Seeing that it was snowing heavily, in order to give Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan more time to prepare, Li Longji chose to take the waterway after traveling for a while. He wanted to let the people who followed him know what it meant to break the ice.
A series of muffled explosions resounded on both sides of the canal. The ship with a thick iron plate at the bow crushed the ice along the way. When the sound of ice shattering reached the ears of the people following Li Longji, the expressions of those who were prepared to see a joke finally changed.
Coming out of the cabin, Zu Zan picked up the Clairvoyant Eye lent to him and listened to the explosions in front of the canal. Looking at the big ship rushing all the way across the ice, it would be a lie to say that he was not shocked.
"The martial arts of the Tang Empire are so powerful. I wonder what will happen on Mount Hua this time. Sigh ~!" Zu Zan pressed the hat on his head and felt that the wind was a little weaker. He looked at the people who were watching the explosion on both sides of the canal and the iron cable suspension bridge across the canal and sighed.
Princess Jincheng, whose complexion had obviously improved, stood beside Zu Zan and looked around softly. When she heard Zu Zan's words, she raised her eyebrows slightly and said softly to him, "Zan Pu, why don't we go back to Tubo and learn from the situation on the Yellow River here? We can build a few iron cable bridges there to make it convenient for people to travel."
"I also want to do that." Zu Zan replied to Princess Jincheng.
Princess Jincheng did not say anything more. She understood what Zu Zan meant. In terms of iron smelting technology, Tubo was not as good as the Tang Empire. Even if they wanted to build an iron cable suspension bridge, there was no suitable iron ring to use.
Moreover, it was not easy to find stones to make the pillars of the bridge. Large pieces of copper and iron were not enough to make them. Iron for weapons was even more scarce. As for cement, the Zhang and Wang Families did not sell it to outsiders.
The cement used in the Tang Empire, even if they paid for it, had to be watched by the people sent by the Zhang Family and Wang Family before they could build it. Who knew how many people who wanted to get the cement hated the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
A burst of children's laughter attracted Princess Jincheng's attention. She raised her Thousand Li Eyes and saw a group of children flying kites on the southern bank of the canal. It was supposed to be a spring kite, but in the winter, it still made people happy.
Taking a closer look, the kite was not made of paper, but pink silk cloth. A large bird that looked like a phoenix was flying in the wind, its long tail swaying gently, adding a touch of gorgeous color to the snowy scenery.
A child wearing gorgeous clothes, under the protection of a servant, happily released and retracted the string of a kite. A group of children wearing ordinary clothes surrounded him, clapping their hands, jumping and laughing.
After a while, the child, who was obviously from a rich family, stuffed the wire board he was holding into the hands of an ordinary child next to him. Then, he pulled the hand of another ordinary child and laughed together.
"Don't hate poverty with riches and honor. Children play with kites. The white snow is not cold yet, and the colorful phoenixes fly and warm the world. "Princess Jincheng looked and a gratified smile appeared on her face as she murmured in admiration.
When Zuzan Chi heard Princess Jincheng's words and saw the children playing on the bank, his face became more and more ugly. He understood that the reason why the children of the rich could play together with the children of ordinary families was not because the children understood unity, but because of the teachings of the adults.
The more united the people of the Tang Empire were and the more harmonious their lives were, the harsher it was for the Tubo people. The children of the Tubo people who had a bit of status would not play with the children of ordinary people. The conflict was intensifying bit by bit, especially when the news of the Tang Empire kept spreading. Many slaves, even if they did not say it out loud, behind their backs, they were discussing when Wang Juan would be able to lead troops to conquer the Tubo people and change their status.
This was not a good sign. Otherwise, when war broke out, the people would not have the heart to defend themselves, and the soldiers would not have the will to fight to the death. Who could stop the Tang Empire's cavalry? Who would be willing to use their flesh and blood to fight against the spears of the Tang Empire?
Zuzan Chi secretly sighed and turned his head to look at Princess Jincheng, whose complexion was obviously better than when she was in the Tubo people. He forced a smile and said to her:
"Nunu, have you been playing well at home these few days? Have you seen Wu Huifei? And Empress Wang? This time, we will stay for a few more days in the Tang Empire. We have to see them often. The wind outside is strong, so let's go back to the cabin to avoid the wind. "
Princess Jincheng followed Zuzan Chi into the cabin and served him tea. Then she said to him: "Zuzan Pu, Empress Wang and Zhang Wang have a close relationship. Wu Huifei has a lot of complaints, but Empress Wang is in charge of the harem, so there is no big deal."
If Princess Jincheng had a choice, she would not be willing to help Zuzan Chi inquire about this kind of news. However, she had no choice. She could not stay in the Tang Empire forever. She still had to return to the Tubo people.
For her, the Tang Empire was better. It was more comfortable to breathe there than in the Tubo people. Although the Tubo people had a clear sky, there were some places where you could not boil an egg. You could only fry it and eat it. The food was much more monotonous. How could it compare to the food in the palace these few days?
Zuzan Chi also knew that the food in the Tang Empire was delicious, but he did not pay attention to it at all. When he heard Princess Jincheng's words, his eyes lit up. He lowered his voice and asked, "Can we let people impeach Empress Wang and Zhang Wang families for conspiring …? You understand. "
"No." Princess Jincheng Weiwei shook her head. "His Majesty has long known the relationship between Empress Wang and Zhang Wang families. Not only Empress Wang, but other people in the imperial family also have connections with Zhang Wang and Zhang Wang families. It is said that all the memorials to impeach Zhang and Wang families are held by His Majesty and not sent to the Hall of Secretaries. Whenever someone in the imperial court talks about it, other officials will change the topic."
"Oh? Zhang Wang and Zhang Wang families are so favored by the Emperor? " Zuzan Chi really did not know about the situation inside the imperial court. "Did Wu Huifei mention how to deal with Zhang Wang and Zhang Wang families?"
Princess Jincheng shook her head again. "No, I even asked Zuzan Pu about countermeasures. I heard that Wu Huifei has already made a move against Zhang Wang and Zhang Wang families. Every time, it ended in failure. Now, she is just complaining. Perhaps she has other thoughts, but she has not shown them."
"Then there is no other way?" Zuzan Chi muttered unwillingly.
"Kill Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan." Princess Jincheng said.
"I … If I could kill the two of them, I would have done it long ago. Let's talk about this later. Yes, let's talk about it later." Zuzan Chi temporarily dismissed the idea of directly dealing with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
As the boat continued to move forward, Zuzan Chi had other thoughts. He instructed Princess Jincheng, "During this period of time, ask more about the Tang Empire, especially the things that we Tubo spies are unable to come into contact with. For example, how is cement made? Why can the Clairvoyance see so far away? How are long guns and short guns made? The stability of Tubo depends on these. "
"Zuzan Pu, don't worry. I will ask around." Princess Jincheng agreed very quickly. As for what she was thinking in her heart, Zuzan Chi did not know.
The group was still slowly moving towards Huayin County. The journey that originally took three days was delayed to around ten days. In Li Longji's opinion, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan should be ready. After all, the two of them were very capable.
*****
While Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were busy at the foot of Baiyun Peak, Xiaobei and a group of people ran to Huayin County's yamen.
The matter of receiving Li Longji's group was from Huazhou Prefecture. The officials of Huayin County were only responsible for following orders and were not very busy.
When Xiaobei brought a group of guards to the door, the current county magistrate of Huayin County, Fang Yang, Fang Xuri, personally came out to welcome them. He was afraid that something would happen and he would be caught.
All the officials near the capital knew that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family had nine children. They also knew the extent of the nine children's power. They could not be targeted by them when the Emperor was coming.
Fang Yang, who was carefully receiving the guests, thought that nothing would happen. Who knew that as soon as they entered the yamen, Xiaobei looked around and found a problem.
"County Magistrate Fang, why don't I see a place specially used to receive the common people? When the common people come, do you want them to wait outside? It's fine in the summer. When it's hot, they can find a cool place to hide. Can they also find a warm place in the winter? Where is the reception fee given by the imperial court every year? "
Xiaobei did not find a place for the common people to rest and eat. She reached out and pulled Fang Yang's sleeve. She looked up and asked. She blinked her cute big eyes, which made Fang Yang feel depressed.
No matter how cute Xiaobei was, she became a demon in Fang Yang's eyes. She touched a sore spot. Was there a need to ask? If the annual share was really used on the common people, wouldn't the yamen lose income? Who didn't need money when they went out to do things? Do you really think that you don't need to worry like the Zhang family?
Although he was thinking about it, he couldn't say it out loud. Fang Yang tried to force a smile and replied to Xiao Bei, "Lord Zhang, you may not know, but there are many people in Huayin County who dislike work. They don't work and only want to live a peaceful life. The yamen has set up a special reception area for them, so they come to the yamen to eat and drink. That's why the yamen removed the reception area."
"Dislike work? What do you mean? "Xiaobei turned to look at Xiaoyuan.
"They like to live a peaceful life, but don't want to work. They only take and don't give." Xiaoyuan answered.
"I see. So it's right to not set up a reception place." Xiaobei still looked up at Fang Yang.
Fang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Lord Zhang is right."
"Then why isn't there such a person in Sanshui County? County Magistrate Fang is an official. Isn't he educating the people to do good and do good things? Instead, he's just a bystander who doesn't do anything. This is called not doing anything. Xiaoyuan, write a memorial and wait for Her Majesty to come. "
Xiaobei's words scared Fang Yang so much that his heart almost jumped out of his mouth. He looked at the other eight children's expressions and didn't know what to do.
If they really wrote a memorial, he was finished. Who didn't know Her Majesty's attitude towards the nine children? Not to mention that the yamen wasn't that clean, even if it was done well, wouldn't it be able to find a problem if they wanted to investigate?
Fang Yang didn't know what to do. The registrar accompanying him was even more scared. There were some problems with his accounts. Although there weren't many discrepancies, once it was found out, it would be a serious crime. At the very least, he would be dismissed.
After hearing Xiaobei's suggestion and looking at the nine children, he felt that no matter how he looked at them, they were very detestable. Why were they so troublesome? Did they not understand the difficulties of the local government?
Thinking was thinking, but he still had to say, "Lord Zhang, it's not easy to run a county. Just listen to Lord Zhang and immediately set up a room to receive the people. There's no need to write a memorial, right?"
Xiaoyuan frowned. "If the higher-ups investigate, the subordinates will work. If the order is issued early, it will be abolished. Are you guys going against us? Seeing that we're young, we'll just deal with it. How do I know if you guys will continue to remove the place after we leave? Seal the accounts, let Brother Xiaohai investigate. "
The registrar didn't expect a group of children to be so difficult to answer correctly. He wanted to bribe them, but then he thought of the business between the Zhang Family and Wang Family. He wanted to threaten them, but then he thought of the military power of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. He couldn't advance or retreat.
Seeing that they wanted to seal the accounts, his face darkened. "The Imperial Censor can't seal the accounts directly. He can only impeach them. Don't tell me you guys want to overstep your authority?"
"Fine, then we won't seal it. We'll just impeach them directly. Let's wait and see. Xiaobei, why are we still going inside? What if they want to kill us? Let's go and find Brother and Sister. "
Xiaoyuan pulled Xiaobei with a cold face and turned to walk outside. Xiaobei was stunned for a moment before she reacted and nodded. "That's right. If they don't allow us to seal the accounts, there must be a problem. Impeach them with all your might. I want to see Uncle Emperor personally and talk to him face to face. This is too unreasonable."
Fang Yang was dumbfounded and glared at the registrar. The registrar's head buzzed and his vision turned black. He paused for a few breaths before he recovered. He knew that if he really let Xiaobei and the others leave, he would be finished. He stepped forward excitedly and opened his arms to block Xiaobei and the others.
"Let's talk nicely. Don't be in a hurry. Let's go inside and talk."
"Oh no, they want to do something to us. Children's Regiment, go and take them down." Xiaobei was worried about how to deal with this matter properly and didn't have a chance. Seeing that someone dared to stop her, she had an excuse. She shouted loudly and looked scared.
As soon as Xiaobei shouted, ten of the most stable children in the Children's Regiment took out their pistols and aimed at the group of people in the yamen.
The people in the yamen all stopped moving. They knew what the other party was holding. Although the yamen had applied for it, the imperial court didn't give it to them. However, they knew the power of this thing very well. It wouldn't be good if it hit them.
"Hmph, do you think I'm not prepared? I just applied for it from Brother and Sister. It's just in time. I'll kill whoever dares to touch it. "
Xiaobei clapped her hands and walked out excitedly. She had a smug look on her face, indicating that she had foresight.
The ten children holding the pistols were more nervous. They had practiced shooting before, but this was the first time they were facing people. They held the pistols tightly with both hands so that they could bear the recoil when they fired.
It wasn't easy to be able to practice shooting. When Zhang Xiaobao said to let the children practice shooting, Wang Juan was worried that the children couldn't bear the recoil. It was Zhang Xiaobao who said, "Children in war-torn places shoot with AKs and rocket launchers. What can our children do with pistols?"
They weren't allowed to carry guns usually. It was Xiaobei who applied for it after she came back from the Cattle-Herding Village. Only ten pistols were given to the most stable children.
The people in the yamen restrained them. The other children took out handcuffs and prepared to handcuff them one by one.
At this moment, the county magistrate of Huayin County was a little far away. He was moving closer to the wall.
"You, stop. What do you mean? Why are you running? Do you have a guilty conscience? "Xiaobei, who was proud of herself, suddenly realized the situation. She pointed at the county magistrate and shouted.
The county magistrate and other officials turned their heads at the same time and looked at the county magistrate in surprise. They were puzzled.
"No, I'm not running. I'm going to get the rope. Yes, get the rope." The county magistrate was still moving as he spoke.
"Haha, catch him quickly. If he dares to run, shoot him. I didn't expect that. It's just a small crime of being greedy. Even if we investigate, we won't be able to trace it back to him. He's just going to be exiled, but he's actually afraid of being caught? What does this mean? "
"Yes, what does this mean?" Everyone was thinking in their hearts.
"It means that what he has committed is a capital crime. Go, f * ck this guy." Xiaobei answered himself and commanded the children's group to rush forward.
The county magistrate stopped for a while. Just when everyone thought that he was going to be caught, he suddenly started running towards the inside.
"Bang", a child with a gun in his hand pulled the trigger. The county magistrate's leg was wounded and he fell to the ground with a plop. He was pressed down by a group of children and handcuffed. They lifted the county magistrate's clothes to cover his head and dragged him to Xiaobei.
"Let's go and find my brother and sister. County Magistrate Fang, let's not pursue the other matters in the yamen for now. Come with me." Xiaobei had made a greater contribution and did not care about the small matter in Huayin County.
"Yes, yes. We'll go now. Guards, help Lord Zhang to detain the county magistrate. Thank you so much, Lord Zhang. Thank you so much." Fang Yang was grateful to the county magistrate who was caught. He quickly agreed and asked the yamen runners to detain the county magistrate whose leg was still bleeding. He followed Xiaobei and the others to the foot of Mount Hua.
*****
When Li Longji arrived at the foot of Mount Hua, the first thing he did was to catch the person sent by the Black Water Commandery.
The Black Water Commander-In-Chief's Mansion was further north than the Bohai Commander-In-Chief's Mansion. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's sphere of influence did not reach there. Although they had already acknowledged them and were willing to pay the tax, they had all kinds of excuses to set the tax amount very small. More importantly, there were many mountains and forests, and the road was very steep.
The county magistrate who was caught by Xiaobei in Huayin County was sent by the Black Water Commandery. He had been undercover for a long time. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan tested almost all the interrogation methods they knew on him. Only then did they manage to get him to talk.
At the beginning, all kinds of physical methods did not work at all. He did not say anything even when he was covered with bruises. In the end, they had to interrogate him tirelessly and use anesthetics and alcohol to solve the problem.
Therefore, they began to search the mountain and sent out hunting dogs. They found the people who were hiding and a large number of fireworks buried in various strategic places. Everyone knew that the fireworks were not used to welcome Li Longji.
After capturing them, he sent an imperial edict to Li Xun, who was still at the Songmo Commander-In-Chief Manor, ordering him to mobilize twenty thousand elite troops in Jili Prefecture, plus ten thousand of his own troops, and to gather fifty thousand porters to attack the Black Water Commander-In-Chief Manor. The twenty gunboats guarding the Bohai Sea Commander-In-Chief Manor also took advantage of the fact that the Bohai Sea Bay was not frozen to sail up the coast, intending to storm the Black Water Commander-In-Chief Manor.
The people from the surrounding countries who had accompanied Li Longji all understood that Li Longji had dispatched such a large force. One reason was that he truly wanted to flatten the Blackwater Commander-In-Chief's Manor, and the other was that he wanted to show off the might of the Great Tang to them.
"Hello, Uncle Emperor." After Li Longji landed at the foot of Mount Hua, Xiao Bei and the others came looking for him. They didn't care if there were people from other countries present. They didn't call him 'Your Majesty', nor did they mention their status as subjects. They just smiled and approached Li Longji to greet him.
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Li Longji found Xiaobei more adorable. He picked her up and put her on the dragon chair beside him. He touched her head and said, "Good, good. Xiaobei, you made a great contribution again. Tell me, what reward do you want?"
"Hum, hum." Xiaobei smiled shyly. No matter how he looked at her, he felt that she was a cute little girl. If the county magistrate Fang Yang saw this, he would definitely think that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Was this still the Lord Zhang who turned hostile at once in the yamen? Was this still the ruthless girl who would shoot whenever she wanted?
Zu Zan Chi sighed silently in his heart. He finally knew the position of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family in Li Longji's heart. It was more difficult than climbing to the sky to drive a wedge between them.
*****
They had a good rest for two days. The long-awaited Sword Competition on Mount Hua began. Although it was called Sword Competition, except for the Tang Empire, no one had a sword in their hands. They could only watch or talk about it.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan chose Baiyun Peak to show the military strength of the Tang Empire, so they were going to take this path.
The snow-covered mountain looked lofty and dreamy. If they did not know that Li Longji was showing the strength of the country, people from other countries would like to experience the beauty of nature in such a scenery.
Suddenly, he left his position and ran to Zu Zan Chi. He whispered to him, "Zan Pu, do you know what they are going to do?"
Zu Zan Chi shook his head and said, "Who knows? Just watch. Do you want to climb the mountain at this time? Where did the path come from? "
"Let's go. First Engineering Battalion, go." When many people were guessing how to climb the mountain, the commander-in-chief Wang Juan pulled out the saber at her waist and waved it forward. The order was passed down. Immediately, drums and gongs sounded and military flags flew.
"Ha!" The 1,000 soldiers of the first reinforced battalion shouted in unison and rushed out from the right side of the team.
Since ancient times, there had been a path on Mount Hua. At this time, the path was even more difficult. There were mountains in front of them and cliffs in the distance. Not to mention climbing to the top, just the path in front of them made people feel weak in the knees.
While everyone was guessing what the 1,000 soldiers were going to do, the people of the first engineering battalion had already reached a small cliff. They did not take the path that the herb-gatherers usually took.
The first row of 50 people did not stop when they reached the cliff. They stretched their hands back and the people in the other rows each held a long bamboo pole and pushed it up. The people in front of them grabbed it and shouted, "Ha, ha!" They used the same chant and used the bamboo pole to push the people in front of them up the cliff.
The people below understood that this was a tactic used when attacking a city. However, the length of the bamboo pole was obviously not enough to push people to the top of the cliff. What was the use of climbing a certain distance?
While everyone was puzzled, the 50 people who were pushed to the top of the cliff grabbed the bamboo pole with one hand and pulled the backpack on their back in front of them with the other hand. No one knew what they took out from the backpack. With a gun-like sound, 50 ropes were pulled down from the top.
The people at the bottom immediately climbed up the rope at lightning speed. It was unknown how long they had practiced. Looking at the height of six zhang, they climbed up in a few steps. The last person at the bottom handed the bamboo pole up and also began to climb.
As soon as the bamboo pole went up, the people below raised their Clairvoyance one after another, only to see that the person who had just landed stepped on several ropes that were fastened to the cliff wall so quickly. Another bamboo pole lifted the person who had gone up first up another six zhang.
The same gun-like sound was heard. More ropes were pulled down and the people below started climbing again.
As they were climbing, a rock suddenly loosened and the people on top fell down. Amidst the shocked cries of the people watching, they were pulled back by the ropes again. Without any intention of stopping, they started climbing again.
When they reached a place where the rock protruded and could no longer hold the bamboo pole, the person at the top only had a rope around his waist and started climbing with his bare hands. His four limbs moved quickly, but it was very rhythmic. If one looked closely, they would notice that under normal circumstances, the four limbs of a bare-handed climber would always be supported by three points and moved by one point. They would only change under special circumstances.
From time to time, the rock that someone grabbed would loosen before they were done. The person who climbed up would fall down again and again and be pulled back by the rope. They would climb up again and again. Sometimes, they even used one arm and a few fingers to hold on to the rock.
The people below were shocked to see this. They were even more shocked at the climbing speed. In just a short while, the people from the 1st Engineering Battalion had climbed to a distance of 30 feet.
But at this time, there was a very big protruding rock in the middle. If they wanted to go around it, they would bump into the position of others. They could not directly move horizontally, so there would definitely be a missing piece. Just when many people thought that the Tang soldiers would give up on this route, a person rushed out from the crowd and shouted, "Let me do it."
Then, this person pulled a person from the 2nd Battalion who was preparing to run with him. As he ran, he took off the person's backpack and changed his belt.
When this person ran to the bottom of the cliff, he did not immediately climb along the rope. Instead, he used the momentum of running and used both his hands and feet to jump up more than 30 feet.
"Hua", the people below were in an uproar. How did he fly up? It was as if his body was weightless. In just a few steps, he had reached a height of more than 30 feet. Then, he hung the rope on the ring around his waist and used a speed that was several times faster than the people from the 1st Battalion to climb up.
This person's hands and feet seemed to only need to touch a small gap in the rock. He did not need to do too much. His whole body was like a monkey, jumping up with a whoosh.
"Zhang Xiaobao, he is Zhang Xiaobao." After the people below were shocked, they finally recognized who this person was. They turned around to look. As expected, Zhang Xiaobao, who had been accompanying Wang Juan, was gone.
"Didn't they say that Zhang Xiaobao was only good at economics and calculation? When did he become capable of such things? "Ke Tuyu, who was standing beside Zu Zan of Chi, opened his eyes wide and shouted in disbelief.
Not only him, but those who did not know Zhang Xiaobao also thought so.
"Wow, wow, big brother is so awesome." Xiao Bei had never seen her brother do such a thing in front of her. At this moment, she opened her mouth in surprise and cheered, waving her little fists with all her strength.
Only Wang Juan pursed her lips and smiled, whispering to herself, "This is the international swindler that made countless special police officers helpless. Flying over roofs and vaulting walls, who knows how many self-proclaimed elites have their faces wiped off. En, it seems that he is even more awesome than before."
"If the family has no money, big brother can support us by being a cat burglar." Xiao Bei said with certainty.
At this time, Zhang Xiaobao did not have the leisure to care about what other people thought. He did not allow a blank area to appear on the cliff. In the shortest time possible, he came to the protruding rock, paused for a moment, and looked up at the lines under the rock.
Then, under the exclamations of the people below, he suddenly jumped up and did a forward flip. Halfway through the movement, he took out an item from his backpack. His feet suddenly stretched out, and he stepped on the cliff in front of him. His body flew out parallel to the bottom of the protruding rock.
Just as his head was above the protruding rock, he stretched his hands forward, and the object in his hands just happened to hit the protruding rock. With a sound, his body fell down. Just as he fell for a distance of three meters, his arms wrapped around the rope that was just nailed to the rock.
Then, he swung forward, and his feet once again stepped on the spot where he just stepped. His body flew away from the cliff, but the rope in his hands did not loosen. Using this time's strength, he stretched his legs, exerted strength in his waist, and drew an arc. Under the pull of the rope, he hit the outermost protruding rock. He grabbed with one hand, and his legs did a horizontal split. His hand buckled forward, and his hand loosened and pulled again. When he stopped, his whole body was already standing on the rock. With a sound, a rope was pulled down for the people below to use.
The people below were stunned.
Gao Lishi stood up from the chair and began to look at his adopted son again.
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