Late at night, in a small courtyard in the northwest corner of the Ye family's old house, light came from a window in the east wing, and Pang Yu walked gently in the house.
This small courtyard used to be the residence of a concubine of the Ye family. It was burned down during the civil unrest. However, the brick wall is still there and it is farthest from the gate. When people nearby came to grab bricks, they were reluctant to go here, so it was easier to repair.
Conveniently, Zhuang Ban rebuilt the beams and roof tiles, and repaired two large rooms. One of them was Pang Yu's dormitory, which only contained simple tables, chairs and a bed.
After the bandits retreated, Pang Yu did not go home, but lived here.
Jiang Fan sat quietly on a high chair, not daring to disturb Pang Yu.
After escaping from Susong that day, he first went south to Wangjiang County, then went all the way down the river and met up with other horses in Anqing Fucheng. He did not return to Tongcheng until it was confirmed that the bandits had left.
Pang Yu stopped and asked Jiang Fan, "You said you heard in Anqing that on the third day of February, the government sent someone to Susong to announce that the bandits had arrived in Tongcheng?"
Jiang Fan said in a low voice, "I have been traveling to Anqing for a long time, and I am very familiar with the Chengfa Department, the Criminal Department, the Fuya Zao Class, and the Huaining Express Class. This time, I found out this news through the First Secretary Office of the Chengfa Department.
At that time, the Anqing government office sent messengers to Qianshan, Taihu, Susong, and Wangjiang. The one in Qianshan disappeared. The one in Taihu encountered a thief and turned back, but the one in Susong disappeared after returning home. As of the day before yesterday,
He never appeared again."
"According to what you just said, the messenger will go on the third day of the second lunar month, delivering such fatal news. Every moment outside means an extra moment of danger. The messenger must not dare to delay. He will definitely reach Susong on the fourth day of the lunar month. You only arrived on the fifth day of the lunar month.
When you arrived, Su Songcheng told you that the magistrate was in the Yamen. At this time, the curtain friend and his people were in the Yamen and wanted to kill you.
If you and I are correct, Chen Shifu has already learned that the bandits are coming, and you happened to go there. He is trying to silence him, pretending that he has not received any news about the bandits, so that he can escape, and throw the blame for the fall of Susong to the county magistrate Zhu Wannian.
.”
"The villain thinks the same way. Susong has no city and no soldiers, and no one can defend it. This is the only way he can save his life."
"When I met Mr. Ma in the evening, he said that the Sweeping King arrived in Susong on February 7th. Susong County Prime Minister Zhu Wannian only learned the news that day. In such a hurry, even if there is a city wall, it may not be able to hold it."
Pang Yu smiled and shook his head and said, "If he gets the news, Chen Shifu can let the people flee, but he can't escape. If he escapes, he will fall into the feudal territory, and sooner or later he will be killed by a knife.
Just like Zhu Wannian, he could neither fight nor escape, so he could only wait for death in the Yamen.
If Chen Shifu wanted to save his own life, he could only block the news of the coming bandits and let the people lose their lives.
The person who killed you that day must have been his confidant, so they did not dare to alert other people in the yamen. Once you are caught and the news of the coming bandits spreads, Chen Shifu will undoubtedly die. In this way, you can save your life.
.”
Jiang Fan sighed softly and looked at the ground. Under the dim light, he couldn't see his expression clearly and didn't know what he was thinking. After a moment, he raised his head and said, "He knows that I am Tongcheng Ma Kuai. If he evades the court,
If you are severely punished, people will be sent to Tongcheng to silence you."
Pang Yu nodded and said, "Since he dared to kill people in the county government, it is appropriate to silence him, and it may not take long."
Jiang Fan tentatively said, "I want to send my parents to the Ye family's old house first. There is a strong squad on duty here, which is safer than at home. I hope the squad leader will allow it."
"You will bring your family here tomorrow and stay in the West Garden. There will be sentries here all day long, so you should have nothing to worry about.
But this is always passive. He wants to silence him, so let’s catch him a few more times. Silencing him will be meaningless, so that you can be safe."
"The leader is talking about the messenger?"
"There is one messenger, but this person has disappeared. With the court on the verge of being investigated, he may not dare to return home in the short term, and it will be difficult to arrest him for a while."
Pang Yu stared into Jiang Fan's eyes, "There are almost no people left in Susong City, and the county government office has been burned down. Chen Shifu acts as the county magistrate, and must stay in the city to deal with the aftermath. I'm afraid he doesn't even have many officials in his hands, so the secretaries must go around in person.
To do something, you can bring two capable men with you tomorrow to capture that friend."
Jiang Fan's eyes lit up, and he arrested his secret friend, who would be the most powerful witness. In this way, Chen Shifu could use the rat weapon to make him truly safe, without having to worry about someone trying to silence him all the time.
"This matter needs to be kept tight-lipped. The villain only has one person he can trust. Can the squad leader lend me a reliable manpower from the strong squad?"
Pang Yu thought about it and said, "No one from the Zhuang class is suitable. Take Guo Fengyou with you."
Jiang Fan knew that Guo Fengyou was the one who stopped the rogue boy army dressed as beggars at the city gate that day, giving Tongcheng an early warning. Then Pang Yu sent him out to scout, and that led to many things that happened later.
He was not familiar with Guo Fengyou. He only knew that he was a helper from the fast class and had only been here for a short time. But since Pang Yu thought he could be used, at least it wouldn't be too bad.
He thought for a moment and then said, "Su Song has come to Tongcheng for more than two hundred miles. It is easy for a villain to catch him. How to transport him over such a long distance? Can the squad leader give you some advice?"
"Use a carriage."
Pang Yu thought of Ruan Dacheng's routine for leaving the city and whispered, "If the frame of the bicycle is made to look like a female family member riding on it, it will save a lot of trouble on the road.
The key to doing this is to be secretive. You have to be patient and don't be impatient when arresting people. You must repeatedly survey the terrain before taking action and only take action when you are fully confident. Otherwise, you will alert the snake. Once they are alert, it will be difficult to deal with later.
.
You can plan other details on your own and practice more. The more prepared you are, the greater your confidence will be."
"I understand, I'm just worried that if I make a mistake, I'll injure the class leader."
Pang Yu chuckled and said, "He knows it, but he dares to speak out and do it boldly."
Jiang Fan nodded. He had been frightened for the past ten days. After thinking over and over again, he roughly deduced the situation that day. Although he escaped temporarily, he still had to worry about being silenced later.
He is just an ordinary horse rider. If Pang Yu doesn't dare to stand up for him, then he will face Chen Shifu alone. Regardless of the power and financial resources, they are not on the same level. Now with Pang Yu's support, the situation is immediately different, and he can finally let go of his worries.
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"After catching that friend, how should we use him?"
Pang Yu returned to the chair and sat down, crossed his legs and said, "Chen Shifu is in charge of grain transportation, water conservancy, farming, and river defense in Anqing. He can't control a few of these, but grain transportation and river defense involve Anhui."
At the Caoliang and other docks on the water, holding on to that curtain friend will not only save your life, but also grab Chen Shifu's tail. I want the dock in Anqing."
Jiang Fan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Pang Yu to say such a thing. He didn't know what Pang Yu wanted to do with the dock.
Seeing Jiang Fan in a daze, Pang Yu didn't explain, but just ordered, "Get this matter done as soon as possible. I'm going to Suzhou soon. It's best to get it done before I go to Suzhou. But I still said, safety first, only when you are sure."
Take action."
"The villain obeys your orders."
Jiang Fan agreed in a low voice.
At this time, Pang Ding's voice said outside, "Team leader, Captain He is here."
When Jiang Fan heard Captain He's words, he immediately stood up and said, "I will make some preparations tomorrow and set off the day after tomorrow. I will leave first without disturbing the rest of the squad."
Pang Yu nodded, stood up and walked him to the door.
He Xianya was already waiting outside the door. He nodded slightly when he saw Jiang Fan, and Jiang Fan nodded in greeting. The two of them did not speak to each other.
After Jiang Fan left, He Xianya entered the house and said to Pang Yu, "Mr. Ma is staying at the branch office on Fenxun Road tonight. Almost everyone from the county government office to the clerk and above has gone. They all go in through the back door and out through the side door. I'm afraid I'll have to pay a lot of money this night."
One thousand taels of silver."
Pang Yu didn't say anything after hearing this, and walked back to the table, picked up a wine flask from the corner, and filled the two bowls on the table with wine.
He Xianya came over and sat down, while Pang Yu picked up the wine. The two touched each other and took a big sip.
After putting down the wine bowl, Pang Yu said softly, "Tongcheng is in ruins, and we are afraid of being held accountable by the court. But this time, with the imperial mausoleum of Fengyang in front, and the three counties of Qianjiang behind, Tongcheng can hold the county seat no matter what.
Until Tongcheng is severely punished, they can each buy peace of mind while Mr. Ma makes a fortune."
He Xianya lowered his voice and said, "Fang Yingqian also went. In the evening, people from the torture chamber came to the old house and released Liu Xiucai."
Pang Yu looked up and saw a worried look on He Xianya's face. He had framed Liu Xiucai in Zilai Tower that day. He was originally expected to deal with Liu Xiucai in prison, but then he started to defend the city and had no time to go.
, but when He Xianya remembered this, Liu Xiucai had been released. For He Xianya, there was another powerful enemy.
"What did he do when he came out?"
"He set up two banquets at Yuhe Tower and invited many friends to celebrate. Brother Jiao... also went."
"Brother, do you still hang out with these people every day?"
"When the rogues came, my eldest brother was serious for a few days. He stayed on the west wall for two days. As soon as the rogues retreated, he returned to his old ways. He still..." Pang Yu looked at him, "What else?"
"He came to me after drinking in the evening and asked me to help him talk to you. Please ask the class leader not to embarrass Liu Xiucai again. He also wants to share more of the profits from Yunji Temple."
After He Xianya finished speaking, he buried his head and took a long while to peek at Pang Yu. He saw that Pang Yu didn't look any different. He was just frowning and staring at the table, not knowing what he was thinking.
"I know about this, and I will let him come to me on his own in the future. Don't help him pass the message."
Pang Yu rubbed his forehead and said, "You and I will go to Jiangnan in a while. Before that, you first go to a place to learn more about the recent situation there, and then arrange for your two helpers to stay there.