Just when Tang Cheng raised his eyes to take a peek, Huo Zhengyuan finally spoke.
"Brother Hu, don't be embarrassed. Although we failed to find Jiang Xiao's hiding place, at least we successfully misled him and sent him false news! Next, we just need to accumulate strength as soon as possible and then make arrangements
Even if you lay an ambush and lure him into a trap, you can still succeed!"
Hu Xiao snorted softly and said: "Although wishful thinking is good, I'm afraid Jiang Xiao will not be fooled so easily. He is a vicious wolf, cunning and cruel! What's more... if he wants to attract Jiang Xiao to fall into the trap,
If you take the initiative to jump into our ambush, you need to use me as a bait and act alone, but brother, I have always cherished my life, and I have always been insensitive to this kind of death mission!"
After saying that, Hu Xiao turned to stare at Huo Zhengyuan, as if he was generous and respectful, and said with a smile: "Master Huo, brother, I am still useful to your future plans, and you must be reluctant to let me take risks.
Bar?"
Seeing Hu Xiao's attitude, Huo Zhengyuan became more and more angry at his rudeness and arrogance, but on the surface he just frowned, as if he was in a dilemma.
After pondering for a long time, Huo Zhengyuan said slowly: "If that doesn't work, just find someone with a similar body shape and appearance to Brother Hu, and then find a way to put on makeup so that he looks like Brother Hu from a distance! Anyway, Jiang Xiao and his
At the beginning, the dead soldiers under my command just hid from a distance and snooped, and it was impossible to find the flaw immediately! By the time they discovered the disguise, they had already fallen into our encirclement and were unable to escape. What do you think, Brother Hu?"
Seeing that Huo Zhengyuan did not force himself to take risks, Hu Xiao nodded with satisfaction: "If this is the way to go, it is naturally the best, but..."
Having said this, Hu Xiao frowned again and shook his head, saying: "I still think that Jiang Xiao will most likely not fall into the trap so easily! If we want to deal with Jiang Xiao, we still need to find a more secure method."
Huo Zhengyuan also shook his head slightly and said: "No matter what, as long as you have the opportunity, you should try your best to try it!"
While the three of them were discussing, Guo Min hurriedly entered the room and reported: "Master Huo, there is bad news!"
Huo Zhengyuan immediately looked solemn and asked: "What's the bad news? Has there been a new change in the situation in Nanjing?"
Guo Min shook his head and said: "It has nothing to do with the situation in Nanjing, but an urgent message from Dongyuan, saying that Brother Jiang Zhengjiang's injuries...are showing signs of deterioration, and his life may be in danger!"
After hearing this, Huo Zhengyuan's expression suddenly changed, and he stood up quickly and said: "Let's go! Follow me to the East Garden to visit! Although I have been avoiding direct contact with Zhou Shoufu for a while, if Jiang Zheng has something to do, I won't care.
Continue to avoid it.”
After saying that, Huo Zhengyuan was about to leave in a hurry.
Seeing that Huo Zhengyuan wanted to leave without consulting him at all, Hu Xiao couldn't help but change his expression.
A few days ago, that is, in the evening when Huo Zhengyuan went to Zhanyuan for a banquet, Hu Xiao's pirates and the group of "Chaofeng" dead soldiers who followed them fought each other in the bustling city of Nanjing, causing a scene that shocked Nanjing.
The tragedy also triggered a series of subsequent chaos in Nanjing.
After Huo Zhengyuan learned the news, his first reaction was to poison Hu Xiao and his pirates to death. However, Hu Xiao's plan was revealed before he actually took action. Huo Zhengyuan and several of his confidants were instead harmed by Hu Xiao.
Hijacked by owl.
Then, after a series of negotiations, Huo Zhengyuan and Hu Xiao found a common goal and wanted to join forces to deal with Jiang Xiao. On the surface, they turned their hostility into friendship, but in fact they were still guarding each other.
Huo Zhengyuan has been ostensibly in charge of the overall situation these days, and can also order Hu Xiao and his pirates to do things, but he has never left his temporary residence, and has always kept himself under Hu Xiao's surveillance and control. In fact, he has taken the initiative.
Incarnate as a hostage, allowing Hu Xiao to cooperate with him with peace of mind.
Hu Xiao was also well aware of Huo Zhengyuan's thoughts, so he gradually became frivolous in front of Huo Zhengyuan.
But now, Huo Zhengyuan actually wants to leave the temporary residence and break away from Hu Xiao's supervision and control. This undoubtedly breaks the tacit understanding between the two parties. It's no wonder that Hu Xiao can't help but change his expression.
Huo Zhengyuan was keenly aware of Hu Xiao's emotional changes. As he walked out quickly, he explained to Hu Xiao in a serious tone: "You should also know that in the evening a few days ago, I was in a restaurant along the Qinhuai River.
During the meal, someone wanted to take the opportunity to assassinate me and set fire to a carriage on the side of the road, causing a tragic trample. Not only did I almost die, but the people around me also suffered heavy casualties!
The death and injury of several officers and guards was not a big deal at first, but one of the staff members named Jiang Zheng was also seriously injured. This matter is not a trivial matter! You don’t know the origin of Jiang Zheng’s identity.
Not only is he the current Minister of Dali Temple and a direct disciple of the great scholar Yang Xun, he is also a close aide of Zhao Gechen. He came to Nanjing this time to help me deal with the situation in Nanjing. In Zhao Gechen's mind, his weight is no less important than mine!
And because Zhou Shoufu was seriously ill, all the famous doctors in Nanjing were summoned by the Song family to Dongyuan. Therefore, in order to save Jiang Zheng's life, I had no choice but to send him to Dongyuan for medical treatment! Now Jiang Zheng is seriously injured.
If it gets worse, I must go to Dongyuan to investigate the situation in person, otherwise not only will I not be able to explain it to Minister Zhao afterwards, but it will also arouse the suspicion of Chief Minister Zhou."
Huo Zhengyuan seemed to be in a panic. Not only did he speak very fast, but he also walked even faster. He had already arrived at the gate of the temporary residence while speaking.
Afterwards, Huo Zhengyuan stopped, turned to look at Hu Xiao again, and said seriously: "So, I must go to Dongyuan now to visit Jiang Zheng's injury. There is no room for negotiation on this matter. If Brother Hu is worried,
You can also pretend to be my bodyguard and go with me to Zhanyuan!"
Seeing Huo Zhengyuan's serious expression, Hu Xiao knew that he could not stop Huo Zhengyuan, otherwise the two sides would completely break up.
But Hu Xiao did not dare to accompany Huo Zhengyuan to Dongyuan, because Dongyuan is not only the headquarters of the Song family, the largest family in the south of the Yangtze River, but also temporarily houses the chief minister of the cabinet Zhou Shangjing. Naturally, it is heavily guarded and has numerous guards. If Hu Xiao had accompanied Huo Zhengyuan there,
Dongyuan, once someone discovers the details, it will be impossible to escape.
After hesitating for a moment, Hu Xiao chuckled and said: "Master Huo, you are a noble person. No matter where you want to go, you don't have to explain it to the villain! There are many rules in the East Garden. If the villain goes, you can
It will only bring embarrassment to Academician Huo, so I’d better stay here and wait for Academician Huo, but I hope that Academician Huo will return as soon as possible. We still have many things to discuss here."
After getting along with each other for a few days, Huo Zhengyuan has always shown sincerity in cooperation and did not care about Hu Xiao's various rude behaviors. Hu Xiao also felt a little more at ease with him, thinking that Huo Zhengyuan would not betray him easily, and Hu Xiao himself was also
Being an invisible person, betraying Hu Xiao would definitely do more harm than good to Huo Zhengyuan, so Hu Xiao not only did not stop Huo Zhengyuan from going out, but also did not force him to follow Huo Zhengyuan.
Huo Zhengyuan still looked serious and nodded: "When I return here depends on the specific condition of Jiang Zheng's injury! If it's just a near miss, then I will return before this evening! But if it's Jiang Zheng's injury
The injury is too serious and it is a critical moment of life and death, so I may have to stay in the East Garden all night... However, I will still rush back before midnight tomorrow morning, after all, we have many things here that cannot be delayed."
Seeing that Huo Zhengyuan gave him an accurate reply, Hu Xiao felt more at ease, and even his attitude became more respectful. He watched Huo Zhengyuan board the carriage with a smile.
Just as Huo Zhengyuan's carriage was about to start, Tang Cheng, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly thought of something and raised his voice: "Scholar Huo, I need to report to you the latest progress in the villain's mission of recruiting lowly disciples.
…”
After speaking, Tang Chengcheng quickly ran to Huo Zhengyuan's carriage, whispered a few words to Huo Zhengyuan in the carriage, and then received Huo Zhengyuan's permission to enter the carriage and report in detail.
Then, Huo Zhengyuan's carriage drove slowly and gradually moved away from his temporary residence.
*
In fact, the reason why Tang Cheng was able to enter the carriage was because he whispered something to Huo Zhengyuan - "I still have news that I need to report to Academician Huo alone, and I can't let the man named Hu know about it."
Huo Zhengyuan seemed to have guessed something, and immediately asked Tang Cheng to enter the carriage to talk, and asked Tang Cheng to leave the temporary residence with him.
After entering the carriage, Tang Cheng found that Huo Zhengyuan's two close aides who had stayed in Nanjing, Guo Min and Qian Bodao, were also sitting in the carriage with serious expressions.
In ancient China, limited by the road environment, four-wheeled carriages could not be popularized for a long time. Huo Zhengyuan's carriage only had two wheels, so the carriage was naturally not big, making it extremely uncomfortable for four people to squeeze inside.
But Huo Zhengyuan was not angry because of this. Instead, he looked at Tang Cheng with interest and asked, "Tell me, what news do you need to report to me alone, and why do you want to hide it from others?"
Tang Cheng replied cautiously: "The origin of the man named Hu is unknown, and the villain has also seen it. You, University Scholar Huo, have always been tolerant of him. You just want to use him, and you don't really want to cooperate with him.
So even though the villain doesn't know whether the information he has is important or not, he still thinks that he should report it to Academician Huo alone."
After a pause, Tang Chengcheng continued: "I hope that Academician Huo will know that the villain suddenly thought of something, that is, the Qingxi River! The last time the villain met Jiang Xiao was on the Qingxi River.
Inside a awning boat, and this time I met Jiang Xiao again, also boarding the boat from a tributary of the Qingxi River...
So the villain wondered, does this situation mean that Jiang Xiao's hiding place is somewhere along the Qingxi River? Moreover, Jiang Xiao and his dead men have been using the secrets of the Qingxi River these days.
Activities? So, if we can send people to closely monitor the key locations in the Qingxi River, can we discover the specific movements of Jiang Xiao and his dead men?"
After hearing this, Huo Zhengyuan looked at Tang Cheng with some surprise, then nodded slightly and said: "I didn't expect that you could think of this key point so quickly! The man surnamed Hu he saw was named Hu Xiao.
, although he is cunning and cunning, but this time he did not react as quickly as you!"
Tang Cheng did not immediately think of the "Eight Owls in the World" because of the name Hu Xiao, but after hearing this, he was still secretly shocked and asked: "Scholar Huo...have you thought of this? That's not a big deal.
The whole team is doing tricks!"
After Huo Zhengyuan, Guo Min, and Qian Bodao looked at each other, they seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding, and they all nodded lightly.
Afterwards, Huo Zhengyuan said slowly: "Actually, even if you didn't report the news to me just now, I will find a reason to summon you to meet you next, because I still have a secret mission that I need to tell you."
Tang Cheng quickly replied: "Please give me the instructions, Master Huo!"
Huo Zhengyuan's tone was a little cold, and he said: "You have met Jiang Xiao twice and Hu Xiao several times. In your opinion... in terms of scheming and tactics, which one of these two is more powerful?"
Tang Cheng answered almost without any hesitation: "Jiang Xiao must be more powerful, and much more powerful! When the villain faces Jiang Xiao, he will even feel an oppressive feeling that he cannot breathe! And when the villain faces that Hu Xiao,
, although it is also very difficult, but I can barely cope with it.”
Huo Zhengyuan nodded lightly and said: "Actually, these two Xiao Xiao have their own advantages. Hu Xiao is more cunning and cunning, and better at betrayal, but his advantage is just a little cleverness! Although I have never seen that Jiang Xiao with my own eyes, I have never seen him.
Judging from various signs, this Jiang Xiao's scheming methods are undoubtedly much smarter, especially his decisiveness, and he is good at seizing chestnuts from the fire...
This time, although I arranged for you to meet Jiang Xiao again, Hu Xiao will be solely responsible for all the details of the specific execution of the task. After you meet Jiang Xiao again, your words and deeds will be strictly followed.
You accepted Hu Xiao’s prior explanation, right?”
After Tang Cheng nodded, Huo Zhengyuan sneered with disdain and said: "That's why I say that Hu Xiao's cleverness is just a little cleverness! His deception techniques can at most deceive stupid pirates, but there is a high probability that
You can't deceive Jiang Xiao! After you met Jiang Xiao, you were obviously flustered, but you were able to answer Jiang Xiao's cross-examination skillfully, and your words were full of guidance. As long as Jiang Xiao has half of the legendary ability,
They will definitely be alert and think that you are well prepared, and they will discover your countermeasures!"
Speaking of this, Huo Zhengyuan glanced at Tang Cheng's pale face and said: "After I saw Hu Xiao's methods, I knew that his wishful thinking would not succeed. Instead, it would arouse Jiang Xiao's vigilance, but I did not
He didn’t stop Hu Xiao’s plan, but still allowed you to meet Jiang Xiao again!
Taking advantage of this opportunity to meet, it would be best if we can successfully find Jiang Xiao's hiding place. However, if we cannot successfully find Jiang Xiao's hiding place, then I can also convey a message to Jiang Xiao through you.
The news is that Hu Xiao is currently hiding in my temporary residence, and he deliberately did not strengthen the security of the temporary residence. He just wanted to use Hu Xiao as bait to attract Jiang Xiao to lead his dead soldiers to attack head-on!
Originally, I gave it a try, but when I heard Jiang Xiao's specific response from you, I knew that this plan was probably successful! Jiang Xiao had most likely guessed your objection, but he
Pretending not to know is just to make me feel at ease, to lower my vigilance and neglect precautions, which means... he has made up his mind to lead his dead soldiers to attack my temporary residence!"
After hearing this, Tang Cheng's face became increasingly pale, almost bloodless.
Tang Cheng originally thought that he was a smart man with many tricks up his sleeve, but in the past few days, he had been playing both ways. First, he betrayed Huo Zhengyuan to win Jiang Xiao's trust, and then deceived Jiang Xiao into currying favor with Huo Zhengyuan, while he took advantage of the opportunity to take advantage of both sides.
But now, he suddenly discovered that neither Huo Zhengyuan nor Jiang Xiao had ever truly trusted him. They were just using him to deliver false news to each other. If they were not careful, they would become a discarded child.
, die without a burial place!
Huo Zhengyuan, in particular, even said "just give it a try", but if the attempt failed, Huo Zhengyuan would not lose anything, but Tang Cheng himself would definitely pay the price with his life!
However, Tang Cheng naturally did not dare to show any dissatisfaction at this time. Instead, he put on a dumbfounded look and praised repeatedly: "That's it! That's it! Academician Huo is very calculating! No matter how cunning or ghost-like he is,
Hu Xiao and the scheming Jiang Xiao are both being manipulated by you without even realizing it!"
Huo Zhengyuan nodded with a smile and further explained: "The main reason is to take the opportunity to paralyze Hu Xiao. Hu Xiao is suspicious by nature and only believes in himself, so after I leave this matter to him to make full arrangements, he will think that he has control of the overall situation.
At least for a short period of time, I can protect myself without worries, and then lower my vigilance... Then I can take the opportunity to convince him to stay where he is, and I can leave the dangerous place in advance!
Huh! Hu Xiao said that he was unwilling to risk his life as a bait, but it was not up to him to decide this matter! If what I expected was true, no matter how courageous Jiang Xiao was, he would not dare to lead the crowd in broad daylight.
He attacked my temporary residence, so he must be doing it at night!
The specific time of action is most likely between Chou hour and Yin hour. This period is when everyone is sleeping the deepest. The earliest will be tonight, and the latest will be the night after tomorrow! If it is later, the Nanjing government will revoke the martial law, Hu Xiao
He will wait for an opportunity to escape, so that he can no longer catch his tail!"
Tang Cheng suddenly realized again and said: "So, you are looking for an excuse to leave the temporary residence before dark? Then...where do you want to go to take charge of the overall situation next? What do you need the villain to do?"
Huo Zhengyuan replied slowly: "In the next few days, I will still return to the temporary residence during the day, but every evening, I will use Jiang Zheng's life in danger as an excuse to go to the East Garden to seek shelter! At this time of turmoil, the situation is
Nowadays, Dongyuan, where Zhou Shoufu lives temporarily, is the safest place in Nanjing City. It is not only the headquarters of the Song family, but also a group of forbidden troops stationed to guard Zhou Shoufu. Even if a big turmoil breaks out in Nanjing City, it will never be affected.
Get there!
And you will have a heavy task next. I have been asking you to secretly gather people and contact everyone these days. Although it is not completely arranged, it can be regarded as prepared in advance. Next is the time to make a difference. You must
Taking advantage of the two tigers Jiang Xiao and Hu Xiao fighting each other, kill Jiang Xiao and his dead men in one fell swoop!
There are three key points in this matter. The first is to try to capture Jiang Xiao and his dead men alive so that I can find conclusive evidence to deal with the big man behind the scenes who secretly raised the dead men. The second is to take the opportunity to capture Hu Xiao and his men.
All the desperadoes must be silenced, so that all forces cannot be aware of the connection between me and Hu Xiao; third, we must try our best to get the matter settled before all parties react, and we must not let all forces find an opportunity to intervene in picking peaches!"
After Tang Cheng nodded vigorously in agreement, Huo Zhengyuan also nodded with satisfaction, and then informed Tang Cheng of all the arrangements for his follow-up plans in detail.
After another quarter of an hour, Huo Zhengyuan explained all the tasks to Tang Cheng, then asked Tang Cheng to get out of the car and leave.
After Tang Cheng left, Qian Bodao, who had been silent for a long time, finally said: "Master Huo, I still feel that just gathering a few hundred lowly people is not enough to accomplish anything! Even if you promise the benefits of resigning, let me
They are all brave enough to fight, and it is unimaginable that they are capable of fighting against nearly two hundred well-trained dead soldiers."
Huo Zhengyuan nodded and said: "This is another reason why I went to Dongyuan! If these cheap people really can't play a role, then I can promptly notify Zhou Shoufu of the relevant news and use Zhou Shoufu's power to deal with Jiang Xiao and his dead men.
!At that time, it is indeed a pity to give part of the benefits to Zhou Shoufu, but at least it is better than trying to draw water from a bamboo basket and get nothing."
As Huo Zhengyuan finished speaking, the horseman outside the carriage loudly reported: "Master Huo, the East Garden is a hundred feet ahead. Please prepare to get off."
*
Just when Huo Zhengyuan arrived at the East Garden for a visit, in a study room in the East Garden, Zhou Shangjing and Song Chengren were staring at a map of Nanjing City on the desk with concentrated expressions, discussing something with each other in low voices.
Song Chengren raised his hand and pointed to several locations on the map of Nanjing City, and said slowly: "The group of dead soldiers who are wanted by the Nanjing government are most likely hiding in the west of the city! And after a whole day of repeated testing,
We have found several suspicious locations in the west of the city and need to focus on investigation! But these locations are all somewhat sensitive...
For example, this location is the residence of Professor Jia Chun of Yingtian Academy, which is extremely suspicious. Professor Jia has always had a strong temper and often quarrels and conflicts with others, but in the past few days, he has been facing intrusive searches by various forces.
On this occasion, there was no obstruction or resistance, and it was completely inconsistent with his temperament to let people investigate at will to show his openness. Moreover, the people who went to search Jia's house also found that Professor Jia's youngest son never showed up.
Maybe he was held hostage!
However, we have sent people to search the Jia Mansion twice, but we did not find anything suspicious. Maybe there are secret rooms and cellars in the Jia Mansion, but if you want to find the secret room, you must smash it.
To demolish houses, and Professor Jia is quite prestigious among Jiangnan scholars, it would be fine if we finally find out that the group of dead soldiers is indeed hiding in Jia's house, but if we still find nothing in the end, we will inevitably suffer from Jiangnan
Strong criticism from Shilin!
The situation like the Jia Mansion is not an isolated case. For example, Nanjing Shantang is also very suspicious. However, Nanjing Shantang has adopted countless orphans over the years. It has an excellent reputation. Behind it is the power of the imperial businessmen, who has a tough attitude to obstruct it.
We conducted a detailed search, and it was obvious that we had something up our sleeves, but if we carried out a large-scale and forced search, we would definitely be criticized by all walks of life;
There is also this location. On the surface, there is only a widow living there, but this widow is actually a concubine of Xi Cheng, the eunuch guarding Nanjing.
You will face the revenge of Eunuch Xi..."
Zhou Shangding nodded and said without hesitation: "Investigate! It's all a strict investigation! Don't let anything go! No matter what kind of backlash it causes, even if the sky falls, I will still hold it up!"
At this moment, a servant of the Song family reported outside the door: "Reporting to Zhou Shoufu, the head of the old family! Academician Huo wants to see you!"