Chapter 81: Who is the Murderer?

  Thanks for Su's reward!

  Yue Yun and Niu Tong's wounds had been properly bandaged, but due to blood loss and exhaustion, they were both pale-faced and exhausted. Moreover, more than a hundred soldiers under their command had died, and about three hundred were injured, all in urgent need of treatment. Yang Zhongye was still enthusiastic and immediately sent someone to call the military doctors as well as the physicians from the city of Haozhou to treat Yue Yun's soldiers.

  Yue Yun ordered his soldiers and laborers to go to bed early, but he secretly summoned Yu Yunwen, Niu Tong, and Guan Ling to his room for a meeting.

  Yue Yun's eyes scanned the four people in the room, and saw that except for Yu Yunwen, everyone was injured, each with bandages wrapped around their bodies. He couldn't help but feel angry and annoyed, and slammed his hand on the table, saying: "This time we've really suffered a great loss! Even if we had rushed to Xuzhou and killed Wanyan Zongmin, it wouldn't have been as humiliating as this. And among the over 100 people who died, more than half were old veterans of our Baibao Army who had followed us for many years. Damn it! This loss is too great!"

  "It's just fine! The young master and the two leaders only suffered some superficial injuries, and the grain and grass are also safe and sound, it's a great fortune in misfortune!" Yu Yunwen also said with a face of lingering fear.

  "Hmph! If I let Niu Tong know who was behind the poisoning, he'll definitely flay that guy alive!" Niu Tong said with a hateful tone, clenching his fists tightly.

  "Little calf, stop boasting! If it weren't for the young master sacrificing himself to save you, you would have been a corpse by now!" Guan Ling couldn't help but belittle him again.

  Niu Tong's face turned slightly red, and he said in a tone of discontent: "What kind of nonsense is this? Our injuries may look frightening, but they are actually just minor scratches. If we can find out who the mastermind is now and where he is hiding, I, Niu Tong, will definitely go chop off that rabbit's head!"

  "Kuan Ling, didn't General Yang capture two enemies? What was the result of the interrogation?" Yue Yun picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of tea and asked.

  "No result... After those two were caught and brought back to Huizhou, they took their own lives. It wasn't until the coroner examined the bodies afterwards that it was discovered that both of them had poison in their teeth, which would be released and cause death as soon as they bit down." Guan Ling shook his head and said.

  Yu Yunwen's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he gently shook his folding fan: "From this, it seems that these are indeed a group of dead soldiers! You know, raising so many dead soldiers is not something an ordinary person can do! Moreover, from the target of this batch of enemies' attack, they seem to be here for Young Master, rather than stopping us from transporting grain. Young Master, think about it, who could be your enemy?"

  "This... I've offended quite a few people, not to mention the Jin country. I killed Wan Yan Zongmin, and then had a verbal sparring match with Xiao Yi, the Jin envoy, leaving him breathless. Before that, I also had a conflict with Qin Hui's son, Qin Huai. Later on, I even caused Zhong Ziying, the leader of the Four Seas Gang, to lose his position...". After thinking for a moment, Yue Yun realized that although he had only been in this era for just over a month, he had indeed offended quite a few people.

  "What's this about the Four Seas Gang?" Yu Yunwen's interest was piqued as soon as he heard it.

  Yue Yun then told Li Yu Rong about how she and he were kidnapped by Yang Yue, of course, the secret alliance between the three was a big deal, so he didn't dare to let Yu Yun Wen know for the time being.

  Yu Yunwen listened and slightly furrowed his brow, saying: "Zhong Ziyi can basically be ruled out. Given what the young master said about the situation, he shouldn't have such great ability to dispatch so many assassins to attack us. Although Jin Guo has this capability, they also shouldn't have reacted so quickly. After all, it's not easy for them to send so many people across borders to fight, and why would they bother with kidnapping grain...

  After a pause, he continued: "So, I think it's more likely to be Qin Hui. After all, as the prime minister, it shouldn't be difficult for his residence to raise a group of highly skilled warriors. And I've heard that Qin Hui is a narrow-minded person who will definitely retaliate when provoked, so he might actually do something like this."

  Guan Ling said with a puzzled expression: "Mr. Yu, even if the dead soldiers among the enemy were sent by him, there are many attackers, does Qin Yi have so many people? I also heard Han Yan say that when Qin Yi came to Chu State, he only brought more than 200 family members and guards, but the number of people attacking us is at least over a thousand..."

  Yue Yun said with some doubt, "Could it be that it's not Qin Yi, but the Golden Army instead? We've clashed with these people before, and I feel that their marksmanship is superb. Many of them wield military crossbows and arrows, and quite a few are using wolf-tooth clubs and curved knives, which are the Golden People's habitual weapons. I think it's possible that the Golden People are more likely to be involved."

  Yu Yunwen listened to Yue Yun, who did not agree with his views, but was not angry at all. Instead, he praised: "Young Master's observation is meticulous, and it really makes Yunwen admire him. However, even if there are Jin people involved, the accomplices must be Song people in Chu State, otherwise they would not know about Young Master's itinerary like the back of their hand. I even suspect that they have sent people to infiltrate our drivers and laborers, so that they can give us a fatal blow at the most opportune moment. If this ambush were not for General Guan's escape to Huai State for help, forcing the enemy to launch an attack prematurely before we entered the valley, I'm afraid Young Master might not have been able to avoid this disaster."

  Yue Yun and others thought of the situation at that time, and they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines: if the enemy had waited for their convoy to enter the valley completely, and then blocked the front and rear entrances, this group of people would have been buried in the valley.

  "Gentlemen, there is actually a way to verify who the murderer is." Yu Yunwen lightly shook his feather fan and said: "Now it seems that Jinshi Xiao Yi and Qin Xi are most likely to be the masterminds. Just send someone back to Chu State to investigate, see if there are any injured people among their guards, and whether the number has decreased or not, then we will know."

  Yue Yun listened and was moved in her heart, secretly thinking that this was a good idea.

  He nodded and said, "Yunwen, this method is very good. I can also start investigating from the city gate guards of Chuzhou to see if there have been large numbers of people carrying weapons out of the city in the past few days, and we can also find out what's going on. I'll go back and check it myself! Anyway, from Huozhou to Chuzhou, it only takes one day to return by fast horse."

  He paused for a moment, then said to Niu Tong and Guan Ling: "You are all injured, so go back and rest early! Tomorrow morning we will set out again to investigate the situation in Chu State."

  Niu Tong and Guan Ling bowed their heads and took a step forward, then turned around and left.

  After the two left, Yue Yunfang said to Yu Yunwen: "By the way... Yunwen, I want to ask you something, or rather, help me analyze how to prevent Song and Jin from signing a treaty?"

  Yue Yun said something that made him uneasy: "Now the Jin envoy Xiao Yi has arrived in Chu State, accompanied by Song envoy Wei Liangchen. It seems that the Jin country has already shown a tendency to negotiate peace. And our great Song Dynasty, both the officials and Prime Minister Qin Hui are strongly advocating for seeking peace. I am really worried that the two countries will sign a new peace agreement again. At that time, the officials will inevitably abandon the millstone and kill the donkey, harming my father and doing the 'bird is gone, bow is hidden' thing."

  Yu Yunwen nodded and said, "The arrival of the Jin envoy in Chu State is also known to me. Especially the debate between you, young master, and Envoy Xiao Yi, which left him breathless and unconscious, has spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chu State these past two days. Judging from the current trend, it seems that a peace treaty between the two countries cannot be avoided. However, have you, young master, overestimated the situation?"

  He continued with a tone of surprise and disbelief: "Although the Taizu Emperor had the move of 'cup wine to release military power', but it was only to take back the military power of his subordinates, let them be rich and live a peaceful life. Even in the most intense party struggles during the Yuanfeng (Wang Anshi's reform) and Xuanhe (Dong Guan and Cai Jing's rule) periods, our Song Dynasty did not have the move to kill high-ranking officials. The imperial court should not kill General Yue, right? Isn't that destroying one's own Great Wall?"

  Yue Yun only then realized that Yu Yunwen, although indeed cleverer than others, was still limited by the constraints of this era, not like himself, a crosser who had already grasped the future development, and his estimation of the danger of the situation was still insufficient.

  Yue Yun decided to persuade Yu Yunwen to change his mind and adapt to the situation, so that he could better plan for himself.