Yin Zhe's brows furrowed with a rare look of worry; he had to find out where these iron ore deposits had gone.
Could ordinary people really consume so many weapons and armor? Probably not. The most likely explanation is that they were leaked out of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Her first thought was of the successive attempts by the Northern Winds Dynasty to enter her territory this year.
The north is short of both salt and iron, and while skilled cavalrymen rarely possess heavy armor, they are known for their light cavalry, which moves swiftly like the wind.
The main reason why the Daqian Dynasty was able to contend with it was its superior military equipment.
Heavy cavalry—the North doesn't have the resources for that, but what if someone were secretly smuggling pig iron to the North…?
Even when dormant, there is a prickling sensation like thorns on one's back at this moment.
She quickly changed her mind. If all the pig iron were cast into heavy armor, and the armor for one person and one horse weighed 120 jin, that would be 2,400 sets in eight years!
With the horse-riding skills of the North, plus more than two thousand fully armed heavy cavalry... the consequences would be unimaginable!
Yin Zhe vanished from the room in a flash. Even though there was no evidence yet, he had to immediately send an order back to the capital.
With the war in the north becoming increasingly intense, if the Shuofeng Dynasty were to suddenly field more than two thousand organized heavy cavalry, it could very well influence the course of the war.
After about half a cup of tea's time, when Yin Zhe returned, there was no sign of anything unusual, and it had returned to its usual cold and quiet state.
The list has been thoroughly reviewed; it mainly consists of officials from Chiyan County or corrupt officials, and it doesn't seem to be of much value at this point.
The only one that stands out is the code name "Lame," which is quite important and can only be found by going down into the mine to find Zhao Hengjiang.
If he is still alive as his son said, that would be best. If he is gone, he should have left clues, because the third part of the secret file is what he asked for.
Zhao Hengjiang was convicted of embezzling military funds, but his explanation was simply to reclaim the share that belonged to the Zhao family army.
He pleaded with His Majesty to reinvestigate the matter and to pardon his son's guilt by association.
Military affairs were not Yin Zhe's forte; another commander of the Xuanji Guard was in charge.
Besides, this matter is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it's just a matter of sending a message back, so there's no rush.
As for his son Zhao Qingshan, pardoning him should not be difficult.
Zhao Qingshan had already read through the secret files left by his father. At this moment, he bowed deeply to the person above him.
"I implore Your Highness and the Lord to keep your promise and go down into the mine to rescue my father."
Qin Zhaoyue remained silent, but Yin Zhe immediately nodded in agreement, "I will send a fourth-rank martial artist skilled in water to the mine."
"Yes, yes... Thank you, sir, thank you, Your Highness!"
Qin Zhaoyue waved her hand, saying that the man's father risked his life for it, and it had nothing to do with her.
Zhao Qingshan straightened his back and took a few deep breaths, as if he had finally unloaded the burden on his back.
"In that case, please take me back to that courtyard, sir. I need to return to the mine."
Yin Zhe frowned.
What we lack most now is time. We need to wait for the court's support and for information about the number of troops to be sent to Fengjing and informed to His Majesty.
So she has just instructed that all investigations be suspended, just in case she alerts the enemy.
If word gets out and the worst-case scenario unfolds as predicted, the war in the north could take a dramatic turn.
The matter of Constable Jiang Mingyuan is easy to handle. Since he has already faked his death and escaped, at most, a similar-looking corpse can be used as a substitute.
In the sweltering summer heat, in the muddy ground, the corpse would decompose quickly and wouldn't leave any trace.
But Zhao Qingshan... he was being tracked, which means the other side had already set their sights on him.
The reason they've kept it until now is probably because they suspect that the father and son have some kind of evidence.
If it weren't for the information revealed by Jiang Mingyuan today, and Yin Zhe's timely arrival, the secret files might have already fallen into the enemy's hands.
They didn't need to decipher it; they could simply destroy the body and cover their tracks.
Yin Zhe's eyes darkened slightly as he stared directly at Zhao Qingshan in front of him.
Why go back?
"The mine operates on a system of collective responsibility. If I disappear, all forty-plus households in the village will perish."
Even if they dare not act because His Highness is here, they will still remember it and settle scores later,” Zhao Qingshan said with a bitter smile.
"There are too many ways the mines want to kill people, and I've already caused them a lot of trouble..."
Hidden in his sleeve, he lightly tapped his knuckles, weighing the pros and cons.
Disappearing suddenly is indeed inappropriate, especially since the other party probably guessed that the Zhao father and son had evidence. If they went back...
"You said before that after infiltrating the city, you were originally going to contact Constable Jiang?"
"Yes, my father had told me before that if a crisis occurred, I could trust her when it was time to take a final gamble."
Yin Zhe nodded, saying that there was a reasonable explanation, and briefly recounted Jiang Mingyuan's experience at the county government office that night.
"Tsk..." Qin Zhaoyue shook her head. She knew this county magistrate was no ordinary person.
My old teacher's daughter, my childhood friend, maybe we even had a little flirtation or something between us back in school.
He killed her without hesitation, showing no mercy whatsoever. He was a ruthless and lewd man!
Are you confident that you can get away with it for a few days without giving yourself away?
Zhao Qingshan quickly realized that there was a reasonable explanation for this trip.
He did not answer Yin Zhe's question immediately, but instead thought about it carefully.
After pondering for a long time, he nodded cautiously, "Okay!"
Yin Zhe didn't expect him to act flawlessly; he just needed to buy a few days.
If any unexpected events occur along the way, she will have a chance to salvage the situation, so she nodded in agreement.
"Um... sir, what about me?"
Aside from offering a word of advice when she first entered the house, Jiang Mingyuan had been quietly helping out ever since.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, he hurriedly spoke.
Speaking of which, this person did indeed perform a service, so Yin Zhe asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I want to find out who murdered my father!"
This answer had been lingering in her mind for far too long, and Jiang Mingyuan blurted it out without hesitation, immediately adding:
"Also...I want to be a Xuanji Guard..."
Inside the room, Qin Zhaoyue, Suimo, and Yaoguang all rolled their eyes in unison: You really dare to think that way.
"The case will continue to be investigated. Once the credit is paid, there may be an opportunity for an internship."
Qin Zhaoyue glanced at the person sideways and tsk tsk tsk, sure enough, it's the same everywhere.
Interns have it great! They pay little but have lots of work and can start anytime. All they do is learn and gain experience. What more could you ask for?
Sensing the unfriendly gaze, Yin Zhe, though puzzled, did not press for an explanation and simply nodded slightly.
"Sixth Prince, I need to escort my men into the mine. I will stay near the mine for the time being, and Yao Guang will continue to guard you."
The mine has the eldest sister and Meng Jian, so it naturally attracts attention. But what about this place?
The useless sixth princess, the useless fifth prince, the useless top scholar, oh, and the old "official envoy"—they're all completely inadequate.
If there were only one expert, Qin Zhaoyue would make the same choice.
There was nothing to complain about, but I was still in a bad mood, so I waved my hand impatiently.
"Let's go, let's go, don't disturb my sleep unless it's absolutely necessary..."
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