Chapter 48 Waiting for news
Suddenly a cry of death came from the shore.
Wang Qianli and Xu Baoer rushed over from the side. They helped He Xi out from under the table and said, "Sir, let's leave quickly. This is not a place to stay for a long time."
He Xi tried hard, but still felt a little weak in her legs. He was almost dragged out of the cabin by two people.
Out of the cabin where the fire broke out. He Xi glanced around and found that the situation had changed again. Just on both sides of the river. There are many people fighting. Altogether, there were about one or two hundred people. It looks spectacular. Both sides used bows and crossbows at the same time, and used long spears and short knives together.
But within a few moments, dozens of people fell into a pool of blood.
A voice came from afar: "Commander of the Jinyi Guards, Mao Xiang, pays homage to Secretary Lang He." A middle-aged man strode over, paying no attention to the people who were fighting around him. There was a pool of blood under his feet, but his steps remained unchanged and his expression remained unchanged.
When He Xi heard this voice, he breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, from the enemy's attack to now. It only takes a while. He Xi felt like his days were like years. After the experience of brushing against death, He Xi was covered in cold sweat and her underwear was already soaked. There is a profound change in the whole person. It's just that He Xi herself doesn't know about this change.
He Xi stood up, saluted from a distance, and said, "He Xi pays homage to the commander of the Jinyi Guards."
Mao Xiang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw He Xi.
The people sent by Guo Huan have been under Mao Xiang's surveillance. It was just an accident that I never expected. Just let them shoot a few rounds of arrows in the air. One of the rounds was a rocket. He didn't dare to neglect, fearing that He Xi would make a mistake, so he immediately killed him.
This is also Mao Xiang's carelessness.
The men Guo Huan raised were at most retired from the army, or the old, weak, sick and disabled from Zhang Shicheng's remnants of Fang Guozhen's army. The Jinyi Guards are Zhu Yuanzhang's personal guards. It can be said that they were selected from the more than 300 health clinics in the post-Ming Dynasty. Even the Jinyiwei officers are loyal ministers and veteran generals. Perhaps the Jin Yiwei of later generations have become empty-handed. But in this era, Jin Yiwei is definitely the elite among the elite.
Not to mention factors such as training, equipment, etc.
The two sides were fighting hand-to-hand, and when the numbers were about the same, the Jin Yiwei had an overwhelming advantage, and not even a few people died at all.
Mao Xiang looked down on Guo Huan's people at all, so he dared to relax and let them do what they wanted. This flaw came about.
Mao Xiang took a few steps forward and looked at He Xi. He saw that there was some dust on He Xi's clothes and there were a few scorch marks from sparks flying on his long sleeves, but other than that, there was nothing else. Then he said: "I have been ordered by Your Majesty to protect Mr. He. Please forgive me for coming here now."
He Xi understood that in He Xi's view, Mao Xiang's appearance was reasonable and unexpected. Reasonably, He Xi felt that Zhu Yuanzhang would not give up monitoring him. Unexpectedly, He Xi thought he was careful enough, but he never expected that two groups of people would kill him.
He Xi said: "If Master Mao is there, I would like to thank Master Mao for saving his life."
Mao Xiang said: "Secretary He is so polite."
He Xi said: "I was about to ask something. Master Mao, these people?"
Mao Xiang said: "Secretary He, you should know." Mao Xiang waved his hand and brought several survivors in front of him while they were talking. The battle outside is over. Mao Xiang held the sheathed embroidered spring knife, placed it on the living man's neck, and said, "Who sent you here?"
The living man had a trembling mouth and said: "I don't know, I don't know. I just follow orders to kill."
Mao Xiang's hand shook, and the Xiuchun knife was half an inch out of its sheath. The cold light circulated and he said, "You really don't know?"
Huokou said with sweat on his forehead: "I really didn't know that we were hanging out at sea."
Mao Xiang said: "Hangouts at sea? Fang Guozhen's old department?"
Fang Guozhen was the first to rebel, but he was also aware of current affairs. Finally surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang. It has been seven or eight years since I died of illness. However, Fang Guozhen was forced to surrender. Let part of Fang Guozhen's old troops be in the court, and the other part be living on the sea.
Most of the pirates and merchants on the sea belong to Fang Guozhen.
Therefore, as soon as he opened his mouth, Mao Xiang asked about this.
"Yes----, yes." Huokou said.
Mao Xiang said: "Since you are at sea, why are you here?"
Huokou said: "Someone came from Hangzhou and offered a thousand taels of gold as a guarantee. They want us to kill someone."
Mao Xiang said: "Are all your people here?"
Huosukou said: "No, I don't think there are many."
Mao Xiang didn't ask any more questions, and just ordered him to be taken away alive. Mao Xiang turned around and asked He Xi, "Master He, do you already know who it is?"
He Xi nodded and said, "Thank you, Master Mao, for your advice. I understand."
In fact, this matter is not difficult to guess. Coupled with these populations for comparison, it just confirmed He Xi's guess.
Mao Xiang said: "What are you going to do, Master He?"
He Xi said: "Master Mao is the commander of the Jinyi Guards. He must be experienced in such matters. Please give me your advice."
Mao Xiang said: "I don't take advice seriously. However, the matter has reached this point. Mr. He already knows what Zhejiang is like. There is no point in investigating it outside."
He Xi said: "Then go back to Hangzhou."
This is also the difference between ancient times and modern times. If the case is handled according to modern times. The evidence in He Xi's hands does not constitute a chain of evidence. But it was different in ancient times. Jin Yiwei handles the case, what evidence does he need? Even if it's not Jin Yiwei, everything he found today is enough to move on to the next step.
Mao Xiang said: "Okay. Secretary He, please wait for two days. I have transferred elite soldiers and generals from Qianhu Station in Suzhou. I will arrive in Huzhou in three to five days. It will not be too late to go to Hangzhou then."
"No need." He Xi said, "I have already made arrangements. In addition, Mr. Mao, there are some things I shouldn't have said. But after much thought, I decided to say it. I checked in Huzhou. Although I didn't Find out the specific data. However, one thing is certain. After Guo Huan came to power in Zhejiang, grain of unknown origin was transported from Hangzhou to Suzhou and sold from Suzhou every year."
"I don't know why Suzhou didn't notice it. Is it because they didn't monitor the abnormal fluctuations in food prices? Or is there someone taking care of Guo Huan? Are there any Jin Yiwei among them?"
Mao Xiang was furious after hearing this, and said in a cold tone: "He Xi, what do you mean?"
He Xi said: "No reason? I just asked Master Mao to think about the Qianhu Station of Jinyiwei in Hangzhou."
These words left Mao Xiang speechless, and he even felt faintly worried.
For a moment, he was also worried that the affairs of Qianhu Institute in Hangzhou were no longer isolated. Otherwise, for such a big case in Zhejiang, the Hangzhou Qianhu Office would have no news, and the same would be true for the Suzhou Qianhu Office. Is it a question of ability? Or is it a butt problem?
He Xi said: "Let's go. Soldiers are valuable and quick."
-----
He Xi was in Jiaxing, went around Huzhou, and then headed to Hangzhou. This time it went very fast. Stopped just outside Hangzhou. Waiting for a message.
While He Xi was waiting for news. Guo Huan in Hangzhou City is also waiting for news.
What he was waiting for was the news about He Xi.
These days, he has been missing He Xi. But three days ago, this whereabouts suddenly stopped. No news. Guo Huan was worried. He had to invite Wang Zhong and said: "Master Wang, you and I have cooperated for so many years, and we do everything together. If something happens, I can't run away, and you can't run away. What news is there in Huzhou? Wanwan Don’t hide it.”
Wang Zhong said: "We just received a letter from Huzhou, saying that there was a case in Huzhou. In a river bend outside Huzhou City, there were traces of more than a hundred people fighting. A boat was burned, and many arrows were missed. Bloodstains. Not a single body. But they're sure a lot of people are dead."
Guo Huan said: "Why is no one reporting such a big case?"
Wang Zhong said: "What to report? What should I do? You need to see people when you are alive, and you need to see corpses when you die. No matter how many people below you think are dead. If you don't see the corpses, you can't report it. Now you also know that such a big case will be reported." , If it cannot be broken, the local officials are not causing trouble for themselves."
Guo Huan was stunned. He knew the virtues of the officials below him very well. Even in order to be able to be monolithic. In many things, there is concession. Local officials, whenever. It is better to do less than to do more. In particular, Zhu Yuanzhang was stricter in all aspects.
Putting it in his position as a local magistrate, it is probably the same.
Therefore, Guo Huan could not get the news, and it was Wang Zhong who was responsible for the punishment as the inspector. I have contact with many people working on the case below. Only then did I get the gossip.
Guo Huan was a little restless and said, "What do you think is going on?"
Wang Zhong said with a gloomy face: "This is not a good thing. I know what the people we sent are like. They may be able to kill people. But they will not clean up so cleanly and not even a body will be left. In other words - ---"
Guo Huan said: "Did Jin Yiwei end it? But there was no movement at all from the Qianhu Institute in Hangzhou."
Wang Zhong said: "This is what I am most worried about."
Guo Huan's face, which had not changed for thousands of years, finally showed a look of panic, and he said: "You mean that Hangzhou Qianhu Institute is no longer trusted by the Jin Yiwei. And the Jin Yiwei sent someone here?"
Wang Zhong said: "Your guess is right. He Xi was a cover. It was Jin Yiwei who really started to investigate. Now, they have surfaced. That means they have found it. There is no need to hide. Brother Guo, we must be prepared. A way out.”
Guo Huan was stunned and said, "Do you really want to go to sea?"
"Isn't it the king's land in the whole world? Where else can we go except overseas?" Wang Zhong said.
Guo Huan said: "Please let me be quiet."
If he had a choice, Guo Huan would never go overseas. After all, overseas in this era is a completely different concept from overseas in modern times.
