On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

“Prince!!”

Inside the palace.

Hou Chun rushed into the study like an arrow, holding a bloody letter in his hand.

Lin Zhen was in his study, thinking about the reform and appointment of officials in Chu, without even raising his head.

Hou Chun came in and knelt on one knee: "Sir, something went wrong while Commander Zhuang was transporting Erguotou!"

Lin Zhen suddenly raised his eyes and saw the letter in Hou Chun's hand.

"Say, what's the matter?"

"According to the brothers from the Baiqi Division who desperately ran back, they were transporting Erguotou from Wuqing County, but encountered bandits before reaching Ye County. Zhuang Santing and his men fought desperately and finally drove the bandits back, but they suffered heavy casualties. Now the troops have moved on, but they don't have enough manpower to transport the pig iron back from Korea."

Lin Zhen stood up and took the letter from Hou Chun. There was no sealing wax on it and it was stained with blood. It must have been written and sent in a hurry.

When I took out the letter, the paper was covered in blood.

The person who wrote the letter was a personal guard from the Longxiang Camp sent by Lin Zhen, who was specifically responsible for surveillance and was mixed in with the Baiqi Division team.

The letter said that they encountered bandits on the official road of Songyun Mountain in Dingtao County. There were more than 500 bandits, who were well-equipped and well-trained, unlike ordinary bandits.

Including him, more than one hundred members of the Baiqisi team fought desperately and drove back the bandits. Only thirty people were left and they are currently continuing to transport mule carts to Ye County.

"There are bandits in Dingtao? What a joke." Lin Zhen murmured.

Although Nanchu was not concerned about the governance of Jiangbei, it was still the land of the imperial court and it was impossible to allow bandits to exist there.

Besides, Nanchu was once the most economically powerful of the seven kingdoms. The people had enough food and clothing. Who would risk their lives to become a bandit? This was clearly a deliberate plot.

But what is the purpose of this group of people pretending to be bandits... Is it to rob Erguotou?

That shouldn’t be the case. Although Erguotou is rare on the surface, it is distributed every month to court officials according to their rank.

No official would rob just for a few drinks. Besides, the letter clearly stated that they were 500 well-trained and well-equipped people, which was almost the same as an army. They should be private soldiers.

In Daqian, the only people who could have more than 500 palace soldiers were Gu Yunting in the past, one king and four dukes.

Could it be that some duke is trying to go against me?

Lin Zhen felt it was very likely.

Because the dude went to the battlefield and caused many deaths, many high-ranking officials had opinions about Lin Zhen. Although they didn't dare to say it on the surface, they must have hated Lin Zhen in their hearts.

They didn't want Lin Zhen to facilitate trade with South Korea so easily, so they made some moves in secret.

"Hehehehe."

Thinking of this, Lin Zhen suddenly sneered, thinking that these people were very childish.

No matter what the other party’s purpose is, no matter what they think.

Dare to attack Baiqisi, isn't this just trying to seduce Murong Yan?

If that girl gets angry, she can investigate all the corrupt officials. Now that someone has killed her people, how can she let it go?

It would be best if she didn't find out, otherwise there would be another major earthquake in the court.

The crime of princes obstructing international trade is terrifying to think about.

Especially since Murong Yan has been thinking about how to get the nobles to abolish the hereditary system recently, this is a good reason.

Lin Zhen placed the letter on the candle flame and burned it, and the ashes fell into the spittoon at his feet.

He stared blankly, thought for a long time, and said to Hou Chun: "Call Lao Cao over, and call the fat man as well."

"Yes."

"Also, don't tell the prince, he's been in a bad mood these days."

"You will finally understand."

After saying this, Hou Chun turned and left.

He used to call himself a subordinate, but since Lin Zhen gave him the sinecure post of Commandant of Jingzhao Tongzhou, he started to call himself the lowest general.

In the afternoon, Cao Xiong, dressed in black armor, walked in aggressively, and burst into laughter when he saw Lin Zhen.

"Wahahahaha, Prince! I'm late!"

Lin Zhen was very happy to see him.

Walking over, he patted his shoulder affectionately and said, "How have you been lately, little brat?"

Because of the victory in the wars against Southern Chu and Northern Yan, Cao Xiong was no longer serving in the Huben Camp. Lin Zhen transferred him to the Jinwu Guard as a lieutenant general, which was considered a promotion.

Cao Xiong laughed so hard his mouth opened so wide that his tonsils could be seen. "Hahahaha, great! Those Jinwu Guards were trained like ghosts and wolves by me! Their fighting power is amazing!"

"Well, that's fine. I called you back this time because I have something for you to do."

"The prince has commanded! I will definitely complete it!"

"Well, sit down." Lin Zhen pointed to the chair in front of the desk.

He is a general now, and it is inappropriate for him to always answer while kneeling.

Cao Xiong didn't care about that and sat down when asked to do so, very generously.

Lin Zhen sat opposite him and said with a serious expression.

"The situation at the local level is very dire. As you know, much of Jiangbei's territory was recently recovered. The people have no sense of belonging to the Daqian court, and the officials are lax and perfunctory in their response to the court's orders. Political affairs like this shouldn't fall on you, but the court is short of manpower. I want you to immediately allocate 20,000 troops from the Jinwu Guard, divided into four groups of 5,000 each. Station them along Dongping, Jiyin, Chenliu, and Ye County to keep an eye on them."

"Fuck it! How dare a small local official disobey the central government's order? How dare you! Don't worry, my lord. I will lead the troops to slaughter these bastards right away! Tell them who their real father is now!"

"Well." Lin Zhen waved his hand. "I'm not asking you to suppress it. I'm asking you to watch and protect the safety of the official road from Wuqing to Ye County."

"Protecting the official road?" Cao Xiong smacked his lips and rubbed his hands. "Sir, I'm not being nosy. We are regular troops. This is just a small matter..."

"This is no small matter! There are many things going on in the court that you don't know. A few days ago, your Majesty's Hundred Cavalry Division was attacked by bandits in Dingtao! Dozens of people were killed or injured!"

"What?" Cao Xiong's eyes widened. "The Hundred Cavalry Division was attacked!? Is this true? Are these idiots crazy? Don't they know that the Hundred Cavalry Division is His Majesty's army?"

"Of course I know. That's why I need you to station troops along the way to ensure the safety of the official road. This is related to national policy, do you understand?"

"Understood! Don't worry, my lord. I will go back and prepare right away!"

"Yeah." Lin Zhen nodded, then suddenly remembered someone and asked, "Hey? Where's Mao Mengji?"

"Didn't you give him a holiday? He should be at home with his wife and children by now."

Because of his merits in killing generals on the battlefield and defending the city, Mao Mengji was granted the title of Male of Qinghe County and appointed as the deputy general of the Left Guard. It can be said that his status and position rose rapidly and his future was limitless.

Lin Zhen gave him a long vacation as agreed, so he has not yet taken up his post.

In that case, use it again.

"Go find Mao Mengji immediately and pass on my order. Have him personally lead 2,000 soldiers to Ye County to find Zhuang Santaing and take over the escort work for the Korean trade."

"Yes, I will do it right away."