Fenghou

Chapter 66 Special Envoy
This morning, a group of people came up the official road to the east, led by two men on horseback, followed by several followers.

There are two men riding horses. The older one is a middle-aged man in his forties. He is of medium build and thin. He looks like a scholar who has read poetry and books.

The younger man was about [-] years old, with a medium build, but fair skin and handsome appearance, but there was a bit of sullenness between his eyebrows and eyes, which ruined his bright and sunny image.

Both of these two came from Lin'an City. The middle-aged man was called Xu Yun. He was an official in the Jianyuan Zuo Suiyi, and was responsible for understanding the folk customs of various places.

The young man is called Wang Huan, and he is the supervisory censor. He is sent by the censor Taigong to investigate the Jingguan incident in Muzhou.

A month ago, Chen Qing wiped out more than a thousand rebels, cut off their heads, and hung them on the top of the city for public display. This incident had no effect in Muzhou, but when the news reached the court, it caused an uproar in the court.

But the news was misrepresented. When it came to the court, it turned into Chen Qing massacring thousands of soldiers and beheading them to build the Beijing Temple.

Shen Wanqiu, the censor Zhongcheng, secretly greeted Shen Wanqiu, the prefect of the prefect, and Wang Huan, the supervisor of the censor, went to Muzhou instead.

Xu Yun came to Muzhou just to drop in with Wang Huan. He came to investigate the customs and customs of Muzhou, and also transferred to Yanzhou to make preliminary preparations for the merger of Muzhou and Yanzhou.

Seeing that he was going to Chun'an County, Xu Yun persuaded: "Wang Yushi, what I mean is that you can't jump to conclusions prematurely after hearing some rumors. Even if Jingguan is true, you should judge it in light of reality. Its existence Whether it is reasonable or not, rather than beating them to death regardless of whether they are right or wrong."

Wang Huan said coldly: "Jingguan is the bloody act of the Jurchen massacring the Han people. It actually appeared in Lin'an. If this kind of brutal behavior is to be condoned, it will put the foundation of our country's governance, etiquette, righteousness and benevolence on the back of our country. where?"

"But these are just rumors!"

"That's why Yushitai sent me to Muzhou to investigate. Zuo Shiyi doesn't need to persuade me too much. I, Wang Huan, are fair and strict. I will never wrong a good person or let a villain go!"

Xu Yun secretly sighed, this Wang Huan's standpoint of good and evil is inherently problematic, how can his investigation be fair?
At this time, an army suddenly appeared behind them, startling the two of them, they dodged aside, and the army quickly rushed forward, not coming towards them, but just passing in front of them.

There are about [-] people in this army, all of whom are full of energy and high morale. Each soldier wears armor, holds a long contradiction card in his hand, bows and crossbows and arrows, water hyacinth food bags, and military blanket rolls. It adds up to at least thirty or forty catties.

The soldiers ran very fast. Although they were sweating profusely, they walked vigorously and the team was neat. Xu Yun secretly praised, "This army is not bad! It can be called an elite army. Where is this army?"

"Senior Xu!"

Suddenly someone called Xu Yun, Xu Yun turned around and saw a general on horseback calling him, which looked familiar, "You are—" Xu Yun really couldn't remember who he was.

"Junior Hu Yantong!" The young general laughed.

"Ah! Are you the Huyan Goro who caused trouble everywhere?"

Hu Yantong jumped off the horse, scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "This junior is no longer causing trouble."

"Okay! Now you don't have to be punished by your father. I heard that you followed Han Dutong?"

Hu Yantong nodded, "Exactly!"

Xu Yun pointed at the army and asked with a smile, "Is this the army of Han Dutong?"

"No! These are the officers and soldiers we brought to suppress the bandits. They used to be the Ximenxiang Army."

Xu Yun's eyes widened, "Is this the Ximen Xiang Army?"

"It used to be, but now the training has been completely changed."

Seeing that the soldiers ran away, Hu Yantong hurriedly said, "I'll take a step first, and then I'll visit seniors later!"

Hu Yantong clasped his fists in salute, got on his horse and urged his horse to catch up.

Wang Huan watched Hu Yantong go away, and asked curiously: "Xu Shiyi is familiar with this person?"

Xu Yun laughed and explained: "It's not very familiar. I have dealt with his father a few times, and I know him well. This Hu Yantong used to be known as the Demon King Sword in Bianliang, Tokyo. He made troubles all day long. I was Ren Jingzhao at the time. You should also know his uncle Hu Yande, who used to be the imperial censor Zhongcheng!"

"I've heard of it! But what did Xu Shiyi mean by the Ximenxiang Army?"

"Hehe! The Ximenxiang Army is a well-known garbage army in Lin'an. It ranks last in the army evaluation every year. I didn't expect that the one I saw just now was actually the Ximenxiang Army? Interesting, I really want to meet this Chen Qing. "

Wang Huan was thinking of another idea, should he buy Hu Yantong through Xu Yun?
The first thing Xu Yun and Wang Huan met was He Jian, the governor of Muzhou. Since they were officials sent by the imperial court, He Jian didn't dare to neglect, arranged for them to stay in a noble hotel, and then received them both in the state government.

Xu Yun said that he was only here to investigate the customs of the people, and that Yushitai's investigation had nothing to do with him. He sat on the side drinking tea and did not participate in the conversation between He Jian and Wang Huan.

"Investigate the killing of prisoners in Muzhou?"

He Jian frowned, "I don't understand, when did it happen? Are you sure it's a prisoner of war in Muzhou, not somewhere else?"

"That's right, it's Muzhou. It was a month ago. Chen Qing, who came to suppress the bandits, killed more than a thousand soldiers who surrendered, cut off their heads, and built it into Jingguan."

"Wait a minute!"

He Jian interrupted Wang Huan, "I understand what Wang Yushi meant. What the court heard was not the truth, but misinformation. The truth is not like this."

Xu Yun smiled and asked: "Then what is the truth?"

"A month ago, Zhang Kui led his troops to attack Chun'an County at night, but Commander Chen expected it, so he used his plan and shot and killed more than a thousand bandits, and cut off their heads and hung them on the city wall to appease the people. No Jingguan was built. Three days after the heads were hung, I led people to pile them up and set them on fire. The corpses were also piled up and burned. Some people probably saw the piled up heads and thought it was to build a Beijing. View."

Wang Huan punched nothing, and felt a little depressed. He asked unwillingly, "Why do you pile them up and burn them instead of burying them properly?"

"Wang Yushi doesn't know that Muzhou has a humid climate, high mountains and dense forests, and there are many wild animals. If these corpses are not burned, they will be easily dragged out by wild animals. Exposing corpses to the wilderness will cause epidemics. They must be burned to ashes and buried deep."

Xu Yun chuckled, "So the truth is so, it seems that rumors kill people."

Wang Huan snorted, "What is the truth? Only after detailed investigation can we draw conclusions."

He Jian felt a little uncomfortable. The censor obviously didn't believe what he said.

Hu Yantong and his army had just come back from a one hundred and fifty lire training, and the soldiers were resting for lunch.

Hu Yantong said that this army has been completely reborn, not exaggerating at all. A month of devilish intensive training not only made the soldiers physically fit, but also their martial arts improved greatly. They are very skilled in both marksmanship and archery, especially good at night battles.

Hu Yantong was very tempted by this army, he didn't want to return it to the Lin'an Xiang army, it would be better for Han Dutong to accept it and give it to him to lead.

Chen Qing asked Hu Yantong to sit down, and asked with a smile: "Just now He Zhizhou said that the imperial court sent a supervisory censor called Wang Huan. Is this the senior you met on the road?"

Hu Yantong shook his head hastily, "The senior I mentioned is Xu, he is Zuo Shiyi from the Jianyuan, and the supervisory censor should be the young one. What is he here to supervise?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "I don't know, but it might have something to do with me."

Hu Yantong was even more confused, "The commander didn't send troops to disturb the people, and has always been strict in military discipline. Could it be that you think you have been suppressing bandits for too long, so come over and supervise?"

"No, the Privy Council gave me two months at that time, and it's only half past."

"Did they say they wanted to see the commander?"

"That's not true. It seems that I won't see me temporarily, but I may not have time to see them either."

Hu Yantong cheered up, "Is there any news about Zhang Kui?"

Chen Qing nodded, "I just got inside news that Zhang Kui is going to plunder Suian County and then move to Quzhou. The time for a decisive battle is coming."

A month ago, Chen Qing wiped out more than a thousand bandits and hung their heads on the city wall as a warning, which caused a shock in Muzhou. No one dared to collude with the bandits. Many people persuaded their relatives to go down the mountain, and even two leaders Secretly sending someone to deliver the letter of surrender became Chen Qing's internal response, enabling Chen Qing to grasp Zhang Kui's every move.

Zhang Kui's biggest problem is the lack of food, if he can't survive, and he can't buy the people of Muzhou, it is already a matter of time to move south.

Hu Yantong was gearing up excitedly, the long-awaited moment finally came.

"When are we leaving?"

Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said: "I plan to set off tonight, go to Suian County first, set a trap and wait for Zhang Kui's arrival!"

Chen Qing didn't take Xu Yun and Wang Huan seriously. Since the other party didn't plan to see him for the time being, and he didn't have time to deal with it, Chen Qing immediately found He Jian.

"Are you leaving tonight?" He Jian asked.

Chen Qing nodded, "The other side can't hold on any longer. If they get ahead, Suian County will be miserable, but we still have to stay one step behind to prevent Zhang Kui from playing tricks. Starting today, the gates of the city will not be opened. A thousand township soldiers should strengthen their defenses, and if Zhang Kui comes to attack, can Zhizhou send someone to notify me immediately?"

"How do I find the Commander!"

"I will leave a copy of the marching map. If the situation is critical, you can use the map to find me."

He Jian nodded silently. He originally wanted to talk to Chen Qing about the censor, but after thinking about it, Chen Qing should not be distracted. He will write a detailed report to the court to explain the matter clearly.

"Those bandits, if you surrender, try not to kill them if you can!"

Chen Qing laughed, "I'm not a bloodthirsty person. The head warning was just to deter other gangsters. If these gangsters surrender, I will distinguish and kill those who commit the most heinous crimes. Spare their lives."

He Jian smiled happily and said, "This is the best! I wish the general a victory and catch Zhang Kui!"

That night, Chen Qing led [-] soldiers to leave Chun'an County and marched southwest to Sui'an County along the official road.

　I would like to ask all the brothers for the guaranteed monthly pass at the beginning of the month!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)