Song Chengzu's eyes were slightly dark, and his face looked tired. It seemed that he had not slept all night. Since ancient times, people who work in criminal investigations have always confused right and wrong, and Song Chengzu, who is the Proposal Department of the Ministry of Punishment, is certainly no exception.
"Mr. Song, is the trial over?"
Song Chengzu said guiltily: "Sir, then, the man in black bit his tongue and committed suicide."
"What? Speak slowly." I was startled and my sleepiness disappeared.
"Sir, after returning to the government office, I immediately interrogated He Dongfu. He said that he had suffered a serious illness more than ten years ago and sought famous doctors, but to no avail. When he was about to die, he was treated by a doctor named Tang Fang.
He Dongfu was very grateful for the rescue, but as an ordinary villager, he had nothing to repay. The doctor told him when he left that if he needed his help in the future,
When the time comes, I will come to him again. Just last month, Tang Feng found He Dongfu with the doctor's token and asked for his help in obtaining Chisong Tie. In order to repay his life-saving grace, He Dongfu left Tang Feng in Hejiazhuang.
The two of them joined together to compete in martial arts to recruit relatives, marry into the He family, and then represent Hejiazhuang in the Taoist and secular martial arts competition of the Chisong sect. If they win, they will enter the treasure house as the son-in-law of Hejiazhuang.
Ji Guan. With Tang Feng's martial arts, it is easy. He Dongfu grew up in Jinhua since childhood and knew the terrain around Hejiazhuang very well, so he arranged for Tang Feng's three subordinates and Hu Yun's mother and son to live in a place in the back mountain.
into an abandoned wooden house and was responsible for delivering meals every day. He Dongfu explained that this incident had nothing to do with Hejiazhuang and was purely his personal behavior. The owner of Hejiazhuang is still the
We were kept in the dark. As for the killing of Gai Jietian, He Dongfu didn't know either. After the interrogation, we were going to interrogate the man in black and found that he had bitten his tongue and committed suicide in the cell. And Hu Feng's other two men were
The men in black were hired with a lot of money on the way, and they only said that they would be bodyguards to keep an eye on Hu Yun, mother and son, and not let them leave. They didn't know anything else."
"It seems that the man in black knows a lot of things. It's a pity. Forget it, Mr. Song, we will return to the capital today. You still have some things to do next."
"Please give me your instructions, Master."
"The first is to check the case carefully to see if there are any omissions. The entire case seems to be clear, except for the meaning of the two words Gai Jiaotian wrote when he died. The second is how to pursue Hu Feng in the future.
"
"Yes, sir, how should Hu Yun deal with it?"
"Mr. Song, after you have verified that everything is correct, we will implement it in accordance with the laws of this dynasty. If you are guilty, you will be sentenced and if you are not guilty, you will be reinstated."
"I understand, sir."
"Also, check the situation of Ren Yisong, the prefect of Jinhua, and tell me when you get back. Mr. Yuan, did Lan Yu and others find anything last night?"
"Sir, there is nothing wrong. Hu Yun and her mother have been sleeping in the house all night. It seems that they are tired during this time."
"Well, call the three of them and Fang Ling. After breakfast, we will return to the capital immediately."
"Brother, are you going back so soon? I haven't had enough fun yet."
"Haha, Ling'er, I'll bring you out next time I have a chance. I have to go back and see how Xiao Tian's MSG sales are going."
"Huh, money addict."
Yuan Ji and others snickered secretly, saying that Miss Fang was the only one who dared to speak of Mr. Huyan like this.
On the way back to Beijing, the weather was cloudy and sunny, with occasional drizzle. Yesterday's heavy rain made many places on the official road muddy and difficult to navigate, which caused our return to slow down a lot, until just before midnight
It took me a moment to return to Shifeng Trading Company in the capital.
The Gai Jingtian case has come to an end, but I didn't expect that another more difficult question would appear, the Tongmenghui case. This case had no clue, just like the final question in an exam.
I sat hazily on the dragon chair, still a little depressed, as if I was just recovering from a serious illness.
Xiao Qi's familiar voice said: "Go to court."
I took a deep breath and said, "Dear ladies, I feel unwell and have been in bed for several days. I have basically recovered now. If you have anything to do, please let me know."
When I returned to the palace last night, Quan Jiu and Xiao Qi were still helping me sort out the memorials in the imperial study. In ancient times, the busiest people were really the wise kings. What does it mean to forget about food and sleep, and have to deal with all kinds of things every day? It’s hard work, and you are the leader of all officials.
It's Jia Sidao again, and I'm even more worried. Although Wen Tianxiang, Lu Xiufu and others are undoubtedly loyal, their way of thinking is still different from mine. After all, there is a historical gap of eight hundred years. Objectively speaking, it is indeed
It's very difficult to overcome.
Jia Sidao took the lead in reporting: "Your Majesty, yesterday I received an urgent report from Lu Wende, the envoy of the Jinghu pacification system, that a large number of Mongolian troops were found in the Xinye area, two hundred miles north of Xiangfan. The purpose is unknown. The upper level of the Privy Council held a meeting overnight to reply to Lu Wende for strengthening
Be on guard, your Majesty will decide on the specific matters."
"What, the Mongolian army is gathering at our border?"
Not only me, but also the ministers in the palace were shocked. Is there going to be another war? Except for a few senior officials from the Privy Council and the Ministry of War, everyone started whispering for a while.
I can't tell any clues from Jia Sidao's facial expression. I vaguely remember that Jia Sidao once lied about the military situation in history, but I can't be sure. Moreover, this is a war between two countries, and I dare not do it.
Not careless at all. Even if I can clearly remember that the Mongols launched the Xiangyang War in 1267, I don't want to bet on whether it will change with my arrival, and I don't dare to bet.
"Any news from other border crossings?"
"not yet."
I thought about it and kicked the ball back to Jia Sidao: "Master, what do you think we should do?"
"Your Majesty, the troops will stop us and the water will cover us. Although it is still unclear whether the Mongols will invade our country from the south, we should treat them as if they were in wartime. Mongolia is the biggest hidden danger to our country. It is better to trust them than not trust them at all."
, so I suggest
, before the intentions of the Mongols are clear, our top priority should be to fight against the Mongols, and other matters can be postponed as appropriate. At the same time, the imperial army will be sent to the Xiangfan area to assist General Lu Wende in strengthening the defense and investigate the whole matter. "
If the Mongolian army gathers in Xinye, then no matter whether they will go south or not, Jia Sidao's suggestion is quite satisfactory. But is Jia Sidao lying about the military situation? If so, for what purpose?
History is created by people. Jia Sidao has not changed, but the emperor has changed. I will not be led by his lead.
"What the teacher and minister said is reasonable. The Privy Council immediately issued an order to send 5,000 elite imperial troops to Xiangfan. Who should lead the troops?"
"Your Majesty, you can order Xia Jiangang, the commander of the cavalry army, to lead the troops."
"Xia Jiangang?" I said, "Then according to the wishes of the ministers, the Privy Council will give me daily news from the front. I am a little tired and will withdraw from the court."
After dinner, I sorted out my thoughts. Even if the Mongols are about to start a full-scale war now, as long as our country can defend Xiangyang, it shouldn't be easily defeated. Lu Wende and Lu Wenhuan have experienced hundreds of battles, and they still can't defend it for two or three years.
problematic.
"The officials, Mr. Wen, and Mr. Lu are here."
"Okay, let them come in, just in time to discuss Mongolia."
Lu Xiufu said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has indeed received an urgent report from Mr. Lu, and the news about Longya may arrive two days in the evening. Judging from the intelligence currently available, Kublai Khan of Mongolia is making great efforts to reform the internal affairs. I think
At this stage, Mongolia does not have the ability to launch a large-scale war, not to mention that there is no information coming from Yangzhou and Chengdu."
Wen Tianxiang also echoed: "Yes, Your Majesty, if Kublai Khan invades the south, he will not launch a war from just one area."
"It's hard to say. If I were Kublai Khan, I would adopt the strategy of taking Xiangfan first. Jun Shi's analysis should be reasonable. Kublai Khan's gathering of troops is most likely to harass our court."
The Mongolian invasion of the south in history was to break through at selected points, occupy Xiangyang and then extend to the entire Southern Song Dynasty.
Wen Tianxiang nodded and then asked: "But if it is just to harass our court, why did your Majesty agree to send out the imperial army? This seems to be a waste of people and money."
"As for the army, it should be mobilized after a while. One hundred thousand forbidden troops will stay in the capital for a long time, and sooner or later they will become exhausted. Song Rui, what's the progress at Yun Bofei's place recently?"
"Back to Your Majesty, except for frequent discussions with Shen Yiqiu, Yun Bofei basically stayed behind closed doors. He said that he was about to find a way to improve the matchlock gun."
"Yes, very good. I will go to the Gunpowder Department in a few days. After the matchlocks are improved, we will start building a new army. Junshi, where is Li Tingzhi?"
"Your Majesty, everything is normal at Mr. Li's place. It is expected that up to 500 soldiers will join Longya in the near future."
"Okay, tell Li Tingzhi, you must remember that it is better to lack than to waste."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Also, can the Longya Intelligence Department cover Qingxi on Liangzhe Road?"
"Not yet. We have only established contact stations in key cities."
"Well, hurry up and cover it. You send another person to the Qingxi area to investigate the next organization called the Tongmenghui. I know very little about this organization."
Just as he was talking, Xiao Qi came to report, "Master He Jihe is here."
"Haha, the three Chongzhengdian lecturers are here today. Xiao Qi, please call He Aiqing in."