Zhou Shangjing raised his head and asked Song Chengren.
Song Chengren nodded and said: "I will put pressure on the Nanjing government to prevent refugees from entering Nanjing on the grounds of maintaining order in the city, in case the dead soldiers of the Seventh Prince sneak into the city among the refugees!
In this way, if those dead soldiers want to return to Nanjing City, they must prove their identity to the city gate defenders! At the same time, send people to keep an eye on the city gate location, closely monitor all people entering the city, and find them as soon as possible
The traces of those dead soldiers!"
After a pause, Song Chengren added: "To this day, the whereabouts of the dead soldiers under the Seventh Prince are very obvious! They must have arrived in Nanjing at the same time as the Seventh Prince, and have stayed in Nanjing without leaving.
, on standby at any time. A few days ago, they secretly left Nanjing City and were ordered to dig out the dam at night. In the next two days, they will secretly return to Nanjing City...
As long as these whereabouts characteristics are met, and the dead soldiers must be strong and capable men, it is easy to locate their general range!" Lan
Zhou Shang nodded and said: "There is one more thing! The day before yesterday, the Seventh Prince sent me and you a famous invitation, inviting us to go to Zhanyuan for a banquet this evening. It is estimated that there are many people in Nanjing City
All forces have received his invitation...
But I will not go to the banquet tonight. On the one hand, I want to continue to pretend to be seriously ill and paralyze him. On the other hand, it is true that the diagnosis and treatment process is too uncomfortable and my body is not used to it, so you will go to Zhanyuan for the banquet on my behalf!
After attending the banquet, you have two tasks. The first is to continue to put pressure on the Seventh Prince. Your attitude must be as tough as possible, and you can even imply threats to make him feel a sense of crisis and force him to recall his dead soldiers to Nanjing as soon as possible.
, in case those dead soldiers have been hiding outside the city and dare not return to the city, our arrangement will fail; the second is to take the opportunity to contact Huo Zhengyuan and test the follow-up movements of the 'Zhao Party'. I always feel that Huo Zhengyuan will have something to do next.
Big move.”
"Understood!" After Song Chengren nodded in agreement, he shook his head and sighed: "Oh... I had already retired and returned home to live in my old age, but I didn't expect that I would still be forced out by you and stand on the top of the waves.
The position of the mouth..."
Zhou Shangjing also smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying: "There is no way. Today's young people are all terrible, and all of them do not know how to measure. If we old guys still want to stabilize the overall situation, we can only stick together to keep warm.
So...so, don’t try to hide and be idle.”
*
Just as Jiang Xiao predicted, due to the flat terrain and dense rivers in South Zhili, the flood did not last long. The water level dropped after about an hour, and the scope of the impact was not too large.
It’s so big, it’s only twenty or thirty miles downstream.
The three Zhao family aides were eager to rush to Nanjing to join Huo Zhengyuan, so after the water level dropped to ankle level and they could see the road clearly, they ventured out again under the escort of Hu Xiao and others.
Hu Xiao and his desperadoes have been wandering and plundering on the sea all year round. The water situation after the flood is just a trivial matter to them. Therefore, Ouyang Bo, Qian Bodao and Guo Min finally came here after many hardships.
One afternoon, we arrived in Nanjing before Shen time.
At this time, a large number of refugees affected by the floods had already flocked to Nanjing. However, due to pressure from Song Chengren, the gates of Nanjing were heavily guarded. On the grounds of maintaining order within the city, no refugees were allowed to enter the city, and only gates were set up outside the city.
Two porridge shacks were built to prevent refugees from starving to death or rioting.
All in all, both the seventh prince Zhu Hejian and the chief minister of the cabinet Zhou Shangjing only regarded this flood as a starting point in the power struggle between the two sides, but did not care at all about the safety and livelihood of the people affected by the disaster.
Compared with such "big things" as the abolition of the reserve position and the stabilization of the country, the displacement of more than a thousand people with their families destroyed is just a trivial "little thing".
However, the three Zhao family aides had the warrants of Huang Yourong and Huo Zhengyuan, so they were naturally not affected when entering and leaving Nanjing.
Therefore, not only did they successfully enter the city of Nanjing, they also brought Hu Xiao and more than a dozen of his desperadoes into the city.
As he rode into the city, looking at the disaster victims crowded near the city gate, Ouyang Bo shook his head and sighed: "Fortunately it is early summer, otherwise if it were the cold winter, these people would not have survived after this disaster.
Several people."
Guo Min frowned and said: "We met people from the government on the way. I heard that the flood mainly affected an imperial village downstream. It is initially estimated that at least twenty tenants of the imperial village drowned, and two emperors died.
The eunuch in charge of the village... It was the largest imperial village in Nanjing. The eunuch in charge of the village, Jiang Dawei, was the godson of a powerful eunuch in the ceremonial department, and was also closely related to Xi Cheng, the eunuch in charge of Nanjing...
After this flood, Jiang Dawei will definitely go crazy! Then, all the eunuchs in the inner court in South Zhili will unite and search for the people behind the demolition of the dam. The situation in South Zhili will definitely get better.
As things get complicated, conflicts among all parties will become more intense, and we don’t know how many people will be unlucky!”
Qian Bodao's expression was grim, and he gritted his teeth and said: "The methods of those who dug up and destroyed the dams were too sinister! No matter what they wanted to do, they almost caused us people to be affected, and we almost became water ghosts. It's really
Hateful! If we can find them, we must make them look good!"
After saying that, Qian Bodao turned to look at Hu Xiao, who had entered the city with them, and said with a suspicious expression: "Hero, have you really not discovered the true identity of the people who dug up the dam?"
Hu Xiao shook his head without hesitation and said: "At that time, we only saw a group of people digging and destroying the dam from a distance, but the night was too dark and the distance was too far. We were in a hurry to rescue everyone, so naturally we couldn't see
Find out the specific circumstances of those people.”
Hu Xiao is extremely shrewd. He chose to conceal the truth from the three Zhao family aides mainly out of two considerations. On the one hand, he was still further evaluating the importance of the information he had and was unwilling to reveal the truth easily. On the other hand,
It was because he believed that after entering Nanjing, once he said that he had mastered key information, it would attract the attention of all parties and easily lose his autonomy, so he wanted to wait until he had collected more information.
, and then reach a deal with Guo Min.
Guo Min asked: "Hu Engong, after you enter Nanjing City, do you have a place to stay? If you don't mind, I will find an inn with a comfortable environment to accommodate you, and all the flowers during your stay in Nanjing City
I will be responsible for all sales, how about that?"
Hu Xiao immediately shook his head and said: "No need, I was ordered to protect Boss Guo, so I continued to follow Boss Guo, but these brothers under my command are all used to wanton indulgence, just let them find a place to stay on their own.
!However, we are indeed strapped for money, so it would be best if Boss Guo is willing to provide some money!"
Seeing that Hu Xiao still wanted to pester him, Guo Min couldn't help but frown.
But Hu Xiao was his savior after all, so Guo Min couldn't refuse, so he turned to Qian Bodao and asked for some silver and handed it over to Hu Xiao to be used as expenses for Hu Xiao to settle the desperadoes under his command.
Just like that, while talking, the group of people had entered Nanjing City.
After entering Nanjing City, Hu Xiao turned around and winked at the group of desperadoes behind him, and these desperadoes left directly.
The follow-up task of these desperadoes is to search for the origin and identity of the group of people who dug up and destroyed the embankment in Nanjing City. Hu Xiao believes that those who dug up and destroyed the embankment will eventually return to Nanjing City, so as long as the city gate is closely monitored, they will definitely
You can find the other party in time.
Hu Xiao shamelessly followed Guo Min, on the one hand to ensure that he could contact Guo Min at any time, and on the other hand, he wanted to find opportunities to gain more benefits for himself.
The most important thing is that Hu Xiao was the only one among the "Eight Owls in the World" who slipped through the net. Today he is still wanted by the government. By hiding next to Guo Min, he can hide his whereabouts to the greatest extent, ensure safety, and even in the worst case, he can be found in time.
Spot the danger.
At any time, Hu Xiao will give priority to ensuring his own safety and put himself in the safest position.
*
But when the three Zhao family aides and Hu Xiao and his party entered Nanjing City, the "Chaofeng" dead men who were responsible for following them were in an anxious mood.
They originally wanted to enter the city of Nanjing to continue tracking Hu Xiao and others, but they did not expect that the Nanjing government had blocked the city gate and strictly prohibited any refugees from entering the city. If they wanted to enter the city, they had to prove it to the gate defenders.
Identity matters.
"Brother Guan San, what should we do now? Should we enter the city and continue to track the other party? If we delay a little longer, I'm afraid we will lose them!" Lan
After seeing the situation near the city gate, a "Chaofeng" dead soldier asked the leader Guan Laosan in a low voice.
Another "Chaofeng" dead soldier hesitated and said: "If we want to enter the city and continue to track the opponent, we must prove our identity to the city gate defenders! We do have two warrants, one from His Highness the Seventh Prince and one from Nanjing.
Defending the Eunuch's Mansion, we can naturally enter the city easily, but I'm just worried that after we show these two warrants, it will attract unnecessary attention, and maybe even expose the existence of our 'Chao Feng' organization!"
After Guan Laosan hesitated for a moment, he quickly made a decision and said: "Take out the warrant for the Nanjing Guard Eunuch Mansion, enter the city as soon as possible, and continue to track the opponent. You must not lose them!"
Seeing that several of the "Chaofeng" dead men were hesitant, Guan Laosan understood their concerns.
During its previous operations, the "Chaofeng" organization has always given concealment its whereabouts as its top priority and tried its best to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention.
Once it attracts unnecessary attention and puts the "Chaofeng" organization at risk of exposure, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian will definitely abandon his car to save his commander and cut off his tail to survive. All "Chaofeng" dead soldiers who attract attention will be silenced directly.
However, Guan Laosan also has reasons for taking risks.
"I don't want to attract any attention...but brothers, you must think carefully. This tracking mission comes from the order of Master Xiao. When Master Xiao issued this order, his attitude was extremely solemn. It was obviously
We take this matter very seriously. If we mess up this mission..."
After hearing what Guan Laosan said, several "Chaofeng" dead soldiers could not help but feel cold in their hearts and tremble in their bodies when they thought about Jiang Xiao's punishment methods after his rage.
Afterwards, the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers no longer had any doubts and unanimously agreed to Guan Laosan's decision.
Next, Guan Laosan took out the warrant from the Nanjing Guarding Eunuch's Mansion and stated that they were the errands of the Nanjing Guarding Eunuch Xi Cheng. They proved their identities to the city gate defenders and successfully entered Nanjing City, and then began to continue tracking.
The three aides of the Zhao Mansion and the desperadoes under Hu Xiao.
*
However, the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers did not know that people from the Song family were also secretly monitoring the comings and goings of people near the city gate at this time.
When the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers took out the warrant to guard the eunuch's mansion in Nanjing, they immediately attracted the attention of the Song family.
Taking the opportunity to completely wipe out the death warrior organization under the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian is a key part of Zhou Shangjing's follow-up plan.
If everything goes well, perhaps the key evidence of Zhu Hejian's secret accumulation of dead soldiers can be found. Not only can it completely destroy Zhu Hejian's hope of taking over the throne, but it can also directly send Zhu Hejian to the Zongren Mansion Prison in Fengyang Mansion, the central capital;
At the worst, Zhu Hejian's secret help can be completely broken off, so that Zhu Hejian will no longer be able to use those invisible light methods in the future.
Therefore, the head of the Song family, Song Chengren, attached great importance to it and even asked Song Jicheng, the most promising among his grandchildren, to keep an eye on the matter personally.
Among the young scholars in South Zhili, Song Jicheng has always had a low reputation, far less than the former Zhao Shancai, and not as good as the current Lu De. This is because Song Jicheng spent most of his time studying in the Imperial College in Beijing and was not a student of the Imperial College in Nanjing.
Students of Tianshu Academy.
In terms of talent, knowledge, and skills, Song Jicheng, as the leader of the third generation of the Song family, is not inferior to Zhao Shancai and Lu De.
Song Jicheng also attached great importance to this matter and regarded this task as a great opportunity for him to show his ability in front of Zhou Shangjing and Song Chengren.
Therefore, after receiving Song Chengren's instructions, Song Jicheng personally went to a restaurant near the city gate, occupied the entire second floor of the restaurant, and paid close attention to the situation near the city gate from a high position.
When the "Chaofeng" dead soldier entered the city holding the warrant to guard the eunuch's mansion in Nanjing, Song Jicheng received the news immediately.
"Has someone entered the city with a warrant from the Nanjing Guarding Eunuch's Mansion?" Song Jicheng sneered and thought to himself: "As far as I know, His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince has had a close relationship with Nanjing's Guarding Eunuch Xi Cheng since he came to Nanjing.
, the contact continued... At this time, a group of well-trained men entered Nanjing City holding the warrant of the Nanjing Guarding Eunuch Mansion. Are they the people of the Nanjing Guarding Eunuch? Or the people of the Seventh Prince? "
Thinking of this, Song Jicheng immediately ordered: "Keep an eye on that group of people from a distance. If they don't go to Nanjing to guard the eunuch's mansion after returning to the city, it means there is a high probability that there is something wrong with them! Find Lu Yutong again, and he will tell the people who guard the eunuch's mansion in Nanjing.
The situation is most familiar to him. He will know at a glance whether that group of people are the ones guarding the eunuch's mansion!"
The steward of the Song family who reported the news agreed, and then said: "In addition to this group of people, there is another group of people who entered the city holding a warrant from Huang Yourong, the governor of Southern Zhili. They claimed to be the southeast patrol envoy, the great scholar Huo Zhengyuan.
aide in the government!
It's just that...the three leaders do look like aides, but the guards under their command are a group of vicious men who don't look like good citizens at all. Moreover, the group of guards immediately separated from Huo Zhengyuan's aides after entering Nanjing City.
They have taken action, but they feel extremely suspicious. Sir, do you think we should also keep an eye on them?"
Song Jicheng frowned again: "Huo Zhengyuan's people? 'Dang Zhao' is not with us. Recently, there are signs of betraying us and acting without authorization. Naturally, we must keep an eye on them! Don't let go of any suspicious signs!"
*Lan
On the other side, when Ouyang Bo, Qian Bodao, and Guo Min finally reunited with Huo Zhengyuan, the first thing they did was to tell Huo Zhengyuan their experiences on the road in detail, and then apologize to Huo Zhengyuan.
The reason why they apologized was firstly because they wasted time and failed to join Huo Zhengyuan as soon as possible, and secondly because Huo Yuanshou, the attendant Huo Zhengyuan sent to Suzhou to inform them of the news, and the other two attendants of the Huo Mansion who accompanied them,
They all died in the flood halfway.
"Huo Yuanshou is also dead!? Changsheng and Baolu are also missing?!"
Huo Zhengyuan's expression was frightened and angry, mixed with a hint of subtle fear.
When Huo Zhengyuan left the capital and went south to serve as the patrol envoy to the southeast, he only took ten followers and guards with him, except for the three staff members lent to him by Zhao Junchen and the assistants of these three staff members.
But at this moment, among the ten escorts, three of them had died in the stampede accident two days ago, and two others were seriously injured, and they may not be able to save their lives. Now there are three more escorts who are in the flood or
Drowned or missing...
As a result, out of Huo Zhengyuan's ten followers and guards, only two were still alive!
After his expression changed for a long time, Huo Zhengyuan slammed the table and roared in a low voice: "It's too much to bully others! It's too much to bully others! It's just like what Jiang Zheng said, in this world, even if you don't want to take the initiative to plot against others, others will
Will take the initiative to plot against you!"
Ouyang Bo couldn't help but remind: "Master Huo, although we don't know exactly which force deliberately dug up the dam, this matter should be that the other party wants to disrupt the situation, in order to frame the fault or retaliate against the enemy force. It's not big
Maybe they are deliberately targeting us! If they are deliberately targeting us, they can intercept us halfway and there is no need to go all out and dig up the embankments and cause floods."
Huo Zhengyuan kept sneering and said: "Even if it is only affected, it means that the other party does not take us seriously at all and does not care about our life or death! So we must take revenge, and this matter must not be left alone!"
After saying that, Huo Zhengyuan turned to look at a middle-aged man sitting next to him and asked forcefully: "Shopkeeper Qian, what do you think of this matter? If you are still unwilling to agree to my plan until now,
Then I can only think that... your 'United Shipping Company' has given up on cooperating with our 'Zhao Party'!"