Chapter 107 Assassination!

"So, our deep-sea comrades will come here to fight with us again soon."

Xue San joked while adding carbon to the bottom of the pot.

"Yes."

Zheng Fan nodded, picked up the kettle next to him, and added a little more water to the white water pot.

This is a small charcoal stove hot pot. The soup base is very simple,

A little salt, two green onions, and three slices of ginger.

The side dishes are even simpler, just soft tofu and nothing else.

After the water boiled, Zheng Fan put a few pieces of soft tofu into the pot. After boiling for a while, Zheng Fan, Blind Man and Xue San each picked out a piece.

The sauce plate is even more simple, just soy sauce.

The tender tofu is dipped in soy sauce and tastes smooth and tender, delicious and hot.

"Huh..."

The three of them were breathing while eating.

Blind Bei took another sip of Yinlang County’s rice wine, looking very much enjoying himself.

“This way of eating can be said to be quite pleasant in winter.” Xue San said with emotion.

Blind Bei nodded and added: "In the past, it was still a poor man's way of eating, because tofu is cheap."

But at least the devils in Cuiliu Castle have good eating and drinking conditions. It's very good. Once in a while, try some light and simple flavors to change your mood.

Immediately afterwards,

Blind Bei poured a few more pieces of tofu into it and said to Zheng Fan:

"My lord, the matter of Zuo Jiqian, sir. What do you plan to do? "

Zuo Jiqian came to ask for help yesterday. Although Zheng Fan was perfunctory and left in anger in the end, this matter will definitely be settled after Xu Wenzu takes office.

"Do nothing." Zheng Fan answered honestly.

Blind Bei nodded, agreed, and said: "Your Majesty is wise."

"Counting the days, Xu Wenzu should enter Yinlang County today. After we finish eating Just go to the inn and greet him in advance."

"Of course, the Lord is thoughtful," Blind Bei agreed.

No matter what, Comrade Shenhai is here. Before he enters Nanwang City and takes office, it is a matter of great benefit and no harm to meet him in private in advance.

Meeting old friends in a foreign land is one of the warmest things in life. It is also a good story for Emei Peak and Shenhai to cooperate again on another front.

Zheng Fan cannot sympathize with how nervous and fearful Zuo Jiqian is, but what can be predicted is that after the fat Mr. Xu Wenzu and Mr. Xu came here to become his immediate boss, Zheng Fan's life will be different. Live more comfortably.

Zheng Fan took a sip of wine and said, "Okay, let's leave as soon as we finish eating."

In the small room, the three of them ate a lot of soft tofu hot pot. It was pleasant, but halfway through the meal, there was a knock on the door and the sound of fragrant grass coming from outside:

"Master, Mr. Liang sent someone to ask, where is Nanwangcheng?"Many refugees gathered around and asked us if Cuiliu Fort would accept them? ”

“Refugees? Zheng Fan put down his chopsticks and asked, "Did you say where the refugees came from?" ”

“It’s from the south. ”

“From the south? ”

The location of Cuiliu Fort can be regarded as the northernmost line of the Yan Kingdom. Anyone coming from the south is obviously coming from the Qian Kingdom.

Zheng Fan put down He picked up the chopsticks and said to the blind man: "Let's go and have a look, and then go to the inn to wait for Xu Wenzu. ”

…………

The group of refugees is not very large, but it is definitely not small either. There are refugees on both sides of the road. According to preliminary estimates, it is enough There were several thousand people.

Zheng Fan was sitting on the horse. Next to him were Blind Bei and Xue San.

Maybe it was because Zheng Fan was having fun last time. After a trip to Qian Country, the demon kings under his command were terrified. Therefore, every time Zheng Fan went out, there would be at least two people following him. If the magic pills that Zheng Fan always carried were also included. , that is the lineup of the three Demon King's bodyguards.

Some Yan cavalry from unknown forts are maintaining the order of the team and leading the team's direction.

These refugees are basically as small as a family unit, or as large as a village as a unit, with families and dependents. Because there are many old, weak, women and children, the proportion of young and strong among them is not very high. It is considered very high.

Xue San specially rode over to inquire about the situation and came back to report:

"My Lord, they are indeed from Qian Country. They originally went to Nanwang City, but was redirected and assigned in the middle. Those cavalrymen were from Ji Tui Fort. It is said that Zuo Jiqian ordered him to leave Ji Tui Fort to receive all the refugees from the Qian Kingdom. ”

“He is really from the Qian country. "Zheng Fan said with emotion.

Because Qian Guo has always given people the impression that he is a man who loves the rich and loves the rich.

Although the military strength is not good, in terms of economy and culture, it is It has considerable advantages.

So, Zheng Fan was really surprised that people from Qian country would sneak across the border and come to Yan country.

Blind Bei noticed Zheng Fan. He was surprised and said:

"My lord, this is normal. Qianguo is rich, but Qianguo has never seriously managed the three northern counties because of the incident of the first Zhenbei Marquis a hundred years ago. In addition, There are many garrison soldiers in the three northern counties, and the labor burden is heavy. After being severely oppressed, it is not easier for these ordinary people to live than in the Yan Kingdom to the north. ”

There are many noble families here in the Yan Kingdom, but these noble families are actually not that unbearable to the farmers under their control. At least, the master family will also find ways to make the farmers in their own family able to Survive as much as possible, and at the same time, if your own conditions permit, you will also release some economic and even political benefits to share with them

Because these households are actually the family's own. "People"In fact, the most fundamental source of their users and political influence, including their own "private soldiers", is the rural population on their own land.

This is a bit similar to the later generations' "If you don't waste public things, it will be useless", but your own things must be especially cherished.

For the court officials, the people under the court's rule were actually similar to public property. Once they became their own households, they became their own private property, and their attitudes were definitely different.

In addition, in recent years, the Yan State has relied on the benefits of the Silk Road to develop its commerce and trade. Unlike the Qian State, the Yan State cannot really collect commercial taxes. Therefore, the Yan State court has always been right when it came. The local control power is not very high, and secondly, it has received substantial financial supplements from commercial taxes, which has caused the survival pressure of ordinary people under the rule of Yan State, which is indeed much smaller than that of the other three countries.

This was also Zheng Fan’s first impression of the mental outlook of the residents nearby when he came to Cuiliu Fort on his first day.

“I just don’t know what the officials and literati of the Qian Kingdom will think when they know this.”

“My lord, this is actually understandable, culture and the like For the people at the bottom, it is a bit too far away. They don’t know the big principles, but they know how to vote with their feet.

The Song Dynasty also had similar records. The people in the Song Dynasty voluntarily gave up their identity as Song citizens. Flee to the Liao Kingdom and become a subject of the Liao Kingdom."

"The Yan Kingdom is not the Liao Kingdom," Zheng Fan reminded.

“Yes, the Lord said so.”

“Zuo Jiqian led these refugees to his Ji Tui Fort for resettlement, probably because he wanted Xu Wenzu to take office. Now, let's do our best to behave as much as possible."

The appearance of these refugees is a feat in itself, proving that destiny and people's hearts are not in Yan's hands. Xu Wenzu has not yet taken office, which is tantamount to a failure. Bo Zhengji has already taken the initiative to come to the door.

But there are still thousands of mouths, and they need to eat every day, so Zuo Jiqian, with the financial support of the Zuo family, dared to lead these refugees to his Ji Tui Fort. He comes to raise it.

It is equivalent to the Zuo family spending money to support the new commander-in-chief Xu Wenzu's political achievements. Zuo Jiqian probably hopes that Xu Wenzu will take this matter into account and show his respect for Zuo Jiqian's previous failure in doing things. Mistakes should be handled with care.

“We don’t want these people, right?” Zheng Fan looked at Blind Bei.

Blind Bei shook his head and said: "If they are all young and strong, it is not unacceptable to us, but there are so many old, weak, women and children, so we will not compete with Zuo Jiqian for the opportunity to perform. That’s it.”

“Yes, after all, Zuo Jiqian’s Chicken Leg Fort has enough chicken legs.”

Actually, if you really want to count the financial resources, he has the support of the Sixth Prince. The Cuiliu Fort is really not afraid of Ji retreating from the fort.

First of all, the construction of Cuiliu Castle has been completed. Although there are still some small details that need to be repaired and improved, it is enough to wait for the spring to thaw and then tinker with them a little. It already has the features. the ability to absorb the population. At the same time, Zheng FankeIt is clear that in the warehouse of his own fortress, not only are some additional weapons and equipment stored, but there are also rich food reserves.

The Sixth Prince is indeed very generous. Either he doesn’t take action, but once he does, he will definitely milk you to the point of ejaculation.

Even Blind Bei said that people from the trading company over there sent a message and asked him why he didn't expand his troops here. It was obviously a signal from the Sixth Prince.

For a fort that is responsible for the defense, the court is generally only responsible for the military expenses of 500 people. But if you have the ability, and you can raise 800 or 1,000 people, generally speaking, the court will also be responsible for it. Turning a blind eye and closing one eye is the current trend in Yan country.

At the same time, the main attention and main contradiction of the court is still on the big gatekeepers. It is common for those big gatekeepers to cure tens of thousands of households. If they want, they can easily pull out thousands or tens of thousands. Private soldiers are considered ordinary.

It’s just that Zheng Fan has always wanted to take the route of elite soldiers. It really doesn’t make much sense for you to gather a lot of miscellaneous soldiers.

It’s better to wait with peace of mind and wait for Emperor Yan to operate on Menva before expanding. The people in Menva are firstly of high quality, and secondly, they are even more dedicated to meritorious service after being exiled and assigned. Maybe they will be able to receive and shine in the future. Isn’t it much more useful than relying on these peasant soldiers to make up the numbers?

"Actually, I feel that something is a little abnormal. In previous years, people from the Qian Kingdom fled to the Yan Kingdom to make a living. This year, the Lord went there to stimulate some excitement before winter. In the Qian Kingdom, it stands to reason that no matter how unbearable the Qian Kingdom's border troops are, there is still no problem in hiding in the den. The border is lined with forts, so small groups of people can smuggle across the country. Suddenly, thousands of people smuggled in together. , there might be some secret tricks from the Qian people."

The secret tactics refer to spies, and there may be quite a few of them.

“Let’s not talk about the quality of Qianguo’s border troops, but the silver-armored guards there at least gave me a pretty good impression, and they even assigned wives.”

"Haha." Blind Bei also laughed, "Actually, my subordinates think that Zuo Jiqian should also know that there must be a time bomb here, but he wants to finish eating first, and he doesn't care whether he will have diarrhea in the future. ”

“Okay, no more, let’s go to the inn and wait for Xu Pangpang.”

Zheng Fan decided not to make too much of a fuss about meeting Comrade Shenhai in advance. , so I took Blind Bei and Xue San there without any troops.

The three of them rode horses and marched from afternoon to dusk before arriving at the post station on the outskirts of Yin City.

Nanwang City is undoubtedly the largest city in Yinlang County, but Yincheng is the capital of Yinlang County, but like some provincial cities in later generations, it has little sense of existence.

The post station of Yan State received officials who were on official business and was responsible for preparing horses and entertaining messengers. However, it did not do business with the outside world. Zheng Fan also stayed at various places along the way from Beifeng County to Cuiliu Fort. There are many inns, and I feel that most inns are similar to the comprehensive hotels of later generations, and the officials do not have to pay the bill.

CauseBecause it was not a business trip and he wanted to hide his relationship with Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan chose to pay for it at his own expense. Considering that he would probably have to chat for a long time after meeting Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan simply asked for two rooms. guest room.

When ordering food and drinks, Xue San was responsible for going up and asking the guest from Beifeng County which room he would stay in.

Because Xu Wenzu’s physical characteristics are too obvious, it is easy to make clichés. The news we received is that Xu Wenzu and his group have reserved a first-class hospital.

Well, as the newly appointed commander-in-chief of Nanwang City, he still has this card.

However, when Zheng Fan went to the Class A hospital and explained his intention to the soldiers at the door, the soldiers replied that Xu Wenzu had gone out to visit friends in the afternoon and would probably not come back until night.

As for who the friend he was visiting was and where he lived, the guards who stayed here didn’t know.

Without any choice, Zheng Fan and the other three could only hastily eat the dinner prepared by the inn and rest in their respective rooms.

Xue San gave some money to the clerk at the inn and asked him to report when he saw Xu Wenzu coming back.

There is no need to worry about being suspected, because there are many people who want to "encounter" dignitaries in the inn every day, and this little official is obviously used to it.

Blind Bei and Xue San lived in the same room, and Zheng Fan lived next door to them.

Fortunately, Director Zheng is considered a small "local emperor" in Cuiliu Fort, and no one will keep track of the director's attendance, so there is no problem if he stays outside for a day without going back.

Lying on the bed, Zheng Fan made a bow gesture with his hands, feeling it over and over again.

This month, with A Ming practicing archery with him, Zheng Fan felt that he had made great progress, but when it came to how to release Qi and blood, he still couldn't master it well.

A ninth-grade warrior is considered a master in the eyes of ordinary people. In the army, he can also hold the position of leader of small soldiers. But Zheng Fan knows that relying on this level of cultivation to save his life, sometimes It's really difficult.

This time I went to Qian Country, I killed more than one high-grade warrior on the battlefield.

Zheng Fan feels that he must at least have the level of cultivation of Shatuo Queshi to ensure his own safety. In fact, if Shatuo Queshi hadn't wanted to die, he would have really wanted to die. It's quite difficult to hang up.

Lying in bed and repeating "An arrow in the heart is better than no arrow in the hand" over and over again, it was late at night before I knew it.

Zheng Fan was a little worried that Xu Wenzu would stay with friends tonight and not return to the inn, right?

Or maybe that friend is actually a widow who used to be an old sweetheart?

"Dong dong dong..."

There was a gentle knock on the door.

Zheng Fan thought it was Xue San or the blind man at first, so he got out of bed and opened the door.

After opening it, I found that the person standing at the door was a short, fat woman who I thought was in her forties. The woman's face was covered with thick makeup and was greasy.Tired.

"Sir, do you need someone to accompany you tonight?"

So, the service of hotel rooms in later generations actually existed in ancient times, right?

Zheng Fan pointed at the woman and said:

"Are you here to accompany me?"

"Ouch, look. My lord, of course you are not talking about my concubine. There are many young ladies under my concubine. There are beautiful horses from Jin State, thin horses from Xiahang, noble horses from Chu State, and fierce horses from our Yan land. I am very capable. We have them all, my lord, just tell me which one you want to choose. The girl will come up later to ensure that you are satisfied.”

The girls in Jin are beautiful and have good figures, and the horses in Xiahang are extremely thin. They are so famous that even Emperor Qian took in the three sisters of the Yang family in Hangzhou. There are many aristocrats in Chu State who have been passed down for hundreds of years. Due to internal strife, noble girls often escape. As for whether they are real noble girls, No one knows this, but at least she will pretend to be a noble lady and serve you. The Fierce Horse of Yandi is just as the name suggests.

To be honest, with the most outstanding mother in the world, Siniang, at home, Zheng Fan really has no interest in hunting wild food outside. Even if he really wants to hunt, the little ones trained by Siniang will How could the Hong Fu girls be any worse than those outside?

Furthermore,

Two of his men live next door, and there is also a blind man who can play "live broadcast" for you even though there is a wall. How could Zheng Fan possibly Looking for services here?

"I'm tired, no need."

"Then I'll bother you."

Fat Mommy said to Zheng Fan very knowingly Yifu turned around and left. Soon, there was a knock on the door next door.

Immediately afterwards,

Xue San’s voice came out,

Xue San was heard shouting excitedly:

"I want it, I want it all, one piece of each!"

"Master, just wait, the girls will be here soon."

After that, the fat mother I went downstairs, probably to call the girl.

Zheng Fan walked out of the room and stood in the corridor on the second floor. Xue San also walked out at this moment and looked shy when he saw Zheng Fan.

"It's fun, let the blind man come to my room."

Zheng Fan himself has a fourth mother. Although he has never been able to hit the bases, the mood of playing needlework is also wonderful. It's unspeakable, so you can't feed yourself and keep your subordinates hungry.

Xue San shook his head and walked from the door to Zheng Fan. Because the floor on the second floor was a bit old, the corridor floor made a "squeak" sound when he walked.

"Lord, did you hear that?" Xue San lowered his voice and asked.

Zheng Fan suddenly understood.

“For such a short person, the floor made a sound when he walked here. But when the fat mommy just walked past, there was no movement at all.”

Then I can be regarded as Xu Wenzu’s savior, and I have caught up with him.

But when I think about it, I think it’s quite ridiculous. Back then, outside the Zhenbei Hou Mansion, Zheng Fan wanted to kill Xu Pangpang, so he dispatched the barbarian royal court Zuo Guli King.

As a result, Xu Pangpang accidentally got off the carriage at that time to pull an arrow. < /p>

At this time, a clerk carrying a lantern came out from downstairs, waved the lantern at Zheng Fan who was standing on the corridor above, and then left.

This is it. Tell Zheng Fan that Xu Wenzu has come back, because he lives in the courtyard, so he does not go through the door of the inn.

At this time, the blind man Bei also walked out of the room and looked at Zheng Fan.

"My lord, hurry up and remind Xu Wenzu to be on guard. "

Zheng Fan nodded and went downstairs alone. As for Xue San and Blind Bei, they did not go with Zheng Fan. They should be responsible for the peripheral support.

A The guards at the gate of the hospital have changed. It should be that the guard who accompanied Xu Wenzu to visit friends during the day has just changed his post.

The person who can be responsible for security when Xu Wenzu goes out to visit friends during the day must be one of the guards. The two soldiers actually recognized Zheng Fan. Seeing that Zheng Fan actually appeared here, the two of them were stunned for a moment, then immediately looked on guard, and even put their hands on the handle of the knife.

"Colonel Zheng, is that you? "

A soldier asked.

"It is Zheng. Could you please inform Mr. Ming Zheng that Zheng is here to visit. ”

If it were anyone else who wanted to vote for a spot, gain popularity, or gain connections, the soldiers might have thought that Xu Wenzu was tired just after he came back, so they stopped him, but seeing that it was Zheng Fan, he was his lord. The enemy was so angry that they didn't dare to neglect him. One of the soldiers immediately went in to report.

"Let him in, quickly, let him in." ”

Xu Wenzu’s voice came from inside, and he was walking quickly towards the door.

The soldiers at the door no longer blocked him. Zheng Fan walked in and saw a huge statue. The mountain of meat is pressing towards him.

Xu Wenzu lost a lot of weight on the way back to Zhenbei Hou Mansion, but now he seems to have fully made up for it, and is even better than before.

This is Yinlang County, not Beifeng County, and the area is guarded by soldiers he can trust, so Xu Wenzu was very relaxed and walked over to greet Zheng Fan with a smile

Zheng Fan didn't have time to tell Xu Wenzu how happy he was to see each other again.

He lowered his voice and said quickly:

"Be careful, sir, someone has infiltrated this inn." The humble duty of an assassin who wants to kill you is to inform you as soon as you get the news. "

"Ah! "

"Ah! ”

JustAt this moment,

Two screams came from the outer wall of the courtyard. Apparently, one of Xu Wenzu's soldiers was shot dead.

What surprised Zheng Fan was that he originally thought that the assassin would poison him, sneak in, or rely on door-to-door service to get close to Xu Wenzu.

But he really didn’t expect that.

The assassin came to kill him without a care in the world.

At the same time,

A chorus of angry shouts came from outside:

"Zheng Fan, the swallow dog, pays for the debt with blood, and you will die!!!"

"..."Xu Wenzu.

"..." Zheng Fan.