knife

Chapter 224 Blackmail

Everyone in Zhenwu City is very busy.

The soldiers were busy tidying up the barracks and organizing the equipment, while their families were working day and night to harvest grain outside the city.

No matter how busy they were, the appearance of one person still attracted the attention of everyone in Zhenwu City.

Li Dachui, the deputy protector of Anxi Protectorate, has actually come to Zhenwu City.

He had been here before, but back then he was nominally a bandit with powerful connections. Now, however, he was the deputy protector of the Anxi Protectorate, the kind of person that Commander Linghu hated so much he wanted to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.

The Beiting Protectorate was divided into two Protectorates, Andong and Anxi. Xiao Changche had ruthlessly taken away a portion of the 100,000 border troops. More importantly, because of this incident, the morale of the troops outside the pass was unsettled. It took Linghu Ye a great deal of time and money to finally calm his subordinates down.

But that's how it appears on the surface. Who knows what these people are really thinking behind the scenes?
Li Dachui, amidst the attention of the crowd, leisurely rode his horse to the commander's headquarters.

Linghu Zhishu stood at the door, looking at Li Dachui, and laughed, "Li Dachui, you have quite the nerve, daring to come to Zhenwu City all by yourself. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to escape?"

Li Dachui dismounted, tossed the reins to Linghu Zhishu, and laughed, "If Commander Linghu only has this much magnanimity, then what's the point of talking about conquering the world? Someone like me is quite useful!"

A loud laugh came from inside the room: "Li Dachui, whether you have any use or not, you'll have to survive this ordeal first. But you're right, if you want to dominate the world, you do need a broad mind and deep cunning. Come in, I'd like to hear what kind of trap you're trying to dig for me this time."

"General Linghu, you flatter me!" Li Dachui said with a smile as he walked in.

Linghu Zhishu stared blankly at the horse reins in his hand, then suddenly became furious and threw the reins heavily to the ground.

Li Dachui is now able to sit down and discuss philosophy with Linghu Ye.
And yet, I've become his stable boy?
Outrageous!

Linghu Ye sat cross-legged behind a large desk, reviewing documents. The mountain of documents would be overwhelming at first glance, but for some people, it was something they enjoyed immensely.

Because it represents power.

Linghu Ye put down his pen and pointed to the table opposite him, indicating that he regarded Li Dachui as an equal opponent.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

"I've come this time to make a deal with the Commander-in-Chief!" Li Dachui said with a smile. "The Commander-in-Chief is about to raise an army to enter the pass. I doubt he can take all the money and provisions he's accumulated over the years. So I've come to see if I can borrow some from him. You know, our Anxi Protectorate is poor, we have no savings at all. Jebe is about to launch a major campaign, but I haven't gathered enough money and provisions yet. Can you believe how anxious I am?"

Linghu Ye laughed heartily: "There is indeed a surplus of grain, and some of it can't be transported, but I'm going to burn it all." "General, that's a huge waste," Li Dachui said, spreading his hands. "You were just talking about being magnanimous, but in the blink of an eye, you'd rather burn it than give it to me. What magnanimity..."

"I'll give you this, but what can you give me in return?" Linghuye looked at Li Dachui with great interest.

The saying goes, "Those who come are not friendly, and those who are friendly do not come." Since this guy has come all this way, he must have some trump cards up his sleeve.

"I only recently learned that the Commander-in-Chief had already planted some pawns in Hexi a few years ago. The Commander-in-Chief is very shrewd and has kept it a secret for a long time!" Li Dachui gave a thumbs up: "In this way, after your army enters the pass, you can first settle in Hexi. The families of your hundreds of thousands of people will also have a place to go. Being able to settle down in Hexi is indeed better than outside the pass, and you won't have to face the threat of the Yuan people directly. It's brilliant!"

Linghu Ye laughed loudly, but there was some undisguised smugness in his eyes. "Since I want to contend for the world, I will naturally lay some contingency plans. Otherwise, after my army enters the pass, I will not even have a stable base. How can I compete with the heroes of the world? I thank He Zudao for cleaning up Hexi for me again. Those guys who had a lot of complaints about me have all been killed by He Zudao."

"So you've actually colluded with He Zudao?" Li Dachui's eyes widened in surprise.

“Do you think He Zudao is really stupid?” Linghu Ye said with a smile, “After Hedong took Jinyang, his men were already here with me.”

"In that case, you really do have the qualifications to conquer the world, don't you?" Li Dachui gave a thumbs up.

"Li Dachui, stop rambling. What exactly do you want to do here today?"

"General Linghu, you need to think long-term. The more likely you are to replace the Li family, the better you should treat our Anxi Protectorate! In this great battle between Jebe and us, who do you hope will win?"

“Of course, it would be better if both sides were to suffer heavy losses!” Linghu Ye said.

“Your demands are too high!” Li Dachui laughed. “As the saying goes, those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. If you leave now, we will really be wiped out by Jebe, and this fertile land beyond the Great Wall, with millions of people, will fall into the hands of the Yuan people. Do you think the Yuan people will stop here?”

"At that time, I will naturally lead a million-strong army to conquer the border again," Linghu Ye said with great ambition.

"Why go to such lengths when you have it all here?" Li Dachui said. "Xiao Changche and I don't have any grand ambitions. We just want to live in this small corner of the land outside the Great Wall. If we stay here, your territory outside the Great Wall will be as secure as Mount Tai." "You mean if I really succeed, you will submit to me?"

"Of course!" Li Dachui said with a smile, "When the time comes, you can bestow upon me the title of King of the Pass, and that will be enough. I guarantee I will keep the Yuan people at bay for you."

Linghu Ye chuckled: "That's a matter for the future, let's talk about it later. You should focus on carving out a way out of the current situation first. Li Dachui, Zhebie is eager to return to Yandu, so this time he has mobilized the entire army. He brought 30,000 troops from Yandu, plus tens of thousands of soldiers along the Qingtongxia and Yezhuling lines, making more than 60,000 combat troops alone. If you include auxiliary troops, there are at least 100,000."

"So, it seems that Commander Linghu is unwilling to join forces with me to pull off this job first, and then you can enter the pass after that!"

“You’re really dreaming,” Linghu Ye said. “Only when you’re fighting can I leave at my own pace. Inside the pass are delicacies, while outside the pass is just a piece of chicken bone that’s neither meat nor flavorful. Do I need to ask which one to choose?”

"Alright, since that's the case, I have something to sell to Commander Linghu!" Li Dachui snorted.

Do you have anything that I could buy?

"An imperial edict, stamped with the Great Qin State-Protecting Jade Seal. As for its contents, I believe Commander Linghu must have known about it long ago, but this thing is now in my hands."

Linghu Ye's smile gradually froze. Looking at Li Dachui, he said, word by word, "So it was you who stole it?"

Li Dachui nodded.

"Something that's neither essential nor superfluous, and you actually want to use it to extort money from me?" Linghuye sneered.

"Is it really true that having it makes no difference, or not having it makes no difference?" Li Dachui said with a smile, "With this thing, you can enter the pass by imperial decree to quell a rebellion or to serve the emperor. Whether they believe it or not, you just need to believe it yourself. Besides, I have seen this thing, and it is indeed genuine. I have to say, Commander Linghu has really gone far."

"No matter how far your reach extends, it can't be as far as yours. You really are a bandit, adept at double-crossing others!"

Li Dachui laughed heartily: "General Linghu, why are you calling yourself a thief? Actually, I don't ask for much. Just give me those warehouses that are going to be burned down."

How do you know I have several warehouses that I'm going to burn down?

"Someone told me this, of course! Since you don't want it anyway, why not give it to me as a favor? When you enter the pass and conquer all, and successfully rise to power, I will definitely pay my respects to you from outside the pass."

"You're the first person, Li Dachui, to make something out of nothing so elegant and sophisticated, you're completely navigating this mess!" Linghu Ye was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Alright, take those old grains from those warehouses!"

"Thank you very much, Commander!" Li Dachui stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed. "Then I'll go and collect it right away."

"Where is what I asked for?" Linghu Ye held out his hand.

“I am entering Zhenwu City alone, how could I possibly carry such an important item with me? Why don’t you come with me, Brother Zhishu, and we can exchange money for goods.”

Linghuye waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. Li Dachui laughed, stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Linghuye, and then swayed out of the Andong Protectorate headquarters.

Along the banks of the Qingshui River and the Juma River, there are several warehouses garrisoned by the Andong Protectorate. In the past, with the Yan family in power, these grains could be quickly transported to various places using the Yan family's naval cargo ships.

However, after the Yan family was wiped out by Xiao Changche and Li Dachui, the entire navy fell into Li Dachui's hands. In the past few days, the Anxi Protectorate's navy has set sail up the river. What they want to do is self-evident.

Of course, Linghu Ye could indeed burn the warehouse down, leaving Li Dachui with nothing, which is why Li Dachui came to Zhenwu City.

A royal decree representing the legitimacy of entering the pass, coupled with honeyed words, truly tempted Linghu Ye.

Xiao Changche and Li Dachui are both rare talents. If they can really hold off the Yuan army outside the pass, then if I eventually conquer the world, what is there to be reluctant about giving Xiao Changche and Li Dachui the title of King of the Pass?

Of course, no matter how eloquent Li Dachui is, he will eventually have to face Zhebie's frenzied attacks.

If they really pull through, then Linghu Ye wouldn't mind putting in some more effort to repair his relationship with them.

It's acceptable to preserve some of the family's connection.

(End of this chapter)