In the past two days, through a series of shady maneuvers, Dou Yong finally managed to pry open Jin Quan's mouth completely.
Jin Quan confessed that Jin Shupiao wanted to go directly to the north to find a place to live in seclusion in order to avoid the covetousness of local powerful figures and the crown prince.
The only legitimate son died on the road during the escape.
Jin Shupiao's wife died shortly after their only child was lost.
The newly arrived maid Li Xiaoyu won Jin Shupiao's favor. After finding a place to live in seclusion in the northern frontier, he formally married Li Xiaoyu.
Because living in seclusion means becoming an ordinary person, without having to be so particular.
Li Xiaoyu later became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy.
Jin Shupiao was overjoyed and determined to nurture him properly.
However, his illegitimate son, Jin Chao, wanted to seize everything from the Jin family. He conspired with the steward, Jin Quan, to devise a vicious plan and trick Li Xiaoyu and Xiao Xin into leaving.
Jin Chao had long coveted Li Xiaoyu's beauty, so he simply snatched her away and handed her and Xiao Xin over to Jin Quan to deal with.
But Jin Quan was more cautious.
He wanted to see if Jin Chao could actually take everything from the Jin family.
If he could, he would kill Li Xiaoyu and Xiaoxin. If not, he could turn the tables, kill Li Xiaoyu, and return the amnesiac Xiaoxin to him.
But before he could see the ending, Jin Chao was already in a hurry to get rid of him.
They immediately ordered someone to kill him.
Jin Quan escaped with a few trusted confidants, along with Li Xiaoyu and Xiaoxin.
They escaped, but the northern frontier was in chaos, with rebel armies and bandits everywhere.
Jin Quan disregarded everything else, grabbed his belongings, and without returning home, ran straight to Zhonggui Mansion.
He made inquiries from various sources, but was unable to find out what happened to the Jin family afterward.
Because the northern border region is too chaotic.
Jin Quan saw that Li Xiaoyu was beautiful and forced her to become his wife.
But they were always on guard against her escaping, and had people constantly watching her.
Jin Quan continued to do some business afterward. He came to Bian'ai County this time because he heard that there was a high demand for goods there and that prices were high, so he came to try his luck.
Unexpectedly, because he had drunk too much, Li Xiaoyu was seriously injured in an accident and was arrested.
At first, Jin Quan still hoped to settle things with money, until he encountered Dou Yong's interrogation.
Dou Yong didn't care about anything else; he came up and, without asking any questions, immediately ordered his men to beat him.
Jin Quan was beaten unconscious several times, and his men didn't fare any better; they were all beaten as well.
Jin Quan had never seen a case handled like this before; they didn't ask any questions and just started beating people.
Jin Quan's men were the first to give in.
Jin Quan's close confidants knew a lot and said everything that needed to be said.
The remaining people knew less, but they confessed to various illegal acts committed by Jin Quan over the years, including bullying men and women, forced buying and selling, and murdering innocent people.
Jin Quan initially didn't want to talk, but under heavy beatings and with the testimony of others, he confessed everything.
There was no need for a second interrogation; all the details were explained clearly.
Shen Xi did not ask Dou Yong how he interrogated him.
If you dare to use Dou Yong, you will trust him.
After reading the confession, Shenxi couldn't help but sigh.
The northern frontier is now even more chaotic.
The two factions in northern Xinjiang are now frequently clashing.
When military rations ran out, people resorted to cannibalism, and prisoners of war often became food for the enemy.
The people there were in even worse shape; they couldn't even run away, as all the able-bodied men had been conscripted by Ma Zhigang and Fan Datong.
The rest were used as military food reserves.
The number of people there has plummeted, with less than one in ten surviving.
Even businessmen dare not go to that place.
The prefectures of Zhongdao, Zhonggui, and Yonghe, which border the northern border and northern Shang regions, were the most unfortunate, as these so-called righteous armies frequently engaged in guerrilla warfare at this time.
Instead of fighting the main force, they began guerrilla warfare against the local people.
They committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities.
How did the Jin family survive in such an environment?
Have they escaped, been forced to join the rebels, or been wiped out?
Regardless of which one it is, finding it is harder than climbing to heaven.
Shenxi put down the confession and instructed, "Spare Jin Quan's life for now. After Li Xiaoyu recovers, the two sides will stand down."
"yes."
Given Jin Quan's actions, he deserves to die a hundred times over.
But at this point, we still need to wait for Li Xiaoyu to recover.
After all, more details may be discovered after the two sides confront each other.
After this incident, Shenxi deeply realized the importance of spies.
It's not necessary for everyone to become a top-tier spy; there's a greater demand for ordinary spies.
For example, in Bian'ai County under her rule, ordinary spies could complete the tasks of intelligence gathering and surveillance; there was no need for top-tier spies at all.
According to Tang Junyao's requirements, even after a few more years, not many spies can be trained.
Chenxi summoned Tang Junyao.
A handsome young man, dressed in white, his clothes as pure as snow.
Yet his entire body exuded a murderous aura.
"Junyao, how is the scout training going?"
Tang Junyao didn't mince words and said directly, "There are only a few who are passable. They weren't properly trained before the commander sent them out."
Chen Xi smiled and said, "There's no need to be so strict. The spies we need don't necessarily have to be one in a hundred."
Tang Junyao's expression darkened: "Chief, what do you mean?"
"I mean, I need a lot of ordinary spies. You need to train a thousand or eight hundred spies for me in batches within a month."
Tang Junyao immediately turned his back and refused to do it: "Chief, forgive me for being unreasonable, but I can't do it."
"Haha, Junyao, don't be so serious. It's not like we need top-notch spies. For example, this time, ordinary spies could have found out the truth, but they only discovered Xunwangxiang's movements after things had already broken out."
"The requirements for an ordinary spy are simply that they be literate, physically fit, and loyal to us."
"But because spies are not something that just anyone can train well, it requires comprehensive qualities, and only Junyao can do it."
Shenxi directly flattered Tang Junyao.
Tang Junyao's expression improved considerably.
“I know the commander is in a hurry to have a large number of spies, but if I train so many spies, I will be overwhelmed and it will be difficult to train those elite spies.”
“That’s not a problem. Just pick out ten or eight of the elites you’re currently training and have them teach these ordinary spies.”
"Okay, but Junyao has one condition."
"What are the conditions?"
“These people are not allowed to say they are my students after they leave.”
"Hahaha." Shenxi laughed heartily, amused.
"Don't worry, I will definitely not let these people say they are your students."
This is an ordinary spy, rejected by Tang Junyao.
Ordinary spies are perfectly capable of handling routine intelligence gathering.
Elite spies—they have their places and their roles.
Moreover, elite spies are not easy to train, and infiltrating the enemy's ranks is not so easy either.
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