Wang Yue gave Chang Feng the heavy responsibility of hoarding military rations, and Chang Feng did not dare to slack off at all.
At noon the next day, Chang Feng came to inspect the granary in the north of Yanchi City again. The main thing is to deploy fire prevention matters.
A total of more than 200 officials, government officials, and people from Yanchi County gathered in the granary to accept the inspection of the Chang Admiral.
Chang Feng took a quick look and was a little surprised. He asked Lu Gan: "Magistrate Lu, half of the two hundred people under your command are not Han Chinese."
Lu Gan replied: "Admiral Chang doesn't know something. Han and Yi people live together in Ningxia. There are both Han people, Mongols and Hui people in the area."
"These Mongols and Hui people have lived in our Han region for many years. They know Chinese characters and speak Chinese, and they also use Ming Tongbao."
"They are extremely loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Half of the officials in this county are Meng and Hui people."
Chang Feng has always had some grudge against foreigners. If there is a little Tatar prince among these people, the consequences of setting a fire in the granary will be disastrous.
Time is running out, and grain and grass from all over the country will be shipped to Yanchi in two days. Chang Feng did not have the energy to screen the more than 100 foreign officials in the county government one by one.
So Chang Feng said: "Zhi County Lu, please take your people back to the county government office. All matters concerning the guarding of the granary will be taken over by the border troops I brought."
Lu Gan said: "Admiral Chang, the subordinates and subordinates also want to contribute to the army's march to Helan Mountain."
Chang Feng smiled and said: "If you want to do something, take the officials and the people with you to repair the city wall. There will be border troops responsible for the granary."
Speaking of which, Lu Gan could only take people back to the county government office.
Fatty Xu asked: "Master Chang, you are worried about these foreign races, right?"
Chang Feng nodded: "If there are one or two Tatar craftsmen inside, the army rations will be burned. You and I will have no choice but to commit suicide to thank the world."
Among the three thousand frontier troops, the leader was Qiu Yue, the commander of the Ningxia avant-garde.
This man is in his early thirties. He is a well-known young warrior among the Ningxia frontier army.
Many years later, Qiu Yue's son gave birth to a grandson for him. Because Qiu Yue dreamed of a Luan bird on the night he gave birth to his grandson, he named his grandson Qiu Luan. Of course, these are things for another day.
Chang Feng told Qiu Yue: "Qiu Qian, of the three thousand border troops we brought, two thousand will be responsible for city defense. One thousand will be responsible for guarding the granary and preventing fires."
"Remember, no one is allowed to bring fire sticks into the granary. When patrolling at night, light lanterns, and the number of lanterns must be exceeded. After the patrol, they will be extinguished one by one."
"The granary is most afraid of fire. We have to cut off the source of fire."
Qiu Yue cupped his hands and said, "As ordered, Admiral Chang."
Chang Feng went up to the watchtower in the granary again.
He put up an awning with his hands and looked outside. Suddenly he frowned.
Near the granary, there are densely packed residential buildings.
If someone has ulterior motives, they can use rockets tied with rags and greased with kerosene to shoot at the granary. The granary must be on fire.
The important matter of hoarding military rations must be foolproof.
Chang Feng went down to the watchtower and ordered a soldier: "Go and call Magistrate Lu back quickly."
Not long after, Lu Gan was called back by the soldiers.
Chang Feng ordered him: "All residences within half a mile around the granary should be vacated. The people will suffer temporarily. Let them find another place to live."
Lu Gan was stunned: "May I ask Admiral Chang, how long do you want the people to stay away from home?"
Chang Feng replied: "Let's set it for four months for the time being. Each household will be given a subsidy of ten taels of silver. This money will come from the military expenditures of the three-sided general government."
The admiral of military affairs and the boss of Jinyiwei gave the order, and Lu Gan did not dare to neglect it. He immediately took the government officials and went from house to house to persuade the people to move away.
Naturally, some elderly people are unwilling to leave their homes. The government officials could only force them away.
Over there at the granary. Chang Feng patrolled back and forth, carefully looking for any flaws.
Chang Feng even thought about preventing rats and insects. Strive to be foolproof.
A few days later, military rations collected from various places were gradually transported to Yanchi City.
Chang Feng carefully checked the quantity and quality of the military rations.
Because the amount of fifty shi of grain did not match, he even beheaded a prefect in Shaanxi who was responsible for guarding grain.
This is killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.
On this day, Chang Feng was sitting in the granary, checking the amount with an official from the Hexi Governor's Yamen.
Qiu Yue came over and said, "Master Chang, there is something strange."
Chang Feng asked: "Oh? What's the matter?"
Qiu Yue said: "A Tatar in ragged clothes has entered the city. This man is sneaky and is looking around for Mr. Chang where you are."
"The brothers patrolling the city felt suspicious and arrested him."
Chang Feng was puzzled: "Tatar? Asking about me? How does he know that I am in Yanchi? Bring him to see me."
Not long after, several soldiers brought a Tatar in his fifties to Chang Feng.
The Tatars could tell at a glance that they had traveled a long distance, and there were still wounds from swords and arrows on their bodies, and the blood scars were still fresh.
Chang Feng asked: "Who are you?"
The Tatar directly took out a wooden sign.
There are no inscriptions or graphics on this wooden sign. The wooden sign is made of willow wood and is jet black.
He handed the wooden sign to Chang Feng with both hands.
Chang Feng weighed it in his hands and his expression changed. He said something unknown: "The tea at Deyuan No. in Beijing is getting worse and worse."
When saying this, Chang Feng looked directly into the Tatar's eyes.
Fatty Xu was confused: "Master Chang, what nonsense are you talking about? The Deyuan ship went bankrupt more than ten years ago."
Chang Feng ignored Fatty Xu. He held his breath and waited for the Tatar's answer.
The Tatar said: "Yes, before the rain, the tea is full of tea bugs."
Changfeng said again: "My old friend has taken a ride on the yellow crane."
The Tatar answered: "Fireworks descend on Yangzhou in March."
These two poems are all about the Yellow Crane Tower. But it's not from the same poem.
The first sentence comes from Cui Hao's "Yellow Crane Tower", and the second sentence comes from Li Bai's "Yellow Crane Tower Farewell to Meng Haoran in Guangling".
Chang Feng was talking to the Tatar about the hidden stake.
Chang Feng held the Tatar's hand: "Are you Heiliu?"
The Tatar cried loudly: "I'm here in Jinyiweinan Town, Fusi Baihu, on the day of Balmeng. Nansi's secret name is Heiliu. I pay my respects to Shangguan!"
"Uuuuuuuuuah, it's been thirty-six years! I finally meet the superior officer of Jinyiwei again!"
Jin Yiwei dispatched a large number of hidden stakes in the grassland.
Among them, there are two people with the highest status in the Tatar tribe.
A secret name (i.e. code name) "Black Willow".
A secret name "Rock".
The identities of these two people are Jin Yiwei's top secret.
Only Chang Feng, Wang Miaoxin, and the late Sun Guishou knew about it.
Balmen "Black Willow" has been lurking in the Tatar tribe for thirty-six years. He served three Tatar Khans successively, Xu and Weishi. All the way up to Daruhuachi in the Chahar Grassland.
This official position is equivalent to the governor of Zhejiang in the Ming Dynasty.
Hada, the "Rock", lurked in the Tatar tribe for thirty-one years. When it comes to the little prince's account, there are thousands of households.
These two hidden stakes were sent to the grassland by Sun Guishou more than thirty years ago. Only Sun Guishou has seen them.
Over the years, they have frequently sent important information to Nanzhen Fusi.
Chang Feng respected these hidden stakes who lurked deep into the tiger's den regardless of life or death.
He helped Palemon onto a chair: "Why did you come to the salt pond to find me?"
Balmen replied: "The little prince has hatched a shocking conspiracy. He deliberately pretended to invade Helan Mountain."
"Actually, it was a false shot. His real target is Datong!"
"The main Tatar force near Helan Mountain has already withdrawn after bluffing. Only thousands of suspected soldiers are left."
"And near Datong, the little prince has gathered 120,000 troops. He will invade from Datong, march straight in, and attack the capital!"
The distance from Helan Mountain to Datong is 1,500 miles.
According to what Balmen said, the little prince turned the Ming army around this time. The Ming army mobilized in completely different directions!
Now the entire Ming court's attention is on Helan Mountain in Ningxia. Datong was not aware of the enemy's situation at all. Not to mention that the entire army is on alert and ready for action.
Balmengru continued: "I am the commander of the Suspicious Soldiers in Helan Mountain appointed by the little prince!"
"I saw that our Ming army was mobilized frequently in Ningxia, and I knew that the imperial court had been deceived by the little prince. That's why I risked my life to escape from the enemy camp and came to report to you, Chang Tongzhi!"
Chang Feng asked: "How did you know that I was in Yanchi?"
Balmeng said: "Nanzhen Fusi sent hidden stakes among the Tatar tribe. Similarly, the Tatar tribe also sent hidden stakes among the Ming army."
"It was Tatar Hidden Stall who told me that you were in the salt pond!"
Chang Feng patted Bale Meng on the shoulder: "In the past thirty-six years, you have been lucky enough to live in a wolf's den and a tiger's den."
"This time you brought back such important information. I will recommend to the emperor that you be promoted to the hereditary commander of the border army."
Balmen said: "I don't care whether I have an official position or not. Under the little prince, I became the Daruhuachi of the Chahar Grassland."
"If I am obsessed with officialdom, I can stay in the Tatar tribe and be my senior official."
"There are two reasons why I fled back to the Ming Dynasty this time. One is that I am afraid that the little prince will march straight in and the orthodox story will be staged in the Ming Dynasty."
"The second reason is that I miss home! Thirty-six years! My father, mother, and brothers are all in the capital. They may be gone."
Speaking of this, Balmen burst into tears again.
Chang Feng said: "You have traveled a long distance, so go down and have a rest first."
Balmen said: "Listen to what I have to say! There are even more shocking things!"
"Zhang Jian, the commander-in-chief of Datong, has been bribed by the little prince. When the little prince leads an army of 120,000 people south to invade the invaders, Zhang Jian will order his troops to get out of the way of the Datong Pass. To lure the prisoners into the invaders!"
"If the little prince succeeds in rebelling against the Ming Dynasty and restoring the Yuan Dynasty, he will make Zhang Jian the King of Jin!"
Chang Feng took a breath when he heard this.
Zhang Jian was a famous general in border towns and guarded Datong during the three dynasties of Tianshun, Chenghua and Hongzhi. He was promoted to the governor of Tongzhi, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and was awarded the seal of Zhenxi General.
Datong's 50,000 frontier troops were all in Zhang Jian's hands.
If he betrays the country, I'm afraid the Ming Dynasty will be in danger!
Fatty Xu was stunned: "Master Chang, this matter is too big! It is related to the survival of the Ming Dynasty!"
"You must report the information to Commander Wang immediately. Let Commander Wang lead the northwest frontier army to reinforce Datong. Then send people to Datong to arrest Zhang Jian."
Chang Feng nodded slightly: "This is natural. Hei Liu, you go down and rest first. I will prepare a banquet for you in the evening to catch the wind and wash away the dust."
Balmen was helped down by several soldiers that day.
Qiu Yue asked: "Admiral Chang, should I send someone to inform Commander Wang of this information right now? Or should you go back to Lingwu and inform him in person?"
"According to what your Jin Yiwei guard said, there is no need to stockpile food in Yanchi."
Fatty Xu said: "Yes, Master Chang. Shall we return to Lingwu immediately?"
Chang Feng remained rational.
He said: "A Tatar came to us and told us two pieces of information. We just rashly reported it to Commander Wang and asked Commander Wang to take 80,000 troops to Datong?"
"You want to arrest a commander who has guarded Datong for decades? Isn't that too hasty?"
Fatty Xu said: "Didn't you confront Hei Liu with the code word for joints?"
Chang Feng shook his head slightly: "Have you seen him before, or have I seen him before?"
"The only person who saw him, Sun Guishou, has passed away."
"Based on this set of code words, can we trust him easily?"
Fatty Xu thought for a while and asked: "Only Anzhuang himself, you, and the Xiaoguo players know the secret code of the joint. Isn't it wrong?"
Chang Feng said: "If, I mean if."
"What if Heiliu did too much as a Tatar official? He looked down upon the status of Nanzhen Fusi Baihu. He betrayed Nanzhen Fusi."
"He only needs to send one of his men to pretend to be himself, teach him the secret code for communication, and then bring us false information."
"If this is the case, our 80,000 border troops will be led by the Tatars to travel 1,500 miles."
"Datong will also lose a famous general."
Fatty Xu stared with bull's eyes: "Yes. This matter is too big. We can't jump to conclusions."
Chang Feng said: "Let's do this. Let's set up a trap for Heiliu at night to find out his true identity."
Chang Feng explained this to the two of them.
That night.
Chang Feng set up a banquet in the lobby of the county government where he temporarily lived.
Changfeng was the host, and Balmen "Black Willow" was the guest of honor. Fatty Xu, Qiu Yue and Lu Gan accompanied him.
Chang Feng filled Balmen's cup with wine: "Come on, old man, this glass of wine is your cleansing wine."
"Congratulations on regaining your identity as Nanzhen Fusi."
Balmen said, "Thank you very much, Chang Tongzhi." Then he drank it all in one gulp.
Chang Feng asked: "You were fooled by your appearance. I don't know what it was like at the beginning."
Balmeng seemed to know what Chang Feng wanted to ask. He said: "My grandfather was a member of Duoyan Sanwei's family. He went south to Jing with Emperor Taizong to have trouble."
"After the capital was moved, my grandfather took his family to settle in the capital. Even though I look Mongolian, I am a native of the old capital."
"Later, because I was the son of a veteran military general, I was selected into the Jinyi Guard. Sun Guishou Laoqianhu took a fancy to my Mongolian appearance and sent me to lurk in the Tatar tribe."
Balmen's answer was impeccable.
Chang Feng nodded slightly: "Oh, that's it."
"This time you brought us such important information. You almost saved the imperial court! You have another thirty-six years of lurking in enemy camps."
"I think the emperor will give you a big reward."
At this moment, a group of men in black rushed into the back office holding prairie scimitars.
When Chang Feng and everyone just sat down at the table, he told Lu Gan that guarding the granary was very important. He asked him to send all the county government officials to the granary.
There is not a single guard in the Houya dining room at this moment!
There are seventy or eighty people in this group of men in black. Chang Feng and others were surrounded.
They don't have black veils to cover their faces, and they all have a veiled appearance.
The leader, the short, fat man in black, said to his companions in Mongolian: "We have caught some big fish now!"
Fatty Xu pulled out his sword and tried to resist. Immediately, three or four scimitars were placed across his neck.
Chang Feng said to Fatty Xu: "A good man doesn't suffer the immediate consequences. Don't do anything without permission!"
Fatty Xu lamented: "Ah! I miss Fatty and I have been a hero for half my life. I have fought wolves in the south mountains, tigers in the north mountains, and caught hedgehogs in the pumpkin patch."
"I didn't expect that the boat would capsize in the ditch today and fall into the hands of Beilu!"
(End of chapter)
