Liuhe Town, located on the border between the Song Dynasty, Goryeo, and Mongolia, was part of the Song Dynasty territory and had a garrison there.
When Princess Yanran arrived in the town, she found that this border town had a strong militarized atmosphere.
You know, the Mongols in the north are ready to make a move. As the commander-in-chief of the north, Yue Fei naturally knows the importance of Liuhe Town.
If you go to the garrison here, they will send the letter to the capital.
But what Princess Yanran is most worried about now is what the Song Dynasty will do after she hands the letter over to the country.
Will he recognize Li Ziqian's throne, or will he really help himself?
It was already dark when she arrived at the military camp, and according to the camp rules, she could not enter even though she was a Goryeo princess.
There was a precedent: during the Northern Qi Dynasty, someone used the pretext of visiting relatives and friends to spy on military intelligence late at night. Later, the camp had a rule that no one could enter the camp at night without a token or letter.
Before she could reveal her identity, the guard stopped her and said, "I'm sorry, please report back during the day if you have anything else to say. If it's an urgent military situation, please follow me to the North Camp and explain your identity."
"I am the princess of Goryeo, and I want to see your general."
The guard was startled, and then pointed several spears at her: "Do you have a letter of proof?"
She had nothing on her to prove her identity as a Goryeo princess, including the letter of proof. The letter asking for help did have the king's seal, but she couldn't give away such an important thing so easily.
Yanran shook her head and said, "There's a rebellion in Goryeo. I'm the Goryeo princess, and I'm begging to see your general."
The guards were even more shocked. This delicate girl across from them actually said she was a Goryeo princess. They looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
One of the officers said, "Miss, we haven't received any news of the Goryeo rebellion. Why don't you come back tomorrow, or come with me to the North Camp, and we'll inform the general."
Princess Yanran shook her head and had to leave the military camp gate, leading her white horse away.
A soldier felt something was wrong and hurried back to report.
Princess Yanran left in a hurry and did not take any money with her, so she went to a pawn shop and pawned one of her bracelets.
Then she took the money and found an inn. The people in the north were tough, so it was not surprising to see a single woman riding a horse.
The inn arranged the best food and accommodation. Princess Yanran took a nice hot bath and all her fatigue disappeared.
It is said that the general guarding the Liuhe Zhennan Camp was Liang Zifan, a general under Yue Fei.
He was surprised when a soldier reported: "You said a girl came to the camp gate and said she was a princess of Goryeo?"
The soldier nodded. "That's right, General. That's exactly what the girl said. She said there was a rebellion in Goryeo, and she fled to the Song Dynasty to see you."
Liang Zifan was furious: "Why didn't you bring her to see me?"
The soldier was startled. "General, according to regulations, private individuals are not allowed to enter the camp late at night. I suggested that she go to the North Camp and wait, but your princess didn't agree."
Liang Zifan's heart moved: "Are you saying that the princess is alone?"
The soldier nodded: "I am alone."
"Report!" A spy hurriedly tried to break into the tent: "Report to General Liang, we just got to Goryeo and report first. Li Ziqian is rebelling and has imprisoned the Goryeo king."
Liang Zifan was startled. After all, he was a battle-hardened general under Yue Fei. He remained calm in the face of danger and ordered his men, "Beat the drums! All troops on high alert! Post sentries at the border. Report any unusual activity immediately. Remember, no matter what the Koreans do, as long as they don't invade the Song Dynasty border, we must not engage in conflict with them."
The officers and soldiers under his command all followed his orders. Liang Zifan then said to the messenger, "You must rush to the capital overnight and inform General Yue of the situation in Goryeo. Quick!"
The Beijing he mentioned was the former capital of the Jin Dynasty, Shangjing, which now became Yue Fei's base camp.
Lying on the comfortable bed in the inn, Princess Yanran felt as if she were in another world. Suddenly, his white horse neighed outside the inn.
Princess Yanran hurriedly sat up from the bed. She looked through the window and saw several men in black in the stable looking for something furtively.
It was obvious that these people were here to arrest her, so Yanran quietly opened the door, tiptoed out of her room, and closed the door.
At this time, the men in black had already rushed into the inn, and the innkeeper was counting the accounts. The business was good today, and the hotel was almost full.
Suddenly, a group of men in black armed with swords rushed in. The shopkeeper was startled and said, "Please spare my life, my dear friends. Here is my income. Please take it away."
He mistook these men in black for bandits, and the leading one asked, "Which room does the girl on the white horse live in?"
The shopkeeper's legs were shaking with fear, and he looked up at the second room upstairs.
The man in black winked at his companions, and the other men in black rushed to the second floor and surrounded the room.
Liang Zifan paced back and forth within the camp, sensing something unusual about the Goryeo Dynasty's rebellion. These vassal states wouldn't dare rebel without the tacit approval of their superiors. Could it be that the Mongols had tacitly approved of Li Ziqian's rebellion? Or were they simply supporting the rebellion?
Liang Zifan was shocked when he thought of this. If the Mongols supported the rebellion, then they had only one purpose, which was to harm the Song Dynasty.
This is easy to understand, as Wang Kai was originally supported by the Mongols. But this time, the Mongols actually supported Li Ziqian's rebellion. This could only mean one thing: Wang Kai was disobedient, and the Mongols wanted to establish another obedient one.
Although Goryeo was a vassal state of the Mongols and its relationship with the Song Dynasty was strained, trade between the Song Dynasty and Goryeo continued uninterrupted. Zhao Huan understood that trade with Goryeo was beneficial and had no negative consequences.
Tea, cloth, ceramics, and even salt and iron were all controlled by the Song Dynasty. There was no other way, as the Mongols themselves were dependent on the Song Dynasty and could not meet the needs of Goryeo.
Trade wars are terrible in peacetime. The reason why Western Xia could not thrive was because its economy was controlled by the Jin people.
Likewise, the economic lifeline of Goryeo was in the hands of the Song Dynasty. Once the Song Dynasty stopped trading with Goryeo, Goryeo's economic life would plummet.
So Wang Kai understood this principle. While he surrendered to Mongolia, he was also engaged in a fierce economic relationship with the Song Dynasty.
Goryeo's horses, ginseng, furs, etc. continued to flow into the Song Dynasty. In particular, Goryeo produced a kind of Goryeo horse, which was quite popular in the Song Dynasty.
The purpose of the Mongols' actions was obvious: they wanted to disrupt the trade between the Song Dynasty and Goryeo, thereby dealing a blow to the Song Dynasty. As for Goryeo, it didn't care whether it lived or died.
"Someone come! Someone come!" Liang Zifan shouted in the tent.
The soldiers outside the tent rushed in hurriedly: "What are your orders, General?"
"Send out the soldiers of the Flying Cavalry Battalion to search the entire town. Once the Goryeo princess is found, please ask her to come to my camp immediately!" Liang Zifan had already vaguely guessed that Goryeo would send assassins to harm the princess.
Over three hundred men from the Flying Cavalry Battalion poured out of the barracks. Instantly, the entire town of Liuhe was filled with the neighing of horses and the clatter of hooves.
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