Chapter 155 Entering the Urn
"Master, someone is coming over there." The little girl's face turned pale, her breathing was rapid, and she looked at the old man anxiously.
The old man's grip on the book tightened, and he slammed the book down on the table next to him. "What?"
As he was speaking, he stood up and walked out with big strides. Zhao Bingchun consciously did not follow him.
The old man took the little girl out of the house and stood not far from the eaves to talk. In front of the old man stood a thin man whose face could not be seen.
Zhao Bingchun tilted his head to look. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could see that the old man's face looked extremely ugly.
This old man was the leader of the bandits he had previously collaborated with, and he was a retired eunuch from the palace.
Although he had no official position, as a county magistrate, he was still respected.
People who come out of the palace have connections all over the place.
Zhao Bingchun was thinking about it randomly, but before he could figure it out, he saw the old man return with a sullen face. Before he even entered the door, he couldn't wait to ask, "You said the Crown Princess led troops to suppress the bandits. How many people did she take with her? Who were they?"
You just ignored the Crown Princess's anti-bandit campaign, but now you suddenly take it seriously?
Zhao Bingchun suppressed his suspicion and said, "They are the people from the Xishan Camp that Huang Zhaozhong brought from Kyoto. There are a total of one thousand people. As for who is among them, I don't know now. I have to ask Huang Zhaozhong first."
The old man said, "Huang Zhaozhong and the Duke of Zhenguo are sworn enemies. The Xishan camp is full of the Duke of Zhenguo's men. Why would he send him here with his men?"
Zhao Bingchun did not dare to mention that Huang Zhaozhong was Rong'an Marquis's man, and only evaded the question by saying, "Who knows about the arrangement from above? Maybe His Majesty knew that the Xishan Camp was under the command of the Zhenguo Duke, and deliberately sent someone who was not in harmony with him. Otherwise, why would he let Jingzhao Yin come? If anyone came, it should be the Ministry of War."
Huang Zhaozhong was the prefect of Jingzhao.
The old man thought for a moment, then asked solemnly, "Huang Zhaozhong led the troops here to suppress the bandits, so why did he let the Crown Princess take the people away while he stayed in the government office?"
Zhao Bingchun said, "The Crown Princess is strong and overbearing. Who can afford to offend her?"
The old man disagreed with this.
But there was no time to analyze this strange thing. The Crown Princess led the troops to suppress the bandits and actually attacked his base in the mountains.
His people had been hiding there for three years, how were suddenly discovered?
Was it prepared in advance or was it just an accident?
He must act quickly and eliminate this group of people, otherwise his people will come into the public eye, and then it will be difficult to deal with them.
"You want to avenge your wife. How do you plan to do it?" The old man asked Zhao Bingchun, hiding the storm in his eyes.
Zhao Bingchun said bluntly, "I made sure she never came back."
The old man laughed loudly, "That's the Crown Princess. If I help you do it, what benefits will you give me?"
Zhao Bingchun pretended to know nothing just now because he knew there were some things he shouldn't ask, but now he no longer pretended to be confused, "Could it be that the Crown Princess's people have offended you?"
The old man immediately laughed and said, "Even if she provokes me, I have many ways to deal with her, whether it is a fate worse than death or a complete destruction. It makes no difference to me or to be alone. It will have a big impact on you.
The prince and his wife came to suppress the bandits, and they lost their lives one after another, but you, the county magistrate, are fine. What do you think will happen?"
Zhao Bingchun was caught in a weak spot by him, "What do you want to do?"
"I want all the information about the 1,000 people. You'd better give me an accurate answer immediately. This is the condition. As for the benefits, after the matter is done, I want you to give me half of Nanchong County's grain storage every month."
Zhao Bingchun's face suddenly changed. "Half of the stored grain? All the grain in the government office must be registered. Such a large amount..."
The old man did not allow Zhao Bingchun to continue, and only said: "That is your problem. Now you need my help."
Zhao Bingchun had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree, "Okay."
The old man immediately pointed to the person who came to deliver the message in the courtyard and said, "Follow Magistrate Zhao back to the county government office. He will tell you the details."
As soon as Zhao Bingchun took the man away, the old man immediately changed his clothes and left. Before leaving, he told the little girl, "If anyone else comes to report the news, tell him to go find me over there."
The little girl obeyed the order and closed the door.
Wearing a bamboo hat, the old man went out alone. He turned around in the winding alleys of Nanchong County and arrived at a private house in the south of the city. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. After three long knocks and one short knock, the door was opened and he quickly slipped in.
The old man entered the courtyard. In the shadows not far away, Minglu said to Rongque, "Your Highness, do you want to come forward?"
Rong Que glanced at the big banyan tree not far away and said, "Don't go forward. There are people watching over there."
Minglu looked at the big banyan tree and said, "It's not a good idea for us to just wait like this."
Rong Que shook his head, "No need to wait, he will come out soon, and when he comes out, we will take action directly."
Before Rong Que could finish his words, the door over there opened again and a man wearing a bamboo hat came out quickly.
Rong Que gave Ming Lu a look, and when the man walked away, Ming Lu immediately followed, but Rong Que stayed there without moving.
On the other side, the county government office.
Zhao Bingchun brought his men back and immediately met Huang Zhaozhong.
Huang Zhaozhong did not ask who this person was. When Zhao Bingchun asked about the situation of the 1,000 men, Huang Zhaozhong said frankly, "These were all transferred directly from the Xishan Camp. I only know that they are elite soldiers. As for how strong their combat capabilities are, I am not very clear. But there is a man named Yu Song among them. He is a man of Wang Yu, the commander of the Xishan Camp. I heard that he was originally from the Su family army."
As soon as the three words "Su Jiajun" came out, the expression of the person who came with Zhao Bingchun changed immediately, "Is he the only one, or are there others?"
Huang Zhaozhong shook his head. "I only know that Yu Song is the one. As for whether the others are the ones, I don't know. I left Kyoto in a hurry and was on a fast march all the way. I didn't have time to ask."
After receiving the news from Huang Zhaozhong, the messenger left immediately.
In the mountains and forests.
Su Qingqing led the anti-bandit army to camp in the forest. A hundred meters away from her was the powerful force that Rong Que had detected that day.
"The person who went to report the news has returned."
Su Qingqing was studying the topographic map in the tent when Yu Song came back from outside in casual clothes.
Su Qingqing hummed, but didn't respond. She clicked on the map and said, "Tonight at midnight, we will start the battle here. I will lead 300 people to bypass from the back, and the rest will be given to you. You attack from the front."
Yu Song glanced down and remembered Wang Yu's instructions before he came, which told him to follow the Empress's instructions upon arrival. Yu Song immediately obeyed the order.
Opposite the campsite.
The messenger stood respectfully in the tent and reported all the information he had obtained from Huang Zhaozhong.
Su Xiang stared and said, "Yu Song? Yu Song is a member of the Su family army? It's over, it's over."
There were about seven or eight leaders of this powerful force sitting in the tent. After Su Xiang finished everyone present frowned and looked over, with an unpleasant look on their faces.
