Chapter 154 Fang Xiandao's Assassination
Chapter 154 Fang Xiandao's Assassination (Subscription Request)
When they arrived at the private room, Lord Wu first took a pill and sobered up immediately. There was no trace of the drunken state he had in when he left the banquet just now.
He turned on the light and his eyes were exceptionally clear.
"Gongming, I'm here to inspect the coastal prefectures this time, and the Prime Minister asked me to cooperate with you and Lord Feng. You understand the actual situation in the local area, so I will do whatever you say, don't have any scruples." Lord Wu positioned himself very clearly. He is here to gain political achievements, not to hinder others.
Xu Qing had to admit that the Prime Minister was really kind to those who got things done.
As long as you are useful, we will definitely provide you with all kinds of convenient conditions and will not hold you back.
Loyal and capable officials since ancient times have known very well that no matter how big or small the matter is, if the people above do not drag their feet, the matter is half done.
Xu Qing still had to give the face he deserved, and said, "Don't worry, old teacher. I will mainly assist you in aircraft maintenance. You will still be the one giving orders. Major decisions also require your final say."
Lord Wu said hurriedly, "I will do whatever you say. If I say something wrong, please correct me immediately. I know that you martial arts masters have secret messages."
He thought that if a war broke out, lives would be at stake.
The pirates couldn't recognize him as the Right Censor-in-Chief.
When the butcher knife is raised, all beings are equal.
If he said something wrong and Xu Qing didn't have time to correct him, wouldn't his life be in danger?
Don't use people with suspicion, don't use people who are suspicious.
He has been able to get to where he is today thanks to his ability to identify talented people.
Nowadays, when inspecting the coastal defense, one must naturally follow the old rules and learn from the time when bandits were suppressed. Just lie down and don’t act on one’s own, lest one ruin the wealth of one’s family!
In fact, Lord Wu has always been like this, he only recognizes people but not matters.
When Minister Zhang passed the imperial examination, he failed.
For many years, Minister Zhang did not mention repaying the money.
His family members have been persuading him to find an opportunity to get the money back, to avoid the situation where the other party forgets his favor and does not return the money.
Lord Wu thought that Minister Zhang was a good person and that it was not easy for him to live in the capital, so he never mentioned the matter and also warned his family not to write to him about it.
It was not until he passed the imperial examination and became a third-class Jinshi that Minister Zhang sent someone to see him.
However, during the previous several imperial examinations, Minister Zhang had never looked for him, as if he had completely forgotten about him, the fellow villager who had lent him money to save him.
But as soon as Minister Zhang found him, he got the job vacancy filled without any delay.
Although Lord Wu also spent money, he didn't have this channel. Even if he had money, he would have to wait for a long time, and he would have to take the imperial examination and observe government affairs in the court.
It is actually not a loss at all to take up the official position in advance.
After all, the daily expenses of welcoming and seeing off guests during the period of waiting for an official appointment in the capital are a considerable expense. Not to mention that many officials in the capital have to live on debt.
And even if you really get the official position, you still have to pay money.
No money, have to keep waiting!
Therefore, at such times, there were still money lenders in the capital who specifically lent money to Jinshi and Juren who were waiting for official vacancies.
Under such circumstances, it is impossible not to be greedy after being sent to other places. Otherwise, how can a large amount of debt be repaid?
After going through all this, Lord Wu could better understand Minister Zhang's difficulties at the time.
At that time, the villagers all scolded Minister Zhang for divorcing his wife and remarrying, and becoming a Chen Shimei.
Alas, it is indeed immoral and helpless!
If he didn't divorce his wife and remarry, he wouldn't be the official in the Ministry of Personnel today.
Before he left Beijing, Minister Zhang asked him to drink and he spoke out the words that were in his heart.
Minister Zhang, who was a scholar, died completely when he divorced his wife many years ago.
However, this was also because Minister Zhang passed the provincial examination and then directly participated in the metropolitan examination and passed it.
As a juren, if he doesn't stay in the local area, he won't be able to earn much wealth.
The emperor is far away, the county magistrate is not as good as the current one.
Although Minister Zhang passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he could not help his family much for a while.
On the contrary, his family kept asking him for money or writing letters to local officials, which made him very annoyed and he cut off contact with his fellow villagers and family.
So if you come from a poor family and become an official, your family's expectation of you is to make money and lead everyone to bully the people in the village, rather than to be a judge.
If you don't agree, your parents will be moved out of the ancestral tomb. If they are not dead, they will not be allowed to enter the ancestral tomb even if they are dead.
This is also the reason why Lord Wu felt that the reform would not succeed.
The people are still the same people.
Change the law, change the law, find new ways to make money.
Because it is clear that Lord Wu's biggest hope in his official career is to get promoted and make money.
His position was high enough and his back was bent enough. To use the words of Lu Zijing in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Now Su welcomes Cao, Cao should return Su to his fellow villagers and evaluate his reputation and position, so that he will not lose his position as a lower-level official. Because he has held many official positions, he will not lose the prefecture or county!
If Xu Qing knew what Lord Wu was thinking, he would have to admire Old Wu for his insight and for realizing the importance of promoting the value of united front work!
The teacher and the student had a detailed discussion overnight and made various plans for the major task of clearing out the pirates.
The main thing is that Xu Qing spoke and Lord Wu listened.
Although Lord Wu stated that he would obey orders, he still had to give orders, so he naturally had to know everything he needed to know.
Xu Qing already knew that the imperial court had planted spies from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in advance to spread the word in the Dongming Gang's territory in order to deify him.
This is a precise strike against the Dongming Gang pirates.
Because whether they are the real Japanese or the fake Japanese, they actually believe in gods very much.
Especially those pirates who came from coastal nobles or bandits often believed in the sea god very much.
After Xu Qing's strength penetrated into the hearts of the bandits, the imperial navy joined forces with Xu Qing to wipe out the pirates of the Dongming Gang, which naturally had the effect of taking the lead.
This is a military strategy that focuses on attacking the heart.
Moreover, Xu Qing negotiated peace with the Giant Whale Gang in advance, thus avoiding the risk of being attacked from both sides during the process of clearing out the pirates.
The court had a second plan for this.
The rift between the Giant Whale Gang and Duke Wei's Mansion is deepening. If the Giant Whale Gang tries to drag their feet, the imperial navy will immediately turn their ships back and severely damage the Giant Whale Gang first.
To put it bluntly, the imperial court was obviously very confident in the 3,000 Jinghai Guards trained by Meng Yuxuan, and believed that this was a powerful maritime force.
Actually too.
This is because all of these sailors were former sailors or miners.
In fact, the Taicang silver that the Prime Minister had previously embezzled in the court was not sent to the Liaodong border at all. Instead, he ordered Meng Yuxuan to secretly train the navy on an island in Liaodong.
This trick was so convincing that even the Ministry of Revenue didn't know the exact whereabouts of the Taicang silver. They only knew that it was indeed sent to Liaodong.
Therefore, when the imperial navy moved, many important officials and dignitaries in the capital were caught off guard. Even until now, they still didn't know how many naval forces the prime minister had raised.
Meng Yuxuan remained tight-lipped about this, and even Lord Wu couldn't get a word out of him.
However, Xu Qing believed that the Jinghai Guards could not have more than 10,000 people. The amount of silver in Taicang was there. Besides, the biggest problem in building the navy's ships was not the silver, but the wood.
Since the Middle Ages, the huge trees in the Celestial Empire have been cut down continuously. Only a small part of them were used to make large ships, while the majority were used to build palaces, Buddhist temples, imperial tombs, and tombs of kings, princes, generals, and other grand buildings...
Therefore, the scale of the Chang'an Imperial City a thousand years ago was much larger than the Forbidden City today.
One of the important reasons is that there are fewer and fewer large trees suitable for building the hall.
Xu Qing thought of something. He heard that the emperor had collected a lot of materials to build the Wanshou Palace. He guessed that some of them were used to build ships.
Because the current Vice Minister of Works is the son of the Prime Minister.
But everyone in the world thought that the Prime Minister's family was extremely corrupt and lived a luxurious life.
In fact it is.
but……
Xu Qing suddenly understood why the emperor was so confident in handing over power to the prime minister. The prime minister had a bad reputation and was tough in his work. Once the new emperor came to power, it would be too easy to deal with the prime minister's family.
Don't plan for your own future.
Although Xu Qing admired the other party's determination to do great things, he did not sympathize with him.
There will really be a day when the cunning rabbit dies and the running dogs are cooked.
If the Prime Minister is a cunning rabbit, then Xu Qing is probably also a running dog.
He doesn't want to rebel, but when others accuse him of rebellion, you'd better have the ability to rebel!
The Prime Minister plans for affairs of state, while Xu Qing plans for himself.
Just different paths.
With mixed feelings, Xu Qing and Lord Wu boarded the imperial navy ship.
Three thousand naval forces, used in naval battles, are not considered a large army.
But these three thousand men and warships, under the command of Meng Yuxuan, moved back and forth like the wind, coordinated with each other, and advanced and retreated in moderation.
The sense of discipline revealed in it even frightened Xu Qing.
When a well-organized army encounters a small or medium-sized group of pirates, it is basically a dimensionality reduction attack.
Once Meng Yuxuan began to command the army, he became a completely different person. His calm and self-centered demeanor was admirable, and no one dared to interrupt him when he was giving orders, for fear of incurring his wrath.
The ruthlessness of military law is ingrained in the bones of these Jinghai Guards.
After the mobilization and demonstration of military strength was completed, everyone was ordered to return to their units.
Meng Yuxuan returned to his normal state, but he was still a little excited.
It seems that his life, on the battlefield and in the army, will radiate with a different kind of vitality, extremely moving and wonderful!
Xu Qing was a little envious.
It is such a wonderful thing for a person to find a career that can elevate the meaning of his life.
No need to worry about gains and losses, just do it.
The beauty of life lies in finding a direction that your heart desires and then moving forward without stopping until you die!
"Xu Jieyuan, how does this army compare to the pirates you have encountered?" Meng Yuxuan waited impatiently for Xu Qing's evaluation.
"In Xu's opinion, the East China Sea pirates are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of this army. Dominating the East China Sea and the South China Sea is just around the corner."
Meng Yuxuan laughed loudly: "Not really. The greatest difficulty in a naval battle is to find the enemy in the sea. Even if you know the route and find the enemy, it depends on whether the weather is right. There is no battle without wind, and no battle with strong wind. If a hurricane is coming, the sand road is unfamiliar, the enemy is outnumbered, and there is no place to anchor, then we should not fight.
When they fought, their bravery and strength were of no use, and they only relied on arrows and stones to attack from a distance.
The ship is rocking, so it is a hundred times harder to hit the enemy ship than on the river. Moreover, I am chasing with the wind, and the enemy is also fleeing with the wind. There is no ambush to set, and no danger to block. It is a blessing to be able to destroy one or two of their ships. It is not easy to dominate the vast ocean. "
Xu Qing's mind moved, "Brother Meng, what do you think is the most important thing in a naval battle besides the right time?"
Meng Yuxuan said: "Discipline of the navy soldiers is self-evident, it is a must and there is no room for negotiation. In addition, it depends on the sharp weapons. If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. The hull must be tough, and in addition to the old naval weapons such as catapults, the ship must also have powerful firearms to help. Unfortunately, Fang Xiandao is best at firearms, but they are not used by our dynasty."
The important reason why the previous dynasty was able to dominate the world was the firearms of the Fangxiandao.
However, Fang Xiandao did not get along with Taizu of this dynasty.
Even though our dynasty had seized a lot of firearms, it lacked professional talent.
The Fangxian Dao continued to develop firearms overseas and integrated them with Taoism, and its influence in the South Pacific Islands grew increasingly stronger.
On the contrary, the imperial court did not pay enough attention to firearms, and secondly, corruption was serious, the status of craftsmen was extremely low, and the development of firearms had stagnated for a long time.
Xu Qing had seen the muskets of this era, and they were indeed not as good as bows and arrows.
First, the accuracy is problematic, and second, it is easy to explode...
Anyway, the shortcomings are hard to describe in a few words.
If a shot is really fired, it is hard to say whether it hits the enemy, the air, or one of our own.
If the barrel explodes, well, that would be even more tragic!
Therefore, if the government troops were armed with muskets when they set out, they might mutiny.
Are you kidding? Do you want us to die?
The situation was such that the imperial court consciously stopped manufacturing firearms to avoid misunderstandings among soldiers.
But as one thing grows, another loses. Fang Xiandao has never stopped researching and developing firearms.
After the initial decline in overseas, after years of accumulation and development, it has now formed a huge force in the Nanyang Islands and supported the fake Japanese faction within the Dongming Gang. However, Fang Xiandao also has its own problems. It is divided into two factions. One faction wants to return to its homeland, and the other faction wants to continue to develop overseas, explore a wider world, and understand the nature of the world.
The dispute between the two factions tends to intensify.
It can be said that in this world, all forces, big and small, have internal strife.
When we are united against external foes, the contradictions are only temporarily diverted, but the contradictions will not disappear and will erupt sooner or later.
Meng Yuxuan continued, "Xu Jieyuan, don't underestimate the Fang Xiandao. Although they are almost inactive on land now, they are a group of lunatics. They try to understand and master the power of the universe and dominate the world like the Creator. The mechanical weapons they create will not be affected by the martial arts blood and dynasty luck like the soul and spirit arts. They are cold and dead things, and they are killing weapons."
Xu Qing: "Brother Meng, have you ever dealt with people from Fang Xian Dao?"
Meng Yuxuan nodded: "In fact, the navy of Jinghaiwei has Fangxiandao's firearms, but the number is rare, so it was not displayed just now."
He paused and continued with emotion: "The previous dynasty attached great importance to firearms, but at the end of the dynasty, there was serious internal strife. Firearms are a force that cannot be built and mastered on a large scale without unified cognition and a large amount of financial and human support.
The Prime Minister knows how powerful Fang Xian Dao is, so our mission this time, in addition to clearing out the pirates, is to capture a few important figures of Fang Xian Dao and send them to the capital to be used by the Prime Minister. "
Xu Qing nodded and said, "Then we will do our best."
Meng Yuxuan smiled: "The key to the success of this trip lies in Xu Jieyuan. If Xu Jieyuan hadn't solved the problem of the Giant Whale Gang, it would not be easy for our navy to pass through this sea area."
Xu Qing: "Brother Meng, did you meet anyone from the Haisha Gang on your way here?"
The sea is vast, but there are very few safe routes, especially in this era, where people sail along the coastline. If you rashly enter the open sea, it is undoubtedly a suicidal act.
Given the size of the Haisha Gang, it is highly likely that Meng Yuxuan will encounter Haisha Gang’s ships.
Meng Yuxuan: "There's no need to hide this from you. The Haisha Gang has a deal with the Ministry of Revenue, so the Jinghai Guards have already dealt with the Haisha Gang's problems."
Xu Qing thought to himself that as expected, the Haisha Gang had a close relationship with the Ministry of Households.
He asked no more questions.
The powerful figure behind the Haisha Gang has been revealed, and it must be Prince Yu without a doubt.
Because there are two main forces in the Ministry of Revenue, one is the Prime Minister, and the other is Prince Yu.
If the Prime Minister took control of the Haisha Gang, he would obviously not rely on Xu Qing on maritime affairs.
He thought of his tutor for the provincial examination, Shen Mo, who was Prince Yu's teacher and a person whom the Prime Minister had high hopes for.
However, judging by Shen Mo's style, he will only drift further and further away from the Prime Minister.
In this way, Shen Mo will gain more trust from Prince Yu.
This may be a move by the Prime Minister to save his family.
All I can say is that it's better than nothing, and its greatest function is to give an explanation to the Prime Minister himself and his family.
After seeing the power of the navy, the next step was to make some preparations and sail towards the Dongming Gang's forces, at least to deal a heavy blow to the other side and give an explanation to the people affected by the Japanese invasion.
They are now the port of Wuzhong County.
The harbor here cannot accommodate large ships, so you can only take a small boat to return to the shore.
When Xu Qing and County Magistrate Wu just stepped onto the dock.
Just took three steps forward.
"Be careful." Xu Qing shouted to his old mentor, Lord Wu, and grabbed him, protecting him behind him.
Just now, the black energy of the little snake of luck on his body suddenly became thicker.
His mind suddenly entered an extremely calm state of "absolute concentration".
Ever since the battle on Giant Whale Island, his state of absolute concentration in battle has become even more mysterious, like still water. He can clearly respond to various external details in battle without being confused.
This is a real improvement in martial arts realm.
On the other side, the assassin who was about to attack, even though he had a magical Taoist talisman on his body to restrain his blood and murderous intent, once he had the murderous intent, how could he hide it from the little snake of luck in Xu Qing's body.
This kind of sensing has been used time and time again to prevent assassinations.
boom!
There was only a loud bang and two beams of fire shot over.
However, Xu Qing had already lifted Lord Wu up like a chicken and moved him to a position more than ten steps away.
Then, Lord Wu looked back to where he was just now.
Suddenly, two flame-like objects hit the ground under my feet, creating two craters.
There is no doubt that if Xu Qing hadn't been there, he would have died.
It’s too dangerous!
Lord Wu felt cold sweat breaking out.
Xu Qing threw Lord Wu to Admiral Meng who had rushed over, and took a step forward without hesitation. At an unimaginable speed, he turned into a shadow and headed in one direction.
This time there are enemies coming from two directions, and he can only choose to capture one alive.
And the other...
The peach wood sword came out of nowhere, as fast as lightning, and pierced the chest of the assassin who was turning to escape in the other direction.
Beyond the assassin's reaction.
The other assassin, after witnessing Xu Qing's inhuman speed, also turned around.
He soon heard his companions' screams, and before he could turn around, he felt a strong wind attacking him from behind.
He heard a thunderous sound that shook his blood and energy, and couldn't help but exclaim.
At this time, a big hand was already pressing on his shoulder.
He was just about to crush a black pill the size of a date on his body, when suddenly, all the energy and blood in his body dispersed and he lost all his strength.
The black pill slipped from his hand, but was picked up by a Vajra Demon God, who stood obediently beside Xu Qing.
The assassin finally saw Xu Qing's face from the front.
"You are Xu Gongming." As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to bite the poison in his mouth, but his jaw was twisted off by Xu Qing. Under the vibration of hidden power, the poison came out of his mouth.
"Perhaps you don't know that in front of me, life and death are not up to you."
Xu Qing was furious.
This is Jiangning Prefecture, his territory.
Someone actually sneaked in and almost succeeded in assassinating Censor Wu.
If he had not been cautious and stayed with Old Wu all the time, unimaginable consequences would have occurred.
It was hard for Xu Qing to imagine how severe a blow to his prestige would be if the assassination succeeded, and the subsequent chain reaction would be too much for him to bear.
Moreover, if Old Wu died, Xu Qing's power would be greatly weakened.
Xu Qing knocked the assassin unconscious temporarily to prevent him from having other tricks up his sleeve, then carried him quickly back to Lord Wu and called for help. He first asked Lord Wu to take charge of the county government office in Wuzhong County, then sent someone on horseback to call for Guo Zhuang and other criminal masters, in order to thoroughly investigate the assassin's background and make him reveal everything he knew.
After giving some orders, Lord Wu temporarily stayed next to the torture room.
Xu Qing first met Su Lianqing in the torture room.
He had calmed down by now and asked, "How did these two assassins get into Jiangning Mansion?"
After all, he is a human being, not a god. No matter how powerful he is, he cannot guard against assassins who deliberately sneak into Jiangning Prefecture.
Now the key is to know how they came in.
Su Lianqing: "Based on some of the assassins' characteristics, I have roughly concluded that these two assassins just arrived yesterday. They came by land."
"Whose family is it related to?"
Su Lianqing: "Sir, whose family do you think this is related to?"
Xu Qing had to admit that Su Lianqing was too considerate. He pondered and asked, "How many families did those members who left the Fushe come from?"
"Five."
"Pick two and you will make the arrangements."
"only."
Su Lianqing disappeared like a shadow.
Xu Qing tapped his knee lightly. After inspecting the depression on the ground, he knew that the weapon used by the assassin was undoubtedly Fang Xiandao's special firearm. He also found fragments of the mechanism used by the assassin at the scene.
Apparently, this mechanism had a special structure, and once it was fired, it would shatter immediately.
"If I were to arrange this assassination, I would definitely strive to be thorough and kill with one strike. Just two assassins might not be enough. But the first assassination obviously has the best chance. So what is this? A demonstration?" Xu Qing vaguely sensed the other party's intention.
If the assassination attempt on the Right Censor-in-Chief of the imperial court succeeded, Xu Qing could hardly imagine how great the counterattack would be.
This will allow the vast majority of civil servants to reach a consensus on this matter, forming a terrible accountability force.
However, Lord Wu, who experienced the assassination personally, did not think it was a demonstration.
He was just a little bit away from death.
Xu Qing knew very well that the other party attacked him right next to Lord Wu, in order to ensure the demonstration effect was achieved without accidentally killing Lord Wu.
However, he could not use this as an excuse to explain to Lord Wu.
Xu Qing came to the next room and comforted his old teacher, "Master, don't worry. I'm here, no one can touch you."
Lord Wu still looked terrified, "Gongming, have you found out who it is?"
"It should be someone from Fang Xian Dao."
"Fang Xiandao? How did they come to Jiangning Prefecture? Are there other forces involved? Have you found out?" Lord Wu is experienced and even though he is extremely uneasy, he still does not believe that this matter can be so simple.
Xu Qing nodded: "We still need to investigate which family it is, but I will kill a chicken to scare the monkey first, and find two wealthy gentry in Jiangning Prefecture to convict them."
There was no need for him to hide this kind of thing from Lord Wu, otherwise the other party would be able to see it afterwards and add to the estrangement.
Lord Wu felt relieved when he saw Xu Qing still had some free time to make a fuss about this matter. He said, "Assassinating the imperial envoy is such a disobedient act. This matter cannot be tolerated and must be thoroughly investigated."
Xu Qing nodded: "Of course. However, old teacher, I think it is not appropriate for you to show up too often now."
Lord Wu nodded quickly. This was exactly what he thought.
It was so bad that if it happened again, he felt that his life would be shortened by several years.
Xu Qing knew in his heart that it was impossible to ask his old mentor to go out to sea at this time. His life was his own.
Moreover, it is entirely possible to inspect coastal prefectures by land.
As long as you are afraid of death, there are always more solutions than problems.
At this time, he could only follow Old Wu's wishes, but he could also do something. He said, "I have another idea, and I hope my old teacher will cooperate with me."
"Gongming, I will obey your orders. If it weren't for you, I would have lost my life. Just tell me what you want to say..."
Xu Qing nodded slightly. He knew that Lord Wu would not leave his side for even a moment and was extremely dependent on him. Naturally, he would attach great importance to his opinions.
He spoke slowly, "I think that my old teacher was frightened by the assassin, and his mind was stimulated and he fell into a coma. In addition, he was exhausted from traveling all the way, and his life may be in danger. We need to find famous doctors to treat him."
"Why?"
"Master, this is a great opportunity to take action. The louder the noise we make, the less vigilant the enemies at sea will be. They will all think you are recuperating and dare not go out to sea!" Xu Qing held Master Wu's hand and said with lightning eyes.
He knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
They were searching for a famous doctor with great fanfare, but in fact they were doing it secretly. The only difficulty was how to quickly and secretly move the Jinghai Guards to the Dongming Gang's sphere of influence without anyone noticing, find the opponent's main force, win the battle in one go, and inflict heavy damage on the Dongming Gang.
This is something to consider later.
The key now is whether Lord Wu dares to cooperate.
Lord Wu naturally hesitated. The firearms used by the other assassins were so powerful. If Xu Gongming was careless, wouldn't it be...
Seeing that he was hesitant, Xu Qing said, "Master, unless I stay with you for a moment, the assassin will always have a chance. It is better to take this opportunity to kill the opponent by surprise. This way, we can solve the problem once and for all, and Master can also return to the Beijing Inspectorate.
I ask, is there any place in the world safer than the capital?"
The last sentence touched Lord Wu.
A hammer!
(End of this chapter)