Chapter 1 Chen Xiao's Bargaining Chips

Chen Xiao did not leave because Gao Senqi’s statement was clear enough. As an envoy, and as the current representative of Yunzhou, he knew very well that if he were simply dismissed like this, their plan would at least not be fully realized. In Chen Xiao’s view, the message that Yunzhou would protect all those who sincerely invested in Yunzhou was not yet clear enough.

"Many of your Flying Tiger Camp members… of course, their bodies are in our hands. We have honorably collected them. But we have no use for them, so why not use them to exchange with you? Dead people for living people, so you don’t suffer too much. Two corpses for one living person, isn't that a good deal?" This was what Chen Xiao said the next day.

"Aren't you just afraid of handing over the Ding family to Yunzhou, and losing face? Don't worry, as soon as we get our hands on this group from the Ding family, we'll send them directly to the northern grasslands, and there won't be any news at all. Isn't that okay?" This was on the third day.

On the fourth day, Chen Xiao said, "Sigh, how can you reduce yourselves to the level of kidnappers? Fine, fine, can't we just pay the ransom? Tell me, how much money?"

Fifth day. "Don't want money? That's easy to handle. How can we hand people over to you? Just set the conditions. And then… we can talk, right? Although I don't dare to do anything too outrageous, I'm still Deputy Commander Ye's adjutant, a fully authorized representative, and I can still speak."

Sixth day. "How about I trade the Xilin River Valley? Of course, I know that it's a buffer zone, and there's no one in it. What I mean is, we formally hand over jurisdiction of the Xilin River Valley to you, and the buffer zone retreats to Benma Creek. This is a big sacrifice, okay? The Xilin River Valley is such a good place."

In addition to proposing all sorts of outlandish plans every day, trying to find ways to exchange for the Weining Ding family, Chen Xiao also used various means to convey his "determination" to obtain them. As a military envoy, he did not carry a large number of gifts for public relations, but… he had 100,000 taels of Yunzhou Bank, Seven Seas Trading Company, and Jiuzhou Trading Company payment notes that Ye Tao had given him. When he first started stuffing money, the Western Route Army generals did not dare to accept it, but Gao Senqi finally opened his mouth to allow it. But when Chen Xiao spent money like water, changing his methods to find all kinds of people to speak for him, the news immediately spread. When Chen Xiao stayed in Dalun Mountain for ten days, the news that Yunzhou was actively seeking to rescue the Weining Ding family had spread throughout the area under the jurisdiction of the Western Route Army, and even to places further east. Gao Senqi was finally a little annoyed. When Chen Xiao had stayed in Dalun Mountain for sixteen days, he expelled him. The expelled Chen Xiao did not seem discouraged or depressed at all. He shrugged his shoulders elegantly, took off the well-made custom-made long gown of an envoy, and put on the complete set of guards camp uniforms that had been kept in the box. Only the collar badges and epaulettes were different. He now wore the Ye family crest, to show that as Ye Tao's adjutant, the only thing he needed to serve and be loyal to was Ye Tao and the Ye family, and nothing else.

Chen Xiao left with a smile. His expression looked more like a soldier who had completed an impossible mission and then successfully returned to the team.

After Chen Xiao's commotion, although no agreement was reached between the two sides, the confrontation between the two sides could not be maintained, and everyone dealt with it coldly. Both sides tacitly reduced the alert to the previous level, but neither the Northern Liao side nor the Yunzhou side allowed these temporarily mobilized troops to return to their original garrisons. Instead, they were concentrated and trained in several nearby military camps. Everyone knew that a big war was not far away. The cold stalemate formed by Chen Xiao's commotion would soon break out for other reasons, because of the irreconcilable contradictions between the two sides. And by then, there would be no chance to stop.

The reason why Yunzhou did not immediately attack was still because of Tan Xiaopei. When he discovered that the war would suddenly be brought forward so much earlier than Ye Tao's original plan, he immediately ordered the entire Blood Kirin Army to advance north and be at Gangduo's disposal. As a result, under Zou Shuangwen's strict orders, the entire Blood Kirin Army set off on the afternoon of the next day, leaving only the equivalent of a battalion of soldiers, about 1,700 elite veterans who had joined the Blood Kirin Army this year, and some auxiliary soldiers who had retired from the Blood Kirin Army to serve as instructors in the camp. Because Yunzhou's logistics system could fully integrate with the needs of the Blood Kirin Army, and because the Blood Kirin Army often had long-distance marching training to and from a certain place in Yunzhou, everyone was familiar with the road and set off with twenty days of rations. The Tianxuan Army and the Imperial Guards were also preparing urgently, and they would also be put into battle one after another at the appropriate time. The Imperial Guards began to secretly enter a state of readiness, and Chi Yun went to Zhenbei Pass as soon as possible to contact Xue Yuan and others, communicate various military situations, and be ready to attack at any time. Although the Tianxuan Army had returned to its garrison after the battle against Northern Liao, it also began to prepare for battle at this moment. With Qiu Haohui's character, the Tianxuan Army could launch a fatal blow with all its strength at any time. The current Tianxuan Army is also stronger than before due to its different status. Not only has it maintained its original advantages in the infantry force, with the most powerful heavy infantry force in the entire Dongping, but it has also added four battalions of cavalry, and it already has the ability to force the enemy to have a decisive battle with itself. In fact, the Tianxuan Army is the most suitable force for conducting battles and decisive battles in the entire Dongping.

And under this undercurrent, the buffer zone between Yunzhou and Northern Liao was silent.

The Dragon Gate Inn is a small inn in the buffer zone that is actually supported by Yunzhou. On the long border line where the two sides meet, there are a total of two north-south passages. They are not ports agreed upon by both sides, but passages that both sides tacitly leave for merchants and travelers to pass through. The Dragon Gate Inn is the only way to pass through the northern passage. There are more than just the Dragon Gate Inn in the buffer zone. In fact, all kinds of services related to travel are available, including post horse stations, warehouses, and even shops that supply portable dry food and utensils needed for all kinds of travel, as well as personal weapons. In fact, every store has some background. Of course, seeking one's own wealth in this kind of situation where the two armies are facing each other seems a bit dangerous, but the profits are really coveted. In Northern Liao or Yunzhou, the cost of accommodation for one night plus a few good meals is only about one or two taels of silver, which is already a relatively good inn. In the Dragon Gate Inn, a bowl of very light tea costs one tael of silver… Fortunately, you can refill it with boiling water as much as you want. A relatively simple room costs five taels of silver per night. What makes it even more difficult for people who run inns in other places to imagine is that no matter who the guest is at the Dragon Gate Inn, they always pay in advance or pay first. There is no way to settle the bill before leaving the store. There are also many tricks here. Although the Dragon Gate Inn is located in the center of the buffer zone and seems to be neutral, the armies of both sides will come to check at any time. They will also do their homework in advance in order to pursue fugitives or prevent certain "spies" or "dangerous people" from entering their own territory. However, innkeepers cannot refuse guests because of this, nor is it convenient to ask the armies of both sides to pay the bill first when people are arrested.

And the most surprising thing is not this, but the boss of the Dragon Gate Inn is actually a woman. This infinitely charming woman looks about thirty years old, and her skills are very good. At least, no one who wants to take advantage of her has been able to get any benefits so far. This woman's name is Jin Xiangyu.

In fact, the landlady Jin Xiangyu is already forty-seven years old, and she is really good at maintaining her appearance. She is Cao Mo's Shijie (martial sister) and Liu Yong's wife. Her Kung Fu is much more solid than Cao Mo's. Although there is a gap compared to Liu Yong, it is not far off. If it weren't for her fearless nature and her love of danger, she could easily be a guard by the side of women like Zhuo Xiu or Tan Weixin. She really did it. She stayed by Zhuo Xiu's side for a month… Zhuo Xiu never left the palace even one step. She thought it would be better to be by Tan Weixin's side, but she didn't expect that although Tan Weixin often ran around, she flew around, and even if others had the heart and courage of a thief, they still lacked a pair of wings.

Later, when Ye Tao told her about the idea of this Dragon Gate Inn, she immediately agreed happily and came excitedly. In fact, this errand did not disappoint her. In name, this privately run, neutral inn must survive between the two armies. The Yunzhou military does not know that the Dragon Gate Inn is actually one of their own, but people from the Intelligence Bureau and the Inner Mansion are often assigned by Ye Tao to ask about her needs and provide various possible assistance. During the days when she presided over the Dragon Gate Inn, she had solved many spies, bandits, and desperadoes, and also provided a lot of help to some simple merchants and travelers. Merchants who often take the northern passage may not know what time, place, and price their goods will be sold for next time, but they will definitely know that there is a beautiful landlady named Jin Xiangyu at the Dragon Gate Inn.

For a while, what made Jin Xiangyu unsure was that Ye Tao had actually stuffed another person over to her, a barbarian… This guy was discovered in the dungeon of a certain寨子 (zhai zi, mountain village) when attacking sand bandits. This guy speaks a dialect from who-knows-where, and says tribal languages from the northern grasslands, and can only use simple words to piece together meanings for people to guess. At the beginning, Jin Xiangyu didn't understand what Ye Tao meant by stuffing such a person over. In fact, now, she just feels that another good swordsman has come, and her pressure has been reduced a lot. Of course, she couldn't understand Ye Tao's surprise and delight when he saw this guy, who couldn't even speak clearly, use a cavalry sword to neatly slice the meat off a roasted whole lamb and serve it to Ye Tao as the only expression of his gratitude for being saved.

Jin Xiangyu knows that this barbarian is very reliable. He usually leans lazily against the stove in the inn. His exceptionally exquisite barbecue skills and knife skills have also occasionally been revealed, but they are only used to serve the most distinguished guests, and there are few opportunities for him to take action. But since he appeared, he has taken action several times with ease, which has definitely shocked the audience and made her, the landlady, very proud. This kind of barbarian's emotions are so simple. Whoever treats him well, he treats well. Jin Xiangyu knows that when necessary, this barbarian will definitely sacrifice his life to protect her. Because that is what Ye Tao entrusted him to do, and also because she has always been very nice to this barbarian.

The atmosphere today is a bit strange. The Dragon Gate Inn is actually full. And the two groups of guests who gathered here early in the morning obviously know each other, and… are wary of each other.