"Li San, I order you to immediately send someone to keep an eye on all the medical halls, and no one who buys medicinal materials for bruises and injuries can be spared. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ”

In the palace of King Qi, Xiao Ming said solemnly to Li San.

Li San had already learned the news of the burning of Guanzhuang on the way back, and now Wang Xuan was in Cangzhou City, responsible for the collection of intelligence on the grassland, and he was responsible for the affairs of the fiefdom.

This incident made him feel guilty because he had not received any news beforehand.

"When the lower officials came, they had already arranged for someone to secretly investigate this matter." Li San hesitated for a moment and continued, "By the way, Your Highness, these days, the lower official has asked the secret guards to keep an eye on the merchants who have returned from the grassland, but they have found that there are a few merchants who are suspicious, and these people have been looking around for news after entering Qingzhou City, and they have also wandered around the workshop area and the equipment department. ”

"You mean these merchants are spies on the prairie?" Xiao Ming said.

"Isn't it? These smugglers are mercenary, and they can do things with our silver, as well as with the money of the barbarians. Li San said.

"Do things with our money?" Xiao Ming frowned, "Did the secret guards also buy the news on the grassland from them?" ”

Li San nodded, "In the vast grassland, only these merchants can go deep into the barbarian tribe, during this time, the barbarians are very wary of unfamiliar caravans, and the caravan that the secret guards fake was almost caught by the barbarians, and it is difficult to obtain information about the barbarians, so they can only take the method of bribing these merchants to get some information." ”

In reality, there are not no double agents, Li San didn't believe that these businessmen were right, Xiao Ming said: "In this case, you will secretly arrest these suspicious businessmen now, torture and torture them, we don't have much time to go around in circles with them, at this time, we would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go." “

Li San nodded, his expression suddenly gloomy.

As soon as Li San left, Xiao Ming was about to go out, when Li Kaiyuan suddenly asked to see him outside the palace.

During this time, he was busy stocking up on the war in Cangzhou, and he didn't care too much about the business of the Chamber of Commerce, but handed it over to Li Kaiyuan to deal with.

"Your Highness." When he arrived in the main hall, Li Kaiyuan bowed down and said.

"Excuse me, you, the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, are so busy, why do you have time to come to me?" Xiao Ming asked.

Li Kaiyuan said with a hippie smile: "Your Highness, no matter how busy the officials are, they can't forget Your Highness, hehe, Your Highness, I have a great thing to tell you this time." ”

"What's the matter?" Xiao Ming's lack of interest made him a little irritable one after another.

Li Kaiyuan saw that Xiao Ming's mood was not high, and said: "Your Highness, you must be happy to hear this, I sent two boatloads of saltpeter to Your Highness." ”

"Two ships of saltpeter? Didn't Chen Wenlong say that there is no saltpeter on the market now? Xiao Ming said strangely.

Li Kaiyuan said: "This Your Highness is going to thank Qin Yuanwai, a few days ago, I came back from Jinling City, and I met the Qin family merchant ship that returned to Qingzhou together, I never thought that it was saltpeter that was transported on it, and I returned to the city to know that His Highness lacked saltpeter, I thought of this and went to Qin Yuanwai, Qin Yuanwai was very happy, saying that this saltpeter was about to be sent to His Highness. ”

"Oh?" Xiao Ming was not only not happy after hearing this, but frowned.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Isn't that a good thing? Li Kaiyuan asked.

"A good thing? It is indeed a good thing, but this is a good thing Qin Chuanyun did not come to ask for credit, how could he be humble to you. Xiao Ming said.

Li Kaiyuan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly came back to his senses, "That's right, this kid used to be much more attentive than me, Your Highness, what do you mean?" ”

Xiao Ming didn't answer, but asked, "Where was Qin Chuanyun when you saw him?" ”

"He's on the dock and seems to be out of town." Li Kaiyuan said.

Xiao Ming's eyes rolled, these two things were connected, and he felt more and more that this Qin Chuanyun was wrong.

"You hurry up and call Li San back." Xiao Ming said urgently.

Seeing Xiao Ming's embarrassed face, Li Kaiyuan didn't dare to ask again, and immediately ran out, and after a while, Li San was chased back.

Xiao Ming and Li San talked about what happened, and immediately took the secret guards to the Tuojiang Wharf immediately.

It's just that when I arrived at the dock, where was Qin Chuanyun's shadow at this time.

And the guards in the city soon came to report that except for some servants and Qin Chuanyun's concubines, all the important people in the Qin family were not in the city. ”

"Qin Chuanyun! This king is not thin on you! Xiao Ming said angrily.

Li San said cautiously: "Your Highness, Qin Yuanwai has always been a wealthy family, but I didn't expect him to be so forbearing, he not only deceived His Highness, but also made me relax my vigilance against him, and the subordinate officials are guilty." ”

"It's not your fault, it's the king's fault, the Hao clan is always the Hao clan, how can they be willing to become commoners?" Xiao Ming muttered to himself.

Li Kaiyuan said at this time: "Your Highness, this time is still undecided, maybe Qin Yuanwai is just going out with his family, you see, aren't the Qin family's merchant ships here?" These two ships were loaded with saltpeter. ”

While the three of them were talking, an old man suddenly walked out of the bow of the boat, saw Li Kaiyuan, and the thin old man said: "Li shopkeeper, Qin Yuanwai and his family went back to save their relatives, and when they left, they specially ordered the old slave to hand over the things on this boat to His Highness, so as to solve His Highness's urgent needs." ”

"Your Highness, you see, maybe this is just your guess." Li Kaiyuan said.

There are two merchant ships docked on the wharf with a length of more than 30 meters, which is the standard of the Qin family, if the cargo warehouse is full of saltpeter, this can really make Qingzhou no longer have to worry about the source of the material for this gunpowder.

Frowning, Xiao Ming and Li San got on the boat together, and at this time he couldn't help but feel a little that he was not too sensitive.

After all, you can't just guess and assert that this was done by Qin Chuanyun.

"Your Highness, this saltpeter is here." Lao Su led Xiao Ming to the cabin, and sure enough, it was full of saltpeter.

Li Kaiyuan said: "Your Highness, look, maybe Qin Yuanwai really did a good thing. ”

Lao Su said at this time: "These saltpeters were bought from a Shu merchant at a high price, and I heard that the nitrate cave in Shu was sealed by the King of Shu, and only by getting the order of the King of Shu can we continue mining." ”

As he spoke, Lao Suo raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, because he was standing very close to Lao Suo, and a faint smell from Lao Suo's hand wafted into his nose.

Xiao Ming was suddenly shocked, and he shouted loudly: "Gunpowder! Get out of here! ”

Li San was startled, he raised the knife in his hand, and Lao Suo clutched his chest and fell down with a snort.

The three of them quickly fled out, and before they had walked out of twenty meters, a deafening "boom" sound came, and Xiao Ming quickly lay down according to Li San and Li Kaiyuan.

At this moment, a wave of qi swept over the three of them in an instant.

"Li Kaiyuan, you bastard, Lao Tzu is going to kill you!"

As if his body was broken, Li San got up from the ground, stretched out his hand and punched the blinded Li Kaiyuan.

(To be continued.) )