There are troubles caused by poison and troubles. The crowd will be frightened, and if they are separated, they will kill each other. -------Xianbei Murong's Sword Essay "Thirty-Six Countermeasures"
It was said that Taohua was poisoned by a strange poison, and she was dizzy and woke up. Chen Long and Huang's family were very worried, but Wang and several maids took good care of her. Chen Long and Huang Gai went to the doctor to inquire. The doctor only knew that this was a strange poison from the vegetation in the mountains, but he did not know the poison and did not have a suitable antidote. Fortunately, Peach Blossom's poisoning is still mild and there is no danger to her life. Chen Long thought to himself that there were no famous doctors in Lingling, so he had to find the person who administered the poison before he could find the antidote.
As soon as he thought about this, his heart became quiet. Thinking about the whole process of the incident, Chen Long fell into deep thought. The day before yesterday, he shot an arrow at the Yellow Turban Pioneer, and something like this happened today. This assassination must be related to the Yellow Turban Craftsman. Since the Yellow Turbans wanted to capture Lingling, but the siege was extremely costly, they would inevitably resort to some assassination tactics to disintegrate Lingling's leadership from within. The Prefect's Mansion and the General's Mansion must be heavily guarded, so it would be difficult to succeed. He had excelled on the tower that day, so it was not surprising that he was targeted for assassination. As he thought about it, the mocking look on Xing Daorong's face that day flashed through his mind, and Chen Long couldn't help but take a breath of air. If anyone among the Lingling guards colluded with the Yellow Turbans, he would not be able to survive even if he had a few lives. . It seems that this possibility cannot be ruled out that the meticulous work of the Yellow Turban can be so arbitrary in Lingling.
Huang Gai was next to Chen Long. Seeing that he was deep in thought as he walked, he dragged Chen Long into a teahouse to sit down. Chen Long picked up a cup of fragrant tea and stared at the crowd outside the door. He vaguely saw a few big men from the Xiaoxiang Gang walking back and forth among the merchants. He casually asked Huang Gai: "Gongfu, who are these Xiaoxiang Gang people?"
"It's all the boatmen, stevedores and porters at the dock who organized the Xiaoxiang Gang." Huang Gai took a sip of fragrant tea and continued: "Later, the freight business got better and better, and more and more water bandits and bandits robbed people on the road. Later, the Xiaoxiang Gang opened warehouses and shops in the city, gradually involving brothels and casinos, and hired many people in the city. Gangsters and refugees served as thugs, with mixed personnel, and they successively merged with many small gangs in the city to reach its current scale."
When Chen Long heard the word "refugee", he thought that he had something to do with the Yellow Turban Army, so he asked: "As for Gang Leader Yang Huai, where does he come from?" Huang Gai said: "Yang Huai was originally a volunteer from Quanling Suburban County. After joining the army, he fought in Liu He served as a soldier under Min. Because of his good martial arts, he was promoted to captain of a hundred. Later, he heard that he was drunk and causing trouble in the city. He was captured and imprisoned by General Xing Daorong, who was in charge of public security. After he was released from prison, he was expelled from the military and joined the Xiaoxiang Gang. He was able to He was promoted to gang leader within a few years, and everyone said he had a backer."
Chen Long asked: "Which backer is it?" Huang Gai knew that Chen Long wanted to find some clues about the attack last night, so he whispered: "I don't know whether this is true or not. It is said that Yang Huai was punished by Xing Daorong when he was drunk and caused trouble. A drama played out in the world.”
When Chen Long heard this, he somehow remembered Xing Daorong's mocking smile again. Huang Gai continued: "The government has always wanted to control the golden waterways of Xiaoshui and Xiangshui, especially since Xing Daorong and Yang Huai were brothers and went to wine shops and prostitutes together all day long. Suddenly this happened, and Yang Huai successfully became Xiaoxiang." The boss of the gang has a lot of associations behind him."
Chen Long finally understood, nodded slightly, drank the fragrant tea in his hand, and made a decision in his heart. He said to Huang Gai: "Gongfu, do you think there are elaborate works of the Yellow Turban in this city? I want to investigate the Xiaoxiang Gang. Or let the Xiaoxiang Gang help you investigate. Where do you think it is better to start?" Huang Gai nodded, knowing that this matter requires manpower, and smiled: "It's easy to handle. Although Gongfu is young, he has been working in the city for several years. County officials, leave this matter to me." Chen Long nodded and stood up, saying, "Okay, then I'll go see General Liu Xian and wait for your good news."
When they arrived at Liu Xian's general's residence, his family members reported in. Liu Xian came out with his arms hanging, obviously looking better. Liu Xian took Chen Long's hand, and the eldest brother thanked him briefly and invited him into the living room to serve tea. Just as he sat down, Mr. Liu said: "Wen Long, I'm sorry for you, brother. I really didn't expect that the prefect did that to you yesterday..." Chen Long laughed and said, "General Liu is serious, you are the prefect Liu." Your subordinate, why are you so talkative? Brother, I understand what you mean." Mr. Liu was overjoyed and waved his uninjured hand and said loudly: "From now on, Wen Long will be my brother. From now on, you are not allowed to call me General Liu, only General Liu. Just call me Brother Liu." Chen Long stood up respectfully, cupped his hands and shouted: "Brother Liu!"
Chen Long really liked Liu Xian, a general who had no pretensions, and Liu Xian thought highly of him, so he was willing to get close to him. Speaking of the attack on him last night, Liu Xian frowned and said thoughtfully: "There are flames everywhere outside the city, and there are a lot of fish and dragons in the city. Wenlong shocked everyone with his tricks on the city top that day, so you should be more careful. Be careful. It is said that the person who made the sneak attack should be a master of assassination in the Yellow Turban Army. He was able to sneak into the Huang Mansion and escape quickly. This skill alone is not easy."
After that, he remembered something and called up a clerk. He wrote a report about Chen Long's attack and said to Chen Long: "I can report this matter to Young Master Liu Xian first and ask him to help investigate the details of the city. By the way, I can Prove your innocence in front of the prefect." Chen Long nodded in agreement, secretly praising Mr. Liu for his carefulness, and then said goodbye and went back to Huang Gai's Mansion to see the peach blossoms.
In the guest room of Zhang Ning, the Yellow Turban Saint, at the Anling Inn, Ma Yuanyi, dressed as a groom, was reporting to Zhang Ning the details of Chen Long's stabbing last night. Speaking of Chen Long predicting the danger, swiping the needle, kicking the window lattice, and almost being intercepted by Chen Long, Zhang Ning's beautiful long eyebrows frowned slightly, and he stared at the sunshine outside the window with autumn eyes, and said nothing for a long time. This Chen Long has superb martial arts skills and his senses are so sharp that the possibility of a successful assassination is too small. According to detailed reports in the city, this Chen Long seems to be a loyal general under Liu Xian, one of the four kings. Liu Xian has always been a staunch loyalist to the Han Dynasty. It seems that if you want to deal with Chen Long, you must first deal with Liu Xian. After thinking about it in my mind, I already had an idea. I unfolded a piece of white silk cloth on the guest room table and wrote a letter with a flourish of pen. He folded the letter and handed it to Ma Yuanyi, and said: "Brother Ma, I'm going to do you a favor and give this letter to Li Le and order him to do this and this and this." Ma Yuanyi accepted the order and said to Zhang Ning in his heart I admire her endlessly. This saint is so resourceful and I don't dare to provoke her.
In the evening, a man came outside General Liu Xian's house. He said he was a relative from Liu Xian's hometown and came to seek refuge with him. When the servant reported in, Liu Xian was puzzled and asked someone to take the man to the living room to have tea. He didn't recognize him at first sight. The man mysteriously asked to be turned away, and then Shi Shiran took out a letter from his arms. letter. The candlelight in the hall was dim, and the words written on the letter were not very clear. Mr. Liu was still a little short-sighted, and he was reading carefully with his right hand hanging close to his face. Suddenly, there was a sound of people shouting and horses neighing at the door of the mansion, and then there was a bang. The door was pushed down by a huge force. Xing Daorong rushed in first and shouted: "According to the order of the prefect, Mr. Liu has an affair with a yellow turban thief. He will be immediately bound to the government office for trial." A group of soldiers used knives to force Liu Xian's servants, and the others They swarmed into the living room, tied up Liu Xian and the visitor and left. Unfortunately, Mr. Liu was still hanging by his arms, unable to resist. He was surrounded by a few soldiers and led away to the government office.
In the lobby of the government office, the lights were brightly lit. Liu Du was sitting on the high platform in the middle, and the young master Liu Xianli was standing at the bottom. In the hall, Xing Daorong was telling the story of how he found a man sneaking into the city, followed him to Liu Xian's house, captured the Yellow Turban and Liu Xian on the spot, and then handed over the letter. Liu Xian took it and handed it to his father. He was about to speak. Liu Du waved his hand, and Liu Xian hurriedly stopped and stepped aside. Liu Du read the letter, which called Liu Xian his virtuous brother, and specifically told Liu Xian how to kidnap Liu Du, how to light a fire as a signal, how to dedicate the city gate, and after the completion of the matter, Liu Xian was made the prefect of Lingling, etc., and the signature was "Yellow Turban" Zhang Mancheng, the commander of Daqu in Jingzhou. Liu Du was furious in his heart, but pretended to be forbearing on the surface, and said to Liu Xian in a friendly manner: "General Liu, I have treated you very well. Why do you do this and do this unjust thing now?" Liu Xian shouted that he was wronged and claimed that he did not know him. Liu Xian said, "Father, General Liu Xian has always been loyal. I guess it is the enemy's treacherous plot." Liu Du asked Liu Xian to be taken aside and continued to interrogate the person who sent the message. At first, the person who sent the letter only said that he was a relative of Xian Liu, but he was beaten up by Xing Daorong, and there was a letter to prove it, so he could not deny it. Then he admitted that he was a Yellow Turban craftsman. Because Zhang Mancheng and Liu Xian had an old relationship, he specially sent himself to meet Liu Xian. The date for the dedication of the city should be agreed upon first. After saying that, the messenger stared at Liu Du and said: "Prefect Liu, now we, the Yellow Turbans, have attacked the city and expanded the territory for thousands of miles. Our forces are spread all over the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys. The Yellow Turban Army has millions of soldiers and thousands of generals. Sooner or later, the surrounding counties and counties will surrender in Lingling. General Liu Xian is a man who knows the current affairs. Since the prefect cannot hold it, why not surrender as soon as possible?" When Liu Du heard this, he was furious and ordered his men to beat him severely. The man was beaten He was beaten so hard that he fainted. Xing Daorong asked someone to splash him with cold water to wake him up, and asked: "What other tricks are there in the city? Confess quickly and I will spare your life." The man gritted his teeth and refused to say anything, but Xing Daorong only asked someone to beat him severely. The man couldn't resist, and shouted to Liu Du: "Prefect, spare your life. I really don't know about the others. I only know that a few days ago, Sun Shuai sent someone to take his family members, pretending to be visiting relatives. On the way, he pretended to save Huang's mother and sneaked in. The city is coming." Liu Xian and Liu Xian beside them were both shocked: "Chen Long!?"
Liu Du glared at the two of them, ordered Xing Daorong to imprison Liu Xian and the messenger first, and said to Liu Xian: "Xian'er, you know this time that the person named Chen is indeed a careful worker. You will immediately take a team of people to the Huang Mansion. Arrest Chen Long for interrogation. Since the Huang family has no knowledge, they can not be held accountable for the time being." Liu Xian said: "Father, that day Sun Xia led the Yellow Turban Army here, and Liu Xian and Chen Long fought with him to the death before they were able to return to the city. , how could he be a traitor? There must be fraud involved." The fat on Liu Du's cheeks twitched and said: "Xian'er, I know you are thirsty for talents, but how could you know that it wasn't Sun Xia who made an appointment with them to put on a show for us? See? Otherwise, with so many people in the Yellow Turban Army, how could the three of them come back alive?" Liu Xian wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Liu Du with a wave of his hand, who only said that they should be captured first.
Liu Xian had no choice but to go to the front door and call one of his confidants, and ordered such and such. The man nodded, mounted his horse, and flew away. Liu Xian ordered his men and horses and slowly headed straight to Huang Mansion. I always felt something was wrong on the way, so why was Liu Xian, who had always been loyal, suddenly labeled a traitor? Thinking about how Xing Daorong and Liu Xian were often at odds with each other, it made them even more suspicious. But his father trusted General Xing, and his right to speak was limited. However, Chen Long fought to the death with the Yellow Turban Army that day. He should have been an innocent man and was highly skilled in martial arts. If this was a Yellow Turban plot, wouldn't it be self-inflicted on the general? If the Yellow Turbans have colluded with Lingling's top generals, then Lingling's fall is only a matter of time. It makes me shudder just thinking about it.
Taohua's condition recurred and she had rested early. Chen Long and Huang Gai were sitting at home, drinking some wine. Huang Gai said: "Brother, I have made an appointment with a few good brothers from the Xiaoxiang Gang, all of whom are my own, and asked them to help monitor the movements of the Xiaoxiang Gang. The situation will be reported immediately." Chen Long was about to thank him when suddenly a servant came to report that the young master Liu Xian sent someone to visit. He saw a man coming in a hurry. Huang Gai recognized him as Liu Xian's confidant and said: "Liu Dong, why are you here? ." Then Liu Dong slightly cupped his hands, looked around and said in a low voice: "Brother Chen has done something wrong. Master asked me to tell Mr. Chen to hide. Brother Chen, please come with me immediately." As he said, Liu Xian was arrested, and Xizuo briefly explained the confession to Chen Long, urging Chen Long to leave quickly. Chen Long said: "I'm leaving, what will happen to the Huang family?" Liu Dong said: "The Huang family is fine, the young master will tell you what to do, just say that you are afraid of crime and run away, otherwise you will be caught by General Xing, I'm afraid your life will not be saved." Huang Gai said to Chen Long said: "In that case, we will take care of the peach blossoms. It's better for the eldest brother to avoid the limelight first." Chen Long thought about it and felt it was wrong, and said, "I am not a craftsman at first, but now I leave, won't I really become a craftsman?" Then Liu Dong He said anxiously: "I'm afraid you don't have any room to distinguish. The young master has his own arrangements and will definitely restore your innocence." At this time, the sound of horses neighing was heard in the distance outside, and Liu Dong urged him to leave quickly. Chen Long pointed to his heart and said Huang Gai said: "I am here to protect you, I will leave all the peach blossoms to you." Following Liu Dong, he hurried away from the back door, and there was already the sound of banging on the door in the front yard.
Liu Dong took Chen Long around left and right, and finally entered a side door of a large mansion. Chen Long asked: "Where is this?" Liu Dong smiled slightly and said: "This is the safest place in the whole city. No one will search here. This is the Young Master's Mansion." Chen Long thought, this Liu Xian is really extraordinary, look at it Once he has determined that he is a good person, he will not change his mind easily. He has not misjudged him.
In the Anling Inn, Zhang Ning's extremely graceful figure was standing in front of the window, watching a group of government soldiers passing by on the street. Looking at the frequently mobilized soldiers in Lingling City, Zhang Ning felt that he had stirred up the troubled waters and was fishing in troubled waters. The girl was slightly proud and took off her veil, revealing her slightly childish but unrivaled face.
