Zhangjiawan is only twenty miles away from the capital, but it is a big place outside Beijing. Here is the intersection of five major water systems: the North Canal, Tonghui River, Xiaotaihou River, Liangshui River, and Ganggou River. It has excellent water transportation conditions. It is an important water and land transportation hub and logistics distribution center at the northern starting point of the Grand Canal. It has the "First Pier of the Grand Canal" known as.
Most of the goods transported on the canal are distributed here, and merchants traveling north and south by boat also board and disembark here. Therefore, the town's warehouse and hotel industry are very developed. Even though the world is in turmoil right now, because of the capital's relationship in the north, the flow of goods and people on the canal is still steady. The market is still booming. It was time to stay overnight, and the touts from inns and restaurants were holding lanterns and shouting at the streets to solicit customers.
The group of people separated from the crowd and ignored the waiters soliciting customers along the way. They walked until they were close to the north gate of the town and then rested in front of a large inn.
The waiter who greeted guests at the door immediately came over and said with a smile on his face: "Does the guest want to stay in the hotel?"
The housekeeper nodded and said, "My master is impatient of noise and has a family, can he have a private courtyard?"
The store clerk said quickly: "Yes, there is a spacious courtyard right now. It is kept clean, but it is more expensive. It costs two taels of silver a day."
Although a yard is much larger than a room, two taels of silver is also a staggeringly high price. So the waiter hurriedly added: "My house is a big shop, and there are all kinds of dishes, five fruits, and singing prostitutes. If the customers need anything, just ask for it..."
The housekeeper interrupted and said, "No way. The money doesn't matter, but it needs to be quiet and clean. My master hates people making trouble when he comes. Secondly, the mule cart needs to be parked in the courtyard. Is it possible for your family to do that?"
The store clerk said hurriedly: "It can be done, it can be done."
"Please show me the guest room."
The housekeeper looked at the guest room, and found that this courtyard was a small three-in-one courtyard. It was not a big place, but it was very quiet, and it was unified behind closed doors. The housekeeper was quite satisfied when he saw it. He went with the waiter to register in the front living room, and then went out to say hello. Not long after, the rich young man went straight into the guest room surrounded by everyone.
The mule cart arrived at the courtyard, and the mules were led to the inn stable without mentioning the feeding. The waiter brought two large buckets of hot water and was about to enter the room to serve him, but was blocked by a companion. The companion was tall, holding his arms and hands. He clenched his fists and raised eyebrows, making the guy jump in shock.
The housekeeper came forward and said with a smile: "My master is not used to outsiders, so I will wait for you without having to worry about the second brother in the store. When you bring things, just leave them at the door of the courtyard, and there will be someone to take care of them."
The shop assistant said continuously: "Yes, yes." He thought that this big family has a lot of rules!
The rich young master took off his felt hat and cloak, and it turned out to be Min Zhanlian, the soul-searching sword that Master Fu had captured in Shandong a few years ago.
Since Min Zhanlian and his junior sister were subdued by Taoist Master Fu, they have been following the guardians around to preach. It was not until 1635 that their loyalty was confirmed, and they were transferred back to Lingao to receive a comprehensive and systematic education. Afterwards, they were officially transferred to the special service team under the Foreign Intelligence Bureau.
Although this special service team is affiliated with the Foreign Intelligence Service in terms of administration and personnel management, its training is under the responsibility of the Special Reconnaissance Team of the General Reconnaissance Directorate. Its function is to replace the special reconnaissance team in some application scenarios.
Although the special reconnaissance team has outstanding combat effectiveness. But because the personnel and training models are all "old time and space", this makes them also become "old time and space". This makes them look "out of place" in temperament and speech every time they go on a mission, especially when they infiltrate into enemy-occupied areas, even if they wear wigs and change costumes. It takes a lot of effort to disguise.
Therefore, powerful organizations came up with the idea of training a covert action force that can be quickly deployed into enemy-occupied areas. Especially after the Hangzhou Station incident, the Special Service Team of the Foreign Intelligence Service was established.
The model of the action team is based on the model of the National Police Ten Courses, and most of the personnel used are former Jianghu figures. Among them are former "outlaw thieves" like Min Zhanlian, "well-known sects", and bodyguards who came from escort bureaus and escort households. They already have rich experience in the world of martial arts, so they are much more comfortable doing their job than the detective team, and they are less likely to be identified.
This time the veteran was kidnapped, the first group sent out was the elite of the special service team: Min Zhanlian's team.
He lost his team in Shandong back then, leaving only one junior sister, Zhou Ruolan, but in recent years he has rebuilt the team according to his original methods. However, this time the team is stronger.
At this moment, he was in the main hall, silently washing his face with the hot water brought by the waiter. Several years of "serving the Senate and the people" have made his temperament more calm and sophisticated.
The companions came back from an inspection of the whole hospital and reported: There is nothing wrong with the store, it is indeed an old store.
"Lao Liu, Lao Ninth, you are so good!" Min Zhanlian ordered, "When you encounter visitors at night, just see them off, no need to cover up."
The two left in response, while the others gathered under the lamp
"This is Zhangjiawan, a large wharf where the canal enters Beijing. There is a mixture of fish and dragons. No matter which restaurant you eat at, there are eyes and ears here. Many people will know about our arrival here tomorrow night. Maybe Someone is going to visit me tonight. Everyone will be awake at night."
All the companions nodded in unison.
"We will stay in Zhangjiawan for a few days. We will make a decision based on the situation." Min Zhanlian continued to assign tasks, "The capital is a big place, with a mixture of good and bad, and more official people. There are many restrictions when entering the city. Although here There are also people with official status, but there are no yamen or official posts, so it is more convenient to do things."
After Min Zhanlian received the task, he felt that the task was difficult. First, the elders have suffered unprecedented losses and are under unprecedented pressure. When he was following Pirate Quanzi, he was in danger several times and got through it safely. This time, not only was the veteran trapped, but he also didn't have any clues about it. There are hundreds of thousands of people inside and outside the capital, and there is a huge crowd. How to search? Second, the mission was very urgent and it was difficult to remain hidden. Even though the Intelligence Bureau's ship could transport them to Tianjin, there was still more than a hundred miles to go from Tianjin to the capital. A dozen strong men with different accents are walking lightly, and they will be noticed as soon as they reach the official road. Since the other party dares to kidnap the Senate, he must know the details of the Senate, and there will probably be many spies along the way.
How to reach the capital quickly and covertly became his first question. After much thought, he proposed that it would be better to "reveal" than to "hide". The entire team showed themselves as "people in the world" - this was their true colors, without too much pretense and without flaws.
There are so many people in the capital who are like crouching tigers, hidden dragons. Whether you are a high-ranking official or a wealthy businessman, there are some secret things that you cannot and cannot do. The emperor had Jinyiwei and Dongxi Factory; the nobles used "jianghu people". Although the rules of the law are strict at the feet of the emperor, it is also a place where people in the world are at home like a fish in water.
Min Zhanlian planned to use this image to swagger into the capital and wait for opportunities to take action.
"Xiaoqian, you go to the Juchunyuan Tea House outside Chongwen Gate early tomorrow morning and meet with the people from the escort agency." He immediately assigned the task, "Ruolan, tomorrow we will investigate the news in the town. See how many informants there are and whether the innkeeper is People who support Tonghai; Xiao Li, go to Nancheng, Xiannong Altar, Riyue Altar and various altars and temples to check if there is anything suspicious..."
He divided three times, five, and two, and then assigned everyone's tasks. It stands to reason that if he meets the people from the escort agency tomorrow, he will be able to get detailed information. However, Min Zhanlian has another consideration. Judging from Delong's financial resources and his relationship with Liansheng in the capital, he must have put the news of finding someone out. Got out. This capital city must have been rummaged through by foxes and rats from all walks of life. However, doing so has two bad consequences. First, the kidnappers are frightened by their power and divert the votes; second, they deliberately release various smoke screens to confuse the escort agency by taking the opportunity to inquire about information from everywhere.
The two escorts who were in charge of Liansheng either found nothing or were stuck in a lot of clues and couldn't extricate themselves. Min Zhanlian didn't want to make the same mistake again.
After assigning tasks, he asked everyone to rest and recuperate. From the moment you step into Zhangjiawan Town, the mission officially begins.
The news he got before setting off from Lingao was about a week different from the current situation, so he had to wait until Xiao Qian came back tomorrow to decide how to act. But one thing he was roughly certain of was that Elder Leng was still in the capital, at least in the counties surrounding the capital. It was not moved to other places.
The kidnappers did not act randomly, but had planned for a long time. Such a heavyweight would never randomly move to a place too far away to be out of reach.
Therefore, his focus was very simple. He first looked for opportunities to find out where Condensation Cloud was hiding.
Once he finds the person, he will break the situation. As for who is the mastermind behind the scenes, he doesn't care.
Speaking of the capital, he was not unfamiliar with the place. The fledgling Min Zhanlian spent several years here working for dignitaries. He has killed people for the eunuchs and rescued the remnants of the Donglin Party. He doesn't care who is right or wrong, as long as he gives money.
Now that he has joined the Australians, the Australians are stronger and richer. One day when the dynasty changes, he will be the founding father of the country, no longer a charlatan killer who steals people's lives.
What better way to get ahead than to rescue a veteran?
This huge opportunity has now fallen into his hands, and he must seize it well. Along the way, he was recalling every bit of his past life in the capital, especially the past "relationships". From Jinyiwei and Dongchang to the yamen of Daxing and Wanping counties in Shuntian Prefecture; he has several "friends" in all walks of life in the city. Although they have exchanged greetings for a long time, as long as the money is in place, they will probably still get to know each other.
"I wonder if there will be any news from the escort agency tomorrow."
(End of chapter)
