Chen Qing pointed to the bronze seal.
"I did spend time in Anyang prison, but Prince An still listens to me!"
As Chen Qing spoke, he revealed a sinister smile and began to spout nonsense.
"I stole this bronze seal from the Prince's treasury during the chaos. Having more options makes things easier; I need to find more ways to survive!"
He stuck out his dirty finger and poked Yang Tie in the chest.
"The southward advance of the Tubo presented an opportunity for people like us to turn our lives around."
As long as we present this bronze seal to the Tubo commander and reveal all the facts about Yi Prefecture and Anyang, we can still get an official position in Tubo!
As Chen Qing, he became increasingly excited, adopting the air of someone in a superior position.
"You know the ins and outs of Yi Prefecture, and I have the seal and intelligence of the Prince An's Residence. If we join forces and present them to Chisang, the Tubo commander, it'll be enough to change our future!"
"Once the Tubo conquer Yi Prefecture and take over Jiannan Circuit, I'll guarantee you a powerful Principal Fourth Rank military officer!"
It's a million times better than refining pills for barbarians in this freezing cold!
Yang Tie lowered his eyelids.
The wisps of smoke from the brazier obscured his expression.
He quickly started making plans in his mind.
He had heard rumors a few days ago from spies from the south that Prince An was gathering troops to rebel in Anyang.
This fool had no idea that Prince An was already a dead man, and he was still using a broken copper seal that he had somehow gotten his hands on as an imperial sword.
They were recognized on the way, and if they killed Chen Qing now, leaving the body in the kitchen would only cause trouble.
But if we don't kill him, keeping such a self-important fool around will only cause trouble sooner or later.
Yang Tie looked at Chen Qing's face, which was filled with greed and ambition.
Suddenly, an idea came to mind.
Trying to force it won't work; the more you pressure this kind of person, the more they'll jump around.
Only by indulging his greed and pushing him into the pit can we squeeze out the last bit of usefulness from him.
Yang Tie slowly put down the boning knife in his hand.
" Strategist Chen, you must be tired from your journey."
He got up and picked up a clay pot from beside the brazier.
"Have a bowl of hot soup to warm yourself up first, then we can talk in detail."
Chen Qing took the pottery jar, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.
Has Yang Tie already believed me?
A triple agent, it's a sure thing!
Yang Tie slowly straightened up.
He reached into the inner layer of his close-fitting sheepskin vest and pulled out an object strung on an ebony rope.
It was a bronze wolf tooth whistle that was only half intact.
The whistle is mottled, with patina left by years of friction on its edges.
At the very bottom, one can faintly see the seal script fragments of the Great Yan Ministry of War Scout Camp.
Yang Tie held the wolf-tooth whistle in his palm and presented it to Chen Qing.
" Strategist Chen, do you really think I, Yang Tie, am merely hiding my life as a slave in this Tubo camp?"
His voice was extremely low, each word sounding as if it were being ground out from between his teeth, conveying a sense of desolation born of extreme restraint.
Chen Qing was taken aback.
The hand holding the mutton froze in mid-air.
He stared at the official wolf-tooth whistle, his expression changing.
"This is... Ministry of War suicide squad?"
"Good."
Yang Tie put away the wolf-tooth whistle and carefully tucked it back into the depths of his clothes.
His gaze was fixed directly on Chen Qing.
"When Gu Moran arrested me in Yi Prefecture, I took advantage of the situation to escape. I was actually a pawn secretly planted by several people in the Ministry of War of the imperial court."
"I infiltrated the southern front of Tubo alone to find out the rotation plans and supply routes of the Chisang Iron Cavalry."
Chen Qing's eyes widened, and her breathing became rapid.
Staring at the wolf-tooth whistle, his mind raced.
How could a disillusioned alchemist targeted by Prince Yi suddenly become a loyal follower of the Ministry of War?
But then I thought, Yang Tie has been in Yi Prefecture for so long, if he really is someone from the Ministry of War, it makes sense that he's hiding himself well.
Besides, the Ministry of War's seal on this wolf-tooth whistle cannot be faked.
The distribution of outposts on the parchment map was an absolute secret that no outsider could possibly know.
Chen Qing gritted his teeth, his doubts instantly suppressed by greed.
When people are extremely down on their luck and have nowhere else to turn, they will only believe the information that is most beneficial to them.
In his view, he possessed the bronze seal of Prince An, while Yang Tie held the secret order from the Ministry of War to assassinate him.
It's as if heaven has delivered unimaginable wealth right to his doorstep!
"Brother Yang... you, you've been hiding this well!"
Chen Qing was so excited that he trembled all over.
He reached out to pat Yang Tie on the shoulder.
"Doesn't that mean that as long as we both work together to get this military intelligence out,..."
This immense merit of supporting the emperor, is it all thanks to you and me, brothers?!
"At that time, I will be the Prime Minister, and you will be the Grand Commandant!"
"Don't be too happy yet. You've done a great job, but you still need to be alive to claim it."
Yang Tie's expression darkened.
He bent down and pulled a yellowed sheepskin map from the haystack under the wooden stump.
The map roughly outlines the distribution of the southern route of Bronze Gorge, the Northern Territory of Dali, and the Tubo cavalry camp in charcoal black ink.
It even marked the locations of three Tubo forward outposts.
Yang Tie stuffed the sheepskin blueprints into Chen Qing.
"This is the information I obtained at the cost of my life regarding the distribution of the Tubo vanguard and the patrol routes of their cavalry."
Yang Tie stared at Chen Qing, his tone extremely solemn.
"I originally planned to personally deliver it to the contact person at the southern front camp."
"But Chisang's main tent is heavily guarded, and I must be on duty every day to refine pills."
"If we stray even a step from his post, it will immediately arouse the suspicion of the centurion, Chile."
Chen Qing held the sheepskin blueprint in her hands.
My palms were burning hot.
"Leave it to me. To be honest, even Prince Yi listens to me now!"
"I was originally sent by Prince Yi to be an undercover agent!"
"Both princes listen to you? My God!"
" Strategist Chen, you carry out a secret order from Prince An, and you are a master strategist with exceptional talent. Your actions are a hundred times more thorough than mine."
Yang Tie lowered his voice, his tone filled with endless entrustment and trust.
"Right now, only you can brave the wind and snow to travel through the Wild Wolf Valley on the south side of Bronze Gorge and deliver this map to the rebel chieftain of Dali."
"As long as they follow the markings on the map and lure the Tubo cavalry to kill the Yi Prefecture garrison at Bronze Gorge, the overall situation will be completely settled!"
Chen Qing clutched the blueprints tightly to his chest.
She looks like she's ten years younger.
His previously hunched back straightened instantly.
"Good brother!"
With red eyes, Chen Qing punched himself hard in the chest.
"You stay in the camp and continue to gather intelligence on the movements of Chisang's central army. This crucial task of running errands and determining the outcome is entrusted to me, Chen Qing!"
"Once this is all done, I'll give you half of the Great Yan!"
"There's no time to lose; the Tubo soldiers are about to change shifts."
Yang Tie pulled out the boning knife from the wooden block, cut off a large piece of cooked mutton with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and wrapped it in oil paper.
It was stuffed into Chen Qing.
"Take some dry rations and crawl out through the sewage ditch behind the kitchen."
"The snowstorm is heaviest there; you can't see the watchtower at all."
The Chen Qing was treasured.
He tucked the cooked mutton and the sheepskin blueprints tightly into his clothes.
They didn't even care about the sour smell and cold on their bodies.
He glanced greedily at the bronze seal on the cutting board, then stuffed it back into his inner pocket.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Tie, striking a pose of a commanding general.
"Brother Yang, until we meet again!"
See you at the victory celebration banquet!
[Thanks to: Pat's Shower, Tengguang's Milk Tea, Yuse's Flowers x2, Prince's Likes, Konggu's Capsules, Kaikai's Update Urging Charm, yes, Qinghan's Flowers, and everyone else for their love and support!~]