Chapter 48 The Collapse of Zhang Changshuo
The night wind came in through the opened car curtain, and Zhang Changshuo felt the "cold wind" biting to the bone, like falling into an ice cave.
The passion that had just stirred up just now, and the gentleman's reverie of revenge seemed to be shattered by the sound of "Brother Zhang".
"Zhao..."
His body was stiff, his throat was clogged, and his eyes were round.
He saw that the servant who was driving the carriage had fainted and fell limply to the ground, while the horse swung its tail uneasily.
"What? You didn't expect me to catch up?"
Zhao Duan smiled warmly, lifted the car curtain towards the roof of the car, letting the moonlight shine in, and then slowly and sat down in the car.
Zhang Changshuo's lips turned white, he suppressed his fear, and his tone was stiff:
"I am going out to relax, do I want to report to you?"
He didn't even notice that his voice was trembling.
...Zhao Duan was speechless, a little bit dumbfounded, shook his head and said:
Brother Zhang turns out to be an ostrich, and there are no outsiders here, who are you pretending to be? Or you think you only need to be tough and refuse to admit that you just tipped off the information. If it’s you, nothing will happen?”
He sighed softly: "Is it fun to deceive yourself?"
Zhang Changshuo remained silent!
Yes, so many Jinyi captains witnessed it with their own eyes, but as witnesses, it was no longer possible for him to fool him by pretending to be stupid.
How could he not know?
It's just human beings who don't want to accept their fate when death is imminent.
I'd rather weave silly fantasies than wake up.
Resist with force?
This thought only occurred for a moment before he killed it.
Unlike Erlang, he is just a weak scholar. His power lies in his words. If he uses force, he will only bring humiliation to himself.
"Where's Ma Yan? Or the other thousand officials in the imperial office."
Zhang Changshuo took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said:
"I only talk to the leader."
As a man of letters, he tried to retain the last bit of dignity.
What if you want to make a movie?
Being held prisoner, a big shot must see you in person before he is willing to speak... Zhao Duan smiled angrily, as if he had seen through him, and said: "I know what you are thinking, and I feel that tonight's situation is a fool's errand. Yan Fang, am I just bait to make you lose your guard? "
"Perhaps you still firmly believe that the last time I was able to escape from a crisis was due to the direct control of a saint?"
Zhang Changshuo opened his eyes and stared at him:
"Isn't it?"
Zhao Duan sighed softly, his eyes pitiful, and each word dug into the other person's heart:
"Just accept your fate. There is no other leader. I am the only one leading this case. Today's layout and the crisis in the past few days were all planned and solved by me alone."
"No! Impossible!"
Zhang Changshuo, who pretended to be calm and tried hard to maintain his scholar-official demeanor, suddenly turned ferocious: "You are just a useless idiot! Except for your face, how are you better than me?! How are you better than me!"
He broke the defense!
With his mind, from the moment Zhao Duan led the team to arrest, he already understood that what the other party said was probably true.
He just didn't want to believe it, couldn't accept it, and would fall into the hands of a "foot soldier" whom he looked down on from the bottom of his heart.
Not losing by force, but losing by intelligence!
Zhao Duan's face was expressionless, calm, and almost cold as he watched the other party vent, as if he were looking at a trapped animal in dire straits.
After a moment, he said: "Are you done?"
This moment.
Zhang Changshuo, who was originally showing his teeth and claws, glaring angrily, as if he was going to fight with him, suddenly seemed to have his bones ripped out.
His eyes turned red, and he knelt down in the carriage with a "pop" sound.
He no longer had the reserve and arrogance of a scholar-official, almost pleading: "Let me go, I will be more useful to you. Don't you like money? Throw me into prison and you won't get a single copper." If it’s not here, stay with me and I’ll give you whatever you want…”
If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, it would be really hard for Zhao Duan to imagine it.
A person can actually complete a 180-degree turn in attitude in an instant.
He touched the hem of his clothes and suddenly felt a little melancholy. He felt that lighting a cigarette at this moment would fit the atmosphere: "Actually, the hatred between you and me is not that big.
It's just that you are too greedy. You always thought that I blocked your way to the saint, so you tried every means to deal with me, and even collected evidence to kill me in front of the temple. "
Zhang Changshuo burst into tears and said in a humble tone:
"It was the villain who made a mistake. It was me who was blind and lard covered my heart, so..."
"No, you're not." Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"What's wrong with wanting to make progress? The struggle in the court has never been about tenderness since ancient times. It's a game where people step on others. In it, Whether you are forced to protect yourself or compete with your ambitions, since you and I are both players, what’s wrong with following this set of rules?”
Zhang Changshuo was stunned and didn't understand what he meant.
Zhao Duan continued: "Including you just now, are you planning to escape? I guess you are even thinking about how you will take revenge after you surrender to Prince Jing and come back one day."
"No! I didn't..."
"No need to deny it, I said it, there is nothing shameful about it," Zhao Duan smiled: "Including me, dealing with you is also for a better future. So, you should understand that what I want is What."
I want a future, not money... Zhang Changshuo was stunned for a moment, then an idea flashed in his mind, and he blurted out: "You want to know who else is in the palace of Prince Jing in Beijing?"
Very smart... Zhao Duan looked at him approvingly.
Zhang Changshuo, who had long lost his temper, did not hesitate and was about to reveal the information he had - he couldn't bear the punishment anyway, so he would tell him sooner or later.
"So, you are saying that the people from Prince Jing's Mansion found Zhang Changji, but he was only responsible for one small step, and others were responsible for the more critical procedures?" Zhao Duan frowned.
Zhang Changshuo nodded: "The firearms craftsman looks small, but in fact he is very defensive. My brother is just a military attaché, working for the big shots.
Such as moving, finishing, killing a few untouchables, cutting off tracing clues, etc... As for the higher-level people involved, we don't know who they are, we only know that they should be in the Privy Council. "
When he talked about killing a few untouchables, his tone was completely different.
But when the word Privy Council was mentioned, there was a look of awe.
Privy Council... Zhao Duan knew that this was the yamen of the Yu Dynasty, independent of the six departments.
Whenever there is a war, the Privy Council is responsible for dispatching troops, arranging troops, and making various strategic decisions.
The Ministry of War is in charge of logistics, distribution of food and wages, registration and registration, etc.
The current person in charge of the Privy Council is named Xue Shence.
It is said that he is a strong man in the martial arts field, and he is extremely skilled in the use of a large spear.
Actually involving the Privy Council?
Yes, Firearms, Jingying, is also an area under the overlapping jurisdiction of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.
Seeing Zhao Duan thinking and saying nothing, Zhang Changshuo was a little anxious and hurriedly added: "I know this bit of information is not enough, but as long as you are willing to help me say a few kind words to the Holy One and overcome this disaster, I will I would like to report Zhang Changji and my uncle. Zhang Changji has no weight and only vents your anger. My uncle is a doctor in the Ministry of War and has enough weight..."
At this moment, everyone in Zhao Duan was stunned. They looked at Zhang Changshuo with cold and disdainful eyes, and said quietly: "Your Majesty, you really have to kill your relatives for justice."
For some reason, he suddenly lost interest in talking to this person.
Even if the other person has a stronger bone, takes all the blame for the crime, and saves his family, even if he cannot withstand the torture in the end, Zhao Duan respects him as a man.
As for now...
Oh.
Zhao Duan stood up and stepped out of the carriage, ignoring the frightened former colleagues behind him.
Just as he saw a group of officers in uniforms running in front of him.
Under each person's arm was a bound infantryman of Prince Jing's Mansion.
The leader was none other than Zhou Cang. When he saw Zhao Duan, his eyes lit up and he cupped his hands and said: "Fortunately, we did not disgrace our orders! All those who escaped were captured, except for the warlock and Zhang Changshuo."
"The warlock has been sealed..."
Zhao Duan briefly explained why he was taken away by Jin Jian.
Zhou Cang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and a smile appeared on his face.
Immediately I caught a glimpse of the people in the car behind me, and I was even more surprised:
"Not only did you capture the mastermind, but you also captured the traitor?"
Immediately with a wave of his hand, Jin Yi rushed forward like a wolf and a tiger, and tied up the trembling Zhang Changshuo.
The latter still kept shouting "envoy", but Zhao Duzhang ignored him and waved his hand impatiently:
“Stop this man’s mouth and throw him into prison to keep his brothers company.
You are familiar with the method of extracting confessions through torture. I don’t care how much you can dig out.
By the way, tell Zhang Changji that his brother betrayed him and said that he alone was responsible for all the crimes. "
Zhou Cang was stunned for a moment, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
It was as if he had foreseen the scene of fratricide in prison, with the elder brother being violently beaten by the younger brother.
However, the two brothers were not good guys anyway, so he didn't bother to care:
"Sir, what should I do next?"
Zhao Duan stretched himself out and looked at the bright moon hanging high above his head. The night was already dark.
After a hard night's work, it's time to reap the rewards.
The corners of his mouth raised slightly and he said:
"Go back and rest. Wait until tomorrow morning and follow me to the palace...to meet the Holy Spirit!"
(End of chapter)