Chapter 2052
Although he had thought beforehand that there might be some trouble in investigating this place, what actually happened was still beyond Xu Yuxing's expectations. Armed Jin Yiwei officers were stationed in this house, and they used crossbows to attack Xu Yuxing's men without any warning. This was not just an obstruction of the investigation, but also a violent confrontation.
Openly using force against the Xu family in Zhangzhou City has not happened for many years. The last time a similar situation occurred can be traced back to 1631, when people from Shibazhi assassinated the Haihan mission in Zhangzhou City. At that time, they participated in the assassination. For those people, the grass on their graves is now as tall as one person.
Of course, as one of the privileged departments of the Ming Dynasty, Jin Yiwei's power is far beyond that of armed groups like Shiba Zhi, and in the eyes of Jin Yiwei, there are very few people they can be afraid of. Even if the people surrounding the Jinfa were Xu Xinsu's direct troops, as long as these people did not reveal their identities, the Jinyiwei would definitely treat these uninvited guests with their usual attitude.
But Jin Yiwei's tough attitude also made Xu Yuxing realize that they were hiding unknown secrets here, otherwise there would be no need to be so nervous. This Zhangzhou is the Xu family's place, and there is no way anyone can be allowed to snore next to the couch. Even if Jin Yiwei's secret has nothing to do with Haihan, Xu Yuxing cannot let it go. Even if a big fight would expose the search operation, Xu Yuxing couldn't care less at the moment.
The city defense army arrived faster than Xu Yuxing expected. A group of heavy armored cavalry arrived first, and the officer leading the group turned out to be Xu Jiaqi. Xu Jiaqi commanded the army troops in Fujian who were under Xu Xinsu's orders. The Zhangzhou city defense army was naturally one of them, but he was not the commander of this army.
"I happened to be inspecting the city defense army's drill today. I heard that there was something wrong with Third Brother, so I ordered the cavalry to come over first. The infantry will arrive later." Xu Jiaqi is Xu Yuxing's cousin in terms of seniority, and the two of them are familiar with each other. There was no red tape after the meeting, and Xu Jiaqi took the initiative to explain why he was here.
Xu Yuxing thanked Xu Jiaqi for his help, and then briefly explained to him what was happening here. However, the real reason for investigating this place was more complicated. Xu Yuxing did not explain it in detail. He just pushed out Jin Ming next to him and said that this operation was to provide assistance at Haihan's request.
Xu Jia understood the situation in unison, and without asking the inside story of the matter, he asked Xu Yuxing if he needed to launch a strong attack immediately. Xu Yuxing looked at the cavalry brought by Xu Jiaqi and shook his head: "You, the heavy armored cavalry, dismount and fight on foot. Are you exposing your own shortcomings? You should wait until the infantry arrives before taking action. There is no rush now."< br>
Although Xu Jiaqi's heavy armored cavalry is powerful, it is not suitable to serve as an attacking force in such a special environment. It is really better to wait for the infantry to complete the task if they dismount and fight on foot. Zhangzhou's city defense army has already installed muskets, and the firepower output is not comparable to that of heavy armored cavalry. They only need to set up shields to clear the way, and the weapons such as bows and crossbows inside are completely useless against the musketeers.
Xu Jiaqi didn't intend to steal the limelight, so he nodded and said: "Then I will let the cavalry disperse in all directions and control the surrounding intersections first to prevent the thieves from escaping!"
If the current situation is handled according to the normal method, one should first shout to persuade them to surrender, and if that fails, then consider attacking by force. But Xu Yuxing was also aroused by the opponent's toughness at this time, skipping the step of persuading surrender, and prepared to launch a strong attack directly after the infantry arrived.
It's not that Xu Yuxing forgot this step, but he no longer wanted to give the other party a chance to surrender. Once he is persuaded to surrender and the other party reveals his identity as Jin Yiwei and comes out to surrender, he will be roasted on the fire. At that time, not only would he not be able to be cruel, but he might also have to be forced to let the other party leave because of his identity. No matter what the Haihan official next to him thought, it was definitely not a result he was willing to accept.
Of course Jin Ming noticed this detail. He could roughly think of Xu Yuxing's purpose, but from his standpoint, finding out the case was the first priority. As for whether this would lead to a conflict between the Xu family and Jin Yiwei, then It's not something he needs to worry about. It would be best if all the people in this courtyard could be arrested and interrogated.
After waiting for about a cup of tea, the city defense army infantry finally arrived at the scene one after another. This is not because they are slow in their actions, because this operation requires a stronghold guarded by armed personnel. In order to avoid casualties, they must bring equipment and armor. Some equipment, such as breaking hammers, stairs and other items, need to be loaded and transported by truck. These preparations It all takes time.
Zhangzhou is Xu Xinsu's base, and most of the Xu family's important industries are located here, so the city defense army in Zhangzhou City is naturally the elite of Xu Xinsu's direct troops. The organization and garrison method of this force are modeled on the garrison of Haihan guarding Sanya. A certain number of units are transferred from the front-line combat troops to Zhangzhou to serve as the city defense force. Therefore, this city defense force is not only well-equipped, but also has excellent combat effectiveness and practical experience. Not bad.
Only at this time did the real commander of the city defense army arrive, but with Xu Jiaqi present, it was natural for Xu Jiaqi to order the launch of this storming operation.
Several of the infantrymen outside had climbed up the stairs to the nearby roof to control the walls of the Jinfa. Although the target in the courtyard cannot be sighted at this height, if someone wants to climb over the wall, he will be exposed to the gun. The soldiers received orders not to let anyone go. As for whether they should live or die, there were no corresponding requirements. That meant they would rather kill the wrong person than let them go.
Ten armored warriors have worked together to carry the heavy breaking hammer to the front door. There are also several soldiers holding large shields to protect the front. After breaking the door, they will immediately cover them and retreat to both sides to make way for the passage. Behind them is another row of musketeers under the cover of large shields. They will attack directly from the main entrance. If they encounter resistance, they can open fire directly.
As for the method of attacking over the wall, Xu Jiaqi gave up after weighing the pros and cons. The current situation was to catch a turtle in a urn, and there was really no need to create opportunities for the opponent to attack him. The gate is more than ten feet wide. After breaking through, the troops can use their firepower advantage to suppress the resistance inside, and then force their way in.
It was quiet inside Jinfa, and there seemed to be no intention of opening the door to surrender. However, Xu Yuxing was very indifferent to this. He was determined to launch a strong attack and didn't care what other tricks the other party could play.
Xu Jiaqi gave the order, and ten strong men raised the breaking hammer, and came to the door under the cover of the shield soldiers. One of them shouted, and the others used their strength together, pulling the rope tied to the breaking hammer and throwing it back, and then Hitting the door hard.
This door-breaking hammer was a solid wood pile weighing hundreds of kilograms. After hitting the door, a click was heard. Although the door did not open in response, it was obvious that the door latch could not withstand such a strong force and must have cracked.
When it hit the fourth time, the door finally couldn't hold it any longer, and the hammer broke open the latch. At the same time, several crossbow arrows flew out from the yard, and they were all nailed to the large shields protecting the warriors. If it hadn't been properly arranged in advance, several people would have been put down this time. The team that broke the door immediately retreated to the left and right under the cover of the big shield, revealing the musketeers who were hiding behind them and already aiming their guns. They immediately fired three rounds of rapid fire at the inside of the door. Several rounds of bullets hit the door, which was instantly beaten to pieces. Splatter.
Xu Jiaqi, Xu Yuxing and Jin Ming were watching just a few feet away from the fighting area. Although they could not see the situation in the courtyard from the angle where they stood, they were not worried about the recurrence of the situation. The musketeers transferred were all veterans who had fought on real battlefields, so they should have no problem dealing with such a small scene.
After confirming that there was no sign of counterattack inside the door, the musketeers completed loading their ammunition and advanced step by step under the cover of the large shield. Unless there is heavy armored cavalry on the opposite side, it is almost impossible to decipher this formation and the combination of arms. However, it is obvious that a group of cavalry will not rush out of the courtyard of the Jinfa, and ordinary infantry will be pushed flatly by the musketeers. It is difficult to have any resistance measures in front of them, and anyone who takes the initiative will become a target of fire.
There were 500 soldiers in this battalion from the city defense army. After the first group of soldiers entered the courtyard, the second group of soldiers immediately followed and poured into the gate of Jinfahao. The order they received was to sweep every corner of the house and not let anyone escape. As for whether the people in the courtyard were Jin Yiwei or someone else, no one cared at this time.
"Master Jin, why do you think they are so desperate to resist our search? What secrets do they want to hide?" At this time, the overall situation has been decided, and Xu Yuxing is finally in the mood to discuss today's weird situation with Jin Ming.
Jin Ming has actually been thinking about this matter just now, but the information he has is limited, and he can only guess: "I think these people actually know our purpose of coming, but there are some things in this place that we cannot let us know, or They said they couldn’t let Mr. Xu know! So they refused to cooperate no matter what, either to delay the destruction of the evidence, or to wait for reinforcements to come to the rescue, or both.”
Xu Yuxing said: "If someone comes to rescue, that's good. Zhengchou can't find out the real owner! If the evidence is destroyed, it doesn't matter. Even if the evidence is destroyed, we can't get away with it. At most, we can investigate The case will take more time to collect evidence again, so it won’t be a big deal.”
Jin Ming made sense when he thought about it. Whoever jumped out to rescue Jin Fahao at this time would be suspected of being the mastermind behind the scenes. Even if the commander of Jin Yiwei heard that something was going on here, he would probably have to consider whether it was necessary. Come forward to protect this place and the people inside.
However, Jin Ming still asked: "If a senior Jinyiwei official comes forward to protect people at this time, how will the third young master respond?"
Xu Yuxing said with a cold face: "I am determined to live in this place. Even if Luo Yangxing comes, I can't save it. I said so!"
Luo Yangxing is the current commander of Jinyiwei, the top leader of the intelligence yamen, and Xu Yuxing dares to call him by his first name, which shows that he has been cruel to this matter and will not give Jinyiwei another chance to reverse the case.
Xu Jiaqi smiled and praised: "As expected of Third Brother, what a spirit! This Zhangzhou is the place of my Xu family after all. How can we allow guys like Jin Yiwei to cause trouble here! If any Jin Yiwei dares to come to the rescue, I will capture them all." Let’s see what the court can do to me!”
Xu Jiaqi is in charge of tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Fujian, which is a real combat power. Naturally, he will not take an organization like Jinyiwei, whose main function is espionage, in his eyes. Although the Jin Yiwei has the privilege of investigating officials, it may not be easy to use in Fujian. Officials of the Xu family from Xu Xinsu on down are not the targets of the Jin Yiwei.
While the three of them were talking, the fighting in the Jinfa was still continuing, but there were scattered gunshots. It was obvious that the people inside did not put up much strong resistance. At this time, more than a hundred soldiers had entered the Jinfa, and there was no possibility of any recurrence.
After the three of them waited patiently for a while, an officer reported to them the progress of the operation. At present, the city defense army has basically controlled the Jinfa and arrested more than 30 people in the house. Eight others were directly shot to death during the resistance, but no valuable evidence has been found yet.
"Ledgers, all transaction records, find these things as soon as possible. There are more than thirty people alive, which can provide a lot of useful information! You don't need me to teach you how to do it myself!" Seeing that the situation was under control, Xu Yuxing immediately ordered Let his men enter the Jinfa to conduct a search. He knew that there must be something he was interested in here, but he just wanted to see if the other party destroyed the evidence before him.
Jin Ming wanted to go in and take a look at the situation in person, but Xu Yuxing advised him not to do so: "We haven't searched the inside carefully yet, and there might be thieves hiding in the dark. Lord Jin doesn't need to risk his life." , if anything valuable is found, my men will naturally report it.”
Jin Ming stopped insisting immediately, but he had a vague feeling that Xu Yuxing had other purposes, but he didn't think about it deeply.
Xu Yuxing did have other ideas. He believed that Jin Ming's previous analysis made some sense. The problem with Jinfahao may not be just a secret trade relationship with the Spaniards, which would be nothing to an operator with a background. It was a big event, as the reactions of Guangli Trading Company and Kowloon Shipping Company illustrate this point. Xu Yuxing suspected that there was something detrimental to the Xu family, and if these things were known to the Haihan people, they might not be of any benefit to the Xu family, and they might even be harmful. So he planned to hold Jin Ming back first and let his people go in and search all the places that should be searched. If there was anything that was not beneficial to the Xu family, he could deal with it quietly first.
The streets were closed, troops were mobilized, and finally shots were fired. The commotion caused was quite large, but so far, the imperial guards in the city have not been dispatched, and no one has even been sent here to inquire about the news. This is also A strange situation.
(End of chapter)