After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 36

Smuggling weapons is a major crime in Da Yue, and the northern tribes, not belonging to Da Yue territory, have actually been secretly supplying and selling weapons to these mountain strongholds in Lingbei.

If the mountain strongholds have weapons, what will the rampant bandits bring to Da Yue?

It will undoubtedly be internal chaos.

The imperial court hasn’t paid much attention to these mountain bandits in Lingbei over the years, partly because Ma Hongzhi deceived his superiors and concealed the truth, and partly because the court wasn’t afraid. Bandits, in the eyes of the officials and soldiers, were just a disorganized rabble.

But if the bandits acquire large quantities of weapons, the situation changes entirely.

Currently, they still don’t know what stage the transactions between these Lingbei bandits and the northern tribes have reached. Is it only one stronghold involved, or are many…

Regardless, this matter must be reported.

Since the northern tribes intend to stir up trouble, Da Yue should deliver a head-on blow!

Anyu wrote down everything she thought, word by word, in a letter and sent someone to deliver it to the capital via express horse.

Looking at the unfinished family letter again, Anyu sighed, tucked it into her embrace, then quickly got up. She needed to check on the interrogation situation.

She quickly ascended the mountain and arrived at the stronghold they had already captured. Soldiers guarded the outside of the prison, and seeing her arrive, they all called out a greeting.

Anyu nodded slightly and walked into the prison.

Zhou Ning was interrogating the boss of the mountain stronghold.

The boss’s voice was weak as he said, “Just those two boxes… really just those two boxes. That stuff is very expensive…”

“What colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, there’s no colluding with the enemy and betraying the country… buying weapons is for self-preservation…”

The boss was covered in bl00d, lying on the ground already a bloody mess, only repeating the questions Zhou Ning asked him over and over again.

“Anyu, you go out first.” Zhou Ning frowned when she saw her enter.

Clearly, she didn’t want her to see the brutality of the interrogation.

Xie Anyu didn’t feel anything about it. She waved her hand, “How’s the situation?”

Zhou Ning led her out of the prison, “Almost done.”

“Although these mountain bandits bought weapons, they don’t seem to have any intention of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. The person who sold those weapons to the stronghold is a Da Yue citizen. He has a blacksmith shop in Fenghe Commandery, and the surrounding bandits all buy weapons from him. The weapons he sells are basically from the northern tribes, and the price is expensive. I’ve already sent people to arrest him.”

“It’s just that our bandit suppression operation is too high-profile. If that person is hiding in the city, I’m afraid he might have already fled upon hearing the news… If he escaped outside the city, it might be difficult to pursue…” Saying this, Zhou Ning suddenly paused.

She looked at Xie Anyu, and Anyu also looked at her. Both understood the meaning in each other’s eyes and immediately smiled at each other.

That’s right, that person couldn’t escape.

The Fenghe Commandery seat is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the mountain roads are extremely treacherous… To leave the city, there is only this one main road.

Coincidentally, they brought a large number of people and couldn’t enter the city, so they had been stationed outside the city. To ensure the safety of the common people during the bandit suppression and to prevent the news of the suppression from leaking out, they ordered the officials to issue a notice stating that ordinary citizens were not allowed to leave the city without permission.

If someone left the city, the guards at the gate would immediately arrest them and question them carefully.

Therefore, that person must still be in the city!

A hint of joy also appeared on Zhou Ning’s face: “Originally, I thought you ordering the strict control of Fenghe Commandery was making a mountain out of a molehill, but I didn’t expect it to be a happy accident. I’ll immediately send people to search the city. We’ll dig three feet deep to find that person!”

Anyu nodded.

Watching Zhou Ning’s hurried figure leave, she was somewhat lost in thought.

Happy accident?

It wasn’t her who achieved success through a happy accident.

The matter of blockading Fenghe Commandery was actually not her idea, but Her Majesty’s.

Before coming, Her Majesty had already repeatedly instructed her—

“Once you reach Fenghe Commandery and capture Ma Hongzhi, you must immediately lock down the city. No common people, carrier pigeons, or even flies are allowed to leave!”

She didn’t understand at the time. Was it necessary to seal the city just to prevent the news of the bandit suppression from spreading?

Her Majesty merely stroked her head, “I’ve said this. You can listen or not listen. When a general is outside, they are not bound by all imperial orders.”

Xie Anyu was still a little confused at the time, “Your Majesty wants me to seal the city, yet also wants me to not be bound by imperial orders. I don’t understand.”

Her Majesty smiled then, “What I mean is, if there are no more brocade pouches or reminders from me in the future, you, as a general outside, should also be able to make your own judgments.”

So, this time she listened to Her Majesty’s suggestion and sealed the city… If all goes as expected, she can also catch the weapon smuggler like a turtle in a jar.

Anyu pouted dismissively, “What happy accident? I’d rather believe you’re a god descended to earth, so wise it’s almost demonic.”

But thinking about it carefully, Anyu felt a little scared.

The northern tribes had actually infiltrated the mountain strongholds in Lingbei…

If the disaster in the north hadn’t been stabilized in time this time, some people would have starved to death, and those who didn’t would steal and rob to survive, becoming new bandits.

And then when they got weapons. Would they feel resentment towards the Da Yue court for its inaction? Recalling their family members dying one by one before their eyes, recalling the horror of the famine… Would they raise their weapons and fight against the court?

Throughout history, there have been many examples of uprisings caused by this.

And when the court and the common people clash, the ones who benefit are naturally those northern tribes. The weakening of Da Yue will only inflate the ambitions of neighboring countries.

Her Majesty was right. Da Yue seems stable now, but in reality, it is already surrounded by wolves.

Anyu clenched her fist.

Fortunately, this time it was a false alarm.

Anyu relaxed. Now she just had to wait for Sister Zhou Ning’s side. If they successfully caught the smuggler, they might even be able to uncover more people from the northern tribes hidden in Da Yue.

Thinking this, Anyu took out the unfinished family letter again.

It was called a family letter, but it was actually just her second eldest cousin telling her some interesting things happening in the capital.

What had happened in the capital during the time she wasn’t there.

For example, which family next door got married, which girl hadn’t married yet, gossip from the streets and alleys. Anyu was certain that this was probably Yuntao, that kid, forcing her second eldest cousin to write it down.

In the entire Xie family, the only person who would care about these things was her little cousin.

Seeing this, Anyu was startled and muttered, “Right, I’m not at the age to care about these things anymore either.”

Next time she wrote back to her second eldest cousin, she must describe how she killed in all directions in the mountain stronghold and let her second eldest cousin show it to Yuntao.

That kid would definitely be green with envy.

Anyu chuckled as she thought about it, then continued reading.

But as she read, her expression changed.

“…Eldest Brother has become a favorite in front of Her Majesty. I heard from Father and Second Uncle that during the few days Her Majesty was sick and couldn’t get out of bed, Eldest Brother barely slept for two or three days, just running between the palace and the Six Ministries…”

That person was sick? And couldn’t get out of bed for several days…

Just looking at these words, Anyu felt a lump in her throat.

She knew Her Majesty was sickly. When she was outside the palace, she often heard her father say that Her Majesty was sick again and thus exempted from morning court again. But she had been in the palace for so long and had never seen that person so sick that she couldn’t get out of bed.

Unable to get out of bed, it must have been very serious.

What kind of illness was it? Was she better now?

She continued reading, trying to find other news about Her Majesty. But she reached the end and didn’t see her second eldest cousin mention it again.

“…” Anyu clenched her fist in anger.

“What kind of family letter is this? Your sister is already married, and you write a family letter without even mentioning your brother-in-law?!”

After muttering, Anyu felt a little shy, so she simply folded the letter paper and stuffed it into her embrace.

“…Anyway, she’s the Emperor, she’ll definitely be blessed with good fortune, right?” Anyu comforted herself somewhat anxiously.

Her Majesty had given her four months to complete the suppression of several large mountain strongholds in Fenghe Commandery.

Adding the travel time back and forth, it would take five months, nearly half a year.

Anyu sighed. Leaving the palace to suppress bandits was certainly freeing, but for a moment, her heart yearned to return. She also wished she had wings so she could fly back and take a look at that person.

But there were priorities. Right now… she still had to pull herself together. First, she would solve the major task of suppressing the bandits, and then when she returned to the palace, she would be angry at that person for not even being able to take care of herself!

Just as she was thinking, a soldier’s voice came from outside—

“Your Ladyship, the person Ah Da was looking for has arrived.”

Anyu immediately became serious, “Bring him to the tent. I’ll be right there.”

“Yes.”

The next mountain stronghold to attack was the largest one in Fenghe Commandery, Qianlong Stronghold.

Unlike the surrounding small strongholds, Qianlong Stronghold was the oldest and largest stronghold in Fenghe Commandery. It contained many vicious and evil individuals, and its terrain was difficult to defend and easy to attack, making it the most difficult stronghold to suppress among the several.

It was also written in Her Majesty’s brocade pouch that persuading Qianlong Stronghold to surrender was almost impossible.

Her Majesty’s method for them was a direct assault.

Sometimes ‘using violence to curb violence’ is also a good strategy. But how to minimize casualties to the greatest extent is something a general should consider.

Her Majesty said that when she didn’t give a brocade pouch or when there was no brocade pouch, she would have to rely on herself!

First, she would thoroughly understand Qianlong Stronghold. She didn’t believe she couldn’t find its weakness!