"Your Majesty, forty assassins came to kill Lord Lin and Magistrate Li last night, but they were all captured alive by the brothers. This is the confession during the interrogation."
Zhang Hu reported what happened last night to Japer and handed the confession to Japer at the same time.
After taking the confession, Japer smiled disdainfully: "There is no need to interrogate these people in the future, just kill them all."
Zhang Hu didn't understand when Jia Po said this.
"Is there something wrong with these confessions, Your Majesty?"
"It doesn't matter if there are any problems. What matters is that the people behind them will die." Japer looked in the direction of Suhang, his words full of murderous intent.
"How does that go."
"The leader has lurked into Zhou Quan's army. The army led by Lord Shenwu is about to approach Suhang."
Zhang Hu knew what Japer was asking and told the news he had received without any hesitation.
Japer heard this with a sneer on his lips.
"Inform Ziqing that after arriving in Suzhou and Hangzhou, the army will rest on the spot and then approach Hangzhou Prefecture in the name of suppressing bandits, making the formation as large as possible."
"In addition, let Jin Yiwei closely monitor the eight wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, as well as the three families of Jinling King, Zhen and Shi."
"Yes! Your Majesty" Zhang Hu accepted the order and stepped back.
Suzhou and Hangzhou
The governor of Suzhou and Hangzhou, Zhou Quan, sat high in the main seat, and his civil and military officials stood on both sides.
At this time, Zhou Quan looked at the news he had just received and sneered: "This little emperor looks down on me! He only sent a kid from the Ma family and ten thousand cavalry."
As soon as Zhou Quan finished speaking, a burst of laughter rang out.
"Haha! It shows that the emperor is stupid and incompetent, but the lord can achieve great things."
At this time, a middle-aged man dressed as a civil servant stood up and said: "My lord now has 300,000 soldiers and horses under his command. The people in the south of the Yangtze River have been dissatisfied with the imperial court for a long time. As long as my lord ascends to the throne and shouts, there will definitely be a crowd of followers."
Another official walked out and said: "Now all the wealthy businessmen and wealthy families in Jiangnan are interested in the lord. If the lord sends troops with their help, it will only take three months to quickly control the entire Jiangnan. By then, the lord can use the land of Jiangnan as his foundation." Watching the world."
"My lord! Now the emperor is incompetent and unworthy of his throne. My lord can take his place...!"
Seeing the fiery gazes of the people below, Zhou Quan's ambition quickly exploded, but he still held back and said, "The time has not come yet, so you should prepare your troops and wait for my orders."
"Yes, I will obey the Lord's order."
Although everyone felt a little disappointed after hearing what Zhou Quan said, they all knew that Zhou Quan was moved, and they immediately followed the order with joy on their faces.
What Zhou Quan didn't know was that every move here was watched by the Jin Yiwei people, and soon two secret reports were sent to Shenjing City and Yangzhou City through secret channels.
Ten miles away from the boundary between Suzhou and Hangzhou
At this time, Ma Kai was sitting in command and discussing the military situation with his generals. They had just received a message from Japer, asking them to approach Hangzhou Prefecture in the name of suppressing bandits and at the same time make the battle larger.
At this time, a member of the household interrupted the discussion: "General! The scout camp has just reported that bandits are entrenched in the mountains thirty miles ahead. There are about 3,000 people. They don't look like ordinary bandits. "
When Ma Kai and others heard the report, they stopped discussing and looked at Baihu. Ma Kai frowned and said, "Please tell me carefully!"
"According to the detection of which bandits are well-trained, except for the lack of armor and equipment, the weapons in their hands are standard military weapons."
Upon hearing this, Ma Kai felt confident and looked at everyone: "These people are probably the soldiers and horses that Zhou Quan has hidden secretly. Once they are discovered, they will be removed by him."
"Send an order to the scout camp and ask them to expand the scope of the investigation and arrange for people to inquire about the surrounding situation from the surrounding people. Since they are here, it would be inappropriate not to give a meeting gift to Lord Zhou Jiedushi."
"At the same time, arrange for people to spread the news that the imperial court is coming to suppress the bandits. The bigger the noise, the better."
"Yes! General!" Wait for Ma Kai to arrange for the generals to take the order and leave.
With the arrival of Ma Kai's army, the situation in Jiangnan began to become strange. Some people were happy, while others were disdainful.
At this time, dozens of wealthy businessmen from Jiangnan gathered in a courtyard somewhere in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Master Chen, the imperial court has sent ten thousand cavalry. Although it is in the name of suppressing bandits, everyone knows in their hearts that they are coming for us. Please make up your mind!
The speaker was the head of the Liu family, one of the eight wealthy businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River. He was mainly engaged in human trafficking to the Jurchens, iron ore smuggling and other businesses. With the support of the Jurchens, his net worth ranked among the top three among the eight wealthy businessmen.
And the head of the Chen family in his mouth is the head of the Chen family, the head of the eight wealthy businessmen. The Chen family mainly operates 80% of the brothels, gambling houses, restaurants, etc. in the south of the Yangtze River. The daily income of the Chen family can be described as a daily income. It is said that the Chen family The family's money can buy the entire city of Suzhou, which shows how much wealth there is, and behind the Chen family is Zhou Quan, the governor of Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Looking at the family heads below, the Chen family leader smiled calmly: "That foolish king wants to use his position as a mere business official to seize the wealth we have accumulated over the past century. It is simply a wishful thinking. Now all the major businessmen in our entire Jiangnan area should unite and we will definitely be able to Wouldn't it be nice to let that foolish king give in and let us take charge of the Commerce Department together instead of letting that Xue family girl sit on our heads?"
This is when the head of the Wang family said with disdain: "Although the Xue family is known as one of the four major families, the Xue family only started as an imperial merchant. After the death of the head of the Xue family, the Xue family plummeted, and the faint king also lost his head. That’s why she was given the position of Secretary of Commerce.”
The head of the Wang family is a branch of the Jinling Wang family. The Wang family is originally a noble family, so the other three families naturally look down on the Xue family, which started as an imperial merchant.
"Brother Wang said that we should be in charge of this business department. What qualifications does that little girl have to manage the world's merchants?" Another family head also said.
"Hahaha! Yes, this time we have united with all the major businessmen to let the foolish king understand that we are not soft persimmons that he can manipulate at will."
"Hahaha! Well said!" As the head of the family finished speaking, everyone present laughed and echoed.
Jiangnan magistrate's office
Ren Wei, the prefect of Jiangnan, sat at the head of the throne, with hundreds of officials, big and small, under him. These people were all chief officials from all over Jiangnan, and they all had evidence of guilt in Lin Ruhai's hands.
"Everyone, now the emperor has sent Marquis Shenwu, Ma Kai, to lead 10,000 cavalry. What do you think?"
At this time, an official stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the treacherous ministers in the imperial court are now in power and deceiving the Holy People. Where did the banditry in Jiangnan flourish under your administration? You should write to His Majesty the Emperor to expose the lies of the treacherous ministers."
At this time, an official came out and cupped his hands and said: "Master Zhang is right. As long as you write a letter, the subordinates can testify for you, and they will definitely prove your innocence."
"Sir, as well as Lin Ruhai, who forged evidence and slandered his colleagues, we will also submit a letter to His Majesty the Emperor to make the decision for us."
Looking at the people below, the Jiangnan magistrate raised his hand to signal for silence and said with an upright face: "The traitors in the imperial court are in power. I am afraid that the letter I am waiting for will not reach the hands of His Majesty. I regret that I am incompetent and cannot share the worries of His Majesty." After saying this, he looked ashamed. Like.
"My lord, don't be like this. It's all those treacherous ministers who have ruined the country. It has nothing to do with you." An official stood up and comforted.
"To be honest with you, Master Zhou Quan, the governor of Suzhou and Hangzhou, intends to eradicate the traitors in the court and restore peace to the world. I also have this intention. What do you think?"
After speaking, the prefect looked at the people below with a smile on his face.
The expressions of the people below changed after hearing this, and they looked at each other. This was a rebellion, and no one was stupid!
"I am willing to follow you!" At this time, an official gritted his teeth and knelt down with his fists in his hands and shouted. The crimes he committed in Jiangnan were enough for the court to kill his entire family ten times. He had only one way to save his life: rebellion.
"I would like to follow you, sir!"
"I would like to follow you, sir!"
"I would like to follow you, sir!"
"I would like to follow you, sir!"
Everyone present finally chose to rebel. Each of them committed a crime and had no other way to survive.
Seeing that everyone was willing to follow, the Jiangnan magistrate laughed and said: "Haha! Please excuse yourself quickly. With your help, great things can be accomplished!"
