because he's read some books and learned some tricks. I just don't believe it. Just wait and see, there will be a show to watch in a few days."
Xu Di actually possessed the original owner's memories. The original owner lived in this world for thirty years, impoverished and destitute. Because of a missing leg, no one would hire her even if she wanted to find a shop to manage. She lived cautiously, relying on the kindness of the Marquis's mansion. Even so, she was still murdered in the end. Xu Di knew that although he didn't know who was responsible for the original owner's death, he had a general idea after years of investigation. Now, seeing this person known as the strategist, Xu Di understood even more clearly that the downfall of the Yongning Marquis's mansion during the original owner's time was deliberately orchestrated by some people for the sake of Concubine Zhu and her daughter, Xu Shao.
The person behind the plan and execution should be the one called Strategist An. Moreover, Xu Di felt that An was not this person's real surname. Despite being a staff member for the fifth prince of the Northern Di and a strategist for the marshal of the Great Yan, his real surname might not even be known to these people.
However, how could this person possess such great power? Not only did he wreak havoc on the deeply rooted Yongning Marquis's family, causing their fortunes to wither, but he also beheaded the eldest, second, and third princes at the Meridian Gate. In Xu Di's original body's memories, the one who ultimately sat on that throne was not any of Emperor Liang Cheng's children, but rather the grandson of one of Emperor Liang Cheng's low-profile uncles. That child was only a few years old when he ascended the throne, and it is said that he was assisted by several ministers.
For the past few years, Xu Di has been sending people to monitor the family of Emperor Liang Cheng's uncle. There has been no unusual activity for several years. Now, Xu Di has an idea: perhaps the reason this child was put on the throne was simply because he was young and easy to control.
Thinking of this, Xu Di felt a surge of anger rising from the soles of his feet to his head. In the following years, the princes fought to the death for the throne. To the north were the Northern Di, to the west was the Great Yan, and the Jurchens in Liaodong were also making moves. It was likely that the successor of Emperor Liang Cheng would not be on the throne for more than a few years before the Great Liang Dynasty became history.
So many vibrant faces, such vast land, so many hardworking and kind people, all sacrificed to the changing dynasties simply because of personal desires. The people suffer when the dynasty prospers, and they suffer when it falls. Xu Di couldn't bear to see the common people suffer because of the personal grudges of a few. Xu Di stood there, gritting his teeth, thinking of the land of Daliang that he had once traversed with his own feet, and the various people of Daliang that he had encountered. He hardened his heart and thought, "You want to come? Come on, I'll always find a way to entertain you."
Zheng Boyuan was worried about a sudden attack from the Great Yan, but he was also puzzled as to why his brother-in-law was so angry after personally going to the other side of the river. He wanted to ask him, but he was afraid that if he asked, his brother-in-law would not know how to answer. In fact, he still trusted his brother-in-law completely. So, Zheng Boyuan did not ask anything in the end. He simply arranged for about thirty people to be divided into three shifts to take turns guarding the cliff and observing the situation on the other side of the river.
The two sides were thus locked in a stalemate. Xu Di led his men to divert a canal from the boundary river directly to Huitouling Village. Then, they turned a corner at Huitouling and continued rushing forward along the side of the newly built road. After traveling more than 30 miles, they finally reached Miaohe.
Xu Zhi has been staying at Huitouling for quite some time now. The workshops here have been built, and the water supply has been restored. The next step is to train the staff, and the trained people will be assigned different tasks based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Xu Zhi's most basic requirement for these people was that they must be literate. If they were not literate before, someone in the workshop would provide special training before the Dragon Boat Festival to teach them to recognize characters and some basic common sense. These were all requirements of Xu Zhi.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
