Prince Ping Zhao Tingyue's business deal with the wealthy Khitan merchant Yelü Qi was concluded smoothly. Having finalized the basic pricing and the quantity of weaponry, the two sides agreed to inspect the goods today inside a thatch-roofed hut in a remote village in the Southern Wasteland. If the weaponry met with Yelü Qi's approval and passed verification, the two sides had agreed in advance that cash and goods would change hands on the spot.
In the grass shed outside the thatch hut, over twenty pitch-black, spirited horses were tethered. To avoid prying eyes and prevent any leaks of information, and to ensure his own safety during the trip, Zhao Tingyue had brought only twenty or thirty trusted guards to the rendezvous. These guards were all former soldiers who had undergone rigorous training, practiced martial arts since childhood, were quick-handed and nimble, and possessed robust physiques. For added security, Zhao Tingyue had also deployed a hundred cavalrymen ten miles away, hiding them in the dark to act as circumstances required. Should any conflict arise between him and Yelü Qi, he only needed to fire a signal flare into the sky, and those elite soldiers lying in wait in the shadows would immediately rush to reinforce him. As for the weaponry, it had been secretly transported overnight during the pitch-dark hours of the previous night and was currently buried in the hidden cellar beneath the thatch hut.
Zhao Tingyue waited inside the thatch hut, a nameless sense…
Chapter 56