The prefect Zuo Jian was a chubby middle-aged man, which was extremely inconsistent with his vigorous and resolute style of conduct. In Liu Xin's mind, his image was that of a senior official with deep eyes and a rich sense of ups and downs.
Mr. Zuo Jianzuo's squinting eyes and honest demeanor will make people lose their guard at first sight.
During the banquet, Zuo Jian didn't mention anything about Chen Nianji's case at all, but he kept praising Liu Xin for his young talent.
Because Chen Nianji was originally a member of the Jinyi Guard, and Liu Xin was a Qianhu of Nanzhen Fusi, it became his latest mission to capture Chen Nianji and return to the imperial capital to report on his duties.
As for the vacancy of Jin Yiwei in Hanzhong Mansion, news has been sent to Xi'an Mansion in Shaanxi Province since Mr. Luo Fu's death, and it is estimated that a replacement will be appointed in the next two days.
However, this was not Liu Xin's business. After a complimentary banquet, Liu Xin was happy that he didn't have to fight with anyone, but he was even more afraid of Master Zuo Jianzuo.
Even if the plan behind it was not Zuo Jian, the person who could execute such a plan perfectly was certainly not an ordinary person. However, he was too inoffensive and was simply pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
Fortunately, we will leave Hanzhong Mansion tomorrow. The situation here has already been sent back to the imperial capital through the inn. It is estimated that Dai Tongzhi will receive the news within three days.
This time I have captured the adopted son of Duke Qin. I don’t know if it will cause turmoil in the court.
Things went extremely smoothly, and everyone in the Nanzhen Fusi team breathed a sigh of relief. They thought something big was going to happen here in Hanzhong, but it turned out that the storm was suppressed before it started, so everyone in the station was also relaxing. , drink, eat and chat.
After Liu Xin came back, he went to the room on his own. After thinking about it, he included Zuo Jian among his key local targets. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Zuo Jian was unfathomable!
At this time, in the prefect's Yamen, Zuo Jian was sitting in his duty room, writing official documents, with a serious face, squinting his eyes and trying hard to open them, revealing the brilliant light inside.
He is arranging investigations in the counties near Hanzhong, and his mission is to control the entire Hanzhong Prefecture quietly.
Hanzhong Prefecture has a population of over 800,000, making it one of the few upper-class prefectures. It has a vast territory, fertile water and soil, and no waterlogging disasters. It can be said to be the best land in Shaanxi Province.
It was already late at night when he finished calculating the last account and writing the last document.
Zuo Jian stood up and walked slowly to the window, looked at the stars in the sky, and murmured to himself:
"The bright blue sky will see the sun again. My lord, you must fulfill your promise to me and revitalize my Zuo family!"
Menglongshan Ruins
Ever since Ban Wei led his army to sweep through Menglong Mountain, the bandits here were either killed or fled to other places. For a time, the bandits could no longer gather their momentum and became a group of stragglers, landing everywhere, waiting for their generals. He got his fate by being captured by various county government offices.
And just this morning, a young man suddenly led a group of people into a certain county government office, rescued many bandits imprisoned inside, and then went around several places to rescue many bandits.
At night, everyone gathered again at Menglong Mountain, and there were actually two to three hundred people.
The young man was dressed in linen clothes, his hair was messy, he had a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth, and he was still humming an unknown song.
After rescuing the group of bandits who were about to beheaded, he led them to run away and rob each other, and finally brought them back to this sad place. Then the young man ignored everyone, found a bald tree, and climbed to the top of the tree. Sitting on a branch, his legs swayed and he didn't care about the crowd.
"Eldest brother, Xiong Er, Si Niang, fifth uncle, Liu Lang, Xiao Qi, where are you all? I can't stand it. Second senior brother is not a human being, he is a devil, devil!"
If Liu Xin were here, he would recognize this young man as Gou San'er and Zhong Feifei. I don’t know what path he chose. Now he looks like a beggar and leads people to rob a prison. If he is caught, it will be a serious crime of beheading.
Just when Zhong Feifei was worried and melancholy, several highly respected people among the bandits came to the tree and looked at Zhong Feifei respectfully. One of them, a middle-aged man, was shirtless, revealing his strong muscles. Chao Zhong Feifei shouted:
"Third Master, Third Master!"
Zhong Feifei's thoughts were interrupted and he yelled down angrily: "Why are you howling? Don't you see that your third master is thinking!"
This angry shout caused everyone below to scatter like birds and beasts.
"Really, why did the second senior brother ask me to be the king of this mountain? I don't want to be the king of the mountain!" Zhong Feifei lay on the branch distressedly. The second senior brother he mentioned was naturally everyone's second senior brother Du Yuanjin.
For some unknown reason, Du Yuanjin asked Zhong Feifei to lead several elite secret investigation teams to reunite the scattered bandits.
Today is a prison robbery, and tomorrow he will go to rob a big dog owner. It seems that they are all people from the area near Hanzhong who are related to the Chen family. In the past, they relied on flattering the Chen family to cause trouble. Now the Chen family has fallen, and the tree has fallen. After being separated, this group of people was ignored by Zuo Jian because they had little luck, but Du Yuanjin sent Zhong Feifei to pick them up.
Of course Zhong Feifei was unwilling, but his small arms and legs couldn't hold up the second senior brother's thick thighs, so he had no choice but to come.
In the distance, a group of bandits who had survived the catastrophe were in a good mood, although they were hungry. A few people gathered around and started to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each cell, and even decided to choose the best cell.
Seeing that Zhong Feifei ignored them, the crowd's voices became louder and louder. Some people said they were getting high and wanted to get up and dance for a while. Although he thought he was boxing, in Zhong Feifei's eyes, this was a wild boar dance.
"It's really tiring to lead a team with a bunch of gangsters!" Zhong Feifei looked away, sighed, closed his eyes, and gradually fell into a dream.
It was a dark and cool night, thirty miles west of Hanzhong Fucheng. In the cool night breeze, Du Yuanjin finally got what he wanted. He took out the red fox fur, draped it on his shoulders, and stood proudly on the top of the mountain. , quite a bit of a kingly demeanor.
After standing for a full hour, Du Yuanjin, who had finished pretending to be sexy, walked down the hillside sweating profusely. He put the fox fur into a delicate box with great care, and then said to Chai Junfeng who was holding the box:
"When you have time later, help me draw the scene just now!"
In addition to his nickname of Know-It-All, Chai Junfeng also has a nickname that has been circulated in a small area, called the Immortal in Paintings. Each painting is extremely good.
Chai Junfeng smiled bitterly, but had to agree.
Then he asked:
"Second Senior Brother, why do we have to withdraw from Hanzhong Mansion? Didn't we plan to ambush again?"
Du Yuanjin wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, shook his head and said: "Hanzhong has no value anymore. Staying here is expensive and laborious, and you may not necessarily get a good deal in the end. It is better to stop the loss in time and invest elsewhere."
"Then where are we going?" Chai Junfeng looked worried. He had only been working under this second senior brother for a short time, but the latter's vague and evasive behavior gave him a headache.
Du Yuanjin raised his hand holding the handkerchief and pointed to the west.
"The Western Regions?" Chai Junfeng looked surprised. It was a vast and sparsely populated place, so why wouldn't spies go there?
Du Yuanjin shook his head, and under Chai Junfeng's dull gaze, his lips curled up: "Our goal is to the west of the extreme west!"
This night, some people are destined to be very busy
A fast horse arrived at the Northern Army Governor's Mansion overnight. The Northern Army Governor's Mansion was established in Yan'an Mansion, Yansui, which was only more than a hundred miles away from the border town of Yansui.
The Governor's Mansion of the Northern Army is open at 12 hours, and there are people on duty at all times. This fast horse was stopped at the gate of the Governor's Mansion of the Northern Army. When he entered the city, he was directly let go with the token in his hand, but after But the token at the gate of the Northern Army Governor's Mansion is no longer easy to use.
After the guard at the door passed the message, it took a long time for someone to come to pick him up. This knight had been riding a horse for several hours. Three fast horses were replaced at the inn along the way. The horse was fine. He was almost useless. Even if he was an old knight, his crotch should be broken now. Already worn out.
With his feet spread apart, he walked into the Northern Army Governor's Mansion with a strange pace. The person on duty today was Weng Bingliang, a fellow commander of the capital.
Weng Bingliang was an out-and-out martial artist, tall and thick-set, with an unkempt beard and a pair of tiger eyes like copper bells. He was currently wiping his sword in the check-in room.
Seeing the man's footsteps, Weng Bingliang knew that he had been riding a fast horse for several hours. Knowing that it was an urgent report, he put down his knife, walked out of the desk, and came to the man. He spread his hands to indicate that he would get the things quickly.
But the knight shook his head and said: "I have an urgent report to see the governor. There is no letter and it is a message orally."
Weng Bingliang frowned and said, "Who asked you to deliver the message?"
The knight hesitated for a moment, and seeing Weng Bingliang's expression becoming increasingly unkind, he said, "It's the squad commander!"
Weng Bingliang gave the knight a strange look. This guy must be stupid, but he has been cultivating his energy for several months. This is what the governor told him to stay calm when encountering trouble.
"Since it's him, it's the same thing if he has any message for me!"
The knight was hesitant. He knew that the man in front of him was a fellow commander, two levels higher than the class commander, and one level higher than the officer, let alone two levels.
Weng Bingliang is most annoyed by people who are hesitant. If he is hesitating now, why don't he need to say it later? Since he must say it, then you are still hesitating!
Splitting his chest with one hand, he directly picked up the poor knight. In the knight's fear and confusion, Weng Bingliang lifted it above his head, shook it hard, and then threw it to the ground. The knight with already weak legs suddenly fell to the ground, temporarily Can't get up.
"Huh, stay calm when things happen!" Weng Bingliang comforted himself first, and then said with a sneer:
"I just checked to see if there was water in your head! Now it seems that there is no water in your head. Then you are still hesitating. Tell me the message quickly!"
The knight was so frightened that he immediately spoke out the message. Unexpectedly, after hearing the message, Weng Bingliang's face suddenly collapsed, and the knight subconsciously moved back.
"Grandma! This guy surnamed Ban really has shit in his head. How long have you been pleading for that boy Chen Nianji? No wonder he would do such dirty things to enrich his own pockets. I even put in a good word for him before, You should listen to Sima and kill him immediately!"
The scolding in Weng Bingliang's mouth made the knight even more frightened. When he set out, Ban Wei had not yet been in trouble. He still did not know that his commander should be convicted and arrested, and he was now on his way to be escorted.
"Phew, calm down!" He cursed to relieve the pressure. Weng Bingliang remembered the governor's advice and immediately calmed down. Then he glanced coldly at the knight lying on the ground and cursed with a grin:
"Get out of here, you'll be able to see Ban Wei soon!"
Although the knight was frightened, he remembered his mission and tried to ask: "This... this message... is..."
Weng Bingliang waved his hands impatiently and said, "I understand, I will naturally inform the governor about such small matters."
The knight was still unwilling and said: "But...this message needs to be delivered in person..."
"Kiss your mother Xipi!" Weng Bingliang had already turned around. When he heard this, he slapped the table, turned around and said angrily: "The governor has already set off for the imperial capital, so give me a kiss in return!"
The knight didn't know where he got the strength. After hearing the words, he immediately got up. After a hurried salute, he stepped back and said: "I... I am..."
"Who is your uncle, get out!" Weng Bingliang cursed angrily.
The next day, Nanzhen Fusi's team set out on their way home only two days after arriving at Hanzhong Mansion. The number of teams increased significantly this time, because they had to take Chen Nianji back to the imperial capital, as well as his cronies, because they all committed crimes under his wings, so they had to take them back together.
Therefore, Liu Xin mobilized some of the Jinyiwei's manpower here, and would mobilize some more along the way. After all, this person was not a trivial offender.
Chen Nianji was no longer as domineering as before. He was sitting in the prison car with his father Chen An, his eyes full of fear.
Since he woke up, he spent last night in the torture room of Hanzhong Mansion. Nanzhen Fusi has a special skill that is known to the world, and that is their torture method. The masters of these methods can even allow you to experience the ultimate pain in the world without damaging the fundamentals. You can even walk back on your own after the execution, but at the time of execution, your life will be worse than death.
There are at least two people in Liu Xin's team who have such means.
Liu Xin guessed whether Dai Tongzhi or the admiral of Dongchang had already thought of this possibility, so he sent these two people.
In addition to Chen Nianji, several other important party members, including his father, also felt this pain, so several new entries were added to the already very detailed evidence book.
In Zuo Jian's farewell with a smile on his face, Liu Xin embarked on his return journey. This trip to Hanzhong only took eighteen days, much earlier than the originally expected January. The return trip won't be very fast. It's estimated that it will be mid-August when we return to the imperial capital.
At this time, in the imperial capital, an eight hundred-mile express letter and an escort team from Dongchang arrived almost at the same time.
Dongchang Yamen
Yuan Dongxiang placed the pen holder, pen washer, inkstone, paperweight and other items on the desk neatly and in the same direction, and the distance between each object was almost equal.
After doing all this and tidying up his robes, he strode out of the check-in room. If you observe carefully, every step he takes is the same.
Since Liu Xin left, his life has returned to order. As soon as he left the duty room, three Dongchang scribes lined up next to him and came forward to report on their work.
Yuan Dongxiang did not stop and continued to move forward at a steady speed.
"Reporting to Qianhu, Dali Temple and Jinyiwei have submitted a case report about the mass murder that occurred in the outer city of the imperial capital half a month ago. Both parties believe that it was revenge seeking, and a Dacheng realm warrior appeared. Although there was no body at the scene, There were more than 20 people fighting on both sides, so it was seen by many people. Currently, there is no progress in arresting the whole city. "
Yuan Dongxiang kept walking and said calmly: "Both Dali Temple and Jinyiwei are living on dry food! Send a letter to the king's commander. Thousands of households in his inner city can't just focus on the inner city. If the outer city is in chaos, , How can the inner city be better!"
"Yes!" After the clerk reported his work, he left directly to do what Yuan Dongxiang ordered.
Another clerk added in time and said: "Sir Qianhu, for next month's martial arts competition, the final venues in the imperial city have been arranged. The border defense general who returned to the imperial capital to report on his duties early this morning is at the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion. Point Mao. They are the Duke of Shu and his three generals from the Governor's Office of the Western Army. The two hundred escorts have been settled in the military camp in the outer city. Niu Shilun, the commander of the Governor's Office of the Southern Army, together with the three commanders of Fuzhou, Ganzhou and Guangzhou, escorted Two hundred people have been placed in the military camp in the outer city."
Yuan Dongxiang's feet froze, and then resumed the previous frequency. After a long while, he said: "After the martial arts competition, there will be a military conference, so people from all over the governor's office will come. You should pay attention, everyone. Including where their guards went, who they met, what they said, everything was detailed, even how much money they spent to buy things! Reports are made every three days, and if there is a shortage of manpower, manpower will be transferred from other places! "
"yes!"
After the scribe left, Yuan Dongxiang waved his hand and stopped the last scribe from speaking. He stopped and seemed to be contemplating.
"Xu Zongrang of the Southern Army Governor's Mansion didn't come back to report on his duties. It seems like things are going to be unstable in the south."
After muttering in his mind, Yuan Dongxiang continued to start and signaled the scribe to continue.
"Sir Qianhu, Leng Zhang Squad and Gou Zhang Squad have returned. They have entered the Imperial City in the prison car and are currently in the Dongchang Prison."
Yuan Dongxiang stopped again when he heard this and said: "I know!"
Then Yuan Dongxiang's pace quickened, but the distance between his steps remained the same.
Arriving at a large study room inside the East Factory, Yuan Dongxiang was arranging his clothes outside the door, and then knocked on the doorframe rhythmically.
"Come in." A calm and calm voice came from the door.
Yuan Dongxiang opened the door and entered, then looked up and saw a middle-aged man wearing an official uniform embroidered with clouds and cranes sitting behind the only desk in the study. Although his face was stern, there was a confident smile at the corner of his mouth, with sword-shaped eyebrows. The eyes are the kind of bright eyes that really contain stars. At the same time, these eyes are extremely clear and seem to be able to penetrate people's hearts.
Although he was sitting behind the desk, you could still see that he was tall and tall, with an indescribable Taoist charm about him, as if he was an immortal, not like a eunuch at all!
"Yuan Dongxiang meets the admiral!"
Yuan Dongxiang saluted with great respect. This was respect from the bottom of his heart. In front of the person in front of him, Yuan Dongxiang felt like a child who could be easily seen through and manipulated.
And the Tao charm in the latter is also the ultimate pursuit of thousands of people on the journey of martial arts, the master Tao charm!
When Mi Yusong put down the book he was reading and looked at Yuan Dongxiang, his expression became much gentler: "There are a lot of things going on these days. You look quite tired. Have you no time to practice well recently?"
Yuan Dongxiang nodded and said seriously: "My subordinates have unfinished official duties and have no time to practice!"
Mi Yusong shook his head and said: "You are just too serious. You can leave some things to others. You are the one in power, and those in power do everything themselves. That is what is wrong."
Yuan Dongxiang raised his head, only looked at Mi Yusong for a moment and then looked away. No one liked being seen through easily.
"My subordinates just feel that the people below are not capable enough and will only make things more and more troublesome."
Mi Yusong smiled and said: "So I'm not asking you to find people by yourself. If you think they are useful and available, you can take them under my command. There is no talent that I can't get in Dongchang!"
He said this with a domineering tone and his tone was extremely arrogant.
As Mi Yusong's direct subordinate, Yuan Dongxiang has become accustomed to this admiral in the past few years. Apart from his eyes that can see into people's hearts and the master's Taoist charm that he exudes, he is actually a very domineering person with a tone of voice. He was also extremely arrogant and even sometimes scolded His Majesty the Emperor.
Although Yuan Dongxiang always wished he was deaf every time he encountered this kind of situation, it is undeniable that Mi Yusong at that time was very approachable and down-to-earth!
Yuan Dongxiang said: "I met a good young man some time ago."
"Huh?" Mi Yusong suddenly interrupted and said, "That's Liu Xin. Are you blaming me for leaving someone with Dai De'an?"
Yuan Dongxiang shook his head quickly.
Mi Yusong laughed and said: "I know you and him are quite fond of each other, but young people need to be tempered. After all, Dongchang's focus is in the imperial capital. Only those who have been tempered are good gold, so just be patient and wait. Just wait."
Because of Mi Yusong's joking words, the atmosphere in the study became much more relaxed, and Yuan Dongxiang also relaxed a little: "I'm afraid that in the end, Liu Xin will take over for De'an. Mr. Dai is old and not a warrior. Jin Yiwei's place The struggle is too strong and I’m afraid he won’t be able to hold on.”
Mi Yusong smiled and said: "Don't worry, the old generation will take care of his health. Those troubles will definitely be Liu Xin's in the future."
The two chatted for a while, and finally Mi Yusong started the main topic of the day:
"How is the investigation going on the mass fight that occurred in the Imperial Capital half a month ago?"
Yuan Dongxiang recounted today's report.
Mi Yusong raised his eyes and thought for a moment, and finally said quietly: "The rivers and lakes, the rivers and lakes, there may be storms again. We should be prepared. If necessary, put our tentacles into the rivers and lakes to check. The world is unstable now. , don’t let someone with bad intentions take advantage of the loophole!”
Yuan Dongxiang's eyes lit up and he carefully probed: "Admiral, have you got any news?"
Mi Yusong smiled and looked at Yuan Dongxiang: "You are really thoughtful and you can see it. Yes, there is news about Emperor Wu City and the Holy Sect!"
Yuan Dongxiang's heart froze and he immediately raised his head. This time he didn't realize that he was looking into Mi Yusong's eyes for a long time.
