novelAbuy Chapter 107: 8 Names
Chapter 107: 8 Names
Zhu Fu turned to the last page of the list.
The list contains eight names, each with its specific activation conditions and current status noted next to it.
Niu Gao, whose public identity was Ningguo Military Commissioner, still held a military position in the court. He used "openly calling for a Northern Expedition" as a cover to attract Qin Hui's attention.
For a long time, Niu Gao had been acting as a target, using his shouts to block the Imperial City Guard's spying on Xiangyang.
Li Bao, the naval commander of Jiaoshan, Zhenjiang, has been activated.
Current status: Heading north along the Han River towards Xiangyang.
Activation condition: After the entire Han River waterway is completed, lead the fleet into the Xiangyang waters.
Dong Xian, military commander of Ezhou, is currently under house arrest in the backyard of the Ezhou Military Commander's Office.
Activation condition: Evacuate from Ezhou and enter the Xiangyang protection zone.
Sun Yan, a tea merchant from Ezhou, is an external contact person for Yue Yinping.
Current status: The tea boat is operating normally, transferring military equipment from Ezhou to Xiangyang.
Activation conditions: Maintain the trade route to Ezhou and keep open trade relations with Xiangyang.
Wang Zhongchen was the deputy commander of the infantry and cavalry of Xinyang Army. In the Battle of Yancheng in the tenth year of Shaoxing, he led the infantry to cover Yue Fei's central army. After the battle, he was demoted to a sinecure in Xinyang Army.
This man was known for his defensive skills. He once used 3,000 infantrymen to hold off a Jin army of 10,000 men from attacking him repeatedly for a whole day north of Yancheng.
Current status: Inactive, secretly contacted in the direction of Xiangyang.
Activation condition: After the Xiangyang forces are formed, the main force from the Xinyang army will head south to join them.
The other three were military officers stationed in Suizhou, De'an, and Yingzhou.
Zhu Fu listed their current aliases, undercover identities, and approximate locations one by one.
At the very bottom of the list is a line of smaller print, which reads that it was written by Yue Fei himself.
"The people listed in this book are all loyal and brave men of the Song Dynasty. If they ever see the light of day again, I hope that whoever holds this book will treat them well and not betray their hearts."
Yue Yinping stood there staring at the line of text for a long time before gently closing the ledger.
She turned to the veterans standing guard outside the old camp, her voice low and deep, "Once these eight people are activated, they can drive the entire officer chain. Dong Xian is here, Niu Gao is blocking Qin Hui's view for us, and Zhu Fei is about to go to Xinyang."
Yue Yinping marked the area from Ezhou to Xinyang on the map. "Wang Zhongchen is the deputy commander of the Xinyang army. How many men can he bring with him?"
"Wang Zhongchen held a nominal but sinecure in the Xinyang Army, with only eight hundred soldiers under his command. However, at least three hundred of these eight hundred men were his former subordinates who had been demoted along with him from Yancheng."
"As long as Xiangyang raises its banner, these three hundred men can cross the Dabie Mountains and enter the Xiangyang Prefecture's jurisdiction within five days."
Yue Yinping marked the direction of Xinyang with a cinnabar circle on the Xiangyang city defense map.
Then she turned to Zhu Fu. "Mr. Zhu, the list includes Wang Zhongchen, the deputy commander of the Xinyang Army's cavalry and infantry. Are you confident you can contact him?"
Zhu Fu tapped his cane on the ground.
"I have returned to Xiangyang this time not just to deliver account books."
Wang Zhongchen's wife ran a medicinal herb shop outside Xinyang City, and every spring she would purchase herbs from Ezhou.
I knew her when I was an accountant at the Transport Bureau. She always used her own shop's name stamp to settle payments. I remember the shop was called "Zhongxintang".
It takes seven days to travel overland from Xiangyang to Xinyang, crossing mountains. My legs are not strong enough for me, but I can still write letters.
"As long as I receive a formal order to depart from Xiangyang, whether it's His Highness's own handwriting or Miss Yue's signature, I can have Old Xu deliver the letter to Xinyang tomorrow."
Yue Yinping and Xiao Bieli exchanged a glance.
Xiao Bieli nodded slightly.
Yue Yinping turned around and took out a blank Xiangyang order paper from the tent, and wrote the instructions on it.
Wang Zhongchen was ordered to immediately use the pretext of "purchasing medicinal herbs" to divide the 300 veteran soldiers of his headquarters into smaller groups and move them south from Xinyang to Suizhou, north of Xiangyang.
There is a blacksmith shop there, whose pseudonym is "Chen Da" on Zhu Fu's list, which can serve as a transit point.
At the same time, he contacted the clerk in De'an Prefecture who used the alias "Old Song" and asked him to travel north along the official road under the pretext of official correspondence to find out the gaps in the Imperial City Guard's control between De'an and Suizhou.
All movements will remain silent; no assembly will be made until a formal declaration is made in Xiangyang.
Finally, Yue Yinping signed her name at the end, then folded the order paper and sealed it into a wax pellet.
"Li Bao's boat is waiting for this batch of letters at the mouth of the Han River. He will take Mr. Zhu to Xinyang. If all goes well, Wang Zhongchen's three hundred veterans will be able to arrive in Suizhou in batches in early April."
Zhu Fu took the order paper and wax pill, and took out the chipped copper coin from his pocket and placed it on the order paper.
He sighed and said, "I owed Young Master Yue a life, and today I have finally repaid it."
The night wind blew in through the broken window of the granary, causing the oil lamp flame to flicker violently a few times.
Xiao Bieli lowered his head in the flickering candlelight and traced the names of the eight officers on the list one by one with his finger.
Before retreating south from Zhuxian Town, Yue Fei separated the military commanders' line from the army's line, perhaps not only to guard against Qin Hui.
This is also to ensure that these people can survive independently even in the worst-case scenario.
Twelve years later, on this night, he used Zhu Fu's hands to reconnect the two broken threads.
Yue Yinping carefully put the four account books into a sealed box with a tin frame and copper clasp.
"It was almost dawn. Old Xu saw Mr. Zhu off onto the boat, taking the waterway near the Dragon King Temple. Li Bao's fast boat was waiting at the mouth of the Han River."
Xiao Xianfeng, you will set off with Mr. Zhu tonight and escort him to the mouth of the Han River. After Mr. Zhu boards Li Bao's boat, you can return.
Starting tomorrow, all communications in the Xiangyang direction will be officially operational under a Level 3 early warning system. The bell tower, the sound of crossbows, and the smoke signals will ensure Qin Keqing awaits our signal in Lin'an.
Xiao Bieli stood up and left with Zhu Fu.
A breeze swept across the Han River, causing the hem of Xiao Bieli's gray cotton-padded jacket to flutter loudly.
The account book he had received from Zhu Fu in Ezhou was pressed tightly against his chest in the wind.
Yue Yinping was the only one left in the secret cellar of the granary.
He stood there for a long time, until everyone had left, before locking the secret box under the city defense map, drawing his plain wooden spear, and walking out of the granary.
......
March 20th, in the study of the Prince of Puan's residence.
News of Zhu Fu's arrival in Xiangyang was relayed from the mouth of the Han River to Lin'an by Li Bao's fast boat. The message was delivered segment by segment along the Han River bell line and the new ferry crossing copper bell set up by Yuwen Xu. The overall speed was almost two days faster than in the twelfth lunar month of last year.
After reading the letter, Zhao Bozong immediately convened a core meeting.
There were two more attendees this time than usual, including Yuwen Xu and Tang Situi.
Yuwen Xu had just returned to Lin'an from the mouth of the Han River. The first section of the Han River bell line he had set up had been put into use. All three simple bell frames from the mouth of the Han River to the opposite bank of Baima Temple had passed the test.
Tang Situi entered the Prince of Puan's Mansion for the first time in a semi-public capacity. In order to avoid attracting attention, Tang Situi's public itinerary was "to deliver a letter on behalf of the Ministry of Personnel to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to verify the land area for spring plowing". After leaving the Ministry of Personnel, he went around three alleys before entering through the back gate.
Qin Keqing unfolded a newly drawn map of the entire network of connections in the Han River basin.
This map extends south from Lin'an through Xiuzhou to Guazhoudu, and then northwest along the Han River to Baima Temple in Xiangyang. Each clue is marked with the handover point, the alias of the messenger, and the current security status.
The copper bell line, which Yuwen Xu was in charge of, is represented by a blue line; the drop point for Qin Keqing's death message and the human leg messenger are represented by a black line; Li Bao's fast boat on the Han River is represented by a green line; and Xiao Bieli's three-level early warning system at Baima Temple in Xiangyang is represented by a red line.
The four lines overlap to form a network coverage, far removed from the single-line delivery method of "dead letter drop points plus human legs" that existed last year.