Xiao Yi smiled and said, "I still have some things to take care of in Lanwei, so I probably won't be able to go this time. How about this, I'll have my attendant go with Manager Zhou to Yuanxi to find out about the jade market."
At this moment, someone beside Xiao Yi stepped forward, cupped their hands in greeting to Wei Chenglin, and said:
"My name is Hu Dong. My young master has some matters to attend to. He will be going to Yuanxi to investigate the jade market. I will be handling it on his behalf. Please take good care of him, Manager Zhou."
"That works too."
Wei Chenglin knew that Xiao Yi would not risk going to Yuanxi to gather information; he would only arrange for someone else to do it, and that person going to Yuanxi must be a barbarian.
Xiao Yi said to Hu Dong, "In the future, when we engage in the jade business, we must be very familiar with jade and jade artifacts."
We need to understand not only jade mining, but also jade crafting, and most importantly, how to manage a business.
So once you arrive in Yuanxi, you should explore the market more and learn more about it.
I'm in Lanwei on business and will be back in a few days, so don't worry. Once you're in Yuanxi, make sure you get things done.
Hu Dong nodded and said:
"Don't worry, young master, I will definitely investigate the relevant market conditions for jade and I won't let you down."
The matter was settled, and they decided that two days later, Wei Chenglin would take Hu Dong to Yuanxi.
Next, Xiao Yi examined the jade in the shop and finally selected two jade pieces.
This time, Wei Chenglin didn't charge any fees, and Xiao Yi, without being polite, took the jade and left with his entourage.
After Xiao Yi left, Wei Chenglin laughed and immediately wrote a letter, which he sent to Yuanxi with great speed, asking Wei Jin to prepare to deal with Xiao Yi's follower Hu Dong.
The next morning, Wei Chenglin opened the shop early. Soon after, a middle-aged man walked in and said he wanted to see Manager Zhou.
Wei Chenglin came out from behind the counter, looked the person up and down, and found that the person was very calm, but a faint worry could be seen in his eyes.
"I am the owner of this shop. What do you need me for?"
Although Wei Chenglin knew that this person was arranged by Huang Siyuan, he still wanted to find out the details.
"Manager Huang sent me over. He said you two had already settled this matter yesterday."
"Yes, I've already arranged it. Please wait a moment." After saying this, Wei Chenglin had someone call the driver over.
Before long, the coachman arrived and said:
"Manager Zhou, shall we go to Yuanxi now? The carriage is ready."
"This man was sent by Manager Huang. You should set off immediately and take him to Yuanxi to find my younger brother, Zhou Tong."
I have a letter here that explains what I need him to do. Just give him the letter.
"Alright, we'll set off now." The coachman took the letter, put it in his pocket, led the visitor out of the shop, got into the carriage, and left Lanwei City.
Seeing the carriage leave, Wei Chenglin returned to the shop and sat down behind the counter. He was a little excited. He knew that Wei Jin was very smart and would definitely have a way to use the conflict between Huang Liang and Huang Siyuan to dismantle Lanwei's local power from within.
Next, all I need to do is wait for the barbarian Hu Dong to come to my door and take him to Yuanxi. I believe General Jin and Wei Jin already have a plan.
For Xiao Yi, what he most wanted to see was the army of the Great Northern Dynasty attacking Lanwei, so that he would have enough means to deal with it.
However, the army of the Great Northern Dynasty changed its strategy. They stationed 20,000 troops in Yuanxi, keeping a close eye on Lanwei, and strictly checked people entering and leaving Yuanxi. It was already very difficult to infiltrate Yuanxi City.
Xiao Yi, under the pretext of wanting to do jade business, asked Wei Chenglin to bring Hu Dong into Yuanxi City to find out the situation there and see if there was any opportunity to take advantage of it. Even if the hope was slim, they still had to try.
Wei Chenglin's mood calmed down after he finished the pot of tea in front of him.
He had been in Lanwei for several days and had barely left the city. He wanted to go out for a walk, learn about the situation in Lanwei, find out the location of Huang Liang's forces, and see his military camp and troop strength.
With that in mind, he told the people in the shop that he was going out for a walk to see what was going on in the city.
Although everyone was worried about his safety, they did not object, but simply told him to be more careful.
Wei Chenglin nodded and walked out of the shop.
It was morning, and under normal circumstances, this time of day should be the peak period for pedestrian and customer traffic on the street.
In Lanwei City today, there are few pedestrians on the streets, many shops are closed, and several once very distinctive snacks have disappeared.
People occasionally walk by on the street, mostly elderly people, and it's rare to see any young people.
Before coming to Lanwei, Wei Chenglin carefully studied the geography and culture of Lanwei and had some understanding of the city's layout.
Lanwei City is very large, but it is quite scattered. Wei Chenglin began to survey Lanwei City, matching his knowledge to different parts of it in order to gain a clearer understanding of the city.
In the area ahead, Wei Chenglin finally saw many people. They had dug many large pits on both sides of the road, and he didn't know what they were putting into the pits.
Some pits had already been set up. They laid wooden planks over the pits, and then covered the planks with a layer of soil. Without careful observation, it was impossible to notice that there were so many traps. Once people or horses walked on them, they could easily fall in.
The trap should be equipped with mechanisms so that falling in would be certain death. After the trap is set, it should be marked. Once a war breaks out, these markings will be removed. The enemy forces will not know about this place and could easily fall into the trap if they pass by.
Wei Chenglin tried to get closer to see what was going on, but was immediately chased away and not allowed to approach at all.
Wei Chenglin inspected several locations and found that a large number of traps had been set up. Since these traps were not in use, they fenced off the area and assigned people to guard it. If any pedestrians were found to be approaching, they would be driven away.
Wei Chenglin was shocked. If the Northern Dynasty army attacked Lanwei and entered the city, these traps would cause huge casualties to the soldiers.
Given the open terrain of Lanwei, there should be quite a few areas with traps.
Wei Chenglin inspected several areas of the city. Sometimes he wanted to see what was going on, but he was stopped and sent back.
No wonder there was almost no one moving around in the city. The entire city of Lanwei was filled with the aura of death, and under such circumstances, no one would go out.
Tomorrow I plan to travel to Yuanxi with the barbarian Hu Dong. I must inform Prefect Jin and Wei Jin of these matters. If the army intends to attack Lanwei City, be wary of these traps.
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