In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 597 So Many Coincidences
Capital.

There are several telegraph offices in the capital, which are divided into civilian, official and emperor's telegraph offices.

The Intelligence Department is responsible for both official and imperial use.

The person who gave the suggestion to the Intelligence Department was Zhou Yao.

Beep, beep, beep. A large number of telegrams were transmitted from outside to the Intelligence Department's telegraph office.

Standing in front of the telegraph machine was Xiong Changzhi, an officer of the Intelligence Department.

At this time, Xiong Changzhi's face turned pale and his expression was extremely ugly.

Telegrams were coming in from everywhere today, all saying that the emperor was assassinated, but the result was unknown, which means that it is unknown whether the emperor is dead or alive.

The main people who sent the telegram were three brothers: Zhao Xie, Zhao Yi and Zhao Qi.

Zhao Qi only said that Zhao Yi broke into the Lion City Fort and did not directly name his third brother as a rebel.

Zhao Xie directly said that Zhao Yi colluded with Kublai Khan to rebel and kill the emperor.

Zhao Yi turned around and bit Zhao Xie.

With so much information gathered together, Xiong Changzhi was quite panicked.

Because Zhou Yao was not there, he didn't know whether to send the information to the cabinet, the Ministry of War, or the Imperial Palace first.

"Damn it, we haven't been home for three days." An official from the telegraph office complained.

"You are not allowed to go back. I am here with you. You can only go back after you find Zhou Ti Dian."

In order to prevent leaks, Xiong Changzhi was smart and had all the staff eat and sleep in the telegraph room, so the news has not leaked until now.

"Boss Xiong, there are private newspapers out there, and the news will leak out sooner or later. It's better to report it directly to the cabinet." Someone said.

"Assholes, without Zhou Tidian's order, how can we be qualified to report it? If we investigate, how many heads will you have enough to chop off?"

When everyone heard this, it seemed to make some sense.

"Where's Lao Luo? Haven't you found Zhou Tidian yet?"

"No."

The entire Intelligence Department is looking for Zhou Yao, so where is Zhou Yao now?

In a private courtyard in the suburbs of Jiankang Prefecture, Zhou Yao was reluctantly pushing away the beauty on his body.

Before Quan Kang left, he approved Zhou Yao's half-month leave. Zhou Yao was overjoyed and brought his concubine to Jiankang for vacation secretly.

The concubine is from the north and has always wanted to spend a good vacation in the south. Zhou Yao just married her last year and likes her very much. She is beautiful and good at serving people.

He had been with his concubine Qian for three or four days.

"Alright, alright, I can't stand staying here any longer. I'm an old man and I have to go back to the capital." Zhou Yao made up his mind today not to indulge in the land of pleasure.

"No, master, I haven't had enough fun. You can't leave. Let's play for a few more days." Qian hugged Zhou Yao and didn't let him get out of bed.

"Oh, my eyes have been twitching recently. I'm afraid something has happened. I'll go back to the capital first. There's a long time to go. There's time - ah - I hiss - your little mouth -"

Zhou Yao originally wanted to get out of bed, but he didn't expect to be unable to do so.

Another morning passed in a daze, and Zhou Yao really couldn't stand it anymore. After finally waiting for Qian to fall asleep, he quickly got up from the bed.

He wrote a brief text message to Qian, asking her to return to the capital directly after waking up, and he would arrange a carriage and a boat.

Walking out of the yard, Zhou Yao breathed in some fresh air and instantly felt his blood recover by half.

It seems that women can’t play for too long, so let’s go quickly.

With a glance, he saw two people under the shade of a tree not far from the road, but he didn't pay much attention.

Zhou Yao came here secretly by himself, without any entourage.

He rode his horse back to Jiankang City from the suburbs, and then arranged to send his concubine home.

After everything was arranged, he came to the Jiankang Intelligence Bureau branch.

"Zhou Tidian." As soon as he knocked on the door, the person inside screamed as soon as the door opened.

"Why are you making such a fuss? Are you guys just being lazy?" Zhou Yao joked with a smile.

"Something terrible has happened!" the subordinates screamed.

Zhou Yao then realized that Xiong Changzhi in the capital was looking for him everywhere. There was only one person in the Intelligence Department today, and the others had gone out to look for someone.

The entire Intelligence Department was in chaos.

The Song Dynasty is so big that finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack. No one knows where Zhou Yao is.

But the order from above was that only one person could stay at home, and the rest had to be searched for outside.

"What's so urgent?" Zhou Yao was puzzled and immediately sent a telegram to contact Xiong Changzhi.

Just as the telegraph was about to be turned on, someone suddenly came in from outside.

"Lao Liu and the others may be back." The subordinate was about to get up and open the door.

"I'll go, you send the telegram." Zhou Yao turned around and opened the door.

I saw two strangers coming towards me.

But these two strangers seemed a little familiar. Yes, I seemed to have seen these two people under the tree when I walked out of my yard just now.

"Shit." Zhou Yao reacted instantly and was about to close the door.

Bang! A bullet hit him in the forehead.

"Brother, don't get excited, don't get excited." Zhou Yao was almost out of his wits and was being pushed back step by step by someone with a gun.

The men came in and closed the door. One of them pointed a gun at the man from the Intelligence Department, and the other pointed a gun at Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao and the other man were both scared half to death.

"Receive the telegram." The visitor said to Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao had no choice but to ask someone to receive the telegram.

After a while, all kinds of information came to Zhou Yao.

"Call back and ask them to wait for you to return. It must be kept confidential."

Zhou Yao was shocked, knowing that this was a critical moment and his decision might very well determine who would become the emperor of the Song Dynasty.

"Did you hear me calling you back?" The man said, "I know you have a secret communication code. Call me back with your special code, or I'll shoot you."

Zhou Yao was even more shocked, this was a top secret within the Imperial City Bureau, and only the three people above him knew about it.

Because the telegraph is not like the telephone and cannot be transmitted directly by voice, in order to prevent impersonation, important information has special codes.

No one else can impersonate Zhou Yao.

The code for each tip is different.

Zhou Yao didn't dare to post any more.

"boom"

Suddenly, a shot was fired from the side, blowing his subordinate's head off.

"Ah!" Zhou Yao was startled.

The man pushed his subordinates aside and sat down in front of the telegraph machine: "Quick, send the message."

He sent the electricity himself, then glanced at the other person.

"Bang" another man shot Zhou Yao in the leg.

"Ah, I send, I send, I send." Zhou Yao screamed in pain.

"Think it over before you speak. Your woman is still in that yard. I heard that she is pregnant with your youngest son, right?" The two men threatened Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao gasped when he heard this. He had no choice but to send a message and ask them to wait until he got back to talk about it. Everything had to be kept secret for now.

After the telegram was sent, the two men looked at each other, and then, bang, bang, bang, they beat Zhou Yao to death on the spot.

Then the two of them did not leave, but lay in ambush here.

More than an hour later, people came in from outside. They were the members of the Intelligence Department.

The sudden appearance of these two men led to another round of gunfire, and the local intelligence department was almost wiped out.

After the killing, they counted seven people and quickly sent a telegram back to the capital.

The capital responded that the number of local intelligence officers was not fixed, and there might be seven or eight, or even more than ten. The two stayed in the room until the afternoon of the third day when no one came, and then they left.

However, not long after they left, a young man came to the Intelligence Department.

This man is Lu Yuanting, Lu You’s grandson.

He is also an officer of the local intelligence department. Because his wife was ill, he took a few days off to go home. He was away for the past two days.

Today he returned to the Intelligence Department excitedly, and as soon as he came in, he saw corpses all over the floor, which shocked him.

He quickly contacted the capital, but the other party killed Zhou Yao and ambushed for two days, which dragged out the time for a long time.
-
On the sixth day of April, Zhao Yi's ship passed through Dayuan.

At the same time, news came that Zhao Zhen's fleet had returned.

Zhao Xie's ship was closer to Tianjin. If that was the case, Zhao Xie would definitely return to the capital before him.

Zhao Yi was very anxious, and immediately gathered his men and asked everyone if anyone had a familiar general who was closest to the capital. They should send troops immediately to enter the capital first and take control of the overall situation.

Song Xiande immediately said, "Let Chen Sheng control the generals stationed in Beijing, especially Zhang Ping, the deputy commander of the imperial guards, and Cao Ming, the commander of the navy of the capital."

"As long as Zhang Ping doesn't show up, Song Xian'an, the general of the Longsheng Army in front of the palace, can be used."

"Is it your brother?" Zhao Yi was overjoyed when he heard the name.

Song Xiande said proudly: "He is from my tribe, a childhood friend from the same village."

"Okay." Zhao Yi slammed the table and stood up: "Telegram Chen Sheng and find a way to hold Zhang Ping and Cao Ming back."

Zhao Yi issued several orders, asking the Zhejiang navy to intercept Zhao Xie and asking Song Xian'an in the capital to prepare to seize the city.

The order soon arrived in the capital.

The atmosphere in the capital has been a little different these days.

Although no formal official news was transmitted to the capital through the Intelligence Department, there were still private telegraph offices, and telegrams were sent from local generals, including Zhao Xie and Zhao Qi.

The news that the emperor had been attacked and his life or death was unknown had begun to spread in the city.

Today is the day when the imperial court takes a break from state affairs. Except for a small number of cabinet members and ministers on duty who need to enter the imperial city, most people do not need to go to work.

As soon as Cabinet Minister Lu Shikui got up, his brows were furrowed.

The news that the emperor had an accident had slowly spread throughout the capital. Many people couldn't believe it, and the official authorities had not yet given any definite news.

Zhou Yao, the head of the official telegraph office, has been away from Beijing and no news has been revealed, which makes him feel very strange.

After getting up, he sat for a while in an uneasy mood, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he immediately sent someone to call his confidant in the mansion: "Please help me take a message to my father - and then send a telegram -" he lowered his head and said a few words.

Lu Wende has retired and is currently living in the temporary capital Lin'an. He asked someone to send a telegram and then went to Lin'an in person.

After his confidants left, Lu Shikui tidied up his clothes and went to the home of Cao Chi, the Minister of War, with a servant.

Cao Chi was also resting today, and Lu Shikui wanted to go and ask him if he had any news.

After all, the Ministry of War has more contact with generals commanding troops from all over the country.

When he walked out onto the street, Lu Shikui clearly discovered that there were more soldiers and officers on the street than usual.

The defense of the capital city is the responsibility of the Capital's Imperial Guards, but the order on the streets and important places are the responsibility of the Imperial City Administration.

The six ministries were also guarded by people from the Imperial City Administration.

"Who is in charge of the Imperial City Administration now?" Lu Shikui subconsciously asked the old servant beside him.

The old servant thought for a moment and said, "Everyone has gone out, it seems that Chen Tidian is the one who has done it."

Chen Sheng, Lu Shikui's brows furrowed even more, this is Zhao Yi's brother-in-law.

He came to Cao Chi's house with great concern and knocked gently on the door.

As a result, the servant of the Cao family who opened the door told him that a telegram had arrived this morning saying that Cao Youwen had heard that Mr. Cao was not in good health, so Cao Chi hurried back to his hometown to see his old father early in the morning.

"..." What a coincidence! Lu Shikui was speechless.

Lu Shikui asked again, where is Mr. Cao’s hometown?

The other party replied that Mr. Cao returned to Liting, Tongqing Prefecture (now Huixian County, Gansu) to retire.

"So far?" Lu Shikui shook his head and sighed.

Lu Shikui had no choice but to go to the home of the Cabinet Chief Minister Zhen Zhidao.

Zhen Zhidao is already old and was supposed to abdicate at the end of last year, but the emperor has not decided on a new prime minister, so he let him continue in office for the time being.

When Lu Shikui arrived at Zhen Zhidao's house, the servants said that the master was seriously ill and was bedridden at home.

"What?" Lu Shikui thought, he was fine when he went to court yesterday, but he became seriously ill today.

He didn't believe it, so he quickly went into the inner level to see Zhen Zhidao.

At first glance, it really seems like that.

Zhen Zhidao's face was pale and bloodless. He kept coughing in bed. He even coughed up blood and looked very ill.

"Have you been to the hospital?" Lu Shikui asked with concern.

Zhen Zhidao said that he had gone to see him, but he was still young and in poor health. He just needed to rest more. When the emperor came back, he would resign and return home early.

Lu Shikui kept looking at him and didn't realize that he was lying. Zhen Zhidao didn't like to lie either and it seemed that he didn't know much about the news outside.

He couldn't see any flaws, so he had to tell the truth: "Have you heard, Mr. Zhen, that there are rumors out there recently--"

Zhen Zhidao looked confused: "There is such a thing, why have I never heard of it?"

Zhen Zhidao did not make friends or form cliques, so he had no confidants around him, which was why the emperor appointed him as the prime minister.

He was as upright as his father Zhen Dexiu, but he couldn't make many friends, so naturally no one told him these things.

"The emperor is a true dragon, how can we allow the scoundrels to act lawlessly?" Zhen Zhidao said a few polite words, and then changed his tone: "We should find Cao Chi of the Ministry of War to ensure that the military order is safe."

"That's exactly what I meant."

Before the Southern Song Dynasty was reformed, the military command was not in the Ministry of War but in the Privy Council.

Later, Zhao and Rui changed the system and divided the military token into three parts, one of which was kept in the main hall of the Zhao and Rui imperial palace.

One copy is in the Ministry of War and the other copy is in the Cabinet.

As for the cabinet's share, whoever is on duty will get it.

"Who is on duty today?" Zhen Zhidao suddenly asked.

"Shi Jieqing."

This is Shi Miyuan's relative. The two looked at each other in surprise.

"The key is that Cao Chi has also returned home, and now the Ministry of War is headed by the Left Vice Minister Du Fan."

Du Fan is the eldest grandson of Du Gao and currently serves as the Left Vice Minister in the Ministry of War.

"Isn't there a Right Assistant Minister here?"

"That's Wen Yunsun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He was just transferred here by the Emperor. He's a newcomer."

"Oh, I'm getting old and confused. I can't even remember the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel."

The two chatted for a few words, and Zhen Zhidao planned to hold a cabinet meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue of the military token.

He was very ill. Lu Shikui felt a little embarrassed that he had to go to court tomorrow despite being ill, but there was nothing he could do.

When he walked out of the Zhen Mansion, Lu Shikui suddenly thought of something and turned back to the Zhen Mansion housekeeper: "The elder was still full of energy yesterday, how come he became so sick in the morning?"

"I don't know either." The butler said with a bitter face.

Lu Shikui thought that it was such a coincidence that Cao Chi went back to his hometown this morning and Zhen Zhidao was seriously ill again.

"Where did the Lord go last night?"

"Last night, the Imperial City Department asked Chen Sheng to treat us to a meal, and the master went over to have a few drinks."

"..." Lu Shikui felt panicked when he thought about how he had just vomited blood.

Damn it, was he poisoned?

"Go find a better doctor to see if you have food poisoning." After saying that, he hurried back home.

In the evening, he was still in the mansion thinking about the matters concerning the court tomorrow. Just when he was having dinner, someone from the Zhen Mansion suddenly came running to him crying and saying that Zhen Zhidao had died.

"Ah" Lu Shikui's legs went limp and he almost fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)