knife

Chapter 359 Finding Opportunities in Both Sides
Every choice comes with a price.

No matter who you are or how high your status is.

Moreover, the choices of people in higher positions have a much greater impact than those of ordinary people, so the price they have to pay is naturally much higher.

Akton is an example of this.

In order to win the support of the Rindo family in the South Camp and the Xifeng family in the North Camp, he offered the condition of a three-king council that Rindo Chung and Xifeng Keqin could not refuse.

As he wished.

Forced to flee to Zhen Ding, Jebe, who had retreated from the southern border, did not even return to Yandu. Instead, he spurred his horse and headed north.

He has indeed secured his position as emperor.

However, the price he paid was enough to severely damage him.

Moreover, it wasn't just Akodun who was injured, but the entire Yuan Dynasty.

After returning home, Li Zhun, a high-ranking official of the Yuan Dynasty, fell ill. Already very old, he could not hold on and died.

The political structure of the Great Yuan Dynasty was built by Li Zhun, Ying Zhuo, and others over a lifetime. Just as it had stabilized and the Great Yuan Dynasty was growing stronger day by day, it collapsed with the death of Ying Zhuo.

People like Le Jun didn't really care who became emperor.

It doesn't matter who takes the position!

As long as a stable political situation can be maintained, and the Yuan Dynasty can improve day by day, that's enough.

But things went counterproductive.

The Yuan Dynasty reversed the course of history.

Decades of hard work were destroyed in an instant.

Li Zhun is dead.

Yelü Chongguang resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown.

Although Shi Xian did not resign, he kept his mouth shut from then on. When asked, he would just say "okay, okay, okay" or "fine, fine." If you wanted him to give any opinions, he would just shake his head.

Even more amazing was that Miao De escaped.

He took his family and rushed off to Zhengding.

This was undoubtedly a great thing for the Tiele, but a huge blow to Akdun.

Because of Miao De, Akdun carried out a frenzied purge of the former Qin people in Yandu and other areas under his rule, which directly led to more of them fleeing to the Tiele.

Zhou Yi was not lying when he said that things were very bad in Yandu.

That round of fighting did not last long, but it caused immense damage to the area surrounding Yandu.

In particular, the loss of control over the Beidaying camp dealt a devastating blow to the area surrounding Yandu.

The northern barbarians who had just submitted were settled around Yandu. The original plan was to use the strong military force around Yandu to suppress these unruly people. However, when the war broke out, the Eastern Camp launched a fierce attack on Yandu, while the Northern and Southern Camps retreated into their camps to prepare to reap the benefits. Meanwhile, the guys in the Northern Camp took the opportunity to leave the camp and began to plunder.

What started as small-scale probing eventually escalated into organized robbery.

Only after Jebe returned north did these people leave with the loot they had seized.

In order to preserve their strength, both Tiele and Akdun watched helplessly as these people left.

Looking at Zhou Yi's appearance, Tiele couldn't help but say, "Judging from your smug look, you must have made a fortune back in Yandu, right?"

Zhou Yi couldn't help but laugh and nodded repeatedly, "Five times the profit, five times the profit this year, and it's still last year's grain. Your Majesty, this time, I've helped you empty Aktun's treasury even more."

Tiele spat, "I've never seen such a shameless person."

Yandu was short of food, so Beiting sold grain there. Akedun dared not offend the Beiting Protectorate and would certainly not do something like embezzling grain without paying.

This is the same reason why I don't want to offend the Beiting Protectorate.

Because whichever side the Beiting Protectorate sides sides with and which alliance it forms, the other side will inevitably suffer a disastrous outcome.

Ultimately, this resulted in both sides being extorted by the Beiting Protectorate.

"If you bring your grain here, I can give you five times the profit," Tiele said calmly. "The condition is that you can no longer do business with them!"

Zhou Yi chuckled and said, "Your Majesty is putting me in a difficult position. As you know, our chieftain is a kind-hearted man. How can we bear to see so many people starve to death because they have nothing to eat? Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. So the grain still needs to be sent to Yandu. Your Majesty, are the people there also your people? One day, you will fight your way back to Yandu to destroy that patricide and usurper."

Tiele sighed deeply. These words would have been inspiring to anyone else, but coming from the mouth of someone from the Beiting Protectorate, they were nauseating. To believe they wanted the Yuan Dynasty to be unified again was like believing pigs could fly.

The portly Headmaster Zhou before us travels between Beiting, Yandu, and Zhengding. His only task is probably to ensure that neither Yandu nor Zhengding can do anything to the other, and that the stalemate continues indefinitely.

When Miao De fled to their place, it was these people who carried out the operation.

Now that Yandu is facing a food shortage, they are immediately rushing to transport grain there, fearing that Akdun's strength has fallen too much and they will be able to deal with him.

"Where has my cousin gone all this time? Why hasn't he appeared at the Beiting Protectorate?" Tiele asked.

“Your Majesty is well-informed, there’s no need to ask me! To be honest, I’ve been traveling around and I really don’t know where my family has been protected!” Zhou Yi said, spreading his hands.

"Really? Then let me tell you, Li Dachui has entered the pass and fled to Chang'an!" Tiele stared at Zhou Yi and said, "The latest news is that Emperor Li Anmin of Chang'an is dead, Kou Zhong, the Grand Administrator of the Black Ice Terrace, is dead, and even Crown Prince Li Tai of Qin is dead!"

Zhou Yi blinked, looking at Tiele with an innocent expression: "Your Majesty, I really don't know what this has to do with my Protector-General."

"My intuition tells me that all of this is related to Li Dachui, that jinx!" Tiele said bitterly. "Wherever he goes, he brings death and bloodshed, and those he kills are all people who could be called heroes in this world!"

Zhou Yi shook his head like a peddler's drum: "Impossible, impossible! The people you mentioned, Your Majesty, are all innate masters. Whether it's Kou Zhong or Li Anmin, none of them are people our family's protectors can defeat."

"When has Li Dachui ever killed anyone with a real sword? It's always been a scheme!" Tiele roared. "Just you wait and see. This kind of thing can't be hidden for long. The truth will eventually come out. He's made such a mess of our Northern Yuan, and now he's gone to Chang'an to cause trouble. When is he planning to march into the Central Plains?"

"No, no!" Zhou Yi said earnestly, "Your Majesty, the Northern Yuan Rebellion had absolutely nothing to do with us. We even lost many people trying to save you out of consideration for our kinship! As for letting Zhebie return north, that was a decision we made under the circumstances. If you were in our shoes, wouldn't you have done the same?"

Since the other party refused to acknowledge it, Tiele had no recourse.

Speculation can never be used as evidence.

Even if there is evidence, given the current situation, there is nothing I can do but laugh it off.

He casually picked up a document from the side and tossed it to Zhou Yi, saying, "I need these things. I want them by next spring. You can name your price, but don't go overboard."

Upon opening the document, Zhou Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, cotton, hemp, oil, salt, and iron have always been strictly controlled supplies by the Northern Protectorate. You've asked for far too much; I can't possibly provide it!"

Tiele glared at him, and Zhou Yi smiled awkwardly: "It's not that it's impossible, but it will take some time, and the price will definitely be much higher than the regular price. Right now, the interior is in chaos, and caravans have almost stopped. Without goods coming from the interior, our Beiting Protectorate alone really can't raise the quantity you need. It will take time to collect them."

"Is it also five times the price?"

"No, no, no, that was the price I paid to Aktun. Yours is much lower, much lower!" Zhou Yi chuckled and stuffed the document into his pocket.

"Anything else?"

“Yes, this time when we came from Beiting, Valley Master Fu brought the princess a box of health-preserving pills, as well as a letter from Senior Duanmu, which have already been given to Gao Qunshu!” Zhou Yi said, “Valley Master Fu said that one health-preserving pill should be taken per day.”

"Please thank Master Fu for me. Also, next time you see Attila, tell him that I desperately need him here. As long as he's willing to come back, he can name his own terms!" Tiele said. "Also, did Granny Duanmu say when she can come back?"

"Senior Duanmu is recovering very quickly. She originally planned to return to Zhen Ding to spend the New Year with the princess, but she heard that two great Dao masters from within the pass were about to arrive at Changchun Valley. Their cultivation methods would also be very helpful to Senior Duanmu, so Valley Master Fu decided to keep Senior Duanmu here. It is estimated that Senior Duanmu should be fully recovered by March!"

"That's good, that's good!" Tiele was finally relieved.

Without top-tier military support, he always felt uneasy.

There is Phagpa in Akdun.

After leaving the so-called temporary palace of the Tiele in Zhen Ding Prefecture, Zhou Yi turned back to look at Gao Qunshu, who was standing in front of the gate smiling and seeing him off, and he also smiled and waved.

When he turned around, the smile on his face disappeared.

"Immediately give the order to investigate thoroughly whether the Tiele are making any deals with Jebe."

Why does the dean think that way?

"The list of supplies that Tiele gave me requires is too much. Zhen Ding doesn't need that much, so I suspect that he's planning to use these things as a stepping stone to establish a relationship with Jebe. The north is getting colder and colder. No matter how resistant the barbarians are to the cold, they are no match for God in the end."

"If the Tiele and Jebe join forces, the balance in the north could be broken! Why don't we just stop supplying them?"

"Why not supply them?" Zhou Yi glared. "If it's confirmed that they were indeed prepared for Jebe, we can ask Tiele for more money. We're not afraid he won't give it to us. Then we can think of other ways! Guan Shan and the others are very free right now."

The attendants chuckled.

Who is Guan Shan?

The leader of the Eagle Bandits.

Many of the best members of the Azure Dragon Brigade are now with him, and the Eagle Bandits have expanded extremely rapidly over the past year.

(End of this chapter)