It is extremely unlucky for a shop to experience bloodshed or even death before it even opens, especially if it is an inn.
Merchants could easily find out that someone had died at this inn with just a little inquiry; who would dare to stay there?
Chief Secretary Xie narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Prefect Qi. The two of them tacitly agreed that these people must have been instigated by Li Yanping.
Even if it wasn't true, Chief Secretary Xie would still pin the blame on Li's Trading Company.
He becomes so unreasonable when he's angry!
Xie Changshi sneered, "Li Yanping has been so busy lately, yet he still has time to meddle in our inn's affairs. He must think the salt permit is already his for the taking."
After Prefect Qi and the others left, Chief Secretary Xie and Gu Yu learned that, "Your Highness, I think the plan we set for the deputy general was a bit too lenient. We can be a little bolder in our actions."
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head and said, "What do you mean, 'be bolder'?"
He had asked Marshal Huo about this deputy general yesterday; his martial arts skills were excellent, and ordinary people couldn't get close to him.
If he hadn't met with Guard Qi, then Guard Qi should have handled this matter.
Chief Secretary Xie leaned forward and whispered a few words, and Gu Yuzhi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, until finally he even clapped his hands: "Chief Secretary Xie, your idea is brilliant!"
He chuckled and asked, "What's this called?"
Kill two birds with one stone, achieve two goals with one arrow, and get two things at once!
Upon receiving the order, Zhang Yuankai led a group of guards to Qizhou without stopping. After inquiring with some people, he learned that the deputy general was on a high-level escort mission and would probably arrive in Qizhou in the next couple of days.
He immediately led a team out of the state to scout the location.
The northern desert is vast and sparsely populated. Apart from a few prefectures, even the area around the official roads is not safe. The weeds grow taller than a person, so if you hide in them, no one outside will be able to see you.
Deputy General Yuan Shiliang arrived at Zhang Yuankai's ambush site the next day. He was preoccupied with his thoughts the whole way and didn't notice anything amiss immediately. It wasn't until the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) ahead fell off his horse that he suddenly realized what was happening and shouted, "Wheelchair!"
The bodyguards quickly retreated, surrounding the goods, their hands gripping the hilts of their knives tightly, their eyes sharp.
Yuan Shiliang spurred his horse forward two steps: "I am Yuan Shiliang, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Li Ji镖局 (Li Family Escort Agency) in Qizhou. May I ask who you are?"
Mentioning Li Ji, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), was clearly meant to intimidate the visitors.
Who in the northern desert doesn't know Li's Trading Company?
If you want to rob Li Ji Escort Agency, you need to consider two things: first, whether you are capable enough; and second, whether you can withstand the retaliation from Li Ji Trading Company if you are caught.
Zhang Yuankai slightly raised his hand, and the guards hidden in the weeds made their move, shooting arrows into the ground in front of the bodyguards' feet, thus surrounding them as well.
Apart from that, they made no other move.
That's right, Chief Secretary Xie's idea was to rob the caravan!
Originally, Xie Changshi only wanted to cause trouble for Yuan Shiliang's escort mission so that the people from Li's Escort Agency would kick him out.
If he hadn't betrayed the Huo family, they could naturally take him to Xinliang.
If he betrayed the Huo family, then he deserved it.
But after Li Ji instigated the former inn's head chef to cause trouble, Xie Changshi and Gu Yuzhi changed their minds. They not only wanted to rob the goods, but also the most valuable ones!
The people at Li's Trading Company like to do this kind of thing, so let them experience it for themselves.
Zhang Yuankai stared intently at Yuan Shiliang, his eyes sharp and unwavering.
It is evident that although these bodyguards have resolute eyes, their positions are disorderly, indicating that Yuan Shiliang did not train them using military training methods.
He thought for a moment, then gestured with his chin toward one of the people next to him. The group immediately jumped out: "You, leave your things behind and leave!"
The man deliberately brandished his knife, a signature gesture of the Huo family army after a victory on the battlefield.
Since Yuan Shiliang withdrew from the Northern Desert Army, no one had ever made this gesture again. His expression changed, and he slightly raised his hand, emphasizing once more: "Brother, we are bodyguards from Li's Escort Agency. Please make way."
During the two years that Yuan Shiliang had served as the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), he had encountered this situation before, but most people would only ask for a small fee when they heard the name of Li Ji镖局 (Li Ji Escort Agency) and would send them over.
This was the first time he had encountered a situation where he needed to introduce himself twice.
Thinking about the man's gesture and the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Wen's Escort Agency, Yuan Shiliang felt as if a ray of light had suddenly appeared in the darkness he was in.
His dry throat bobbed slightly as he continued, "Brother, we're all in this together, give me some face..."
To everyone's surprise, the man spat out a harsh "Pah!" and said in a deliberately hoarse voice, "Leave your things and leave, or don't blame us for being impolite."
Yuan Shiliang did not move, keenly sensing the unease among the bodyguards.
Yes, these bodyguards have traveled all over the country for years, but they have had very few opportunities to fight with people.
Yuan Shiliang said in a low voice, "Brother, everything can be discussed. This place is not far from Qizhou. If we alert the Qizhou garrison, you won't get away with it either."
Clearly, this group of people were after him, and he was determined to investigate their background, but he had to return the shipment.
Yuan Shiliang stared intently at the person making the gesture, his eyes carrying a hint of negotiation.
To his surprise, the man ignored him completely, pointing to the weeds and saying, "My brothers are still here, but these are just some things, not as precious as your lives. You should think carefully about whether you want to leave the things behind, or leave both your lives and the things behind."
At that moment, Yuan Shiliang understood the other party's intention. His expression changed slightly, and he wondered if he had misread the gesture just now.
His wildly beating heart gradually calmed down at that moment, and he calmly said, "This..."
But the people in the weeds didn't give him a chance at all. Five or six sleeping pills were thrown out of the weeds and rolled under the carriage. Before Yuan Shiliang could even say "hold your breath," the horse collapsed.
Only when the group had completely fallen silent did Zhang Yuankai slowly emerge from the weeds, his face full of disappointment. He squatted down and poked Yuan Shiliang, muttering, "This Qin Yuanpan's sleeping potion is too effective, it even knocked out the horse."
A man nearby chuckled, "This saves us so much trouble." He waved his arm, "Brothers, get to work! Hurry up and get to work! It'll be troublesome if the Qizhou garrison sees us later."
They took everything away, and once everything was gone, they immediately sent someone to tell the employer that Li Ji Escort Agency in Qizhou would be turned upside down tonight.
Although this loss is negligible for Li's Escort Agency, Chief Secretary Xie said that although it is small, it is disgusting enough.
Zhang Yuankai gave an "oh," slowly stood up, watched his brothers take their things away, then looked down at Yuan Shiliang and clicked his tongue: "You'd better be a good person."
They had all heard of Yuan Shiliang, the deputy general of the Northern Desert Army, and he wanted to find an opportunity to test his skills against him...
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