Chapter 346: Sir, it’s not good, our people were arrested
"boom!"
In the southern suburbs of the capital, the barrel of the 'Experimental No. 1' artillery spit out a cloud of green smoke, and thunderous explosions echoed in the mountains and forests. Zhao Duan stood among the crowd, looking up at the blue sky. Yellow smoke.
Then, the deafening shouts of thousands of soldiers rang out from all directions.
Zhao Duan picked his ears with his fingers, turned to "Chen Huoshen", the director of the Shenji Camp Firearms Bureau next to him, and smiled:
"The progress is good."
Chen Huoshen, an old acquaintance, stroked his beard contentedly and said with a smile, "It's better to be taught by adults."
Zhao Duan smacked his lips and said:
"Next time, you can add more pigment to the gunpowder, so that it will be bright and beautiful when it hits the air, and have the style of daytime fireworks."
Around them, the generals headed by Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, looked at each other, thinking where could such loud fireworks be found?
At this moment, everyone was wearing bright armor and had completed the final steps of the Frost Descent Military Exercise. Looking around, the men and horses of the three large camps of the Beijing Camp were spread out over the fields, hunting with flags, and the momentum was impressive.
And on the highest hill were the military ministers of the Privy Council headed by Xue Shence.
With the end of the "Frost Descent", middle and low-level generals directed the soldiers of each battalion to return to the camp in an orderly manner.
At the local level, because there are only some "professional soldiers", those farmers who usually work in farming and perform drills for a period every spring and autumn will go home to prepare to harvest crops after finishing their drills.
However, the Forbidden Army's Beijing camp is the elite that performs drills throughout the year, so this autumn custom has become an occasion for a large-scale drill of the entire army.
The next time will be early spring next year.
"Zhao Qian, don't be in a hurry to come back. The Privy Council is hosting a banquet for all the generals at noon. You must come." Shi Meng, who was big and round and as careful as his hair, said with a smile, and added, "This is tradition."
Well, it is tradition for the military generals to have a good meal after the Frostfall military exercise every year. Other miscellaneous invitations can be turned down, but Zhao Duan does not refuse this standard.
So after the drill, the generals from each battalion gathered towards Xue Shence. Each of the generals in the vast sea had one war horse. They did not rush back to the city, but slowly fell behind the returning army.
When Xue Shence saw Zhao Duan coming, he suddenly smiled and said, "General Zhao, long time no see, want to chat alone?"
Eh...how is your tone so warm to me...Zhao Duan was surprised. He had a normal relationship with this "Military God", so he nodded with a smile: "It's what I asked for."
So Xue Shence rode his horse away from the team and drove forward for a while. Zhao Duan also hurriedly patted his horse to keep up.
In this way, the two cavalry left dozens of other generals behind. Seeing this, the generals looked at each other with envy in their eyes:
How could a mere fourth-rank official walk alone with the Privy Councilor on this occasion?
This was extremely rare in the past, but if the "fourth grade" official was Zhao Duan, nothing would be surprising.
…
In late autumn, the mountain forests in the suburbs are all yellow and green, and the mountain breeze blows on your face, which is refreshing.
"Da da da..."
Zhao Duan and Xue Shence distanced themselves from the generals behind them, slowed down their horses, and moved forward side by side.
"Master Xue, what advice do you have?" Zhao Duan held the reins of his horse, looking sideways at the Great Yu Army God, and got straight to the point.
Xue Shence did not wear the scarlet robe with the lion embroidered on the chest today, but instead wore a full set of unicorn armor. There was also a black gold spear hanging on the side of the horse.
His complexion was still fair, and the short beard under his chin had obviously been carefully trimmed. When he heard his question, he was startled, and seemed to smile: "Mr. Zhao is really straightforward in his words."
He did not use the title "Qianshi", but used the word "Shijun".
It clearly shows that the following dialogue is not from the perspective of "supervisor" to "subordinate", but a dialogue between ministers from different yamen and officials in the same court.
"Although Zhao is not very much in the military, he considers himself a military commander. He thought it would be better to speak more directly." Zhao Duan said with a smile.
The implicit meaning of this statement is:
Although I am favored, I still consider myself a military attaché and under your jurisdiction.
Xue Shence suddenly felt satisfied, and the wrinkles on his stern face became a little more wrinkled:
"It's okay that I took a roundabout way. Sir, can you pay attention to the movements of Mr. Zhengyang and Qingzhou Dao in the past few days?"
Zhao Duan smiled bitterly and said:
"Of course I have heard about it, but I am not afraid of Mr. Xue's jokes. I have only been an official for a short time. In the past six months, I have barely recognized most of the officials in this three-acre area of the capital. However, the people outside the capital are... Most of them are ignorant and ignorant.
For example, Mr. Zhengyang, I only got to know this person last time when I went to Taicang Mansion for business. It is said that when the Xiuwen Museum was preparing, His Majesty thought of inviting him to come out, but he failed, and he did not expect that after a few months, he came again. And made such a big noise. "
Xue Shence was riding on his horse and suddenly said: "It is said that King Mu of Yunfu invited me to come down the mountain."
Prince Mu... the "one of the eight kings" who has roots in Yunfu Dao, adjacent to the foreign tribes in the southwest, ranks among the top three in terms of strength among the eight kings.
The corresponding information flashed in Zhao Duan's mind, and he couldn't hide his surprise: "Is this happening?"
Xue Shence smiled and said:
"Although I am in the capital, I am still in charge of a few soldiers. During the military affairs relay, I can also get some news from other places. In particular, Zhao Shixiong led the southwest frontier army to be stationed in Yunfu to guard the border and usually deal with the Li people and local bandits. At most, there will be more official correspondence.”
Zhao Shixiong...Zhao Duan is no stranger to the name of this family. He has heard it several times and knows that it is a general guarding one side.
Veterans from Chengdong Shantang once served as soldiers under Zhao Shixiong.
Xue Shence suddenly said coldly, "It is said that Zhao Shixiong and King Mu are also very close."
Zhao Duan's expression changed slightly.
This is heartbreaking.
For a border guard general to have a relationship with the restless royal family, it is too easy to touch sensitive nerves.
"Master Xue didn't tell His Majesty?" Zhao Duan asked. Xue Shence sighed: "They are all rumors that are not true or false. How can we talk about them with His Majesty?"
Haha, it’s your identity, so it’s not convenient for you to say it, right? There was a mole in the Privy Council who colluded with Prince Jing, and you, the Privy Councilor, cannot escape the blame. If you say bad things about Zhao Shixiong now, you will inevitably be accused of "provoking monarchs and ministers" again...
Zhao Duan sneered, finally understanding Xue Shence's purpose of chatting with him alone.
Undoubtedly, he wanted to use his own words to pass this information to the empress. In this way, there was a layer of separation. Xue Shence would not be guilty of "concealing it and not reporting it", but he could also avoid "stoking dissension" in person.
But...this matter is really a bit tricky.
Mr. Zhengyang led his students to Beijing with a fierce attack. Although no extraordinary actions have been taken so far, anyone with a discerning eye realizes that this is not a good thing.
Now that we know that it was King Mu who invited him to come down, the meaning of this attack is even stronger. Thinking more deeply, Zhengyang originally refused the invitation of the court, but now he accepted King Mu's invitation...
Haha, this meaning of taking sides is too obvious.
"That's it." Zhao Duan said, nothing more.
Xue Shence didn't say much on this issue. They were all smart people. He had already delivered the message, and he believed that Zhao Duan would deliver the news.
In the late autumn mountain forest, two horses walked side by side. It was quiet for a while, except for the sound of horse hooves and the birds flying in the forest in the distance.
"The two people from Qingzhou Road, Mr. Xue, can you give me some advice?" Zhao Duan remembered that the other party had just said this and might have something to say.
Xue Shence smiled and said, "Didn't you investigate?"
Zhao Duan was not embarrassed and said calmly:
"The son of King Heng of Qingzhou, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xu Zudi... Hey, that's a really good name. You said you are visiting relatives in the capital this time?
As for the current head of the Xiao family, who is called Xiao Dong'er but is actually in charge of the Qingzhou clan and has a large caravan under her command, it is said that she is also a strange woman. When I entered Beijing this time, it seemed that I was rushing to open the market in Huting. "
Compared with Mr. Zhengyang, who is very popular on the surface.
These two people from Qingzhou attracted Zhao Duan's attention even more.
Of course, he would not be stupid enough to believe that the dignified Prince Heng really came here to relax and have fun. After thinking about it, one of his purposes must be the same as Xu Junling's, which was to explore the details of the capital.
However, the King of Huai'an only sent his daughter to visit, but King Heng was brave enough to throw the prince over directly.
As for the female head of the "East Lake Xiao Family", a large family in Qingzhou, she is even more legendary. It is said that she was unknown at first and was just the wife of the new head of the Xiao family.
Later, the head of the family suddenly died unexpectedly, leaving only a two-year-old child. Seeing that the main line of the Xiao family was difficult to maintain and power was falling apart, the widow suddenly defeated the second and third brothers who wanted to seize power with her clever skills...
At the same time, it was also known that she had already taken care of the caravan business of the clan for her husband before his death, and had gained real power...
Later, as a woman, she took up the position of the helm of the family, becoming an extremely rare "female head of the family", and also gained the "reputation" of the richest "widow" in the Yu Dynasty.
However, after these two people arrived in Beijing, there was no movement for the time being, and Zhao Duan was still not sure of their complete intentions.
"The Xiao family of East Lake is also a century-old family with a long history," Xue Shence sighed with emotion before saying:
"However, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Except for the special Huaihe River in this Yu Dynasty, in other places, the greater the power of the royal family, the smaller the local gentry will naturally be. It is true that Mrs. Xiao can keep the family from falling as a female. Not a simple person."
Zhao Duan glanced at him in surprise. The amount of information contained in these words was quite large.
It seemed like he said nothing, but he seemed to say a lot.
Zhao Duan thought for a while, took out two warm sweet potatoes from his arms, handed one to Xue Shence, and said with a smile:
"My sister-in-law cooked it this morning. Sir, please taste it."
Show your kindness first, then get information.
Xue Shence was stunned for a moment, looked at Zhao with a strange expression, stretched out his hand, grabbed a sweet potato, and peeled it open with Zhao Duan, revealing the warm golden "sweet potato" inside that exuded a light heat. Meat." When I took a bite, my mouth was filled with sweetness.
In the suburbs of late autumn, eating sweet potatoes in the air-conditioning is a unique experience.
The two ate sweet potatoes in silence. Xue Shence swallowed the food and continued: "As for Xu Zudi, do you know who he is visiting relatives?"
"Isn't it Your Majesty?" Zhao Duan asked, blowing hot air.
Xue Shence said calmly: "Prince Heng and the eldest princess were born from the same mother, so Xu Zudi was closest to the eldest princess when he was a child."
kindness? Is this guy and that bitch from Yunyang the aunt and nephew?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, he didn't know this.
Xue Shence pinched the sweet potato, looked at him with a half-smile, and said:
"Xu Zudi has been reluctant to move around since he came to Beijing, but last night, he went to the Prince Consort's Mansion and met Li Lang, the son of Princess Yunyang. Mr. Zhao, you need to be more careful recently."
Zhao Duan personally sent Princess Yunyang to Jizhao Nunnery for confinement, and even held Li Lang in Lihuatang, beat her up, and threw her into a prison.
This hatred was suppressed by Xu Zhenguan at first, but now, when Xu Zudi comes to Beijing and learns that his aunt and cousin have been dealt with by Zhao Duan, can he bear it?
Zhao Duan stuffed the last bite of sweet potato into his mouth and remained silent.
Just then.
Suddenly, a horse came running from far ahead. The horse's hoof hit the ground and raised a column of smoke.
The man on the horse, clearly wearing brocade clothes, is Hou Renmeng, one of the "Four Pear Blossoms" of Lihuatang.
Lao Hou rode his horse forward, pulled the reins sharply, turned over and dismounted, and galloped forward with an eager look on his face:
"Sir, it's bad, our people have been arrested!"
(End of chapter)