"It's true that the Transportation Office can mobilize few cavalrymen, and I'm not afraid of them, but if they are not handled properly, these people will also bring big trouble to the Manufacturing Bureau!" Yan Liqiang said as he put away the Shuiyun Order again and put it into the lining. He let out a long breath in his heart, thinking secretly that the Mind Snake was really terrifying. It looked useless when it was not used, but once it was used, this small Mind Snake might be better than thousands of troops. If there was no Mind Snake this time, his conversation with Fu Changde would probably be a different matter, that is, it was purely a business. But with the Mind Snake, everything was different. Yan Liqiang was secretly glad that he made the right choice of Mind Snake. "My idea is that if the Transportation Office dares to send them out, I will annihilate them before they enter Pingxi County, and fight to show the prestige of the Manufacturing Bureau and the New Qiyun Protectorate, so that no one will dare to stretch their claws towards the Manufacturing Bureau in the future!"
"Will the imperial court and local authorities not intervene this time?"
"The court will not intervene. This matter seems to be a conflict between Jiang Tianhua and me, but behind it is the contest between Qiyun Guardian Office and the Transportation Office. The final root of the problem is still in the Imperial Capital City, which is a confrontation between Lin Qingtian and His Majesty the Emperor. I am now the Emperor's man, and Jiang Tianhua, the Northwest Transportation Envoy, and Lin Qingtian are very close. This time the Transportation Office took the initiative to cause trouble, which may be Lin Qingtian's intention. Lei Sitong and I have a good relationship now. Even if Lei Sitong will not help me in this matter, he will never stand on the side of the Transportation Office!"
"It's the traitor Lin Qingtian again!" Fu Changde gnashed his teeth, hatred in his eyes, "If it weren't for this traitor standing behind the Shatu people, the seven Shatu tribes wouldn't have been able to gain a foothold in the Gulang grassland and develop into what they are today!"
"Yes, Jiang Tianhua's excuse for attacking the Manufacturing Bureau is to prepare materials in advance for the imperial court to intervene in the conflict between the seven tribes of Shatu!"
"Young Master, you came to Huijiaji with so much silver and weapons this time. Are you here to recruit soldiers?"
"Yes, originally I planned that if I could not convince you to help me this time, I would use my money to raise a team. I know that in addition to Huijiaji, there are many villages and towns in this mountainous area. The people in those places are strong and brave. As long as you can afford it, I can gather a thousand soldiers and it shouldn't be a problem!"
"We, Huijiaji, can gather 500 soldiers for the young master. Although this number of soldiers is small, each of them is skilled in archery and horse riding. I trained them personally. As long as we are well prepared, even if the number of people in the Transportation Office is two or three times theirs, we can still catch the Transportation Office off guard!" The wrinkles at the corners of Fu Changde's eyes wrinkled like waves in the water. He glanced at Yan Liqiang, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice, "There is one thing I don't know if the young master knows. After the incident at the Qiyun Guardian Mansion, among the remaining troops under the Qiyun Guardian Mansion who escaped from outside the Great Wall, in addition to our Huijiaji, there was actually another team of people!"
"Ahem... I really don't know about this!" Yan Liqiang coughed twice, his expression a little embarrassed, but just the right amount of embarrassment. "To be honest, before I met you, I didn't know if the dream I had was real. In that dream, my great-grandfather only told me that you were loyal and faithful, and the sun and the moon could testify to that. He said that you had been hiding in Huijiaji, just to avenge him one day. My great-grandfather asked me to come find you, and he didn't say much else..."
"My lord... in the dream, did you really... really say that to the young master?" Fu Changde's red eyes were moistened again, and his whole expression was slightly excited. At this time, he did not doubt what Yan Liqiang said at all, because the fact that Yan Liqiang could see gods in his dreams had long been spread throughout the northwest. With the previous legend as a foundation, and the things that Yan Liqiang just said that were only his own experience and knowledge, Fu Changde had already completely trusted Yan Liqiang in his heart. Not only that, but he was also filled with unspeakable awe for Yan Liqiang's ability to communicate with ghosts and gods, and there was also a little expectation...
"Yes, that's what my great-grandfather said!" Yan Liqiang nodded seriously.
"I never thought that you would still trust and think highly of me even after your death. With your words, I would be content even if I died!" Fu Changde wiped away his tears again. In the past few decades, Fu Changde probably had never shed so many tears as he did today in just half an hour when he saw Yan Liqiang. Almost every word of Yan Liqiang could touch the deepest point in his heart, making it difficult for him to control himself.
"We all need to live well. If we have to die, let the Shatu people and Lin Qingtian die!"
"I am really too excited today, please don't laugh at me, young master!" Fu Changde wiped his tears again.
"How could that be! According to your age, you can be my uncle. What's more rare is that you have always been loyal and touching. How could I laugh at you? If you don't mind, I will call you Master Chang in the future. Don't call me Young Master, it makes me nervous. Just call me Liqiang! This way, even if others hear it, they won't suspect anything!" Yan Liqiang, who was about to strike the snake with a stick, opened his mouth and let a warm current flow through Fu Changde's heart.
"Okay, then I'll be the one to take care of things. From now on, I'll call the young master by his name Li Qiang to avoid unnecessary complications that might affect our plans!" Fu Changde said straightforwardly.
"That's the best!" Yan Liqiang laughed and nodded, "Then who are the other troops of the Qiyun Guardian Mansion that Master Chang mentioned?"
"Young Master, have you ever heard of Yipianyun's name?"
Yan Liqiang was surprised. Of course he had heard of this name. You should know that this name was given by the Black Wind Bandits to the largest bandit group in Gansu and Lanzhou. The only difference between them was that the Black Wind Bandits were ruthless and would rob and kill people, while Yipianyun was much more disciplined. They only collected tolls, and the charges were reasonable, even less than the likin commission collected by government checkpoints in many places. After collecting the tolls, they would ensure that you would have a safe journey within their sphere of influence and no one would dare to provoke them. It was also for this reason that Yipianyun was quite prestigious in the eyes of many caravans in Gansu and Lanzhou. It was said that there were probably more than 10,000 people in Yipianyun, and they had repeatedly rejected the amnesty requested by the governors of Gansu and Lanzhou.
"Master Chang, the cloud you mentioned is the cloud that is said to have more than 10,000 bandits?"
"Yes, a few years ago, I met the leader of Yipianyun by chance. I found out that the leader of Yipianyun was Situ Feixing, the former chief of the Qiyun Protectorate. There are many familiar faces among the heads of Yipianyun. Situ Feixing was the most arrogant among your troops, but he was also the one you value the most. If the young master can make Situ Feixing surrender, the thousand people in the Transportation Office will be nothing!"
"Situ Feixing!" Yan Liqiang murmured the name, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes...
(End of this chapter)