Chapter 487: Order troops, enter the city, find people
Chapter 487: Order troops, enter the city, and find people
After arriving at the camp, Le Jin naturally stopped torturing his soldiers. Instead, like a curious boy, he chased Yi Xiaotian and asked about everything in the city during the day.
Of course, after hearing that Xu Chu just slapped Ma Yong a few times and Ma Liang came to the rescue, Le Jin was greatly disappointed:
"After all, this boy is very lucky. I have been here in Xiangyang for a few days, and I have heard a lot about the poor deeds of this young master. However, none of these Xiangyang people dared to stand up and resist this man. It is really puzzling.
"
Several people had already walked into the tent. Xu Chu took off his breastplate, sat down on the sofa, and muttered:
"Well, that kid is lucky. Everything in Xiangyang City is so stuffy and uncomfortable, and there's also that Ma Liang. Although his kid talks much better than that Ma Su, I always feel that this guy is...
Not convinced."
"That's what I said..."
Yi Xiaotian rubbed his tired forehead. Zhen Luo walked aside obediently and squeezed Yi Xiaotian's shoulders. Le Jin and Xu Chu looked envious.
It's just that Yi Xiaotian didn't realize this. He continued what Le Jin said and replied:
"I heard Brother Wang say during the day that the Ma family's business accounts for 30% of the entire income of Xiangyang. What's more, Xiangyang has developed business, and many people point to the Ma family's Ma Su to provide them with stable protection.
It is not an exaggeration to say that half of the people in Xiangyang City will act based on Ma Su's face."
"The Cai family is obsessed with power and has mastered military power, while the Kuai family is desperately trying to squeeze into Prime Minister Cao's group of advisers. In fact, these noble families in Xiangyang are not simple at all, and to some extent, they are better than you look.
We need to be united."
"Once Prime Minister Cao returned from the southern expedition, he was destined to express his stance towards these noble families. If the noble families in Yecheng were to fight on their own, Xiangyang would soon be divided. But today's Xiangyang is indeed monolithic.
No matter how dissatisfied the people are, they will not vent on their preference for a stable life."
Yi Xiaotian opened his mouth and talked a lot about the situation in Xiangyang, which made Le Jin and Xu Chu scratch their heads.
"Master Yi, a scholar like you can see things thoroughly. I have been here in Xiangyang for a few days, and every day I am eager to deal with a few so-called celebrities who are so powerful. These people live like loaches and talk weirdly.
It’s very uncomfortable.”
Le Jin finally felt at ease, did not complain, drank a glass of wine, and expressed his dissatisfaction.
"Then Liu Cong is also a loser. After his father died, he stayed in the state pastor's house all day long. If I hadn't come to look for him personally, he might not know when he would go out."
"By the way...this is the land deed document you want, Master Yi. Half of the surrounding mountainous land belongs to the Cai family, and the other half belongs to the Ma family..."
Suddenly remembering something, Le Jin quickly took out a thick stack of documents from his arms.
Seeing this, Yi Xiaotian also smiled with satisfaction.
"It was really helpful. General Le is indeed Prime Minister Cao's right-hand man."
"Hey, if anything, you are the owner of the villa, and you are making ridiculous compliments. We are here to help you build the villa under the orders of the Prime Minister. We are all doing our job!"
Le Jinhan smiled and touched his head. He felt that there was nothing wrong with working with people like Yi Xiaotian. The difference between Yi Xiaotian and those military advisors was that Yi Xiaotian was always so approachable when he spoke.
Of course, Yi Xiaotian's focus was not here. He looked through the land deeds one after another, which mountainous land was purchased at what time and at what price. It also changed hands several times.
After watching it for half an hour, Yi Xiaotian also had a general understanding of the surrounding situation.
"Most of the mountainous land of the Cai family is ancestral land, but the land of the Ma family... seems to have been acquired from others at very low prices in the past two years?"
"Not only that, I heard that there are several salt wells on the top of the mountain of the Ma family. The Ma family has made rapid progress in business in recent years, thanks to those salt wells."
Le Jin curled his lips and said angrily.
"Salt well?"
Yi Xiaotian's eyes lit up.
"Is it the Ma family's private salt well?"
"Most likely, I have never found any document in the Prefectural Shepherd's Office regarding the Ma family's report on the discovery of the salt well."
Le Jin replied, but Xu Chu only said angrily from the side:
"Is it unreasonable that the Ma family behaves so irrationally that even the government doesn't take it seriously?"
But soon, Zhen Luo opened her mouth. Since following Yi Xiaotian, Zhen Luo has become more and more courageous. At least in many aspects, she dares to speak out her own voice and express her own opinions. And many times, she sees
Things are far more thorough than those of Xu Chu and others.
"I'm afraid it's not that the Ma family doesn't take the government seriously...but that the government tacitly approves this matter, right?"
"Luo'er is right. I'm afraid that's the case. Liu Biao has monopolized Jingzhou for so many years because of the unrelenting support of these nobles. But how could those nobles just help Liu Biao rise to power?"
"These salt wells are probably the benefits Liu Biao promised them."
Xu Chu rubbed his head, his face a little twisted:
"Aren't things in Xiangyang too complicated? It's nothing like those states and counties in the north..."
"The sky is high and the emperor is far away."
Yi Xiaotian smiled.
He had some more ideas in his mind, but he had to wait until Wang Can came back to make a final decision.
Wang Can's character was under his control, and Yi Xiaotian felt that even if Wang Can was not suitable for officialdom, he would still be able to provide him with a lot of help in the future.
The matter he said he wanted to discuss in the evening was the issue of selecting a location for the villa.
But... as time passed by, Yi Xiaotian's expression became more and more solemn.
Zhen Luo was the first to speak, and she asked worriedly:
"Is Brother Wang locked inside the city gate? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
It was already getting late, and a full two hours had passed since the group parted ways...
"Impossible. I have already given instructions to the captain guarding the city tonight, asking him to let him go when he sees that it is the king's chief who is leaving the city. Could it be that the king's chief has really lost his way?"
Le Jin made a joke, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but Yi Xiaotian remained silent.
Another half hour passed...midnight.
The candlelight flickered, and in the entire army, only the tent where Yi Xiaotian was located was still brightly lit.
Yi Xiaotian just sent Zhen Luo away. Due to the differences between men and women, Yi Xiaotian specially asked Le Jin to divide a separate tent for her.
But before leaving, Zhen Luo nervously asked if something had happened to Wang Can, but Yi Xiaotian excused her by saying that they would handle the matter.
Until midnight…
"gentlemen…"
Xu Chu's eyes were bloodshot, but this was not caused by sleepiness.
Just because Yi Xiaotian said something:
"Wang Can may have been arrested, Ma Di..."
Le Jin also called Yi Xiaotian and realized the seriousness of the situation.
As Yi Xiaotian opened his eyes, this was the first time Le Jin had seen a scholar exude such frightening murderous intent.
"Xu Chu, and General Le, please gather your troops and horses and follow me into the city."
