Thief Emperor

Chapter 253 Qi Number
Zhu Tong has a grudge against Li Yun.

No matter it was because of the previous incident at the salt field or the subsequent changes in Xiangshan County, this guy had always had some grievances with Li Yun. However, these grievances had not yet reached the point of life and death, so Li Yun was not going to kill him for the time being. He only planned to pack up the fat he had swallowed in Mingzhou and bring it to Yuezhou.

Although Li Yun has always been unhappy with Zhu Tong, he has to admit that Zhu Tong is a very typical official.

These officials have one thing in common, which is profit-seeking. This profit-seeking is quite different from the normal people's pursuit of profit and avoidance of harm. It is a way of being an official with its own theoretical system.

Such people often have sharp ears and sharp eyes.

According to Li Yun's original estimate, Zhu Tong would leave Mingzhou at the end of the year, and his family would leave Mingzhou and return home with their property about one or two months before he left Mingzhou.

After all, if he stayed one more day, he could pack more property to take back. It was impossible for Envoy Zhu to go to the capital with the money he got from Mingzhou.

And now, it is only mid-May, and Zhu Tong's family has already left Mingzhou. This means that before Zhu Tong leaves office before the New Year, he will send at least one more group of people to return to his hometown with some property.

However, in a few months, he probably wouldn't be able to get much money, so he might exchange it for valuables and carry it with him.

But no matter how you look at it, there's something weird about this matter.

Because according to Li Yun's understanding of Zhu Tong, given Envoy Zhu's character, unless there were special circumstances, he would most likely not let his family leave Mingzhou at this time.

Fortunately, Li Yun’s doubts did not last long. Not long after Li Zheng left, Du Qian came to him in person.

Li Yun invited him to a pavilion in the backyard of the house and got him some ice water to drink. For a wealthy family like Du Qian, eating ice in summer was not a rare thing. Even in places like Yuezhou, there were ice vendors, and there were naturally more in the capital.

After drinking a sip of ice water with satisfaction, he looked at Li Yun and said, "I just received a piece of news that may have an impact on the situation in Jiangdong, so I came here to discuss it with you."

At this point, Du Qian paused, looked at Li Yun, and said, "At this age, Sima Li should at least take a courtesy name, otherwise we can only address each other by our official titles, which is really awkward."

Li Yun thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I was born in the underworld, I don't have much knowledge, and until now, I have never had a proper teacher. If I must say, General Su is half of my teacher. I will ask him for a courtesy name next time I see him."

At this point, he looked at Du Qian and smiled heartily: "If you don't like the official title, just call me Li..."

He almost blurted out the word "idiot", but then he remembered that his public identity was Li Zhao. After coughing, he changed his words and said, "Just call me Li Zhao."

Although Du Qian is now a colleague, he has not joined Li Yun's group after all. Li Yun's current official identity is still very useful and cannot be leaked for the time being.

Although few people remember Li Yun, the leader of Cangshan Village, those who want to do great things must pay attention to details.

Especially in front of a smart man like Du Qian, you should try not to say the wrong thing, otherwise he will hold something against you. Although you will not be controlled by him, you may lose some initiative in future cooperation.

"Calling someone by their first name is very inappropriate."

Du Qian shook his head and said, "Let's just refer to him by his official title for now. By the way..."

Du Qian suddenly remembered and said quickly, "Speaking of General Su, does Sima know about General Su's recent situation?"

Li Yun shook his head.

"My people are all in Yuezhou. For news from further away, I can only rely on hearsay."

Du Qian frowned, sighed, and said, "General Su attacked the rebels several times, but he suffered some losses because he was outnumbered. Now he has troops stationed in Songzhou, but the court has forced him to march into Henan Prefecture several times, trying to use a two-pronged approach to force the rebels to surrender."

"General Su..."

Du Qian whispered, "I don't know if it's because he refused or because his old injury really relapsed. Now he's sick in Songzhou. It's said that his illness is very serious and his life is in danger."

Hearing this, Li Yun frowned suddenly.

He and Su Jing had only been together for a few months, and during these months, he acted alone most of the time. To say that their friendship was actually not particularly deep, after all, when the two met for the first time, they had a big fight and even came to blows.

However, Li Yun highly recognized Su Jing's abilities, character, and way of leading troops.

After all, in order to reduce the casualties of the Jiangnan soldiers, he had to station his troops outside the Yuezhou city for several months, and only took action when he had exhausted the last bit of combat effectiveness of Qiu Dian's troops.

This is almost the way to fight with the lowest casualties.

And now, Su Jing, who had just made great contributions in Jiangnan Road, not only did he not enjoy any glory and wealth, but he was also caught in a dilemma.

Based on Li Yun's understanding of Su Jing, Su Jing's decision to station his troops in Songzhou was definitely not for his own benefit. After all, it was an order from the imperial court. Even if his 20,000 to 30,000 Jiangnan soldiers were wiped out, as long as the chaos in the Central Plains was quelled, he, Su Jing, would have made a contribution.

He was hesitant to act, probably because... he couldn't bear to put the soldiers he brought from Jiangnan to death.

Li Yun finally couldn't help but clenched his fists and gritted his teeth: "Aren't you going to force him to death?"

Du Qian sighed and whispered, "This is also a competition between the imperial court and the local generals. If General Su can disobey the imperial edict, then others can naturally do the same."

“That’s why we’re stuck in this situation, but anyway.”

Envoy Du frowned slightly and said, "I also feel that the court is a little too hasty in doing things. Many things obviously cannot be rushed."

"This is not being too impatient, it's losing your mind!"

Li Yun sneered: "Maybe this is what is called fate."

This was a taboo, and Du Qian subconsciously looked around, becoming a little cautious.

Regardless of the more taboo things the two had said during their private chat, Du Qian soon calmed down and continued, "Speaking of General Su, I almost forgot why I came here today."

He coughed and said to Li Yun, "The court will send an imperial envoy to inspect the salt road in Jiangnan, the administration of officials in Jiangnan, and the official business."

Du Qian lowered his head to drink water and said silently: "In simple terms, it is tea, copper, iron, porcelain, cotton and yarn." "And the most important thing is the salt road."

Hearing this news, Li Yun, who was originally thinking about Su Jing, suddenly came back to his senses. He only thought for a moment, then reacted and asked, "For money?"

"Ah."

Du Qian nodded, confirming this statement.

Li Yun sighed and said, "They really value money over life. I have never seen other industries like this. When I went to Xiangshan County before, those who had anything to do with salt were all a bit crazy. This imperial envoy from the court not only wants to touch salt, but also other industries..."

"At this time, can he still leave Jiangnan alive?"

Du Qian shook his head and said, "He probably won't die that easily. This imperial envoy has two amulets on him."

"The first one is you, Sima."

Li Yun was stunned, pointed at his nose, and said in surprise: "Me?"

"good."

Du Qian said softly, "Calculating the time, I estimate that when this imperial envoy comes, he will most likely carry the reward given to you by the court. The court also knows that now in the entire Jiangdong, even including Jiangnan West Road, our Yuezhou soldiers are the most capable."

"He brought the imperial reward with him, and he also used the imperial envoy's letter to mobilize the soldiers of Yuezhou to accompany him and protect him. I'm afraid it would be difficult for Yuezhou to refuse."

Li Yun touched his chin and thought for a while.

That's true.

"But this is also an opportunity for Yuezhou. We can find a way to pass the escort task to Zheng Wei..."

Du Qian tapped the table with his hand and continued, "If this imperial envoy forces the prefectures and counties of Jiangdong to rebel, Sima will have an excuse to send troops to Yuezhou."

Li Yun thought about it and nodded, "We have to wait until he comes to deal with this matter according to the specific situation. No matter how good our words are now, it will be useless."

"You, the envoy, said he had two amulets. Where is the second one?"

"He is a prince."

Du Qian said softly, "The second prince of the dynasty was just crowned king a few years ago."

"The Crown Prince's younger brother, the King of Chu of the Great Zhou... Wu Yuanyou."

Envoy Du paused and added, "He has always been known as a virtuous man."

Li Yun was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help shaking his head and said, "It seems that the Crown Prince has not forgotten to make things difficult for his brothers at this juncture."

Du Qian shook his head slightly and said nothing. He had nothing to say.

Because things are as clear as seeing through fire.

"it is good…"

After thinking for a while, Li Yun said, "Thank you for your reminder, I already know the matter."

He stood up and took a deep breath.

"I need to make some arrangements. Once I finish what I have at hand, I will go to see the Envoy."

Du Qian also stood up, and the two of them saluted each other. Li Yun walked him all the way to the gate of the mansion.

After seeing Du Qian off, Li turned back to his study, wrote a letter, and then sent someone to call Meng Qing.

"Little guy, go on a long journey for me."

Li Yun patted Meng Qing on the shoulder.

"Send this letter to Liu Bo."

There was some complexity in Li Yun's tone.

"This is an urgent matter. Leave immediately."

"After I see him, ask him to go to Songzhou for me."

At this point, Li Yun thought for a moment and added, "The world is in chaos now, and the roads are not peaceful. You should go with Meng Hai, and let Li Zheng pick an old man to go with you."

Meng Qing took the letter, patted his chest, and said, "General, my seventh brother and I will go and do it for you. We will definitely get it done for you!"

"Being away from home is not like being in the army."

Li Yun said in a deep voice: "Let someone who has been around the world lead you first."

Meng Qing no longer insisted, and bowed respectfully.

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)