Aoyama

Chapter 454 Vermilion Bird Tent

Upon hearing Chen Ji's agreement, Hong Zu'er seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "Then the five of us will go to Baidadan City: me, Young Master Chen, Zhang Baishi, Asheng, and Xingxing. Xingxing, your master has to stay with me. Go pack your things and come back before Shenshi (3-5 PM). If I don't see you before Shenshi, you know what will happen."

Xingxing readily agreed and turned to leave.

Hong Zu'er then instructed Asheng, "Be polite when you go to find the caravan. These people have many connections, and we'll still need to rely on them when we reach Jingchao territory. If they want anything, don't rush to refuse; I'll find a way."

Ah Sheng replied, "I understand."

Hong Zu'er waved his hand: "Go ahead... If Young Master Chen wants to visit the military market, you can come along. You are more reliable than Ah Sheng in handling matters."

“Wait a minute,” Zhang Baishi glanced at Chen Ji: “Second Brother, do you trust him? He just said that if he went to Baidadan City, he would never come back, but he just agreed like that. I think he’s scheming.”

Hong Zuer was silent for a moment and then said slowly, "He is more trustworthy than you. Don't say anything more, go."

Zhang Baishi was taken aback upon hearing this.

Chen Ji and A Sheng went out the door and headed towards the military market outside the city.

Along the way, people would greet Ah Sheng with smiles, and Ah Sheng would always respond patiently and call out their names.

The thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy was like the moss on the brick road of Chongliguan; he was born to belong to Chongliguan, and Chongliguan belonged to him.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Why do you remember so many people?"

Ah Sheng replied with a smile, "Because Master Hong said that if you want to be able to stay at home all night, you have to know more. When you need to pretend to be a Shanzhou person, you have to act like a Shanzhou person; when you need to pretend to be a Luzhou person, you have to act like a Luzhou person. So I often chat with people from all over the country about their hometowns, and over time we became familiar with each other."

"Master Hong also said that the spies from the Jingchao Military Intelligence Bureau always try to infiltrate Chongli Pass. Only by knowing more can the night scouts have the ability to identify them."

Chen Ji remained calm: "Then can you identify Jingchao spies?"

Ah Sheng shook her head: "I can't, but Master Hong can. Two years ago, a group of merchants came to the military market, saying they came from Shanzhou. Master Hong found out they didn't take a nap, so he arrested them on the spot and took them into the prison for interrogation. Sure enough, they were all Jing Dynasty spies."

Chen Ji said casually, "Then where do I look like I'm from?"

Ah Sheng laughed heartily: "Although you come from the capital, you are not like a typical Beijinger. You don't have the airs of a Beijing lord, nor do you love to chatter like him. A Beijing lord loves to use the formal 'you' in polite speech, saying it with a smile when he's happy and with gritted teeth when he's unhappy. You've never been like that before."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "So where do you think I'm from?"

Ah Sheng thought for a moment and said, “You don’t have the delicacy and refinement of Southerners, nor the ruggedness and boldness of Northerners. You must be from one of the Central Plains states, such as Shanzhou, Luzhou, Shanzhou, or Yuzhou. But you don’t have the shrewdness of Shanzhou people, the scholarly air of Luzhou people, or the fierce nature of Shanzhou people. You must be from Yuzhou.”

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "I'm from Luzhou."

Ah Sheng scratched his head: "Ha, I told you I couldn't tell. Master Hong also said that there are all kinds of people in every place. Some people have something on their mind or are very cunning, so you can't tell anything from them."

Chen Ji's heart stirred.

Although the original owner was from Luzhou, he was actually born and raised in Luocheng, and Ah Sheng was not wrong.

Ah Sheng could see some clues, so what about Master Hong? Why did Master Hong feel comfortable taking him along? Was he really short-handed, or did he have other plans?

Chen Ji casually remarked, "I've noticed that you always start everything with 'Master Hong said.' By the way, how many troops are stationed in Baidadan City?"

Ah Sheng led Chen Ji past the Chongli Pass government office: "We've already explored this place. The garrison is about the same as Chongli Pass, with over 8,000 troops... You see, this is the government office, but the general is not usually in the government office. He prefers to stay in the gate tower above Ping'an Gate, where there is a large sand table that looks very impressive."

Chen Ji didn't go to see the government office, but instead pondered, "Is it easy to sneak into Baidadan City?"

Ah Sheng explained, "It's not easy. We have to blend in with the merchant caravan. They do have connections to get travel permits, but the permits have to match the numbers."

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Ah Sheng patiently explained, "The travel permit for the Jing Dynasty is written in great detail. It clearly states a person's age, place of origin, family relationships, where they come from, where they are going, what they are doing, who their companions are, and what their relationship is. We need to be perfectly prepared before we sneak in, otherwise we'll be exposed during the check."

Chen Ji asked, "What if we're exposed?"

Ah Sheng solemnly replied, "Naturally, we'll arrest them and interrogate them until they die."

……

……

The two arrived at the south gate of Chongli Pass. Ah Sheng greeted the guards with a smile, and they let them pass.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Can the infantrymen of Chongli Pass come out at will?"

Ah Sheng said with a smile, "Of course not. Ordinary infantrymen need to get permission from the government office to come out, and they can only come out once a month. Only night guards can come and go as they please."

Chen Ji turned and looked up at the top of the city gate.

The south gate has an official name: "Sushen Gate".

However, since most of the infantrymen were illiterate and found the name difficult to pronounce, they simply called it the South Gate, completely forgetting about the name Sushen. Outside the city, camps were lined up everywhere, and when the merchants saw Asheng, they immediately surrounded him, pushing Chen Ji aside.

A merchant asked in a low voice, "Ah Sheng, do you have any items made of eagle claws?"

Ah Sheng shook her head: "No."

Another merchant asked in a low voice, "Is there any way?"

Surrounded by people, Ah Sheng struggled and shouted, "No, no, we don't have anything you want... Uncle Gu, has the caravan from Changping arrived yet?"

Upon hearing that Ah Sheng had nothing to sell, the merchants scattered in all directions, leaving only the merchant known as Uncle Gu pointing into the distance and replying, "We're here! We arrived yesterday evening. She's in the Vermilion Bird tent."

Ah Sheng straightened her clothes, which had been torn askew, and loosened her collar: "Young Master Chen, let's go and meet the merchants from Changping."

Chen Ji asked curiously from the side, "What kind of coded language were you using just now?"

Ah Sheng took a few deep breaths: "The Eagle Claws' items are to ask if there are any spoils of war seized from the Jing Dynasty bandits. Swords and knives can be sold, as can the wooden tags used by ordinary infantrymen to prove their identity. But the best items to sell are the swords and armor used to capture the generals alive."

Chen Ji was taken aback: "You dare to buy Jia? Aren't you afraid of losing your head?"

Ah Sheng led him forward: "Those who dare to buy these things are all imperial merchants. They make armor for the court themselves, and they buy them to learn from the armor of the Jing Dynasty. They don't take the whole armor with them after they buy it; they take it apart, unravel it, and bring it back to the pass. They can ask for three thousand taels of silver for a set of armor used to capture a general, but the general and Lord Hong do not allow the sale of armor. Anyone found selling armor will be thrown into prison and prepared to spend their life in jail."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "You're not telling the truth. If it were really impossible to sell them at all, they wouldn't have asked you."

Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, Ah Sheng whispered, "Actually, we can take some armor plates off and secretly sell them to them. One piece of armor is worth one hundred taels, but they won't buy too many. They'll only buy a few pieces at a time."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "What does 'gatekeeper' mean?"

Ah Sheng explained, "The gatekeepers are the ones who receive information. The night watchmen are always the first to know the news. If they discover that the Jing Dynasty is mobilizing grain and troops, they can tell the merchants in the military market so that they can transport the goods needed for the war in advance and raise money in advance to buy spoils from the soldiers after the war."

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "What would be the most valuable thing to sell to Jingchao?"

Ah Sheng lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Naturally, it's firearms. In Baidadan City, there are merchants offering a thousand taels of silver for one tael of gunpowder from the Ning Army. If you can bring a musket, they'll give you ten thousand taels. But all merchants will be thoroughly searched before leaving the border, and no one is allowed to bring firearms to Jingchao. If they are found, they will be killed without exception... We've arrived."

Chen Ji looked up and saw that this so-called Vermilion Bird Tent was actually the largest one in the military market, so big that it looked like a house.

The tent was embroidered with a red phoenix, its tail trailing long flames.

A banner with the character "庆" embroidered on it was stuck in front of the tent.

Dozens of men were packing up goods beside the tent, their eyes glancing at the two men intentionally or unintentionally, their hands on the hilts of their swords, their guards heavy, unlike what one would expect from merchants.

Ah Sheng stood before the tent, straightening her clothes and instructing Chen Ji: "Young Master, this Vermilion Bird Tent was erected by our Chongli Pass for merchants to use as lodgings. Only large merchants can afford to rent it, and it's a matter of face for the merchants. Every year, merchants fight each other to grab this tent, and only when merchants carrying the 'Celebration' banner appear will everyone tacitly give up the Vermilion Bird Tent."

As Chen Ji watched Ah Sheng tidy her clothes, the young man's face grew more serious: "Who is behind them? Why are they so arrogant?"

Ah Sheng continued, "They're not exactly arrogant. They're not particularly prominent in Ning Dynasty, but they have the widest network of connections in Jing Dynasty. If other merchants run into trouble in Jing Dynasty, they'll have to ask them to smooth things over. Moreover, they value their reputation and never break their promises, so they are quite respected in Chongli Pass."

Ah Sheng whispered, "When we go inside, young master, please don't say anything. I'll handle it. They're very polite to the night watchmen, but they're also very cautious. If you say the wrong thing, they won't take our business anymore."

Chen Ji hummed in agreement.

The next moment, Ah Sheng called out loudly from outside the tent: "Ah Sheng from Chongli Pass has come to pay his respects."

The curtain of the Vermilion Bird tent was lifted from the inside, and a burly man looked Asheng and Chen Ji up and down: "Did you bring any weapons?"

Ah Sheng politely replied, "No, I am aware of your guild's rules."

“That’s good to know,” the man said, not bothering to search the person, and simply stepped aside: “Friends who are thieves, please come in. My boss is inside.”

Ah Sheng clasped his hands in a salute before bowing and slipping into the tent through the gap in the curtain.

Inside the tent, a fire pit was built around a stone wall, and a pot of mutton soup was simmering on the fire, bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma, but there were only a few pieces of meat in the pot.

Several men sat around the fire, eating baked flatbread, taking a sip of mutton soup and a bite of flatbread, eating slowly.

A few people were tidying up their belongings at the edge of the main tent.

Beside the fire sat a striking man, wearing a leather jacket and with a rugged, bronze complexion.

Ah Sheng, standing ten steps away, clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Third Master, Master Hong sent me here to discuss something."

The man looked up and saw that he was blind in one eye, with only the white of his eye visible.

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback, and so was the man.

It turned out to be Master Hu.

(End of this chapter)