Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 102 The Law

Jiang Xun clasped his hands in greeting: "This humble subject, Jiang Xun, greets General Xu."

Xu Zhe raised his head, his gaze lingered on the man's face for a moment, and then fell on the document.

"It's taking longer than I expected." The tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was a reproach or a greeting.

"I was delayed on the way." A hint of embarrassment flashed across Jiang Xun's face.

If it weren't for that old fox Shen San's combination of coaxing and intimidation, he wouldn't have wanted to come at all.

Xu Zhe didn't ask any further questions. He raised his chin and gestured towards the chair opposite him: "Sit."

Jiang Xun sat down, his back ramrod straight, like a wound-up spring.

Xu Zhe calmly picked up the teapot, poured two cups, and pushed one cup towards Jiang Xun.

"My father mentioned you in his letter." He picked up his teacup, blew on the foam, and said you were a reliable person.

Jiang Xun muttered to himself: That old man, the Duke of Wei, clearly said "disobedience will be dealt with according to military law," so how did it become "a reliable person" in his son's mouth?

But of course he wouldn't undermine himself, so he quickly replied modestly, "You flatter me, Duke of Wei."

Xu Zhe didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Do you know Shuofeng City?"

"I've heard of it." Jiang Xun didn't pretend to know what he didn't. "I don't know the specifics."

"Come here." Xu Zhe got up and walked to the map on the wall, pointing with his finger. "This is Tiebei Pass."

Jiang Xun walked over and stood beside him.

Xu Zhe pointed north, landing on another marker: "Three hundred li north of Tiebei Pass is Shuofeng City. Although it is in the northern border, it is neither under the jurisdiction of Da Han nor Da Yong."

Jiang Xun looked in the direction he was pointing.

On the map, there is a vast wasteland between the two cities, barren and devoid of anything.

"I can understand if Da Yong doesn't care," Jiang Xun frowned, "But Da Han doesn't care either?"

Xu Zhe smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning.

"This is a tacit understanding among the three parties," he said. "Neither Dayong nor Dayan wanted to break off relations directly, so they kept Shuofeng City as a buffer. But they were also afraid that it would become too powerful, so they agreed to keep only three hundred soldiers and not allow any troops."

"Three hundred people?" Jiang Xun was stunned. "What can that do?"

"That's enough to deal with the bandits," Xu Zhe said. "Shuofeng City relies on commercial taxes for its livelihood, not on fighting."

Jiang Xun nodded, understanding—a toothless tiger is nothing to fear.

Xu Zhe continued, "The city lord is named Helian Quan, the younger brother of Grandmaster Helian Bo."

"Grandmaster?" Jiang Xun's heart sank.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned to him that there are Grandmasters in Shuofeng City?

"Helian Bo, known as 'Immovable King,' is one of the most renowned masters in the world," Xu Zhe said. "His younger brother, Helian Quan, may not be as skilled in martial arts as him, but he is far more ruthless. Shuofeng City is an impenetrable fortress in the hands of these two brothers."

A solid block of steel? Wouldn't that be even more troublesome?

Jiang Xun's face turned green.

Xu Zhe ignored his increasingly grim expression, turned around and returned to his desk, took out two wooden boxes from the compartment, and opened them one by one.

Inside were two crossbows, exactly the same as the one the Duke of Wei had shown him, except for the year they were forged.

"In the past two years, bandits have frequently robbed merchant caravans outside the Great Wall. Half a year ago, we ambushed a group of bandits and seized this repeating crossbow." Xu Zhe pointed to the one on the left.

Jiang Xun nodded—at the Duke of Wei's mansion, the Second Prince had also mentioned the rampant bandits beyond the Great Wall.

I never expected bandits to be so well-equipped these days.

"I bought this one at the market in Shuofeng City two months ago." Xu Zhe pointed to the one on the right, his voice deepening. "The seller said that as long as the price is right, I can have as many as I want."

Jiang Xun gasped: "As many as you want?"

"Not bad." Xu Zhe put the crossbow back into the box and closed the lid. "Although it cannot be completely confirmed yet, the number of crossbows that flowed out of Dayong should be quite large."

Jiang Xun suddenly realized—no wonder the Duke of Wei was so anxious. If this continued, the entire wealth of Dayong would be emptied out.

He looked at the box on the right and suddenly asked, "Where did you buy this from? Why don't we arrest the seller and interrogate them?"

"The person is gone."

"It's gone?"

Xu Zhe explained, "That person only showed up once in Shuofeng City. If we send people again, we won't be able to find him."

"Were they silenced?" That was the first thought that popped into Jiang Xun's mind.

"That's possible." Xu Zhe nodded. "According to our investigation, that person is very likely from the Xiao family of Da Han."

"The Xiao family of Da Han?" Jiang Xun was completely confused.

He knew that there was a Tuoba family in Da Han, but he had never heard of any Xiao family.

Xu Zhe patiently explained, "The Xiao family is the clan of the Empress of the Great Han Dynasty and holds military power. Xiao Yidong, the commander of the Northern Border Army, is a member of the Xiao family."

"Do I have to go deep into Da Han to investigate this Xiao family?" Jiang Xun's voice was already trembling slightly.

"No need for that." Xu Zhe seemed unwilling to scare him away, so he softened his tone. "I only suspect that the person is from the Xiao family, but I don't have any evidence yet. The fact that this repeating crossbow appeared in Shuofeng City means that there should be some clues in Shuofeng City. You can go to Shuofeng City."

Jiang Xun was almost scared to death—he thought he was going to go deep into the tiger's den of Da Han, but if it was just Shuofeng City, he could accept it.

If there's any real danger, escaping shouldn't be a problem.

After a while, Xu Zhe said again, "Shuofeng City has increased its security over the past two months, and it's inconvenient for our people to go in anymore. You'll have to rely on yourself."

Jiang Xun was taken aback, then pointed to himself: "Just me?"

He had thought that Xu Zhe would at least send ten or eight experts to serve him, but he didn't expect that Xu Zhe would be even worse than Shen San.

Xu Zhe nodded calmly: "Don't worry, you have no background, so you won't easily attract attention. Besides, your martial arts skills are not weak, so even if something happens, you can at least protect yourself."

Jiang Xun felt that these words sounded familiar—it seemed that the Duke of Wei had also used the same words to deceive him.

Later he realized: without a background, there is no support, and no one will care if something happens.

So on the way here, he made a decision—when he got to Shuofeng City, he would just deal with it casually.

Since even these big shots can't find out, no one will blame him if he, an unknown nobody, really can't find out either.

"A while ago," Xu Zhe spoke again, his voice a few decibels deeper than before, "someone used this matter to impeach my father."

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Who is so bold as to impeach the Duke of Wei?"

"Someone in the court submitted a memorial, saying that the border troops have neglected their duties and that weapons have leaked out, and that Father should be held responsible." Xu Zhe's voice was calm, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "They are too lazy to even cover it up; they just want to use this to force my second sister to marry into the royal family."

Jiang Xun's heart tightened.

Thinking back to that night at the Duke of Wei's mansion, the Second Prince proposed marriage so politely, his words full of humility, but little did he know that a knife was already at his throat.

Thinking of Xu Chen's smiling face and Xu Shan's heroic demeanor, I suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"Please rest assured, General, I will do my best in this matter," he said, his tone much more serious than before.

Xu Zhe seemed to sense the sincerity in his words and clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you."

Jiang Xun said politely, then asked, "How do I get there?"

Xu Zhe thought for a moment: "Going alone would be too conspicuous and attract attention. It's best to travel with a caravan."

"A caravan?"

"Hmm." Xu Zhe nodded. "Every day, caravans leave Tiebei Pass for Shuofeng City. You blend in there unnoticed."

He paused for a moment, then said, "You wait here inside the pass for two days. A caravan will depart the day after tomorrow, and I'll arrange for you to travel with them."

Jiang Xun thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

"Go to Old Zhou's Inn in the west of the city and wait there. I'll have someone let you know if there's any news."

"Thank you, General."

"Be careful." Xu Zhe's tone was a bit gentler than before, like he was advising a junior who was about to travel far away. "Shuofeng City is not Dayong. There is no law there."

"General Xu, rest assured, I will do my utmost." Jiang Xun clasped his hands in a salute, speaking with great enthusiasm.

But he couldn't help but mutter to himself: It's as if the Great Yong Dynasty has a strict law.