Not long after Liu Zhao left, Zhou Lezhi walked around in the yard for a few times - this was his old habit, and he would use this method to relieve himself when he was feeling irritable. This was also the method given to him by his master.
He was in a very irritable mood, and kidnapping Leng Ningyun was actually a desperate move. If the matter was not kept secret, not only would the peace talks fail, but the situation that he had worked so hard for Mr. Wang for many years would fall apart in an instant.
Australians are cunning by nature and are best at plotting and spying. If there is any loophole, they will sneak in. This sudden loss of contact with Liu Zheng, could it be due to some accident?
Thinking of this, he felt horrified. Liu Zheng was at the core of this operation. If anything went wrong, the entire plan would go bankrupt in an instant. Not only that, it would also endanger himself.
Of course, Liu Wei didn't know where he was, just as he didn't know where Liu Wei was in Tongzhou. But as long as the other party caught Liu Wei, he couldn't count on Liu Wei's loyalty. If you follow the clues, you can always find traces.
Thinking of this, he no longer remained calm and immediately shouted: "Wang Zhi!"
Wang Zhiyuan was busy in the concierge and ran over immediately after hearing his call: "Sir..."
"Pack your bags immediately and let's leave here."
Wang Zhi was stunned: "Sir, our lease has not expired, so how can we tell the monk that we are leaving now? You still have an appointment for the outpatient clinic."
"Write a post and hang it on the door. Say that we are in an emergency and will go to our hometown for the time being and will come back soon. Tell the monk to keep the house for us and pay the rent until the end of the year." Zhou Lezhi ordered, "Excess things
Don’t use anything, just stay where you are. Only bring the important things with you.”
"Yes!" Wang Zhi responded and then asked, "Sir, where should we move?"
"Go to the lower part of the west of the city."
For safety reasons, in addition to Wang Gongchang's old house in the south of the city, he secretly purchased a small courtyard in the west of the city as a hiding place in times of emergency.
Many people in Wang Yehao's group knew that before he planned the operation, he had quietly moved his family from Wang Gongchang's residence to this residence for safety reasons. He practiced medicine in Chongxiao Temple.
As a place of contact.
Liu Zheng's whereabouts are now unknown. If he is caught, not only will the residence in the south of the city be raided, but it will also not be safe here.
"Keep a spy in the temple to see if anyone comes to inquire." Zhou Lezhi ordered, "Send someone to inform Wang Liang."
"Yes, sir."
"This is the Nanyuan Earth Temple?" Li Rufeng said in surprise.
"Exactly." Wu Cheng responded.
"Isn't this temple built by imperial decree? How come it is in such a dilapidated state?"
"The emperor has not been here for more than a hundred years, and the admiral's office is in a state of disrepair. Who will care about the earth temple built by the emperor." Wu Cheng said with emotion, "At least the house has not collapsed."
Ningyou Temple is in dilapidated condition. Many years ago, when the emperor often visited Nanyuan on horseback to fight sieges, this temple was very popular. However, in the past hundred years, no one has cared about it anymore.
Although the temple is dilapidated, its scale is outstanding. Dozens of ancient locust trees and willows grow naked around it, and their bare willow branches sway in the cold wind.
The terrain here cannot be said to be steep, but it is surrounded by wilderness and swamps. If you get closer, you will be discovered by the temple personnel. So they stopped advancing a few miles away, chose a dense forest to hide first, and observed with telescopes.
The temple seems to be surrounded by grassy wilderness. If you look closely, there are large swamps and river forks to the north and east. It is now frozen, and the withered yellow reeds are trembling in the cold wind. This place is only five miles away from the Yingying Terrace, which is Nanyuan. Zeguo, Lishui Township.
Li Rufeng was secretly frightened. If the kidnapping occurred when the water rose in spring and summer, there would be no need for temples and buildings, but only a small boat hidden among the thousands of acres of reed swamps. That would be like finding a needle in a haystack!
The swamps and river forks are all frozen now. Although it makes it easier for the thieves to stand guard, it also makes it impossible for them to escape.
The temple halls have become dens of foxes and rats. The gardens are overgrown with thorns, the pavilions are covered with dust, there are skylights on the roofs, and decaying walls are opening doors. If no one cares about them, they will surely be lost in the vast wasteland. They are just centipede insects. , dead but not stiff; this ancient temple with more than ten couplets still has shelter from the wind and rain, from the opened vegetable garden, the barely repaired wall and the wisps of black smoke floating in the sky. Look, there are still people living inside.
It was winter at this time, and no one was moving outside. From the smoking chimneys, we could tell that at least three or four rooms here were still occupied.
Suddenly, the neighing of horses came from the temple, followed by several more echoes. Li Rufeng was stunned: Are there any horses inside?
Wu Cheng suddenly became smart at this moment. Before he could speak, he muttered: "Eh? Are you so talented?"
"Old Wu, how many people live in this temple?"
"There are only the host and his two apprentices." Wu Chengdao, "Both of them were eunuchs. The host is very old and the apprentice is over fifty. He has been in the palace all his life and has no reputation. He lives here. , get some money and rice to survive..."
"Okay!" Li Rufeng was slightly excited. If there are three people, it is impossible to have three or four stoves to keep warm. Although it is not difficult to find firewood in Nanyuan, they are all elderly people and it is not easy to collect firewood. This is not possible. of waste.
"What a fart!" Wu Cheng only wore a torn cotton-padded jacket with many patches. Finally, the escort agency showed him a sheepskin vest, so he had the courage to go out into the wilderness at this time of year. But even this old sheepskin vest couldn't resist the North Country. The biting cold wind in the wilderness made him shiver with cold. He wiped his nose with clean water with his sleeves and said, "Have you finished reading this? Hurry up and go to the next house after you finish reading."
"Don't worry." Li Rufeng chuckled. This Australian telescope is so easy to use! You can see clearly for miles!
Probably because of the cold weather, there were no signs of whistles outside the temple. However, on the ruined gatehouse of the temple, he clearly saw a man in black, squatting behind a broken fan. In front of him, There is also a small stove, where you can rub your hands and breathe from time to time.
A ruined temple, three poor eunuchs and Taoists, there is obviously no need to hire someone to look after them. Who they are is clearly visible on the page.
He immediately signaled to his men: "Get closer from three sides!"
The three bodyguards immediately dived away. Wu Cheng was shocked when he saw this and whispered: "Chief bodyguard, are you going to..."
"It's a big deal!" Li Rufeng said, "If it happens, your fortune will be indispensable!"
"This... this..." Wu Cheng trembled unconsciously, "If you want to fight, I don't want this advantage..." He was about to say "let's go", but when he saw that Li Rufeng's eyes were filled with murderous intent, he immediately stopped talking.
Then he swallowed it back alive.
"How many people can live in the temple at most?" he asked sharply.
"More than twenty..."
"Twenty-one or twenty-nine?!"
"In winter... we can live at most... twenty people at most." Wu Cheng stammered.
"Besides the main entrance, where else can I go in and out?"
Wu Cheng said with a sad face, "There is a door at the back. After the collapse, the host blocked it. There is a waist door on the east and west sides. They are also locked every day."
"How long has it been since you were here last?"
"After winter, Pindao has never been here again. This place is remote and...and..."
"It's not like there's much to gain, is it?"
"You know the truth, I'm not a poor person who doesn't like the fireworks of the world."
Li Rufeng was now sure that Leng Ningyun was hiding here. However, when he visited Nanyuan, he only brought seven or eight bodyguards with him. If there were twenty people inside, he was not sure that he could capture them in one fell swoop. There were people and horses inside.
If they put Elder Leng on horseback and drive away, they would definitely not be able to catch up.
Half an hour later, the three escorts sent for reconnaissance came back and reported that there were no abnormalities on the north, west, and east sides. There were no hidden sentries outside the temple. The three doors were also closed. There was a boat at the pier at the back door.
Frozen in the swamp.
Li Rufeng immediately left the three of them on the spot to monitor, and took the others to take the nearest road out of Nanyuan - he wanted to mobilize manpower.
The temple is dilapidated, the buildings are sparse, and no less than twenty people have gathered inside. It is almost impossible to carry out a sneak attack quietly. The only way to protect the safety of Elder Leng is to gather superior forces and attack in one go.
Fortunately, the opponent regards Elder Leng as a rare commodity and will not easily kill him, as long as he moves quickly enough.
He immediately sent someone to Haidian to notify Liao Sanniang, and at the same time mobilized manpower. Notifying Liao Sanniang was not to ask her to come for reinforcements, but to tell her to keep a close eye on the money. According to the intelligence from Min Zhanlian's team, the enemy was coveting the money in the village.
Rulers need to be "outsmarted" and have to be more careful.
There are more than 100 people hired by He Liansheng's escort company. One-third of them are guarding the money at the bank in Haidian, and there are more than ten people at Delong Bank to protect it - there is now a seal of Shuntian Mansion, so they can easily
No one dared to touch it, and it didn't require too many manpower; the remaining fifty or so people were divided into groups and wandered around the city, looking for clues.
Li Rufeng decided not to recall them immediately - it would be too conspicuous, but to wait until after the update. The capital had a curfew as usual every night, and the escorts who were out were required to return to the escort office.
In the evening of that day, a bodyguard came to report: "The bodyguard and Xiao Bazi who delivered the letter are back!"
Li Rufeng secretly wondered. If Liao Sanniang had a message, she could have asked the escort to bring it back. Why did she specially ask this young man to come back?
"Chief escort!" Xiao Bazi bowed and bowed, "I brought a message from Miss Liao Sanniang." After that, he repeated the message word for word: Miss Sanniang already knows the whole story and will guard her carefully. Please let the chief escort go.
Do it.
"I understand." Li Rufeng nodded, "You go and rest."
"Sister-in-law also said, please ask the chief escort to help you!" After saying that, he fell to his knees on the ground.
Li Rufeng was stunned, and immediately understood Liao Sanniang's intention. He smiled and kicked the little boy gently: "You little monkey boy, I haven't seen you for a few days, and you hugged Sanniang's thick legs!"
"Please give me permission from the head escort!" Xiao Bazi said loudly.
"Okay!" Li Rufeng nodded, "I promise you! Go to bed now!"