An Unexpected Reunion with a Fellow Soldier While Farming

Song Chen asked curiously, "Sir, what do you mean?"

"These past few months, rumors have been spreading throughout Yi Province, driving a wedge between the king's wives and even trying to drag me into it. Those 'Qing Province soldiers' must be behind it." Lan Tian snorted.

"How bold of them! State of Wei actually sent so many spies. Did you catch them all in Chengdu, sir?" Song Chen was startled. When he had infiltrated the Central Plains before, he had kept his merchant caravan small, since a large one would be too easy to expose.

Song Chen had overlooked how vast Yi Province was. Gong'an Port was also the largest port along the Yangtze River, with ships coming and going like fish crossing a river. It was easy for State of Wei's spies to flee aboard ships in separate groups. That thousand or so spies had probably already scattered far and wide. Catching them all would be no easy feat.

Lan Tian shook his head gently. "Chengdu has done everything it can to catch them, but these spies are extremely cunning. They incite ignorant commoners to charge ahead while they hide in the shadows, directing and coordinating them. It's no longer possible to root them all out. Some may even have slipped into Southern Jing or Jiao Province. Your trading firm needs to make the most of its influence."

"I understand. As long as they dare show their faces in the areas under your jurisdiction, I guarantee we'll flush every last one of them out. But are we going to let things slide elsewhere?" Song Chen asked, puzzled.

"The enemy is in the dark, and we're in the light. They've probably already broken up into small groups, and finding them all won't be easy. It would also waste a great