activa-t Chapter 324 Xijing
Chapter 324 Xijing
Two days later.
Outside Xijing City.
Lin Chen lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the majestic city wall in the distance.
Xijing City, a major border town on the westernmost edge of Dayan, is also a transit point on the trade routes to the Western Regions.
The city wall is even more magnificent than Dingbei City in the north, built of bluestone and standing ten zhang high.
Every few feet along the city wall were engraved array runes, but some of the arrays were clearly not activated, which Lin Chen memorized.
The city gate was bustling with people.
There were Dayan merchants in long robes, Western Region merchants wrapped in thick fur coats, and a few blond-haired, blue-eyed men standing there haggling with the people around them, gesturing wildly.
Lin Chen clicked his tongue in amazement: "This place is quite lively."
Lan Fenghuang leaned closer for a look and asked curiously, "Husband, who are those blond people?"
Lin Chen chuckled lightly: "They must have come from further west, I'm not entirely sure either."
He genuinely didn't know.
The world's map is ridiculously large. There are even more western regions beyond the Western Regions, and it is said that if you keep going west, you can reach the end of the sea.
Those blond-haired, blue-eyed people, I don't know where they came from.
Yao Yao leaned against the window, her eyes wide with amazement: "Wow, their hair is blonde! Their eyes are blue! They look like monsters!"
Lin Chen reached out and flicked her forehead: "Don't talk nonsense, people are people too."
Yao Yao covered her forehead and pouted, "Oh."
Liu Shengxue also glanced outside, but her face remained expressionless as she looked away after a quick glance.
Liu Sheng Piao Piao huddled in the corner, wanting to look out but not daring to. She peeked her head out a little, then quickly shrank back, like a frightened little rabbit.
Lin Chen saw this and laughed, "Piaopiao, if you want to look, just look openly. Nobody's going to say anything."
Liu Sheng Piaopiao blushed and whispered, "I...I'll just take a look."
She peeked outside, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at the blond, blue-eyed people.
-
The carriage stopped at the city gate.
The people who were there to greet us were already waiting.
The leader was a middle-aged general, dressed in gleaming armor, with a face full of scars and a knife scar on his left cheek, looking fierce and menacing.
Behind him stood a group of generals and civil officials, a dense crowd of at least twenty or thirty people.
Seeing the carriage stop, the general quickly stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting:
"This humble general, Zheng Zhitong, the garrison commander of Xijing, respectfully welcomes His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei!"
The group behind them followed suit, bowing and saying in unison, "Welcome, Your Highness the Prince of Zhenbei!"
Lin Chen didn't get out of the car, but lifted the curtain and took a look.
Zheng Zhitong?
This name is a complete waste of his talent.
He looks like a butcher, but his name sounds very refined.
Lin Chen smiled and said, "General Zheng, please get up!"
Zheng Zhitong straightened up, his face beaming with smiles, the scars on his face appearing all scrunched up.
"Your Highness has had a long journey. I have prepared a small feast at my residence to welcome you back and wash away the dust of your journey..."
Lin Chen waved his hand: "No rush."
He looked at Zheng Zhitong and asked, "General Zheng, how many troops are stationed in your Xijing?"
Zheng Zhitong paused for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, the garrison in Xijing numbers a total of 80,000 men."
Lin Chen nodded: "Eighty thousand, that's quite a lot."
Although Xijing was an important border town, the various kingdoms of the Western Regions were independent and fragmented, and had no ability to invade Dayan.
In recent years, the country has focused primarily on trade, and with 80,000 troops stationed there, it is indeed a bit too many.
Zheng Zhitong smiled and said, "Xijing is an important border town, so naturally we need to station more troops there, just in case."
Lin Chen then asked, "So, how much is the annual military pay for these 80,000 people?"
Zheng Zhitong's smile froze for a moment: "Well... Your Highness, military pay has always been allocated by the imperial court. This humble general is only responsible for leading the troops. As for the specific amount..."
Lin Chen looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"General Zheng, I'm not here to audit the accounts. Why are you so nervous?"
Zheng Zhitong quickly replied, "This humble general is not nervous, it's just..."
Lin Chen waved his hand: "Alright, let's go into the city."
Zheng Zhitong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly stepped aside, saying, "Please, Your Highness!"
The carriage drove into the city.
-
The streets of Xijing are no less impressive than those of the capital, and are even wider.
The shops on both sides are dazzling, selling all kinds of things.
Silk, tea, and porcelain from Dayan; spices, gems, carpets, and gold and silver artifacts from the Western Regions; and strange and wonderful things brought by those blond-haired, blue-eyed people.
The pedestrians on the street were a diverse bunch.
There were Dayan people wearing long robes, people from the Western Regions wearing fur coats, and people with blond hair and blue eyes from an unknown country.
There were also a few dark-skinned men, shirtless, with bone necklaces around their necks, looking like wild men.
Various languages were mixed together, noisy and bustling, like a market.
Yao Yao was pressed against the window, her eyes darting around, unable to take it all in:
"Wow! Husband, look at that person, his head is wrapped in such a big piece of cloth! Isn't he hot?"
"My lord, look at that woman! Her face is covered by a veil! Only her eyes are showing!"
"Husband, look at that...that dark thing! What's that hanging around his neck? A bone?"
Lin Chen's head was throbbing from her noise, so he reached out and pressed her head down: "Stop yelling, I'll take you out for a walk later."
Yao Yao's eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"
Lin Chen nodded: "Really."
Yao Yao cheered and jumped up and down, hugging Liu Sheng Piaopiao: "Piaopiao! My husband said he's going to take us shopping!"
Liu Sheng Piaopiao smiled with her lips pursed, her face turning red again.
Lan Fenghuang watched from the side, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Liu Shengxue remained quiet, but her gaze lingered on the various people outside the window for a few more moments.
-
The carriage passed through the bustling city and headed towards the General's Mansion in the west of the city.
Lin Chen leaned back on the soft cushion and closed his eyes to rest.
Lan Fenghuang asked softly, "Husband, is there a problem with that Zheng Zhitong?"
Lin Chen didn't open his eyes: "Whether there's a problem or not, we'll find out by checking."
Lan Fenghuang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Yao Yao leaned closer and whispered, "Husband, is that Zheng Zhitong a corrupt official?"
Lin Chen opened his eyes and glanced at her: "How did you know?"
Yao Yao blinked: "His expression changed when he answered the question about military pay just now."
Lin Chen smiled and ruffled her hair: "Smart."
Yao Yao was so happy to be praised that her eyes curved into crescent moons.
Liu Sheng Piaopiao whispered from the side, "Brother-in-law, if he were a corrupt official, would you kill him?"
Lin Chen thought for a moment, then said seriously:
"See how much he embezzled and what he did. If it's minor embezzlement, a beating and a fine will suffice. But if it's major embezzlement and heinous crimes, then he must be killed."
Liu Sheng Piao Piao nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
The carriage continued forward.
The sounds of people outside gradually faded into the distance.
Lin Chen lifted the carriage curtain, looked at the street scene flashing past the window, and suddenly spoke:
Yenching University.
A voice came from outside: "My lord?"
"Pass down the order to have the Imperial City Guard investigate Xijing thoroughly, including officials, garrison troops, merchants, and local bullies."
"Yes."
Lin Chen lowered the carriage curtain and leaned back on the soft cushion.
Lan Fenghuang looked at him and asked softly, "Husband, do you suspect there's something wrong with Xijing?"
Lin Chen smiled and said, "It's a border town, a place with lots of opportunities, and the few that don't have problems are actually the ones who don't."
"That Zheng Zhitong looks big and burly, but his eyes kept darting around when he was talking. That kind of person has something to hide."
Lan Fenghuang nodded and said nothing more.
Yao Yao muttered to herself, "My husband is so amazing. He can tell at a glance that someone has something to hide."
Lin Chen was amused by her and reached out to pinch her cheek.
"You're so good with words."
Yao Yao chuckled.
The carriage turned into a wide street.
The General's Mansion is not far ahead.