The assassination of a right-wing political activist is the first of its kind in this dynasty! A large number of armed forces surrounded the area centered on Kaiyuan Temple and immediately began searching house by house to check the identity of non-residents and the route into the city.
In the Pu Xintang of the back office, someone was trimming Li Shuo's beard. Next to the bed in the back room, Xing Wu, who had been picked up urgently, was bandaging the wounds of the shirtless Li Dan.
Sitting under the window on Li Dan's left side are Jiang Cunli and Wei Chu, and on his right are Wu Xianzhe and Shen You. What these four were facing now was no longer a right-wing political activist. Li Dan took on the posture of a governor of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border and began to issue orders.
When they heard that there was collusion between the Zodiac Sect and the merchants in the city, everyone turned pale. Li Dan told everyone not to panic, not to make the matter too big, and let the newspaper announce that he had broken ribs and could not move, so he was recuperating at the Chief Secretary's place.
"The city gate is closed to isolate the news from inside and outside. We might as well keep it closed on this reason. At the same time, we say that the search area is mainly concentrated around the Drum Tower, Chief Secretary, and Kaiyuan Temple. This will let the troublemakers know that they still have room for action."
Li Dan allowed himself to be manipulated by Xing Wu while continuing to make arrangements with the four members.
"Master Shen quietly mobilized a guerrilla force from the Wu'an Army. Two of them were stationed in Daming Palace and Longshouyuan respectively, and the rest were in Yujiazhai as backup. In addition, one Qian was deployed from outside the city to ambush in Xiaozhai, waiting for the attack. Signal.
Eight hundred cavalry were dispatched from the Han Weiyang Palace where they were stationed, pretending to go to Xianyang, but actually went around to Linchuan Temple to the west of Laodian to wait for the signal to attack.
The remaining troops of the Wu'an Army were put on full alert in the Beiyuan Camp. The newly reorganized Shaanxi-Gansu Instruction Corps was under the direct command of the governor's Yamen and was responsible for blocking the eastern suburbs and the direction of Baqiao, as well as providing reinforcements to Nanguo Gate. "xь.
After Li Dan finished speaking, he looked up at the garrison commander Lu Chengyuan who had just walked in, and said with a smile: "Old Lu, are you busy?"
"Sir, are you okay? It's okay to be busy, but it scared me!" Lu Chengyuan took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
Several people in the room laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you in time, just to give the thieves the impression that we can't afford to be seriously injured." Jiang Cunli handed over his hand and said, "It's just the right time. There may be some thieves causing trouble today and tomorrow. Your Excellency is arranging troops. It's very exciting!"
"The monks of Kaiyuan Temple refused to open the door, saying that weapons are not allowed in the Buddhist gate. I was so angry! Oh, I am humble enough to ask Governor Shen for instructions, how long will the gate be closed?" Lu Chengyuan asked.
"It's always locked. No one can come in or out without my warrant!" Shen You said and glanced at Li Dan: "Lao Lu, it's time for us to get military merit. Tell the brothers not to be soft.
Also, all known followers of the Zodiac Sect among your subordinates must be locked up first! Don't let them leak the news. "
"Don't worry, Sir. We have been making preparations since Mr. Li gave the order, and we can do it. But... there are more than two hundred people, and custody is a problem."
Li Dan turned to Gu Da: "Da Ming, please transfer a squadron from the regiment training brigade in Waiji City to Master Lu. Anyway, we don't need so many people here." Gu Da immediately agreed, got up and went out to call his own soldiers. .
Xingwu had finished bandaging, and helped Li Dan put on his clothes, saying, "It's just a scratch on the skin, it's not a big deal." It turned out that Li Dan turned sideways and quickly caught the arrow under his armpit, but due to the inertia of the arrow, it still pierced the clothes. The skin and flesh turned red.
"Fortunately, there are no toxins. You can recover in about ten days by changing the dressing every day." Then he continued to ask Li Dan not to try the method on his own: "Strong movements will cause the wound to collapse. If it cannot heal again and again, it will be bad." Already!"
Li Dan looked at him and suddenly had an idea: "Xingwu, Kaiyuan Temple does not allow soldiers to enter, can you enter?"
"Of course I can!" After Xing Wu said it, he understood what Li Dan wanted him to do. "Your Excellency asked me to go in and observe and convince the abbot, but what does this mean?"
He nodded: "I know what to do, go now, otherwise the longer it takes, the greater the possibility of the thief escaping or hiding!"
"Hey, if I had known how much energy we could have saved by just asking Master to come!" Lu Chengyuan happily took Xing Wu out, complaining all the way about the arrogance of Kaiyuan Temple.
"What's the origin of Kaiyuan Temple? How dare you confront the officers and soldiers?" Zhao Jingzi frowned.
"People are
It was built by Emperor Kaihuang's order. It seems to have been located on Leyouyuan, and then moved to Fucheng. It is said that the back hall also enshrines a portrait of Emperor Xuanzong. Li Dan told him:
"All the Kaiyuan Temples in the world were built under the edict of Emperor Xuanzong in the 26th year of his reign, in order to commemorate the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty who died on land and water in the world, so that their souls can rest in peace.
So there are no bloody weapons. As soldiers and samurai, you should respect this temple. I think the thieves are also familiar with this allusion, so they chose this temple to hide. "
Several local officials looked at each other with surprise on their faces. Wei Luo handed over his hand and said that we have been officials here for many years and have never heard of such allusions. Your Excellency is indeed very knowledgeable!
Li Dan waved his hand, thinking that one day he would have to take a good look at it. In his previous life, he had only paid attention to the wooden pagoda. Fortunately, he had seen this tower when he was traveling in his previous life, so he glanced over there when he was on the street, otherwise the consequences would be unpredictable!
Next, he ordered Yang Yi, commander of the Biao Battalion, to lead a battalion to ambush inside Nanguo Gate. Liu Hongsheng led two companies to hide in the transport convoy to reinforce the Chitou Banknote Factory and arrange the defense there.
Gao Can, Huang Qin and Zhou Tu led a battalion and a cavalry battalion inside the east gate to prepare reinforcements in the direction of Baqiao. Yang Wu and Shi Dajun led another battalion to wait in the camp.
"The remaining half of the battalion, the heavy company, the guard company, and the artillery company are ready. After the fighting begins, Zhao Jingzi and the Duan brothers will lead them out of the east gate, from Leyouyuan, to the southwest to outflank the rebels' retreat and provide reinforcements. The Wu'an Army forced the enemy to fight with their backs to Qujiang Pool."
Afterwards, Li Dan looked at several local officials: "Xia Guan and General Shen are dealing with the thieves outside the city. The suppression and stability of the city depends on you adults!"
Jiang Cunli cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Master Li. I'm waiting for you. No matter what, the Xi'an Mansion can't be overthrown!"
"Yes," Wu Xianzhe nodded: "As long as the inside and outside are isolated, the thieves will not be able to form a joint force no matter how much they cause trouble. Besides, there is an adult camp guarding Waijie City, and reinforcements can come from Changle Gate at any time. We can go ahead and suppress the thieves in the city. We won't let them escape!" Li Dan waved to Li Shuo and said with a smile: "Unexpectedly, this is the first time you and I go out on business and ask you to be my substitute."
In the past two years, Li Shuo has grown in stature. Except that he is not as strong and tall as Li Dan, and his face is slightly whiter, after trimming his beard, he is almost the same model as Li Dan. He smiled and said, "Third brother, don't worry about killing the thief. I'll just sit here and nothing will happen!"
"You must be on guard." After Li Dan finished speaking, he turned around and reminded Jiang Cunli that the Chief Secretary, the Administrative Bureau diagonally opposite, and the Royal Palace would all be the targets of the thieves' attacks.
Li Dan decided to leave Song Xiaoniu and Li Qin to protect Li Shuo. Go back and continue to discuss with several adults how to set up defenses. He suddenly felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know what the problem was, so he couldn't help but shake his head.
Xing Wu came back accompanied by Lu Chengyuan. After clasping his hands to everyone, he roughly reported the situation. It turned out that he was from the same sect, and the monk guarding the courtyard let him in to meet the abbot.
Xingwu explained his purpose and said that he was entrusted by the chief envoy. The abbot did not dare to neglect after hearing this, and politely invited him to come with him to the abbot's room to talk.
Xingwu explained to the abbot that Lord Right Councilor was injured by an arrow shot from the tower, and asked the abbot for permission to enter the temple to search for the suspect.
The abbot was puzzled, saying that this temple never tolerated secular people, so where did the assassin come from?
After discussion between the two parties, Xingwu and the temple reached an agreement that the local inspection department and police officers would enter the temple for inspection. They would not carry weapons or instruments of torture, but only sticks and shields. They would not destroy temple objects, and would not search the monks but only conduct inspections. Degree of ultimatum.
"So, what did you find?" Li Dan asked.
"Only a quick crossbow was found on the tower." After speaking, Lu Chengyuan asked an inspector outside to bring in a sack and pour the crossbow out of it. Shen You frowned when he saw it: "Sir, this is the military crossbow of the Ganzhou Army."
Several people in the room picked it up and looked at it, and sure enough they saw the inscription and number of the Ganzhou Army on the handle. "This doesn't mean anything." Wei Cuo said thoughtfully, "Maybe it was lost in the battle, or maybe the other party deliberately left it behind to arouse some suspicion in the court."
Li Dan knew what he meant. The official name of the Ganzhou Army is Shangyi Army, and its commander is Gao Maichen, who was born in Cangtou Qiang.
"Haha, do you want me to doubt myself as a general with just a crossbow? Do they really think I'm young?" Li Dan sneered, threw away the crossbow and asked Xingwu: "Besides this, there are other discoveries
What? "
"The temple is full of monks. Everyone's certificates have been checked, including those who placed orders, and no suspicious persons have been found." Xingwu looked at the crowd, met Li Dan's eyes and said:
"There are one hundred and seven monks in the temple, three fire workers, and seven other monks. Four of these seven are from Suzhou and one is from Guazhou. If we are talking about being suspicious, it is these four people."
"Oh? How do you say it?"
"Two of the seven people were with other monks in the temple at the time, and one of the four was talking to the abbot of the temple. The other four said they were in the house and did not go out, which can prove each other.
However, the young monk noticed that Huaisheng, the monk from northern Shaanxi, had his eyes flickering when he spoke, as if he was afraid. Xingwu said, taking out a piece of paper from his arms:
"I wrote down the names and monk status of the seven people on the list. I was afraid of forgetting them, so I found a piece of paper and wrote them down when I came out."
Li Dan took it and took a quick look at it, then handed it to Gao Fei who was standing by the door: "You make a copy and give it to Master Wei to closely monitor these seven monks!" After saying that, he turned around and said, "Master Xingwu can do it OK, thank you very much!"
"Wait a minute, Master Xingwu, if the monk Huaisheng you just mentioned came out, would you still recognize him?" Wei Lu asked.
"Master Wei, do you want to...?"
"Brother Zedong, don't be surprised. I want to borrow my little master for a day." Wei Luo smiled.
Li Dan guessed his intention: "Okay, then please help Xingwu do this for Master Wei."
"Amitabha, if you can make people turn around and make peace, I would be very happy, little monk!"
Nothing was found, and a large number of soldiers and police officers evacuated Kaiyuan Temple. Gradually, the surrounding area regained its previous vitality. Shops were open and people took to the streets, as if nothing had happened.
As evening approached, the small chaimen behind the temple creaked open. A monk came out sideways with his hands folded, looked outside, then closed the door, and Shi Shiran walked towards the other end of the alley.
"Is it him?" someone asked softly from behind the door.
"Looks a lot like that," answered the other.
"Mother, Master Li is very skilled at painting. He paints like a real person."
"Stop talking nonsense and follow me!"
After a while, two helper-looking people appeared behind the monk. Seeing the monk exiting the alley and turning left onto Fuxue Road.
One of the helpers looked behind them. A rickshaw passed by them. The driver exchanged glances with him and nodded, then quickly chased after him: "Hey, where are you going, master? I'll just call it a day and go home. If you're on the way, can I give you a ride?"
The monk was overjoyed: "Do you recognize the Gedan Temple in Xiamaling?"
"Well, I recognize you, but the way you are dressed...?"
"No problem," the monk waved his hand: "Where are you acquaintances? Come over and visit."
"Oh, oh! Okay, you get in the car. I'm just doing a good deed. Please sit tight!" After he said that, he started running away.
After walking about a hundred steps, an empty cart came towards him. The driver glanced to his right. The two passed each other shoulder to shoulder, and the driver stopped walking and turned into the alley on the left.
"Hey, where are you going? You're going the wrong way!" the monk shouted.
"Don't worry, Master, this alley is a shortcut, we'll be there soon!" After saying that, he turned another corner and before the monk could identify the direction, two people appeared in front of him. The car stopped quickly.
I thought the driver thought the alley was narrow and wanted to let the two men pass first, but unexpectedly someone from behind patted the monk and said, "Master, get out of the car, we are at the right place." Looking back, he saw two men, soaked with sweat. . xь.
"W-Who are you?"
"Hey, it's really hard to say this." The man sneered: "I'm from the Inspection Department, he's a policeman from the Yamen, and the two people across from me are brothers from the Staff Department and the Winged Dragon Guard. Look how much face you have. , you need so many of us to accompany you!"
The monk was so frightened that his face turned pale and his whole body was shaking. He was lifted out of his seat by these two people and carried to Lu Rui.
"Do you want to survive, or do you want to fight to the end?" Lurie asked briefly.
"Live, live!"
"Answer the question
The question must be clear, and no idle chatter is allowed. Do you understand? "
"Yes, yes!" Huaisheng felt that his whole body was cramped, and he collapsed on the ground and trembled.
"What's your name, where are you from, how did you get together with this group of people? Recruit them from the truth!"
An hour later, Li Dan sat in the room and listened attentively to Lu Rui telling him everything. It turns out that this monk Huaisheng is not a real monk at all!
He was named after the dead monk Huaisheng, but his real name was Liang Erbanzi, a gangster from Yan'an Prefecture. He joined the Zodiac Sect a year ago. Since he had stayed in the monastery for half a year, the sect asked him to pretend to be a monk and specialize in spying and liaison.
Liang Erbanzi was happy with the free meals and accommodation provided by the temple, and no one could tell that he looked like a monk. This time he came to Xi'an Mansion to place an order. He was ordered to observe Li Dan and prepare for the uprising.
Unfortunately, there were four fake monks from Gansu like him in this temple. After he found out, he kept a distance from the other party. Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly attacked him today and discussed how to kill Li Dan in the temple.
When they found him, everyone originally wanted to kill Huaisheng, but Li Dan arrived so quickly that they only had time to threaten Huaisheng.
Later, he was used to provide evidence and excuse each other. Huaisheng also understood at this time that he had not been exposed, but that this group of uninvited guests were going to disrupt the leader's plan and make everything they had worked so hard to prepare come to naught.
So on the one hand, he cooperated, and on the other hand, he planned to find an opportunity to go to Gedan Temple and report the situation to the great master stationed there. Unexpectedly, he was held down halfway.
"Gansu?" Li Dan did not expect this situation: "This arrow was not done by the Zodiac, but by a monk from Gansu?"
"They are not monks either. They are all fake identities. But the monk didn't have time to figure out which end they were from." Lu Rui replied. "I only know one thing. The two groups of people didn't know each other's existence, and they met by chance in Kaiyuan Temple.
And as for whether to assassinate you, the Zodiac obviously disagrees with the method of alerting the enemy, but before he had time to stop it, everything had already happened.
So, Sir, look at these people from Gansu, should we arrest them immediately to avoid getting in the way tomorrow night? "
"Wait a minute." Li Dan stopped him: "As for what happened tonight, what does that fake monk know?"
"He confirmed that this was indeed the case. He also said that more than 4,000 people would be mobilized in the city to attack various government offices and at the same time seize Yongning Gate. After opening the city gate to welcome the troops from outside into the city, they would then attack the palaces of the kings.
Also, there are three teams outside the city, not one! However, two groups were located at Nanmen and Nanguo Gate, and another group with thousands of people went to attack Laodian Warehouse. "
"It's not much different from what we speculated!" Li Dan thought about it: "If you continue to interrogate him, but he still doesn't know how to do it, will it arouse suspicion?"
"Don't worry, sir. I've already persuaded him to make amends for his mistakes. In this case, we still let him do whatever he needs to do and go back to the temple when he needs to."
"Very good!" Li Dan nodded: "I'll go back to Outer City first. If you need anything, come find me there. It seems that the south gate may need to be strengthened." After saying that, he turned back to Li Shuo and Li Qin. Brother said:
"Third brother, let's go. The rest will depend on you. Don't show off too much and take care of yourself." After the instructions, he looked at Song Xiaoniu, who nodded heavily.
When it got dark, the back door of the Chief Envoy's Office opened, and three or five people wearing ordinary regimental training uniforms walked through to the Yamen of the prefect of Xi'an Prefecture at the back.
Magistrate Meng's master and fellow magistrate Cheng Lu have received the message and are waiting there. Li Dan greeted them curtly, and then asked, "Where is your prefect?"
The two of them looked embarrassed, and hesitated for a long time before saying, "This morning, my lord suddenly said that he wanted to go out, but he went out and never came back." After saying that, he glanced at the master and said, "The master sent someone to the government office to inform him in the evening. The officer is also extremely anxious."
Li Dan's face suddenly darkened. He had always felt that something was wrong today. Only then did he remember that he had never seen Magistrate Meng show up until now after his accident!
This guy who likes to be around him has been missing for a day. What happened? "Didn't he say where he was going before he left?" he asked sharply.
"explain
We were going to visit Mr. Liu from the Salt Merchant Association, but we went to see the Liu family, but people said that Magistrate Meng had not been there... "
"That's enough!" Li Dan interrupted him: "What a good thing you did, you actually lost a prefect, and this is under the current situation where the enemy is facing you!"
His voice was not loud, but his tone was not kind, and a chill went down their necks. This person comes with the Sword of Heaven, no joke!
"Fortunately, no one knows about it." Li Dan stared at his colleague: "Your surname is Hu? A famous person in Hebei, right?"
Hu Tongzhi immediately reported his resume.
"Oh, it turns out that I worked as the prefect of Baoning, not far from Hanzhong." Li Dan pondered for a moment. This man would rather be transferred to the post of co-prefect than stay in the miserable place of Baoning, but after all, he Stayed there for four years.
"Master Hu, you will temporarily act as the prefect. If you do well, you will naturally have a share of the credit in my official secrets or memorials! Can you do it?".Ь.
Hu Tongzhi did not expect this to happen. He was stunned for a moment and quickly expressed his position. Li Dan waved his hand and said, "No more gossip. You immediately go to the Chief Secretary to tell Mr. Jiang about this matter and my appointment to you. All subsequent matters will be subject to his arrangements!" "
"Sir, what about...Mr. Meng's family is small? They still live in the back house!"
"Send someone to protect you first. If Master Meng doesn't show up tomorrow morning, I'll send a car to pick them up and take them to Waiwai City for shelter. You can let them prepare tonight!"
After saying that, Li Dan and others walked out through the front and walked towards the east gate as if they were doing patrol training. Lu Jiu had already led people to meet him in the doorway. He immediately came out and got into the car to take the injured Li Dan back to the cabin.
"I'm fine. Please come to see me, Mr. Wu, Mr. Lin, Mr. Xiao, and King Zhou." Li Dan lay on the bed with support. After this day, he couldn't hold on anymore, so he fell asleep after saying this. Aying's tears fell down.
