Chapter 423 Zhao Duan mobilizes troops, and the imperial army steps on the gate (5k)
"Prefect Luan, take a closer look, who am I?"
In the Jinfu Inn, Zhao Duan took off his mask, revealing his handsome face.
Luan Cheng, the prefect of Binhai Road, was stunned at first, and then his pupils trembled. He stepped back two steps behind him, almost falling. He subconsciously raised his finger and pointed at the smiling Zhao, and stammered:
"Zhao...Zhao Shaobao?!"
The newly promoted Crown Prince Shaobao, a third-grade official, the Empress’ favorite, Zhao Duan!
Luan Cheng had never met him, but he had seen Zhao Duan's portrait many times.
The most recent one was the information that Zhao Duan was granted the title of Shaobao, as recorded in a newspaper sent from the capital some time ago. At this moment, seeing many imperial officers and soldiers, I had some suspicions and immediately recognized their identities.
"It seems that your eyes are not blind yet." Zhao Duan said calmly.
Luan Cheng's mind was in chaos, almost shutting down. As a prefect, he didn't know about the existence of this team. How could he not be surprised?
In shock, his body reacted before his brain, he staggered forward a few steps, shook his sleeves, and made a hand-over salute:
"The lower official Luan Cheng has met Zhao Shaobao."
Head catcher Zhang Jian, who was walking behind him and holding his chest that was sore but not serious, was surprised and quickly lowered his gaze.
And those police officers who were already trembling and frightened, not to mention who was in charge, fell to their knees with a crash, shouting:
"Shaobao!"
As if he was afraid that if he was a step too late, he would bear the grudge of this noble man who was rumored to hold great power but was determined to retaliate, so he found an excuse to deal with it.
Zhao Duan calmly glanced at the group of people for a moment, then said calmly:
"No gift."
Then he turned around and walked towards the house, leaving a sentence:
"Prefect Luan, let's go into the house and talk in detail. The others are guarding outside. No one is allowed to leave until I come out."
"Yes!"
Lihuatang Jinyi grinned and imprisoned a group of frustrated local officials like prisoners.
When the main hall door of the inn was closed, Gongshu Tianyuan and others were bored and gathered under the eaves to whisper.
"What do you think is going on?"
Gongshu Tianyuan looked curious and took the lead in starting the topic.
Lang Shiba and Ji Yue have silent background characters, they only do things but don't brute, and they don't engage in any fight at all.
Jin Jian is dozing;
The two shadow guards, Scholar and Hongye, were not familiar with the crowd and could not speak easily.
Haitang, who had a row of flying knives hanging from her waist and tears dotted at the corners of her eyes, crossed her arms and glanced at everyone:
"Didn't Zhao Shaobao say everything just now?"
Gongshu Tianyuan said in surprise: "Sister, you mean what Brother Zhao mentioned just now, the enemy is cunning?"
Big girl... Haitang's mouth twitched and she said helplessly:
"Isn't this obvious? But there's no point in making random guesses. Once he comes out from interrogating the prefect, everything will be clear."
After about a stick of incense.
The door creaked open, and the prefect Luan Cheng, sweating profusely, sent Zhao Duan out with a smile.
"Master Luan, you and I are colleagues. Let these misunderstandings go away. You can take people back to the county office first. If anything happens later, I will look for you." Zhao Duan said with a smile.
Luan Cheng forced a smile: "Zhao Shaobao, don't worry, your subordinates will order you to keep quiet about today's matter and strictly prohibit leakage."
Zhao Duan smiled and said nothing. With such a big commotion, it was useless to talk about blocking the news.
In other words, after such a commotion, Zhao Duan's "incognito private visit" team was forced to be exposed to the sun as soon as they entered the city.
After Magistrate Luan left in dejection with a group of officials, Haitang finally looked at him, her heroic eyes filled with curiosity: "Let him go just like that? This is not your character."
No... how bad my image is in your eyes... Zhao Duan complained, shook his head, and looked at the sky in the distance:
"They are all colleagues, not to mention, he was also used. As the prefect, Luan Cheng has the task of arresting those who rebel against the party all year round.
Some time ago, there were outsiders in the Fucheng area who were acting suspiciously and were quickly arrested. After interrogation, they were found to be peripheral members of the Kuangfu Society. From their mouths, they learned false information. In other words, a group of rebels will appear at Jinfu Inn.
Luan Cheng then came over in person with a group of official servants. Hehe, he was a very hands-on official. ”
Haitang frowned and said:
"What a coincidence, and the direction is too obvious. Could it be false news sent by the rebel party?"
Zhao Duan sighed:
"It seems so, and the person with such skill is most likely Zhuang Xiaocheng."
Zhang Han came over and said doubtfully:
"What's the purpose? What's the purpose of doing this? The rebels should know that this will not cause any real harm to us."
Zhao Duan calmly said two words: "Provocation."
After a pause, he looked around at the eyes beside him and said seriously:
"The old thief Zhuang Xiaocheng is deliberately declaring war on me and telling me that he already knows about my arrival.
Haha, what I originally thought was that we were hiding and exposing Zhuang Xiaocheng to the public through spies. But now this old thief’s trick has turned out to be that we are hiding and he is hiding. ”
What is light, what is dark... A few simple warriors and warlocks were confused when they heard it. They only thought it was incomprehensible, but they did not want to show that they did not understand.
So everyone nodded tacitly, as if they understood everything.
Zhang Han is still confused:
"You mean, if Zhuang Xiaocheng knew our whereabouts in advance, would he have run away? Then he would tease us again?"
Before Zhao Duan could answer, Haitang, who was good at solving crimes, suddenly spoke:
"No, definitely not. Zhuang Xiaocheng is not the kind of boring person. Moreover, based on the intelligence analysis provided by Luan Cheng, Kuang Fushe's arrangement of false information does not look like a temporary decision, but more like a smooth operation.
I even suspect that the clue that the headquarters is in Fengcheng may have been deliberately released by the enemy in order to lure us here. ”
Zhao Duan, who had already passed the Fengyue Treasure Mirror and confirmed that the old thief was still in this area, nodded with sharp eyes:
"If my guess is correct, this old thief has been forced to use himself as bait to fight me face to face and decide whether to live or die. Ha... don't you think that this style and method are different from those of old thief Zhuang?" Is it quite similar in Beijing? ”
Last year, Zhuang Xiaocheng used himself as bait in Beijing, trying to lure Ma Yan into the arranged bamboo forest in the southern suburbs and assassinate him.
It was accidentally broken by Zhao Duan.
Today, the old thief used his old tricks again, but with greater courage. He used Fengcheng as a trap and the survival of Kuangfu Society as a bet, and invited Zhao Duan to fight.
"Then what are you going to do next? We have been exposed, do we still need to contact the spies?" Haitang asked.
Zhao Duan shook his head.
Zhuang Xiaocheng must know the existence of spies, he just doesn't know who the spies are.
If Wu Ling, Yun Xi and others are used rashly now, they will only be exposed in advance.
But without contacting spies, how can we find out the location of the Kuangfu Club when everyone is exposed as a star?
"Things are getting interesting. Zhuang Xiaocheng wants to play a clear game of chess with me, so that's what he wants, but I would like to see if he has the courage."
Zhao Duan suddenly said:
"Brother Gongshu, before entering the city, you said that the Taoist priest from Zixiao Palace is very powerful in the local area, right? Then there is a strong suspicion that this person knew that the traitor was hiding, but did not report it, right?"
Gongshu Tianyuan was stunned for a moment, and something was wrong secretly in his heart.
I just heard Zhao Duan smile arrogantly and said coldly:
"Every three-year-old child knows that if he doesn't know the way, he has to ask someone. Since he can't hide his identity, he will make trouble. Scholar, Hongye, give a signal to the army to enter the city in advance."
The two gold medal shadow guards looked at each other, both looking frightened.
The former responded, walked to the courtyard, took out a bamboo tube from his arms, and lit it toward the sky.
“Boohoo!!”
A ball of red light is like a star, shining directly into the sky. It stays bright for a long time high in the sky and is clearly visible within a radius of ten miles.
……
……
As a county town, Fengcheng's gate is not very high.
The surface is mottled with time and traces of hundreds of years of wind and rain.
The officials who guarded the city gate were originally just low-level officials. However, today it was replaced by a county official.
And everyone stood up straight, not daring to relax at all, because at dawn, when the magistrate led his people to open the city gate, he frightened the little officials who were keeping watch at night.
Later, officials from the county government arrived and learned that there was a rebel in the city.
This frightened a group of petty officials, who were afraid that the county magistrate would take the blame and be accused of lax supervision. Otherwise, how could the rebels enter the city with such arrogance?
However, the frightened minor officials did not wait to come to the magistrate, nor did they see the rebels. They only saw a flash of red in the city that lasted for a long time.
About two hours later, in the afternoon, there was a faint rumble from the ground outside the city.
"Officers and soldiers! A large number of officers and soldiers!"
The clerk on the top of the city exclaimed, holding the parapet with trembling hands, eyes wide open, and saw the black cavalry on the horizon approaching like a torrent of steel.
The people who entered the city along the way fled in fear.
After a while, a cavalry team riding on war horses, wearing armor, holding spears, and steel swords hanging on the horses arrived at the city gate. The leader was a stocky general. His figure was twice as wide as that of an ordinary person. The horse he sat on was also exceptionally strong. The general's face was full of flesh, weighing only a few hundred kilograms. Each of his hands held a war hammer connected by a chain.
"Vice Admiral Yuanji of the Binhai Navy Mansion was ordered to rush to the rescue and open the gate quickly!"
The stocky general holding the war hammer roared.
The gate of the county town has a main gate and a small gate. Normally, only the small gate is opened to allow people to enter with their carriages and horses. Now that the army is entering the city, it is difficult to pass through the small gate.
The little officials at the top of the city were fighting with each other. Where have you seen such a scene?
The man guarding the gate by the county magistrate gritted his teeth, walked out, cupped his fists and handed over his hands:
"This general, the county magistrate did not report that..."
"Noisy! I've delayed my business, and even crushing you to death is not enough compensation!"
Lieutenant General Yuan Ji's eyes widened. He was on the horse, and the mountain of armored meat that weighed hundreds of kilograms trembled.
The big hand grasped the chain as thick as a baby's arm, and swung the war hammer into a hot wheel, whirring and spinning, whipping up a strong wind.
Throwing the hammer, the heavy hammer that pulled out the afterimage rubbed against the man's body, pulling the chain like a cannonball, and slammed into the city gate.
"Boom!!"
The city gate was instantly blasted with a big hole in the center, and under the inertia, it opened to both sides!
The city gate is wide open!
The county government official and the city guarding officials all swallowed their mouths and spit, their legs became weak, and they watched helplessly as the army roared into the city.
As if watching a train drive crazily into a tunnel, a group of people looked at each other:
"The prefect doesn't have the authority to mobilize troops, does he? This general claims to be your lord and is under orders... Could there be some great big shot coming in the city? An official bigger than the prefect?"
"It's over. How can we alert such a big shot in the small area of Fengcheng? It can't be that the leader of the rebel party is here, right?"
……
A large group of cavalry entered the city, which immediately caused a sensation throughout the city.
When the news reached the county government and fell into Luan Cheng's ears, even with the magistrate's determination, he couldn't help but stand up suddenly and his expression changed drastically.
"What did you say? General Yuanji entered the city? Where is he?"
In the county government office, the head catcher Zhang Jian who came to report had a complicated expression:
"I said I went to Jinfu Inn."
Luan Cheng paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.
Zhang Jian, who was only slightly injured because of Lang Shiba's mercy, hesitated and said:
"Sir, it seems to be the work of Zhao Shaobao. What is the purpose of this person coming here?"
Luan Cheng stopped, glanced at the black charcoal-like guard with two swords, sat down, and sighed:
"I came here to rebel against the party. The bandit leader Zhuang Xiaocheng may be in the boundaries of Fengcheng."
Zhang Jian was shocked: "This happened... Then before we..."
Luan Cheng, who looked like a middle-aged scholar, shook his head and said bitterly:
"I am afraid that I will be used by the rebel party and become a pawn to attack Zhao Shaobao. That's all, this matter is no longer important. The key is that Zhao Shaobao is now ordering the army to enter the city. I'm afraid it will be bad."
Zhang Jian asked curiously: "Why?"
Luan Cheng said seriously:
"What kind of person was Zhuang Xiaocheng when he was the Imperial Tutor in the past? After Jian Wen's death, he escorted Jian Wen's widow and young son to escape into the rivers and lakes and set up a huge Kuangfu society. How can such a person and methods be easy to deal with? ?
Zhao Shaobao had previously entered the city incognito, but was defeated in an instant. He had already lost the first move. Now he hastily summoned a large army to enter the city, which shows his cowardice. His trump card was revealed first. Wouldn't he be even more disadvantaged? How to play this opponent's chess? ”
Zhang Jian thought for a while and said:
"It is said that this Zhao Shaobao is extremely talented. Although he has a bad reputation, he has repeatedly defeated those who rebelled against the party."
Luan Cheng smiled bitterly and said:
"I don't doubt Zhao Shaobao's methods, but I know better. After all, he is just a young man in his twenties. In the past, he had the advantageous location and people in the capital. It was naturally much easier to deal with those who rebelled against the party. Now he has come to Fengcheng. , the opponent has also become a sophisticated figure like Zhuang Xiaocheng..."
He shook his head, obviously not confident:
"After all, you are too young and young and energetic. How can you defeat the old fox?"
After thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and stood up and said:
"I will go to Jinfu Inn right now instead of talking about it."
Immediately, the prefect led several guards and went straight to Jinfu Inn, but when he arrived, he did not see the officers and soldiers entering the city.
In the Jinfu Inn, the sick scholar came out, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief:
"Ahem, cough, cough, the prefect is late. Mr. Zhao ordered me to stay and wait for you. If you come, he will send a message to the prefect to go back and rest, and remain unchanged in the face of changes."
Luan Cheng was stunned for a moment:
"Where did Zhao Shaobao go? Where are the officers and soldiers?"
The pale-skinned Shu smiled and said:
"Master Zhao took his troops and horses out of the city. He said he wanted to see the night view of Zixiao Palace before dark."
Zixiao Palace...the training place of Zishan Taoist Lu Zhengchun...
In the boundary of Fengcheng, the "Great Immortal" on the local Immortal Mountain, whom hundreds of thousands of people respectfully call him, has a very high reputation. He is an old immortal figure with a great reputation throughout the world, and even in the Nine Paths and Eighteen Prefectures of the Yu Kingdom.
"Not good!"
Luan Cheng's face changed suddenly, his lips trembled, and he vaguely guessed Zhao Duan's thoughts.
……
……
Zixiao Palace is located on a famous mountain with the same name in the north of Fengcheng County.
It is said that it was named after someone saw the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder descending from the mountain thousands of years ago. It is one of the most beautiful mountains and rivers in Binhai Road.
Although it is far less than the "Luoshan" where the road is built to the south, it is the most steep and precipitous, like a long sword pointing toward the sky, trying to pierce the sky.
Zhao Duan and his party, riding fast horses from the army, arrived at the foot of Zixiao Mountain just before dusk.
"It is said that the Zixiao Palace attracts the rosy clouds from the earth. Every night, a strange rosy light shines from the top of the mountain, illuminating the entire Taoist temple. It is extremely beautiful and beautiful.
Many famous people who pass by here make a special trip to the Taoist temple to burn incense, chat and make friends with the purple-shirted Taoist priests, and stay overnight to witness the wonderful scenery of the earth and clouds. ”
At the foot of the mountain.
The female detective, Haitang, reined in her horse, looked up at the almost palace-sized Taoist temple on the mountain, and said with some fascination.
Gongshu Tianyuan curled his lips and raised his chin proudly:
"The place where my Tianshi Mansion is located is the center of the world's earth. The mere glow in the sky is nothing more than a spectacle, and it only fools the ignorant people."
I know, it’s not enough for you to brag about... Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and said:
"If he is so good, why did the late emperor reward this wild Taoist?"
Haitang shook his head:
"That's not clear. Maybe it's because of the merit of offering treasures. However, the purple-shirted Taoist Lu Zhengchun is most famous for his 'sword forging in the furnace' technique. Ordinary Taoists use alchemy furnaces to make elixirs and fire pools to forge swords, but He found another way and used the alchemy furnace to forge the flying sword
It is said that it takes at least seven or forty-nine days to forge a flying sword. The resulting flying sword is like a pill, with three grades: upper, middle and lower.
The high-grade Feijian was born with little spirituality. He has been entrenched in the Zixiao Palace Taoist temple for many years and has raised a large group of swordsmen as his disciples. This is also the reason for his establishment in the world and not relying on the Taoist tradition of Tianshi Mansion. ”
Zhao Duan smiled:
"I haven't seen much of Daomen's flying swords. I only have one Golden Crow flying sword. I just want to see which one is stronger."
After speaking, he raised his right hand and waved forward, and behind him, the large group of iron cavalry led by Yuan Ji advanced silently towards the mountain road.
The steep mountain is not conducive to horseback riding, but Lu Zhengchun spent a lot of money to open up a gentle mountain road that is spacious and allows three carriages to go up the mountain in order to facilitate pilgrims going up the mountain.
At this evening, not a single pilgrim could be seen on the mountain road, only a red sun hung in the sky, and the cavalry were covered with crimson light wantonly, as if they were covered with murderous intent.
Halfway through the mountain path, there is a large platform for people to rest, and several pavilions have been built.
Zhao Duan arrived here with his people, only to see a large group of swordsmen wearing Taoist robes and carrying long swords waiting in formation.
It seemed that they had taken advantage of the terrain to mobilize to meet this group of soldiers and horses, so they waited in advance.
At a glance, Zhao Duan saw that there were hundreds of Taoists carrying sword boxes.
The leader was sitting cross-legged in the pavilion. At this moment, the red sun was shining in the pavilion, shining on the face of this Taoist who was about thirty years old.
He is holding a fly whisk in his hand, and his hair is tied into a bun with a hairpin made of boxwood. The style of his Taoist robe is also different from those around him, it is white and purple, and he is wearing a pair of slightly shabby hemp shoes under his feet.
At this moment, the Taoist suddenly raised his eyelids, flicked his whisk, and he walked out of the pavilion. His eyes were indifferent and he looked at the leader of the army, Zhao Duan.
"He who comes, stop!"
……
Typos should be corrected first
(End of chapter)