Zhang Yu stared intently at Wu Shuangren, wanting nothing more than to lead his men and charge straight at him!
Looking at the guards already lined up behind him, and the more than twenty carriages arranged in formation, Zhang Yu knew that the few dozen riders he had brought with him today were probably no match for Wu Shuangren.
"Walk!"
Zhang Yu gave Wu Shuangren a deep, venomous look before turning and leaving with his men.
Wu Shuangren rode back into the chariot formation and called the Pu Lineage father and son aside.
"Tell me, what happened?"
The reason he was willing to offend the military commander of Shu Province for the sake of these two people was only half due to the secret Pu Zheng mentioned; the other half was because of the Traits above Pu Yuan's head.
So far, none of the people Wu Shuangren has seen with Traits are simple individuals.
Guo Jiwang's abilities need no further explanation.
Xu Yu he can reach the First Rank rank in the future, he will witness Fish-Dragon transformation!
As for Lin Qian and Lu Yulin, one is only half a step away from becoming Great Grandmaster, while the other has already become Great Grandmaster!
There is also [Radiant Tiger] Zhang Liao, who, in addition to his First Rank strength, has repeatedly demonstrated his extraordinary military talent.
Now that someone has offered themselves up, why would Wu Shuangren easily hand them over?
He now only hoped that the secret Pu Zheng spoke of wouldn't disappoint him.
Update Time Explanation
Let me reiterate the daily update schedule: generally one update at noon and one at 8 PM. (Sometimes it may be delayed, but I will try my best to be on time.)
If there's no update at noon, then a combined chapter will be posted at 8 PM. (From now on, no more separate chapters will be posted for noon updates; they will only be posted when I'm taking leave.)
The update will be at 8 PM tonight.
201 Ancient Tea Horse Road, The Assault of Fire (Part 2)
"Our Jiannan Circuit is actually adjacent to Tubo. Does Militia Commander Wu know about the Ancient Tea Horse Road?"
Wu Shuangren, Pu Zheng, and Pu Yuan stood in the center of the vehicle formation, with everyone else keeping a distance. Pu Yuan began to recount the secret that the Forged Edge Workshop knew.
The Ancient Tea Horse Road?
Wu Shuangren nodded. "I've heard about it."
Jiannan Circuit also borders Tubo, but the border area is full of continuous mountains and forests, and the only way to pass through is through some narrow passes, winding paths, suspension bridges and the like.
It would be extremely difficult for the Tubo to invade the Wu Dynasty from Jiannan Circuit; the cost of transporting grain would be very high, making it almost impossible.
Historically, when foreign tribes from Tubo invaded the Central Plains, they would send large armies to press on the border from three directions: Shannan, Shanbei, and Longyou.
Therefore, Jiannan Circuit was not designated as a military town.
However, the small paths leading from Jiannan Circuit to the Tubo territory are also valuable.
Since the Han Dynasty, there has been a trade policy between China and Tubo. Tubo had a high demand for tea, while the Central Plains dynasties lacked horses. Therefore, exchanging tea for horses became a mutually acceptable trade.
That's how the Ancient Tea Horse Road came about: armies couldn't pass through, but caravans could.
The policy of "using tea to govern the Tibetans" was passed down from the Han Dynasty to the Wu Dynasty. The Wu Dynasty also established the Tea and Horse Bureau, which was specifically responsible for the tea and horse trade with Tubo on the border.
Pu Zheng mentioned the Ancient Tea Horse Road, which suggests that Zhang Da's secret is very likely related to Tubo, immediately piquing Wu Shuangren's interest!
"Goods traveling along the Ancient Tea Horse Road were jointly supervised by the local garrison and the Tea and Horse Bureau. Although the imperial court had the power to make decisions, many people still used this ancient road for smuggling."
Pu Zheng continued.
Wu Shuangren nodded; it was obvious.
The profits from trade handled by the Tea and Horse Bureau ultimately went into the national treasury. Only the money earned through smuggling via the Ancient Tea Horse Road on their own could go into their own pockets.
The profits involved could be astonishing!
"Zhang Da, the military commander of Shu Province, was also involved in smuggling along the Ancient Tea Horse Road."
Pu Zheng looked into Wu Shuangren's eyes and said, word by word, "And someone in our Pu Lineage discovered that Zhang Da has been secretly selling ironware to Tubo!"
Wu Shuangren's pupils contracted, and his expression changed.
Smuggling goods such as tea, salt, and silk through the Ancient Tea Horse Road to Tubo for huge profits was something that was difficult to prohibit. The imperial court had always turned a blind eye to this, because if the water was too clear, there would be no fish, and this would ultimately weaken the power of the foreign tribes.
But the nature of selling ironware is completely different.
The tea trade was originally intended to control and weaken the various Tubo tribes, but selling ironware there is tantamount to treason!
The imperial court is cracking down on this matter very strictly. If any military officers are involved, it will be a capital offense that results in the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire clan!
How did you find out about this?
Wu Shuangren asked in a deep voice.
Pu Zheng then began to recount this past event...
Forged Edge Workshop Crafts was a very successful business, with people from all walks of life ordering knives from them. Forged Edge Workshop didn't care about the customers' status, as long as they could afford the price.
More than two years ago, a customer claimed to be able to provide iron ore and asked Forged Edge Workshop to be responsible for forging the knives.
Forged Edge Workshop has encountered similar customers before, but this customer is different from the others. They provided a large quantity of iron ore and purchased a large number of cutting tools.
After the two sides completed several business transactions, Forged Edge Workshop gradually guessed from some clues that the power behind this client was Zhang Da, the military commander of Shu Province.
As a high-ranking military officer in Shu Province, all his military equipment was provided by the imperial court. Why would he secretly spend money to forge a large number of knives?
This inevitably leads to speculation.
The head of the Pu Lineage personally issued a gag order, forbidding core members of the Pu Lineage and several master craftsmen of Forged Edge Workshop who knew about the matter from revealing it to outsiders.
The Pu Lineage didn't want to cause trouble.
But some troubles are unavoidable.
More than a month ago, a member of the Pu Lineage who was traveling abroad suddenly returned, severely injured.
His name was Pu Ding'an, the illegitimate son of the head of the Pu Lineage. He had loved playing with swords and spears since he was a child and was a restless person.
After growing up, Pu Ding'an left the Pu Lineage to make his way in the world, only returning once every few years.
Their sudden return, fraught with serious injuries, alarmed many in the Pu Lineage. They also brought back startling news—
For the past two years, Pu Ding'an had been traveling within the Tubo territory. He inadvertently saw many knives forged by the Forged Edge Workshop at a Tubo tribe's residence.
This greatly shocked Pu Ding'an!
Although he didn't like cast iron forging, he grew up in Forged Edge Workshop and knew that the knives his family forged differed from those of other families in some details.
He couldn't possibly mistake his own knife.
If only one or two, or a dozen or so, Forged Edge Workshop swords ended up in Tubo, that's nothing unusual; it might just be a coincidence.
But Pu Ding'an saw that the warriors of that tribe each had a Forged Edge Workshop sword in their hand!
This discovery completely threw Pu Ding'an into a state of panic. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, once the incident came to light, the Pu Lineage, along with the entire Forged Edge Workshop, could be implicated and suffer irreparable consequences!
Even setting aside the guilt, Pu Ding'an's sense of justice made him unable to accept that his family's sword had fallen into the hands of a foreign race, becoming an accomplice to evil.
He began to secretly investigate the matter.
However, Pu Ding'an underestimated the risks involved, and the Tubo tribes discovered the anomaly halfway through the journey, sending men to hunt him down!
Fortunately, Pu Ding'an had honed his skills and gained experience over the years of wandering the martial world, and was able to escape from Tubo back to Jiannan Circuit and return to Forged Edge Workshop in Shu Province.
He also brought back a sword he had obtained from Tubo warrior, because he knew that each batch of swords produced by the Forged Edge Workshop was marked with a corresponding coded mark, allowing him to trace when the swords were produced and to whom they were sold.
Ultimately, the investigation by Forged Edge Workshop led them to Zhang Da, the military commander of Shu Province!
Now the truth is out: over the past two years, Zhang Da has forged more than 6,000 knives at Forged Edge Workshop, and they have probably all been sold to Tubo!
After the Pu Lineage learned of this, a fierce argument broke out within the family.
Some people think the matter should be reported immediately, while others believe it's best not to make a fuss about it to avoid getting into trouble.
Pu Ding'an remained resolute, stating that he would definitely report the matter. However, due to his severe injuries, he was confined to his home during his recovery period and unable to leave.
But before the Pu Lineage could reach a conclusion, on the tenth day after Pu Ding'an returned home, Feilong's gang suddenly stormed their door, and the Forged Edge Workshop was massacred!
Pu Zheng and his son Pu Yuan managed to escape and hid among a group of refugees, hoping to quietly flee Shu Province.
As a result, the group of refugees were robbed halfway through their journey and forced to work as miners in a private mine.
This private mine also belonged to Zhang Da, the military commander of Shu Province, and the iron ore he supplied to Forged Edge Workshop came from there.
Pu Zheng and his son Pu Yuan escaped Zhang Da's men's search because they were arrested and taken to a private mine.
Zhang Da himself never imagined that the escaped members of the Pu Lineage he was hunting would be caught in his own private mine, becoming the unwitting victim.
Wu Shuangren was not too shocked after listening to Pu Zheng's story.
After capturing Hong Zhanming, the chief steward of Mist Hidden Temple, Guo Jiwang extracted information from him about where the Mist Hidden Temple's infantry armor came from.
Shu Province!
The only person in the entire Shu Province who is most likely to be able to obtain infantry armor is the Shu Province Assistant General.
Therefore, Wu Shuangren knew from the beginning that Zhang Da was greedy and would even sell things like infantry armor privately. So when he heard that Zhang Da had sold ironware to the Tubo, he was not surprised.
Once a bottom line is crossed, there will be no lower limit.
In fact, when Wu Shuangren went to pick up the bride this time, Zhang Da, the military commander of Shu Province, took the initiative to show goodwill. Wu Shuangren had thought of secretly buying infantry armor from the other party, just like he had done with Mist Hidden Temple before.
But now it seems the plan has changed!
"Do you still have the ledger that records the information from your Forged Edge Workshop?"
Wu Shuangren asked.
Pu Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this. Wu Shuangren's question meant that the other party intended to take charge of the matter.
Before revealing this secret, he made no demands on Wu Shuangren, such as demanding revenge for the Forged Edge Workshop.
He knew that if Wu Shuangren got involved in this matter, he would definitely become Zhang Da's enemy, and then he would have a chance to avenge the loss of Forged Edge Workshop!
"After Pu Ding'an brought back the news, the patriarch immediately ordered his men to secretly hide the account books, not placing them inside the Forged Edge Workshop."
Pu Zheng said, "When the Forged Edge Workshop was suddenly attacked, the patriarch told us, the groups of people with the best chance of escaping, where the account books were hidden. That's why I know where the account books are hidden!"
Wu Shuangren nodded.
Now that the entire Forged Edge Workshop has been massacred, most of the people involved have probably been purged as well.
Pu Zheng and his son Pu Yuan can serve as witnesses, and the account books of Forged Edge Workshop can serve as physical evidence. Evidence is sufficient to initiate an investigation into Zhang Da.
But Wu Shuangren certainly wasn't naive enough to think that would be enough.
This matter involved far more than just a single military commander from Shu Province. It's likely that the garrison along the Ancient Tea Horse Road and high-ranking officials from the Tea and Horse Bureau were also involved!
There may be other powerful figures involved behind this matter.
Given Wu Shuangren's influence in Jiannan Circuit, even with the addition of the Xu Family, it would be extremely difficult to bring these people down.
He already had a preliminary idea in mind and planned to find Guo Jiwang to discuss it after returning to Yi Province.
"From now on, you and your son will stay with me and settle down in Yi Province for the time being."
Wu Shuangren said.
"Thank you, Militia Commander Wu!"
Pu Zheng's eyes reddened, and Pu Yuan, unable to contain his excitement, burst into tears on the spot!
Both of them knelt down and kowtowed to Wu Shuangren.
Having survived Lineage tragedy and been tortured for over a month in a hellish place like a private iron mine, the simple word "settlement" from Wu Shuangren is incredibly precious to the father and son!
Get up.
Wu Shuangren reached out and helped the father and son up.
He looked at Pu Yuan and couldn't help but ask, "Is your forging skill among the best on the Forged Edge Workshop?"
Upon seeing Pu Yuan's Traits, Wu Shuangren initially assumed he would be a military general. However, after hearing Pu Zheng's description, he felt that Pu Yuan, this "Iron Hou," might actually be a support-type talent.
"Militia Commander Wu, my son does indeed possess some talent. Although young, his forging skills are already comparable to those of the master craftsmen at our Forged Edge Workshop. Given time, he might become the most skilled craftsman on our Forged Edge Workshop!"