knife

Chapter 485 The Restless Chang'an

A full moon hung high in the sky. Although not many lights were on in the house, it did not hinder people from walking and doing their work.

The weather was unbearably hot. Even though the moon was high in the sky, the temperature hadn't dropped much. One really wanted to strip off all their clothes, but even being naked felt too hot. And when a breeze occasionally blew by, it was hot too.

The cicadas chirped incessantly in the trees, and the frogs croaked incessantly in the pond, their cacophony creating a somewhat irritating atmosphere. When someone walked by, the cicadas fell silent, while the frogs leaped high into the pond with a splash, then climbed onto a lotus leaf, watching the direction from which the person had come. Once the person had passed, the cicadas and frogs resumed their loud chorus.

Luo Ying pushed open the door, and a blast of cold air hit her face.

Several bowls of ice were placed inside, so the summer heat could only be avoided.

Zhang Qingyun, who was reading a document, did not look up. Very few people could enter the room and walk directly here, and Luo Ying was one of them.

"Sit down for a bit, I'll be done here soon!" Zhang Qingyun said.

Luo Ying nodded, walked to the side, poured herself a bowl of cold tea and gulped it down before moving a chair and sitting down opposite Zhang Qingyun.

The mountain of documents piled up on the large desk obscured half of Zhang Qingyun's face, only the upper half could be seen. Over the past year, Zhang Qingyun had clearly lost a lot of weight.

As Linghu Ye's army tightened its siege of Chang'an, Zhang Qingyun's workload noticeably increased.

Not only in Chang'an, but now the intelligence from the entire Shu region and Jiangnan, including the Zhi Qiu Academy and the Black Ice Platform, is almost all being gathered by Zhang Qingyun.

After finishing reviewing the documents in his hand, Zhang Qingyun looked up and asked, "Has Yao Zhen made up his mind?"

Luo Ying smiled and nodded: "Actually, I knew this guy would definitely agree to our request after the news of the great victory outside the pass came a few days ago."

"Water flows downhill, and people strive for higher positions!" Zhang Qingyun said, "Yao Zhen has probably been wavering between joining us and joining Linghu Ye. Now that Linghu Ye's army is approaching, his hesitation is understandable!"

Luo Ying chuckled: "However, after the news of the Northern Court's destruction of the Yuan Dynasty officially arrived, many hesitant people immediately became resolute in their stance. In a way, these people are quite farsighted, knowing that although Linghu Ye is nearby while we are far away, the future is on our side!"

Several days ago, the news that Beiting had officially destroyed the Yuan dynasty finally reached Chang'an through various channels.

Jebe's father and grandson died in battle, the Tiele couple burned themselves in Qingtongxia City, and Akdun surrendered. Thus, the Northern Yuan, which had once been a major threat to the Qin Dynasty, came to an end.

The Beiting Protectorate, Li Dachui, and Xiao Changche were renowned throughout the land.

For the people of Chang'an, this was a bittersweet piece of news.

The good news is that the Qin Dynasty's archenemy has finally fallen, and the one who destroyed the Yuan Kingdom was the Beiting Protectorate, which still regarded Chang'an as its master.

The worry is that this will inevitably lead Linghu Ye to intensify his attacks on Chang'an. They will not sit idly by and wait for the Beiting Protectorate to finish its reorganization and then march south. In the past, Beiting did not march south because of the Yuan people's interference, but now that the Beiting Protectorate has no worries about its rear, it will naturally march south to defend the emperor.

Linghu Ye will not give the Beiting Protectorate this opportunity.

Therefore, the decisive battle for Chang'an is about to begin.

“Yao Zhen still has five thousand elite troops; they're worth our effort!” Zhang Qingyun said. “He's willing to go to Lishan to fight as a guerrilla?”

“He was unwilling before because he couldn’t see any hope, but now he understands that the future of the Great Qin Dynasty rests on our Protector-General Li. Enduring temporary hardship is for the sake of a lasting and prosperous future, so of course he agreed to go. Moreover, with our arrangements, he will have no shortage of food, weapons, or intelligence once he enters the mountains. He can only hold out for two or three years at most. If he refuses, wouldn’t he be incredibly stupid?” Luo Ying laughed. “So as soon as Yao Zhen confirmed the news from beyond the Great Wall, he immediately came to me.”

"Then let's arrange for him to leave!" Zhang Qingyun said with a smile. "Let Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of War figure out the pretext for his departure!"

"Understood!" Luo Ying nodded. "However, Miss, you should go now. I still suggest you go to Sichuan! Sichuan is a safer place. Although we control Ning County, it is a dangerous place with many different forces involved."

“For us intelligence agents, places like this are where it’s easier to get truly useful intelligence!” Zhang Qingyun shook his head and said, “Sichuan is safe, but it’s far from the Central Plains and Jiangnan. Everything we do is a few steps slower. Time is sometimes the most precious thing. Once it’s missed, it can never be recovered. So you don’t need to say anything more about this. My mind is made up.”

“Since Miss has made up her mind, then I will arrange for your departure as soon as possible!” Luo Ying said. “In the next day or two, Linghu Ye’s vanguard will probably arrive soon! If we are too late, there will be danger!”

"Arrange for the others to leave first; I have other things to do!" Zhang Qingyun shook her head and said.

“Miss, there’s nothing left for you to risk your life for!” Luo Ying said. “We’ve already smoothed things over with the capable generals and officials we’ve chosen. We’ve also stationed troops in places around Chang’an that can hide soldiers, such as Lishan, Nanguan, Zhongnanshan, and Beizhongshan. Even if Linghu Ye enters Chang’an, our forces outside and inside the city can still keep them in a state of chaos and unrest. There’s really nothing left in Chang’an!”

“You’re wrong. There are still millions of people in Chang’an!” Zhang Qingyun said with a smile.

"Miss, the common people can't really help with our grand undertaking."

"How can we not help?" Zhang Qingyun said, "Popular support is the best thing."

Seeing Luo Ying's somewhat bewildered expression, Zhang Qingyun said, "We just received a top-secret order from the Zhi Qiu Academy headquarters, requiring us to make public the news that Protector Li is the posthumous son of the former Crown Prince Li Zemin at an appropriate time! Chang'an is the central hub of the country, a place where all sorts of people mingle, so it is naturally the best place for news to spread!"

"When will it be announced?" Luo Ying asked excitedly.

“Of course, we should let Linghu Ye and Wei Zhengdao fight for a while before making any decisions!” Zhang Qingyun said. “Before that, I plan to secretly contact some powerful figures. Although these people are not officially recognized, they actually wield considerable influence. Even after Linghu Ye enters the city, he will rely on them. If we can win them over, it will provide more assistance in the future recapture of Chang’an. I believe that the news that Protector Li is the posthumous son of the former crown prince will tempt these people.”

When are you leaving?

“Of course, when the city falls!” Zhang Qingyun said.

(End of this chapter)