While Hu Liang was tossing and turning, unable to sleep, there was also a group of people on the bank of the canal who were very restless.
After they got on the boat from Hu Liang, they began to follow the boat. They walked on land and along the river. The boat went with the current. When the weather was good, the sails would be raised. Not only was it easy, but it was also fast.
However, the people they were following were riding horses. People could persist for a long time without eating, or eat and drink on the back of a horse. If their riding skills were good enough, sleeping on the back of a horse was not a problem.
But as horses, they couldn't bear it. Standing up to sleep and constantly rushing were two different things. After running with the ship for an entire day, the horses only rested for half an hour.
When night came, the horses clearly could not bear it. There was a small group of seven people. On the surface, they looked like merchants. There were horses and carriages. It was difficult for outsiders to see what was in the carriages, as they were covered with cloth.
After half a month of climbing, there was finally a horse that couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't very fast, but it didn't have much rest. It fell down with a 'boom', and after that, it couldn't get up anymore.
"No, we can't continue. Otherwise, the horse will die of exhaustion, and we will not be well." A person who had just been riding a horse was now lying on the ground. It was much warmer here than in the capital. Not only were the weeds on the riverbank showing two inches of their bodies, even the nearby trees had sprouted new buds.
The person who spoke just happened to be lying on the grass. A lot of the grass was pressed down, and he was panting. It was unknown whether it was because he was tired from riding the horse or because he had just fallen.
"Third Brother, it's a sunny day today. You should get up quickly to avoid catching a cold. Eighth Brother is really too much. He said that when he got on the boat, he would think of a way to ask for information and then send it to us. Now, I see him playing with others on the deck, but there is no news at all. I really don't know what he is thinking."
Another person said to the person lying on the grass.
The person who was lying down propped up his upper body with his arm and looked at the brightly lit fleet that was still rapidly moving downstream. He said, "Fifth brother, I think eighth brother has his own difficulties. Didn't he already tell us before he boarded the ship?
He said that if he can't send a message, it means that he's in a bad situation. He asked us to be very, very, very careful. It's best if we can take turns to follow him so that we won't be targeted. At the same time, we can't send a telegram. Let's wait and see if Eighth Brother still doesn't send us a message tomorrow. If he does, it means that Eighth Brother is in great danger. "
"Wait, wait, I also want to wait. The problem is whether the person who sent us here is willing to wait. When the time comes, we will not be able to complete the mission and will be punished when we return."
The one who was called Fifth Brother by the person lying on the ground was not very happy. Seeing that he could not catch up, he could only grit his teeth and squeeze out the words from his mouth.
Another person followed his words and said, "Fifth brother is right. Eighth Brother is not so smart that he can do things perfectly. Maybe he really forgot. We should send the message back as soon as possible.
Sometimes, the more dangerous it is, the safer it is. If we don't send the message now and delay the mission, we can't afford to be punished. I agree to send a telegram. "
"What about the others?" A person who had not spoken glanced at the remaining six people and asked.
"I agree, I disagree, I also agree …" The other six people said in unison.
At last, three people agreed to send a telegram and three opposed. Everything fell back to the person who asked.
The person paused for a moment and said, "Well, in this case, I also agree to send a telegram. Eighth Brother is a coward. He said that the telegram we sent would be easily intercepted. After all, we are using the Tang Empire's information transmission method. They will definitely strengthen the defense and inspection of every telegram.
In the current situation, there is a big possibility that we will be exposed, but I think it is impossible. When we send a telegram, we don't use words that are very obvious at first glance. We send the telegram specifically to other places to send the price of various grains, meat and other products.
The people in charge of inspection will not judge whether we are doing bad things behind the scenes every time according to the price we send out. "
"I agree with Eldest Brother's suggestion. It is better to send a telegram than to be unable to keep up with the speed of the other party. Whether Eighth Brother has encountered a problem or he has forgotten to contact us, we must report it truthfully."
Fifth Brother, who had just spoken, agreed.
Third Brother looked at Second Brother and saw that Second Brother was indifferent. He sighed and said, "Four votes against three. In this case, let's find a place to send the telegram."
Second Brother, who had not spoken, suggested, "If we are going to send a telegram, we should first buy more goods so that people will know that we are real merchants and not spies."
After coming to a decision, the seven of them didn't mind. It was still night, so they walked along the road, knocking on people's houses. Especially in places like the small shops, they spent more money than usual to buy things that people cultivated and grew. This made the goods in the caravan even more abundant.
Then, without waiting for dawn, they immediately found the nearest place where they could send a telegram. Usually, the place where they could send a telegram did not rest for 24 hours. Unless there was a special situation, if someone was in a hurry, it was very likely that they would not be able to send the message in time.
When the telegram sounded, the seven of them could no longer see Xiaobei and the others' fleet that was going south along the canal.
*****
The seven of them did not rest but sent a telegram, causing Zhang Xiaobao and the others to be unable to have a good rest.
Seeing that it was already midnight, Zhang Xiaobao, who was sleeping soundly with Wang Juan in his arms, was woken up by the movement outside the cabin. He casually put on his clothes and opened the cabin door. He saw the people from the inner courtyard standing at the door waiting, looking a little anxious.
"Young Master, we have found Hu Liang's accomplices. They sent a report of the price of vegetables to Jiang District an hour ago tonight. Take a look."
The inner courtyard said and handed the report to Zhang Xiaobao.
After taking a look, Zhang Xiaobao revealed a disdainful smile. He nodded to the people from the inner courtyard and said, "Continue to keep an eye on them. They dare to play this trick with us. They really underestimate us. When they continue to send telegrams, you guys collect them and compare them a few more times. Try your best to decipher the key algorithm."
"Yes." The person from the inner courtyard replied and turned to trot away.
"Xiao Bao, what's wrong? Did they send a secret message? "Wang Juan also woke up and asked while rubbing her eyes.
"They did. It's a good idea to report the price of vegetables to other places, but it's a little stupid. Where do you think rice can be sold for seven copper coins per kilogram? This is clearly a corresponding code with a high number.
Now that the people in Jiang District have followed, none of them can escape. Even if we can't decipher it, we can follow the clues and find the other party's secret telegram. "
Zhang Xiaobao shook the telegram in his hand twice and said to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan lay down again after hearing this and muttered, "There's no hurry. It's impossible for Jiang District to send a price report to the other party tonight. There are still a few hours to arrange. Even if the other party finds something wrong from the telegram, they won't have a chance to run away. Let's sleep."
*****
Xiao Bei naturally also received the information. After listening to the analysis of the person in charge of this matter, Xiao Bei hugged the information and slept well.
At dawn the next day, when Hu Liang was about to freshen up again and go to eat, the person from the inner courtyard who led the way yesterday came over with a piece of paper in his hand and said to Hu Liang, "Young Master Hu, last night, we received a telegram from someone else. Oh, it's an interception.
The content is a price list for vegetables, fruits, grains, and other things. We didn't notice it at first, but seven copper coins per kilogram of rice is really too expensive. It's more than three times the normal price of rice.
Some of us joked that the person who sent the telegram was crazy. Where could they find such expensive rice in the thousands of miles north and south of the river? If you don't believe me, take a look. Isn't it interesting? "
While they were talking, the person from the inner courtyard handed the telegram over.
Hu Liang didn't have time to read the contents of the telegram. He only listened to the words of the inner courtyard. In an instant, it was as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. All the pores on his body opened up, and he felt cold all over.
He took the telegram in a daze and looked at the content on it. Hu Liang exhaled softly and slowly closed his eyes. After a while, he opened them again and asked, "How did you find out?"
"We have a group of people who are in charge of figuring out encryption and decryption. The method you used is too simple. We don't have to spend as much effort as you when we send messages. This time, we directly send groups of numbers or letters and then restore them.
Tell me, what's the content of the telegram sent by the five of them? I believe you know that no matter who receives the telegram in Jiang District, they can't escape our surveillance. We'll give you a chance to make a contribution. If we're satisfied with your answer, you can still see your family. "
The person from the inner courtyard explained a little. He watched Hu Liang's expression and asked.
Hu Liang nodded dejectedly and asked, "Can you guarantee that you'll let me go? That I can still live a normal life? "
"As long as your answer is useful to us, nothing is impossible." The person from the inner courtyard made an uncertain promise.
"Okay, I'll tell you. The content is that they found out that my operation failed. They told the people in Jiang District not to act rashly. It's best to endure for a while. When Xiaobei goes there, don't make any reaction. Hide in the dark and don't be exposed.
However, I reckon that the people of Jiang Province might not completely listen to the five of them. They will still send out men of sacrifice to assassinate Xiao Bei instead of not leaving any traces behind. As for the rest, I can't guess. Unless you can provide me with new information, I can help you analyze it. "
Hu Liang looked like he had lost his fighting spirit. After he finished speaking, he squatted there and looked at the tiny gap between the deck and the wood. He was in a daze.
The person from the inner courtyard nodded and said to him, "Okay, I'll report it truthfully. As long as you sincerely repent, you'll still have a new life."
After he finished speaking, the person from the inner courtyard left. A few other people were responsible for "protecting" Hu Liang and preventing any "danger" from happening to him.
The person from the inner courtyard who got the information found Xiaobei and the others again. He shook his head and said, "He still didn't tell the truth. I said that they had five accomplices, so he followed my words. It seems that the management of this organization is very strict. Even if we found the person who received the information in Jiang District, we couldn't find their roots.
Also, I judged that they didn't know that we were going to Jiang District. If there was an ambush, it would probably be in Hangzhou. Otherwise, Hu Liang wouldn't have emphasized the assassination in Jiang District. He got the information from the maids in our inner courtyard yesterday and the night before yesterday. "
Xiaobei and the nine children looked at each other and nodded at the same time. Xiaobei said, "It's fun. It seems that Hu Liang is not an ordinary person. Tell brother and sister. We'll speed up and not give them too much time to react."
After this incident, Xiao Bei's fleet suddenly sped up. Hu Liang was no longer able to obtain any useful information from the servant girl next door. As a result, on the third night after he was on the ship, he once again suffered from insomnia.
*****
Three days passed by as the wind blew and the clouds moved.
In Jiang District, as analyzed, the person who received the information did not immediately contact others. It was a woman. To be precise, it was an old woman.
She had two houses and a small courtyard where she had just sowed seeds. The person who received the telegram was her. At the same time, she added that she should pass it to her son.
However, the intelligence personnel of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family could not find out her real identity, let alone where her son was. The only record was the local government's household registration. Her surname was also Hu.
She had three sons, Hu Da, Hu Er, and Hu San. However, the household registration could not record anything in her family. Therefore, it was difficult to figure out whether her son existed or where he was.
For the past three days, the old woman surnamed Hu lived a very regular life. In the morning, when the sun was about to rise, she would get up and go outside to get a bucket of water from the well to freshen up. Then, she would go outside to eat a bowl of noodles in the pastry shop. After that, she would slowly walk by the local river.
At noon, she would go to another restaurant to eat wontons. In the afternoon, she would continue to walk by the river. In the evening, she would randomly find a stall selling food on the street and buy two steamed buns. When she returned home, she would eat the pickles she made herself.
And so, there was not the slightest change. The people monitoring her did not see anyone visit her, and she never spoke much to others. The only time they could hear her talking was when she was strolling by the river. When she was tired of walking, she sat there leaning against a big tree, muttering words that could not be heard clearly as she looked at the flowing river.
This news quickly spread to Zhang Xiaobao's ship.
After Li Longji saw it, he was confused and asked, "Xiao Bao, did you target the wrong person?"
Zhang Xiaobao chuckled and replied, "If she is not like this, then it is possible that we are targeting the wrong person. She is too regular, so it is not normal. Cuckoo, are you familiar with her?"
"Yes." When Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiaobao's question, she nodded and said, "Order, send someone to watch that tree. At night, secretly go and take a look, but do not make any noise. Also, keep an eye on the surrounding houses."
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