After discussing with Chen Xiao, they decided to continue to secretly observe whether those officials had any other dirty deeds or the extent of their collusion.
Therefore, over the past six months, Xu Qian and Chen Xiao had noticed that several people were acting suspiciously several months ago, so they began a secret investigation without making a sound.
He first secretly instructed his most trusted and meticulous confidant to conduct a secret screening of the daily correspondence and documents of officials in the court, paying particular attention to records of exchanges with subtle connections to neighboring countries.
During the investigation, Xu Qian noticed that Zhao Qi had frequent contact with some unidentified foreign businessmen, and these businessmen were acting suspiciously, always entering and leaving Zhao Qi's residence late at night.
He quietly arranged for his most capable undercover agents to track and monitor these merchants.
After several days of surveillance, it was discovered that they were colluding with a secret intelligence organization in a neighboring country, and were frequently transmitting confidential information about the military deployment, food reserves, and personnel changes within the court.
Meanwhile, when Xu Qian was reviewing the accounts related to the garrison of Beijing, he discovered that there were many unreasonable records of military expenditures and material allocations in the section managed by Qian Su.
The whereabouts of some military supplies were unknown. After in-depth investigation, it was discovered that some of these supplies had been diverted to suspicious outposts on the border of neighboring countries.
Following this clue, Xu Qian gradually uncovered the collusion between Qian Su and Zhao Qi, who used falsified accounts and misappropriated military supplies to curry favor with neighboring countries in exchange for their support and protection in their treasonous plot.
As for Sun You, who was in charge of grain and fodder allocation, Xu Qian discovered that he had recently been in close contact with some illegal grain merchants in the area.
While these grain merchants were buying up grain at high prices, they were secretly transporting large quantities of grain to border areas.
Xu Qian sent men to intercept one of the grain transport convoys. From the escorts, he learned that Sun You had accepted huge bribes from a neighboring country and intended to cut off the Night Dynasty's grain supply at a critical moment, putting the army in a difficult situation, thus cooperating with Zhao Qi and Qian Su's treasonous actions.
Xu Qian pieced together these fragmented yet crucial clues to form a complete chain of evidence, thus confirming Zhao Qi, Qian Su, and Sun You's crimes of treason and collusion with the enemy.
In order not to alert them, Xu Qian pretended not to know anything and continued to interact with them normally, so as to lower their guard.
On the other hand, he secretly summoned his trusted ministers, all of whom were loyal and trustworthy to the Ye Dynasty, such as Li Zhongqing, whom he had personally promoted, and Zhang Yiping, a family friend.
They jointly discussed the encirclement and suppression plan and formulated detailed strategies.
Xu Qian knew that in order to successfully eliminate this group of traitors, he had to first control the key forces in their hands.
He arranged for Li Zhongqing to transfer Qian Su away from his garrison camp under the pretext of discussing the defense of the capital. At the same time, he sent elite troops to secretly infiltrate the camp and take over the military power, thus depriving Qian Su of his military support.
As for Sun You, Zhang Yiping led a team to capture him unexpectedly when he went out to inspect the grain warehouse. They also blocked information related to grain distribution to prevent the enemy from using the grain to create chaos.
As for the mastermind Zhao Qi, Xu Qian personally took action.
After receiving confirmation that Zhao Qi would meet again with a secret envoy from a neighboring country at his residence one night, he led the Imperial Guard to surround Zhao Qi's residence.
Just as Zhao Qi and his secret envoy were gleefully discussing the details of treason, Xu Qian burst through the door.
Zhao Qi attempted to resist, but his guards were quickly subdued by the powerful offensive of the Imperial Guards.
Thus, through the close cooperation of Xu Qian and his trusted ministers, the group of traitors who had colluded with the enemy was quickly wiped out, the court was purged, and the threat to their inner circle was temporarily eliminated.
Guangling.
Prefect Qi Yanshang remained steadfast in his post and actively organized defenses.
He knew that Guangling County was geographically important, and if it fell, the neighboring country's army could easily advance.
So he personally inspected the city's defenses, reinforced the city walls, trained soldiers, and stockpiled supplies.
Feng Li and Qi Ruyan were also there to help out.
Feng Li was resourceful and wise. She devised a series of ingenious defensive strategies for Qi Yanshang, using the terrain of Guangling County to set up traps and obstacles, making it difficult for the invading enemy to succeed easily.
Qi Ruyan was responsible for comforting the people. She went deep into the countryside, listened to their concerns and demands, distributed supplies to them, and organized women and children to evacuate to safe areas.
Through their joint efforts, Guangling County, despite facing immense pressure, remained steadfast and became a solid defensive line for the Night Dynasty in the south.
Xunyang.
Prefect Zheng Hanying and Governor Zheng Pianran both gave it their all.
Zheng Hanying organized soldiers to set up defenses along the riverbank, ready for battle.
He personally directed the navy to patrol the river to prevent enemy forces from launching surprise attacks by water.
Zheng Pianran actively raised funds and supplies for the army. He traveled around, discussing with local wealthy merchants and persuading them to donate generously.
At the same time, he organized the people to reclaim wasteland and grow grain to ensure an adequate supply of materials during the war.
Thanks to their efforts, the defense system of Xunyang County was gradually improved, and the people maintained a relatively stable life amidst the flames of war.
The capital city.
Chen Xiao was not idle either; she acted as a pillar of strength, stabilizing the morale of those behind her.
She traveled incognito through the streets and alleys, reassuring the people.
Her voice was firm and powerful as she promised the people that she would protect the Night Dynasty and help them regain their confidence in life.
Once, rumors spread throughout the capital that the Ye Dynasty was about to perish, causing widespread panic among the people.
Upon learning of this, Chen Xiao immediately wrote an imperial edict and posted it on the imperial notice board outside the capital city, refuting the rumors with facts and reason, and calming the people down.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
