"You returned just in time," Kou Shijun said. He had been speaking with the middle-aged man and looked at Jiang Chenghan upon hearing his voice. He added, "This is Lord Liu, an Imperial Commissioner sent from the capital to investigate the matter of the fake Zhao Dali. Please describe the specific course of events to Lord Liu."
Jiang Chenghan was surprised that in just over a month, Kou Shijun had already reported the matter to the court, and even an Imperial Commissioner had arrived in Ningcheng. But he couldn't ask more at the moment, so he did as Kou Shijun said, detailing how he discovered the fake Zhao Dali's suspicious behavior, devised a plan to obtain half of the old jacket, and found the patches with the defense layout drawn on them.
What Jiang Chenghan said, Kou Shijun had already relayed to the Imperial Commissioner once before. So after Jiang Chenghan finished, the Imperial Commissioner showed no surprise, only nodded, then said to Kou Shijun, "General Kou, may I ask where Zhao Dali and the others are currently imprisoned?"
"They are in the dungeons of the Governor's Residence. If Lord Liu wishes to see them now, I will have them brought up immediately," Kou Shijun said.
Lord Liu, however, shook his head and said, "That won't be necessary. I will go to the dungeons myself."
Kou Shijun did not insist. He then called for someone to guide the Imperial Commissioner.
"General, what exactly is going on? Why is there an Imperial Commissioner?" As soon as Lord Liu left, Jiang Chenghan asked Kou Shijun.
Kou Shijun first dismissed everyone except Jiang Chenghan. Then, from a hidden compartment in his desk, he took out a wooden box. Inside was a thick stack of papers filled with writing, which he handed to Jiang Chenghan, saying, "These are the confessions of the fake Zhao Dali and the accomplices he revealed. Read them first."
Jiang Chenghan said nothing, took the box, extracted the papers, and began reading carefully. As he read, his brows furrowed.
The papers were filled with the fake Zhao Dali's confession: his true name and place of origin, the precise time and location of his recruitment, the identity of his handler, his mission to infiltrate the Ningcheng army during the conscription drive two years earlier, and a detailed list of his contacts within Ningcheng—all recorded in detail.
Besides the fake Zhao Dali's confession, there were also the confessions of his accomplices in Ningcheng that Kou Shijun had captured based on his statements. One after another, over nearly two months, Kou Shijun had captured a total of seven people.
These seven people were scattered across various trades in Ningcheng: some, like the fake Zhao Dali, had joined the army; others ran businesses like wine shops or rice stores; there was even one who tended horses at the Governor's Residence.
For Kou Shijun, an official and general of many years, having people planted near him and in the army was not surprising. Although far from the capital, he had never been far from the court's struggles—those hoping to catch him making a mistake to pull him down and take his place were never in short supply.
But awareness alone was not permission to remain passive. He could not allow such surveillance to continue unchecked. Furthermore, with all the operatives now captured and irrefutable evidence in hand, the timing was ideal to take decisive action and send a clear warning to anyone else harboring similar treacherous intentions.
Therefore, although he couldn't find out who exactly was behind the fake Zhao Dali and the others, Kou Shijun directly sent a memorial to the capital by express delivery. The Tianming Pass defense layout stolen by the fake Zhao Dali was enough to prove the sinister intentions of those behind him. Kou Shijun knew the emperor would not remain indifferent.
Given the implications for border security and the stability of the entire country, the Emperor naturally could not ignore such a breach. The moment he received Kou Shijun's report and understood that the defense plans for Tianming Pass had been stolen, he acted without delay, dispatching an Imperial Commissioner to Ningcheng with orders to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
Given that Jiang Chenghan was the original source who uncovered the fake Zhao Dali's suspicious activities, the Imperial Commissioner naturally wanted to meet and question him personally. Hence, Kou Shijun had recalled Jiang Chenghan early.
However, having Jiang Chenghan return was not solely for this matter.
This time, those coming to Ningcheng from the capital were not only the Imperial Commissioner investigating the fake Zhao Dali but also the envoy sent by Da Qi to Danu to form an alliance, as well as the envoy announcing the decree ordering Kou Shijun to send troops to reinforce Danu.
It was now mid-spring,
the ice and snow were about to melt completely. The war between Danu and Bei Di was about to resume, and the court debate on whether to send reinforcements to Danu had finally reached a conclusion. The emperor ultimately agreed to Danu envoy's request and issued a decree to Kou Shijun ordering him to assist Danu in resisting Bei Di, as well as to send someone to escort the princess of Danu and the tributes offered by Danu to the capital.
Upon receiving the decree, Kou Shijun immediately began deploying troops and generals. But at the same time, he was well aware that Bei Di would not simply stand by and watch Da Qi and Danu join forces against them—they would certainly take action. And currently, the Da Qi envoy was their best target.
If the Da Qi envoy died within Danu territory, the alliance between the two countries would inevitably be affected. Even if the alliance wasn't ultimately abandoned, it would be delayed, and during this time, it would be their best opportunity to conquer Danu, which strength was now depleted like an arrow at the end of its flight.
To prevent the alliance between the two countries from being sabotaged, Kou Shijun coordinated with the Da Qi envoy to implement a decoy strategy. The deputy envoy would openly travel to Danu as a visible representative, while the actual chief envoy would be covertly escorted into Danu by a team personally selected by Kou Shijun. For this critical protective mission, Kou Shijun chose Jiang Chenghan.
He ordered Jiang Chenghan to select fifty capable men from the army to form a temporary squad, take the Da Qi envoy secretly into Danu, and bring the Danu princess back to Da Qi.
A secret mission not to be known by outsiders, a specially selected team of fifty elites... These familiar terms caused Jiang Chenghan to freeze instantly. Calculating the time, it was only about half a month until the date Yan Jingshu had said was that of his death in his previous life...
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