Chapter 1 Ye Tao Arrives

"Ye Tao…" In the southwest of Yuhang, in a town called Luzhuang, an old man in his fifties frowned as he murmured the name. He held a small piece of paper in his hand, on which was written: Ye Tao has set off.

Ye Tao was coming. This name held an extremely positive impression in the hearts of many people in Chunnan. The clock tower of Yuhang could even be considered a scenic spot. Although Ye's Workshop did not set up branches in Chunnan, their products still flowed into Chunnan through various channels, greatly enriching the lives of the people there. From luxurious and exquisite to simple and practical, everything was available, and all kinds of products related to the Ye family always seemed to give people a sense of good quality and practical experience. But for another group of people, this name was like a nightmare. If it weren't for Ye Tao's rise, if it weren't for his repeated subversion of traditional practices in various ways under Tan Xiaopei's indulgence, coming up with incredible but extremely practical solutions and ideas, or if he hadn't always performed so well in the few wars he participated in, always becoming a key figure, leading the war in a direction favorable to him… He and his wife, Tan Weixin, had transformed Dongping into a country that could only be looked up to over the course of more than twenty years, and now, Chunnan was facing this country. The Chunnan heroes who called themselves men of virtue and ambition were all trembling somewhat. They did not lack courage and confidence, but the more they understood Dongping, the more they understood Ye Tao, the more they felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.

The old man's name was An Ping. He used to be Jiang Yan's chief guard and had met Ye Tao a few times. Now, he commanded a deployment that included four hundred and twenty-six people who knew what they were doing, and tens of thousands of people who didn't know who they were serving, but were providing resources to the organization. He held the third largest bank in Chunnan, the sixth largest silk shop, the eleventh largest shipping company, and the fourth largest construction company, and the land and houses he controlled, both openly and secretly, were astonishing in number. An Ping himself had not yet had time to sort them out properly. This organization was called the Fuhu Tang (Tiger Subduing Hall). In Dongping, they only had a small but capable intelligence organization, with some personnel even directly lurking in Chunnan's intelligence system, but serving the Fuhu Tang. Jiang Yan had spent many years, painstakingly and meticulously, and exhausted his life building this organization, not for assassination or sabotage, not for intelligence gathering, but to prepare a huge plan to obstruct Dongping's advance by any means possible after Dongping and Chunnan went to war, causing Dongping to suffer huge losses. Dongping's army was strong, based on a strong material foundation, but once it suffered heavy losses, the financial pressure would be extremely great. More importantly, veteran soldiers were difficult to train, and a large number of veteran soldiers killed or a large-scale non-combat attrition could reduce Dongping's army's combat effectiveness by more than one level, and then the Chunnan army would still have a chance. Even if it failed to prevent Dongping from advancing, the Fuhu Tang had to complete its minimum mission: to ensure the continued existence of the Chunnan royal family… Not to let them survive by the grace of the conqueror, but to live freely in the world, and if there was a chance, to revive the Chunnan royal family in the future and achieve the great cause of restoring the country, and if that failed, at least to ensure the survival and freedom of the royal family, and, of course, a wealthy life.

Now, Ye Tao's arrival in Chunnan made several of An Ping's tiger generals somewhat restless. But An Ping knew very well that once something happened to Ye Tao within Chunnan's borders, Dongping's army would immediately come to kill, without any luck. But if something went wrong within Dongping's borders, if the identity of the actors could be hidden well, there would still be a great opportunity. An Ping himself was tempted. He picked up another piece of information, a list of personnel who were said to be going to Yuhang with Ye Tao, which had been sent a few days ago. Tan Weishi came with Ye Tao, but Ye Tao did not bring his children, apparently feeling that the atmosphere would not be too relaxed. The protection was unprecedentedly strong. Liu Yong, who had followed Ye Tao for many years, was naturally still the chief guard, and Jin Ze was the battalion commander of the guard battalion, with a force of three thousand, each of whom was an outstanding bodyguard. This time, twelve hundred people would accompany Ye Tao to Yuhang. In addition, there were about twenty jianghu (martial world) experts of various ages, including Liu Yong's wife, "Golden Silk Sword" Cao Mo. Looking at such a lineup, one might think that Ye Tao was a bit tense, but thinking about his current status and his achievements, one would feel that it was actually okay. This kind of protection was about half of the guard lineup of a country's ruler. But Ye Tao's value far exceeded that of half a country's ruler.

Moreover, what made people feel slightly relieved was that, as in the past, there were still a considerable number of heavyweight businessmen, or representatives of merchants, in Ye Tao's mission. The Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce and the Qihai Trading Company both had very high-level representatives. It seemed that they still hoped to conduct some relatively mild and mutually beneficial talks.

An Ping's attention would not only be focused on these people. He noticed that Chi Yun and He Fengzi were in this mission. Fengzi probably had no chance to become a top strategist like Jiang Yan, not because of his talent and vision, but because of his personality. Jiang Yan's loyalty and gratitude to the ruler and Chunnan, his patience in dealing with complex affairs, and his determination to carefully construct a grand situation in the hope of reversing the decline, were all things that this lazy fellow Fengzi could not compare to. Although Fengzi had always held the position of the Northern Frontier Pacification Commissioner, he had long resided in Danyang, enjoying himself with his friends. In recent years, he had only occasionally taken action, and his style was more inclined to taking advantage of the situation. But no one dared to doubt Fengzi's ability. Although this guy was good at taking advantage of the situation, using tricks whenever possible instead of normal and troublesome methods, he had one thing that far surpassed Jiang Yan, and that was his mastery of various fields. His knowledge was almost without blind spots, which allowed him to always find the key points from angles that others found very bizarre. Moreover, this guy was a master of diplomatic negotiations, far more difficult to deal with than Ye Tao, who always looked like a modest gentleman.

An Ping shook the bell on his desk, and an ugly servant walked into the study. The servant was almost eight feet tall, very large, and wearing a blue-gray servant's uniform, which looked a bit ridiculous. But looking at his ferocious face, probably not many people could still laugh in front of him.

"Master, what are your orders?" the servant asked.

"Let Ruan Xiaowu set off. Follow Ye Tao's team, keep an eye on them, don't make a fuss," An Ping instructed.

"Yes," the ugly servant responded, and then turned and walked out.

Inside the East Palace of the royal palace, the crown prince was also looking at similar documents, his expression somewhat complicated. "Ye Tao… what exactly is he here to do?"

The crown prince was always surrounded by a group of old ministers, who, although lacking in vigor, had deeply rooted networks of relationships. The Second Prince, on the other hand, benefited from the honeymoon period between Chunnan and Dongping in those years. He had once been regarded as the best solution for Tan Weizai to inherit the thrones of both countries at the same time, uniting Dongping and Chunnan into one, which led many "pacifist" ministers to gather around him to create momentum. Although this idea eventually vanished, and the rulers of both countries disdained this solution, the Second Prince's methods emerged one after another, and he finally gathered enough strength around him. If it were not for the great military threat from Dongping, the two princes would probably have met on the battlefield after the old ruler's death, but now both sides' supporters were trying to avoid this kind of behavior that would cause great internal friction. But the position of ruler would eventually have to be decided.

"This Ye Tao has great power in the Northern Kingdom now, but what can he do in the South? At most, his status is high enough, and he has a good relationship with the Tan family, so he can represent the ruler to negotiate state affairs," an old minister with white hair and beard snorted.

"It probably won't be that simple," a high-pitched voice said. Everyone knew that this was Eunuch Chen, the crown prince's most trusted eunuch, who had been with him for almost thirty years. "Carrying the remaining prestige of conquering Northern Liao, not long ago… it seems that someone from Chunnan offended him quite badly. It would be strange if he came to talk things over politely."

"In the current situation, Chunnan has to bow its head… In the past, our practices here were somewhat unkind. Many merchants in Dongping had a lot of complaints, which was indeed a bit excessive. Taxes can be negotiated, and the city guards and other powerful families can no longer do anything irregular. Old Xu… your son, please restrain him a bit. Lower your head, express your attitude, say some soft words, and hope to muddle through. This Ye Tao, when others give him face, he is still very easy to talk to," the crown prince said, "It wasn't us who offended him, so we don't have to worry about this." Suddenly, his tone became a bit cold.

It was people from the Second Prince's side who had caused trouble in Dongping before. The Second Prince was influenced by Chang Ling and seemed to really believe that Dongping was quite discriminatory and insulting towards Chang Ling, and he regarded Chang Ling and Tan Weizai's ability to live in Yuhang year after year as being ignored rather than favored. The same thing, looked at by different people, really had completely different results. Chang Ling's marriage to Tan Xiaopei was certainly because the old ruler hoped that this spoiled and arrogant daughter could have a good home, but it was also indeed hoped that it could be a good way to win over Dongping and form a family friendship. And the matter of marriage, if it doesn't become a family, it becomes an enemy… The old ruler didn't expect that this would finally be the result. Although Tan Xiaopei didn't value Chang Ling very much, he never neglected her. The expenses, the annual festivals, the rewards, the honor guards, etc., were all very generous. According to Chunnan's secret investigation, the queen Zhuo Xiu's daily expenses were probably less than one-third of Chang Ling's. And Zhuo Xiu, as the queen, always traveled lightly, with only six guards, two maids, and one attending female official… extremely shabby. Comparing the two, probably no one would think that Chang Ling was justified. But she herself was…

"What if Ye Tao asks Chang Ling to return to Dongping?" the old minister asked.

"Let her go back… Tan Xiaopei is, after all, a general. What are wives and children? Besides, she's not very likable. When the time comes, he can kill dozens of people in my Chang family and say it's to pay for Tan Weizai's life. Who dares to say anything?" The crown prince said unequivocally.

"I'm afraid… the Second Prince won't agree so easily, right? Concubine Lian herself probably wouldn't want to go back."

"Hmph, women… We didn't manage to befriend Dongping, but we can't really be treated as enemies, causing anger towards my Chunnan royal court. I'll talk to my younger brother about this matter. We can't let Chang Ling continue to be willful," the crown prince said somewhat angrily.

As for Concubine Lian, Chang Ling, she was very wary of Ye Tao's arrival in Chunnan, and even somewhat angry. From her first contact with Ye Tao when she arrived in Dongping to now, so many years had passed, Ye Tao had never treated her as a noble concubine, with any kind of respect. Although he would not lack etiquette in person, Ye Tao had never saluted her again since his rank allowed him not to salute her. And Ye Tao and Tan Weixin opposed her in many things, and later often gave her dirty looks, which she remembered all in her heart. Sometimes, some people just don't know how to reflect. Even the people around Concubine Lian were quite disgusted with her capricious, arrogant, and domineering behavior. Concubine Lian always felt that she was from the royal family and should have all her requests satisfied, and that she was superior to others. This didn't work in Dongping, and the natural response was a look of seeing an idiot. Even if Concubine Lian had a beautiful appearance, everyone laughed at her privately, treating her as a plaything pampered by the ruler. If Tan Weizai could really become the co-ruler of the two countries, her status would indeed undergo earth-shattering changes. But this was not something she could decide. And in the end, the temporary glory and splendor had passed, and she was still just the unimportant concubine.

Tan Weizai, on the other hand, was somewhat interested. How could Chunnan's set of aristocratic education that attached great importance to demeanor compare to the happiness of having everything to play with in Danyang back then? He was not a child anymore, and he knew what he could and could not say, and years of Chunnan-style aristocratic education had allowed him to suppress many emotions in his heart. On the surface, he only said to the guard, "It's been a long time since I've seen Envoy Ye. There must be many interesting things about the war to conquer Liao, and I can ask him in person when the time comes." This was also considered appropriate. Tan Weizai didn't care whether he wanted to go back to Danyang. In his opinion, Danyang was probably much better than Yuhang.

After leaving Danyang, Ye Tao was not in a hurry at all. In his opinion, it wouldn't be bad to let those guys in Chunnan worry for a few more days. In addition, his main responsibility was not just to bring Chang Ling and Tan Weizai back to Danyang. He had to pass through many places along the way. Some places were secretly hoarding grain, weapons, ammunition, etc., while others were where large armies were stationed, undergoing arduous training. Ye Tao could just inspect them along the way to understand Dongping's war preparations. Even knowing that Ye Tao was only passing by, the local gentry and merchants along the way would try every means to approach him, but unless it was really an accidental encounter while enjoying the scenery, Ye Tao declined such social activities.

Although he was dragging his feet, there was finally only one day's journey to the border. It would take at least two more hours to settle down after crossing the border, so Ye Tao decided that it would be more comfortable to pass through the border tomorrow morning. Before, it was natural to divide the team into advance teams and main teams, but in Chunnan, this arrangement was slightly inappropriate. It was easy to give people a sloppy impression and it was not conducive to the team maintaining consistency and having full security.

After all, it was located on the most important ground trading route between the two countries. Although the post station on the border was certainly not luxurious, the facilities were very complete. The maintenance and operation of the post station were now one of the standards for evaluating officials. And opposite the post station, a fairly large Rujia chain inn was eyeing it covetously. Even officials traveling now could choose places other than the post station, and they could still be reimbursed for expenses. This move made the person in charge of the post station system jump up and down in a hurry at the beginning. Later, they simply learned from the Rujia chain inn in all aspects and greatly strengthened the functions of the post station in transmitting official documents and other services, which stabilized the operation of the post station system. After several years of intensive cultivation, the post station had become one of the "state-owned enterprises" directly under the Ministry of Revenue with very good profitability. Ye Tao's party of nearly two thousand people occupied almost the entire post station. Some people even had to be arranged in the Rujia inn opposite. Looking at the market not far away from the rooftop, Ye Tao felt a little strange.

"Go and ask what's going on over there at the market?" Ye Tao ordered.

Jin Ze went around for a while and immediately came back to report, "My lord, the Xianyue Trading Company is selling off a batch of goods. I asked, and the boss said that after paying the fixed tariffs, he went to rest in the town over there. The next day, local officials and soldiers came to collect a second round of taxes. They also heard that recently, local garrisons and local officials in various parts of Chunnan have been frequently asking for bribes from merchant teams. Even if this batch of goods is delivered to the destination, I'm afraid they won't be able to make any money. So they simply pulled it back and sold it locally to those powerful chambers of commerce."

"Powerful?" Ye Tao frowned.

"Those with many people, strong guards, and backstage support… the local garrison may not dare to harass them. For example, the notes of very important ministers, the travel permits approved by the two princes, etc., seem to be very useful," Jin Ze said disapprovingly.

"Buy all the things in their hands," Ye Tao said coldly, "Even the carriages and flags. Divide two hundred people, dress up as merchants and set off first. Find out the situation for me. Treat those who extort and blackmail as bandits. You handle it, and I'll back you up."

Jin Ze smiled slyly. Ye Tao was obviously not very satisfied with this situation. The initial agreement reached after the two countries formed an alliance included clauses on the tax system for merchant teams. Except for tariffs and transaction taxes when selling in various places, all other taxes were mutually exempt by the two countries. Merchant teams could refuse to pay all additional levies. These clauses were implemented very thoroughly in Dongping. In particular, the Dongping army would never cross the line to find trouble with merchants. But in Chunnan, it was still good a few years ago, but now that Dongping's military advisors have returned home for a long time, and the relationship between the two countries is somewhat complicated and ambiguous, the local garrison and local government in Chunnan have begun to stir. For many Dongping merchants, if they strictly refused these extortions along the way, they would probably encounter more trouble. Some merchants in Chunnan sought umbrellas, paying a sum of money every year, which could avoid a lot of trouble. Some simply didn't run on land anymore, but instead cooperated with sea merchants. But for some small and medium-sized merchants without channels, life was becoming more and more painful.

Jin Ze naturally understood Ye Tao's subtext, and he didn't think that he could pretend to be a merchant team well with his men, so he made a deal with the boss of Xianyue Trading Company, letting him take one hundred and fifty elite guards disguised as merchant guards to join. In order not to make the scale of the merchant team look strange, Jin Ze bought a large batch of goods from other merchants in the local area. Jin Ze was also a famous figure in Dongping, and the merchants knew that Ye Envoy was doing these things, and they were even more happy to help. If they could solve the troubles along the way, even if all the merchants here at the post station took out all the goods in their hands, it would be no problem, not to mention that Jin Ze still paid the average of the ex-factory price and the selling price.

Xianyue Trading Company is here again? The officials at the Chunnan border didn't care much. Looking at the scale of the merchant team, they were probably going back to replenish their goods and come back again. If the quantity was large enough, the profit would still be good. After completing the formalities, Jin Ze led the merchant team into Chunnan. That night, the merchant team, claiming to travel overnight to catch up on wasted time, annihilated a "bandit" force of more than three hundred people.

"What?" Mao Yongming, who had just returned to the camp after hearing that a team of his men had gone out in the evening and not returned, was somewhat错愕. "Didn't come back? How could that be?"

"I only heard about it from the brothers in the morning. I asked Lin Mazi to look for people," Liang Peng, Mao Yongming's deputy, said indifferently. In his opinion, most of the company commanders who led the troops had gone somewhere to play. Anyway, the superiors could indulge in extravagant pleasures, and at least the brothers below could eat and drink enough. This kind of thing was not worth taking too seriously.

Suddenly, a soldier stumbled in. "General, something bad has happened… Commander Jiang's team has been wiped out… The corpses are piled up on the road."

What? Quietly wiped out a company of his own men, and not a single one came back to report? What kind of background is this? And since they dared to attack the regular Chunnan army, there was no need to think too much about their background. They must be extremely powerful. But coming to bully him, what did this mean? He was, after all, commanding more than seven thousand men.

"Go, leave a thousand brothers to watch the camp. Everyone else, come with me to see."

More than five thousand men were assembled in half an hour, and they marched for an hour to the scene of the incident. The merchant team had naturally already left, but after careful questioning, Mao Yongming also learned from the locals that only a Dongping merchant team had passed by at this time yesterday. This made Mao Yongming furious. Dongping merchant team, do you think our Chunnan army is fake?

But when they caught up with the Xianyue Trading Company's merchant team, they couldn't help but be a little puzzled. The Xianyue Trading Company's merchant team was now in front of and behind Ye Tao's team, advancing at about the same speed. Looking at the atmosphere between the guards on both sides, they were obviously on good terms. Mao Yongming was dumbfounded now. What to do? Let him make things difficult for a Dongping merchant team in front of Ye Tao? Mao Yongming didn't think he had the guts.

"General, it's always okay to ask… If they really moved our people, we can't reason with them, right? Moreover, this is our Chunnan territory. If we don't ask, then in the future…" Liang Peng reminded him.

Mao Yongming thought it was true. He gritted his teeth and ordered, "The main force will stay here. Liang Peng, you and I will go up to visit?"