The disciples of Five Elements Guild, Circle Faction, and Peace Gang swaggered around Ba as if it was New Year's Eve.
Rong Shu from Five Elements Guild called his friends to a tavern he frequented. Seeing that the tavern was still closed, he banged on the door, "Open up! Open up! Old Hu, what time is it? Why aren't you up yet? "
After a while, the window opened halfway, and the shopkeeper Hu Xiong poked his head out with sleepy eyes, carefully looking around. Seeing him like this, Rong Shu couldn't help but laugh, pointing at him and said, "Look at your cowardly look, hurry up and get up to do business! The leaders of Shun Faction, Three Rivers Gang, and Life League have all been arrested by the authorities. From now on, we will be united in Ba, understand? Hurry up and get up to do business, we need to celebrate and bring out the best wine in your tavern! "
"Oh! Oh! Alright! "
Shopkeeper Hu was overjoyed and quickly agreed. He closed the window and put on his clothes. Then, he slapped the fat buttocks of his wife, who was still lying lazily on the couch, and shouted, "Get up, don't sleep anymore. Ba has gone to bed, hahaha …"
At the Wei River pier, Li Qingchuan, the captain of the boat, jumped onto the deck excitedly and lovingly caressed the side of his boat. Seeing that the deck was covered in snow, he yelled at his men, "Why are you all so lazy? Hurry up and clean up, we have to go to Yangzhou soon. From now on, we will dominate the water transportation and everyone will have a good life. I don't need anyone who wants to be a lazy bum."
At this moment, the captain of another boat, Yang Jiangbo, appeared alone at the bow of the boat, looking like he had lost his soul. Li Qingchuan leaned on the side of the boat and shouted, "Yang Jiangbo, Yang Laosi, haha, your Three Rivers Gang is going to be finished soon, what are your plans for the future?"
Yang Laosi spat at him and did not say a word.
Li Qingchuan said with a smile, "Brother, I have to admit that you are indeed good at steering a boat! Although we have fought a few times and you even injured my leg, I am a generous person and will not hold it against you. If you have no way out, how about you work on my boat? I will reward you with a bowl of rice! "
Fourth Bro Yang flicked his sleeves and left while Li Qingchuan laughed out loud.
The West's disciples filled Ba, a scene of martial prowess everywhere. The ASEAN disciples either shut themselves in, or gathered in front of the Gang Leader's mansion. Even though the Gang Leader had been taken away, the two leaders and many stewards were still there. They stood there in silence, waiting for these people to come up with a plan.
Almost all the mansions of the ASEAN leaders were closed. Some stewards who came late after hearing the news arrived. The disciples silently made way for him and watched him pass by in a hurry. The corner door was opened in time for him to go in, but it was immediately closed again. The important figures of the gangs were urgently discussing countermeasures.
At this moment, there was a sound of people shouting and horses neighing. Countless knights dressed in battle jackets, outer coats, leather armor, and black attire appeared on Ba with bows, swords, and crossbows. The red tasseled spears in their hands were thick and heavy. The entire body was painted black, and the sharp blades made of steel were covered with blood grooves. Coupled with the flame-like bright red tassels, it was a menacing sight.
The cheering crowd on Ba immediately quietened down. For many years, even the government officials rarely came to Ba. But today, not only were the officials and constables here, even the soldiers were here. Many people were at a loss as to what to do.
There were also some knights with black lacquered cowhide shields painted with images of ferocious beasts hanging on the side of their saddles. They were wearing mighty iron armors, half-armoured battle robes, and had sabers hanging on their waists. Obviously, they were the commanders of the cavalry. Each of them led nine knights and rushed into the narrow alleys that were as narrow as sheep intestines. They shouted sternly, "Everyone, go home immediately. Do not enter or leave without permission.
Chu Kuangge and Dugu Huizhi appeared at the end of the long street, clad in golden Radiant Armor. Dugu Huizhi's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, then fixed on Rong Shu, who was waiting at the entrance of the tavern. Dugu Huizhi pointed at him and asked, "You, which clan are you from?"
Rong Shu looked around, and his companions immediately moved away from him. Rong Shu said slowly, "I … I'm from the Five Elements Guild."
Dugu Huizhi said, "Very good! I'm Dugu Huizhi. I've been ordered to arrest the leaders of the Five Elements Guild, the Circle Faction, the Peace Faction, and the other gangs who have gathered to cause trouble and disrupt public order. Lead the way for me! "
Dugu Huizhi?
The people who heard it immediately thought of the helmsman of the Shun Faction, Dugu Wentao. The Dugu family had come! ASEAN's revenge was so fast! They had only been cheering for a quarter of an hour before the situation was completely reversed. The West Alliance had invited the officials of Wan Nian and Chang 'an Counties to jointly enforce the law, and ASEAN … actually invited the military!
Bam!
Hu Xiong, who had just removed two of the door panels, hurriedly put them back together again. He kicked the butt of the woman who was still standing in the central room and shouted in a low voice, "Get back into the house and keep an eye on Little Five and Little Six. Don't let them go out onto the street!"
Yang Laosi, who had just returned from the pier, stood at the end of the long street in a daze. When he finally understood what had happened, he suddenly let out a maniacal laugh, turned around, and sprinted towards the pier. Li Qingchuan saw Yang Laosi sprinting back from the bow of the boat and teased him with a smile, "What's wrong, you've thought it through? If you want to work on my ship, kneel down and kowtow to me three times! "
"Pfft!"
Yang Laosi puffed out his chest and said proudly, "What's so great about inviting a few officials? Our leader even brought the military here. Haha, you think you're worthy of fighting against us, Sanhe Clan? Pfft! "
Li Qingchuan was dumbfounded. He loosened the rope in his hand and slid into the river …
…
Wan Nian County and Chang 'an County jointly enforced the law and arrested Qiao Mu of the Shun Faction, Gan Qianhui of the Life Alliance, and Huang Yunshan of the Sanhe Clan. Halfway there, Chen Dong from the Ministry of Justice arrived with his men and intercepted the two county officials. He took away the leaders of the three major clans in the name of being witnesses. He also arrested Gao Jingqian, Wan Nian County Magistrate Lang Wen, Chang' an County Magistrate Wu Luoran, and more than a hundred patrolmen under the name of colluding with the tyrants to oppress the good.
Not only that, Sun Yuxuan also brought Chu Lang and Dugu Lang from the Thousand Horsemen Battalion to the Ba River and arrested Qin Zeyuan of the Five Elements Guild, Yuan Zhiheng of the Taiping Clan, Fu Caiyao of the Circle Faction, Wei Yongtang of the Heavenly Eagle Clan, and other leaders in one fell swoop. When the news spread, it immediately caused a great disturbance in the officialdom of Chang 'an.
Li Jianbai, the Chancellor of the Imperial College, Zhao Haochen of the Chang 'an Local Government, and Wang Shixiu, the Founding County Magistrate, went to find Qi Anrun together. Qi Anrun was greatly annoyed by the actions of the Ministry of Justice. Although he had no connection with the clans on the Ba River, this action was approved by him, which was undoubtedly a great challenge to his authority.
Qi Anrun immediately brought his men to see Liu Qiantian. Liu Qiantian had no intention of having a conflict with the imperial envoy, but it did not mean that the one who held the title of imperial envoy could do whatever he wanted. He would not sit back and watch those who seriously challenged his authority and interests. Now, the people who came to find him included his deputies, his trusted followers, and his supporters. He had to take a stance.
Moreover, the Ministry of Justice did not inform him in advance before doing this, which was a challenge to his authority. The interests of the officials in Chang 'an were affected, which ultimately affected his interests.
The whole officialdom was like the roots of a big tree. He was the main root, the officials below him were the branches, and the officials below him were the countless roots under each branch, thus forming a complete network of interests.
If the roots were damaged, the branches would definitely be damaged. If the branches were damaged, the nutrients gathered to the main root would definitely be greatly reduced. It was the same in the Chang 'an officialdom. As the magistrate of the Chang' an Local Government, Liu Qiantian had a high position and power. He would not directly deal with the ruffians on the Ba River, but the officials under him would.
These officials received the Baishang Cao Gang's filial piety, each of them divided a portion and handed it over to the officials of the higher level, and the officials of the higher level each took out a portion of the filial piety they received from various places, and then sent it over to his hands. He had an even stronger backer in the capital, so during festivals, big or small matters, he had to 'offer' from time to time; this was a complete chain of benefits.
He could tolerate Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli cracking down on the ruffians and rectifying the law and order in Chang 'an, but if they did something that harmed the fundamental interests of the whole Chang' an officialdom, he had to step in. Didn't people usually transfer benefits to him in order to get his protection at critical times?
However, he did not dare to act rashly because of the reasons given by the two envoys. He did not know what evidence the two envoys had and who informed them to make such a brazen move against the local officials of Chang 'an. The experienced and astute Liu Qiantian pondered for a long time and secretly instructed Qi Shaoyin and Li Jianjiu. The few of them understood tacitly and immediately left.
Liu Qiantian then sent someone to the Ministry of Justice to gather information. Then he arranged the ceremonial guard and left the Chang 'an Local Government. He went straight to the imperial envoy's residence of the Lord of Hanoi, Wu Yizong. These two envoys had never been on good terms. Now that the situation was unclear, he would be in a passive position if he went into battle bare-chested. Ever since Wu Yizong arrived in Chang' an, he had always cooperated with him. Now it was time for Wu Yizong to return the favor.
The fight between the underlings on Ba entered the eyes of the Chang 'an officialdom. The storm that was stirred up in the small Jianghu on Ba finally caused a huge wave in the Chang' an officialdom.
The gangs of the Western Alliance used the power of the officialdom to attack the ASEAN gangs. The ASEAN gangs' counterattack was so swift and fierce that the dispute between the Eastern and Western Alliances on Ba was no longer a big deal. The situation evolved into an open and secret struggle between the officials from the capital city and the local officials whose interests were harmed.
As the local tyrants, the Chang 'an local officials' counterattack was equally swift. The next morning, a large number of the gang disciples of the Western Alliance and the families of the arrested people gathered at the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice. They cried out their grievances with great momentum.
Two hours later, thousands of students from the Xijing Imperial School and the Imperial College were mobilized by Li Jianbai and the others. They first went to the Chang 'an Local Government to petition, then marched to the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice and gave speeches to the onlookers. They severely criticized the officials of the capital city for harassing the local government and destroying the water transportation. Wasn't it right and proper for the students to plead for the people?
On the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Yang Fan looked down at the Chang 'an City that was as orderly as a chessboard with a smile.
Before he arrived in Chang 'an, he had already started to make arrangements in a corner of this chessboard. Now, it was finally time for the middle game!
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