xymnovel Chapter 46 Receiving the Letter
Chapter 46 Receiving the Letter
The four of them emerged from the village, their expressions solemn.
Wen Wuyin, having been waiting impatiently in the group without being summoned, finally approached them as soon as they reached the main road and asked, "Brother Shen, what's the village like? How does it compare to the farmhouses outside Luoyang?"
Shen Ce shook his head and did not answer.
Shen Ce then turned to ask Cheng Chumo, but Cheng Chumo rambled on for a long time, only mentioning that the farmer had married more than a dozen wives, without saying anything else. This worried Wen Wuyin greatly. Who was this person who could break through the limitations of food and social status and marry more than a dozen wives than his father and uncles combined? He really wanted to learn their skills.
Scratching his head in frustration, Wen Wuyin dared not ask Wei Zheng, and could only find Yan Liben at the end of the line.
After what had just happened, Yan Liben was in no mood to joke with him. He threw the painting he had just finished to him and then focused on continuing on his journey.
Shen Ce stared at Wen Wuyin's mouth. If he dared to say "this kid is so lucky", Shen Ce would strip him of his official robes and throw him on the ground, so that he could also enjoy this good fortune.
Youfu didn't hear it, only a faint smacking sound. After learning the inside story from the painting, Wen Wuyin went far away from everyone and burst into tears. Then came the sound of being slapped, and the faint sound of "I deserve to die".
Shen Ce heard someone calling him from afar and quickly turned around to see Wen Wuyin, his eyes red, angrily saying, "Brother Shen, you said my father is clearly not far from here. He should know the situation here. Why didn't he report it to the authorities or come here to distribute some grain?"
Shen Ce, having practiced martial arts before, took a deep breath upon hearing this, and with a swift movement, pulled Wen Wuyin onto his horse. Grabbing his collar, he said haltingly, "Your father is the garrison commander of Luoyang, not his mother, the governor of Weizhou. He went to other prefectures to pacify the people. Does your father still want to be the King of Luoyang?"
Wen Wuyin let Shen Ce do as he pleased, shaking his head and casually saying, "You say we officials are fighting to the death in the capital region, but how many of us even know that this place exists under the rule of our Great Tang? Is it only the prefect who knows, and the minister who doesn't? Or is it the heads of the three provinces who don't know?"
Shen Ce tossed Wen Wuyin back onto his horse, saying irritably, "So what if we know? Are we going to divert grain from Luoyang's granaries to save the people of Hebei?"
"Why not?" Wen Wuyin was very puzzled.
Shen Ce flicked his riding whip and said indifferently, "Go back and ask your father. Lord Wen will definitely know, and he'll even teach you everything you need to know."
After saying that, he ignored Wen Wuyin and spurred his horse forward.
Traveling in the height of summer is undoubtedly a difficult task, especially when wearing armor, even if it is just thin leather armor.
Shen Ce's clothes were already soaked through and were clinging to his body, especially his crotch, where blood was about to seep out. Calculating the distance, he should be able to reach the post station in about ten miles and rest for a while.
Shen Ce couldn't help but shout to the crowd, "Everyone, give it your all! I'll treat you all to grape wine tonight!"
Just then, clouds of dust rose from the opposite direction on the distant official road.
"Cavalry!" Shen Ce shouted loudly.
Shen Ce quickly stopped the formation, dismounted, and lay down on the ground to listen carefully to the sounds coming from the ground.
Five riders! Shen Ce hissed in a low voice after determining the number of riders.
The soldiers present were all fierce warriors who were unkillable on the battlefield. When they saw cavalry charging, they knew what to do without needing to communicate.
The two armored soldiers immediately dismounted from their warhorses, jumped onto the chariot, and controlled the reins to slow the horses down. Just before they came to a complete stop, one of them dismounted, grabbed the shaft support, and stuck it diagonally under the chariot shaft. The driver stepped forward and ripped off the reins. The other armored soldier on the chariot instantly removed the yoke, and the armored soldier who had been supporting the shaft took the opportunity to lead the horse away.
The imperial carriage was placed across the middle of the official road, with the grain carts positioned on either side of it in a V-shape. Horse archers maneuvered along the flanks.
Shen Ce landed not far behind the grain cart, a position that ensured he wouldn't be attacked immediately, while also providing enough distance for the horses to accelerate.
Shen Ce gripped the reins tightly. They had only just reached the territory of Weizhou. Even if there were rebellious bandits, they wouldn't come openly from the official road. Besides, there were only five riders, bandits.
As the smoke and dust drew closer, the four pikemen at the front of the convoy raised their lances, the butts of which were plunged diagonally into the ground.
He had no choice but to be cautious. They were on a mission to comfort various places, and had not yet arrived at their destinations. If the accompanying officials or others were attacked or injured, he, as the deputy, would be held responsible.
Seemingly noticing that Shen Ce and his entourage had adopted a defensive posture, with their carriages positioned across the road, they quickly called out from afar, "We are soldiers under the command of the Prefect of Cizhou, and we have important matters to report to the imperial envoy."
Once the other party slowed down, Shen Ce could see the robes on the newcomer's body. Only then did he order the guards to be lifted, and he spurred his horse forward from behind, whipping the soldier who came forward to report the news.
"Instead of waiting obediently in front, riding so fast, I thought I'd run into the fleeing soldiers of the former crown prince," Shen Ce cursed as he whipped the horse.
The soldiers were of very low rank; their leader was only a military advisor of the eighth rank, so he had no choice but to close his eyes and let his superiors do as they pleased, which was even worse than what Shen Ce had suffered at the beginning.
Seeing that Shen Ce had vented his anger, the military advisor took out the secret letter from the Prefect of Cizhou from his bosom, respectfully handed it to Shen Ce, and whispered, "Prefect Zhao has discovered traces of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's subordinates in Cizhou. Please send an imperial messenger immediately."
Shen Ce pulled out the document, glanced down at it, and saw on the cover that it was addressed to Wei Zheng, the Junior Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Chief Envoy. Without hesitation, he turned and handed it to Wei Zheng, while he waited for the letter to arrive.
Not far away, Wei Zheng, after reading the secret letter, had a ferocious expression and said in a cold voice: "Li Yuanji's guard Li Sixing and Li Jiancheng's Thousand Ox Guard Li Zhian were arrested in Cizhou. The governor of Cizhou is preparing to escort the two to Chang'an. This news came a day ago."
The title of Protector of the Army of the King of Qi may not sound like a high rank, but it is actually a post of the fourth rank, which is higher than the position of the governor of a lower prefecture.
At this crucial juncture when the Crown Prince sent envoys to pacify Shandong, if such a key figure were successfully escorted to Chang'an, and the news reached Shandong, even if our group used all our abilities, we would not be able to win back the hearts of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's former subordinates. In fact, their former subordinates would definitely cause trouble in order to protect themselves.
Shen Ce roared, "Bring me the map!"
The accompanying officials quickly took out a map from their smuggled bag and laid it out in front of Shen Ce.
Six squares, two inches, two hundred miles!
Without needing to report to Wei Zheng, Shen Ce could make the decision himself and immediately mounted his horse.
As they were an official convoy, traveling 120 li each day, if they wanted to prevent the officials of Cizhou from secretly escorting people back to the capital, they had to block them at the crossroads. Otherwise, if the news got back, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's subordinates would not know the inside story, and Shandong would surely rebel again.