However, Jiang Mingxin, who was far away in Dingzhou, was indeed as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in his tent.
Even though Shi Dazhu's entire family had been executed, recently, some soldiers in the army have been secretly inquiring about the fall of Yancheng.
He knew that this must have been done secretly by Yun Yue.
Jiang Mingxin had only been in charge of the Dingzhou border army for two years, while Yun Yue had been guarding Dingzhou for more than ten years.
He was well aware that his former subordinates in the army still cared about their old master.
He even knew which deputy generals and which battalions were under Yun Yue's command.
We need to find a way to get rid of these people!
He gritted his teeth and thought to himself.
"General!" someone reported from outside the tent.
"Enter."
The newcomer was his trusted lieutenant, who bowed and whispered, "General, someone else has come to ask about this month's refined copper...?"
Jiang Mingxin rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and waved his hand. "Go check on things tomorrow and see how the preparations are going."
"Yes." Upon hearing this, the lieutenant turned to leave.
"Wait!" Jiang Mingxin had an idea. He beckoned his deputy to come closer and whispered a few words to him.
...
Three days later, the lieutenant rushed into the tent in a panic, "General, something terrible has happened!"
"What is it?" Jiang Mingxin looked up in surprise.
The lieutenant leaned over the desk and whispered a few words in Jiang Mingxin's ear.
"What?" Jiang Mingxin was both shocked and furious. "They actually escaped?"
"Yes." The lieutenant was also frightened. "The people in the supply corps must have been prepared, otherwise they would have fallen into our trap. Moreover, the supply corps can report directly to the Northern Military Supervisor and the Ministry of War, so the military report must have already been sent out."
Jiang Mingxin gritted his teeth, "If this doesn't work, we've already alerted the enemy. Go and send a message over there, and let's wait two months before making any further decisions."
"yes."
Meanwhile, in Kyoto, Yun Yue released a carrier pigeon, slowly unfolded the note, carefully read it, and then handed it to the person sitting opposite him.
That man was none other than Guo Cheng, the Minister of War.
Guo Cheng took the note and was greatly surprised. He then lit the note on a candle flame.
Watching the note burn to ashes, he asked, "I didn't expect that the Dingzhou border troops really had problems! General! You were right, otherwise, even if these twenty-odd men survived, they would still be branded as traitors!"
Although the soldiers of the grain and fodder battalion belonged to the border army, they had always been close to the Ministry of War and were also former subordinates of Yun Yue.
Yun Yue said in a deep voice, "That thousand catties of refined copper could not have appeared out of nowhere. It's a pity that I've been in Dingzhou for more than ten years and I didn't know that there was a copper mine in Dingzhou. The Ministry of War should investigate this matter thoroughly."
Guo Cheng nodded, “Brother Yun is right. However, the military reports only mention the loss of grain and fodder. There is no evidence to support the claim of the lost copper. I doubt it will reach His Majesty’s ears. The Ministry of War is not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the border troops without cause. I wonder if Brother Yun has any brilliant ideas?”
Yun Yue pondered for a moment, “This court debate is not without its opportunities. In my opinion, there may be more to the story behind Shi Dazhu’s treason case.”
Guo Cheng suddenly realized, "In that case, the Ministry of War can send additional supervisors to investigate!"
Sure enough, as Yun Yue left the capital for the north, Dingzhou also welcomed the military supervisor sent by the Ministry of War.
Jiang Mingxin dared not make any rash moves.
Subsequently, with the assistance of General Xiang Zuo and several other former subordinates of Yun Yue, the supervising officer did indeed uncover some clues related to the copper mine. In a moment of desperation, Jiang Mingxin sent out assassins he had only trained for a few years to disguise themselves as bandits, thus creating a diversion to lure them into the valley, intending to kill the supervising officer and his party first and report later.
Unexpectedly, the supervising officer and General Xiang Zuo's group were brave, skilled in battle, and resourceful. They killed more than 30 "bandits" and escaped.
Meanwhile, in order to cover up their crimes, Jiang Mingxin and his associates had no choice but to temporarily seal off the Dingzhou copper mine, set fire to the entrance, and bury all clues.
Although the supervising officer and his party survived, their investigation was unfortunately cut off, forcing them to return empty-handed.
The suppression of the "bandits" was a major setback for Jiang Mingxin. The closure of the copper mine also dealt a significant blow to those behind him, deterring them from making any further rash moves.
However, although most of the thousands of miners trapped in the copper mine were of slave origin, many were also ordinary villagers who had been forcibly brought to the mine. Seeing the mine sealed off and filled with smoke and fire, clearly intended to kill them to silence them, they were not about to obediently wait to die. Eighty percent of the miners died, and some of the remaining survivors led the way to find a way to survive. They actually found a crack, dived underwater to the other side of the mountain, and escaped.
One of the villagers found a soldier he knew and told him the truth.
The soldier happened to be one of General Zuo's subordinates and immediately reported it.
General Xiang Zuo pressed his advantage, leading his troops to surround the mine. They found refined copper being smelted and two account books, pointing directly at Jiang Mingxin. The supervising officer immediately searched Jiang Mingxin's military tent and found some letters that he had not yet had time to destroy.
Terrified, Jiang Mingxin surrendered without resistance, insisting that he had only recently discovered a copper mine and wanted to hoard it for a while to amass wealth, and that he had absolutely no intention of colluding with the enemy or betraying his country. Although the person he corresponded with was a Northern Di, their correspondence only discussed the Northern Di king's search for his princess in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and nothing else.
Half a month later, Xiang Zuo escorted Jiang Mingxin to the capital, where he and the military supervisor handed over the evidence of crimes they had uncovered.
Emperor Shunqing was furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to conduct a joint trial. He then appointed Xiang Zuo to replace Jiang Mingxin as the acting general and take over the border troops in Dingzhou.
Everyone in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion was terrified.
Upon learning of this, Yun Yue wrote a letter directly to Emperor Shunqing, requesting a renewed peace negotiation with the Northern Di people.
Seven years ago, Dingzhou fought a great battle with the Northern Di. After Yun Yue desperately resisted the Northern Di's attack, the two sides reached a peace agreement.
However, since Jiang Mingxin took over the border troops in Dingzhou, the Northern Di people have frequently harassed the northern border cities of Dingzhou and Liaozhou, leaving them scarred and battered.
In his memorial, Yun Yue proposed a plan to open the border cities of the two prefectures, to trade with the Northern Di, and to exempt both sides from customs duties in order to revive the economy of the surrounding cities. He specifically mentioned that this was a win-win plan proposed by the Su family, and that the funds raised by the court in the new year could also be appropriately tilted towards the construction of the border cities.
Emperor Shunqing readily agreed and even had the border trade plan proposed by Yun Yue circulated among the officials during the morning court session the following day.
Another month later, Yun Yue returned to the capital city.
This time, he not only brought the border trade agreement between Zhou and Di, but also the fourth prince of Northern Di and his wife.
To entertain the fourth prince, Emperor Shunqing hosted a palace banquet and selected more than a dozen officials and their families to attend.
Yun Yue and his wife, Lady Su, also entered the palace for the banquet.
Upon seeing Lady Su, the fourth prince was greatly shocked and rushed forward, exclaiming, "Sister! You must be my father's eldest princess! My sister!"
Su was so frightened that she hid behind Yun Yue.
Emperor Shunqing and Consort Zhou were also surprised when they saw it.
The Fourth Prince's wife pulled the Fourth Prince back to his seat, then bowed and said, "Please, Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine, the Duke and Duchess, do not be surprised. Actually, my husband and I came to the Great Zhou for two reasons: first, to show our sincerity in the peace talks, and second, to see if we can find the eldest princess that my father has been longing for."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com