Starting from the night of the 16th of the second month, everything in the vicinity of Siping Hill seemed to be moving at the same time.
Previously, Fan Zhong and the others had mentioned that the results of the pursuit of Fang Baihua and the others would be determined in two to three days. But in reality, these two to three days referred to the situation where Fang Baihua and the others did nothing and were forced into a dead end by the pursuers, causing the space to completely disappear. But obviously, as long as they had some brains, no one would wait until the end of the road was right in front of them before resisting.
As time passed, whether it was Tie Tianying, Zong Fei Xiao, Sikong Nan, or Lin E Chan, they were all searching for the whereabouts of Fang Baihua and the others with all their might. On the other hand, they were also becoming more and more vigilant, waiting for the enemy to make their final move.
And on this night, Deng Yuanjue, An Xifu, and the others suddenly led dozens of remnant soldiers and suddenly turned southwest, becoming the fuse for everything.
In the few days since the incident broke out, Deng Yuanjue and An Xifu's appearance was in fact the most eye-catching force. They had appeared for two days, and before they could completely grasp the situation, they had started fires everywhere, saved many fleeing bandits, and pretended to head north. This was actually an obvious plot that could not be ignored.
In this incident, the true protagonist seemed to be Fang Baihua's faction, who wanted to rescue Fang Qifo. But in reality, this group of people was only related to the capital's reputation, Tie Tianying and Zong Fei Xiao's promotion, and the symbol of the complete destruction of the Yongle Dynasty. Comparatively speaking, the account book that An Xifu carried was greatly related to the benefits that the few families behind this incident could obtain in the future. As long as any family could obtain the account book, they could first ensure that they would not be stabbed in the back. As for whether they would stab others with a knife to obtain benefits, that would depend on their mood in the future.
Whether it was Tie Tianying, Zong Fei Xiao, or Sikong Nan, they all seemed to have their own allegiance, but in reality, they all had the backing of some large family. An Xifu's current pretense of heading north was already a clear indication that he did not care about his life. But he did not have much to do with his life. If he handed over the account book before he died — he did not even need to consider who to hand it over to — it would ultimately cause a huge mess.
So much so that when the commotion grew, the account book might not even be real. Clans who felt that they were caught up in it would naturally have conflicts. This little bit of friction might be related to the loss of tens of millions of taels of silver, and the lives of hundreds or thousands of people.
Because they understood this, the representatives of the various forces who participated in this time all showed an attitude of not caring about the other side. On the surface, Tie Tianying, Zong Feixiao, Fan Zhong and the others had placed their main forces on the matter of capturing Fang Baihua. They were courting death anyway, and the accounts were definitely just rumors, so there was no need to pay attention to them. In reality, when they received the news that Deng Yuanjue and the others had suddenly turned south that evening, the situation near Siping Hill had completely erupted.
The sudden movement of Deng Yuanjue and the others toward the southwest must have been made this morning. In the afternoon, a group of constables who were conducting a routine investigation came face to face with them. The location of the conflict had already shifted several dozen kilometers southwest. After this contact, with the point of contact as the center, almost a radius of two hundred kilometers suddenly moved because of the speed at which the news spread.
The ultimate goal of Deng Yuanjue and the others was not to head north! All their previous actions were to lure the pursuers to move north. Their actual goal was to meet up with Fang Baihua and break out of the Dabie Mountains!
In an instant, in the nearby provinces and counties, whether it was the soldiers, constables, or the scattered people of the Green Forest, the remaining members of the Manichaeism led by Sikong Nan, all seemed to have received a unified order. As night fell, they swarmed out. On one hand, they tried to block Deng Yuanjue and An Xifu who were heading south. On the other hand, they began to swarm in all directions leading to the Dabie Mountains.
The first contact between Fang Baihua and the pursuing constables was not long after night fell. At that time, theoretically, the news of Deng Yuanjue and the others heading southwest had not yet reached here. In the last two to three days that they could move around, both sides tacitly chose this time to start staking everything on this one throw.
The wind howled from the mountains, and the camp at Siping Hill was brightly lit. Pairs of constables and soldiers responsible for sending messages flew in and out, bringing to Tie Tianying, who was overseeing this area, the recent events that had occurred in various places. The Ministry of Justice had already made all sorts of plans to deal with the different actions of these two sides.
At present, most of the constables outside were in teams of ten or twenty people. Their leaders were often rather experienced constables of various regions. As long as they received news, most of them would be able to independently respond. When the first news reached Siping Hill, the nearby half of the disk that couldn't be seen, as well as the various prefectures and counties, had already begun to move. Only then did a new order come from Siping Hill, speeding up the changes and operations of the entire situation.
Tie Tianying, who had long since mentally calculated all of this, was very familiar with dealing with it.
"... Send someone to notify the people in the north. Other than Chen Zhiqing and Yu Ya, everyone else is to start chasing south in an orderly manner. Notify the magistrate of Wenshui County to cooperate and cut off Deng Yuanjue's path of retreat. They can give up on going north now..."
"Report, traces of a group of people from the Greenwood Forest have been discovered in the Jing Mountain area. Among them are Yan Wu of Gannan and Jiang Yuan of Hedong. The great bandit Li Long who was wanted by the higher-ups seems to be among them..."
"Don't worry about them for now. Order Ye Feng to head south and strictly investigate the people passing by the bridge to prevent Fang Baihua and the others from taking advantage of the situation. In addition, strictly order Ye Feng not to fight if he encounters bandits. He only needs to hang on and persuade them to surrender... "
"Report, a quarter past five in the evening, Fengtian Chuan and Fang Baihua's group have engaged in a bloody battle in the area of Wenshui's Xiaolou Bay. After killing three bandits, they fled east."
"They're planning on tormenting them for the whole night... at five in the evening..." Tie Tianying looked at the map. "Order Lin Donglou and Ceng Xihou that the place they're guarding is extremely important. If they encounter Fang Baihua and the others, there's no harm in fighting them. Pay attention, if Fang Baihua and the others retreat, do not chase after them. Stay where you are to avoid falling into the trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain..."
"The great bandit Swallowing Cloud Monk has been discovered at Boat Hill..."
"Lin Zongwu and the others are currently chasing south along Wenshui..."
Tie Tianying had already anticipated most of the things that had happened. This included groups of experts from the Greenwood Forest who had suddenly appeared. In fact, as early as two days ago, these people had held a "Heroes' Assembly" in the area of Yuzhen. Some of them had gathered because of the bounty that the imperial court had set for Fang Baihua and the others was truly not low. Some had come because they wanted to make a name for themselves. There were also some who had grudges with Fang Baihua and Deng Yuanjue and had come to beat them while they were down.
Naturally, there were also people secretly sent by some of the great clans in the north and south. They mixed in with the crowd, but their main goal was to kill Fang Baihua and the others and find an opportunity to find the whereabouts of the account books.
The current situation was like a game of chess. Although different pieces of information were constantly being gathered, the overall situation was more or less set. There was basically no news that could surprise him anymore. Even though Tian Li had come to report that the Office of Secret Investigations' Cheng Zhouhai was actually a top-notch expert, that only showed how much importance the Office of Secret Investigations placed on this matter. However, in this situation, a group of more than twenty people wouldn't have much of an impact.
It seemed that in this game of chess, there were only three forces that could decide the overall situation — the Ministry of Justice represented by himself, the remnants of the Manichean Cult represented by Sikong Nan, and Fang Baihua and Deng Yuanjue who had been fleeing. Although the rest of the people could be considered as the fourth force, they were too scattered and couldn't be united.
With this understanding, on one hand, he methodically pushed the situation forward, on the other hand, he was constantly thinking about what kind of possibilities he hadn't calculated. Before the matter was settled, there was always the possibility that Fang Baihua and the others would escape into the mountains or even turn the situation around. Maintaining a slight uneasiness in his heart was also a habit of his.
The people around him came in and out. When a new piece of information came in, a new understanding was incorporated into the calculation and deduction system. Then, simple orders were also sent out. At this time, the sky was already dark, and many subordinates rushed into the wooden shed. When he sent out an order to the nearby county magistrate to gather the villagers to guard the area, another piece of information was sent in.
"Report, news from the capital."
"... The people gathered must guard the area until tomorrow. They can only be dismissed when I say it's okay. Remember not to gather villagers randomly. Everyone must be known by someone, and every place must be led by the local head guard to prevent the bandits from sneaking in..." At this time, there were many people who came to report, but the news from the capital made Tie Tianying pay more attention to it. However, after taking a look at the report, he let down his guard. "Yu San, what's the matter? Say it quickly."
The report from the capital was the information on Cheng Zhouhai of the Prime Minister's residence. However, in the current situation, even if he had confirmed Cheng Zhouhai's identity as an expert, there was not much need to do so. As he opened it, he listened to the reports of his subordinates around him. While he was still summarizing the information in his mind, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
"He doesn't know martial arts..." he said in a low voice, then returned to the beginning, "This year... 32 years old..."
He waved his hand in the air, interrupting his subordinate's words. His eyes flickered, then he frowned and handed the report to the attendant beside him, "Make a copy of this and send it to Chief Constable Zong and Chief Constable Fan. Tell them to be careful. Also, where did the people from the Office of Secret Investigations go? "
"After capturing the two bandits of Domineering Blade, they also went to the southwest..."
"Do they want to share the credit or what..." Tie Tianying muttered to himself and slammed his fist on the table.
"... Inner demons!"
According to the information, Cheng Zhouhai was already in his thirties, but the scholar who had been coming for the past two days was only in his early twenties. Considering the other party's skills, he immediately thought of the person in charge of the Greenwood Forest in the Office of Secret Investigations.
It had to be said that no matter how much contempt he had felt when talking about the other party, when he suddenly realized that the madman who had personally killed tens of thousands of people in Liangshan might appear here and even hid his true identity for a few days, a shadow suddenly welled up in his heart.
What did he want to do...
But no matter what, the Office of Secret Investigations was still under the control of the imperial court. Even if he appeared here, after all, it was too late, and there was not enough manpower, so it would not have much impact on the overall situation.
Time was precious. After thinking for a while, he immediately put aside his thoughts and focused his attention on mobilizing the troops.
In any case, the overall situation was not yet decided, and there was always a faint worry in his heart...
And not long after, this worry became a reality. The first factor that he really did not calculate appeared by his side...
*****
Passing through the forest, Chen Fan approached the campsite of the Siping Hill.
The light from the campsite shone from afar, but the small forest on this side was still dark. Near the campsite, there were actually hidden sentries set up by Tie Tianying in the forest. But for Chen Fan, all of this was not too much of a problem. Even though he was strolling, his figure was always hidden in the shadows, and no one could detect his silent passing through the forest and under the trees.
Until... suddenly, a cold blade came at him!
In the darkness, as if there was a wind passing through the forest, the leaves rustled a little. Chen Fan threw a punch, and the other party also silently received a palm strike. After the fist and palm collided, the other party silently stepped back, and when he swung his sword, Chen Fan also moved back soundlessly.
The moonlight shone on the forest, but no one could see the figure of the person, only the shadow of the wind. Both sides were silent. After a while, in the shadow of the trees, Chen Fan slightly tilted his head.
"Minister Wang..."
A faint voice came out from his lips. Next to the bushes on the opposite side was Wang Yin, who seemed to have become one with the surrounding environment. However, as he stood there, only martial artists at Chen Fan's level could feel his powerful energy.
Then, under the moonlight, Wang Yin slightly raised his long sword and pointed at the campsite on the hillside not far away. Then, he calmly looked at Chen Fan...
That night, the Siping Hill Campsite ushered in the first unpredictable accident.
A small group of people led by Chen Fan once again charged into the camp. At this time, Tie Tianying, who was in charge of the camp, was still on high alert. However, the internal strife that he had not considered before had broken out in the camp, catching everyone off guard.
Manichaeism was first introduced to the Middle Earth, and then gradually expanded. Later, it was transferred from Sikong Nan to Fang La, who carefully managed it for many years. After Fang La's uprising, more than two million people died one after another because of this. Of course, some of this happened later, but the real roots of Manichaeism were inestimable to ordinary people.
After Fang La's death, Fang Qifo and Fang Baihua were the two people who were most involved in this. In the beginning, Tie Tianying also considered the problem of internal strife, but after a few battles, this worry did not become a reality. Until this night, there were a total of three arresters lurking in the dark and rebelling. As they made their move, a portion of the captives were freed from their restraints.
Tie Tianying's original arrangement was effective. Soon after the captives were unchained, they were discovered. Then, the situation in the campsite finally turned into a big fight. Chen Fan killed several people in a row and finally rescued Fang Qifo. He led more than 20 people away from the campsite, and more than 40 people were killed in the battle. After this incident, it also meant that the last bargaining chip that Manichaeism could use had been used.
After Chen Fan fled with Fang Qifo on his back, Tie Tianying also led the team to the southwest and chased all the way.
At this time, with Siping Hill as the center, the whole night had been boiling along the road that extended southwest to the Dabie Mountains. Along the way, the people of the Underworld passed through hills and ridges, and the constables and soldiers of the imperial court burned torches and chased after them from village to village. Occasionally, there were small-scale fights. In some villages, dogs suddenly barked, and then it became quiet. Often, the people of the Underworld who passed by killed the dogs that sounded the alarm.
*****
Chen Fan carried Fang Qifo on his back and ran between the rugged mountains. More than 20 people behind him tried their best to keep up.
After being captured, Fang Qifo was seriously injured. Later, he was imprisoned in the prison carriage and his shoulder blades were pierced. Even though he used to be extremely powerful, he had become a disabled person at the moment. He could only move his left hand slightly.
The road was extremely uneven, but with Chen Fan's martial arts skills, he was able to run like the wind. His upper body didn't move at all, so he didn't feel any bumps. Because of this, Fang Qifo, who was seriously injured, didn't bleed too much. However, even though he was rescued, he didn't look too happy. Chen Fan had thought that his master was too seriously injured and needed to rest, but after a short rest, Fang Qifo first asked about the process of him entering the camp to save people.
Chen Fan told him about what happened after he met Wang Yin and listened to the latter's arrangements while running.
"… Minister Wang said that after I rescued you, I should go southwest as soon as possible. There are many people living around here, so escaping into the deep mountains is the only chance. I heard that the princess, Master Deng and An Xifu have also moved there at this time. This night is the only chance, but unfortunately … "
Wang Yin disappeared after rescuing people. It was very likely that he became the bait to distract Tie Tianying's pursuers. Speaking of this, he was a little depressed. After a while, he said, "Master, there was originally a spy in the enemy's camp. Why didn't you use it before? Could it be that … you are still calculating more things?"
There were still forces of Manichaeism in the enemy's camp, which was the most strange thing to Chen Fan. If he knew before, he wouldn't have to follow them all the way without any clues and eventually be caught in one fell swoop. And if there really was such an arrangement, he wondered why his master didn't make it clear to Fang Baihua. However, after a while, he also felt Fang Qifo shake his head slightly behind him.
"I … don't know."
Chen Fan's heart sank. After a while, he heard Fang Qifo sigh, "You have to worry about Wang Yin in the future."
Chen Fan was also a smart person. After a while, he thought of the worst possibility in this...
*****
They ran wildly and killed all the way. After midnight, several groups of people who fled gathered in the forest not far from the mountain area. It was also because of the big movement that night. After killing all the way, most of the people in Jianghu who had a keen sense of smell could grasp the changes in the whole situation. When they finally gathered, there were only about seventy people.
At this time, a group of masters belonging to Sikong Nan had already killed from the side. The constables of the Ministry of Justice were also gathering and outflanking, getting closer and closer. In the nearby mountain forest, there were also some unknown masters appearing. Fang Baihua and Deng Yuanjue were injured and disabled all the way. Even though the rescue of Fang Qifo raised people's spirits for a while, in fact, it had become a poison that would lead people to death. After a little excitement, what was left for them was almost a dead end.
If these people were scattered one by one along the way, perhaps some of them still had a little chance of survival. Only at this time, when they gathered, the whole situation became a situation where either all of them died or only a few people could escape. Due to the appearance of Fang Qifo, his serious injury and cohesion also became a kind of burden.
On the other hand, after hearing the news that Fang Qifo had escaped, the people of the Ministry of Justice led by Zong Feixiao, Fan Zhong, Tie Tianying and others almost went crazy and turned into an even more ferocious evil spirit.
"Hahahaha, Xiao Qi, I haven't seen you for a few days. How are you? I heard that you have been rescued. Congratulations, hahahaha … Why don't you come out and see me before you go —"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
