People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 584 Contact cut off, tentative deal

The night wind was cold and the bamboo forest was rustling.

Qin Obtuse Jiaoqian stood at the window, lowered his head, and his eyes fell on a celadon vase on the window sill.

Looking down, at the bottom of the celadon vase, the edge of a small note was exposed.

Qin Obtuse Horn Gan stretched his fingers over naturally, his nails twirled lightly on the edge of the vase, the edge of the small note was immediately cut off, and then fell to the ground, Qin Obtuse Angle Gan immediately stepped on it and smashed it into pieces.

After finishing all this, Qin Obtuse Jiaoqian heaved a sigh of relief, raised his head, and his eyes fell on the entire courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, but there was a faint noise coming from the sky on the east side.

Taking a deep breath, Qin turned his head obtusely and looked at the bamboo forest by the small lake on the west side of the small courtyard, his gaze immediately tightened.

Then he turned his head to look at the entire small courtyard, pavilions, pavilions, carved railings and painted buildings.

Compared with Chang'an, Yangzhou's courtyard layout is more refined and meticulous.

The entire small courtyard seems to be empty, but in fact, in the depths of the bamboo forest, among the shadows of the pavilions, there are invisible hidden piles lurking everywhere.

These people, staring at Qin Duanjiaogan, also trapped him, preventing him from getting more information from the outside world, and the information he had already obtained could not be spread out, which made him more restless.

The King of Nanchang came to Yangzhou to raise troops to prepare for the war and was ready to reinforce the Anton Governor's Mansion. Now almost everyone in Yangzhou knows it.

However, the scale of the reinforcements, the duration, and the confidence of Datang, few people can say clearly,

Qin Dujiaogan came all the way from Chang'an. Although there were many people on the road, Qin Dujiaogan didn't have the chance to contact anyone at all. Even if others approached a little, they would be chased away by the secret Qianniuwei.

There are Jinwu Guards in the open, and Qianniu Guards in secret. They came to Yangzhou under many isolations.

Qin Obtuse Jiaoqian immediately understood that the Yangzhou Navy was also one of the main forces mobilized by the King of Nanchang during his trip.

To go to Silla, the best route is to start from Dengju on the northern line, go northeast, then turn southeast when the wind is down, and finally land in Incheon.

The king of Nanchang did not go directly to Dengzhou, but turned to Yangzhou. The reason for this may be that he had to join Jin Renwen, Duke of Linhai County.

Jin Renwen, the younger brother of King Wenwu of Silla, is the person who knows Silla the most in the entire Tang Dynasty.

If he went to East Island with King Nanchang this time, then even though Silla had already taken many countermeasures against Jin Renwen's betrayal, Jin Renwen knew more, not to mention that he had many old minions in Silla.

The king of Nanchang went to Silla, how many troops, how many warships, and the size of the entire reinforcement army. These are things that must be clarified quickly, and then the news will be quickly sent back to Silla.

Only in this way can the king make the most correct decision.

But by chance, all connections between Qin Obtuse Angle Gan and the outside world were cut off.

His eyes fell under the porcelain bottle again.

……

With a sound of "squeak", the door was pushed open, and Su Baotong walked in holding a wooden tray with a few simple but delicate dishes on it.

Seeing that the food was placed on the table, Qin bluntly smiled a little embarrassingly, and said, "Today's food looks more substantial than last night."

Su Baotong raised his head and looked at Qin Dujiaogan coldly, until Qin Dujiaogan's words were all suppressed, and then he said lightly: "This is the leftover food from the banquet in the backyard. The prince asked me to bring it to you, because there is no need to worry about poisoning in these dishes."

This is something that others have eaten, so you don't have to worry about being poisoned easily.

But it is also the things that others have eaten that are more likely to be poisoned.

Seeing Qin Obtuse's cautious look, Su Baotong sneered disdainfully, and said, "Don't worry, we are more afraid of your death than you. If you die, we will lose a very useful chess piece when we arrive in Silla."

After finishing speaking, Su Baotong turned around and left without hesitation.

Qin blunt horn looked at the porcelain bowl in front of him, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, his expression became more and more worried.

Because what Su Baotong said was right, under the current situation, Datang did not want to see him die.

On the contrary, his former allies are likely to become the ones who really kill him.

As long as he dies, there will be no turning point between Datang and Silla.

……

In front of the courtyard gate of the outer courtyard, Su Baotong told Li Xuan all the conversations he had with Qin Dujiaogan.

Li Xuan nodded slightly, and said, "Pass the word, anyone who approaches here and tries to inquire about the information inside must register their names, and anyone who breaks in, regardless of who comes, will be shot to death."

"Here!" Su Baotong's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly agreed.

Li Xuan waved his hand, Su Baotong retreated immediately.

Turning around, Li Xuan walked towards her other courtyard, but she was thinking lightly in her eyes.

Qin's blunt horned emotions have been pulled extremely, and now at this time, he needs a hole for him to release.

That is to let him connect with the Silla people in Yangzhou's hidden stake.

As for how to get in touch, Li Xuan only needs to let go of her hands a little bit, and the Silla people will send the letter in immediately.

But we can’t do that, we have to wait, until the day after tomorrow, or the evening of the day.

While thinking about it, Li Xuan had already returned to the gate of the side courtyard where she lived, and saw an acquaintance wandering in front of the gate at this time, wearing a dark official robe, this person was Shen Zhuang, a Yangzhou resident Cao Canjun Shen Zhuang.

Seeing Li Xuan, Shen Zhuang immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands: "I have seen the prince."

Li Xuan replied with some surprise: "Brother Shen, why is it you?"

You know, Li Xuan and Shen Zhuang had only met each other at the welcome banquet before, so why did he come looking for them as soon as they left.

Shen Zhuang said with some embarrassment: "At first I wanted to chat with the prince, but I didn't expect that the prince had disappeared in a blink of an eye."

"I see." Li Xuan nodded gently, stretched out her hand and said, "Brother Shen, if there is anything, let's talk inside."

"Here!" Shen Zhuang followed behind Li Xuan, turned around and entered the small courtyard.

Standing at the gate of the small courtyard were four Jinwu guards, holding long spears, with solemn expressions. Without Li Xuan, no one else could easily enter it.

Shen Zhuang glanced at the four of them, and then entered the small courtyard.

Between pavilions, terraces and pavilions, among rockery and waterside pavilions, one can see shadows standing quietly everywhere.

This is the whistle.

There are many other secret whistles hidden in places where his eyes can't see.

Seeing this scene, Shen Zhuang couldn't help but tense up in his heart.

When Nanchang King came to Yangzhou last time, the guards were not so strict.

Along a gravel road, Shen Zhuang followed Li Xuan into the middle hall of the backyard.

After entering the room, Li Xuan asked Shen Zhuang to take a seat. Just as Li Xuan was about to speak, Shen Zhuang said first: "Although the Governor's Mansion is safe, it is still a bit small. The prince still remembers that he has another courtyard in Yangzhou, which is much bigger than here."

Seeing Shen Zhuang's aggressive eyes, Li Xuan was slightly taken aback, and then said calmly: "Brother Shen, I really forgot, but it seems to be a bit remote, in the southeastern suburbs."

"That's right." Shen Zhuang nodded his head slightly, and his face suddenly became clear, and he finally understood why Li Xuan never went to that manor house.

For the current county king like Li Xuan, his own safety is extremely important.

For ordinary people, dozens or hundreds of guards are enough to ward off all prying targets, but for a current county king like Li Xuan, if someone really wants to kill him, it would not be surprising to use hundreds of soldiers with crossbow chariots.

The more you are outside the city, the more likely this kind of thing will happen, but the more you are inside the city, the less likely it is, or even almost zero.

After all, once it appears, it will immediately shock everyone, even if someone wants to cover it up, it will be too late.

"Understood, I will give the prince another one tomorrow... No, I will give him another courtyard, which is in the city." Shen Zhuang's stingy head finally had a flash of inspiration.

Li Xuan smiled, stretched out her hand to invite Shen Zhuang to drink tea, and at the same time asked directly: "Brother Shen, what's the matter, why not just tell me."

Shen Zhuang hesitated a little, but seeing Li Xuan's indifferent expression, he finally said: "To tell you the truth, the Shen family still has a few trade routes in Silla. I want to ask for advice. If I go east with the army this time, I wonder if I can gain anything?"

Li Xuan's movements stopped suddenly, and she narrowed her eyes slightly to look at Shen Zhuang, the cold eyes flashed away in the depths of her eyes.

Immediately, Li Xuan said calmly: "I'm afraid it's not very safe to go out on a boat in winter?"

"It is because of insecurity that we can gain." Shen Zhuang looked at Li Xuan solemnly.

Li Xuan looked at Shen Zhuang seriously, and said in a deep voice: "Brother Shen, the court war is an extremely confidential matter, if because of the Shen family, Silla is prepared in advance, then the consequences..."

"Don't worry, my lord. People in the Shen family are strict with their mouths. They won't say a single word that shouldn't be said. As for those who are not strict with their mouths, they have already been thrown into the sea." Shen Zhuang's eyes were extremely serious.

Li Xuan whispered on the table quietly, then looked at Shen Zhuang, and said: "The army has always been fierce and dangerous. Even if it is as strong as the Duke of Pingyang, there will be a defeat in Dafeichuan. In the war between our dynasty and Silla, although we have won more than we lost over the years, there are always unfortunate things. If the Shen family really wants to do this business, they must be prepared to lose money."

Shen Zhuang pondered over every word Li Xuan said, and his face was still puzzled, but he didn't ask further, but stood up, cupped his hands at Li Xuan, and said, "Thank you, my lord, for reminding me, I understand."

Li Xuan looked at Shen Zhuang with a bit of a smile, and said: "Brother Shen, it's best if you really understand. If you don't understand, you might as well go and see how many soldiers are recruited by the Yangzhou Guard in your government office. These are all determined by the imperial court. After all, Brother Shen, as the governor of Yangzhou, should know these things."

Hearing what Li Xuan said, Shen Zhuang immediately cupped his hands and said: "The manor title deed is understood to be sent to the manor outside the city, and my subordinates will leave."

"Brother Shen, go slowly!" Li Xuan cupped his hands slightly, and sent Shen Zhuang to the door of the room, but not to the door of the other courtyard.

At this moment, behind Li Xuan, a voice sounded: "It has been heard that the Yangzhou Shen family used the imperial army as a cover to do business with the Silla Wa state. It seems that I am not deceiving!"

Yu Ze walked out from the house inside Li Xuan's, then looked towards the place where Shen Zhuang disappeared, and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Shen family can find these things by themselves, why do you still ask?"

"Of course I can smell it." Li Xuan sighed softly, went back to the room and sat down, then looked at Yu Ze and said, "Although the people don't know about the imperial court's withdrawal of troops this winter, the high officials in the court and the opposition are all aware of it; what's more, Yangzhou is not far from Silla, and some clues have already been seen by others, so now that Chaodong Island has undergone such a big change, they naturally have to pay attention."

The Shen family's business is very extensive. From the Silla Wa country to Champa, Chenla and other countries, they have stable business routes, and they have already made a lot of money in these years.

"Aside from the battle between Datang and Silla, I am afraid that before Datang withdrew, the Shen family had already made the next business arrangements with some people in Silla. But now that the war is raging again, they can't grasp the situation clearly, so they naturally want to come to explore the way, but there is always no certainty in the army, how can victory or defeat be determined first." Li Xuan couldn't help shaking her head.

War is no more than those games where you can't see any activities. If you make a mistake, the whole army will be wiped out immediately.

Shen Zhuang asked Li Xuan, but how could Li Xuan know the outcome of this battle.

"Then the lord said that just now?" Yu Ze could not understand Li Xuan's methods more and more now.

Li Xuan shook her head slightly, and said calmly: "I just reminded him that this trip to the east will still encounter risks, how big the risks are, I will tell you the truth, but there are some things, once people's minds have made up their minds, no matter what others say, they will always think in that direction, and this is the case in front of them."

After finishing speaking, Li Xuan turned around and said, "Let's go, let's study how many of these aristocratic families in the southeast are related to Prince Yin."

(End of this chapter)