Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 347 The Bao family in Suzhou ransacked their homes
North of Suzhou City,

Gui Yifu rode on his horse and saluted the people on both sides, and introduced General Jiao in front of him;

"Come on, two generals. I will introduce you as an intermediary. Lao Jiao, this person is Duan Hong, the general under Marquis Luo Yun. General Duan, this is Jiao Xiong, the commander of the Jiangnan Camp."

After hearing the commanders introduce each other, Jiao Xiong first wanted to be polite to the leader in front of him. He cupped his fists and said roughly,

"I have admired the name of General Duan for a long time. Jiao has long been famous. I just hate that I am busy with official duties and cannot see him. Today I have fulfilled Jiao's wish."

He said it sincerely, but Duan Hong didn't make any excuses. He returned the same greeting and was even more careful with his words. He was indeed the commander of an army, and he was very good with his words.

"I have met General Jiao, and the Marquis has already known General Jiao's reputation. Duan also admires the General, but he came in a hurry, and the Marquis urged him urgently. He also asked the General to make it convenient and get out of the way. Duan still has military orders with him. , I’m afraid we can’t waste too much time.”

As soon as these words came out, Jiao Xiong's expression changed slightly, but he still kept a smile on his face and invited him kindly;

"This matter is not urgent. I have already arranged the best restaurant in Suzhou to welcome the two distinguished guests. We will discuss other matters slowly."

How could Duan Hong be willing? The Marquis's order was greater than heaven. He wanted to refuse, but Gui Yifu stood between the two of them and said to them;
"You two generals, you don't have to be polite. There are many things going on right now. We can't waste any more time. Let's open the skylight and speak out. General Duan is here to give an explanation. General Jiao, you also know it well. No matter what, you need to give an explanation. You say what to do?"

Seeing that the commanders were all speaking for the other side, Jiao Xiong knew that he could not stop him. Who was Gui Yifu? He was a confidant of the Supreme Emperor. There must be something hidden behind such a suggestion, so he nodded in agreement and replied with a smile;
"This general is acting a bit unreasonably. I will apologize to the commander and General Duan here."

After Jiao Xiong finished speaking, he gave a salute, which was quite sincere to the two of them. Duan Hong was wary. It was indeed not simple.
"General Jiao, you're welcome. The military order given by the Marquis is to blockade Suzhou City. Duan came to receive the order and asked General Jiao for convenience."

Jiao Xiong looked ugly, but he took a step back;
"General Duan can send people to blockade the city, but it cannot affect the people's entry and exit in Suzhou City. General Duan, Jiao knows that you are here to cause harm to the salt merchants. The Bao family in Suzhou has been surrounded by my people at any time. We are just asking General Duan's people not to cause trouble by searching the house. As long as the general agrees, Jiao will definitely get out of the way."

What Jiao Xiong said was both soft and hard. He was afraid that the forbidden troops would not listen to his greetings and ruin his own affairs. Duan Hong thought of the Marquis before he left and specifically told him that the young soldiers and horses going to Suzhou should not easily interact with the Jiangnan camp. The people broke up with each other, mainly arresting the Bao family members and confiscating their money. They could act expeditiously in critical moments.

think of this,
Duan Hong nodded, and the main purpose was to confiscate the salt merchants. If they wait any longer, they may have long nights and many dreams.

"Duan agreed, but don't wait any longer. When we enter the city today, we will immediately arrest the entire Bao family and ransack their homes. When they are caught, I will report it to the Marquis. However, the arrests will require the Imperial Army to come."

Jiao Xiong smiled and promised,

"General Duan is still open. Come on, get out of the way. Let's accompany General Duan into the city. What do you think of the command?"

Gui Yifu saw that both parties had reached an agreement, and the stone hanging in his heart was relieved.

"In that case, let's go together and see how the Bao family is so domineering. They deserved the ransacking of their homes today. I wonder what happened to Mr. Marquis in Yangzhou and Mr. Lin."

Galloping all the way, Gui Yifu has been rushing with Duan Hong's imperial army. He has not received the latest information. He does not know that Yangzhou Lin Daruhai has gone. He is thinking about the stability of Jiangnan, not to mention that Jinling is already there. Rumors are spreading, and various forces are secretly adding fuel to the flames.

Duan Hong stopped talking and headed towards Suzhou City with his troops. Naturally, the Bao family in the city knew that the good times were over. Bao Zhiyong even died in drunken dreams every day. The concubine in the house was so scared that she shed tears all day long. From time to time, he tried to find a way to escape, but the soldiers outside were tightly guarded by Jiao Ke's confidants, making it impossible to get out.

Several other salt merchants, as well as many aristocratic families, had already sent people to meet Jiao Xiong in private, and the money offered had already been delivered to Jiao Xiong's hands. Now it was the Jiao family that kept him safe.

As for the money sent by the Bao family, Jiao Xiong accepted it without fail, but the person never withdrew. Only then did Bao Zhiyong realize that he had been deceived by Jiao Xiong, so he simply let himself go and have fun at the house, and stopped taking out all the money. It was quiet for a few days.

Now that I heard the noise outside, I knew my days were numbered, so I sat calmly in the courtyard and waited.

Duan Hong led his people into Suzhou City and went straight to the Bao family's house. Seeing that the soldiers from the Jiangnan Camp had long been surrounded outside the house, not even a bird could fly out, and asked;

"General Jiao is indeed well-informed. General Jiao has already arranged everything before the people arrive. Don't ransack the house for a long time. If there is not enough money, it will be difficult for the Marquis and the Grand Eunuch to explain."

Jiao Xiong's face twitched. He didn't know that Duan Hong was warning him that he couldn't take some money. Of course, Jiao Xiong had already considered this.

"General Duan was joking. The Bao family has remained intact. I naturally know that the matter is of great importance. Please rest assured, General Duan. If there is any oversight, this place will be investigated immediately."

"That's good. Thank you, General Jiao."

When they arrived at the door of Bao's house, everyone stopped and Jiao Xiong waved;

"Get out of the way and open the door."

After saying that, General Ying Qian of Jiangnan Camp and his soldiers opened the door of Bao's house. Duan Hong no longer hesitated, got off his horse and shouted;
"Go in and search the house,"

Then he led the imperial army and rushed into the Bao family's house. After seeing people entering, Jiao Xiong immediately turned his head to look at his nephew Jiao Ke and asked in a deep voice;

"Has anyone been in the Bao family? Or has anyone taken money?"

Looking at his uncle's stern eyes, Jiao Ke understood his uncle's worry in his heart and shook his head repeatedly; "Uncle, my nephew can distinguish the serious from the serious. There is absolutely no one who has gone in. Every day, my nephew will bring people to patrol. Please don't worry, uncle." "

Although Jiao Ke was greedy, he also thought about making a profit first, but when he thought of Luo Yunhou's reputation and his uncle's instructions, he knew that the money was easy to get, but it would be difficult to pay it back if something went wrong.

Jiao Xiong sat on the horse and felt relieved when he saw that his nephew Jiao Ke did not reach out.

Watching the imperial troops entering and starting to search for valuable items, I felt itchy in my heart. The Bao family was the leading wealthy businessman in Suzhou, but unfortunately, it was now ruined.

Gui Yifu could see the reluctance in the eyes of the Jiao family's uncle and nephew. He pinched the horse's belly and took a few steps forward, reining in the horse.
"General Jiao feels sorry for Qin Zi,"

"If the commander is there, there is no need to test the general with words. The general knows in his mind what silver can be taken and what cannot be taken. Commander, the salt merchants have already made arrangements with the Zhen family in Jinling."

Jiao Xiong's meaning couldn't be clearer. The Jiangnan nobles compromised. Gui Yifu did not speak and nodded. Seeing the commander like this, the uncle and nephew were silent for a while. Luo Yunhou's weight was so heavy. Be alert.

Suddenly, the confidant You Guangfeng Qianhu behind him came running over on horseback with a sullen expression.
"Commander, urgent report from Jinling and Yangzhou."

After speaking, he handed over the urgent item in his arms. Gui Yifu was stunned for a moment and said to Jiao Xiong;

"General Jiao, please wait a moment. This commander will come as soon as he leaves."

"Please."

Gui Yifu turned his horse around and walked back. When Jiao Ke saw the person leaving, he whispered behind his uncle;
"Uncle, Si Qianhu of the Imperial City who just arrived is looking very pale. He is afraid that something has happened."

"Well, there is something about it."

Jiao Xiong also tilted his head vaguely and glanced at the commander behind him. Sure enough, his expression changed. He was still thinking about what could happen. Could it be Yangzhou in the south? Marquis Luo Yun should have gone to Yangzhou. This must be Master Lin's. He weighed the matters at hand over and over again in his mind. King Dong is taking too big a move now, which will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the emperor and the supreme emperor. But why he insists on going his own way, I don't understand.

Even secretly, Prince Bei's hand reached out. Just as he was thinking, Gui Yifu came back with a straight face. Seeing Jiao Xiong who was still deep in thought, he whispered,
"General Jiao, Lin Ruhai and his wife were poisoned by thieves. Marquis Luo Yun has already gone on a killing spree in Yangzhou. The entire Wang family has been killed, the guards have been massacred, and all the government troops have been detained. Even the entire family of the generals, generals, and family members of Jinling's guards have been detained. Execution.”

"Well, what? Kill them all."

Jiao Xiong and Jiao Ke, who had just come back to their senses, were so frightened by Commander Gui's words that they were speechless.

"The blood flowed like a river, but it was only for them. The others did not move, so General Jiao thought twice before taking any action."

Gui Yifu seemed to have something on his mind. Although Jiao Xiong was surprised, he also understood the commander's good intentions and knew that it was better to avoid the sharp edge for the time being.
"Thank you, Commander, for telling the truth. I will keep it in my heart,"

Bao family,

Almost everyone had nowhere to escape, and it didn't take long for them to be captured by the Imperial Guards. They surrounded them in the yard, and the rest began to search for money in the house's warehouses.

As expected of a wealthy businessman, his house actually has more than 500 million taels of silver, and there are more than a dozen large boxes full of antique calligraphy and paintings. Duan Hong looked at Bao Zhiyong, the head of the Bao family, who was sitting in the courtyard and said;

"Does the Bao family know the crime?"

"Hmph, there's no need to accuse me. At my age, I can't bear the severe punishment, so I won't follow the general. I hate that I was blind and gave so much money to the uncles and nephews of the Jiao family. If I had known better, Even if you don’t give them a dog, that’s more than 100 million taels, ah.”

Before Bao Zhiyong finished speaking, he spat out a black mouthful. He twitched a few times and became silent. The Bao family members around him were kneeling on the ground and crying.

Duan Hong glanced at Bao Zhiyong's body and shouted expressionlessly;
"Pack everything up immediately and take them all back to Jinling."

"Yes, General."

The people from the Forbidden Army began to escort people out of the house, and the rest of the people loaded their belongings into trucks and transported them back to Jinling together. The racks were not enough, so Jiao Xiong outside had already sent someone to make arrangements.

When everything was ready, Duan Hong came out with his people and thanked the commander and Jiao Xiong with a fist in his arms;

"Duan's matter is over now. Thank you Commander Gui and General Jiao for their help. This matter will definitely be reported to the Marquis. It is getting late. Duan has important matters and cannot stay here. Please ask Jiao." General Haihan. Farewell and drive on."

Before the two of them had finished speaking, Duan Hong led his troops out of the city and headed north. Jiao Xiong shouted behind him;
"General Duan, why are you in such a hurry? You haven't eaten yet."

The team in front did not stop, and there was a lingering sound. Unexpectedly, Commander Gui beside him also said goodbye and left, taking the people from the Imperial City Division with him without looking back, leaving the Jiao family's uncle and nephew looking at each other.

(End of this chapter)