After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 865 - 851: Spy

At that time, Liu He hurriedly fled Pingyang with the imperial family and courtiers, being chased all the way to Zhongyang County in the West River Country, where he gathered an army of fifty thousand. He then ordered the five Xiongnu tribes to aid the king.

Although the main elite forces had gone with Liu Cong to attack the Jin State, the five tribes could still muster a considerable number of troops by squeezing together, and some followed orders to aid the king.

Coupled with the forces of some subordinate generals commanding troops outside, Liu He eventually gathered an army of one hundred and fifty thousand.

Of course, this number of men was still no match for the large army under Liu Cong’s command. Liu Cong, as the Southern Expedition Marshal, embarked on this expedition to destroy the Jin State, so all the troops in the world were at his disposal, directly leading an army of two hundred thousand back then.

Even with losses, at that moment he still had an army of one hundred and fifty thousand to oppose Liu He.

Fifteen hundred thousand against fifteen hundred thousand, yet Liu Cong’s forces were elite, whereas Liu He had few capable fighters.

But he held the advantage of noble reputation; he was the Prince of Xiongnu!

As soon as the news of Liu Yuan’s death in Pingyang City spread, he immediately ascended as the new emperor in the West River Country, proclaimed the news to the world, and both Liu Cong and Shi Le expressed their obedience.

During his flight, he was terrified by Zhao Hanzhang, so as soon as he settled down in the West River Country, he wanted to stay there, build high walls, defend directly, and then ordered Liu Cong to bring the large army back; he didn’t want to fight the Jin State anymore. After all, the Emperor Jin had been captured by them, so returning now wouldn’t result in a loss; reclaiming their capital Pingyang City was more urgent.

Therefore, by the time Ming Yu and Wu Erlang arrived in the West River Country, Liu He had already settled in Zhongyang County of the West River Country, and he had directly gathered over twenty thousand civilians to build a palace.

Indeed, his first action after ascending the throne wasn’t centralizing power or counterattacking Pingyang, but wanting to build a large palace in the Zhongyang County where he was temporarily residing.

As a caravan coming from the Central Plains bringing so many scarce commodities, Wu Erlang didn’t even have to think of a way to connect with Huyan You; as soon as they entered the city, their goods were confiscated.

Claiming there were anomalies, they were suspected of being spies from the Jin State, and all the goods they brought were confiscated.

At that moment, not only Wu Erlang but even Ming Yu felt a chill down their backs, thinking they would die before succeeding, having exposed themselves prematurely.

It turned out the Xiongnu merely confiscated their goods without arresting them, Ming Yu quickly realized this was just an excuse to strong-arm and seize their goods.

He didn’t intervene but had Wu Erlang hint to the other party that they had more valuable goods coming later and that they knew a house servant of Huyan You, and some gifts this time were meant for Huyan You; they were there to do business, and as long as the trade routes could be opened, they would continuously bring more treasures from the Central Plains.

Upon hearing they were acquainted with a house servant of Huyan You, the soldiers who captured them didn’t dare be too harsh, but neither did they immediately return their goods, instead escorting them to the Huyan Mansion to verify.

Wu Erlang was terrified because this was really just an excuse.

He paled and looked at Ming Yu.

Ming Yu maintained a calm demeanor and gave Wu Erlang a reassuring glance, and while waiting for the house servant from the Huyan Mansion, he subtly indicated Wu Erlang’s chest with his gaze.

Wu Erlang instantly understood, recalling the item in his chest and exhaled a slight sigh of relief.

The house servant of Huyan You came out with a frown, and before he could speak, Wu Erlang immediately approached him, quickly retrieved something from his chest and stuffed it into his hand, smiling obsequiously, "General, the small Buddha of gold and the strings of pearls General Huyan requested last time have been found; only while entering the city..."

He glanced at the soldiers, leaving the rest unsaid, but the house servant understood.

The house servant lowered his eyes to look at the crystal-clear glass bead in his hand, which was as large as a child’s fist, reflecting various colors of red, green, and purple.

It was the first time the house servant had seen such a treasure, and he was momentarily captivated, but he quickly regained his composure, suppressing his inner excitement, and calmly returned Wu Erlang’s gaze, "Is this the golden Buddha and pearls the general requested?"

Seeing the house servant so fond of this glass bead, Wu Erlang had a flash of insight and promptly said, "Yes, everything as the general requested, besides the golden Buddha and pearls, there is also glass from Yu State."

Hearing there was glass, the house servant’s expression relaxed with a smile, and he nodded, "Very well, wait on the side for the moment."

Wu Erlang immediately bowed his head and stood aside.

Only then did the house servant sternly face the soldiers who brought them and said, "This is the caravan from our General Mansion, how dare you intercept even the general’s caravan!"

Wu Erlang’s brow twitched as he thought of the goods they brought this time, feeling a twinge of pain, luckily having heeded Mr. Ming’s advice and left half outside; they were here to scout ahead.

Little did he know that the connections he had established before were of no use; the Xiongnu were too overbearing, seizing the goods from the original county as well as those from passing merchants.

After giving them a verbal lashing, the house servant directly dismissed the soldiers.

Wu Erlang quickly glanced at the steward waiting to one side and signaled to the soldiers, and the steward understood.

After the house servant led Wu Erlang and Ming Yu inside, the steward chased after those soldiers, pulling out the money pouch and stuffing it into the lead soldier’s hand, nodding and bowing, "Brothers, please excuse us; our family head also needs to show face to the general. This time, we’ve caused you trouble."

The soldier felt the money pouch, opened it, and inside was a handful of Zhao Family’s new currency; shaking it revealed it was quite a sum, and his face brightened further.

He nodded, "We are just following orders, as long as your master doesn’t blame us."

"How could we blame you, how can we," the steward smiled ingratiatingly, "we merchants understand best the hardship of you brothers guarding the city; with so many coming and going each day, it’s all thanks to you maintaining order and ensuring safety."

The soldier’s expression further improved, breaking into a smile, "It must be hard for you merchants too, with so many bandits on the roads, it can’t be easy, right?"

"Indeed," the steward took the opportunity to lament, "thanks to the general’s favor, most places are passable, but outside is chaotic, always some unruly people, so we too live with our heads on the line. Entering and exiting the city gates requires greasing palms, we only make enough for a rough meal."

The soldier pondered.

The steward reached into his pocket, retrieving a small glass bead and placing it into his hand, whispering, "To be honest, the appointments from above can’t be skimped, but neither should those below be neglected, as it’s the people below who work hardest..."

The soldier glanced down at the glass bead, held it in his palm, and nodded, "Precisely."

The steward sighed with relief, smiling, "Then please brothers, be lenient in the future, we merchants will rely on your understanding."

The soldier agreed. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Having greased the palms of those guarding the city gates, it would be much easier for those left outside to come in later; it was far more economical than trying to bribe the house servants of the General Mansion.

This time, the house servant directly selected most of what they brought, leaving only minor odds and ends for Wu Erlang, and even so, they were able to meet Huyan You.