Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 168: Counter-espionage, Chain Strategy

"Captain Ye, how should we implement this specifically?" Zhang Bei asked in a puzzled tone.

Ye Beixuan touched his chin and said, "Tonight, let's first investigate the people around Zhao Dahai, and then spread rumors that you and Lord Zhao laughed and left the table."

"We'll invite him to visit the military camp tomorrow night. If there's another person with him, then this person must be someone behind him sent to control him."

"Then we can do this," Ye Beixuan said with a sly smile, and Zhang Bei also smiled slyly after hearing it.

Tahe County, Shibazhan, Guyi Town.

In a luxurious house in the town, Zhao Dahai, a doctor in the Ministry of Warehouses, was listening to the report of his subordinate, Sun Youcheng, a member of the Ministry of Warehouses.

"Sir, what's the meaning of Zhang Bei inviting you to visit the military camp?" Sun Youcheng asked in a questioning tone.

"He just wants me to prepare the supplies for him as soon as possible. If you don't believe me, you can go with me." Zhao Dahai said calmly, "How are the supplies prepared?"

Sun Youcheng immediately bowed and said humbly, "Sir, the supplies are readily available. However, the Prime Minister's point is that Zhang Bei is currently wavering between the old prince's party and the Empress. We need to force him to join us. This will put pressure on the Empress to abdicate and restore the legitimacy of the Great Zhou."

"Are you teaching me how to do things? Restoring orthodoxy is natural, but don't use the Prime Minister's position to pressure me. I know what I'm doing." Zhao Dahai stood up, glanced at Sun Youcheng, and said in a somewhat displeased tone.

How dare a mere official from the Ministry of Warehouses tell me what to do? And how dare you rely on your position as Prime Minister to tell me what to do?
Upon hearing this, Sun Youcheng immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "That was absolutely not my intention. I was simply reminding you, sir, not to forget your mission as Prime Minister. I heard that you and Zhang Bei were chatting and laughing as they left the table yesterday."

Zhao Dahai's pupils shrank when he heard this. It was just a pretense of flattery over a meal. Could it be that the Prime Minister doubted me?

But he immediately regained his composure and said, "I was just pretending to be nice to him! Besides, I rejected him, as you should know."

"In that case, I will take my leave." After saying that, Sun Youcheng bowed his head, stepped back, and turned to leave, but at the moment of leaving, a light flashed in his eyes.

Eighteenth Station Military Camp.

The moonlight spread across the military camp like silver gauze. As Zhao Dahai's boots stepped onto the camp gate, Zhang Bei's hearty laughter reached him.

He was wearing bright Ming Guang armor, walking with steady steps, and a look of genuine joy on his face.

"Hello, Lord Zhao! I'm honored to have you here!" Zhang Bei clasped his fists and spoke in a cheerful voice. Suddenly, he shifted his gaze to Sun Youcheng next to him and said in a rather kind tone, "Who is this?"

"No, no, I'm working for the court. I don't deserve such a great honor from the general." Zhao Dahai didn't doubt it and immediately responded with a fist. "This is Sun Youyuan, the Wailang who is in charge of assisting me with the deployment."

"It turns out to be Lord Sun. My apologies." Zhang Bei did not hesitate to humble himself and bowed to Sun Youcheng, who was much lower in rank than him, showing a cheerful look.

Sun Youcheng was shocked and immediately became alert. He looked at Zhao Dahai and Zhang Bei, and felt that there seemed to be some secret between them.

But his appearance remained unchanged. He quickly put on a smile, clasped his fists and returned the greeting, saying, "No, no, I am unworthy of such a great honor from the General."

"In that case, my lords, please accompany me on a tour?" Zhang Bei gestured with his hand.

Zhao Dahai and Sun Youcheng followed Zhang Bei's hand and looked. Fifty steps behind him, on the training ground, thousands of people were practicing a long snake formation. The ground was covered in dust, and the murderous shouts shook the two men's minds.

Zhao Dahai brushed his sleeves lightly and said formally, "General, that's not right. Since I'm in charge of the distribution of supplies to the eighteen stations, I naturally need to check whether your military supplies are complete. This is my duty."

He deliberately made room for Sun Youcheng, signaling him to go over and check things out. His tone was somewhat sullen as he said, "Mr. Sun is on duty today, so he can come along and help me with the deployment."

Zhang Bei raised his eyebrows, his sword-like eyes swept over Sun Youcheng and Zhao Dahai, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Let's check together! Please."

Then he suddenly grabbed Zhao Dahai's forearm with his hand, his tone was quite polite, and his actions were like old friends, and he half-dragged and half-invited him to the training ground.

But he pulled Zhao Dahai around and turned his back, deliberately exposing the wrist guard on his cuff so that Sun Youcheng behind him could see it.

Sun Youcheng's eyes were sharp, his pupils shrank, and he stared at Zhang Bei's sleeves, because he found that Zhang Bei's exposed wristband was embroidered with silk patterns specially supplied by the Cangbu Department.

He followed the two men in front of him arm in arm in silence, and the possibility of Zhao Dahai's betrayal even arose in his mind.

The three of them walked towards the training ground together, passing through two rows of troops holding two-meter-high arquebuses. Zhang Bei in front suddenly hugged Zhao Dahai and talked and laughed with him enthusiastically.

Sun Youcheng, who had been paying attention to the two of them, suddenly squinted his eyes because of a cold light. He subconsciously turned his head to look and paused. He saw a Shenbi crossbow placed dimly visible in the candlelight of training in the tent with a crack in the door. The crossbow mechanism was still shining with the luster of fresh tung oil, and the mark of Cangbu was engraved on the crossbow.

Could this be the divine crossbow specially supplied by Cangbu? He was about to move closer to take a closer look when a hearty voice suddenly interrupted him.

Zhang Bei suddenly turned his head and shouted.

"Mr. Sun?" Zhang Bei put his arm around Zhao Dahai's shoulders and said apologetically, "Look at me. I was so busy reminiscing with Mr. Zhao that I forgot about Mr. Sun."

Zhao Dahai turned his head to look at Sun Youcheng, and his fingers behind his back suddenly tightened. This guy was doubting this and that again. He was taking chicken feathers as a token of authority. Did he really think he was the prime minister?

At this moment, the candlelight from the training exercise flickered and shone obliquely on the crossbows. Those magical weapons that should have been still in the warehouse were now particularly dazzling.

"Oh! I'm a little tired." Sun Youcheng responded with a stuttering tone, and his heart became more convinced that Zhao Dahai might betray him. Did he really accept benefits from Zhang Bei?

"Tired?" Zhang Bei slapped his forehead and said apologetically, "Look, I forgot that you are civil servants and you are not very strong. So I have prepared a banquet. I would like to invite you two to come and have a drink together."

The banquet was held in Zhang Bei's general's tent, with dozens of braziers placed around it to dispel the cold.

Zhang Bei held the wine jar, opened the mud seal, and personally poured wine for Zhao Dahai and Sun Youcheng. The orange-yellow wine swayed beautifully under the large bowl. "We military generals don't have to follow the same rules as you scholars when drinking. I am happy tonight, so I will drink first as a toast."

After saying that, Zhang Bei drank the wine in the big bowl in one gulp, and then looked at the two of them with anticipation.

Zhao Dahai and Sun Youcheng looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and simultaneously raised their wine bowls, saying, "Let me toast to General Zhang."

After saying that, the two of them frowned and drank it in one gulp, enduring the spiciness.

"Come on, don't be polite, eat some food, eat some food. This place is not like the capital, here are all game." Zhang Bei continued to greet.

After three rounds of drinks, Sun Youcheng couldn't bear the urge to urinate any longer, so he made an excuse to go to the bathroom. Zhang Bei gestured for him to go to a secluded place to relieve himself.

When Sun Youcheng walked out of the general's tent and crossed the martial arts field, he suddenly saw two firemen carrying millet sacks into the tent from a remote place. He was startled and immediately hid in the dark and quietly lurked inside the tent.

I heard one of them mutter: "This is the seventh car, Lord Zhao is really generous."

"That's right! After receiving the benefits from our general, how can we not give back?"

After the two men left the tent, Sun Youcheng crouched down and slipped back into the tent.

Moonlight shone through the white cloth, and countless sacks were piled together, like bricks lying dormant. The moment he lifted the tarpaulin, his blood froze - the top sack was embroidered with the seal of the Cangbu Department. Zhao Dahai had really betrayed him.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps. Sun Youcheng immediately dodged and walked to a secluded place, pretending to urinate and then went back.

When he returned to the banquet, Zhang Bei was enthusiastically holding Zhao Dahai's hand and chatting about family matters. The two were as familiar as brothers. Zhao Dahai was also drunk and nodded continuously with a dazed look in his eyes.

At midnight, Sun Youcheng pretended to be drunk and fell on the desk, observing Zhao Dahai's every move.

Seeing Sun Youcheng passed out drunk, Zhang Bei said drunkenly, "Alas! Lord Sun is already drunk and we are the only two left here. Come, Lord Zhao, I want to thank you and offer you a toast. Without Lord Zhao, I would not be here. I still rely on you for everything."

"No, no." Zhao Dahai didn't doubt him and quickly picked up a bowl of wine and said in return: "Thank you for your courtesy, General. Zhao also offers a glass to you."

boom!
Finally, Zhao Dahai fell down on the table drunk. Zhang Bei looked at him and was also drunk and confused. He murmured: "Hey, Brother Zhao, I'm not drunk yet."

Bang! Zhang Bei also fell drunk on the table. Sun Youcheng narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the two people lying on the table.

Zhang Bei muttered, "List."

Seeing the two men drunk and the soldiers standing guard outside the door, Sun Youcheng squinted his eyes and looked around secretly. Suddenly he found that there seemed to be some documents on the table in front of the general's tent.

So he got up, walked to the desk secretly, and checked the documents, which were all unimportant things.

Suddenly, he saw that the drawer under the table was slightly open, and a piece of paper was slightly exposed in the drawer.

He quickly opened the drawer, took out the paper and looked at it, and immediately gasped. On it was a list of supplies that Zhao Dahai had secretly allocated to Zhang Bei, including the magic crossbow and food that he had seen. Zhao Dahai, you are so good, you actually defected to Zhang Bei without telling the Prime Minister. Zhang Bei and Zhao Dahai have colluded, and I am afraid that he has already defected to the empress. I have to pass the news to the Prime Minister quickly.

Just as he was about to check further, he heard hurried footsteps. Sun Youcheng immediately put away the list and quickly lay down on the table pretending to be drunk.

Ye Beixuan finally came into the tent "late". He immediately noticed the drawer and knew it had been touched. He also knew that the plan was successful, so he stepped forward and shook Zhang Bei deliberately.

"General, general?"

"I'm not drunk. I want to have a few more drinks with my brothers and my beloved friend Lord Zhao." Zhang Bei was shaken and deliberately shouted in a drunken tone.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Ye Beixuan shouted to the outside of the door, "Someone come here."

Soon, several soldiers came to the door. He knelt down and asked, "Captain Ye, what are your orders?"

Ye Beixuan looked at the soldiers and said sternly, "The general and the two adults are drunk. Immediately arrange for someone to send the two adults back to the mansion to rest. I will take care of the general."

After saying that, the soldier bowed and left. Soon, the stretcher that had been prepared long ago was brought by several soldiers.

Ye Beixuan ordered: "You, carry the two adults onto the carriage and return to the mansion."

"Yes." The soldiers moved swiftly and carried them away on stretchers like dead dogs. Everything returned to silence, leaving only Ye Beixuan and the "sleeping" Zhang Bei.

After a while, a sudden sound was heard.

"Ye Liuxiang, this general values you more and more." Zhang Bei stood up and looked at Ye Beixuan with a sharp gaze, not even a hint of drunkenness on his face. He said, "What should we do next?
Do you think highly of me? No, no, no, it will soon be me who thinks highly of you. If it weren't for the fact that the emperor is working so hard and you generals are disobedient, I wouldn't have to work so hard. You're using beauty traps and sour espionage schemes. To resist foreign aggression, you must first stabilize the country. I'll eliminate all of you uncertain factors first.

Do you think I'm setting up a sowing of dissension for you? Hehe, this is a chain reaction. All I want is for you to join the Empress.

So he bowed and said, "Thank you, General, for your appreciation."

After a pause, he continued, "Next, we will spread rumors that the person behind him wants to kill him. At the same time, we will investigate who is behind him and is trying to harm the general."

"I'll leave this matter to you!" Zhang Bei's face was grim. He stood up and went into the room. There was a little baby waiting for him inside. He had just drunk some wine and was in high spirits. How could he care about you?

"Yes."

the other side.

Late at night, in a house, Sun Youcheng, who was carried home, was supported by the housekeeper and sent back to his room to rest.

After the soldiers left, he quickly pushed the butler away, stood up, picked up paper and pen, and wrote quickly.

After he finished writing, he said to the butler, "You must deliver this letter to the Prime Minister personally as quickly as possible. There must be no mistakes. If you delay the information, you will be beheaded."

"Yes, sir."

Three days later.

At this time in Kyoto, an old man in a luxurious silk robe was looking at the letter with a gloomy expression. He was Prime Minister Li Chunfeng.

"Hmph!" He slammed the letter and the table hard, causing the tea on the table to spill out.

After a long while, he regained his composure and shouted, "Someone come."

A man who looked like a butler walked slowly towards them, knelt down and said, "Master."

"Liu De, you must investigate immediately. If Zhao Dahai is really as the letter says, he should be killed on the spot. Although the position of the Cangbu Langzhong is not high, this matter is of great importance and must be handled in our hands." Li Chunfeng said in a cold tone.

"Yes." Liu De bowed and turned to leave. His steps were steady and his breath was like a tide. He was actually a master who was about to enter the Tao.

"Oh! By the way, we still need to investigate whether Zhang Bei has defected to the emperor."

"Yes."

Looking at Liu De's departing figure, Li Chunfeng murmured to himself: "If you agree to marry my son, I will help you secure the throne, otherwise..."

the other side.

When Zhao Dahai met Zhang Bei again, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Zhang Bei sat in the main seat with a serious expression, staring at Zhao Dahai with sharp eyes.

"Sir Zhao, the soldiers in the army are anxiously awaiting the allocation of supplies. I have also been waiting for several days. When will it be delivered?"

Zhao Dahai smiled broadly, maintaining a respectful expression. He cupped his hands and said, "General, you may not know that supplies are being prepared. I am already doing my best to deploy them. Please be patient for a few days."

Zhang Bei frowned slightly when he heard this. Damn it! This was clearly a delay, but he immediately sneered and said, "Sir Zhao, I can wait, but the soldiers in the army can't. If you miss the opportunity to fight, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Zhao Dahai's heart tightened, knowing that Zhang Bei was testing him, so he sighed helplessly and said, "General, you are too kind. I have already cooperated with you to the best of my ability, but..."

He paused, a hint of hesitation in his tone, "I've heard some rumors recently that someone seems to want to attack me. I wonder if the general has heard anything?"

Zhang Bei snorted inwardly when he heard this, knowing that Zhao Dahai was also testing him.

Then he sighed and said with a hint of joking in his tone, "Master Zhao, I won't hide it from you. I have intelligence that someone seems to be plotting against you. If you mobilize all your resources, I might be able to protect you."

Zhao Dahai's heart trembled, his face changing slightly. Is someone really trying to kill me? Who could it be? Could it be the Prime Minister? Impossible! If it's really the Prime Minister, I have to think of a way out quickly. Perhaps the Empress is my escape route.

But he quickly regained his composure and said, "I have been doing my best to coordinate the situation. General, please do not accuse me of my innocence out of thin air."

Zhang Bei saw Zhao Dahai denying it and sneered in his heart, "Just wait! You will definitely come back to beg me."

But his expression remained calm, and his tone was indifferent as he said, "Since that's the case, Zhang has nothing to say. I just hope that you can think it through carefully, so that we don't have to worry too much and regret it later."

Zhao Dahai bowed and nodded repeatedly, smiling, but he was secretly alert in his heart.

He thought to himself that if he continued to refuse, Zhang Bei would not let him off easily, but if he handed over the supplies easily, the Prime Minister would not let him go either. He was already on the brink of life and death.

For a time, he was in a dilemma.

At the same time, Liu De came to Station 18 and disguised himself as multiple people to secretly investigate Zhao Dahai's situation.

Whether it was from the mouths of Zhao Dahai's subordinates or from the conversations between Zhang Bei's soldiers and those pretending to be civilians, all kinds of evidence showed that Zhao Dahai might have rebelled as stated in the letter.

Liu De made his judgment as he walked. This matter was of great importance. If Zhao Dahai really rebelled, it must be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would not be able to bear the blame from the Prime Minister. He had to test him in person.

So Liu De secretly found Zhao Dahai.

Zhao Dahai was thinking in the room when suddenly a figure flashed by and said, "Master Zhao, how are you?"

"Butler Liu, it's you." Zhao Dahai was so shocked that he couldn't speak. Could it be that the Prime Minister really doubted me? He knew who Liu De was, the Prime Minister's confidant among his confidants.

Liu De stared at Zhao Dahai with sharp eyes, and kept asking tentatively, "Master Zhao, how have you been these days? The Prime Minister asked me to come and see you."

Liu De's tone was kind, but his sharp eyes were fixed on every subtle expression of Zhao Dahai, trying to find any flaws.

Zhao Dahai was immediately panicked. What should he do? I didn't do anything wrong. Why did the Prime Minister suspect me? Could it be Sun Youcheng? This bastard was crazy about getting promoted.

"Butler Liu, please go back and report that everything is fine and everything is going according to plan."

Liu De pressed on, but his tone was tentative: "Master Zhao, I disguised myself to investigate today, and I seemed to have heard some crazy talk. What's going on?"

Liu De already had a plan in mind. There is no smoke without fire, so he must be selling the supplies exclusively to Zhang Bei.

Zhao Dahai immediately regretted it. He shouldn't have brought Sun Youcheng, the troublemaker, to visit the military camp. What should he do now?
Seeing Liu De pressing forward step by step, even with his hand on the sword, Zhao Dahai's legs were shaking with fear. He was serious and wanted to kill me. This guy was a master. What should I do?
At this moment, a figure suddenly rushed in and shouted loudly: "Don't be afraid, Master Zhao, I will help you escape."

The person who came was Ye Beixuan. This was a drama that had been arranged long ago. It was like Jiang Taigong fishing, and those who were willing would take the bait.

Liu De was shocked, thinking that Zhao Dahai had really betrayed him, and immediately shouted angrily: "Zhao Dahai, you have indeed betrayed me. I cannot let you go."

With a flash of sword light, Liu De's figure was as fast as lightning, and he stabbed Zhao Dahai with a sword. The traitor must not die a good death.

However, when the tip of the sword was only an inch away from Zhao Dahai, he stopped moving and watched the blood dripping from his chest to the ground.

Liu De turned his head with difficulty and stared at Ye Beixuan in disbelief: "So strong."

After saying this, he slowly fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and soon became motionless.

It turned out that Ye Beixuan had already prepared a flying knife, which pierced Liu De's heart in an instant.

Zhao Dahai collapsed to the ground, looking at Liu De's body, his face pale. He knew that he was completely finished. He cried and laughed at the same time, saying, "Captain Ye, you have hurt me terribly."

Zhao Dahai felt extremely regretful, but now that things had come to this, he could only find ways to save his life and property.

Ye Beixuan said calmly: "Don't panic, Master Zhao."

Then, he said in a deep voice: "If you listen to me now, I will ensure that you can survive."

"Are you asking me to join Zhangbei?" Zhao Dahai shook his head and said, "Zhangbei is a hell of a place right now. If he wants to establish his own regime and become a warlord, he will perish sooner or later."

Ye Beixuan said calmly: "Master Zhao does not need to rely on anyone, just listen to me."

Go to Zhangbei? You're crazy. You want to go to me.

"You want me to join you?" Zhao Dahai was surprised. What could a captain do? Thinking of this, his pupils suddenly shrank and he said in a hurried tone: "You...you...who are you?"

"All under heaven belongs to the king." Ye Beixuan smiled calmly and said, "If you join me, I can guarantee that Zhang Bei and the Prime Minister will fight each other."

Zhao Dahai immediately understood that this guy was actually the Empress's man. When had the Empress become so powerful? How could she even reach this far? Submitting himself to the Empress would be a safe option. Fortune and wealth are sought through risk. If he could overthrow the Prime Minister and force Zhang Bei to join the Empress like himself, wouldn't he be saved from death?
Zhao Dahai thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "What do you need me to do?"

"You just need to pretend to surrender to Zhang Bei..." After Ye Beixuan's words, Zhao Dahai's eyes lit up.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

(End of this chapter)