Jiangning.
August 17th. After half a night of commotion, the atmosphere in the city was somber.
In the afternoon, the news that Lin Zongwu would challenge the "Million Soldiers Arena" in a few days spread from the territory of the "Chakravarti King". In the following half a day, it became a hot topic in all the markets in the city.
On the one hand, people admired Sect Leader Lin's martial arts. On the other hand, they had already felt the dominance of the "Chakravarti King" Xu Zhaonan. After a night of surprise attacks by Zhou Shang's forces, not only did they not consider stopping, but they also continued to challenge the other forces, including Zhou Shang. In other words, the fire had been lit, and it was almost impossible to extinguish it.
And some well-informed people had already received the news. In the afternoon, the members of the "Chakravarti King" force outside Jiangning had entered the city with drums and gongs, and the scale had increased significantly. Xu Zhaonan had clearly begun to wave the flag. At the same time, the "Yama King" force entering the city from the west had also increased greatly. After the large-scale battle in the early morning, Wei Yiwen had also begun to call for help.
All the markets in the city that had been occupied by established forces had begun to increase their defenses on a large scale. Some of the individual merchants in the city who had come to "make a fortune" were panicking and had already planned to escape the city. Of course, there were even more desperadoes who felt that the time had come. They began to sharpen their knives and prepare to do something big, either to make a name for themselves or to make a fortune. Most of the time, people hoped for both.
From time to time, naturally, there were people who sighed at the "moral degeneration" and the "collapse of order".
Some people mentioned the "King of Justice's" law enforcement team running around the city, and the "Virtuous Dragon" Fu Pingbo's efforts to gather all parties for negotiation. Of course, it all turned into a farce in the end. Neither Wei Yiwen nor Xu Zhaonan gave him any face. The main force of the "Assassins" had already been arranged to leave the city after finishing their business. When Fu Pingbo gathered both parties, they had already gone far away. As for Xu Zhaonan, he pushed everything to Sect Leader Lin and asked Fu Pingbo to talk to him himself. Fu Pingbo naturally did not dare to do so.
These specific information were quickly spread after being embellished. All kinds of details appeared to be rich.
At this moment, when the other four kings were displaying their abilities, the so-called 'King of Fairness' could only stick to the old ways and make up for his shortcomings. He had no will to improve at all. He could not even do anything to the troublemakers. When the people in the city talked about it, they could not help but ridicule him. They felt that the 'King of Fairness' was truly powerless to deal with the situation in the city.
Amidst the discussions and the somber atmosphere, the day's light faded and night fell. The various factions strengthened their patrols in their own territories, and the law enforcement team belonging to the King of Justice also patrolled some of the relatively neutral territories, somewhat passively maintaining law and order.
Everyone held their breath as they waited for the next battle to begin …
Midnight.
More than twenty miles south of Jiangning City, near a deserted village, groups of people silently gathered at a predetermined location.
In a village not far away, there was a bonfire burning. Some people of the pugilistic world gathered around the bonfire. Some had already fallen asleep, while others were still playing around.
Some faint sounds came from the nearby mountain ridges.
"Reporting to Lord Fu, the hidden sentries outside have been eliminated …"
The scout in charge of reporting passed through the sparse woodland and reported the news to "Virtuous Dragon" Fu Pingbo, who had silently arrived at the edge of a hill overlooking the village. Fu Pingbo nodded.
"Do it," he said. "Anyone who resists … will be killed."
After a while, a group of people rose from the darkness and surrounded the village. Then, the sounds of fighting rang out. The deserted village was set ablaze in the night, and figures fell in the flames …
*****
The curtain of night gradually faded.
At dawn, in a courtyard of the "Undead Guards" in Jiangning City, the people who had been tense the whole night were a little tired.
Kuang Wenbai applied medicine on the wound on his face in front of a bronze mirror. Occasionally, when the pain on the bridge of his nose was affected, he could not help but curse.
Everyone thought that they were going to fight with "King Yama" last night in order to get back at the seventeenth morning. However, for some reason, the order to move out was not issued. When they asked some well-informed people, they only said that there was an accident at the top, so the arrangement was changed.
Most of the people who could join the middle and upper ranks of the "Undead Guards" were experienced veterans. Although they were tense at night, they had their own ways to relax. In the morning, they only felt a little tired, but it did not affect their condition too much. It was just that Kuang Wenbai was in a more miserable state. A few days ago, he was knocked down by a punch during the capture and fainted. When he woke up, his nose was broken, his upper lip was broken, and his teeth were slightly loose.
These were not serious injuries, but the injuries on his face and mouth were painful. Even eating was affected, and he could not go to the half-closed door that he used to frequent in the past. Staying up late for a long time was also painful.
How unlucky.
He did not even see the face of the murderer.
At this time, he applied medicine to the broken bridge of his nose and used gauze to make a new patch on the bridge of his nose. He had tried his best to look good, but no matter what, it still looked wretched. This was the most embarrassing injury he had ever suffered in his decades in the martial world, not to mention that he was an "Undead Guard". When people saw the bandage on the face of an "Undead Guard", they might even laugh at him behind his back: "Undead Guards are at most immortal, but they can't avoid injuries. Hahaha …"
After patching, he was about to eat a bowl of meat porridge in his room and catch up on sleep. At this time, someone knocked on the door and said, "Something happened."
They were not the ones who were in trouble.
When the morning sun dispersed the fog, "Long Xian" Fu Pingbo led the team back from the south gate of the city. The whole team was bloody and murderous. Some prisoners and wounded were roughly tied up with ropes and driven forward. A large cart was piled with human heads.
This cruel news spread in the city. Curious people gathered at the big square in the center of the city. Kuang Wenbai and a group of "Undead Guards" also took a position. Among the crowd, representatives of various foreign forces also gathered. They hid among the crowd and observed the situation on the stage.
When the square was almost filled to the brim, the middle-aged man called "Long Xian" stood up and began to speak to the crowd below.
"… As everyone knows, in the early morning of the 17th of August, the city was invaded by bandits. These bandits were armed with knives and guns, killing and arson in the city … From the early morning of the 17th to dawn, more than four hours later, hundreds of houses in the city were set on fire, causing nearly a thousand deaths and injuries. These bandits are extremely vicious. After killing, arson, and robbing, they left …"
"… I was entrusted by Mr. He Wen to maintain order in the city and investigate the wrongdoings! After this incident, we immediately launched an investigation … Last night, we found out where these bandits were staying and began to arrest them. However, these people, these murderers — — resisted stubbornly. After our persuasion failed, we could only use thunderous methods to deal a heavy blow. "
"… As everyone can see … In this arrest, many of our people were injured and sacrificed because of the stubborn resistance of these bandits! Fortunately, we did not fail our mission and captured these people one by one! Some of the stubborn ones were killed on the spot. As for the others, some of them knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, so we spared their lives. However, there are also some people who have blood on their hands and cannot be easily forgiven. Today, we will make them give everyone an explanation! "
Fu Pingbo's voice was deep and resounding. He looked down at the stage, his cadence rising and falling. The prisoners on the stage were divided into two groups. Most of them were kneeling at the back, while a small number of them were driven to the front and beaten in front of everyone with sticks, making them kneel.
"That's right." Fu Pingbo said, "… During the investigation of this matter, we discovered that some people said that these bandits were the subordinates of General Wei Wen … So, yesterday, I personally asked General Wei about this. According to General Wei's clarification, it has been proven to be nonsense, false rumors and malicious slander! How could these vicious bandits be General Wei's subordinates … Shameless. "
"So, here, I want to clarify this matter to everyone! To prove General Wei's innocence. "
The morning breeze blew across the sky above the square. Somewhere in the crowd, some people began to curse and make a racket. Obviously, they were the subordinates of the "King Yanluo". Fu Pingbo looked over to the side. The soldiers guarding the square were holding spears and batons in their hands, striking the ground repeatedly as they shouted in unison, "Silence! Silence! " Their voices were uniform, and it was obvious that they were the elites of the army. Some of the people on the stage even took out their bows and aimed at the restless crowd.
Fu Pingbo only watched quietly and coldly. After a while, the noise was defeated by this oppressive feeling and gradually stopped. Fu Pingbo looked ahead and spread his hands.
"Today, we will execute these murderers on the spot! To return justice to all the dead — "
The people below the stage looked at this scene. Kuang Wenbai and the others in the crowd finally understood why they did not retaliate last night. It was very likely that they were aware of Fu Pingbo's methods. In the early morning of the seventeenth, Wei Yiwen made his move, and then the group of murderers left Jiangning. Who knew that they would be attacked by Fu Pingbo's troops that night. If they made their move today, perhaps Fu Pingbo would also use the excuse of pursuing the murderers to kill his way here.
At the side of the square, on the second floor of a teahouse, the somewhat effeminate, snake-like "Assassin" Wei Yiwen quietly watched this scene. When the seventeen prisoners who had committed serious crimes were pressed down and were about to be beheaded, he threw the teacup in his hand to the ground with a bang.
In a corner of the square, Zuo Xiuquan, Yin Ping, Yue Yun and the others watched the execution. After the seventeen people were beheaded one after another, the rest would be punished with canes. Perhaps at this moment, the crowd finally remembered that many times, the "King of Justice"'s laws were also very fierce. If he did not kill people, he would use military canes to beat people until they were crippled.
Just like the thousands of people at the old house of the Su family, that time, hundreds of people were captured one by one, and even more than a dozen wooden canes were broken. Most people were basically crippled after a round of beatings.
"The 'King of Justice's' might is unshakable. 'Assassin' is not as good as' Long Xian '. " Zuo Xiuquan said in a low voice, "It seems that we can meet up with this side in private."
This time, Zuo Xiuquan and the others had come as representatives of the Southeast Imperial Court. Of course, their goal was to find a faction among the five factions of the Fairness Party that they could mutually admire, cooperate, and finally open the door to the Fairness Party.
"But Teacher Cheng and the others have come several times. This Mister He is quite prejudiced against us … "
"Times have changed. Since Mister He has already opened the door, there is no harm in talking to him again."
In the crowd, the people who saw this scene naturally had all kinds of thoughts. This time, it was the King of Justice who added a few more points to his side.
*****
For the small people in the city, the dispute over power might be felt, but not deeply.
When 'Long Xian' Fu Pingbo swaggered into the city with the captives to create momentum, under the bridge, Xue Jin was setting up the earthen pot that he had painstakingly found, and was boiling medicine for his weak family members.
At this moment, the little swordsman who left the medicine for him, Long Aotian, who was now more familiar to everyone, was eating a steamed bun as he walked across the bridge. He glanced down and saw that they were still fine. He took out a steamed bun and threw it to Xue Jin. When Xue Jin knelt down and kowtowed, the young man had already left the bridge.
He walked through the streets of the city, and stared at a stall that sold newspapers and some groceries.
The stall was not big, and there were about five or six newspapers. The quality of the printing was quite poor. Ning Ji looked through them and found the newspaper that spread rumors about him. This day's newspaper was also full of all kinds of gossip, which was particularly unpleasant to look at.
"Don't keep reading if you don't want to buy."
The stall owner said lazily.
"I'll buy, I'll buy." Ning Ji nodded. "But boss, you have to answer a question for me."
"What question?"
"Who's the one who made this news paper? Where did you get the goods? "
"… Can I tell you about this?"
The stall owner looked at him suspiciously.
Ning Ji took out the money from his pocket.
In the training of the Huaxia army, there were of course topics such as intelligence gathering. Pure stalking would be very time-consuming, and some small things could often be solved with money. Ning Ji had "helped the weak" several times on the road, so he had money with him. However, in the past, he mostly relied on acting cute when dealing with people, and rarely tempted them with money. At this time, he hinted in front of the stall owner and increased the price twice, which was not going well.
"Boy … What are you planning … Why do you ask this … I think you're very suspicious …"
One of the standards to be careful about tempting him with money was not to reveal too much wealth, lest the other party wanted to kill and rob him directly. Therefore, Ning Ji did not increase the price too much after several times. However, he looked innocent, and after some inquiries, he did not cause any deterrence to the stall owner. The stall owner looked at him with increasingly unkind eyes.
"… Forget it if you don't want to tell me."
Ning Ji sighed, shook his head bitterly and walked away.
At this time, the sun had risen, and there were already some pedestrians on the road, but it was not bustling. Ning Ji walked back dejectedly, thinking of finding another newsstand to inquire about it. After a few steps, he stopped, sighed, turned around, and walked back to the newsstand owner. The stall owner sneered and stood up, and then was kicked to the ground by Ning Ji.
The stall owner wanted to get up and fight back, but Ning Ji grabbed him and beat him. He kicked him in the corner of the wall for a while. He did not use too much strength, just so that the stall owner could not get up and could not bear any serious injuries. After such a beating for a while, the passers-by just watched, and some were scared and took a detour.
"… Good man, good man, spare my life … I surrender, I told you …"
Ning Ji stood there with a complicated expression.
"Why didn't you do this earlier? I'm not a bad person! "
He was somewhat indignant. A bad society turned good people into bad people.
Then, he got an address from the stall owner, gave him a few dozen copper coins for his medicine, and left in a hurry.
Once the information was obtained and the information was not silenced, these matters had to be moved to the next step as soon as possible. Otherwise, the other party would leak the information, and the information obtained would be meaningless.
Ning Ji passed through the city at lightning speed.
At the same time, in the direction he was heading, there were three figures, two in black and one limping. They were standing in front of a courtyard with messy facilities and the smell of ink. They were observing the shabby two-story building inside.
"Is it here?"
"Just by the smell."
"It's the territory of the 'Chakravarti King'." Yuwen Feidu pointed to the flag on the side of the courtyard.
"Why does he want to make life difficult for our Brother Tian?" Little Black frowned.
"It happened in Tongshan, which is Li Yanfeng's territory. Li Yanfeng is on Xu Zhaonan's side, and the daughter of the Yan family is going to marry into the Shi family. It's probably an eyesore." Yuwen Feidu analyzed.
Little Black nodded, feeling that it made sense. The case was half solved.
The black girl did not participate in the discussion. She had already rolled up her sleeves, walked up, and pushed the door open. "We'll know if we ask."
"Don't be so impulsive."
"You're a girl, you have to be gentle …"
"We're just writers. What are you afraid of … No, I'm very gentle …"
"…"
"…"
"… That's right. I just think we should be polite before resorting to force."
"That's right, that's right. Let's pretend to be Shi Baofeng's people …"
Little Black and Yuwen Feidu walked in helplessly while trying to persuade them. Yuwen Feidu, who was at the back, looked outside.
He closed the door.
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