"This fire... has finally started burning." Bai Wugeng looked at the burning mansion and couldn't help but sigh.
Fire prevention is strict in the capital city, and both the royal family and the nobles have normal minds and will not imitate someone who just lights a fire and watches for fun, so even the fifth prince has never seen a fire scene.
Well, what normal person would miss watching fires every day? Right?
He Nan has never seen a fire, although he has little to do with the word "normal".
But just because you haven't seen it before, it doesn't mean you won't handle such an incident. Whether it's Bai Wugeng or He Nan, they are all people who are born with the ability to "solve problems."
"Put out the fire." He Nan ordered immediately after seeing the fire.
Dozens of government officials were waiting near the Cai family's residence and various shops. These "firefighters" are roughly divided into two parts. The former is responsible for "putting out fires." They are all wrapped in wet silk, wearing leather armor, holding axes and saws, and wearing ropes around their waists. They may carry buckets or push water carts, just waiting to rush into the mansion. Put out the fire; the latter is responsible for "prevention", and the equipment is the same as the former, except that the objects in his hands become shovels.
Although the Cai family's mansion is not located in a busy city, there are many residential buildings around it. There are too many wooden buildings to mention these days. There is a saying that "half of it is flooded, and none is burned by fire." Once the fire spreads, It turns out that it was not just the Cai family that was burned down. If the fire could not be suppressed, it was not impossible to burn down half the city.
The best way to prevent the fire from spreading is to "remove and dig", remove all surrounding vegetation and other flammable materials, take away everything that can be carried away, and dig out a circle of defense around the fire scene to prevent the spread of the fire.
Suddenly, the well-equipped government officials moved like a meteor chasing the moon. One group broke open the gate of Cai Mansion and went straight into the fire scene. The other group had already prepared tools and started digging trenches around Cai Mansion, aiming to dig trenches as quickly as possible. Establish a "firebreak".
"People! Quickly organize the people to evacuate!" A man suddenly rushed out from the yamen team and rushed towards Li Shitong. This person was the leader of the yamen responsible for organizing fire prevention.
Li Shitong glanced at He Nan next to him, and then said to the leader who cared about the people: "I have settled the people long ago... Now it depends on whether you can suppress the fire."
Bai Wugeng was stunned for a moment when he heard Li Shitong's words. Then he leaned over to He Nan's ear and asked, "You actually arranged this step?"
He Nan nodded and said nothing, and after a while he replied leisurely: "Of course."
Bai Wugeng frowned: "If I were Cai Meng, then I would be able to see the clues from the sudden evacuation of people's residences. Then wouldn't you be at your wits' end?"
"So this is a trick to deal with Cai Meng, not you." He Nan shrugged: "In order to make the fire burn, I have to put it out as soon as it starts... I spent a lot of effort. .”
"Are you going to put out the fire with me here, or go after the Cai family?" He Nan glanced at Bai Wugeng. Since the two updated the "secret agreement", He Nan could be said to be treating the fifth prince like a bull or a horse.
Because the fifth prince cannot reveal his identity at will, he can only stay here as He Nan's "guest" or "friend" - if he wants to go to the theater, then of course he has to pay for the theater ticket, right? He Nan had precisely grasped His Highness's psychology and was able to boss around the fifth prince with such a clear conscience.
And Qi Dan was obviously not satisfied with just being a theatergoer, he also wanted to be an opera singer. He whispered something in He Nan's ear again, and He Nan's expression changed a few times, and then he clicked. nodded.
Then again, people who are good at solving problems are often also very good at "creating problems." Ever since the fifth prince came uninvited from the capital, He Nan launched a series of arrangements for the Cai family.
He Nan's intuition was correct. Cai Meng was a ruthless man who could do anything. Shortly after He Nan returned to Shuihan County, Cai Meng sent people to Xuanyang County to find out the details about He Nan, and even secretly Some green forest people were hired to carry out small-scale intrusions continuously. Fortunately, the He family also had Wei Kui in charge. Although it caused a lot of trouble, fortunately there were no casualties.
Cai Meng didn't know what He Nan had done in it, so he was naturally a little unscrupulous, but as time flew by, he realized that the men he sent out to send New Year greetings not only did not return home, but did not even receive a reply, so he Feeling a hint of crisis, he wanted to continue sending people to Beijing to inquire about the situation.
After He Nan and the uninvited guest studied it together, they decided to simply release some rumors of "Cai Huan's rebellion." People say that three people become tigers, and it can be true even if it is false. Although this rumor did not spread widely, the people who heard it were carefully selected - Cai Huan in the capital thought it was Cai Meng wanted to rebel, so he was sitting on pins and needles, having trouble sleeping and eating, so naturally he didn't dare to take any action. Cai Meng in the county town thought that Cai Huan was plotting the rebellion, and his heart went cold. He just wanted to use Cai Huan's name. Wei Feng, how could he have thought that his godfather, who was over fifty years old, would have to struggle twice? And because I was afraid of being implicated, I didn't dare to write a book to ask questions, and I felt a little self-conscious for a while.
Then, He Nan took advantage of the situation and completely crushed the Cai family.
First, he used his time to spread rumors and confuse the two people, cutting off the connection between them, in order to cut off both of their arms; then he seized the power of the Cai family, and joined forces with all the heroes in the world to continuously shrink the property under the Cai family's name. , causing the Cai family to gradually lose its footing, this is to cut off its two legs.
In this way, the Cai family's decline is fully demonstrated.
And finally, it was time to "take off that head."
But Cai Meng was not a fool. Although he didn't know what kind of backer He Nan had behind him, he knew very well that he could no longer waste time with him. The Cai family has many people under their command. In addition to wine bags and rice bags, there are also many brave and strategic people. One of them suggested: "Why don't you sell your property, leave the county and find another way out?"
This strategy is really a last resort. After all, it is not easy to drag your family and family away these days. And if it is not forced by life, who would be willing to leave home?
But Cai Meng doesn't care - he can even change his ancestry, so what can't he change his place of origin? The only thing he worried about was that selling off his family property was a very time-consuming and high-profile matter. Once He Nan found out about it, he might not be able to get out of the city without being discovered.
So, Cai Meng made a plan that can be called "life-threatening".
He was planning to give up his property, take only the relatives and gold and silver items he could take with him and leave the city at night, and then arrange for his men to set fires in various places after they left. Once the fire broke out, He Nan would be busy putting out the fire, and They can take this opportunity to leave Fuyang County in pieces.
This is a decision that Cai Meng made after careful consideration for a long time. It is a wonderful poisonous plan - the real purpose of this plan is not to "escape", but to "break the fish to the death and defeat the net".
Similar to the methods He Nan used against the Cai family, Cai Meng's counterattack was also "taking advantage of the situation." If the fire was uncontrollable and burned down many houses and killed many people, Cai Meng would not be able to escape death, and He Nan would not be able to escape. Hard to blame.
"Fire! Fire!"
Not only the Cai family's mansion, but also the properties under the Cai family's name in Fuyang County were set in varying degrees of flames.
…………
"Mr. Cai, long time no see!"
He Nan used both hands to push her hair back hard. He was tossed around several fire scenes overnight. He Nan's hair was already scorched by the fire, and he looked very miserable.
But now he is smiling very happily, and he feels like he is gritting his teeth.
Cai Meng, who was sitting opposite him, was very calm. Even though he was sitting in a cell and was already a prisoner, he did not lose half of his demeanor as "the most powerful man in Ax Yang": "Seeing that you are so happy is because you caught me. ? Or is it because the fire was put out?"
He Nan stretched out, folded his arms and leaned against the wall, looking at Cai Meng: "Are you... admitting that you set the fire?"
Cai Meng shook his head, not afraid of He Nan's gaze: "Mr. He... you should know better than me. If you convict me without evidence, you will lose."
"I caught your Cai Mansion's servant in the fire scene. Is this evidence?"
"The place where the fire broke out belongs to my Cai family. Is it strange that my servants are there?"
"Then what's your explanation for dragging your family out of the city?"
"Just taking the family on a trip."
"Is everything a coincidence?"
"It's a coincidence... so what?" Cai Meng saw the trick.
"Then... what if I can't afford to lose, so what if I have to convict you?" He Nan put his face almost in front of Cai Meng, touching his chest to shake him.
"That can only mean that Shanhe Mansion is nothing more than that." Of course, Cai Meng also conducted a careful investigation of He Nan himself. It is not a secret that He Nan studied in Shanhe Mansion. This is a matter of honoring the ancestors of the He family. Because I don’t know how many times I celebrated this matter.
"Well...fortunately I was prepared." He Nan left Cai Meng's side again: "Bring witnesses!"
The witness was brought up by the government officials. Everyone knew this person.
"Wang Ziming?" Cai Meng couldn't help but be a little shocked when he saw this person.
The person who came to testify was none other than the shopkeeper of Wanbao Pawn Shop, Wang Ziming. The Wang Ziming who betrayed He Nan and now betrayed Cai Meng.
"You..." Cai Meng raised his eyebrows. He didn't even know what to ask Wang Ziming - because it was Wang Ziming who made him decide to "burn down Ax Yang City".
When Cai Meng was hesitant about whether to go or stay, Wang Ziming, an outsider who had always been submissive, came to the door and asked Cai Meng to take him with him. His reason was also very simple: "I have offended He Nan. If I stay, Life here is worse than death.”
This reason is very reasonable, because Wang Ziming not only asked Cai Meng to stand up for him and deal with He Taiqing, who was disrespectful to him, but was also beaten and humiliated many times by He Nan's people, so it is normal for him to want to run away with Cai Meng—— Although Cai Meng didn't treat him well, it was better than being under He Nan's nose.
"Executive member Cai, let me testify that you ordered someone to set the fire on fire... Is this finally evidence?" Wang Ziming spoke slowly.
Cai Meng's shackled hands even trembled a little: "Shopkeeper Wang, I always thought you and I were on the same side..."
Wang Ziming shook his head, with a slightly proud look on his face with widely separated features: "I am a businessman, and I only stand with money."
From the beginning, He Taiqing was just a cover, and Wang Ziming was the pawn arranged by He Nan in order to bring down Cai Meng. In order to act more realistically, He Taiqing was even kept in the dark, and judging from the current results ——The beatings Mr. Wang received were not in vain.
Once the Cai family fell, the pawn business in the county was almost controlled by Wang Ziming, so what reason did Wang Ziming have for not overthrowing the Cai family?
After sending Wang Ziming away, only He Nan and Cai Meng were left in the dark cell.
"I won, right?" He Nan raised his eyebrows in the darkness.
Cai Meng did not directly answer He Nan's question, but began to recall the past: "Master He, do you still remember why we became enemies?"
"Because your son molested my friend." He Nan was a little confused, but he always felt that Cai Meng was going to say some very dangerous lines next.
"Then do you realize...where is my son? Where is your...'friend'?"
! ! !
This fire... is also a cover.
