Jiuxi

Chapter 446 Chapter 444 [Ambush Thousands of Miles]

After the details of inviting Lu Chen to Shazhou were agreed upon, the heads of the various departments took their leave one after another.

Hardy, the leader of the Jinchuan tribe, deliberately stayed at the end. After the others left, he came to Luo Yaozong and whispered: "Brother Luo, I wonder if you are interested in doing what I told you last time?"

Luo Yaozong glanced at him calmly and said in a very tactful tone: "What those merchants want are the medicinal materials and logs from your Jinchuan Department. The Yalong Department does not have these good things. Even if I am interested, the Yalong Department cannot provide them. How can those treasures still be paid for free?”

Hardy smiled and said: "To be honest with you, Brother Luo, judging from our contacts during this period, people from the north have a big appetite. Once the negotiation is completed, there will be countless snowflakes and silver. In the past, everyone was poor, and Jinchuanbe's life was easier." But it's limited, so everyone can just complain. But now that I have such an opportunity, I really don't want to miss it, and I'm afraid that other people will be jealous and have their own thoughts, so I want to ask you, Brother Luo, to do it together. The Ministry doesn’t need to pay anything, as long as it supports our Jinchuan Ministry at critical times.”

Luo Yaozong joked: "Old man, I didn't expect you to trust me so much."

Hardy's face was full of admiration and he said eloquently: "In this land of Shazhou, even if I can't trust everyone, I can definitely trust Brother Luo."

Luo Yaozong was silent for a moment, and then asked: "Old Ha, we have been friends for decades, so there is no need to hide some things. Tell me the truth, is it Jingren who comes from the north?"

"Of course not! I asked them about their origins, and it turned out that two large companies in Yan State jointly purchased it."

Hardy categorically denied it, and then said: "Brother Luo, what if you take a step back and say that you are really a Jingren? Those are the only valuable things in Shazhou. No matter who you sell them to, the money you get in exchange will be distributed to the tribe, who cares?" Are they from Qi, Yan, Jing or Dai merchants? What difference does it make in the end?"

Hardy heard that he had loosened his words, so he left with a satisfied smile on his face.

"If Lu Chen has an accident in Shazhou, the Emperor of Qi will definitely not let it go. At that time, Shen Min can shift the responsibility to the Yalong tribe and Abba, and then unite with the other five tribes to force Abba to hand over the power of discussion. !”

"unkind?"

Chengzhou, Qingjiang Fucheng.

Luo Yaozong smiled, raised his hand and patted his shoulder and said, "It's no different if it's just business, but I'm worried that the other party wants more than just those goods."

Luo Yaozong returned to the house and saw Luo Jiujiu's expression was slightly solemn, so he said gently: "Only sincerity can touch people's hearts. If Qi wants to repair relations with Shazhou, Shanyang Marquis must go there in person. ”

In the main hall of the palace, two senior officials in charge of the military and political power of Chengzhou sat respectfully, listening to the instructions of the young prince.

Luo Jiujiu knew that his father had already made a decision, so he thought about it and said, "In that case, I will go to Chengzhou myself."

……

"You really thought it through."

Qu Gongze and Tong Shiyuan finally met the legendary imperial envoy.

Luo Yaozong thought for a while and then said: "There is no need to rush this matter. It is best to find out the details of the other party first. As for whether our two families will cooperate, we will wait until I discuss it with the clan elders."

"Shen Min has always wanted to take my father's place, and wanted the Tieyang tribe to become the most powerful tribe in Shazhou. It's not like my father doesn't know what he has been doing secretly over the years. If someone else mentions letting Lu Chen come to Shazhou, I won’t think wildly, but this is Shen Min’s suggestion. I think he must have evil intentions.”

The so-called power of discussion refers to the practice formed by the seven tribes of Shazhou over hundreds of years, which is the meeting of leaders held by Luo Yaozong today.

Hardy looked around and lowered his voice: "Don't worry, brother, I'm not a little kid who has never seen the world. Until now, no one from the north has entered Feiniao Pass. Every time I send people outside the pass. Talk to them."

Usually, the affairs of the seven ministries are decided by the heads of each ministry. If there is a major event that affects the entire Shazhou, the head of the Yalong tribe has the right to convene the ministries to discuss countermeasures.

Although Luo Yaozong could not make a final decision, he did benefit a lot from this power. The Yalong tribe was able to occupy the best land in Shazhou, which was also related to this.

Luo Yaozong did not stop him, but only warned: "Pay attention to safety."

Luo Jiujiu said: "Abba, I understand this, I'm just a little worried."

Hearing Luo Jiujiu's words, Luo Yaozong was slightly moved and said: "I thought you were just worried about the safety of Shanyang Marquis, but I didn't expect you to think deeper. I have indeed not loved you in vain all these years. But don't worry , I know the internal affairs of Shazhou well, you can just ask someone to tell Shanyang Hou the news."

"What are you worried about?"

"... Before leaving Beijing this time, His Majesty specifically stated that Chengzhou needs to maintain stability."

Lu Chen's words made the two of them feel at ease. He looked at the files in his hands and continued: "Grand Governor, the vacancies in the Chengzhou Fourth Army are somewhat serious."

Tong Shiyuan stood up immediately and said in panic: "Sorry, when Hou Yu was the governor of Chengzhou, he only valued the Qingjiang and Youlong armies, but ignored the Bolu and Anhua armies, and allowed the generals below to take advantage of them. He himself received the most benefits from the salary. Of course, Xiaguan was also at fault. Although he was not directly involved, he also received some benefits and did not report Hou Yu to the court. This is the fault of Xiaguan! After the governor's office, some adjustments were made to the four armies so that the strength of each army was roughly the same, but it was indeed impossible to make up for all the shortcomings in time. "

Lu Chen raised his eyes slightly, and he was a little surprised that this person was so candid.

He put the file on the table and said calmly: "Your Majesty ordered me to inspect the border, mainly to solve the problems of the border troops. Well, I'll trouble you to re-register the governor, and each army will maintain its current strength, and this will be written. Send it to the capital and file the records at the Military Academy. The previous problems can be put aside for the time being, but starting from today, the Chengzhou Governor's Office must correct the previous mistakes. , said nervously and happily: "I will obey the order of the superior!"

Lu Chen motioned for him to sit down, then looked at Qu Gongze and said, "Master Qu, I have something to ask you for help."

Qu Gong responded respectfully: "Please give me your orders."

Lu Chen said a few words briefly, and Qu Gong said slightly surprised: "Is it possible that the superior is planning to use troops?"

Before Lu Chen came to Chengzhou, Qu Gongze and Tong Shiyuan had private discussions several times, and they believed that the young prince probably had two errands. One was to deal with Chengzhou's problems for the emperor, and the other was to try to repair Heshazhou. Seven relationships.

Now hearing that Lu Chen asked him to raise food, grass and military pay, Qu Gong was inevitably stunned. But as soon as he said the words, he realized something was wrong and quickly changed his words: "I am talking too much. Please rest assured, the Chengzhou Governor's Office will do its best." Fulfill the superior’s instructions.”

These two people were so knowledgeable and knowledgeable, which saved Lu Chen a lot of effort.

After chatting for a while, the two stood up to say goodbye. Lu Chen did not try to persuade them to stay, but politely declined their invitation to the banquet.

Although the governorship and the governor are both prestigious official positions, compared with the series of titles in front of Lu Chen's name, they are obviously not significant enough, so the two of them did not dare to force it.

Lu Chen returned to the inner study, where an acquaintance had been waiting for a long time.

He looked at this unspectacular man in his thirties and said with a smile, "Long time no see, Inspector Yin."

Yin Shangfu couldn't help but think of his first meeting in Heluo City two years ago. At that time, Lu Chen was just a captain in the Huaizhou Dudu Mansion, and he was the person in charge of the Sutra Weaving Department in Heluo City. He witnessed with his own eyes how Lu Chen stirred up troubles in Heluo City and caused the death of Chen Jingtang and his son to cause headaches for the powerful people of Yanjing. Later, he participated in the world-famous Battle of Heluo.

Times have changed, and now he is the new Chengzhou inspector of the Weaving Department. The young man opposite him has soared to the sky, standing proudly in the core circle of the Da Qi court.

Naturally, Yin Shangfu would not be jealous. On the contrary, without Lu Chen's appearance, he would probably have been dormant in Heluo City for decades. How would he have the chance to successfully become one of the four major inspectors of the Weaving Department?
As soon as he thought of this, he saluted with great respect: "I'd like to pay my respects to the Marquis!"

Lu Chen said: "You and I are old acquaintances, no need to be polite, let's get down to business."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Yin Shangfu agreed, and then said unhurriedly: "According to the latest internal secret report received from the Weaving Department, the situation in Jiangbei has suddenly become tense. Starting from October, the Puppet Yan Procuratorate and the army set up blockades at various important roads. From Jiuguan to the north of Dingzhou in the east, to Puppet Yanjiang North Road in the west, and even Henan Road to the west of Baotai Mountain, Puppet Yan has invested an unknown amount of manpower and material resources to blockade it. Moreover, the control in Heluo City has become increasingly strict, and our brothers can only do this. Being lurking, unable to deliver the message as usual.”

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly and he said slowly: "In other words, our connection with the north has been cut off now?"

Yin Shangfu nodded and said: "Yes. Through the analysis of Jingzhou Ye Jianxiao and Huaizhou Su Jianxiao, the puppet Yan suddenly did this because the war is coming. In the past few years of war, the Yan army has suffered many intelligence losses. "They obviously don't want to make the same mistake again."

"Yan Jun..."

Lu Chen repeated these two words, walked slowly to the side of the big case, looked at the map laid out on it, and remembered the situation with Wang Shidao's secret agent in Heluo City. He said in a deep voice: "This is not a fake Yan official or even a police officer." Hall’s handiwork.”

Yin Shangfu didn't understand why he was so sure, but thinking of Lu Chen's achievements and feats, he no longer doubted his judgment, so he asked, "Could it be the work of noble Jinglian?"

"If I'm not wrong, Qing Yugong took action himself."

Lu Chen looked at the vast world north of Hengjiang River on the map, and then said: "Get ready, I may go to Shazhou during this time."

Yin Shangfu was stunned for a moment.

This topic is too jumping. Just now we were discussing the situation on the Yanqi border, but in the blink of an eye we jumped to the Seventh Department of Shazhou.

Yin Shangfu knew that the most important task of Lu Chen's westward trip was to solve the hidden dangers on the border of Chengzhou, but he couldn't figure out how going to Shazhou was related to the overall situation of Jiangbei.

Could it be that he wanted to solve the problem in Shazhou as soon as possible and then go north to lead the frontier army to deal with the powerful enemy?
Yin Shangfu felt that this was the most likely possibility, so he immediately lowered his head and said, "Yes, I will make arrangements immediately."

After he retreated, Lu Chen still looked at the map on the table.

From the distant Baotai Mountain, to Dingzhou in the south, which returned to the rule of Da Qi, to Huaizhou, a vast territory with a prosperous population, and then through the inaccessible Shuangfeng Mountains to Pingyang Mansion in Jingzhou.

His eyes continued to walk southwest, landing on Chengzhou on the western edge of the Yangtze River and Shazhou, which was only separated by a cloud ridge.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Chen's face appeared in Lu Chen's mind, and he whispered to himself: "Where does your father want to start?"

(End of this chapter)