turmoil

The news of "the sinking of the imperial envoy's ship" spread quickly. Li Wenbin dared not hit the imperial court in the face no matter how hard he tried. Make it clear.

Leaving aside the reactions of Emperor Taiping and the princes of the court, Liu Yanzhao was eating in Zhang Jingsu's palace when the news reached the East Palace.From the female official of Zhaoyang Palace to the side concubine of the prince from the first rank, Zhang Jingsu can be said to have leaped from the dragon's gate. She changed the blue satin palace dress and put on a brocade dress. We can faintly see the wealth of Tianjia.

The diet in the palace has its own rules, and it is important not to speak when eating or sleeping, and you cannot touch more than three chopsticks with each dish. What's more unreasonable is that if you don't have the permission of the superior, such as the princess, you can only accompany him. Not allowed to sit.

Liu Yanzhao had always been kind, so naturally he would not let the newly married side concubine stand, the two sat facing each other, the huge palace was quiet, the palace officials and eunuchs held their breaths, only the occasional sound of bowls and chopsticks colliding.

At this moment, an eunuch named "Yuezhao" next to the East Palace rushed in, kowtowed politely, "Your Highness, there is an urgent report from Jiangnan."

Liu Yanzhao didn't like to be disturbed while eating, and was about to have an attack, when he heard this sentence, his expression suddenly changed: "What did you say?"

The little eunuch ran panting and shaking, but he didn't dare to raise his voice, his breath was extremely low, and he said tremblingly: "It is said... Zhang Tongzhi's boat encountered a storm when it was about to arrive in Yangzhou, and it sank for some reason... ..."

Hearing the sound of "clang", Liu Yanzhao frowned and turned around, but Zhang Jingsu lost his mind for a moment, the chopsticks fell out of his hands, and rolled to the ground gruntingly.

Zhang Jingsu was taken aback, and hurriedly got up to plead guilty: "My concubine is rude, I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Liu Yanzhao didn't want to get angry over such a trivial matter, so he asked the little eunuch, "Where are Marquis Dingbian and Zhang Tongzhi?"

Yuezhao tremblingly said: "No, I don't know where to go, I heard that the governor of Jiangnan is in an emergency search and rescue, but there is no news so far..."

Liu Yanzhao frowned, with a heavy shadow on his face.

No one expected that when Zhang Jingche went south this time, he hadn't found out about Chou Yinmao, so it would be a disadvantage for him to leave first.When the news came out, not only Beijing and China were shocked, but Jiangnan Governor Li Wenbin was also confused.He has been living in the south of the Yangtze River for many years, so he naturally knows how much filth is hidden in this rich place, and he was ready to use both soft and hard tactics, but who knows that the imperial envoy himself has not yet shown up, but he suddenly disappeared.

"It's unreasonable. Who is so bold and dares to rob people in the territory of Jiangnan?" Li Wenbin paced back and forth anxiously in Jiangnan Governor's Mansion. His voice was full of storms, "No, no, others are not so bold...Could it be some desperate Jianghu gang, or those Japanese people who heard something and jumped over the wall in a hurry?"

Sitting in the pavilion was a middle-aged scribe with three beautiful beards. He must have been quite flamboyant when he was young.This person's surname is Kong, and his name is Kong Yihang. He is a master who is well-read and knowledgeable. Although he has no fame and fame, he has won the trust of Li Wenbin.

"Your Excellency said," Kong Yihang said, "Jiangnan is under your jurisdiction, and ordinary youngsters naturally dare not break ground on Tai Sui... But if someone guards himself and steals himself, and plays the trick of calling out for a thief, that's not right. It's easy to say."

Li Wenbin sensed the implication of his words, his eyes narrowed dangerously: "You mean, that person surnamed Zhang... is secretly keeping things secret?"

"It doesn't matter whether you do it intentionally or secretly, it's not the most important thing," Kong Yihang said in a deep voice, "My lord, when it comes to this, don't you understand?"

Li Wenbin was taken aback: "What are you looking at?"

"News came from the middle of the capital. The crown prince got married and will soon go to the court for a hearing. King Ping's faction is gradually losing power. Now there is another disaster in the south of the Yangtze River. The imperial court sent envoys to the south... Is this to investigate the disaster? This is clearly to arrest the Lord. Kong Yihang suppressed his voice and paused every word, "Over the years, the person on the Dragon Throne has seen all the contacts between your lord and King Ping. In the past, he doted on King Ping and tacitly allowed him The prince is fighting for the front, so he doesn't care about it. But now, with all his heart to appease the Marquis of Dingbian, he clearly regards King Ping as an abandoned son, and your little friendship with King Ping may become a death talisman!"

Li Wenbin's cheeks were tense, and it took him a long time to say: "Your Majesty has always had great trust in this Governor, so it should... not be so!"

Kong Yihang looked at him for a moment, and put down the last piece of weight: "Although these years, I have relied heavily on adults, but the Tian family has always crossed rivers and demolished bridges... Back then, the king of Huainan guarded the south of the Yangtze River and drove him away several times. Bandits in the East China Sea, who have achieved great feats and are descendants of dragons and phoenixes, what happened? Because of a few perjured statements of a trickster who didn't know the truth, the fief was withdrawn, the throne was abolished, and the clan's mansion was banned for life!"

"No matter how important you are today, can you compare to the King of Huainan back then?"

Li Wenbin's pupils shrank suddenly, and he slowly clenched his hands behind his back. After a while, he said, "Then... what does Mr. Yi mean?"

Kong Yihang dipped some tea, and wrote stroke by stroke on the table: Conglong!

Li Wenbin's eyes widened suddenly, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

The "imperial envoy" who was missed by people from all walks of life changed his business clothes and wore tattered civilian clothes. He broke up a dozen Youyunwei around him, mixed into the homeless refugee team, and followed the restaurant manager—— —Zong Yu, head of the Haichao Gang, left Luzhou City and headed east.

The Haichao Gang has been entrenched in the south of the Yangtze River for many years, and they are familiar with every plant and tree. Zong Yu avoids the official road and only walks in the inaccessible ravines, passing by patrolling officers and soldiers several times on the way.The further you go into the mountains, the more rugged and difficult the road is. What Zong Yu didn't expect was that Zhang Jingche followed Wen Ruo closely, and did not delay the journey at all.

"It's just that I was wrong. I didn't expect that such an extraordinary person as the imperial envoy is actually a practicing family..." Zong Yu didn't finish speaking, when Zhang Jingche turned his head and saw some paint on his face. Originally, Fengshen's handsome face was smeared blue, yellow and swollen, as if he hadn't had enough food for ten days and half a month, and acquaintances might not recognize him face to face.

Zong Yu bit the tip of his tongue violently, choking on the words "extraordinary and refined".

After walking for a long time, there was thin smoke from the deep woods. When I listened carefully, I heard a faint human voice.Zhang Jingche was suspicious, so he ordered someone to push aside the bushes in front of him, only to see that at the end of the mountain road was a fairly open valley. In the valley, there were straw huts, and many ragged refugees lived there. Their faces were sallow and emaciated, obviously they hadn't eaten for many days. too full.

Zhang Jingche was stunned: "No wonder there are no refugees in or outside the city. Could it be that Boss Zong gathered them here?"

Zong Yu sneered: "How many people are there? What the Imperial Envoy sees is just a drop in the ocean!"

Zhang Jingche took a closer look and found that Boss Zong was right. Although this valley is open, there are no more than one or two thousand people at most. However, this disaster in the south of the Yangtze River has turned thousands of hectares of fertile land into vast oceans and displaced more than one hundred thousand hungry people. Can Xiaofang Valley hold it?

"What about the others?" Zhang Jingche said in a deep voice, "There are tens of thousands of refugees. Even if Li Wenbin has all-hands and eyes, he can't hide them without a trace, right?"

Boss Zong was thirsty after walking, so he untied the water bag from his waist, raised his neck and took a sip: "Who the hell knows this? That dog officer surnamed Li is very slippery. My brothers have been investigating for a long time, and even a hair Didn't even touch it!"

Zhang Jingche looked at him fixedly: "If Boss Zong really has no clue, why would the people behind the scenes take such risks and send Dongying killers to kill them?"

Boss Zong's eyes flickered, he hesitated to speak.

"Boss Zong is willing to bring me here because he wants to seek justice for these refugees. You and I are sitting on the same boat now. If Boss Zong still has something to hide, won't it be impossible for me to help you?" Zhang Jingche said lightly, "What do you really know? What are you worrying about?"

Boss Zong gritted his teeth, untied a tattered linen bag from his waist, took out a cold, hard object, and patted it in Zhang Jingche's hand.

Zhang Jingche looked down, his face suddenly became serious: "Where did this... come from?"

"It was brought back by my brothers!" Boss Zong said with a sullen face, "Don't ask me where I picked it up, I don't know... My brother was hunted down by the gang of officers and soldiers. When he returned to the gang, There is only one breath left. He struggled to put this thing in my hand and died, and I didn't even have time to ask to understand!"

Zhang Jingche: "Do you know what this is?"

Boss Zong shook his head.

Zhang Jingche sighed slightly.

It's not surprising that Boss Zong doesn't know him. This thing is called a crossbow machine. As the name suggests, it is assembled on a strong crossbow.Since the establishment of the Great Yin Dynasty, the strong crossbow has been a heavy weapon. The reason why Emperor Gao Gao was able to drive away Bei Le and set the country in the Central Plains was half due to the will of the people, and the other half was to rely on the strength of the strong crossbow.

Since it is a heavy weapon, it will naturally not be seen all over the street like a kitchen knife and axe. From the first dynasty to the present, the casting of strong crossbows is a secret in the military. From drawing, casting parts, to assembling and molding, and applying to the army, every process is detailed. It must be approved by the cabinet and approved by the imperial pen, otherwise it will be a felony of treason!

Zhang Jingche has been lurking in Beile for more than a year. Not only does he know the importance of a strong crossbow, but he can also see the extraordinaryness of the half crossbow in his hand—it is not a common bronze crossbow, but made of fine steel, which is stronger and tougher. The power of the crossbow equipped in the army can be imagined.

"This is not a military standard. Most likely someone smelted iron and stone and cast it privately." Zhang Jingche held the half of the crossbow, wondering in his heart. For the crime of rebellion, once the incident occurs, the nine clans will sit together—this Li Wenbin has eaten up his heart and leopard courage, and pretended to be a good official of the frontier, so he insisted on dragging the whole family to a dead end?"

The east window was opened quite wide, and once the incident happened, it would not be too much to rob and kill the whole family.Although there is nothing wrong in the world, and mediocrity is disturbing, but how much benefit does it take to make the dignified frontier official go on his own way to death?

Zhang Jingche changed his mind for a while, and already had a guess.Dressed lightly, he sneaked into the crowd of refugees without making a sound, relying on dry food to clear the way, and mingled with the refugees who had been hungry for several days.

The next door to Zhang Jingche was a strong man. His family was near Yangzhou Mansion. Because of the peach blossom flood in spring, the fields were flooded, his livelihood was lost, and he had to leave his hometown.Relying on his physical strength, he wanted to find a job to make a living, but he happened to meet the officer and soldier La Zhuangding. Fortunately, he was rescued by Hai Chao, and he finally saved his life.

"That's a Latin man? It's obviously filled with human life!" The man took the water bag Zhang Jingche handed over, raised his neck and filled it twice, and wiped his mouth indignantly, "I have two fellow countrymen. And escaped, they were not as lucky as me, and were captured by officers and soldiers... I told Brother Zong, he sent many brothers, and after a lot of hard work, he finally rescued one, but it took more than half a month, and it was already a burden Sick and skinny. According to my brother, the refugees who were captured were taken to a barren mountain, and they only transported out the rocks from the cave every day. They didn’t have enough food or clothing. In half a month, the same group of people has disappeared for less than half, alas..."

Zhang Jingche pondered for a moment and asked, "Where are those officers and soldiers arresting people?"

While talking, You Yunwei, who was accompanying him, had already cooked a pot of soup with jerky, and the aroma wafted out for two miles, attracting many hungry people to look back.Zhang Jingche was very generous. He distributed the broth to everyone, filled a bowl with his own hands, and stuffed it into the hands of the talking man.

The man was very moved, and seeing that Zhang Jingche was dressed as a refugee, but his conversation was quite extraordinary, and he was even more fond of him: "It was in a small town near Yangzhou Prefecture... I heard from other people that these officers and soldiers originally only searched in the town Refugees, I don’t know what kind of crazy these days, even the barren mountains and old forests, if this continues... Hehe, it’s only a matter of time before we find us here, it’s better to plan early.”

He was complaining casually, but he didn't know if it was a day of Tai Sui or something, but when night fell, the plague god really came!

This group of refugees gathered here for a long time, and they acted very cautiously. They extinguished the bonfire at night, lest the light of the fire would attract patrolling officers and soldiers.However, this night, when it was almost midnight, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes overwhelming the sky. The refugees woke up from their sleep and fled to the open space in a panic. Hissing sounded one after another.

The leading officers and soldiers came out in a row, looking at least like a general, and with a "swipe", he drew out his saber, and the voice came from the copper roar, resounding through the valley: "This general is the general under the command of Zhao Rui, the guerrilla general of Yingtianfu, I heard that there are rogues occupying this place, so I am here to clear up the bandits!"

Most of the refugees gathered here are ordinary people, how have they ever seen such a battle?For a moment he believed it to be true, and couldn't help pleading: "Master officers and soldiers, we are not bandits, it's just that our hometown was flooded and we have nowhere to live, that's why we are here... We are really good people!"

The general looked indifferent and remained unmoved: "If it is not a bandit, I will be arrested immediately. After the roster is counted, I can re-register the household registration and distribute the land for you... If you resist in the corner and cooperate with the bandits, you will be killed!"

Most of the refugees were timid, and all they wanted were three meals a day and a roof over their heads. Hearing what the general manager said, he immediately stopped fighting and stood aside obediently, waiting for the officers and soldiers to put the rope around their necks.

Of course, there are also some people who understand, maybe some relatives and friends were taken away by the officers and soldiers, and their whereabouts are still unknown. Seeing that a group of refugees believed the lies of the officers and soldiers, they couldn't help shouting: "Don't believe the words of these dog officials! They were kidnapped, and their whereabouts are still unknown, even the corpses have not been found, they..."

Before the words were finished, the sound of piercing the air suddenly exploded, and a crossbow arrow followed the sound, piercing a bloody hole from the chest to the back.

He held up his long knife and slashed across the air: "Those who dare to confuse the crowd with evil words and resist the arrester stubbornly, this is the fate!"

Blood flowed all over the ground, and the refugees huddled together tremblingly, not daring to make a sound.

The valley was full of people on their backs, and the commander of You Yunwei took the opportunity to sneak up to Zhang Jingche and whispered in his ear: "My lord, these people are indeed officers and soldiers of the Yingtian Mansion... They are not good people, let's avoid them first?"

Zhang Jingche pondered for a moment, then shook his head.