It was in vain that she trusted Qi Yuanliang so much and categorically denied Gu Chi's guess, but she didn't expect that the mastermind behind the scenes was really evil!
Chen Tang looked at the handwritten letter spread out on his knees for a long time.
"You are so rude, aren't you afraid that you will be put in a sack one day?" If he could be put in a sack, the sacks Qi Yuanliang received would definitely be enough to support a factory. Chen Tang rubbed his nose, resigned himself to putting away the handwritten letter, raised his hand to get a lamp from the corner, and watched the pages of the letter burn to ashes, leaving no evidence against Qi Shan. "Don't worry."
The length of the letter was limited, and Qishan wanted to write too much, so he omitted all the processes, including the identity of the Xu clan member he killed. Chen Tang was not sure who this person was among the Xu Jie brothers, and whether they were close or not. She only knew that less trouble was better than more trouble. Once Xu Jie and Xu Quan knew that it was Qishan who killed their clan members and then burned down the Xu family's granary, the two sides would inevitably become enemies. Chen Tang was not a saint, and her heart would be biased, and she was biased towards Qishan without any suspense.
This matter could be hidden from others but not from Gu Chi.
"It is said that evil intentions will never change." Haha, whenever something bad happens, people will blame Qishan, and they will always be right!
Chen Tang said calmly: "As long as we can achieve our goal."
She had also been racking her brains over how to deal with Wu Xian.
After all, the more cooperation the two companies have, the better their external relations will be. As long as Wu Xian knows what's good for him in the future, Chen Tang will not find any reason to attack him. She can do things secretly without being discovered, but if she reveals her flaws, her reputation will be damaged.
Qishan's move at this time was just right. As long as Chen Tang took care of the aftermath, and those who knew about this kept their mouths shut or simply couldn't speak, who could say that Qishan had done this
Who can say that she has any bad intentions towards her allies
Gu Chi listened to his master's rich inner thoughts and covered his ears helplessly: "Alas, I can't listen to these."
Chen Tang asked him with a smile: "Are you worried about being silenced?"
Gu Chi rolled his eyes in an indecent way and sneered, "Chi is determined to become the greatest sycophant in history. Would he worry about this?"
"Fawning minister" is not a nice word. It refers to a minister who is good at flattery, understanding the intentions of the superiors, and fawning on the superiors. Gu Chi's grandfather and father are upright in character and hope that Gu Chi can inherit the family tradition, but he is a scholar and will be inseparable from this word in his life. Since he is destined to be unable to break free, he will just enjoy himself and follow the master who has the same taste as him.
Between a ruler and his subjects, is there any distance closer than that of heart-to-heart communication
Chen Tang: “…That doesn’t have to be the case.”
Why are you scolding yourself like this for no reason
She wanted to ask Gu Chi to find out the identity of the deceased Xu family member, but she soon learned the answer from Xu Quan. Xu Quan's words were not easy to get, but as long as she showed the trump card of Gong Xichou, the little fanboy would have no way to stop her.
Gong Xichou was sent out in the morning and he came back in the afternoon.
"The one who died was the grandson of the elder of Xu Quan's family." Gong Xichou completed the task and did not ask Chen Tang why. He was obsessed with martial arts and hobbies and did not like intrigue, but that did not mean he was brainless. In fact, a heartless warrior could not be a commander and could only be an ordinary general for his whole life. Gong Xichou had the ability to command troops, but he just did not like it.
Chen Tang threw him a barley cob, the golden seeds dripping with juice and emitting white mist: "Grandson of the clan elder?"
Gong Xichou took it accurately and took a bite of it. "That elder is the grandfather of the Xu Jie and Xu Quan brothers. He is quite prestigious in the Xu family. His grandson is a posthumous child and the only child. He tried to snatch a woman in the street and was hit on the head with a brick."
Chen Tang asked again: "What is his relationship with Brother Wen Shi?"
Gong Xichou gnawed on a corn cob while answering with a lisp, "The relationship is probably not that good. Isn't it like this in all big families? They are cousins in name only, but they have seen each other less than strangers in their lifetime. It is said that the elder took advantage of his seniority and made many troubles for Xu Jie. He also embezzled money when doing things... and threw a tantrum when the family distributed dividends at the end of the year..."
The Xu family started out as merchants, and their family motto is different from other families.
They knew that if they wanted their clansmen to work, they had to give them benefits, so that the interests of the clan could become their own interests. Therefore, they would distribute dividends at the end of each year. A portion of the annual dividends would be allocated and divided according to the contributions made throughout the year.
This tradition has continued for generations.
The Xu family's business expanded unprecedentedly under Xu Jie's leadership, and he unknowingly expanded the appetite of the clan members. Not all clan members understood the pain points of merchants in this society. They did not care about the external status of the Xu family, they only cared about the less dividends they received every year. The clan elders were the most ruthless and strongly opposed Xu Jie's investment in Wu Zhaode, but he secretly flattered the aristocratic families.
He tried to make friends with the Tianhai nobles in exchange for teaching resources for his grandson to become a disciple of a famous scholar. In short, he had two different faces.
His only child was gone, and he went crazy.
Use the family's prestige and seniority to put pressure on Xu Jie.
"...According to Xu Quan, his cousin Xu Jie currently suspects that the person who set fire to the granary was this clan elder... After all, with his character, he would be able to do such a thing." But Gong Xichou knew that it was not the case. The person who did this must be related to Mama. Even if it was not Mama's instruction, it was her subordinate.
He knew, but he didn't care.
Xu Quan was his fanboy, but who was Xu Jie? Who was the Xu family? Who was the old man in the Xu family who lost his only grandson
What do these people have to do with him
Chen Tang's brows relaxed slightly.
Gong Xichou: "Since Xu Jie has already identified the suspect and found a reason, it must be this old guy who did it."
He threw the cleaned sticks into the trash can.
Chen Tang smiled: "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"I heard that Huang Xiguang is making another move?"
Chen Tang said: "Let's wait for them to call us."
It was hard to say how long the food in Huang Lie's hands could last, but Zhang He could definitely hold on for a while. Chen Tang intercepted his food, but Zhang He also got a batch of food when he was hunting down Chu Yao. This back and forth, the two sides were considered to be tied.
"After dealing with Huang Xiguang, I'm going to be away for a while."
Chen Tang knew Gongxi Chou. The latter would not stay in one place quietly, even if she was the sacred object of the Gongxi clan: "Why?"
"Of course I'll look for my brother and nephew." He would be worried about this matter until he could find his blood relatives. It would be difficult to concentrate on cultivation with this mentality, and it would become a knot in his heart over time. "Of course, if Mama needs me, I will rush back no matter where I am."
Chen Tang did not force him to stay: "Yes."
-----------------
In Zhanghe camp, a letter was brought back by a scout.
The signature is Zhang Heshou.
As soon as he opened it, he was so angry that his head almost flew off!
He yelled in anger: "Chen! You! Li!"
"You bastard! You are going too far! You are going too far!"
It would have been fine if they had intercepted his food supplies, but they actually sent a letter showing off their power. Every word on it made his blood pressure soar! Years of self-cultivation were shattered right there! He kicked the table away, and it rolled several times on the ground before breaking into pieces!
"Is there any news from Huang Xiguang?"
This time, let Yanzhou become the burial place of Shen Youli!
-----------------
The movements of Zhang He and Huang Lie's troops could not be hidden from the scouts of Shen and Wu, but to be more precise, Qin Gongsu was the first to discover the movements. He was much thinner and haggard, sitting in the tent, holding a half-read scroll of military strategists in his hand.
There is a strange sand table in the center of the tent.
The sand table was rectangular, with no corn, sand or gravel on it, and no small flags representing power. There was only a layer of cloud imagery condensed with literary energy, and beneath the cloud, there were mountains, rivers, and everything else.
Qin Li looked at a piece of bamboo carefully again, and then the tent curtain was forcefully opened. Wasn't the person who came in Zhao Dayi
Zhao Feng held the plate in his left hand and lifted the curtain with his right hand.
"Gong Su, stop being busy and come and eat something."
Seeing Qin Li not moving, Zhao Fengjin stepped forward to take the scroll, but Qin Li dodged and said, "No, I have no appetite."
"If you don't want to eat it, then don't eat it. Then you won't have a good time."
Qin Li finally glanced over.
There were seven or eight thick and strange things stacked on the plate. They had a lot of seeds on the sticks, each of which was plump and had a crystal clear and smooth surface.
"What is this?"
Zhao Feng said: "My daughter sent it to me."
On the day when Chen Tang came, Zhao Feng and his men were indeed out of the camp to do some work, and Chen Tang specially left a small basket of jade wheat for them in the name of Zhao Wei. When Zhao Feng heard that this was made by his old friend Cui Xiao, he immediately showed his support and became the first to taste it.
Zhao Fengdu was prepared to be poisoned or vomited. After all, Cui Xiao knew nothing about farming. Was the food he made edible? In the end, it was not poisonous and tasted good.
"Try it, it tastes much better than wheat rice."
Even though he was a general, the wheat rice he ate made his throat sore.
Qin Li glanced at Zhao Feng, then looked at Yumai's appearance, and refused to open his mouth and chew it rudely like him.
He ate them one by one.
Zhao Feng: “…”
Zhao Feng had already turned three wheat sticks, but Qin Li hadn't even finished half of them. If it weren't for the conditions, I really doubt that Gong Su would use a silver needle to pick them out one by one. What's the taste of this
After a satisfying meal, Zhao Feng said, "I found out."
Qin Li lowered his eyes and continued to argue with Yu Mai: "Speak."
Zhao Feng wiped his mouth: "It's Tianhai's problem."
He told her all the news he had heard.
Since that incident, Wu Xian had a clear estrangement from their faction, and he had become even more distant recently. Whenever they had something to discuss, they would look for counselors from the Tianhai noble family. Qin Li occasionally made suggestions, but the other party's reaction was also very cold.
This also made Zhao Feng feel resentful - he was the mastermind of the revenge, and he led all the processes. But the lord even implicated Gong Su, which was too partial!
After checking, everything became clear.
The Xu family's children were killed, the Xu family's granary was burned, Xu Jie could not provide food and grass, and the front line could not be cut off from food, so Wu Xian could only turn to the Tianhai family for help. Zhao Feng was furious: "My lord, what is the difference between this and selling smiles in exchange for food?"
Even if it was only in private, it was offensive.
Qin Li said calmly: "No difference."
Whether it is the emperor or the common people, they all have to fight for their interests and weigh the pros and cons. Both are resorting to tricks to survive. There is no difference in essence.
Zhao Feng asked: "What should we do now?"
Qin Li doesn't care about these, he only cares about one thing.
"Dayi, who do you think did this?"
Zhao Feng was shocked: "What?"
Qin Li said calmly: "What a coincidence."
"Gong Su means that someone is plotting against the lord?"
Qin Li corrected him: "You are plotting against me."
“…Who is it? Who did this?” Zhao Feng evolved into a violent beast on the spot, and he couldn’t hide his stabbing look. “Gong Su, you tell me, I’ll kill him!”
Qin Li said: "Pray for Yuanliang."
This was said in a declarative tone.
Zhao Feng frowned: "Master Qi under Lord Shen's command?"
Qin Li's eyes fell on the sand table in front of him: "The person who knows you best is often not your friend but your enemy. Although there is no evidence, my intuition tells me that this matter is inseparable from Qi Yuanliang. Even if he didn't do it himself, he sent someone to instruct him. Xu Wenzhu was forced by Wu Gong to gradually alienate himself over the years and get closer to Longwu County. Chen Jun led his troops to the battle and handed the rear to Qi Yuanliang. Xu Wenzhu has dealt with him a lot, so how could he doubt him? It's almost certain..."
Zhao Feng: "…What does Qi Zhubu want?"
Qin Li sneered: "As long as I am under Lord Wu's command, Qi Yuanliang will not be at ease and will naturally become alienated."
Zhao Feng scratched his head: "... How big of a grudge is this?"
Qin Li raised his hand and waved.
The mist on the sand table dissipated, and the mountains and rivers below were clearly visible. If you lean over and take a closer look, you can see many ant-like shadows of little people at the location of Wu Xian's camp, and the layout of the small tents is exactly the same as the real camp!
Zhao Feng's eyes were filled with worry.
"Gongsu?"
Qin Li said: "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
The consumption of the perfect state of the scribe's way is incomparable to the ordinary state, but Qin Li has to do this in order to control the enemy's movements in real time. Of course, this trump card is unknown to others except for a few friends who share life and death. After all -
The threat is too great!
"Huang Lie and Zhang He's troops are taking action."
Zhao Feng leaned forward, his eyelashes almost touching the sand table figurine: "Are they sending elite troops to launch a detour and launch a surprise attack?"
Under Qin Li's scholarly philosophy, any tactical moves are useless. From this perspective, all living beings are chess pieces!
Qin Li said: "Yes."
Zhao Feng asked again: "Should I remind the Lord?"
The literati are full of holes, and they are well aware of the principle of a cunning rabbit having three burrows. They always have a trump card hidden. Qin Li is no exception. He has been perfect in his literati way for many years, but he has always kept it secret from others, including Wu Xian.
Even subordinates need secrets.
Qin Li lowered his eyes slightly.
After a long while, Zhao Feng heard him say: "Of course I have to remind you, but I will wait until the vanguard scouts have news."
Now he has become a marginal figure, without access to timely intelligence. Even if he has great foresight, it is difficult to know how many troops the enemy has sent, when and from where. In the past, he wanted to tell his lord as soon as possible.
But now
If you say it out loud, it won't be accepted and will even arouse suspicion.
Qin Li also had to consider Zhao Feng and his people. They had followed him for so many years, but they had not enjoyed much and were very upset. Wu Xian's interests and their safety
Qin Li now chooses the latter.
He had no intention of betraying Wu Xian.
As long as Wu Xian doesn't push him to that point!