knife

Chapter 345 Good News
The eagle circled in the air for several hours, finally finding its bearings. It swooped down like an arrow, and just inches from the roof, it deftly took off again, skimming the ridge and landing on a wooden pergola in the backyard.

Upon hearing the eagle's cry, someone ran out of the house. When he saw the eagle, his face lit up with surprise and delight. He pursed his lips and let out a whistling sound, and the eagle flapped its wings and landed on his arm.

He removed the small bamboo tube from the eagle's leg, then called for someone to bring out a plate of fresh dried meat before running into the house with the bamboo tube.

"Vice President, a message has arrived from Sichuan!"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Zhang Qingyun abruptly raised his head, put down the wolf-hair sword in his hand, took the bamboo tube, opened it, took out the scroll of paper inside, and then took out a thick book from the bookshelf to read the scroll of paper.

His face grew increasingly joyful.

"The Protector-General has taken over all of Shu!" Zhang Qingyun laughed. "The Ji Prince's lineage and the entire Tang clan are either dead or captured; no one has escaped. They have all submitted to us. Now, the entire Shu region is under our control. Go and bring back Luo Liang and his nephew."

When Luo Liang and Luo Ying arrived at the Zhang residence, it was already sunset.

"Vice Dean, Linghu Ye's army captured Huoyi three days ago. The 20,000 Imperial Guards stationed in Huoyi were almost completely wiped out. Only two or three thousand managed to escape!" Luo Liang said, "Now I'm afraid their vanguard is already on its way to Longmen Ferry!"

"Wouldn't the Wei family father and son be thrown into a panic?" Zhang Qingyun felt no sympathy for the Wei family father and son; on the contrary, she loathed them. Her father was exiled to the frontier, her brother died unjustly in prison, and the Zhang family was almost completely wiped out—wasn't all of that thanks to the Wei family?
For their so-called grand plan, countless people were unjustly killed, but in the end, their schemes proved to be nothing but a joke. They thought themselves clever, believing they could manipulate everyone in the world, but in the end, their cleverness backfired, and their scheming led to their own demise.

Kou Zhong is already dead, how much longer can Wei Zhengdao remain at large?

"The entire afternoon, the inspection team has been holding military discussions. There's a very high chance we'll be sent to Yongfeng Granary to support the garrison there," Luo Ying said. "To prevent the enemy army from advancing rapidly, seizing Yongfeng Granary, and then tying down the Tongguan garrison, preventing them from returning to reinforce Chang'an."

Zhang Qingyun frowned slightly: "Why doesn't Linghu Ye go and join Li Guohua to take Luoyang first? The Wei family has gathered a large army in Chang'an. On the other hand, Luoyang is in chaos right now, so we can take advantage of the chaos."

Luo Liang shook his head and said, "We don't know about that. According to what Magistrate He said, Chief Minister Wei doesn't seem worried about Luoyang. Instead, he's been on guard against Linghu Ye's army advancing rapidly and threatening Chang'an. Or perhaps Zhang Quanyi is in Luoyang now! Since Li Tai's death, there has been a rift between Zhang Quanyi and Chang'an. Although they haven't broken off relations directly, they're probably only superficially friendly. Maybe Wei Zhengdao and the others would prefer Zhang Quanyi and Linghu Ye to fight each other."

"Never mind them!" Zhang Qingyun said, "I called you here to tell you some good news: we have taken Shu!"

“Brother Su has already told us, Vice Dean. What should we do next?” Luo Liang asked.

Zhang Qingyun laughed and said, "Now that Shu has fallen into our hands, we should naturally manage it well. The stronger Shu is, the more assistance they can provide when we enter the pass, right?"

"Of course!" Luo Liang nodded.

“So next, we must begin to implement the plan that Young Master formulated earlier!” Zhang Qingyun said. “Population, technology, wealth and other such things should be consciously transferred to Shu. If they are left in Chang’an, a place destined to be ravaged by war, I’m afraid most of them will die in vain, which is a pity.”

Luo Liang said, "Today, Magistrate He mentioned something. Chang'an is about to be placed under military control, and the first thing to do after that is to consciously expel a group of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled!"

"Expulsion?"

“Chang’an Society implements a rationing system. The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled will not receive rations. Either their families have strong laborers who can share their food with them, or they have to leave voluntarily to find a way to survive! So, this is a disguised form of expulsion!” Luo Ying said, somewhat agitated. “Vice Dean, should we lend a hand?”

Luo Liang shook his head and said, "What the Protector-General wants us to do is to strengthen Shu and expand its power, not to cause trouble or add burdens to Shu!"

Zhang Qingyun paced around the room a few times, then looked up and said, "Luo Liang, consciously guide and arrange for these people to go to Sichuan."

"Huh?" Luo Liang was somewhat surprised, but Luo Ying was overjoyed.

"Behind every elderly, weak, sick, and disabled person is a family, a source of worry!" Zhang Qingyun said, "Although when disaster strikes, everyone has to find their own way to survive, if a loved one can find a way to leave, it is ultimately a comfort to those who remain. When there is nowhere else to go, that place can be a way home!"

"I've heard that Sichuan is very poor. If I go there, will I be able to find a way to survive?" Luo Liang hesitated.

Zhang Qingyun shook his head: "Young Master once said that Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance. It not only has fertile farmland, but also large-scale water conservancy projects like Dujiangyan. However, Sichuan only has a few million people now. If managed well, it can easily support tens of millions of people. Don't you trust Young Master's abilities? These people will not be a burden to Young Master, but rather people who can create wealth!"

“Since the vice president has made the decision, then we’ll go and make the arrangements!” Luo Liang nodded and said, “Moreover, the more people who go, the easier it will be to place some of the people we urgently need inside! I already have a list of the first batch of technical personnel to be taken away.”

“You arrange these things. Luo Ying, you go and contact those wealthy households with certain assets and tell them that if they don’t find a way to escape, they will become the targets of the Grand Secretary’s exploitation.” Zhang Qingyun smiled and said, “Once we convince them, we can collect a certain fee and then arrange for them to flee to Sichuan.”

"Understood!" Luo Ying said, "Let these people take their wealth to Sichuan, let them buy land, do business, and open workshops. Most of these people are skilled workers."

"Hurry up and arrange this matter. I'll figure something out. At least one of you, uncle and nephew, needs to stay in Chang'an to take charge of these things. I can't show my face in public, and I don't trust anyone else to access the most core secrets!" Zhang Qingyun said. "Luo Ying, stay here. I'll go to Yongfeng Warehouse!" Luo Liang glanced at his nephew and smiled, "My martial arts cultivation is higher. A major battle is definitely going to break out at Yongfeng Warehouse. It'll be easier for me to survive there."

"Our priority is to protect ourselves!" Zhang Qingyun said in a low voice. "If all else fails, we must destroy Yongfeng Warehouse, but we absolutely cannot let it fall into Linghuye's hands."

Both Luo Liang and his nephew were taken aback.

“Vice Dean, Yongfeng Granary is called a granary, but it’s actually a large area that includes many warehouses, and it holds a huge amount of grain!”

“From the very first day we arrive, we must begin arranging this matter!” Zhang Qingyun’s eyes revealed a ruthless glint: “Whether it’s burning or poisoning, we cannot allow it to become an ally of the enemy! I will transfer a few people skilled in poisons from the White Tiger Brigade to help you.”

"Understood!" Luo Ying took a deep breath. "But Vice Dean, the grain in Yongfeng Granary isn't just for the army; it's also supplying the surrounding people!"

"Strike at the last minute!" Zhang Qingyun said. "I'm saying it's a last resort!"

The eagle spread its wings and took off, carrying away some arrangements for things in Chang'an.

Take over Shu, then empty Chang'an.

This was a strategy that Li Dachui had planned in advance.

Given the current situation, Li Dachui doesn't believe Wei Zhengdao can hold Chang'an indefinitely. Even if it weren't for Linghu Ye, other forces and powerful figures would have breached Chang'an.

Of course, it seems that Linghuye still has the best chance right now.

Chang'an, the Wei Mansion.

Since the sudden deaths of the Emperor and Crown Prince Li Tai, Wei Zhengdao has almost stopped going to the government offices in the capital to work.

Because whenever he returned there, he would involuntarily recall the scene on the day Li Anmin died, and the image of Yiming shoveling meat sauce into the cart.

This made him dizzy and nauseous.

So unless absolutely necessary, he doesn't want to set foot in that area again.

Since he didn't go to the Grand Secretary's Office in the capital, the Wei residence became a must-visit place for officials.

Because the Chief Minister of the Imperial Guard, who controls Chang'an, is now working from home.

He Bing hurriedly rode over, dismounted, and went straight inside. The guards at the gate did not dare to stop him; instead, they had to take care of his horse.

Although He Bing's status was not as high as Kou Zhong's, that was in relation to Wei Zhengdao.

To others, He Bing remains an unapproachable figure.

He Bing marched straight in, and along the way, officials coming and going all bowed to him. Occasionally, high-ranking officials dressed in purple would also cautiously bow to him when they saw him.

"Prime Minister, I have just received a message from the Black Ice Guard's secret agents through special channels." He Bing stepped into the hall, not bothering to avoid the dozen or so officials listening to Wei Zhengdao's instructions, and said loudly, "Wu De, Zhang Songlin has taken Sichuan, Tang Yin has been killed, and Prince Ji Li Shen, the bandit leader Tang Xiaofeng, and others have all been captured alive."

With a crash, chairs and stools fell to the ground, startling everyone in the room, who stood up and stared at He Bing with expressions of disbelief.

They certainly knew that Wu De had led his troops into Sichuan, but how long had it been? How had he managed to conquer the formidable Jianmen Pass and then take over Sichuan?
Is it that easy?
"Really?" Wei Zhengdao's voice changed slightly, not from surprise, but from delight.

"really!"

"really?"

"really!"

(End of this chapter)