Since then, Nan Zhao's small coastline has been completely blocked, and almost one-fifth of the country has been lost.
The two major backers of Southern Zhao, Daxia, are now unable to protect themselves and are half-dead.
As for Western Chu, its main force was fighting the Xiang family army in Daxia. The war had entered a stalemate, and they were unable to come to their aid.
For a time, Nan Zhao fell into an embarrassing situation with no reinforcements outside and no way to defeat the enemy.
There was no choice but to shrink the front line again and voluntarily give up a few insignificant cities.
All the limited troops were concentrated on the north of Haihe River, a large river in Southern Zhao.
It is hoped that this natural barrier will be used to withstand the attack in the South China Sea.
Such a change occurred in just seven or eight days. The two sides established their positions on the north and south banks of the Haihe River.
...
At this time, in the capital of Southern Zhao Kingdom, a beautiful carriage was slowly walking on the way into the city.
In the carriage, there was a young man sitting with three beauties in gorgeous clothes.
The four of them were dressed in Daxia-style clothes. At a glance, one could tell that this was a noble son from Daxia who came here to play with his wife and concubines.
The carriage swayed and came to the city gate.
The guards guarding the door are all veterans, so they naturally know how to observe people's emotions.
Seeing the gorgeous carriage, he naturally knew that the identity of the person in the carriage was not simple, so he hurried to greet him.
He asked politely: "Where are you guys from? What are you doing in Kyoto?"
"Oh... you are so polite, little brother." The man saluted and said with a smile, "We are from Daxia."
"I heard that Nan Zhao has a pleasant scenery, so I came here to escape the war!"
"I just didn't expect...hey..."
After saying that, he shook his head regretfully, but he did not forget to take out a small gold ingot worth ten taels from his sleeve and handed it over calmly.
The guard was overjoyed when he saw this and hurriedly reached out to take it. In addition, knowing that they were from Daxia, he felt good in his heart.
He also sighed: "Hey...yeah, who would have thought...that nasty Nanhai people would attack at this juncture."
"But it doesn't matter...the Haihe River is blocking them and they can't get through. Young Master can just relax and enjoy themselves."
"When your country resolves the civil strife, you will definitely come to help!"
"That's right! That's right! After all, our two countries are brothers!" The man nodded affirmatively.
The guard laughed loudly and immediately ordered his men to let him go.
The carriage was leisurely walking towards the city.
In the car, a relatively older and beautiful woman pursed her lips and said with some displeasure: "I just spent ten taels of silver on entering the city."
"Husband, are you too generous?"
The four people in the car were Nan Yanxi, Li Jingmo, Nangong Ruoxue and Lu Yingying who were dressed in disguise.
This time, in addition to inquiring about Nan Zhao's truth, we also have another purpose, which is to find out who is making firearms for Nan Zhao.
If such a talent is not recruited, wouldn’t it be a waste of resources?
After the carriage entered the city, it turned a few corners. After making sure that no one was following, it quickly turned into a dead end.
Nan Yanxi got out of the carriage, looked around, and then came to a dilapidated courtyard gate, stretched out her hand and raised the unique frequency.
After a while, the courtyard door opened slightly, and four or five young people flashed out of the courtyard.
A few of them jumped directly over Nan Yanxi and headed towards the entrance of the alley.
Nan Yanxi knew that he was letting the wind go.
Then he turned his head and saw an older person among the few remaining people saluting him.
"Master, are you here? We have received news from Commander Xiao a long time ago and have been waiting here for a long time."
The commander-in-chief of Xiao is naturally Xiao Li. She is now the commander-in-chief of the black-clad guards of the South China Sea.
And these young people, just before the war started, lurked into various cities in Southern Zhao to serve as internal guards in black.
This leader, named Tian Mo, is mainly responsible for Southern Zhao and Kyoto.
He stretched out his hand and made a gesture of invitation. Nan Yanxi smiled slightly and stepped into the courtyard.
Tian Mo waved his hand, and several others hurriedly took a few steps and slowly led the carriage into the courtyard.
He also respectfully invited the three women in the carriage to come down.
Everyone walked in silence until they entered the inner hall of the room.
Tian Mo then led several other black-clothed guards here to kneel down and salute Nan Yanxi and others.
"Chen Tian Mo, led his brothers to pay homage to the master and the ladies...!"
"General Tian, don't be too polite! Get down quickly!"
Nan Yanxi looked approachable, helped several people up with a smile, and praised: "General Tian, brothers!"
"You have done a great job in conquering Southern Zhao this time. Don't be so polite, hahaha..."
When Tian Mo saw this, he suddenly became excited: "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness...!"
Everyone sat down one after another, and Nan Yanxi asked: "General Tian, how are the preparations going?"
"Don't worry, everything is ready."
Tian Mo said respectfully: "We found out that those old-fashioned fire blunderbuss in Southern Zhao were made from the ordnance they newly established."
"The manager of the ordnance station is a dull young man named Xu Yan."
"This man was just a scholar before. Later, he was discovered by the Southern Zhao court because he made firecrackers, and was appointed as the manager of the Ordnance Department, with an official rank of sixth rank."
"This person doesn't have any other hobbies on weekdays, but he feels quite lustful!"
When Nan Yanxi heard this, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment and thought to herself, is this a fellow person?
He quickly asked: "Oh? How can you see it?"
"Go back to Your Highness." Tian Mo said slowly: "This guy usually goes to Chunxiang Tower except staying at the Ordnance Station."
"And once I go there, I won't come out all night."
Hearing this, Li Jingmo on the side couldn't help but spat: "Bah! You're a disciple!"
"Anyone who goes to that kind of place has a bad character. It's disgusting!"
The other two women also nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Tian Mo and the others were immediately embarrassed.
After all, it is reasonable to relax occasionally when performing such high-stress and high-risk work.
We were all men, so Nan Yanxi naturally understood and smiled at a few people, indicating that they didn't need to care.
"Chunxianglou...which girl is he looking for?"
"It's a new girl, her name is Liu'er."
Tian Mo sighed and explained: "My subordinates have inquired that this Liu'er's father is a censor of Southern Zhao."
"It seems that she offended a powerful person and was framed. The whole family was beheaded, and Liu'er was made a prostitute and sold in Chunxiang Tower."
"Thinking about it, it seems to have happened not long ago."
"That's right...then continue to inquire, and notify me as soon as possible if there is any news!" Nan Yanxi nodded slowly.
Then he asked: "How are the arrangements for my residence?"
"Back to Your Highness, everything has been arranged." Tian Mo said quickly: "I have prepared a yard for you, not far from the ordnance station."
"And it happens to be on the way from the Ordnance Station to Chun Xiang House."
"The villain has also prepared an identity for you. He is a merchant from Yuzhou in Daxia. He is engaged in the salt business and is here to escape the war."
With that said, he took out a key and handed it over respectfully.
"In order to prevent His Highness from being implicated if something happens in the future, the little people will not get involved."
"The maids and servants in the courtyard can only trouble Your Highness to buy it yourself."
"Hahaha... That's very good!" Nan Yanxi praised with a smile: "General Tian is really neat in his work."
After saying that, he reached out and took the key: "In that case, I will take the first step."
"If there is anything urgent, please contact us using our specific method!"
"yes!"
Tian Mo agreed respectfully and saluted the four of them again.
Then they were sent out of the hospital.
Nan Yanxi sat on the carriage, holding the reins, and drove the horse forward slowly according to Tian Mo's description.
After about an hour of burning incense, a medium-sized house gradually appeared in front of me.
It is a small courtyard with a medium-sized gate, neither ostentatious nor shabby.
Nan Yanxi nodded with satisfaction, then drove the carriage to the door and silently watched the situation on the street.
This courtyard is located in a busy city, and there are many pedestrians and traders on the road. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is busy with traffic.
In a lively and prosperous neighborhood, houses are naturally in demand. Anyone who becomes powerful and makes a fortune wants to buy a house and live here.
And when some people lose power, they will sell their houses as soon as possible to exchange money for turnover.
Or be taken away by jealous people.
Therefore, the owners of houses here change frequently.
Suddenly a new family moved in, but not many people paid much attention.