"Your subordinate understands. I will do so."
Without another word, Chen Bin jumped down from the gate tower and swiftly left. In this period of time, all the people at Wang Chong's side had sensed a tense atmosphere, and the news that Fomonlința had been rewarded by the Imperial Court in Qixi had left all the people in the City of Steel furious.
But on Wang Chong's side, everyone sensed that there was another undercurrent of turbulence brewing.
The people of the Qixi Protectorate had come to strut around several times, but all of them had managed to endure each time. Although the Qixi Protectorate seemed to be firmly suppressing them, all of them knew that Fomonlința wouldn't be able to remain smug for much longer.
Since Marquis had said that he would leave Qixi, he would definitely do so, and it wouldn't take long.
"Hyah!"
A cloud of dust billowed through the city gate, swiftly making its way toward Qixi. Chen Bin's figure swiftly vanished into the distance.
"Write another letter to The Eagle in the capital. Have him keep a close eye on the Fourth Prince's movements. I need him to inform me of the slightest movement as quickly as possible!"
Wang Chong indifferently said.
There was no one behind him, but a person replied from the shadows.
"Your subordinate will go!"
His figure swiftly vanished into the distance.
The walls quickly fell silent, leaving only Wang Chong. After the initial phase of construction, Wushang's City of Steel had become much quieter.
This was a period of rest and recuperation.
Wang Chong looked into the distance, at the place where the gray heavens and earth met. Although it was quiet all around, Wang Chong could clearly sense that a massive storm was sweeping toward him from the capital.
The storm had already begun, and Wang Chong was well aware that this was his last chance to topple Fomonlința. But Fomonlința was a crafty old fox. Whether it was letting Dayan Mangpoje through the pass, using a borrowed knife to kill someone on the Ouzan Plateau, or finally stealing the credit, Fomonlința had always been flawless and flawless.
It was definitely not an easy task to get hold of his weakness.
Most importantly, during this process, Wang Chong could not attract the slightest bit of Fomonlința's attention.
Several hundred li away, in the Qixi Protectorate headquarters …
Creeeeak!
There was the soft creak of a door being pushed open, and an old woman with a fatigued expression walked out from the back door of the protectorate headquarters, carrying a vegetable basket.
Her footsteps were trembling, each step taken with extreme care. It seemed like she was spending a great deal of energy.
Swoosh!
Walking to the corner of the wall, the old woman forcefully threw out the rotten vegetable leaves in the basket. There, the rotten vegetables were piled up, exuding a rancid stench.
"Foul old woman, Lord Protector-General has ordered that you can't buy vegetables past noon!"
Suddenly, there was a boom as the back door was kicked open. A fiendish and fully-armored Hu guard of the Qixi Protectorate strode out, his eyes sharp as he stared at the old woman outside the door.
"In addition, if you cook next time, it won't just be a whipping. Give me something to eat! "
"This old woman understands!"
The old woman trembled and twitched, her face filled with fear and trepidation. She bowed and pressed her white head even lower.
His old and frail body was shivering in fear. It was a pitiful sight.
"Hmph, useless old woman. If not for the fact that you followed Lord Protector-General for ten-some years, I would have killed you long ago."
At the back door, the fiendish and fully-armored Hu guard cursed and slammed the door. With a loud clang, he finally disappeared.
A trace of resentment flashed across the old woman's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She lowered her head and looked at the crisscrossing blood red scars on her sleeves. She let out a long sigh in her heart, as if she had accepted her fate. She limped away into the distance.
As he left the Qixi Protectorate headquarters and turned a corner, he suddenly heard a soft voice in his ear.
"Granny, Granny, here, here …"
The old woman's body trembled, a hint of wariness in her eyes. She quickly scanned the area, and when she saw a handsome boy of eighteen or nineteen standing by the corner, she immediately relaxed.
"Little Xu, it's you. Didn't I tell you not to go to such trouble? I'll just go buy it myself. "
The old woman limped over, her expression much gentler as she looked at the boy. This boy was a peddler. She had fainted in the market after being whipped in the residence, and it was this boy who had saved her. This was how she had gotten to know this boy called 'Little Xu'.
Moreover, Little Xu knew of her plight in the residence, so whenever she went out to buy groceries, he would take the initiative to deliver them to her.
As a member of the protectorate, she had many misgivings, not daring to casually interact with strangers. But for some reason, this old woman felt a natural closeness to this Little Xu. Every time she saw him, she would see him as her own grandson.
"Granny, did they hit you again?"
Little Xu looked at the old woman's limping figure and felt sorry for her.
"Haaa, I'm used to it. Lord Protector-General has a bad temper because of his failures in the Imperial Court. It's been like this since ten-some years ago, and I'm already used to it."
The old woman said.
"But Granny is already old. How many more times can Granny endure this kind of whipping? "
Little Xu couldn't bear to see the old woman's struggling appearance.
"Haaa, what can I do? I'm just an old woman. Where else can I go besides the protectorate? In addition, the protectorate is different from other places. Although I'm being whipped, there's always some good medicine. I'll be fine once I go back and rub it on. "
The old woman bitterly smiled.
In the eyes of outsiders, the people of the protectorate enjoyed endless glory and splendor, but who could understand the pain they had to endure? The old woman knew what outsiders were thinking, so she didn't easily reveal what was on her mind. Only in front of this Little Xu would she reveal her true side.
"Granny, be at ease. There will come a day when I will save you."
Little Xu solemnly said to the old woman.
"Haha, it's enough for you to have such thoughts. Granny is already very content."
The old woman froze for a moment, but then she smiled. How could the mighty Qixi Protector-General, the Great General of the empire, let her go just because he said so? She could only think about it, nothing more.
After taking the small cart of groceries that Little Xu had prepared, the old woman began to limp back to the protectorate.
The rules of the protectorate were very strict. If she didn't return on time, she would be punished with another heavy punishment.
"Haaah!"
Little Xu couldn't help but give a long sigh as he watched the old woman's limping figure, a hint of pity in his eyes.
"Granny, be at ease. I'll definitely do what I promised you. Once I'm done, I'll definitely take you away. "
Little Xu muttered to himself. A few moments later, he slowly straightened his body, turned around, and flew off in another direction. Flapflap! A few moments later, a rock eagle commonly seen in the Western Regions soared into the sky and vanished.
… …
"Marquis, I received a letter from Zhang Que. They've already made contact with the target. All of the Qixi Protectorate headquarters is under surveillance. "
As the rock eagle flew by, a Wushang scout quickly ascended the walls and stopped behind Wang Chong. Bowing, he handed over the letter with both hands.
"Mm. I understand. "
Wang Chong stood at the edge of the walls, his eyes gazing in the direction of the distant Qixi desert. He extended his right hand and took the letter from the scout, glanced at it, and then put it away. Everything was on the right track. Fomonlința had always been cautious, rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside. While his actions seemed crude, they were actually watertight.
Thus, even if Wang Chong wanted to move him, he had no real way of doing so.
Great Generals like these had extremely high statuses, immense authority, and deep influence. Moreover, they were extremely experienced. Moving them was not an easy task. Even though Wang Chong was the Son of Heaven's disciple and had the assistance of The King of Song in the court, it was still not an easy task.
Alas, despite his vast experience, Fomonlința had one major flaw: his violent temper and fondness for punishing his subordinates. The old kitchen maid that Wang Chong had sent Zhang Que to make contact with was one of these people.
Not many people knew of this, and the Qixi Protectorate had always been careful to keep this a secret. But Wang Chong did know.
In the future, when that incident occurred, this old kitchen maid was one of the key figures. When Fomonlința became embroiled in that matter, the old kitchen maid was the only person in the Qixi Protectorate who dared to stand up and criticize Fomonlința. This matter had left a deep impression on Wang Chong, which was why he had arranged for Zhang Que to get in touch with them.
"… In addition, Zhang Que also has a request in his letter. He hopes, hopes that after this matter is over, Marquis can help rescue that old woman from the Qixi Protectorate so that she can enjoy a peaceful old age?"
The scout hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"Yes."
Wang Chong immediately agreed. Even if Zhang Que hadn't said anything, once this matter was over, he would have arranged for this old woman to live out her remaining years in peace. Otherwise, he would not be able to stay in Qixi.
"Thank you, Marquis!"
The scout was elated by these words.
Wang Chong only smiled. Although Zhang Que hadn't been in Wushang for long, he was very adept at using money and power. He had gotten along well with many of the soldiers in the army, and even this scout was willing to speak up for him.
… …
In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.
There were many things waiting to be done in the City of Steel. A complete fief was not as simple as carving out a piece of land and building a city. There were many things that needed to be taken care of if he wanted this place to be developed in the manner he envisioned. Early in the morning, while Wang Chong was in his residence in the City of Steel taking care of some documents, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps rushing into his residence.
"Marquis, Zhang Que has sent word that there's been some activity from the Qixi Protectorate!"
The guard's words were concise and comprehensive. Wang Chong had been in the middle of his work, but when he heard these words, he grimaced and raised his head.
Bang!
Not long after this guard rushed in, another gust of wind rushed in.
"Marquis, Lord Xu has sent word that the Qixi Protectorate has left Qixi!"
The second guard rushed in after him.
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