My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Qingzhou, Langya Port.

In the northwest corner of the port, in a street-facing room on the second floor of a hotel called Haiyun Residence, Xu Xianzhi had been observing for half an hour with the window closed.

He was dressed in an ordinary scholar's blue robe, and his face was slightly embellished, which concealed his overly youthful good looks.

Behind him were two guards disguised as attendants, one was Xu San, and the other was a veteran under Han Yong.

Yesterday's entry into the port went smoothly. They were on an ordinary cargo ship carrying some dried goods from the island. The junior Qin officer who was inspecting the ship accepted a string of five-zhu coins from the captain and waved them on without questioning the passengers who were "heading north to find relatives".

Murong Yan assembled his navy here, and the defense of the port was completely controlled by the Xianbei people.

"Tap, tap tap."

The door was knocked on rhythmically, three light knocks followed by one heavy one.

Xu San silently opened the door a crack, saw who it was, and quickly let them through.

The person who slipped in was Lu Ming. He had changed into a dockworker's short trousers, and his face was smeared with mud, but his eyes were still alert.

He nodded to Xu Xianzhi and said in a low voice.

"Mr. Xu, a message has arrived. Around noon, in the Tingchao Private Room in the backyard, the visitor's surname is Cui; he should be one of the organizers!"

Xu Xianzhi nodded, as Lu Ming's previous investigation gradually came to mind.

Those who have close ties with the Hu merchants, can mobilize large amounts of grain and fodder, and even influence some port affairs are most likely collateral branches or agents of the Cui family of Qinghe in the Qingxu area.

Since Wang Meng's death, the power of Han Chinese noble families in the Di-Qin dynasty has shrunk somewhat. The Cui family, which originally had a strong foundation in Qingzhou by relying on Wang Meng's relationship, must not be having an easy time as before.

The Murong clan of Qingzhou had been operating there for decades, and the fact that they had only learned of the plans of the Di-Qin royal family, including Fu Fang, in this area from Deng Jing made these powerful Han Chinese clans in the north extremely uneasy.

"Have the naval forces heading south gathered sufficient intelligence?"

Xu Xianzhi turned around, his voice extremely low.

Lu Ming moved closer to the window to make sure no one was watching before responding in a very fast voice.

"It's been investigated! This place has been gathering ships. There are currently over a hundred warships of varying sizes moored in the harbor, most of which are refurbished cargo ships. There are about five thousand naval soldiers, who have been training intensively recently. Half of them are former Xianbei troops, and the rest are mostly Han Chinese recruits from Qingzhou. Their military discipline looks strict, but there are quite a few frictions between Xianbei and Han soldiers in private."

Xu Xianzhi pondered silently. He felt that this was not the kind of force that Murong Yan could organize, but most likely an order from Fu Fang, a member of the royal family.

The original plan for a surprise attack was primarily to plunder the area's food and supplies, but now it seems we must deal with this naval force.

"Is the Cui family trustworthy? How will they ensure that our whereabouts are not leaked afterward?"

"At first, they were extremely cautious, probing our strength time and time again. Only after hearing that we had humiliated Murong Yan in Qu County did they relent and agree to talk. They said that since Murong De was ordered to garrison Guanggu, the Xianbei people had been pressing closer and closer to Qingzhou. The Cui family's salt fields had been taxed at 30%, and other industries had also been affected. They were even more afraid than we were of the Xianbei growing stronger and threatening their foundation in Qingzhou!"

Xu Xianzhi pondered for a moment. In chaotic times, absolute trust simply doesn't exist. Cui's reasoning seemed reasonable, but it was full of loopholes. Was he afraid that the Xianbei would become too powerful? He could have simply sought refuge with the Di people instead of risking cooperating with them. There must be something deeper behind this.

"it is good."

When Xu Xianzhi looked up, there was no hesitation in his eyes.

"I'll go meet with Mr. Cui at noon. You take three capable men and scatter them around the inn. If there's any unusual activity, signal with three short bamboo whistles. Lu Da's fleet is scheduled to arrive at the designated sea area before dawn the day after tomorrow. We must send out the final confirmed information and the timing of our action before midnight tomorrow."

"clear!"

Lu Ming accepted the order and quietly slipped out, unlatching the door.

As noon approached, the sun climbed high into the sky.

The private room named Tingchao was tightly closed, with a faint scent of sandalwood burning inside.

Xu Xianzhi stepped inside alone, his footsteps extremely light, without making a sound.

Beside the tea table by the window sat a man of about forty years old, dressed in a dark blue Shu brocade casual robe with a white jade belt buckle around his waist, clearly from a noble family.

The man had fair skin, a neatly combed three-strand beard, and well-maintained fingers with rounded knuckles. Only his eyes shone with a shrewd, restrained light, unlike those of an ordinary profit-driven merchant.

Upon seeing Xu Xianzhi, the man did not stand up, but merely raised his hand slightly in a gesture of respect, speaking in a calm tone.

"Are you Young Master Xu from Yuzhou Island? Please have a seat."

"Mr. Cui."

Xu Xianzhi returned the greeting, raised his hand to smooth the hem of his blue robe, and casually placed his hand on the edge of the tea table.

"Mr. Xu is mature beyond his years and has an extraordinary demeanor."

Cui Fu sized him up for a moment, as if assessing the weight of his offer, then cut to the chase without beating around the bush.

"Are you, young master, from the Xu family of the East Sea?"

Xu Xianzhi frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure, picked up the teacup and offered a gentle toast, then asked in return.

"Why do you say that, Mr. Cui?"

Cui Fu did not answer, but instead called out to the side room behind him.

"Third brother, come out!"

A figure slowly emerged from behind the door of the side room. Xu Xianzhi suddenly stood up, his hand already on the short blade at his waist, and swept it over Cui Fu and the newcomer.

"Zhou Laosi!"

Cui Lin, who was mistaken for Zhou Laosi, bowed to Xu Xianzhi.

"Young Master Xu, how have you been?"

Xu Xianzhi felt a chill run down his spine, and in a moment he realized that Zhou Laosi was just using an alias and that his true purpose was probably to target Qu County.

"It seems there's no need to discuss this further. I'll take my leave."

After saying that, he turned to leave, but was quickly stopped by Cui Lin.

"Lord Xiao led his troops to occupy Yuzhou Island, smashed the Cui family's salt depot on the island, and rendered the Cui family's years of hard work futile. Young Master Xu, are you unwilling to listen to a word we have to say?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xianzhi paused in his tracks.

At this moment, Cui Fu took out a neatly folded roll of thin silk from his sleeve, pinched the edge of the silk with his fingertips, and gently pushed it open on the table.

It turned out to be a simple yet crucial map of the ships anchored in Langya Port. Several points were marked with ink, indicating detailed locations such as grain storage areas, the side gate of the naval camp, and the location of Qin army sentry towers.

"To show our sincerity, this map is a map of the Langya Port naval camp!"

Cui Fu spoke calmly, observing Xu Xianzhi's every reaction.

Xu Xianzhi glanced at the map, then slowly withdrew his feet, sat down again, picked up his teacup but did not drink, only gently skimming off the foam with the lid, his demeanor composed.

"What does the Cui family want?"

"..."

Half an hour later, when Xu Xianzhi walked out of the Tingchao Private Room, his brows were still slightly furrowed, but he was very satisfied with the result.

He didn't linger, his steps quick yet steady as he crossed the backyard of the inn, his eyes meeting those of Lu Ming who was waiting outside.

"It's settled."

Xu Xianzhi lowered his voice to a very low level.

"Send a message according to the adjusted time, instructing Lu Da to arrive half an hour earlier. Also, send two people to keep a close watch on the Cui family's people. They will cooperate as agreed, but only trust them to a certain extent."

Lu Ming nodded in agreement and was about to turn around to make arrangements when Xu Xianzhi suddenly raised his hand to stop him.

Suddenly, a shout in Xianbei language came from the street corner, mixed with the heavy sound of horses' hooves. It was Xianbei patrolmen checking passers-by.

"Use the side door!"

Lu Ming led Xu Xianzhi and quickly disappeared into the narrow alley on the west side of the inn.

The sound of the patrolmen's hooves grew closer and closer. The group held their breath and walked close to the wall until they turned two corners and finally shook off their pursuers.

Xu Xianzhi breathed a sigh of relief, but felt even more urgent. The Xianbei people were so well-defended here that this surprise attack, which relied on the Cui family's strength, could not afford to make the slightest mistake.