Chapter 606 Poisoning!
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Three years is not enough for a person to forget all the pain, but it is enough for a person to start living a good life again.
This was enough to allow Jian'an to undergo a complete transformation under Li Shiyue's iron-fisted management.
The city walls of Jian'an City became higher and thicker, the military equipment used by Zhenhai Army became more sophisticated, and more than a dozen more warships were moored in the port.
The female soldiers' battalion and the Zhenhai Navy, and even their elite "Xuanjia Ruishi" and "Xuanjia Anren," have become fearsome forces in this land and sea.
However, Li Shiyue knew very well that she could not tolerate someone else snoring beside her bed.
Liu Tan, the Prince of Zhenbei in Jinzhou, is like a lurking tiger, and has always been the greatest threat that Jian'an, and Li Shiyue, must face.
For the past three years, Li Shiyue has used sea salt and gold and silver to maintain the relationship between Jian'an and Jinzhou.
Both Li Shiyue and Liu Tan knew in their hearts that one day in the future, they would have a battle!
but!
For the past three years, Li Shiyue has been taking in refugees from various prefectures and cities of the Dalong Dynasty, and she has also been preparing for an expedition to the Japanese mainland!
An expedition to Japan was something she had always wanted to do, but would Liu Tan obediently watch her leave Jian'an to fight across the sea?
Absolutely not!
Liu Tan will surely take advantage of the situation to harass Jian'an and even cut off her way home!
After all, Liu Tan is the rightful ruler of Andong!
He wanted to take over Jian'an, and no one could say no.
Who knows, Liu Tan might have gone even further and sent troops directly to Jian'an to capture Li Wangchun and others to threaten Li Shiyue.
"Since you are destined to be my enemy, then I will first make you... unable to move."
Li Shiyue stood in front of the nautical chart, staring coldly at the large chart.
A bold and dangerous plan took shape in her mind—she would strike first and completely eliminate Liu Tan's threat to her before launching an expedition to the Japanese mainland!
She wouldn't assassinate Liu Tan directly like she did with Liu Shu.
Firstly, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion is heavily guarded. Although Li Shiyue has the ability to successfully assassinate him, it would trigger a full-scale war in Andong, allowing others to reap the benefits and disrupting her expedition plans.
Secondly, Liu Tanruo's sudden death might throw her subordinates into chaos, but it could also provoke them to unite against a common enemy and seek revenge against her.
Even if they can't find evidence to prove that she killed the person.
Liu Tan's death will also allow other forces (Jiang Huijun's side, or the remnants of the old Zhenbei King's forces) to take advantage of the chaos and intervene in Andong, thus making the whole situation even more complicated.
What Li Shiyue wanted was for Liu Tan to weaken "slowly" and lose his ability to lead troops into battle, thus buying time for herself to become stronger.
A commander who is sickly and weak and cannot even ride a horse will have his offensive capabilities greatly reduced, no matter how strong his forces are. Internal strife may even arise due to succession issues.
Poisoning!
This was the solution Li Shiyue came up with.
Li Shiyue didn't think that her actions were despicable or that her methods were underhanded.
As long as it works!
Li Shiyue traded a secret medicine called "Bone-Corroding Soul-Destroying Powder" with Nangong Wuyou, who was also from the ancient world, through the trading system.
According to Nangong Wuyou, this is a secret medicine from the royal family of the Dayin Dynasty in their world. It is almost colorless and odorless, and it will become ineffective after being taken three times in a row.
The initial symptoms of this poison are similar to those of a cold and headache, and are easily overlooked.
The headaches will then become more frequent and severe. It is especially important to avoid bumpy or strenuous activities, such as horseback riding or long-distance travel, as these will greatly accelerate the deterioration of the condition.
Ultimately, it drains one's life force in endless suffering.
So, now that we have the medicine, how do we administer it?
The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion was impregnable, and Liu Tan himself was extremely wary.
Although Li Shiyue had long ago instructed Sun Xiaoliu to either plant or bribe many spies in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion in Jinzhou, none of them had actually been able to make contact with Liu Tan himself.
Therefore, Li Shiyue decided to make the trip herself.
The most dangerous place is often the safest, and the most unlikely way is often the most surprising.
She was willing to risk her life to deliver this thunderous blow!
Li Shiyue temporarily entrusted Jian'an affairs to Sun Xiaoliu, Chen Yong, Li Qiutian, and Ding Haisheng. She then found a female soldier in the female soldiers' camp who resembled her and pretended that she was still in the Zhenhai Army camp.
Of course, this stand-in doesn't need to see people every day. As long as he has some contact with Sun Xiaoliu and Chen Yong, who pretend to come to report on official business every day, and occasionally runs a couple of laps on the training ground, that's enough.
After everything was arranged, Li Shiyue summoned a mechanical golden eagle, and under the cover of night, it silently swept across the mountains and rivers, flying straight towards Jinzhou.
Less than a day later, outside Sanshan County, Jinzhou, Li Shiyue was born.
She first went to the garrison in Sanshan County to confirm that Liu Tan was not there;
She disguised herself as a country woman, carrying a basket, and used the household registration documents she had prepared beforehand to sneak into the prefectural city.
The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion is located in the north of the city, surrounded by high walls and deep courtyards, with numerous sentry posts and patrols that continue day and night.
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.
Li Shiyue changed into tight-fitting night clothes and put on a mask that could not only cover her face but also provide night vision and protection against poison. Like a ghost blending into the night, she silently sneaked into the outer perimeter of the Prince's mansion.
This was certainly not Li Shiyue's first time visiting the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion;
Walking on the rooftop wasn't something she'd done before.
She witnessed Zhao Changying (the former Princess Consort of Zhenbei) strangling the former Prince Liu Cong on the roof of the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion;
Of course, she also severely injured the former prince Liu Shu that night with "embroidery needles from Dongfang Bubai";
And it was on that occasion that she launched a premeditated attack, engaging in a life-or-death struggle with the dog system;
Later, she also witnessed Liu Tan and Jiang Huijun, a seemingly respectable couple, engaging in a heated verbal battle on the roof of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
Therefore, Li Shiyue was quite familiar with this way of sneaking into the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion again.
She first secretly observed the pattern of the guards' rotation in a blind spot;
An hour later, she finally chose a path with relatively weak defenses—this path did not lead directly to the main courtyard of the Prince's mansion, but rather to a side courtyard within the mansion that was responsible for purchasing supplies.
The people here are relatively mixed, and every morning, someone will deliver fresh ingredients to the small kitchen in the inner courtyard of the palace.
Li Shiyue, as silently as a gecko, scaled the high wall, evaded the patrolling guards, and precisely located the side courtyard.
She lurked in the shadows, like the most patient hunter, waiting for nearly an hour.
Finally, as darkness fell, several servants pushed a cart loaded with fresh vegetables and meat over.
The leader was a slightly overweight steward who yawned as he walked.
Now!
Li Shiyue's goal is not ingredients, but people!
She noticed that the steward had a gourd of wine hanging from his waist, and that he still smelled of alcohol from the previous night.
This is a breakthrough point.
While the others were busy moving things, and the steward was sitting alone on the stone bench in the courtyard, Li Shiyue made her move!
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