Chapter 278

Dengzhou Port wharf, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, the blue waves stretched for ten thousand acres.

Two two-thousand-liao warships sailed out of the harbor one after another, cleaving through the waves and sailing in the vast Bohai Bay.

Of the two two-thousand-liao warships, one was a warship from the Jinling Water Surveillance Office, and the other was temporarily requisitioned from the Dengzhou Guard.

The leading warship was loaded with eight brand-new Frankish cannons and two hundred musketeers from the Five Armies Battalion.

The other warship carried Wei Yongzhou and three hundred musketeers, as well as the three thousand porcelain grenades and five hundred modified Rumi muskets being transported this time.

Jia Cong stroked the cold cannon barrel, seemingly able to feel the power of the most powerful firearm in this era to date, but he believed this would soon be surpassed.

Each Frankish cannon was equipped with a wooden wheeled gun carriage, and each Frankish cannon was equipped with three sub-cannons.

When the cannon was in use, ammunition was loaded into the sub-cannon, and then it was loaded into the mother cannon to fire; the three sub-cannons were used in rotation, and three shots could be fired in succession in only twenty seconds.

This was an amazing rate of fire at the time, almost catching up to the efficiency of a triple-volley of muskets, but the power of three consecutive cannon shots was something a musket volley couldn't hope to match.

Liu Hai replied hurriedly: "If it hadn't been for Master Jia uncovering the major case of the Water Surveillance Office and bringing Zou Huaiyi to justice, I would still be a squad leader being squeezed out in the Water Surveillance Office."

According to the recent profit accounts sent by Qu Hongxiu and Keqing, Jia Cong estimated that he wouldn't need five years to fulfill his promise to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "I didn't expect that the one escorting the cannons north this time would be Brother Liu. The thousand-mile sea journey is exhausting; you have really worked hard."

Through Lin Ruhai's connections, the trade routes in Yangzhou and Gusu had also been opened, and branch offices had been opened; currently, Qu Hongxiu had Wang Dequan managing things over there.

This was the question that came to Jia Cong's mind the first time he saw Liu Hai at Dengzhou Port.

Even Jia Cong felt that these fifty thousand taels of silver were money well spent.

When he participated in the major case of the Water Surveillance Office in Jinling, at the birthday banquet in the Zou Prefecture that day, Zou Huaiyi committed suicide on the spot, which made him suspect that there must still be something hidden behind Zou Huaiyi.

"Brother Liu, according to common sense, the escort of important military equipment like cannons would be the responsibility of the Jinling Guard soldiers; how could they let you Embroidered Uniform Guards do it?"

Before Jia Cong left the Love Shenjing, he received a letter from Qu Hongxiu; the business of the Xinchun Firm's Jinling and Ningbo branches was very good after they opened, and the perfume workshop in Jinling was also on the right track.

Of course, the volume of sales by sea wasn't very large; after all, the production capacity of the Jinling perfume workshop was limited, and it was more of a trial and an opening of trade routes.

"Liu Hai can have today because of Master Jia's blessings. Master entrusted me to look after the Xinchun Firm shop in Jinling; I have already instructed the brothers below, Master can rest assured, it can be guaranteed to be safe."

It is said that this person is very familiar with the structure and usage techniques of cannons and is a divine gunner who hits the target every time; as for whether it's true, it remains to be verified.

The Frankish people's after-sales service was quite thoughtful; along with these Frankish cannons, there was also a twenty-something-year-old Frankish cannon instructor named Madelun.

And the perfume products produced by the Jinling perfume workshop were being tried for long-distance sales to nearby barbarian countries such as Japan, Ryukyu, Luzon, and Sulu through foreign merchant ships.

This time, Liu Hai led fifty Embroidered Uniform Guards to set off from Jinling, sailed for half a month to reach Dengzhou Port, and after waiting for five days, he joined up with Jia Cong, who was leading troops north.

If eight Frankish cannons were fired at the same time, it would form a terrifying battlefield lethality, which could easily crush the charge of a thousand fast cavalrymen.

Of course, he would leave enough margin for himself, and at the same time, he wouldn't give the Emperor too high expectations.

And the person escorting the cannons north from Jinling this time was also an old acquaintance of Jia Cong in Jinling, namely Liu Hai, a company commander of the Jinling Embroidered Uniform Guard battalion.

And Zou Huaiyi's sudden suicide was at best a trick to cut off his tail to survive; he believed that he was definitely not the only one who could perceive this layer.

And the Water Surveillance Office was a government office subordinate to the Jinling Guard; Zou Huaiyi committed suicide suddenly and took on all the blame, so many clues to this matter were broken.

Afterwards, he encountered an assassination by Cui Bowang, a clerk of the Jinling Guard's Clerk Office, in Gusu; although it was verified afterwards that Cui Bowang was out of personal vendetta.

But Cui Bowang hadn't been caught yet when he was strangely killed by someone else, becoming another unsolved case.

And in all these matters, there seemed to be a vague connection with the Jinling Guard, which was the reason why Jia Cong would ask Liu Hai this question.

Liu Hai said: "Master Jia may not know that according to common sense, the escort of military equipment needs to be the responsibility of the Jinling Guard's Water Surveillance Office."

"But since Zou Huaiyi was brought to justice, the middle and lower-level military officers in the Water Surveillance Office were swept away, and the newly transferred officials came from all sides, so their backgrounds were a bit complicated."

During the last major case of the Water Surveillance Office, the imperial court had always had doubts about the Jinling Guard, but there was no relevant evidence.

This time, the Ministry of War's escort official document went directly to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, letting the Embroidered Uniform Guard be fully responsible for the escort of the cannons, without letting the Jinling Guard participate at all, only borrowing the warships of the Water Surveillance Office."

Jia Cong pondered in his heart; for military affairs like escorting cannons, the Ministry of War bypassed the Jinling Guard directly, which could only be under the Emperor's instruction, showing that the Emperor had long been wary of the Jinling Guard.

The Jinling Guard was to guard the auxiliary capital of Jinling, and its influence involved eight prefectures and one province in the south of the Yangtze River.

The water troops under the Jinling Guard exceeded ten thousand, which was twice the number of troops of other ordinary military guards, and it was the strongest standing army in the south of the Yangtze River.

And the eight prefectures and one province in the south of the Yangtze River were the fertile foundation of the Great Zhou, and Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao would absolutely not allow turmoil and accidents to happen here.

So even if he had doubts about the Jinling Guard, he would only look for a suitable opportunity and would not act rashly.

Liu Hai asked: "Does Master Jia still remember Old Two Dong?"

Jia Cong replied: "Naturally I remember; he abducted the young lady of the Zhen family in Gusu. Although I rescued that girl, Old Two Dong escaped."

Liu Hai said again: "The Jinling Guard has already captured this person in Zhenjiang. According to his confession, he made a living by selling foreign goods, and his foreign goods all came from a sea merchant named Zhou Suqing."

Jia Cong said: "I learned about this matter when I was in Jinling. The large amount of foreign goods and wealth that Zou Huaiyi looted is still missing, and it has some connection with this Zhou Suqing, but this person has never been caught."

Liu Hai smiled and said: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard used torture on Old Two Dong and interrogated many things from his mouth, one of which Master Jia might be interested in."

"Old Two Dong said that he knew Zhou Suqing in Gusu more than ten years ago. At that time, his name was Huo Qi; it was he who lost the Zhen family's young lady on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

"Later, fearing that the Zhen family would hold him accountable, he took his money and followed a sea ship to escape to Japan. After mixing for more than ten years and making a fortune, he returned to Jinling to start a foreign goods business."

"Old Two Dong knew Zhou Suqing, but Zhou Suqing didn't know that he was the kidnapper from back then. Old Two Dong also used his background from back then as a threat to borrow a lot of foreign goods from him at a low price."

Jia Cong was also greatly surprised after hearing Liu Hai's words; Zhou Suqing was actually Huo Qi, a servant of the Zhen family back then, which indeed exceeded his expectations.

Liu Hai continued: "Old Two Dong also confessed that Zhou Suqing was working for a high-ranking official in Jinling. The reason he was able to escape was that someone provided him with a way out."

"As for who this person is, Old Two Dong doesn't know either. This time, I was ordered by Thousand-Man Commander Ge to transport cannons; another important task is to search for Zhou Suqing's whereabouts along the way."

"Going north from here, passing through the land of four prefectures, I would dock for half a day at every port and send people into the port to investigate, but I gained nothing."

Jia Cong was silent in his heart; Zhou Suqing was the only one who slipped through the net in the major case of the Water Surveillance Office.

They set up a net in the Jinling Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Yingtian Prefecture government office, etc., but still let this person escape.

Without the protection of someone high and powerful, he wouldn't be able to retreat unscathed like this.

The Jinling Embroidered Uniform Guard was so serious about capturing Zhou Suqing, it must have been instructed from the Love Shenjing.

When he left Jinling, he thought that the major case of the Water Surveillance Office must have had other inside stories and was definitely not as simple as one Zou Huaiyi.

The Dali Temple and the Court of Judicial Review in the Love Shenjing had sent many capable personnel to Jinling to clean up the aftermath of the major case of the Water Surveillance Office; through investigation and interrogation, they would inevitably realize this point.

Perhaps only when Zhou Suqing is brought to justice will the true inside story of the Jinling Water Surveillance Office's major case be revealed.

(End of chapter)