Huang Xuchang said in a low voice: "Wei Yong, Zhang Xitong, Chen Qun, Ye Zhengqiu, Xie Zhihan, Yu Qinghe, four cavalrymen and two inner guards."
Yang Fan said: "What's the reason?"
Huang Xuchang said: "They weren't on the Yellow Bamboo Ridge that day. All six of them come from poor families. Some only have parents or one or two siblings, and some are even orphans. After the deed is done, it will be easy for them to hide their identities and escape. In addition, none of them have been injured. "
Yang Fan said: "The inner guards can be excluded. When we left the capital, they were all very clear about our mission. If they wanted to leak the secret, they would have already reported it to the Wu clan. If that was the case, I'm afraid we would only see a dead body on the Yellow Bamboo Ridge and not a lively Prince of Luling. "
With Yang Fan's words, the range of suspects narrowed down even further. They could only confirm that it was within the scope of the hundred cavalry. As the commander of the hundred cavalry brigade, Huang Xuchang felt humiliated. He said resentfully, "Damn it, so this traitor must be one of my men."
Yang Fan smiled and comforted him: "Money moves people's hearts. As long as the benefits are great enough, it's not strange for someone to be bribed. There's no need to mind it."
After a pause, Yang Fan continued, "Being injured is not a reason to be suspicious, because this Wu Clan spy in the inner guard should be a spy the Wu Clan bribed in the palace in order to expand their influence. This person can't be related to the garrison that guarded the Yellow Bamboo Ridge for 16 years, nor can he be in contact with the Wu clan's other spies and influences.
In other words, when they bribed this person, the Wu Clan couldn't be sure what use he would have, or when he would have an effect. He could only be a one-way contact with someone in the Wu Clan, and the Wu Clan couldn't possibly reveal the identity of this spy to the assassins they sent. So, even if he was a spy, there was still a chance that he would be injured.
Huang Xuchang hesitated for a moment and said, "If that's the case, we have to add one more person. Originally, there should be three, but two of them are from the inner guards. Since the commandant said that it's impossible for him to be from the inner guards, then there's only one. His name is Fang Huixuan, and he also meets the above conditions, but … he has lost an arm."
Yang Fan said solemnly, "Yes! Then increase the surveillance on these five people. As long as he is a traitor, he will definitely give himself away. Wait until I find him … "
Yang Fan's voice grew colder, but he didn't say what he wanted. Huang Xuchang grumbled, "The captain has allowed Wangye to travel in secret. It looks risky, but it is actually a very feasible method. However, you shouldn't have announced it to everyone. How could the traitor not leak the news?"
Yang Fan gently smiled and said, "If we don't do this, how are we going to lure the snake into its hole?"
Huang Xuchang was surprised. "Lieutenant, are you saying … this is also a plan?"
Yang Fan said, "I had no choice but to beat them at their own game. Think about it, those who are unknown and incompetent can never be sent to escort Wangye. However, those who can be trusted and are capable are all important figures in the team. If a few important figures are suddenly missing, anyone with a bit of brain will become suspicious.
Besides, at that time I wasn't sure how much resemblance Miss Gu's Prince of Luling resembled him and whether she could deceive our own people. If the traitor saw through the clues and he knew nothing about it beforehand, he would inevitably become vigilant and realize that I no longer trusted our own people.
In that case, the news will still leak out, and he will be even more careful in his actions. How can we find him then? Therefore, this risk isn't just a risk for the Prince of Luling, it's also a risk for us. I want everyone to know our plan and let the traitor think that I haven't suspected one of my own. Only then will he give himself away! "
Huang Xuchang said, "But, if he leaks the news before we catch him …"
Yang Fan said, "There are too many villages and villages, so it's impossible for them to leave any spies. Only after entering the big city of Dafu will it be possible. At that time, we will have to use reliable people to keep an eye on every suspicious person. As long as they give themselves away, we will immediately kill them. In that case, will we still have to worry about the news leaking out? Besides, even if the news is leaked, we don't know where His Highness is at that time. It's just three people, and this kind of team is too common. If they want to find His Highness, it will be no different from looking for a needle in a haystack. No matter what, it will be safer than following us. "
Huang Xuchang nodded and sighed softly. "I really don't want a traitor to appear among our brothers!"
Yang Fan also couldn't help but sigh deeply and faintly said, "Am I not?"
He didn't want anyone to be a traitor. Even if it was a comrade who hadn't fled to the Western Regions with him, they had gone through life and death together. Especially Wei Yong, who was a friend of Chu Kuangge. If he was a traitor, Big Brother Chu would also be sad. But all the signs pointed to the fact that there was a traitor among them, and there was no doubt about it.
Not too far away, Miss Gu, who was disguised as the Prince of Luling, suddenly let out an 'ah'. Huang Xuchang and Yang Fan turned their heads and saw Li Guo 'er was trying to wake her up, whispering something to her in a low voice. Then Miss Gu got up and quietly accompanied her into the forest. It seemed that Li Guo 'er wanted to get up at night. In this darkness, she naturally needed someone to accompany her.
When the two of them were far away, Huang Xuchang softly said, "You don't say, Miss Gu's disguise as the Prince of Luling was really perfect. Even I couldn't see any flaws. The extraordinary people of this world really can't be underestimated. "
Yang Fan smiled and propped his arms up as a pillow. Gazing at the dark night sky, he unhurriedly said, "Yes, I was originally worried. Since Miss Gu has such ability, our plan should be able to be carried out relatively smoothly. I hope that His Highness can smoothly return to the capital and that we can all return safely."
… …
Dawn came, and the birds that had been scared away at night returned to their nests. They found that the humans were still in their territory, so they could only fly far away. Only the birds that had chicks waiting to be fed in their nests were reluctant to leave. They just stopped on a branch not far away, chirping non-stop.
The morning mist rose in spirals, making the forest look like a fairyland.
Several female guards mixed the leftover rations and dried meat with yesterday's leftover porridge and cooked a pot of hot porridge. After everyone had eaten their fill, they went to the stream to wash up. Because Gu Zhuting was disguised as the Prince of Luling, she couldn't wash her face and had to spend another two to four hours to disguise herself again. As a result, she could only use a willow branch to brush her teeth and do the most basic cleaning.
When the sun was high up in the sky, Yang Fan had an internal guard, who had reverted to his female clothes, and an imperial guard, disguised as a young couple, go to the village. When they came back, the two of them drove a carriage pulled by a mule. Inside the carriage was a pile of steamed bread (steamed buns) that they bought from various households.
The carriage did not have a shed. The villagers usually used it to haul crops and goods. Occasionally, when they went out, the women would need to ride the carriage. Unlike the rich families, they were not particular about it and even had to cover their heads. Therefore, it was a large open carriage. They spent a lot of money to buy it from the villagers.
Immediately, Li Guo 'er accompanied Gu Zhuting, who was disguised as the Prince of Luling, onto the carriage. Lan Yiqing immediately volunteered to be the cart driver. This morning, when she was washing her feet in the stream, she was constantly distressed that her pair of beautiful feet had blisters. Yang Fan knew what she was thinking about, but he only smiled and did not expose her. He let her excitedly pick up the whip and the group of people escorted the large carriage along Crouching Bull Mountain to the west.
That night, they stayed in a small town. This place was very close to Luyang Pass, so there was an inn set up in the town. Although the inn was relatively small, it was still enough for a few people to squeeze into a room.
Because it was a few people staying in a room, at least one person in each room knew that there was a spy among them. Tonight, they specially arranged for the internal guards to stand guard outside, so Yang Fan was not worried that the news would leak out.
They set off early the next morning because they wanted to pass through Luyang Pass on the same day. At noon on the same day, they arrived at the largest city in front of Luyang Pass, Xiang City. There, they bought enough mounts. If there were not enough horses, they used mules to make up the numbers. Finally, everyone had mounts. Their speed instantly increased. At the same time, the carriage was also changed to a covered carriage.
Last night, everyone stayed in the inn and had a good sleep. That was why after such a long journey today, they were still full of energy. However, it was unknown whether it was because Li Guo 'er had never practiced martial arts and her body was weak or because of some other reason, she was tired and listless throughout the journey. After changing to a covered carriage, she carried two blankets and spread them on the bed. Then, she fell into a deep sleep.
Wei Yong looked at her and felt that something was strange. He curiously asked Yang Fan. Yang Fan only smiled enigmatically and answered casually, "It's a woman's illness. It's not a big deal. She'll be full of energy after a few days."
Wei Yong was suddenly enlightened and did not ask anymore. However, there was a strange feeling in his heart, "Yang Xiaowei even knows about the little Junzhu's menstruation? Is it Yang Xiaowei who has remarkable abilities or is it the little Junzhu who has nothing to hide? Thinking of the romantic affair between Yang Fan and Princess Taiping that has been spread in the capital city until now, Wei Yong seemed to understand something. "
"Princess Taiping, Junzhu Guo 'er … they are biological aunt and niece!"
Wei Yong understood this point. When he looked at Yang Fan who was riding tall and straight on the horse, he was filled with deep veneration, "A real man should be like this! It's just that … he might end up with the big head and the small head cut off together. Yang Xiaowei is really a model example of a romantic man who would rather die under a flower! "
Luyang Pass was located in the southwest of Lu Shan County. It was located at the crossroads between Luoyang and Nanyang. Since ancient times, it has been a battleground for military strategists. However, that was during the Warring States Period or the era when the feudal vassals rose up together and civil strife occurred frequently. Now that the Central Plains had been unified, Luyang Pass had lost its military value. There were no troops stationed at the pass. Only the tax collectors were still guarding this position.
By the time Yang Fan and his entourage arrived at Luyang Pass, it was almost dusk. From afar, they could see the ruins of the Great Wall of Chu bathing in the setting sun on the hilltop. Sometimes, it meandered along the continuous mountain range.
The tax collector was about to close the door when he suddenly saw a group of people rushing over from afar. There were carriages and horses. He knew that it was another income. His spirit was lifted and he waited for them for a while longer.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
