April 9th, Qinjin Ferry.
The reeds were swaying, and the night sky was getting darker. The shadows of the trees were swaying in the dark wind. Old He's voice came from afar. In the temporary camp by the river, piles of bonfires were still burning, and the voices of people could be heard occasionally. This was the border of Shandong. Ahead of them was a tributary of the Sishui River. After that was Gunzhou, Yunzhou, and the territory close to Liangshan. Lin Chong was sitting on a big rock in the dark in the distance. He held his spear horizontally in front of him and was thinking about something.
Song Wan came from the side with a bowl and a jar of wine in his hand. He handed him a bowl of wine. "Brother Lin, is something on your mind?"
"Thank you." Cloud King Kong Song Wan was not very capable on Liangshan, but he was a veteran of Liangshan. His words and actions were usually moderate and steady, so he still had some weight. Lin Chong thanked him, put down the wine in his hand, and then finished it in one gulp. "Thank you, Brother Song."
"Since the battle a few days ago, Brother Lin has been a little uneasy. As your elder brother, I can see that."
Song Wan was not talking about the battle in Jiangning, but about the ambush three days ago when they were on their way back to Liangshan. In addition to the soldiers of the government, there were also a few kung fu masters. They were the ones who showed up at the Su Mansion in Jiangning. Three of them used the Soul-Extracting Spear and the young leader were good at kung fu, but the most powerful one was the colonel who had fought with them in the prison of Jiangning. At that time, he attacked when they were unprepared, and he was almost invincible. Two of Fang La's leaders were killed by his spear as soon as they fought. Later, Lin Chong took on the colonel, and the two fought further and further away. In the end, it seemed to be a tie. The colonel left, and Lin Chong seemed to have something on his mind.
However, this was only what the bystanders saw. Song Wan was sent here mainly to balance the situation in the team. He could be considered as a last resort. At that time, the battle was intense, and Lin Chong could tell that the junior colonel was very powerful. Originally, he wanted to go and help, but when he chased after him, he saw that the junior colonel suddenly stopped fighting, took a few steps back, and asked Lin Chong, "What relationship do you have with Master Zhou Dong!?"
The Shaanxi hero, 'Iron Arm' Zhou Dong, was a famous martial arts grandmaster in Jianghu. His position in the Imperial Boxing School in Bianjing was the highest, and he was Lin Chong's teacher. Some people in Liangshan knew about him. His few personal disciples, Lu Junyi, Sun Li, and Lin Chong, had already gone to Liangshan. Shi Wengong was Liangshan's enemy and had already died. Luan Tingyu was currently serving as the instructor of Zhu Jia Village on Lone Dragon Hill. When Song Wan heard this, he immediately understood that this highly skilled martial artist had some sort of relationship with Zhou Dong. But Lin Chong didn't want to admit it. "If you want to fight, then let's fight!" He raised his spear and attacked.
The junior colonel's martial arts were above Lin Chong's. Seeing that Lin Chong did not admit it, he also brandished his spear and attacked. Both of them were top-notch spear experts, so Song Wan did not dare to come forward. After fighting for a while, Lin Chong was at a disadvantage. The junior colonel's expression became more and more doubtful. After fighting for a while, he suddenly jumped back and said in a low voice, "I know who you are!"
Lin Chong didn't say anything. The colonel said, "I've heard about you. I know that you have a blood feud, but even so, you shouldn't have helped these bandits. Although I can defeat you today, I may not be able to kill you. I'll let you go this time. If you're still in Liangshan, I'll definitely kill you! Take care of yourself! "
"That person is my master's direct disciple. Technically speaking, he is my junior brother." Song Wan naturally understood what Lin Chong was saying. He patted his brother's shoulder and said, "As your brother, I can see that this person's martial arts are very high, and he is your senior brother. Last time, he didn't want to fight with you. He is loyal and loyal, so he must be a good man. Why don't you …"
Before Song Wan could finish, Lin Chong's hand tightened, and the steel spear began to buzz. Song Wan knew that Lin Chong was angry because of what he said, so he didn't continue. After a while, Lin Chong said, "He is my master's direct disciple. You can't touch him." He used to be a loyal man who served his country. Later on, he was framed by the high officials, and his wife was raped to death. Because of this blood feud, he had no choice but to go to Liangshan. Perhaps it was because he was sentimental, but his tone was low and somewhat melancholic. However, the meaning behind his words was resolute and did not allow for disagreement. Song Wan didn't say anything more. He could only drink bowl after bowl of yellow wine with him. At that moment, the camp suddenly became chaotic.
This time, the prison break in Jiangning was definitely pursued by the government. However, they were all experienced people, and the participants were all elites. Thus, they had only been ambushed three days ago. As soon as the chaos broke out, Lin Chong grabbed his steel spear and rushed over with Song Wan. However, the chaos had already begun to spread. The scale of this surprise attack was not large. It was a master who broke into the outer perimeter of the camp. In the distance, there were people shooting arrows, which caught everyone off guard. By the time Lin Chong and the others arrived, the master had already rushed out on horseback. He had even captured one of Fang La's leaders. The others were either riding horses or running in pursuit.
Everyone on the other side was a master. When the galloping horses broke out, stones and hidden weapons were thrown out like locusts. At the same time, they blocked the arrows. The ambusher was dressed in white. As the horse galloped, the leader who was caught was constantly struggling. The two of them seemed to be fighting. Blood kept flying in the wind, and the screams were mournful and terrifying. When they were close to the forest, the galloping horse's leg was finally hit by a stone. With a long neigh, the two fell off their horses. When the crowd rushed in, the man in white suddenly stood up, grabbed the leader's body, and threw it at the crowd. Someone caught the body, and then he couldn't help but take a step back.
"This man, this man …"
At the edge of the forest not far away, the man in white was facing the crowd. His entire body was covered in blood, especially on his head and face. He spat out something from his mouth, which landed on the grass. Some of the people in the crowd who had killed many people recognized that it was an eyeball.
The body that was caught by the crowd had been torn from the throat up. Not only was the throat torn, but even the entire face had been torn open. In some places, white bones could be seen. One of the eyeballs had been dug out, and it looked like it was full of teeth marks. The captured leader had been bitten to death while he was still alive.
The man in white was tall, and his eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Coupled with the blood all over his body, he looked especially strange. Of course, the crowd was not easily frightened. After a moment of hesitation, they immediately rushed forward. The man in white rushed into the forest, and under the cover of several waves of arrows, disappeared.
It was already night, and the crowd was not very clear about their surroundings. They only knew the principle of not entering the forest. After searching for a while, they gave up. Some people still had lingering fears when they thought of the man in white. In Jianghu, killing people was not a big deal. Even Sun Erniang, who was used to making human meat buns on Liangshan, was a rare person who would bite someone to death in a fight. There were also people who were knowledgeable nearby. They said, "It must be the Wolf Bandits here."
There were many bandits in Shandong at this time. Several people had heard of the Wolf Bandits that the man mentioned. It was a small group of bandits in Sishui. They appeared and disappeared mysteriously, occasionally appearing. They mostly did evil things and did not follow the rules. However, they had always been small fights, so the rest of the people did not take them seriously. They only heard that the leader of the Wolf Bandits ate people alive and was extremely ferocious.
After discussing for a while, they did not know why the Wolf Bandits suddenly targeted them. But they were about to cross Sishui. As long as they crossed it, they would reach the boundary of Liangshan Water Lake. Obviously, the Wolf Bandits would not dare to chase them again. So everyone was vigilant. When they crossed the river the next day, no more enemies came out. Occasionally, someone mentioned the matter of the Wolf Bandits, but they immediately forgot about it. That kind of brainless lunatic might be accidentally injured, or he might be out of his mind. It was not good to mobilize the entire Liangshan for him, and they would not be the only target.
At this moment, they all thought so …
*****
Summer had arrived. The wind and rain came suddenly, and the weather changed in an instant. When the sky darkened, Ning Yi stood on the second floor of Qingyuan, looking down at the scene of pedestrians and merchants. This situation might be similar to the situation in Jiangning before the Su family encountered the Liangshan bandits.
"… 12 years ago, before the current emperor ascended to the throne, the Office of Secret Investigation was originally established in a hurry. At first, there were only two departments, namely Liaodong and Yanyun. The Liaodong department specialized in provoking the current internal conflicts in Liao, while the Yanyun department was in advance of the return of the 16 states. The establishment of these two departments was actually a bit idealistic. It was originally because of the will of a few scholars, and it was carried out in the name of the royal family. There were a total of five elders who participated in it, but now they have either retired or died. Only Prime Minister Qin and I are left. "
Ning Yi's injuries basically did not affect his body anymore, and he was already preparing to leave Jiangning. Today, Kang Xian invited him here to formally talk to him about the Office of Secret Investigation.
"But even so, the Office of Secret Investigation was proposed by Siyuan in the beginning. In fact, although Siyuan did not do things in the right way, sometimes some of his methods were a bit unconventional. Many of us, from the beginning to the end, did not understand what he was thinking. Since the establishment of our dynasty, we inherited the system of three provinces and six ministries, and also had our own changes. But each of the affairs actually had their own duties. For internal affairs, there was the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court. For external affairs, the Bureau of Military Affairs had always been in charge. Liheng should also understand that if one's duties were not clear, it could eventually lead to a disaster. At that time, most of us also held this thought and expressed our opposition to Siyuan's plan. "
Not long ago, when speaking of this, Kang Xian could not help but smile bitterly and shake his head.
"But Siyuan was a man of many means, but his character was firm. He and the current Emperor were master and disciple, and finally, the Emperor, who was still the Crown Prince at that time, finally nodded. Later, the Office of Secret Investigation was established, funded by me in the name of Princess Cheng, with Siyuan as the leader. The other three people were Liang Mengqi, Zuo Duanyou, Duke Zuo, and the Great Scholar Wang Qisong. A year after the Office of Secret Investigation was established, Duke Zuo passed away. On the eve of the Blackwater Alliance, the Liao army came south. Duke Wang's house was in Xingshan County, which was the front line of the Liao army. Duke Wang was extremely unyielding, and except for women and children, his whole family died. Finally, Duke Wang's body was skinned and put on the ground. At that time, Siyuan was at the front line and could not do anything about it.
Perhaps it was his life's regret. "After saying this, Kang Xian paused slightly. He was old and could not show his emotions, but when he spoke of this matter, his eyes could not help but turn red. Perhaps Qin Siyuan's regret was the same for him. But then he shook his head and hid it away.
"Duke Wang's family is still alive, but he only has one grandson, Wang Shanyue. If you go to Shandong, you may have some dealings with him … It's hard to say whether the original intention of the Office of Secret Investigation was good or not. But in the beginning, neither I nor Siyuan had any experience, and we couldn't achieve anything with just our scholarly spirit. Later, after exploring, when we came to the Blackwater Alliance, some people in the know thought that the Office of Secret Investigation's frequent actions in the north had annoyed the Liao people. In fact, this may be part of the reason …"
"Before the Blackwater Alliance, the Office of Secret Investigation gradually developed and set up five departments in the country. Because there were not many people, they were directly divided into five departments: Southeast, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest, and Central. But in these areas, they actually did not have enough manpower. After the Blackwater Alliance, Siyuan resigned as the Minister of War. Liang Mengqi felt guilty and even sent a letter to sever ties with Siyuan. The matter of the Office of Secret Investigation then stopped. But the Liaodong and Yanyun departments in the north were still active. This was a decision made by me and Siyuan. It was not until the chaos in the north gradually appeared that His Majesty remembered the Office of Secret Investigation and let it operate again. Although there was not enough time for it to operate again and there were many restrictions, in the chaos in Hangzhou, it finally played a role … "
Kang Xian talked about the current establishment of the Office of Secret Investigation. Ning Yi asked a few more questions before Kang Xian returned to the Prince Consort's Mansion. At this time, the sky was already dark and it was about to rain heavily. Ning Yi stood by the railing on the second floor for a while and saw a horse carriage coming from the other end of the street. The person driving the carriage was heroic and high-spirited. It was Yuan Jin 'er. She saw him from afar and turned her head to point in his direction. Then, the curtain of the carriage opened and Yun Zhu poked her head out. She still had a white veil wrapped around her head and seemed to have lost a lot of weight. But when she saw Ning Yi, she smiled lightly and then waved in his direction.
With a rumble, lightning flashed across the sky. When Ning Yi looked up … it was raining heavily again.
*****
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