Chapter Thirteen Twenty-Five

  After the first month, the weather seemed to have not warmed up at all, and even a big snowstorm started in Fan Gu City. However, compared to the Wolf's Milk Mountain side, it was still better, after all, on the grassland there were no obstacles, looking out for hundreds of miles without any hills, the wind blowing from the north had nothing to block it, plus the Mongol Empire didn't have many big cities, and herders liked living in tents, making the wind seem even more fierce.

  The wind mixed with snow, called "Bai Mao Feng" by the grassland people. A Bai Feng disaster is a nightmare for the grassland people. But whenever they think of this, the Han people in Fan Gu City are very happy. The common people in Fan Gu City do not farm, and the weather is cold for half a year in this ghost place, and the crops grow no higher than the wild grass. They used to rely on subsidies from the imperial court, but now they rely on trade. So they don't worry about strong winds and freezing temperatures at all, anyway, the grain in Fan Gu City can last for three years without being eaten up.

  Due to the snow, Li Xiang's normal training was exempted. However, the border soldiers could not return home because of the recent horse trading incident with the Northern Liao people, and they had to be on guard in case something unexpected happened on the Mongol side. In the seventh year of the Great Sui Dynasty, this small city was able to withstand 40,000 Mongolian cavalry and Mandulatu's father, Manduwulang. Li Xiang did not want to fail to withstand Mandulatu during his tenure.

  "Has Fang Jie not come to report for half a month now?"

  Li Gan, who had been promoted from deputy captain to regimental commander, crouched on the ground, puffing on his pipe: "I don't know who was so bold as to lay a hand on him. By rights, Fang Jie's skills weren't bad; although he couldn't cultivate, he could handle seven or eight ordinary men with no problem. How did someone beat him up so badly? And another thing, who in Fan'er City would hate him?"

  The tobacco leaves are grown by the people of Fanggu City themselves and are called "smoke cannons", which are very pungent and have a strong kick.

  "Or we'll go ask General Fang for a leave of absence later and see where he's going?"

  Alipay picked up the snow on the ground and rubbed his face, although the snow was cold, but after rubbing it for a while, his face would warm up soon. He used to be a scout and some habits couldn't be changed. At that time, all the people in his scouting team died, he would rather not be the leader of the scouting team, and asked to transfer to an ordinary troop to be a squad leader. Sometimes, seeing death too many times wouldn't make him indifferent, but instead, more afraid of death.

  "The general strictly ordered that no one was allowed to leave the camp."

  Li Gan sighed and said: "Ordinarily, that kid isn't likable, but after not seeing him for a few days, I really miss him."

  "Team leader, are you thinking of a solution or dog meat hot pot?"

  Qiu Xiaoshu leaned over and asked with a smile.

  "Get out of here! Can't you see this is a deep bond between us?"

  Li Gan glared at Qiu Xiaoshu and said, "Look at your cheap appearance, you don't have any sense of justice. If I'm being honest, if it really came down to life or death, you'd be the first traitor. Your heart only cares about dog meat hot pot, not your comrades. I've finally seen your true nature. On the day Fang Jie was beaten, even if you were there, you would have run away with your tail between your legs."

  Qiu Xiaoshu's face turned red, wanting to argue but ultimately endured it.

  Li Gan took a puff of his pipe and said, "Since we have the fate to be in the same big camp, we must cherish it. Fang Jie is our brother, and our lives are tied together with one horizontal knife. He was bullied, and we can't just sit back and do nothing. I'll go beg General Xia again tomorrow, and bring our team's people to investigate again!"

  Fu Bao nodded vigorously and said, "What the captain said is right. With you as our captain, it's a blessing for us to have you in this lifetime. If Fang Xie knew about it, he would also be grateful to you."

  Just as they were talking, a team of horses and men suddenly appeared outside the gate of the large camp, all wearing white cloaks. It wasn't until they got closer that it became clear that they were riding tall horses, with only about thirty to fifty people in total. The leader handed a plaque from his waist to the border military soldier guarding the gate, who took a look and hurriedly ran into the large camp, heading straight for General Li's tent.

  "What kind of person is this? So arrogant... didn't even dismount at the entrance of the large camp."

  "Although it's stronger now than during the previous emperor's time, the entire Youwei Guard can barely muster two thousand cavalrymen. The warhorses of these people are extraordinary, just by looking at them from afar, they must be of noble origin."

  Li Gan had just finished speaking when he saw Li Xiaozong walk out of the big tent, glance in the direction of the gate, adjust his clothes and hurry over.

  "I heard that the imperial court has sent law enforcement officers from the Grand Court of Justice and the Ministry of War to conduct an inspection, have they arrived?"

  Qiu Xiaoshu guessed.

  Li Gan stared at him and said: "What? Saw a big shot from the imperial court, thinking of going over to fawn on them?"

  Qiu Xiaoshu endured the anger in his heart, stood up and walked towards the camp. Li Gan looked at his back and sneered: "Fu Baobao, do you know why I never arrange Qiu Xiaoshu to be on duty at night?"

  "I don't know, why?"

  "This guy, with a mind that's always turning, is unfortunately gutless. When he talks to people, his eyes dart back and forth, which means he's not a good person. I'm not going to entrust our backs to someone like him. On the battlefield, we're already risking our lives, and if we can't even protect our retreat route, then forget it."

  "No way."

  "Wow, I think Xiaoshu is pretty good!"

  "You look great?!"

  Li Gan said seriously: "If we really encounter a crisis, I can put you behind me and protect you. People like him... can only escape to your back. Fang Jie is afraid of death, but he has enough brotherly love. If something happens, Fang Jie won't run away. So I treat you as brothers, and treat Fang Jie as a brother."

  "With you here, our team is happy!"

  ……

  ……

  Li Xiangzong took a surreptitious glance at the eunuch sitting in his seat, feeling annoyed but unable to erupt. After all, this eunuch had a special identity as the imperial scribe of the Imperial Study Room. This position was right next to Emperor Yang of Sui. Sometimes, his casual remark might change someone's fate.

  "Mr. Wu, I was unable to come out to greet you from afar, please forgive me for any disrespect."

  Li Xiaozong clasped his fists and said.

  "General Li is being polite..."

  Wu Peisheng, sitting in Li Xiangzong's chair, said with a wry smile: "Our family has received the emperor's decree and is secretly investigating the military accounts of the four routes with the officials of the Dali Temple and the Ministry of War. We naturally dare not publicize it widely. If someone finds out before we do, then this account will be difficult to investigate. If we can't complete the emperor's task, when we return to Chang'an, there won't be any good fruit for us to eat."

  Li Xiangzong detested the eunuch's tone, but on the surface he didn't show a hint of it: "Whatever you say, sir. Since you're here to check the accounts, I'll have someone bring all the ledgers up later."

  "It doesn't matter."

  Wu Peisheng waved his hand and smiled: "Since we've arrived, there's no need to rush. Our family has been rushing all the way, and halfway through, we encountered a big snowstorm, suffering from hunger and cold... How about it, General Li? Aren't you going to invite us to have a cup of wine to warm up?"

  "It's my fault for being slow."

  Li Xiaozong hastily turned around and ordered his personal soldiers to prepare wine and dishes. Then, he ordered someone to prepare the bill and have it ready to be presented at any time.

  "I hate snow the most, it looks clean and white but is actually the dirtiest. The clothes on my body got stained with snowflakes and soon became all wrinkled and ugly... General Li, would you mind taking me to find a place to change into some new clothes?"

  Li Xiang said: "Please come with me to my study, I'll show you the way."

  Wu Peisheng nodded, stood up and said to the officials of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of War: "When the dishes are served later, please don't wait for me, I'll come back after changing my clothes."

  The people of Dalit Temple and Bubing quickly stood up, clasped their fists and said: "You can go now, we will wait."

  Wu Peisheng didn't say much, and followed Li Xiaozong to the back. When they were about to arrive at the study, Wu Peisheng suddenly smiled and said: "Before coming to Fanfu, our family went to Woxian Mountain and met with the Right Rongwei General Tang Gong Li Yuanshan. When we sat down to chat, Tang Gong specifically mentioned you, General Li. He said that you are a rare talent, and your future achievements will surely surpass his. Our family thought that such a talented general cannot be buried, so when we return, our family will mention it to the Emperor."

  Li Xiangzong was somewhat perplexed by Wu Peisheng's 180-degree turn in attitude. However, he too was quick-witted and immediately clasped his fists together, saying: "Thank you, sir. I have some fine tea from Jiangnan in my study; would you like to come in and warm up with a cup?"

  "All right, from the moment I left Beijing and headed northwest, it's been hard to get a good cup of tea like they have in Jiangnan. Especially once I got to Shandong, even Governor Yuan Chongwu's study couldn't produce a few ounces of decent tea leaves."

  Wu Peisheng sat down by the stove in Li Xiangzong's study, stretching out his hands to warm them up. Before long, a white mist of steam rose from his body. Li Xiangzong personally poured tea and placed it beside Wu Peisheng, saying: "Your Excellency has come from afar, the journey must have been extremely arduous."

  "It's all for Your Majesty, can't be considered hard work."

  Wu Peisheng took the teacup and said after a moment of contemplation: "Since we're meeting privately, let's be frank... I went to Wosan Mountain first because I'm quite familiar with Mr. Tang. He specifically mentioned you... but it wasn't what I said earlier about being hard to come by... As for what he actually said, I think General Li also has a clear idea in his mind. We don't need to waste our breath, so I'll just ask: is everything ready, General Li?"

  "I don't know... what does Master want me to prepare?"

  Li Xiaozong's heart tightened and his face showed some pain.

  "Since Fang Jie is a spy sent by the Mongol Empire to bribe the generals of the Great Sui border army and steal intelligence, this matter cannot be delayed. If General Li is ready, I will let the law enforcement officer from the Dali Temple arrest him. Once he is arrested, I will leave with you. You write a memorial, and when I leave, I will help you bring it back to Chang'an to present to His Majesty."

  "Can't you think of another way?"

  Li Xiaozong couldn't help but ask.

  "General Li... Don't you think that it's easy for me to say these things? If things get big, I'll also lose my head!"

  "I know..."

  Li Xiaozong's face turned increasingly ugly, feeling as if there was a knife twisting in his heart.

  ……

  ……

  "Although the taxes collected by Ping'an City are enough for self-sufficiency, you still ask the Ministry of War for money and grain every year. Just this one point, if His Majesty finds out, he will not forgive you. To be honest, if it weren't for my private friendship with Duke Tang, I wouldn't bother to intervene in your trivial matters. You're hesitating, aren't you going to report the truth to the Emperor? The military... opening brothels and casinos, these things, if His Majesty finds out, he will probably be so enraged that he'll overturn his desk!"

  "Tang Gong thought of you as a nephew and helped you, can't you even show some gratitude?"

  "I understand."

  Li Xiangzong took a deep breath and sighed bitterly, "It's all my own greed, now I'm going to blame others... Alright... I'll send someone to arrest Fang Jie later."

  "Seizing one side is not enough."

  Wu Peisheng smiled and said, "Since he's a spy sent by the Mongols, you must have gone through some process to catch him. How did you find out? Who was his accomplice? Who did he bribe? You need to prepare all this and tell me when it's ready. I'll take care of the rest, no one will be able to escape."

  "Can't even solve one problem?!"

  Li Xiaozong suddenly stood up, his face even paler.

  "Take one? Do you think it's easy to deal with the people of Dalisi Temple and the Ministry of War? Or do you think... His Majesty is muddled, can't see clearly?"

  Wu Peisheng sneered coldly: "You don't seem to have any ideas, so I'll give you a hint... Since Fang Jieyu has a military position, it's natural that we need to buy off his comrades. There must be accomplices and traitors among them who have sold out the imperial court's secrets. With fifty people in one team, killing half of them would be about right. If General Li can't bring himself to do it, you gather everyone together, and I'll take care of it."

  "Found out the subtle work and established military merit."

  Wu Peisheng smiled and said, "Let's first congratulate General Li here. When I return to the capital, His Majesty will be delighted, and General Li, this fifth-grade commander, will leap two ranks to become a fourth-grade Lang commander. Even if it's not as prestigious as being a brave warrior, becoming a Lang commander is definitely possible."

  "Name list, General Li has not written yet?"

  His voice was cold as he asked.

  Li Xiaozong's hands were slightly trembling as he walked slowly to the desk, picked up a brush, and wrote four words on a white paper with thick ink: The main culprit is Fang Jie...

  After writing these four words, his expression had become terrifying. His hands trembled more and more violently, causing a lot of ink to spill from the pen. It was unclear how long it took, but he finally continued writing on the white paper with a heavy hand, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.

  The defendants: Li Gan, commander of the Jiazi team... Deputy Commander Liu San Sheng, squad leader Qiu Xiaoshu...

  A long string of names, twenty-five in total.