Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 845 This place has some interesting details.

The nights in Shanshan City are even more mysterious and enchanting than the days. The summer heat has subsided slightly, the crescent moon hangs like a hook, and the air is filled with the lingering aroma of roasted meat and the faint scent of spices.

Xia Lin took off his military uniform and changed into a set of understated but well-made Han merchant's casual clothes. He also put on a small mustache, looking like a wealthy merchant who had come to the Western Regions to seek his fortune. He only brought Sun Jiuzhen with him, and the two of them blended into the most enchanting street in the western district of Shanshan City like ordinary merchants.

The destination of this trip was the renowned Hu Yu Lou in the city. According to Zhuo Heng's local informant, it was not only a place for men to seek pleasure, but also a gathering place for all sorts of people, where information was readily available. Of course, Xia Lin also showed great interest in the informant's confident assurance that "the Hu girls in the building all have eyes like autumn water, waists like willow branches, and their dancing skills are unparalleled."

“Jiuzhen,” Xia Lin said in a low voice, waving a folding fan that seemed to be for show but was actually used to scare away small flying insects, “we’re going deep behind enemy lines to understand the people’s conditions and, incidentally, to test the results of the Western Regions’ spiritual civilization construction, understand?”

Sun Jiuzhen said expressionlessly, "General, your insight is brilliant. I understand."

Hu Yulou was not decorated in the style of the Central Plains with carved beams and painted rafters, but rather in a typical Western Region style, with earthen yellow exterior walls, arched doors and windows, while the interior was decorated in a magnificent manner, with thick carpets, low-hanging curtains, and the air filled with the sweet smell of grape wine, spices and women's cosmetics.

On the central stage, a female Orochi, dressed in a light sari and veiled, danced gracefully. Barefoot, the silver bells on her ankles jingled crisply to the drumbeats. Her waist was so supple it seemed boneless, and her gaze, through the veil, swept over the audience with a seductive allure. Musicians played the rawap, its melody both lively and provocative.

Xia Lin found a corner with a good but inconspicuous view, ordered a pot of local wine and a few plates of dried fruit, and watched the exciting program with a smile.

"Hmm, you know what, the local specialties of the Western Regions are really something." He took a sip of wine and commented to Sun Jiuzhen, "There's something in their eyes, unlike some who just grin like idiots. They're also particular about their clothes. They just wrap themselves in a layer of gauze and that's it. If Old Zhang were here, he could write a thousand-word erotic novel about this woman."

Sun Jiuzhen: "..."

"What? You still don't believe me? Let me tell you, Old Zhang is a typical slut. If he weren't burdened by his status, he could be dead in a brothel."

Xia Lin chuckled, but his gaze drifted to a private room on the second floor. The room was draped with a beaded curtain, obscuring the people inside. However, two men with their arms crossed stood at the door. Although they were dressed in Western Region attire, their posture and the sharpness in their eyes suggested they were no ordinary guards.

More importantly, when one of them inadvertently lifted his shirt, Xia Lin keenly noticed the style of the sword at his waist, a style commonly used by low-ranking officers in the Northern Han army.

People from the Northern Han Dynasty have appeared in brothels in Shanshan City? And so secretly? A warning bell rang softly in Xia Lin's mind.

Then he turned his head and whispered to Sun Jiuzhen, "What are you all doing? Is the intelligence department all dead?"

Sun Jiuzhen was taken aback. She turned her head and saw Xia Lin gesturing in that direction. Sun Jiuzhen was, after all, a master of intelligence. She immediately noticed something was wrong and her gaze fixed on that direction like a hawk.

Just then, the beaded curtain of the private room was lifted slightly, and a figure slipped out, seemingly to relieve himself. By the light of the corridor, Xia Lin could see clearly that the man was dressed as a scholar from the Tang Dynasty, with a long beard, a thin face, and a jade thumb ring of excellent quality on his left thumb.

"Look at that person," Xia Lin whispered, covering his mouth with his wine glass.

Sun Jiuzhen's eyes narrowed, and she nodded slightly.

The Tang scholar, oblivious to Xia Lin in the corner, hurried downstairs. Shortly after he left, the beaded curtain of the private room was lifted again, and another man dressed in the common merchant attire of the Northern Han Dynasty emerged. He was burly, with slightly bulging temples, clearly a skilled martial artist. He exchanged a few words in hushed tones with the two guards at the door, his eyes scanning the hall warily.

The dancers' performance continued, the atmosphere lively, the purple grapes appearing and disappearing with the lights, eliciting a chorus of howls from the audience. But the old spy Xia Lin seemed to see undercurrents beneath the calm surface.

"The Northern Han military and the Li Tang literati are secretly meeting in the private room of this brothel in the Western Regions." Xia Lin put down his wine cup, a smile playing on his lips. "This is much more interesting than watching a dance. Have someone keep a close eye on them and find out the identities of everyone inside, especially that Li Tang literati and the Northern Han merchant. I need to know what they talked about, even if it's just a guess."

"Order."

Over the next few days, Xia Lin handled military and political affairs during the day, and at night he transformed into a dashing merchant, frequenting Hu Yulou and several similar establishments in the vicinity. He was generous with his money and witty in conversation, and soon became acquainted with some merchants from various places who were stationed in Shanshan. From them, he heard many strange and wonderful stories about the Western Regions, which also indirectly confirmed that there were indeed some suspicious strangers active in Shanshan.

The investigation on Sun Jiuzhen's side has also made progress.

"General, we've investigated thoroughly." Sun Jiuzhen arrived at Xia Lin's study late at night and reported in a low voice, "The Northern Han merchant in Hu Yulou's private room that night was actually named Tu Wugu. He was a trusted lieutenant under Liu Min, a general of Northern Han, skilled in reconnaissance and liaison. The Li Tang scholar, using the alias Cui Ming, was actually a retainer of Changsun Wuji, specializing in shady dealings with outsiders." "Tu Wugu? Cui Ming?" Xia Lin tapped his fingers on the table. "A Northern Han officer and a Li Tang strategist, meeting in a brothel in Shanshan City, which is controlled by my Wei army, couldn't possibly be discussing which girl doesn't smell of mutton, could they?"

“Our men managed to bribe one of Hu Yulou’s servants. According to the snippets he overheard, they seemed to be discussing the handover location and time of a batch of goods, and also mentioned the Cheshi Ancient Road and the Three Thousand Stones. In the conversation, the servant said that Cui Ming was quite polite to Tu Wugu, even somewhat ingratiating.”

"Three thousand shi?" Xia Lin raised an eyebrow. "Grain? Or weapons? The Li Tang people are currying favor with the Northern Han officers and even transporting supplies... They're afraid we won't fight the Northern Han."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sparse lights of Shanshan City outside: "Is Liu Min holding back his troops, waiting for this batch of supplies to arrive? Li Tang is secretly aiding the enemy, trying to make the Northern Han sword even sharper, so that they can fight us to the death. They've really got a clever plan."

Sun Jiuzhen asked, "General, should we intercept this shipment of supplies?"

“No rush.” Xia Lin shook his head. “If we intercept them once, they’ll find another way to trade. It’s better to lure them out than to alert them. Let our people keep an eye on them and figure out their complete transport route and handover methods. The most important thing is to find solid evidence that Li Tang is behind this.”

He turned around, a sly smile on his face: "When the time comes, we'll throw this evidence in front of Third Sister and Changsun Wuji, and see where they'll put their faces. We can also let the Northern Han know that their so-called external aid is nothing more than using them as pawns."

Having obtained clues about the secret collusion between the Li Tang and Northern Han, Xia Lin became even more composed. He maintained a relaxed demeanor and even enthusiastically discussed with Zhuo Heng and others how to continue promoting cotton cultivation and improving grape winemaking techniques to the west.

"War is a means, not an end." Xia Lin explained his vision for sustainable development in the Western Regions to his generals: "We need to show the locals that following us not only means winning battles, but also a good life. Then who would want to follow those barbarians from the Northern Han who only know how to plunder, or those hypocrites from the Li Tang who only know how to talk big and stab you in the back?"

Meanwhile, a countermeasure was quietly laid out against the material handover plan between Li Tang and Northern Han.

Xia Lin's men successfully infiltrated the small caravan responsible for transporting the supplies. Here, we must mention the Feng Hua Xue Yue organization, which Xia Lin had completely absorbed. The local intelligence agencies in Jiangnan had no chance to slip through the cracks in this matter. They were on very tight guard. But the people of Feng Hua Xue Yue had been deeply involved in the North, especially the Northwest, for many years. Once they were put into use, they were truly formidable.

Xia Lin was so powerful that sometimes he would think about sacrificing his looks to seduce the leader of the "Romantic Boss." After all, although she was a few years older than him, she was still an A8. For the sake of the cards she held, it wouldn't hurt to humble himself a little.

However, this was just wishful thinking. As a veteran intelligence officer, Xia Lin knew that if both of his pillows were filled with spies, it was very likely that he would end up with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. What was his position? What was hers? If he were inexplicably killed by her, Xia Lin would have no way to explain himself to Lao Guo even after he died.

According to the intelligence gathered by Feng Hua Xue Yue, this caravan was ostensibly ordinary merchants traveling between the Hexi Corridor, but in reality, it was a smuggling caravan secretly controlled by the Li Tang dynasty.

"They plan to make the handover in five days at Devil City, near the ancient Cheshi Road," the Moon Group leader reported to Xia Lin. "The terrain there is complex, making it easy to hide and evacuate. The Northern Han will send a skilled squad to meet us."

"Devil City? The name sounds intimidating." Xia Lin looked at the map and pointed to the location marked with Yardang landforms: "It's a good place to catch someone red-handed."

After a moment's thought, he ordered, "Tamper with the supplies, but do it cleanly. Ideally, we should completely switch them out."

Zhuo Heng was puzzled: "General, why not just detain it? Isn't it a bit too difficult to switch it?"

“Detaining them directly is tantamount to telling Li Tang and Northern Han that we’ve discovered them,” Xia Lin explained. “We’ll let them get their hands on these problematic supplies. Ideally, we should cause some casualties among the Northern Han people because of the quality issues. If switching the goods is too difficult, we can add something to the grain they’re transporting. I want to see if the Northern Han army, after eating these things and suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, can still make money peacefully.”

He paused, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Moreover, sending this batch of supplies will reassure Liu Min, making him feel confident and unable to hold back from taking action. Once he does, we can then rightfully chop off his outstretched claws!"

"In addition," Xia Lin added, "during the handover, arrange for one of our people to pass by and witness the event, ideally causing a minor conflict, leaving behind some material evidence of collusion between Li Tang and Northern Han, such as cargo boxes bearing Li Tang's mark, or witnesses who can identify Cui Ming and Tu Wugu. These things will be good bricks to throw in Li Tang's face later."

The generals accepted the orders and went off to make their own arrangements.

Xia Lin sat alone at his desk, his fingertips tracing the mark of the Devil City on the map, as if he could already see the good show about to unfold in that wind-eroded landform.

"Trying to pull off a sneak attack right under my nose? You're underestimating the old spy." He chuckled and took a sip of the now-cold tea.

(End of this chapter)