novelAbuy Chapter 086: Planning Ahead
Chapter 086: Planning Ahead
"General Dong, you did not deliver anything for the former Yue Family Army during your year in Ezhou, but you did something else: you helped Sun Yan transport a batch of military equipment."
Dong Xian's back stiffened abruptly, his voice still deep and resonant: "Prime Minister, you are wise, this humble general has no right to speak."
In September of the twelfth year of Shaoxing, the Ezhou armory inventoried one hundred crossbows, of which fifteen were listed as "old and in need of repair" and removed from the armory.
These fifteen crossbows were supposed to be sent to the armory of the Ezhou prefectural government for repair, but when the armory conducted its year-end inventory in December, only seven of the fifteen crossbows had arrived. Where did the remaining eight go?
Qin Hui's voice wasn't harsh, but every word sounded grating to Dong Xian's ears.
"Someone transported these eight crossbows away on a tea-trading boat. The boat owner's name was Sun Yan, a local tea merchant from Ezhou."
He had been running a tea business in Ezhou for many years, his tea boats constantly traveling on the waterways between Ezhou and Xiangyang, which was Yue Yinping's old base.
Dong Xian's expression remained unchanged. "Prime Minister, this humble general has never seen any tea merchants. The allocation of crossbows in the Ezhou armory is the responsibility of the armory commissioner and has nothing to do with this humble general."
"The armory commander was transferred three months ago, and now no one can prove that those crossbows were signed when they were transferred out," Qin Hui said in a very calm tone.
"But the Imperial City Guard obtained Sun Yan's confession, in which he said that a military officer helped him load the crossbows onto the ship."
Dong Xian remained silent for a long time.
Then he stood up and used his rough hands to unbutton the collar of his military officer's uniform, revealing his chest.
There is an old scar on his chest, diagonally from his left shoulder to his lower right, so deep that you can see the bone.
This was the blow he received during the Battle of Yancheng in the tenth year of Shaoxing, when he led 800 infantrymen to break through the Jin army's defenses. The Jin cavalry's long sword cleaved through his breastplate and cut him off his horse.
"This scar was bandaged by Yue Shaobao in Yancheng. The cloth he used to bandage it was torn from his own battle robe," Dong Xian said in a hoarse and slow voice.
"In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei was imprisoned. I did not go to rescue him, not because I dared not, but because Yue Fei sent someone to deliver a military order: no rescue, no rebellion, and no leading troops into Lin'an. I obeyed. But later Yue Fei died."
His eyes suddenly snapped up, staring intently at Qin Hui's face.
"Prime Minister, I have been in Ezhou for over a year and have done nothing but want to live. Yue Shaobao is already dead."
This humble general will no longer serve anyone, for my life, from the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month of the eleventh year of Shaoxing, was a gift from heaven.
Dong put his official uniform back on, stepped back, and clasped his hands in a salute.
"If the Prime Minister believes me, I may return to Ezhou today and continue doing nothing. If the Prime Minister does not believe me—please escort me to the Dali Temple for interrogation according to the law."
Qin Hui looked at Dong Xian and remained silent for a long time.
Then he laughed.
"General Dong is telling the truth. It is precisely because you are telling the truth that I will employ you."
Dong was stunned.
"You stayed in Ezhou for more than a year, doing nothing and saying nothing. Yue Yinping was in Xiangyang and you were in Ezhou, less than two hundred miles apart, and you didn't exchange a single word."
This is both your loss and your good fortune, because you now have the greatest leverage to distance yourself from Yue Fei's army.
Qin Hui stood up and walked to Dong Xian.
"I'm sending you back to Ezhou, not only to let you go back, but also to promote you. After you go back, continue to do nothing."
But there's one thing I need you to do: write down the name of every officer you knew in Yue Fei's army, no matter where they are now, alive or dead, as long as you remember them, write them down.
Dong Xian kept his head down, so his expression was not visible.
"Why did the Prime Minister ask me to write this?"
"Do what you promised me," Qin Hui said. "Once you write your name, you will be the Military Commander of Ezhou, promoted one rank, and have real power. If you don't write it, you won't be leaving this door today."
The side room remained quiet for a long time.
Then Dong spoke first. His voice had become very hoarse.
"This humble general writes."
"Alright." Qin Hui turned and walked out of the side room.
Tian Ruyi followed behind, while Wan Qixie was the last to leave. He stopped at the door, turned around, and said something to Dong Xian.
"General Dong, once the list is finished, give it to Mr. Tian. You don't need to write the whole list—just write the ones you know."
Wan Qixie's voice was very low, so low that only Dong Xian could hear it, and then he quickly followed Qin Hui.
After the door closed, Dong Xian sat alone in the side room.
The snow was still falling outside the window, and the light was so dim it felt like night had already fallen.
He didn't write the list; he just sat there, holding his right hand up to his eyes, looking at the thick callus on his thumb.
He recalled that in the autumn of the tenth year of Shaoxing, after the great victory at Yancheng, Yue Fei presented wine jars to the brothers of the vanguard battalion at the camp gate, saying, "When the world is at peace, I will invite you to drink in Bianliang."
At that time, Zhuxian Town had not yet been attacked, the twelve imperial edicts had not yet arrived, and the twelfth month of the eleventh year of Shaoxing had not yet come.
He, Dong Xian, could still wear the battle robe of Yue Fei's army, and the scar on his chest had not yet scabbed over.
Now the scar is as hard as a centipede, lying on my chest, and it hurts when I press on it.
He couldn't write that list. But he also couldn't not write it, because if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to leave this door, and even if he did, he wouldn't live more than three days.
Qin Hui could "appoint him according to his talents" or "let him "suddenly fall ill and die in Ezhou," just like those former members of Yue Fei's army who "died of illness" in the eleven years since Shaoxing.
He lowered his hand and took something out of his pocket.
It was a piece of old cloth folded neatly into a square. The edges of the cloth were frayed, and the color had faded so much that it was impossible to tell what the original color was. But in the very center of the cloth was embroidered a single character—"岳".
This is the piece of cloth that Yue Fei tore off his battle robe to wrap his wounds after the Battle of Yancheng in the tenth year of Shaoxing. He has kept it for so many years and has never shown it to anyone.
Today he took it out and looked at the snow outside the window for a long time.
Then he folded the cloth again and stuffed it into his bosom, stood up, walked to the door of the side room, and pushed the door open.
"Mr. Tian, bring me paper and pen. I'll write this now."
......
It was the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and it was still dark.
Qin Keqing was awakened by a knock on the door of the small house in the side courtyard.
She looked up from the desk and realized that she had fallen asleep on the booklet at some point.
Last night, she kept deducing several possible directions for investigation left behind by Tian Ruyi in Xiuzhou. She wore out two charcoal pencils, and the last few lines of writing were so crooked that even she couldn't recognize them.
The knocking continued. Three knocks, two short and one long, were Liu An's signal.
She stood up, put on the old cotton robe draped over the back of the chair, and pushed open the door.
Liu An stood at the door, holding a roll of secret reports that had just been handed to him by Feng Yi's informant. His fingers were white with cold. Without saying anything more, he simply placed the report in her hand.
"Last night, Dong Xian stayed at the Qin residence all night. When he left at dawn, he was escorted out the back gate by a blue cloth carriage. He did not return to the Ezhou Guild Hall, but went directly out of the city."
Qin Keqing opened the secret report and read it by the still-burning candlelight in the room.
Feng Yi's handwriting was very messy. Zhang Quwei noticed from the entry and exit records of the eunuchs in Cining Palace that Dong Xian entered Qin's residence at 1:00 PM yesterday and did not leave until 1:00 AM, staying for nearly six hours. During this time, Qin Hui met with him alone once, and Tian Ruyi met with him alone three times.
After their third meeting, Qin Hui signed a document from the Ministry of Personnel, which stated that "Dong Xian, the military commander of Ezhou, shall be promoted to military supervisor of Ezhou immediately, and shall be in charge of the local garrison and righteous societies."
The date on the cover is the fourth day of the first lunar month.
The official document was issued at dawn, and Dong Xian left the city without even returning to the Ezhou Guild Hall.
This isn't a promotion; it's being escorted out of the capital overnight, thrown back to Ezhou, given a new title, and having Qin Hui control his every move from then on.
Qin Keqing burned the secret report and wrote two lines on the booklet with a charcoal pencil:
"Dong Xian has already been put to Qin's use. The waterway from Ezhou to Xiangyang may be under the surveillance of the Imperial City Guard. We must immediately notify Yue Yinping to suspend waterway transportation through Sun Yan."
After writing it down, tear off the paper, fold it into a tiny roll, seal it in a wax ball, and stuff it into an old garment at the bottom of the bamboo basket.
"Send the message out. The fastest route is the ferry crossing outside Houchaomen. Take Li Bao's water messenger."
This message cannot be sent through any of the city's designated drop-off points. The Imperial City Guard must be searching the entire city for these items. Use the Imperial Clan Court's pass to leave the city, and exchange your identity for the old travel permit for the Xiuzhou direction.
Liu An took the wax pellet, put it in his pocket, turned around and took three steps outside, then stopped.