Our family has been rebelling for generations, and you've become the top scholar in the imperia

Chapter 100 Ding Yitao's Desperate Measures

The surrounding area is a major border.

Inside the Commander's Mansion.

Ding Yitao, unusually, donned a full suit of armor, with a long sword hanging at his waist, and his expression was solemn.

Inside the courtyard, many state officials were pale-faced and trembling with nervousness.

When it came time to take action, everyone knew very well that once the arrow was released, there was no turning back. If the court didn't do what they wanted, they would become traitors.

"The Nanlin Party will not support me. These civil officials probably see that Qin Feng has gained momentum and want to win him over."

As a commander, he naturally had spies planted in the capital.

The moment his staff member was captured, someone rushed back to report the news. Coupled with Qin Feng's great victory over the Alitan tribe on the grasslands, Ding Yitao understood that if he didn't act now, he would soon miss his chance.

Once the imperial decree arrives, it's impossible for all the soldiers and generals under the commander to obey him.

"Gentlemen, this is our only chance. Qin Feng is plotting a rebellion and amassing an army of his own. We must keep him at Pingsha Pass!"

Ding Yitao squinted.

He said in a cold voice.

The others were jolted.

"Commander, there are 20,000 troops at Pingsha Pass, and they haven't withdrawn yet. What if these troops..."

"I am still the commander, and you are all officials of the prefecture. Apart from the Gou family army, these soldiers all come from the prefecture!"

Ding Yitao's meaning is quite clear.

The soldiers were all from the border. Qin Feng and General Gou had won a battle, but that didn't mean these soldiers would listen to Qin Feng.

Moreover, they were coming from the rear, so entering Pingsha Pass was much easier than getting to the grasslands and wild boar hides.

Given the commander's and the identities of these officials, they were going to Pingsha Pass to represent the border in awarding merits, so how could they not get in?

Once we get inside, we can immediately capture Qin Feng and the men from the former Thousand Household Office, and the rest will be much easier.

"How many people should we bring?"

"A few thousand people are enough."

Ding Yitao said in a deep voice:

"Too many people will inevitably arouse suspicion. At that time, as long as I arrest Qin Feng and claim that he is plotting a rebellion, the soldiers in the city will naturally not follow them."

"just in case……"

An official's voice trembled. "Thinking this way is not a problem, but you never know what might happen. This year, the border has been particularly strange."

More than 8,000 of the 10,000 wild boars on the grassland were wiped out, something that would have been impossible in the past.

"There's no chance of anything going wrong. I've arranged for other generals to immediately surround Pingsha Pass should any problems arise, ensuring its safety. You don't need to be so afraid. If we don't do this, do you know what the consequences will be if the imperial decree comes down?"

Upon hearing this...

The officials could only nod repeatedly.

How could they not know that embezzling silver over the years was a capital offense, and that if they were to expose the sale of weapons manufactured by the Ministry of War, it would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their family?

His fate was the same as Gu Ningzhi's, who defected to the enemy, or even worse.

"Alright, we will obey the commander. As long as Qin Feng dies here, the court will not do anything to us in order to stabilize the border. If the border is stable, we will be fine. In the future, we will support a grassland tribe, and the entire border will still be under the command of the commander."

"These soldiers all come from the prefecture, how could they all listen to Qin Feng? These soldiers are all roughnecks, they do whatever the government says, would they dare to resist the government?"

"When to set off is of utmost urgency. We must decide as soon as possible. The imperial decree is expected to be issued soon, so we must hurry."

"..."

He had convinced everyone.

Ding Yitao breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This is a risky move.

However, he had no other choice at this point. The crime of selling weapons and armor without authorization was far more serious than embezzling silver.

Moreover, he has been operating in this border area for so many years, and the wild boar hides from the grasslands have never been able to break through the border. Isn't he partly responsible for that?

For the sake of just one Qin Feng, they actually want to purge all the officials in the border prefectures and states.

Who can agree?

With so many merchants and soldiers on the border, the number of people who depend on them for their livelihood is well over 100,000.

Ding Yitao didn't believe that once Qin Feng was dead, the civil officials in the court and the emperor would dare to risk chaos on the border and continue to deal with them.

"Let's set off tonight, and by dawn, everything will be settled!"

He let out a low growl.

Everyone nodded in unison. They set off as darkness fell and arrived at Pingsha Pass just in time for midnight. There was plenty of time before dawn.

Qin Feng only brought a thousand men.

……

Grassland trade market.

Qin Feng stroked his chin with one hand, looking at the three people kneeling in front of him. The old man in the middle was the shopkeeper, and the other two were his employees.

They were all merchants from the border region.

As for where the armor and weapons came from.

to be frank.

The contents of what the other party told him shocked him greatly.

The person behind the trading company was actually a staff member in the Commander's Office. The weapons and armor were all made by the Ministry of War every year and transported to the warehouse.

In other words, that old bastard Ding Yitao actually sold all the weapons and armor in the armory without permission.

Moreover, it was sold to wild boars on the grasslands.

Qin Feng had considered that the other party had a large order and might dare to embezzle the grain and silver, but he never expected that they would be so bold as to sell even armor and weapons.

"Is everything you just said true? Alitan's daughter is actually in the Commander's mansion? And she even gave birth to Ding Yitao's son?"

"Yes, sir, it's true. I only overheard someone in the manor saying it after they'd had a few too many drinks!"

The old shopkeeper was deathly pale and knelt on the ground, trembling.

She replied in a trembling voice:

"Some of the weapons and armor of the Alitan tribe came from our shop. Every time they were transported out of the pass, they would be unloaded halfway and people from the tribe would come and take them away."

"How dare you!"

Qin Feng couldn't help but laugh.

It's true that the bolder a person is, the bigger the things they dare to do.

Who would have thought that Alitan and Ding Yitao were father-in-law and son-in-law? Now that Alitan's tribe has been wiped out, although the people haven't been captured yet, Qin Dali has been leading a group to pursue them, so there might still be hope.

Ding Yitao must be so frustrated he could have his heart ripped out.

"Cao Liang, keep an eye on him as he writes his confession. Make sure he writes down everything, including what shops are in the entire grassland market, what goods they sell, how many contraband items are being smuggled, and what kind of shops are in the Great Zhou territory."

Speaking of it.

Qin Feng stared intently at the old shopkeeper.

"The Alitan tribe suffered a crushing defeat; less than a thousand of the Wild Boarskin were left. Don't you know that?"

"what?"

The old shopkeeper stared wide-eyed and shook his head vigorously.

"My lord, the grassland market is managed by several tribes, with Alitan being the largest of them. However, there has been no news from them in the past two days. I don't know..."

The voice just fell.

"Bang bang bang!"

A loud knocking came from outside the door.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

"Don't kill me! What are you grassland people trying to do?"

"Help! These grassland people are trying to steal our goods!"

I could hear knocking on the door and cries from outside.

Qin Feng sighed softly.

What you say comes true.

It's highly likely that news of something happening to the Alitan tribe has reached us; the wild boar hides here are about to escape.

but!

Before fleeing, they tried to steal all the goods.