Volume 1 Nightfall Border City Chapter 42 Guardian

  Day after day, visitors continued to arrive at Ping Kui Gate. Ning Sheng looked apologetic as he and his men blocked the entrance.

  Among the seven or eight visiting masters, Zhai Zhe only met with three of them, including Cao and Li families, but he didn't take out the letter from Wu Mu Buhan. The higher the shelf is placed, the more it shows confidence, Zhai Zhe spoke clearly that if they want to cooperate, first they must sell grain outside the pass, at least a thousand stones, otherwise there will be no business after today. Whether suspicious or believing, Zhai Zhe had nothing more to say.

  Controlling the roads out of Sesame is to own wealth, Dongkou has Fan Yongdou, Xikou has Di Zhe, now he is Jiang Taigong fishing, and those who are willing will be hooked.

  As for Liu Quan, although there was an agreement beforehand, it is impossible to hang himself on a tree. First of all, he must ensure his own survival.

  The three masters were all secretly speculating about Di Zhe's background, and since his origins were unknown, the safety of the merchant group after leaving the pass was also not guaranteed, so whoever was thinking about it would be worried.

  After staying in Kouli for seven days and roughly understanding the situation of Kouli, Di Zhe followed Ning Sheng to return to the grassland with a commercial team that had prepared goods.

  There were no contraband goods in the cargo, only necessities like tea, salt and sugar. After a brief inspection by the soldiers guarding the gate, they let us pass through.

  Ning Sheng came to see him off.

  Di Zhe instructed, "The matter of the mouth is left to you. I have discussed with several masters and made it clear. You don't need to talk to them much, just take the business if there is any."

  "I get it!"

  "Don't be so petty anymore! From now on, I'm the master and you're just a shopkeeper!"

  "Old Ning!" Zhai Zhe said with a deep voice

  Ning Sheng lowered his head, and tears almost fell from his eyes. His fate was really going to change.

  "Gather some men yourself and report any news about Jiezi to me every three days. I will send over some guards for the store."

  "Yes!"

  After saying these words, Di Zhe followed the caravan of sixty or seventy pack horses out of the Kill Hu Kou gate. The onlookers, numbering several dozen, watched for a long time before returning to their shops.

  The pack horse team walked slowly, and after leaving the Kill Hu Kou Gate, Di Zhe led his personal soldiers to quickly leave the canyon on horseback. When they arrived at the foot of Hei Mountain, he ordered someone to go up the mountain to pass on the order, asking Meng Kang and Geng Guang to lead people down the mountain to escort the merchant team, while he himself returned first to Lao Ya Mountain.

  Whether it is Zhai Zhe or Fan Yongdou, they are all stealing food from the tiger's mouth. Once the Chahar people become familiar with Mo Nan, all of this will disappear like smoke and clouds.

  Di Zhe was waiting for that day, as long as he could survive with Lin Ge until the war in Mo Nan broke out again, the opportunity of the Tumet people would be his opportunity.

  Lao Ya Mountain, Di Zhe told Xiao Zhiyan about the situation of Da Ming.

  "If Yuan, the governor of Liaodong, is dealt with, it will be difficult for Ming and Mongolia to cooperate again!" Zhai Zhe's words were somewhat reluctant, he had been in Zhangjiakou for so many years, and he also had some understanding of the situation in Liaodong. Yuan Chonghuan disobeyed the imperial edict, took risks, and even secretly collaborated with Chahar, but was eventually set up by Lin Danhan.

  It now appears that the only beneficiary of Chahar's westward migration was the Jurchen people. After Lin Dan Khan left Duo Yuan Grassland, the Jurchens had already escaped the predicament of being sandwiched in Liaodong. The Jurchen chieftain Huang Taiji was indeed a hero of his generation. In last year's battle to besiege the Ming capital, not only did he plunder population and wealth, but also created divisions between the Ming and Chahar, intimidated the various Mongolian tribes in the eastern steppes, and even inadvertently caused huge trouble for the Ming in Shaanxi.

  "The fate of the Great Ming dynasty relies on the Mongolians, how can there be any hope!" Xiao Zhi's mouth twitched, with a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling expression, and continued: "As long as the Liaodong Army doesn't dare to launch an attack on the Jurchen, it will always end in defeat."

  "Defending but not attacking is ultimately a sign of weakness. I have been living in the grasslands for many years, and every time I see the Great Wall on the border, I understand why the nomads often invade the Ming Dynasty. The implication of that wall is so obvious, as long as you can break through it, you can kill and plunder at will."

  Di Zhe nodded silently, and said with a bitter smile: "We are waiting here for Chahar to be defeated as soon as possible. But if Lin Dan Han really loses, the Jurchen people will not only be able to invade the Great Ming from Duo Yuan Grassland, but also the entire southern grassland border may become their breakthrough."

  "We're just bandits, why bother with such thoughts!" Xiao Zhi sighed lightly and asked, "Will you bring back the wine I want?"

  "I brought it back and had someone fetch it. These two years Shaanxi has been hit by a great drought, the price of rice and millet has risen, wine is not cheap anymore!" Di Zhe said with a smile.

  "Has Shaanxi been in a drought for two years?" asked Xiao Zhiyan, perking up his ears.

  "It's true, countless people are starving, and many border troops have also rebelled due to lack of rations! Didn't you hear Geng Guang say that even human flesh is being openly sold?"

  "Has Bian Jun also turned against us?" Xiao Zhiyan raised his voice.

  "I heard it from a collection of stories, there should be quite a few!"

  Xiao Zhiyan nodded and didn't say another word.

  In the late afternoon, the merchant caravan arrived at the foot of Lao Ya Mountain. Di Zhe ordered Che Feng to escort them overnight to Mo Tian Ridge, where all the goods purchased for the Tumet people were handed over to Princess Wulan for distribution.

  On the mountain road of Lao Ya Mountain, a sturdy man was walking briskly, followed by more than a dozen attendants.

  Geng Guang arrived at the foot of the mountain and received Zhai Zhe's order to meet him. The troops from Hei Shan all returned with Meng Kang. After surrendering to Zhai Zhe, Geng Guang still felt some resentment in his heart, but things had come to this point and could not be reversed. At least the lives of his clansmen were temporarily preserved.

  There were many of Ge Guang's subordinates on Lao Ya Mountain, and when they met, they would greet each other by shouting: "The Big Boss!"

  Geng Guang hastily pointed to his mouth, indicating that they should be careful what they say.

  After entering the mountain gate and turning over a mountain ridge, it is the center of the old camp. The snow on the road has been cleaned up, all of which are now managed by Wang Yi, the former military advisor to Geng Guang.

  "Brother Geng!" Wang Yi waved at Geng Guang from afar and said: "The master is waiting for you inside!"

  "What's wrong?" Geng Guang asked in a low voice.

  Wang Yi shook his head and spread out his hands, indicating he knew nothing about it.

  When they arrived at the gate, the imperial guard reported inside and Di Zhe came out of the door himself to welcome Geng Guang in.

  "Brother Geng, please take a seat!"

  "Too much courtesy from a great family!" Geng Guang bowed and sat down, having to lower his head under the eaves.

  "I have an important matter, and it can't be done without you!"

  "What's the matter?" Geng Guang was extremely cautious, he could lead his tribesmen to escape from Shaanxi to Helin Geer as bandits, and his mind was not as rough as his appearance.

  Di Zhe briefly mentioned the business of killing Hu Kou, and Geng Guang didn't miss a single word, only then did he realize that these people in front of him were truly from the Tumed Mongol tribe.

  "The merchant caravan needs a guardian leader now!"

  "You want me to go?" Geng Guang's face was full of surprise as he pointed at his own nose.

  "Geng brother can lead a cavalry regiment outside the pass, being a guard commander is more than enough." Di Zhe smiled and nodded.

  "Me!" Geng Guang was about to say more.

  Di Zhe waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "I let you enter the pass not only as a merchant team guard, but Ping Kui will expand into the territory of Da Ming sooner or later. The border area of Youyu County is also not peaceful. I heard that there is a secluded small path on the right side of Hei Hu Mountain at the mouth of Hu Kou that can be used to leave the pass, and some smuggling merchant teams that cannot be contacted are active there."

  "Are you making me?" Geng Guang suddenly realized.

  "That's your battlefield, Lülin in Youyu County needs a leader, Ping Kui can give you the silver you need, besides, smuggling is all about profiteering!"

  "It's hard to suppress a dragon in its own lair!" Geng Guang lowered his head, he knew this matter wouldn't be that easy, and he didn't want to leave his clansmen either.

  "In our mountain stronghold, only the second master can do this thing, but I cannot leave him with Lin Ge!" Zhai Zhe said frankly. "The Han Department is currently in its early stages and it's very difficult, but we will get a return later."

  "Will Ping Kui support me?" Geng Guang raised his head.

  "Everything you need!" Zhai Zhe emphasized.

  Geng Guang's eyes lit up.

  "I heard you have a 15-year-old son, I want him to be my personal soldier!"

  Geng Guang's heart immediately turned cold, his two eyes staring straight at Di Zhe.

  Di Zhe's smile remained unchanged as he said, "You will be at ease!"

  He thinks it's a good thing for both parties to do so, some things are better done early on as prevention, although it will leave a bit of discomfort in the heart, but overall it's much better than making a big fuss at the end, this benefit won't be small, more importantly, there is also a knife there.