allonlinenovel Chapter 103 Intelligence
Chapter 103 Intelligence
"Queen Mother..."
The people in the room fell silent.
In the end, Xing Xiaoyu spoke first. "No matter what, we should still inform the Empress first. I believe His Majesty and the others will definitely have arrangements."
"Actually, in my assessment, I think... the private soldiers shouldn't be a big problem." Ever since hearing the news yesterday, Yun Yuke has been thinking about how many of these private soldiers there are.
Most of the larger farms in the area belong to Yun Yuke, and she has reviewed their accounts in detail.
There's no situation where the grain sold from our own farm is oversold, like a sudden surge in sales.
Most of the farm's grain is stored, and about a quarter of it is sold as commodities to maintain the farm's daily operations and generate a considerable profit.
Yun Yuke told Zhu and Xing what she knew, "Based on my knowledge of grain reserves and trading, there isn't a large volume of grain being purchased for the time being. Unless Marquis Ankang owns a farm, even if he has the money, he probably can't support too many private soldiers."
“That makes sense. Although we still can’t let our guard down, what you said, Sister Yun, is good news for now.” Zhu Ling’s face was pale, and she could only force herself not to think too much.
"Ling, are you alright?"
"Sister Yun, I'm fine."
Yun Yuke looked at Zhu Ling and patted him hard on the shoulder.
"Ling, don't forget, you are now a powerful regional official. You need to stand up for yourself." Yun Yuke said solemnly.
"Yes, I am also a regional governor."
Zhu Ling let out a long sigh. "That's right."
That's basically it for now, and there's not much more to say.
At this stage, I'm completely in the dark and have no way to go out and investigate the situation, so I'll just deal with it for now.
Sure enough, Marquis Ankang appeared this afternoon.
In the garden, renowned scholars from the city, philanthropists, retired officials, and others gathered together, with Marquis Ankang, as the host, joining in the morning's poetry recitation.
Almost simultaneously, someone also called Zhu Ling and Xing Xiaoyu over.
"Our prefect is, after all, a female scholar who passed the imperial examination back then. She certainly has no problem composing poems and matching couplets, right?" someone asked during the banquet.
"I know a little about poetry and prose, but I dare not compare myself with the old gentlemen in our city."
"Hey, what do you know? The imperial examination doesn't test poetry and prose, it tests governance. Lord Zhu naturally has his own unique talents."
Zhu Ling didn't say much, but simply picked up his wine glass, lowered his head, and sipped the wine.
Judging from their status, Marquis Ankang and Zhu Ling sat at the head of the table, while the people below drank wine and composed poetry, enjoying themselves immensely.
"Lord Zhu, it's been almost a month since you took office in Changgan."
Marquis Ankang spoke to Zhu Ling in a low voice.
“Yes, time really flies,” Zhu Ling replied.
"I heard that Lord Zhu is Her Majesty the Empress's right-hand man?"
"We are all serving the court, and we should thank His Majesty for his appreciation." Zhu Ling didn't respond, after all, the trap in the other party's words was quite obvious.
"Hehe." Marquis Ankang, Deng Jixiang, chuckled and said no more.
After a brief silence, Deng Jixiang spoke again.
“Lord Zhu, our Changgan area is very close to Wuluo. Last time you came to ask me about the situation inside Wuluo, and I have some new information here.”
"Oh? Please enlighten me, Lord Marquis?" Zhu Ling's heart tightened, eager to hear what the other party would say.
“My informant said that the young emperor of Uro can’t control his senators, and the senators are not very harmonious. I don’t understand this stuff about diplomacy between countries, but I just feel that… if Changhong seizes the opportunity, could we instigate internal strife in Uro?”
"Lord Marquis, you?" Although Zhu Ling knew some things beforehand, he was still slightly surprised.
After controlling his emotions and expression, he said, "Your Excellency is joking. What you mentioned is not something we need to consider. We have the Cangnan Army stationed here in Changgan, and we already have a peace agreement with Wuluo... The people of the two countries live in peace. I think that those who arbitrarily tear up the alliance will surely be nailed to the pillar of shame by both countries."
Zhu Ling did not directly answer the other party's question.
Marquis Ankang didn't say much, took another sip of wine, and then spoke again.
"Yes, Lord Zhu is right. As expected of someone from the capital, you don't need to worry about too much. We common folk in the borderlands have so many things to worry about."
"My lord, I am now also a man of this border region, sharing both glory and shame."
"Ah, yes, yes, I misspoke."
Marquis Ankang smiled faintly and spoke again.
"Although it may be that I am worrying unnecessarily, but... with the internal strife in Wuluo and the instability of the country, we people of Changhong should take precautions as soon as possible. I wonder if His Majesty and the others have made any arrangements. We ordinary people cannot afford the impact of war."
Marquis Ankang rose from his seat, while Zhu Ling remained seated without moving.
Deng Jixiang prepared to join the drinking game, and before leaving, he bowed to Zhu Ling.
"Lord Zhu, if possible, please pay close attention to the situation in Wuluo. If something really happens, although Changgan will not be the first to suffer, there will definitely be social unrest. We may not see Shengjing where everyone is gathered today."
Deng Jixiang spoke in a low voice, not loud enough for others to hear, clearly indicating that he was speaking to Zhu Ling alone.
Almost simultaneously, a person came in from outside and walked straight up to Zhu Ling.
"Lord Zhu, the general of the Cangnan Army has sent someone with military intelligence to report."
Zhu and Xing learned of the internal turmoil in Wuluo from the messenger sent by General Chai of the Cangnan Army.
At the same time, there was also intelligence from the Cangnan army reporting on the recent situation in the vicinity.
"Lord Zhu, General Chai specifically asked me to tell you that the situation in Uro is relatively stable at the moment, and border trade is basically normal. However, considering the situation in Uro, it is difficult to predict what might happen next. Based on past experience, it would be best if we prepared in advance."
"General Chai has already sent the relevant information to the capital."
After delivering General Chai's letter, the messenger immediately returned.
Yun Yuke carefully examined the letter; the messenger's account matched the description in the letter. However, the information provided by this Marquis was much more cursory. If Yun Yuke hadn't overheard it beforehand, she might not have thought the internal strife in Uro was such a big deal.
General Chai seems unaware of Prime Minister Long's imprisonment of the young emperor and his large-scale purge of the Senate.
Zhu Ling looked up at the Marquis of Ankang, who was currently discussing several of his new, sentimental poems with several renowned scholars from the city.
Marquis Ankang quickly integrated into the activities and thrived among the crowd.
Those words just now... were probably meant to get me to pass on the intelligence to the Emperor and guide him to send troops.
Should I report this to my superiors?
Logically speaking, there should be no need to hide such a thing. The Cangnan Army is a garrison force, and General Chai has already sent out the news. The Emperor will definitely know the situation.
It shouldn't be a problem if we don't use our own path for the time being.
But I still don't understand what this Marquis wants to do.