Chapter 448

Jin Ling, Chengxian Street, Imperial Envoy's Post House.

Jia Cong explained the situation to Guo Lin, and Guo Lin summoned the heads of the Wucheng Military Commission and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the post house to discuss the matter.

Currently, within Jin Ling city, due to Du Hengxin and Zhang Kangnian, the three thousand garrison troops in the city were all considered suspicious targets.

Only the Wucheng Military Commission and the Embroidered Uniform Guard could be considered usable military forces; apart from them, Jia Cong and Guo Lin had no other choices.

Using the authority of independent decision-making and control granted by the imperial decree, Guo Lin delegated the power to deploy the Wucheng Military Commission and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Jia Cong.

Although Guo Lin was quite adept at scheming, he was, after all, only a palace eunuch with absolutely no experience in leading troops or making tactical deployments.

Jia Cong, however, had once led troops to a great victory in Liaodong, and his ability to command and deploy troops was a hundred times stronger than his.

Furthermore, as a Deputy Director of the Inner Court, Guo Lin did not need military achievements; this was a way for a eunuch to protect himself.

Moreover, Jia Cong was a hundred times more familiar with the affairs of Jin Ling than he was; letting him act on his behalf would achieve twice the result with half the effort, and after success, there would inevitably be a great share of credit for him—why not do it?

Therefore, he very readily delegated power to Jia Cong, acting only as a hands-off manager himself.

Jia Cong already had a well-thought-out plan for all matters in Jin Ling, so naturally, he did not decline.

Arranging for the Wucheng Military Commission to blockade the thirteen inner city gates of Jin Ling to prevent chaos from arising was also an attempt to "beat the grass to startle the snake," hoping to verify the suspicions and conjectures he had held all along.

He also had Zhou Yong send men to escort Luo Xiong and Zhou Zhengyang to the temporary office of the Ministry of Justice, handing them over to Yang Hongbin for interrogation.

Whether it was Zhou Zhengyang or Luo Xiong, as a Guard Commander, being able to commit such acts meant their minds and wills were far beyond those of ordinary people.

They were very clear that whether they confessed or not, they were already doomed, so they would hope to withhold information, allowing the people behind them to provide assistance.

Digging the truth out of such people was not an easy task.

However, Yang Hongbin was renowned in the Ministry of Justice for his expertise in interrogation and extracting confessions.

When initially interrogating Zhou Suqing, that person had also stubbornly refused to confess, yet Yang Hongbin easily broke their mental defenses, revealing the matter of Zhou Zhengyang.

Jia Cong believed that as long as these two fell into Yang Hongbin's hands, it shouldn't take long before he squeezed out all their secrets.

By then, Jia Cong would have a legitimate reason to prosecute, and the mastermind hidden behind the scenes would be able to surface.

Just as Jia Cong and Guo Lin were presiding over the post house, listening to reports from the Wucheng Military Commission regarding the blockade and inspection of the various inner city gates of Jin Ling.

A Platoon Leader of the Wucheng Military Commission entered with a panicked expression and reported: "Reporting to the Imperial Envoy and Lord Jia, something major has happened to the men we sent to guard Zhang Kangnian's residence!

Of the twenty men from the Wucheng Military Commission and five from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, except for one soldier who luckily survived, all the others were killed!"

Jia Cong and Guo Lin were both shocked. They had originally thought that with the imperial decree issued to restrain and supervise the Jin Ling Guard and the Water Surveillance Division, and with garrison troops brought from Zhenjiang and Changzhou to guard the city,

the turmoil in Jin Ling city would surely be quelled and disaster avoided. They hadn't expected such a major incident to occur! Jia Cong's expression was grim as he asked: "How many men did the other side bring, and why were the casualties so severe?"

The Platoon Leader replied: "Our men guarding nearby heard the commotion and rushed over, but there was already no one left in the Zhang residence.

According to the severely wounded soldier, the other side only had a dozen or so men, all of whom were highly skilled in martial arts, striking ruthlessly and swiftly. In just a moment, our men had all fallen; they were simply no match for them."

Guo Lin's face turned ashen, and he said to Jia Cong: "Count Weiyuan, originally we weren't certain who the mastermind was, but now it is crystal clear—it is actually the dignified Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Kangnian! After the imperial decree was issued, because there was no solid evidence, he was only dismissed and investigated, not imprisoned. He couldn't restrain himself and actually committed murder and fled, confessing his guilt without being asked. His crimes are unforgivable."

Outside Zhang Kangnian's residence, Jia Cong arrived with men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Wucheng Military Commission, accompanied by twenty musketeers under Zhou Yong's command.

The ground in front of the Zhang residence was covered with corpses; many had been killed by a single strike to a vital point, and the blood on the ground had not yet dried.

Zhang Kangnian's residence was empty, with not even a single servant left.

Jia Cong asked the accompanying Embroidered Uniform Guard, who said that Zhang Kangnian was from Huizhou and had been an official in Jin Ling, with his family always remaining in his hometown.

Jia Cong's eyes flickered; Zhang Kangnian fleeing in fear of punishment was confirmed beyond doubt, but he always felt something was wrong, though he couldn't put his finger on the reason for a moment.

However, Zhang Kangnian suddenly killing people and fleeing undoubtedly attracted everyone's attention. The bloody scene of corpses piled up in front of the Zhang residence spread rapidly through Jin Ling city, causing quite a bit of panic.

Jia Cong ordered the Wucheng Military Commission to strictly guard the major city gates of Jin Ling and to mobilize all available men in the city to search for Zhang Kangnian's whereabouts in the nearby streets and markets.

But half an hour passed, and reports from all sides indicated that not a single trace of Zhang Kangnian could be found.

By this time, the sky had already darkened, and the western sky was overflowing with blood-red sunset clouds.

Jia Cong understood in his heart that in another half hour it would be night, and searching would become even more difficult.

He prepared to return to the Imperial Envoy's post house to think of another way.

Before leaving, he instructed the Commander of the Wucheng Military Commission: "Increase the number of men around Du Hengxin's residence; absolutely nothing else must go wrong!"

The Commander of the Wucheng Military Commission, holding a Grade 6 rank, referred to himself as a subordinate before Jia Cong and respectfully replied: "This subordinate has already transferred some of the men brought along and sent them to the Du residence, as Du Hengxin also lives in Fengle Square."

Jia Cong was startled and asked: "You mean Du Hengxin and Zhang Kangnian both live in Fengle Square?"

The Commander replied: "In recent years, Jin Ling's maritime trade has flourished, and many officials have accumulated wealth because of it, all purchasing residences in Fengle Square. Both Du Hengxin and Zhang Kangnian are like this."

Jia Cong's thoughts churned; the doubt he had held all along seemed to have grasped some key point...

At this moment, a soldier from the Wucheng Military Commission ran over and said: "Lord Jia, just now someone gave me a letter and asked me to hand it to Lord Jia."

Jia Cong asked: "Who was it? Bring him here to see me."

The soldier replied: "It was a young servant on the street. He gave me the letter and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Now there's nowhere to find him."

Jia Cong's heart skipped a beat; he hurriedly tore open the letter, and upon seeing the words written on it, he couldn't help but be greatly shocked.

Because it was written on it: Longtan Port wharf, Zhen family merchant ship, beware of fleeing abroad.

Who on earth was sending him a message? Could it be that Zhang Kangnian was actually colluding with the Zhen family? At such a critical juncture, the Zhen family was actually providing a ship for him to flee abroad.

As far as Jia Cong knew, the Zhen family's fleet was always managed by Zhen Fangqing. Could Zhen Fangqing also be involved? Recalling his several interactions with Zhen Fangqing, Jia Cong psychologically did not want to accept that Zhen Fangqing was related to this matter.

But now was not the time to dwell on this; the urgent priority was to rush to Longtan Port wharf to verify if this was really the case.

Even if this letter was a deliberate deception by the other side, he still had to make this trip. It was better to believe it existed than to believe it didn't, so as not to give the other side any chance to escape.

Jin Ling, Longtan Port wharf.

Jia Cong led three hundred musketeers under Zhou Yong's command, rushing to the wharf at the fastest speed, and controlled all entrances and exits of the wharf.

Many ships were docked at the wharf's shipyard, among which were a dozen or so ships of various sizes from the Zhen family's merchant fleet.

According to the recollection of the Shipping Office official who managed the wharf, this afternoon, twenty or thirty laborers had moved goods onto the Zhen family's merchant ship.

Because such things happened every day at the wharf, he hadn't paid any attention to it.

Moreover, that Zhen family merchant ship had complete paperwork and had probably already left the port half an hour ago.

Jia Cong cursed inwardly; an hour ago, he had just issued a military order at the post house to blockade the thirteen gates of Jin Ling.

The main energy of the Wucheng Military Commission was focused on blockading the thirteen inner city gates of Jin Ling.

By the time they paid attention to the various merchant ship wharves, it would likely be a bit too late; after all, Jin Ling city was truly too large.

This gave the other side an opportunity, and for the other side to be able to time such a gap, it was likely that this escape route had been prepared well in advance.

Jia Cong's expression was gloomy and uncertain as he said to Zhou Yong beside him: "Send someone to the Zhen family to question Miss Zhen San, explain the matter of the Zhen family's merchant ship privately transporting a wanted criminal to flee abroad, and ask clearly if the Zhen family is involved in it.

In addition, the Zhen family must provide all information such as the specifications, shape, captain, and sailors of the ship that left the port.

After obtaining the details of the ship, have the Embroidered Uniform Guard send a fast horse to notify the garrisons along the river to patrol and inspect; they must not let it go.

Send someone to the main store of the Xin Chun Hao to pass a message, telling them to notify Zheng Xiaohai that I want to use his ship and need him to lead the way by water!"

Early this morning, Jia Cong sent men to meet and escort Zhou Zhengyang back to the Du family farmstead east of the city, and also brought Zheng Xiaohai along.

At that time, he only thought that the matter in Jin Ling was nearing its end, and he estimated that he would soon return to the capital to report his mission, at which time he could take Zheng Xiaohai's ship to Gu Su, bringing Zhi Shao and the master and disciple Miao Yu back to the capital together.

Moreover, Jia Cong had another layer of meaning in keeping Zheng Xiaohai in Jin Ling.

He used Zheng Xiaohai's ship to escort Zhou Zhengyang and a group of criminals, and Zheng Xiaohai knew the details of this matter very well along the way.

Now that the situation in Jin Ling had not been completely quelled, he naturally did not want another source of leaks.

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said to Zhou Yong: "The Jia and Zhen families are family friends; you handle the Zhen family's matter yourself."

Jin Ling, Zhen residence.

Zhou Yong came to the Zhen residence to pass a message for Jia Cong. Because he was an outsider, he naturally could not see Zhen Fangqing; the one who received him was the second branch's head steward, Liu Xian.

After a while, Liu Xian's wife went to the second gate to pass the message.

Zhen Fangqing's face turned somewhat pale upon hearing the origin of the matter.

She had naturally heard the rumors outside over the past two days. Yesterday, Jia Cong encountered an assassination attempt on Xingqian Street, which spread throughout the city and truly frightened Zhen Fangqing quite a bit. Fortunately, Jia Cong was unharmed, but the prisoner he was escorting was killed. She suppressed the urge to see him urgently, knowing that these two days were not the right time.

But she really hadn't expected that when Jia Cong was chasing the escaped prisoner, that person actually used the Zhen family's merchant ship to flee. Wasn't this dragging the Zhen family into the water alive?

Liu Xian's wife said: "Our master asked me to tell the young lady that last time the third master used a merchant ship to privately transport muskets, it caused trouble for the family.

The young lady had ordered that unless it was a legitimate maritime trade business, without the young lady's permission, the Zhen family's fleet was not allowed to leave the port. The master would patrol daily, but he didn't know how this ship left the port privately.

And the captain of that ship that left the port was a person cultivated by the second master back then, very loyal to the second master, so logically he shouldn't have betrayed the third young lady.

Our master said that after replying to Count Weiyuan's men, he would immediately go to investigate this matter."

Zhen Fangqing smiled bitterly: "Now that the ship has left the wharf, the urgent priority is not to investigate why the captain betrayed the Zhen family, but to salvage the situation.

Who was the person who passed the message to Yuzhang?"

Liu Xian's wife said: "Our master said that the person was a platoon leader of the musketeer army under Count Weiyuan, and that person mentioned that Count Weiyuan said the Jia and Zhen families were family friends, so he asked him to come and ask."

Hearing this, Zhen Fangqing's expression eased slightly, and she said: "Yuzhang didn't let the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Wucheng Military Commission come to ask, but let his own trusted subordinates come to ask. This is leaving room for the Zhen family."

Liu Xian's wife smiled: "How could Count Weiyuan be leaving room for the Zhen family? He is leaving room for the young lady. This is the truth, and it's not in vain that the young lady cares about him."

Zhen Fangqing's face flushed, and she did not deny it. Before Liu Xian's wife was married, she was her mother's personal maid, and they had been close since childhood, so there was no need for her to hide it from her.

She said: "Tell Uncle Xian to go through the trouble of selecting the most suitable ship from the fleet, bring the best captain and sailors, and assist Yuzhang in leaving the port to search for the wanted criminal and recover the Zhen family's merchant ship.

If this cannot be accomplished, the future troubles will be endless. We, the Zhen family, will not take the blame for this!"

Jin Ling, a river bay five miles east of the city, at the edge of a dense reed marsh, a merchant ship with earth-yellow sails was sailing in a zigzag line.

Two people stood on the bow, looking out at the winding and twisting river bay ahead.

One of the young men was of medium build, with a steady expression and capable manners, and the little finger of his left hand was missing half a section.

The middle-aged man beside him had an imposing manner, and every gesture of his carried authority.

Liu Xuan asked: "My lord, we have been sailing in a zigzag line all the way, and the ship's speed is not fast. Why not sail in a straight line? We could reach the estuary in less than two days."

The middle-aged man replied: "After the imperial decree was issued in Jin Ling, garrison troops from Zhenjiang and Changzhou were mobilized to station outside Jin Ling city. With such a scale of troop mobilization, the various garrisons along the river will correspondingly increase their vigilance and patrols.

I have been in the Regional Military Commissioner's office for many years and know the patrol patterns of the river ships of each garrison. The two helmsmen on this ship are people in the garrison troops who are extremely well-versed in this.

I had the ship avoid specific times and waters and take the zigzag waterway precisely to avoid the patrols of the garrison's military ships along the way.

Since the imperial decree was issued in Jin Ling, the news will be transmitted rapidly through the military post to the garrisons along the river. Now that I am a suspicious person, once my tracks are discovered by military ships, it will inevitably lead to complications.

Sailing like this, although slow, is a helpless move, but at least it is safe. It's just spending an extra day or two. Once we reach the Songjiang estuary, Liu Ao's men will naturally be there to meet us."

Liu Xuan said: "My lord, Liu Ao is a giant pirate of the East Sea. Is this person really trustworthy?"

The middle-aged man sneered: "I have told you that the most powerful things in this world are not just official positions and power, but the secrets you hold that others don't know.

I have something he wants to obtain, so naturally I can control him."

Liu Xuan's eyes flickered inadvertently, and he bowed and said: "My lord is indeed thoughtful."

The middle-aged man took a map from his bosom and handed it to Liu Xuan.

He said: "The people in Shen Jing took that batch of refined iron from the Hai Yun Pavilion a few days ago, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is already facing a formidable enemy. Zhen Shiwen is reckless and rash; he will reveal his flaws sooner or later.

You get off the ship ahead, take a shortcut from Zhenjiang to the western suburbs of Jin Ling. There is a secluded valley there where a manufacturing workshop has been built.

You take the English firearm expert from the workshop as soon as possible; I will send someone to contact you.

This person has dismantled the new-style Lu Mi muskets shipped from Shen Jing and can imitate a large number of new-style muskets. He is a treasure; keeping him will surely be of great use.

Once the Englishman is taken away, this workshop will have nothing to do with us. Even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard finds it, it won't be our business; others will have to worry about it..."

Jin Ling, waters five miles east of Longtan Port.

A passenger ship was cutting through the waves, moving rapidly. The helmsman was the boatman Zheng Xiaohai, and on board were Jia Cong and seven musketeer personal guards.

Closely following the passenger ship were three larger merchant ships, each carrying three hundred musketeers, commanded by Musketeer Platoon Leader Zhou Yong.

These three merchant ships came from the Zhen family's merchant fleet and were carefully selected from the fleet by Liu Xian after receiving Zhen Fangqing's instructions.

These ships were of moderate size, with sturdy hulls, and were suitable for rapid sailing in the river channels.

Each ship was equipped with the Zhen family fleet's most outstanding captains and sailors, so even with nearly a hundred musketeers on each ship, the sailing speed remained quite impressive.

These three merchant ships following Jia Cong out of the port were used by Zhen Fangqing to show the Zhen family's attitude, proving that the Zhen family merchant ship that left the port without authorization was definitely not instructed by the Zhen family, but was a private act by someone else.

The Zhen family was willing to fully assist the government in capturing the wanted criminal.

Currently, the military ships that could be used in Jin Ling city were all under the command of the Water Surveillance Division. At such a critical moment, for the suspicious Water Surveillance Division, Jia Cong asked himself that he was not at ease using their ships.

Therefore, he was very happy to accept the Zhen family's assistance. These three ships were arranged by Zhen Fangqing, and he was very at ease, not because of some logical judgment, but because of Zhen Fangqing as a person.

Moreover, with this causal connection, if the matter of the Zhen family merchant ship transporting the wanted criminal reached the Imperial Envoy Guo Lin, the Zhen family would have a way to defend and clear itself.

On the leading passenger ship, Zheng Xiaohai asked: "Young Master Jia, I thought that this time you were looking for me, you would still let me take the convenient waterway to avoid the military ships along the way. I didn't expect it wouldn't be like this.

The young master is paying such a high price, I feel a bit embarrassed to earn it."

Jia Cong smiled: "Although I asked you to change to the straight path, I still need to use your ability to avoid military ships.

In the past, to avoid military ships, you always took the zigzag waterway. Now I want you to stick close to the zigzag waterway points and take the shortest straight waterway."

Zheng Xiaohai asked curiously: "That's even easier, but the young master's move like this, are you going to do something big? There are three military ships following behind."

Jia Cong replied: "I want to pursue a merchant ship that is the same size and specification as the three merchant ships behind.

The person sailing the ship is the same as you; he is familiar with the patrol times and paths of the military ships along the way, and he will definitely avoid them throughout the journey, so the ship must be taking the zigzag waterway.

Therefore, I want to use your ability to avoid military ships, stick close to the zigzag line, take the nearest straight road, catch up to him, and intercept him. We must maintain a suitable distance along the way and not be discovered by him in advance."

Zheng Xiaohai patted his chest and said: "Young Master Jia, don't worry. This matter is not difficult for me. I, Zheng Xiaohai, make my living on this river water; I will definitely be able to handle it for the young master!"

Jia Cong smiled: "As long as you accomplish this matter, I will definitely reward you heavily."

The sunset sank, and the night gradually shrouded the world.

Near the edge of the reed marsh along the river, a merchant ship with earth-yellow sails was docking. The small boat tied to the stern had its cable untied and was rowing slowly towards the shore.

The person rowing the small boat was a tall, dark-skinned young sailor. The posture of rowing was very skillful; holding the oars, the push and pull had a strange, healthy beauty.

"Did the proprietor arrange for me to be on the ship, is there anything I need to do? For the past two days, you have been by that person's side, and I haven't had a chance to ask."

The sailor suddenly spoke, and the voice actually revealed a touch of tenderness, which was very inconsistent with the rough appearance.

Liu Xuan, standing at the bow, said: "The proprietor said that this person is sinister and calculating, with burning private desires, and is hard to achieve big things. Moreover, he has already failed, and I'm afraid it will be even harder to control him in the future."

The sailor asked strangely: "Since that's the case, why arrange for him to get on the ship and send him out to sea? Could it be that you really let him go to see Liu Ao? It would be better to..."

Liu Xuan said: "The reason the proprietor arranged for a ship to let him leave Jin Ling is because there is another matter that needs to be obtained from him."

"He has colluded with the people in Shen Jing and, through the third young master of the Jin Ling Zhen family, transported an English firearm expert into Jin Ling. That Shen Jing figure has secretly set up a firearm workshop near Jin Ling."

"And he dismantled the new-style muskets stolen from Liaodong, wanting to imitate them in large quantities. The proprietor spent a lot of effort but couldn't find the location of that workshop."

The sailor's tone was surprised: "It would be enough for him to plunder some gold and silver, but he actually imitates muskets. His courage is big enough to rebel!"

Liu Xuan said coldly: "He doesn't have the ambition and courage to rebel, but there are no shortage of people in this world who covet the country and intend to swallow the sky..."

"The proprietor determined that he would treat this matter as a rare commodity to be hoarded. Now that he has failed, he will definitely try his best to keep this matter in his hands."

"He knows that I am from the Zhen family, and arranging a Zhen family merchant ship for him is a matter of course, which can relax his mental defenses. Before he goes to sea, he will definitely find someone to clean up the aftermath for future use."

"Sure enough, he dragged it out until the last moment and finally let me handle this matter, which was not in vain for the proprietor's planning."

After Liu Xuan finished speaking, he subconsciously touched his chest, where the map he had just obtained was placed, marking the location of the firearm workshop in the western suburbs of Jin Ling city.

He said: "There is one point where he and the proprietor's thoughts are the same: that Englishman who can imitate new-style muskets is extremely important."

"If he is controlled by someone like him, the future harm will be endless!"

"This person is already useless. The proprietor has already passed the news out. You lurk on the ship, and at the critical moment, act according to the situation...!"

At this moment, the small boat had approached the shore. The night owl that had been hiding in the bushes was awakened, making a harsh, strange cry, flapping its wings and rushing into the sky.

The abrupt and sharp sound obscured the conversation between Liu Xuan and the sailor, making it blurry and unclear... (End of chapter)