Chapter 117

Wei Li'an smiled embarrassedly and said, "Guard Captain Jin, this is how I usually act. If I suddenly changed my attitude, wouldn't that arouse suspicion?"

Jin Ze looked askance at Wei Li'an and asked, "Alright, show me your identification. After I've seen it and reported the situation, you can continue to disgust others."

Wei Li'an replied solemnly, "Yes." Then he took out a small bronze token from his pocket and began reciting the long-winded password of the inner court while stroking his chest. After a perfect match, Wei Li'an said to Jin Ze, "Guard Captain Jin, why did you come here? The previous report said that a big shot of unknown origin was contacting the Bei Yi Trading Company, saying that he wanted to do business in Yi Nan. We were scratching our heads for a long time before sending me to Zong Wang Fort to act according to circumstances. I was still preparing to make a fuss. Luckily, I saw you in time."

Jin Ze beckoned Wei Li'an to sit down and asked, "What's the situation in Yi Nan now? What's the situation along the way to Ya Nan?"

Wei Li'an said, "It's very chaotic. The south of Yi Nan started to see skirmishes the day before yesterday, but the specific battle situation is still not very clear. Our intelligence bureau only has a few people in Yi Nan, including me, and I don't directly belong to Yi Nan. I belong to Nanyang. It's just that Yi Nan has been turbulent recently, so I was transferred here to work. The efficiency of reconnaissance and transmission of the war situation is not very high. It seems very chaotic. If going to Ya Nan is not a very important or urgent matter for Guard Captain Jin, I hope it can be postponed. Although Lord Qiang Wang is not entirely one of us, and his power is only above average, he should be able to protect himself. Plus, there is Xian Ju Fort, the largest power group in Yi Nan, as a barrier, it shouldn't affect it too much. If you insist on departing from here to Ya Nan, I'm afraid you might get caught up in the war. There aren't just two sides fighting. Almost half of southern Yi Nan is involved. If you really enter the war zone, I'm afraid no one is a friend. Everyone is an enemy. Even those who have been operating in Yi Nan for most of their lives will find it difficult to get out unscathed. A group of you like this are even more likely to be besieged. Sir, if you trust us, why not leave the matter to us? We will definitely handle it beautifully for you, so you don't have to go to Ya Nan in person, right? In Yi Nan, we still have two pigeon stations and one eagle station that can send the message out. In Ya Nan or Nanyang, we can still do many, many things."

Jin Ze curled his lips and said, "You can't possibly help me send people to Ya Nan… You still have to run over there, right? And I can't conjure up an airship right now…"

Wei Li'an frowned and asked cautiously, "Sir, are you personally escorting? Who is it? Can you tell me? …That manager, Lord Liu?"

Jin Ze smiled strangely and said, "That Lord Liu is not the person we are escorting this time. You wouldn't not even recognize Liu Yong, would you?"

"Chief Manager Liu?" Wei Li'an was shocked. To dispatch Liu Yong and Jin Ze at the same time, the person to be escorted was already obvious. "Could it be that you are escorting Ye Jinglue?"

"And Princess Zhaohua." Jin Ze nodded slightly, looking helpless.

Wei Li'an petrified for about a second, then gnashed his teeth and thought for a while before saying, "Sir, then I'll listen to your orders. If there's anything you need, please feel free to ask. However, please allow me to send the message to Nanyang, so that Nanyang can send people to meet you. There are only a few traffic boats in Ya Nan Port now. Most of the ships are afraid of the war and left a few days ago. If you go there like this, even if you get to Ya Nan, you won't be able to leave in time."

Jin Ze closed his eyes and considered it for a while, then said, "Okay, you can arrange this. Is Old Man Qi in Nanyang now?"

Wei Li'an said respectfully, "According to the latest news, the old man led the fleet to attack. The specific battle situation is unknown, but it should be in the Middle East. However, since Ye Jinglue has arrived in Nanyang, the old man will definitely rush back. It's mainly because the distance is too far, and the climate at sea is too unpredictable. Otherwise, directly summoning the airship team here would solve all the problems."

"Oh? Nanyang already has an airship team?" Jin Ze asked with a smile.

"Yes. After setting up the areas controlled by our side in Nanyang as Yazhou, His Majesty finally established the position of Governor of Yazhou at the suggestion of Old Man Qi, but it was only a third-level governor's position. When the governor was sent to take office, he also specially sent thirty airships, which should be the first batch of airships replaced by Yunzhou. But it has attracted the attention of many, many people in Nanyang in less than two months. Now the defense of Yazhou largely relies on the airship team. It has participated in two offshore naval battles and achieved very good results." Wei Li'an reported.

"Keep talking, what's the situation in Yi Nan." Jin Ze brought the topic back.

"Skirmishes… that's the only way to describe it. Most of the chieftains and tribes here have a very long history, and the grievances between them are already very strong. It's just that Xian Ju Fort has been mediating all along, and it hasn't completely erupted. But now all parties have seen the opportunity behind Yi Nan, and Xi Ling is also afraid of being taken advantage of, so they have begun to pay more attention to the situation here and actively intervene. Many small contradictions have been exploited… I have to say that compared to the people of Central Earth, the people here are relatively simple and honest, but after being provoked, the conflicts that arise are also much sharper. It's difficult to persuade or subdue them with words. Originally, my mission was to go to Xian Ju Fort to understand the situation. The Kage of Xian Ju Fort was very easy to talk to. After all, Xian Ju Fort mainly developed through merchants, so he had a deeper understanding of human relationships and was more dependent on a peaceful and prosperous environment. Then… the war broke out. I got the news, but since I couldn't go back anyway, I ran to Zong Wang Fort. Originally, their hoarding of medicines and the like was also my idea, because no matter how fierce the war is, whether it's for self-protection or for profit, medicines are good things. Moreover, although Zong Wang Fort has been collecting from merchants, the scale is still good… of course, it's their bad luck to meet adults." Wei Li'an poured out everything he knew bit by bit. Starting from the recent situation, all the way to the situation of the more powerful chieftains and tribes in Yi Nan and their supporters, etc. As an intelligence officer who can stand alone, although his tone of voice just now was a bit repulsive to Jin Ze, his ability is quite strong. According to the information provided by Wei Li'an, Jin Ze frowned. The area now caught in the war is too extensive. If you are lucky, you may enter and exit without encountering anyone, but if you are unlucky, you may fall into a melee between several parties at any time, making it difficult to escape.

Looking at Jin Ze's face, Wei Li'an naturally understood that as a guard captain-level figure who shoulders the safety of two important people, they rarely care about their own safety, but they do understand that anything can happen on the battlefield, which is completely different from their daily defense against assassination and raid.

Wei Li'an suggested, "If… if Ye Jinglue is not in a hurry, my suggestion is to stay here, or go to Xian Ju Fort. I will let Nanyang send a fleet to Ya Nan and bring enough people over. Even if the war has not ended by then, we should have enough combat power to safely take Ye Jinglue and Princess Zhaohua out. Or… simply use airships to send you all to Ya Nan for a short trip. As long as it's not transoceanic flight, airships are still reliable… Sir, you should know better than I do. I haven't sat in an airship before."

"Can the war end in a month?" Ye Tao appeared. When Ye Tao appeared at the stairs, Jin Ze just stood up and bowed slightly, but Wei Li'an immediately jumped up and prostrated himself on the ground.

After beckoning Wei Li'an to get up, Wei Li'an said without much confidence, "It's difficult. I'm afraid it won't work without three to five months. Now the ones who are making the most noise are the small and medium-sized chieftains. When the big chieftains gradually get involved, the situation may be even more chaotic."

Liu Yong came in from the door. He stopped Wei Li'an, who was about to salute again, and said, "Wei Li'an, you report the situation and let Nanyang send a ship to Ya Nan immediately. We can't wait for several months. Now that they are all small and medium-sized chieftains, we have to break through. You also have to find someone to take the blame. Our whereabouts and identity must not be exposed this time."

Wei Li'an gnashed his teeth and thought for a while, then said firmly, "I will definitely arrange it. You must bring me with you. I am still very familiar with the terrain of Yi Nan. At least I can be a good guide."

Liu Yong said, "Very good. Think about how to do it and solve the problem of Zong Wang Fort first. We still have to deal with the people from Bei Yi Trading Company. With them following us, we don't need to go anywhere."

Wei Li'an responded and left, while Ye Tao, Liu Yong, and Jin Ze began to discuss how to pass through the war zone.

"Sell all the goods in Xian Ju Fort." Ye Tao said, "Then we pass through with light equipment. As long as the speed is fast enough, it should be fine."

"We are fine, but can the princess's body hold up?" Liu Yong glanced at Ye Tao and asked.

"Modify two carriages. As long as they are light, stable, and can protect against stray arrows, that's enough. This is not a very high requirement. Just find some materials." Ye Tao said lightly, "There is nothing wrong with Xin'er's body. Besides, even according to the worst case, I believe we can take care of her."

Liu Yong nodded and said, "Okay. However, for everyone's safety, my suggestion is to recall the scouts in the front, on both wings, and in the rear, and only conduct limited-range patrols, relying on binoculars to detect enemies to give early warning. Spreading out too many people does make the people in the middle safer, but those scouts may not have a chance to escape if they encounter chaotic troops."

Ye Tao nodded and said, "That's how it should be. Let's arrange it separately."