knife

Chapter 48 Shall I treat you to dinner?
The term "Baopingzhou" refers to the terrain.

The Qingshui River and the Juma River, the two most important rivers outside the pass, converge here. The two rivers meander and twist, and the large area of ​​fertile land between them resembles a bottle, hence the name Baoping Prefecture.

Baoping City was built at the confluence of two rivers, taking full advantage of water transport. It was the most important hub for ships coming and going from outside the pass.

With its developed water transport industry and fertile land, Baoping Prefecture was undoubtedly the third largest power outside the pass.

The military bigwig Linghu Ye, the innate master Zhou Zhi from Tai'an City, and Yan Sheng from Baoping Prefecture.

Ranking third speaks volumes about its strength.

Yan Sheng himself was only a Xuan Yuan Rank 8, but because he was rich, he had gathered a large number of experts under his command. More importantly, he had a naval force that was unique in the entire area outside the Great Wall.

The hundreds of warships, large and small, were no joke. The real mastermind behind these two waterways was none other than this Yan Sheng.

Among the people who make a living on the Qinghe River and the Juma River, who doesn't give Yan Sheng a share of the money?
Even the great general Linghu Ye from beyond the Great Wall treated him with great courtesy.

When Yan Sheng went to Tai'an City, he was also a guest of Zhou Zhi.

As the commercial center of the entire area outside the pass, the importance of the waterways of these two rivers to Tai'an City is self-evident.

Li Dachui's motive for wanting to harm Yan Sheng is crystal clear.

He didn't want to be held hostage by Yan Sheng.

After all, if Yan Sheng is not happy, the trading of bulk commodities in Tai'an City will be in big trouble.

In the past two years, Yan Sheng has been very envious of the booming business of Tai'an City and is planning to build Baoping City into a second trading center to compete with Tai'an City. Because of the convenience of water transportation, the chances of success are extremely high.

What can one gain by getting involved in this mess?

Why would I become Li Dachui's henchman for no reason?
Moreover, if Li Dachui were to actually gain control of Baoping Prefecture, his power would expand further, which would not benefit him at all.

Xiao Changche squinted at Li Dachui. Since the other party had come here, he must know that he couldn't be persuaded on his own and must have something to rely on. He wanted to see what the other party's reliance was.
Li Dachui pulled a map from his pocket and spread it out on the floor between the two of them.

Xiao Changche glanced at it once, then stood up and squatted down on the floor to examine the map carefully.

There are three points on the map: Baoping City, Tai'an City, and my own Yuan'an City.

Between the three cities, the main roads, mountains, rivers, villages, and towns are marked with exceptional clarity.

The key point is that it is many times more detailed than the military maps I have.

As a military commander, Xiao Changche certainly knew what a detailed map meant to the army.

Li Dachui also squatted down, his finger landing on the location of Baoping City, drawing a line with Yuan'an City as the endpoint.

"See? If Yan Sheng has ill intentions towards you, he can travel by water from Bao Ping City and get behind you in a day and a night. Then you'll be in big trouble!"

"Why did Yan Sheng attack me?" Xiao Changche asked dismissively.

Li Dachui chuckled: "You're not naive enough to think that Yan Sheng, this local tycoon, is unconditionally supporting you, are you? Why can't he take action against you?"

"If this convinces you, then you can leave now!" Xiao Changche said calmly.

Ignoring the other party's order to leave, Li Dachui continued, "If one day you wage war against the Northern Yuan, and your army marches deep into Yuan territory, and Yan Sheng sends troops from Baoping City, even if your Yuan'an City can be defended, what about your people outside the city? What about your transportation lines? What about your supply lines?"

“You still haven’t said why Yan Sheng would attack me?” Xiao Changche asked. Li Dachui looked up, staring into Xiao Changche’s eyes, and said, “I have received definite information that Tiele will arrive in Baoping City in a month. His purpose in coming here is to persuade Yan Sheng to secretly join the Northern Yuan and become a spy for the Northern Yuan, so that he can play the greatest role when they need him.”

"Nonsense!" Xiao Changche didn't believe it at all: "If the Tiele really went to Baoping City, the people who would know this news would definitely be the most core circle of the Northern Yuan. Would these people leak the news? How could you get such top-secret information?"

"Why not?" Li Dachui said leisurely, "The Northern Yuan Emperor has three sons. The eldest son serves the emperor and has been fighting against the Hu tribes who are moving north and south for the past few years. He is the bravest in the Northern Yuan. The third son is stationed in Yandu, ensuring logistics for both fronts and also taking care of the security of the entire Northern Yuan. He is both brave and resourceful. The second son, Tiele, has deployed heavy troops along the Qingtongxia and Yezhuling line. In the past two years, even with the main force of the Northern Yuan absent, he has still managed to suppress Linghu Ye, causing Linghu Ye's idea of ​​taking advantage of the situation to come to nothing."

At this point, Xiao Changche understood what the other person meant. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room a few times: "You mean, you already have someone infiltrated the Northern Yuan royal family, and this news came from there?"

"I can also tell you that this message was deliberately sent out by someone. My people aren't exactly infiltrators, but the other party is very clever. They guessed that he was related to me, so they wanted to use me to see if they could take down Tiele!" Li Dachui laughed. "That guy was just taking a shot in the dark. Anyway, if they wanted to investigate afterward, they wouldn't be able to find him, and someone else would definitely take the fall!"

"Now that you put it that way, I'm starting to believe you!" Xiao Changche took a deep breath. "I've roughly guessed who you're talking about. Yingzhuo is getting old, and for the sake of the stability of the Northern Yuan, he will definitely determine his successor in the next few years. The competition between royal families has always been fierce; the winner takes all, while the loser dies without a burial place. Right now, the Yuan Kingdom has achieved a great victory over the Hu tribes in the north, which is a good opportunity to determine its successor."

“Indeed, I think it’s impossible that Tiele’s offer to surrender to Yan Sheng was a recent event. It must have been brewing for a long time. This time, Tiele’s visit is probably to finalize the matter and offer Yan Sheng a good price. If Yan Sheng openly raises his banner and surrenders to the Northern Yuan, the position of heir will probably be his.”

Xiao Changche paced back and forth in the room, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

If Yan Shengzhen were to defect to the Northern Yuan, then the area outside the Great Wall would be in danger.

"So, are you willing to do this job with me?" Li Dachui laughed. "One Tiele is worth more than the entire Baoping Prefecture! If we kill him, there will be no one in the next generation of Beiyuan who can rival you and me. Wouldn't it be great to nip a powerful opponent in the bud? Moreover, we can also eliminate Yan Sheng in one fell swoop and remove a threat from our hearts."

Xiao Changche glanced at the other man sideways: "You certainly think highly of yourself. Are you also plotting in your heart when to kill me too?"

“If a young person can’t even be proud, what kind of ambition can they have? You’re in my plans, you’re my future partner. Look, that’s why I’ve come to find you,” Li Dachui said with a smile.

"That's because you can't do this alone, so you're trying to get me involved!" Xiao Changche wasn't fooled and scoffed at Li Dachui's claim. "How can you prove what you're saying is true?"

Li Dachui shrugged and said, "Since the intelligence is top secret, there's naturally no evidence. I can only guarantee with my integrity that Tiele will definitely appear in Baoping City, and that will be the best opportunity for us to make our move. People like Tiele don't have opportunities to strike at any time."

"Do you think I can trust your character?" Xiao Changche sneered.

Li Dachui looked aggrieved: "What you're saying is really hurtful. Three years ago, when you were chasing Astu, you only sent me a message. I mobilized all my elite troops and held off that guy Wutu for you."

"No one gets up early for nothing, you've got your eye on those tens of thousands of young men, women and children that Wutu has abducted!" Xiao Changche said angrily. "And don't put on this act in front of me."

Li Dachui immediately said seriously, "No matter what, it's worth a try, isn't it? Your lifelong wish is to destroy the Northern Yuan. A dead Tiele will make your future path smoother, while a living Tiele will add more difficulties."

“Your plan is for us to launch a surprise attack on Baozhou City. Tiele is an extremely cautious person. Under such circumstances, he will definitely not stay in such a dangerous place. He will leave immediately and will not take too many men with him.” Xiao Changdao said, “The two of us will then attack him from outside.”

Li Dachui gave the other party a thumbs up: "Tiele stays in Baozhou City, so we can't touch him. If we push him too far, he'll reveal his identity in a place like Baoping City, making it harder for us to kill him. But if he doesn't want to be besieged by a large army, and doesn't want Yan Sheng, this pawn, to be exposed and arouse our suspicion, then he can only leave Baoping City quietly with a small entourage. That's our opportunity."

"The Tiele have vanished from this world without a sound." Xiao Changche's voice grew louder and louder: "The world does not know that he came to Baoping City, and naturally we will not admit that he came."

“A dead person, no matter how powerful or influential they were in the past, is dead. Those who are alive are most concerned with how to divide up what they left behind. As for investigating the truth, it seems unimportant. Once dead, they no longer have much value,” Li Dachui added.

"Afterwards, I want Baoping City!" Xiao Changche stared intently at Li Dachui: "You have Tai'an City, but my Yuan'an is a poor place. I need a source of living water."

"I want Yan Sheng's naval fleet!" Li Dachui said with a smile. "From now on, Tai'an City and Baoping City can be linked together, and together with your Yuan'an City, it will form an iron triangle. Within this triangle, our sphere of influence will be complete."

Xiao Changche looked down at the map on the ground and took a deep breath: "Deal. I suppose you've already drafted a plan, right?"

"Of course!" Li Dachui said, "Everything is ready, we just need the right opportunity!"

Xiao Changche flicked his toe, sending the map flying. He quickly rolled it up and tucked it into his belt, then stared at Li Dachui and said, "Now that everything is ready, aren't you going to make a move? What are you doing here? Waiting for me to treat you to dinner?"

(End of this chapter)