Chapter 141
Chapter 141
The scout jogged in and dropped to one knee.
“Greetings, Young Master.”
Xie Yanhong raised an arm. “Rise and report.”
The scout stood with a bow and cupped his fists.
“Young Master, we have completed our investigation of Jinshi Town.”
Xiao Che, listening from the side, could not help setting down his wine cup.
Jinshi Town? Was that not the town he had planned to investigate when he first left the mountains at the beginning of the year?
His expression grew solemn as he turned toward the scout.
Jin Bao remained absorbed in her meal, entirely unaffected by the scout’s sudden arrival.
“Tell us everything.”
Seeing Xiao Che sit up straight with a grave expression, Xie Yanhong knew the town had caught his interest too.
“Yes, Young Master. We sent seven scouts in total and investigated the entire town.
“Jinshi Town calls itself a town, but it is nothing of the sort. It uses that name to lure merchants there. Once the merchants arrive, they are detained and sent into the mountains to work in the mine.
“In truth, Jinshi Town is a gold mine surrounded by mountains on all four sides. We drew this map. Please take a look, Young Master.”
The scout handed him a sheet of parchment.
Xie Yanhong took it and spread it across the table.
The scout stepped closer and began explaining it in detail.
“The gold mine is halfway up the mountain, and there is only one road leading in or out.
“There is also a pass midway up the slope. The terrain is extremely treacherous, and two sentry posts stand at the pass, one on each side. Each post has two guards equipped with bows who rotate shifts around the clock.
“The mine lies one li beyond the pass.
“A fence encloses the entire site.
“Inside the fence are the miners’ shacks and the overseers’ barracks.
“The barracks stand very close to the shacks, making it easy to keep watch over the miners.
“At night, the miners are locked inside the shacks. They are released at daybreak.
“The storehouse is behind the barracks. It is a separate stone building, guarded day and night, and patrols make regular rounds as well.”
Xie Yanhong studied the rough map, tapping the table twice without realizing it before asking, “Did you find out how many miners are there?”
“A little over eight hundred, but more miners have died there than are still alive.
“The mine has been operating for nearly three years. They say more than a thousand miners have died. Whenever someone dies, the body is dragged outside and dumped wherever they please. By the next day, wild animals have picked it clean, leaving only bones.”
The scout continued, “Young Master, we also learned that the current overseer is one of Prince Cheng’s men. Two months ago, a violent fight broke out at the mine. More than half the original soldiers were killed or wounded, and the overseer was hacked to death. The man who replaced him serves Prince Cheng.
“An army of roughly five hundred is also stationed outside the mine. They are said to be Prince Cheng’s personal troops and are equipped with blades, spears, and bows.”
Xiao Che asked, “Did you find out where they are sending the gold?”
The scout did not answer immediately. He glanced at Xie Yanhong and spoke only after receiving a nod.
“At the beginning of each month, the overseer melts that month’s gold dust into ingots, then seals them in crates for storage.
“Every two months, Bei’an City sends soldiers to escort them away.”
Xiao Che frowned. “When is the next shipment?”
“In half a month, at the beginning of next month.”
Xie Yanhong and Xiao Che exchanged a look.
“How many soldiers come with each escort?”
“One hundred, according to what we heard. They usually disguise themselves as an armed escort agency rather than travel openly as soldiers. Once the gold enters Bei’an City, it is supposedly transported to the Capital and placed in Prince Cheng’s private treasury.”
“How much gold has already been stored at the mine?”
“We could not determine that. Based on the previous shipments, though, there should be about four thousand taels.”
Xiao Che sucked in a breath at the figure.
Four thousand taels!
That was enough to cover the expenses of forty thousand troops for an entire year.
Xie Yanhong clearly wanted to discuss what they should do next with Xiao Che.
He waved a hand.
“You may withdraw. Every scout who took part in this mission will be rewarded according to his merit.”
“Thank you, Young Master Xie.”
The scout bowed and left.
Only then did Xie Yanhong speak.
“Uncle Xiao, what do you plan to do?”
Xiao Che glanced at Jin Bao and found her blinking her big eyes at him.
He took out a handkerchief, wiped her little mouth, and lifted her onto his lap before answering.
“I plan to take some men and seize that gold mine. What we’re plotting will require a great deal of money. With such a juicy prize sitting right in front of us, why should we leave it for Prince Cheng?”
Xie Yanhong nodded. “That is precisely why I sent scouts to investigate. Since you have the same intention, Uncle Xiao, we should plan this carefully.”
The two men began working out a plan right in front of Jin Bao.
“Uncle Xiao, I think we should cut through this mess as quickly as possible and catch them off guard. They only have a few hundred men. A force of one hundred Dragon Tiger Guards would be enough to wipe them out.”
Xiao Che shook his head. “That won’t do.”
“Why not? Please enlighten me, Uncle Xiao.”
Xie Yanhong wanted a swift victory. The sooner they took Jinshi Town, the sooner the gold mine would be theirs, and the less chance there would be for unforeseen trouble.
As far as he knew, the Xie Family was far from the only one watching Jinshi Town. All Eight Great Families of the Northern Frontier were restless and eager to claim a share.
If they joined forces, there was no telling who would end up with the mine.
Xiao Che knew nothing of Xie Yanhong’s concerns. Even now, his understanding of the Northern Frontier’s political situation remained hazy.
After all, he had only arrived in the Northern Frontier six months ago. His foundations were shallow, and he had spent most of that time in Black Pine Valley, rarely venturing out. Even if he intended to take control of the Northern Frontier, it had to be done gradually. He could not swallow everything in a single bite.
“We want the mine because of the gold inside it,” Xiao Che said. “If we attack rashly and drive them into a corner, they might kill every miner. Where would we find that many miners on short notice?”
Xie Yanhong calmed down. That possibility had not occurred to him.
“Then what do you suggest, Uncle Xiao?”
Xiao Che furrowed his brow.
“We can’t storm it. We’ll have to outwit them. Ideally, we should rescue the miners first.”
Xie Yanhong found the idea utterly impossible.
“It can’t be done, Uncle Xiao. You heard the scout’s report. The mine is halfway up the mountain, behind a narrow pass that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Before our men could break through, they would light a signal fire and warn the guards.”
He rejected Xiao Che’s proposal at once.
Jin Bao folded her little arms and looked at him.
“Cousin, Baby can take everyone inside. Nobody will notice us.”
Xie Yanhong had long known that this little cousin of his was no ordinary child, but he could not imagine what sort of power could move more than a hundred people into a mine without making a sound.
Still, since Jin Bao had spoken up, he was willing to hear her out.
Xiao Che, however, had been badly frightened by Jin Bao’s three-day sleep. He did not dare let her use her powers recklessly again.
“Daughter, you must not use your powers again. You slept for three whole days and nearly frightened Daddy to death. If your mother finds out, she definitely won’t let me through the door again.”
Jin Bao stuck out her little tongue and grinned. “That’s not what Baby means. There’s a little trail behind the mountain that goes inside, but it’s really hard to walk. Only people as skilled as Uncle Ye Qi can use it.”
So there was a path behind the mountain. Once the two men understood that, the problem became much easier to solve.