Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Chapter 408 Willing to Accept
"Well, I am just making a suggestion."

Xu Jie continued, "If we rely solely on your cavalry, it will be difficult to deal with those fierce Japanese pirates. I have two elite infantry here. If Captain Yang is willing to accept them, these two elite infantry will assist Captain Yang in his operations!"

Yang Ling looked at the Jinyiwei captain and the tall, graceful woman in front of him, and secretly admired them. No matter in which aspect, Xu Jie was indeed a good official worthy of admiration.

"I am willing to accept it!" Yang Ling replied with a bow.

"Okay, then let's do this. We'll set off tonight." Xu Jie nodded with satisfaction, stood up and said, "I'll go gather some people right away, and we'll set off in a moment."

Yang Ling also stood up, clasped his fists and left.

After leaving the Censorate, Yang Ling felt relieved. With the help of the Royal Guards, the chances of victory were much higher. However, Yang Ling did not get carried away because of the assistance. He was still cautious and careful, and did not rush back to the posthouse to rest. Anyway, there was no plan for battle tonight, so he just got familiar with the environment first.

Yang Ling wandered around the northern part of the city, visiting every lane, neighborhood, restaurant and inn in the city.

Yang Ling hadn't eaten since he got up in the morning. He was so hungry that he couldn't help but look for a restaurant or food stall. After walking for a while, Yang Ling arrived in Taipei.

The Taipei City covers a vast area, about 200 meters long from east to west and more than 70 meters wide. On both sides of this huge open area, there are many shops, most of which sell cloth, satin, silk fabrics and other items, and there are many hawkers hawking their wares.

Yang Ling walked along the edge of the North City and suddenly found several strong men in front of him, who seemed to be arguing about something.

After hesitating for a moment, Yang Ling walked towards them. These men were besieging two skinny young men, pushing and pulling each other, with a few pieces of silver scattered around, obviously because of a conflict over goods.

These guys were dressed like bandits. Yang Ling guessed that they were from the Northern Pacification Division because he saw that they all had scabbards on their waists. But why would people from the Northern Pacification Division get entangled with ordinary people here? Yang Ling felt a little strange.

When several men from the Northern Pacification Division saw Yang Ling approaching, they immediately stopped arguing and looked at him warily. The leader of the group shouted, “Get lost!”

Yang Ling frowned slightly and asked calmly: "What are you doing?"

The leading man snorted coldly: "You don't deserve to know!"

Yang Ling sneered: "That won't do. This is the capital, not a mountain stronghold!"

The leading man looked at Yang Ling blankly for a few seconds, and suddenly said with enlightenment: "It turned out to be you!"

Yang Ling showed a surprised expression on his face: "Oh, may I ask your name?"

The leading man pointed at Yang Ling and cursed: "Are you the Yang Tiger?!"

Yang Ling was stunned and said: "It's me!"

The leading man shouted angrily, "You are such a good fellow, Yang Lao Hu. You haven't avenged the death of our eldest brother yet, and now you are causing trouble for the Northern Pacification Division. It seems like you are really tired of living! Brothers, beat this guy up!"

As soon as the leading man finished yelling, he rushed towards Yang Ling, waving his fists. The other companions immediately responded, swinging their fists and feet towards Yang Ling.

Although Yang Ling was not a martial arts expert, he was an old hand who had fought in the military camp. His physical fitness was not inferior to those weak scholars. In addition, he was tall and strong and had rich experience in fighting the enemy. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to deal with this mob. He quickly subdued them and sent them to the inspection office.

When the inspectors came upon hearing the news, they saw Yang Ling and the others tied to the rack and begged for mercy out of fear. Yang Ling just scolded them a few times and told them to let them go.

After the officers left, Yang Ling saw that the leader he had captured was still angry, so he ordered his men to untie him. The man was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to thank him.

Yang Ling signaled the woman to help him untie the rope, then said with a smile: "My dear brother, there is no grudge between us, why should we quarrel?"

The leading man said bitterly: "You are such an ungrateful person. Listen carefully, my elder brother is Zhang Hai, and he was killed by you in Nanchang Prefecture!"

"I have a good memory. Of course I know this Mr. Zhang Hai," Yang Ling assured, patting his chest. "I, Yang, will never harm innocent people, let alone a hero like you who sacrificed his life for the country."

Zhang Hai's expression became excited: "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's true, otherwise why would I go all the way to the Northern Pacification Office to save you?"

"That's great, Brother Yang, you finally admitted it!" Zhang Hai shouted excitedly, "I knew you wouldn't harm any of us. My parents would definitely be very pleased if they knew about this!"

Yang Ling said with a smile: "Brother Zhang, you don't think I came here to save you, do you?"

Zhang Hai looked at Yang Ling in confusion and asked, "You are not here to save us? Then why do you come to us?"

"I'm here to participate in the liaison mission prepared by the Northern Pacification Division."

Zhang Hai's eyes widened as he asked, "What kind of mission does the Northern Pacification Office need from scholars like you?"

"Well, I'm not in a position to reveal the specific details!"

Zhang Hai remembered that the rules of the Northern Pacification Division were strict, so he didn't dare to get to the bottom of it. He just said worriedly: "But this liaison mission is very dangerous. Brother Yang, you are so smart, why don't you not get involved!"

"Don't worry, since I'm here to participate in the liaison mission, I've naturally thought it through and will never joke with my life!"

Zhang Hai still said worriedly: "But General Wan and General Sun said that this mission is very important. If it is not completed well, it will affect the entire plan to wipe out the Japanese pirates. Brother Yang, why don't we not participate in this liaison mission?"

"I'm afraid that won't work!" Yang Ling shook his head apologetically and said, "I won't hide it from you. I'm here to coordinate the food supply on the orders of the imperial envoy. If I fail, I won't be able to explain myself when I go back."

Zhang Hai showed disappointment on his face, and murmured, "Is that so? It's a pity that my father doesn't know martial arts. Otherwise, if he knew this news, he would definitely lead a team to Beijing to help suppress the bandits. Alas!"

"Brother, is your injury serious?" Yang Ling asked with concern.

Zhang Hai looked down at the wound on his body, grimacing in pain: "It's okay, just a superficial wound, it will heal in a few days."

Yang Ling pondered for a moment and said, "I have an idea that can save you some suffering!"

Zhang Hai asked excitedly, "What's the idea?"

Yang Ling whispered something to Zhang Hai, and Zhang Hai was overjoyed: "Good idea, I will go back and tell my father, he trusts you the most, as long as he is willing to help, the chances of defeating the Japanese pirates will be increased by at least 50%. Brother Yang, I will remember your kindness in my heart, and I will repay you generously in the future!"

Yang Ling waved his hand and said, "You're welcome. You can go back first!" Zhang Hai clasped his fists and saluted, "Brother Yang, we'll meet again if we're lucky. I'm leaving first!"

Zhang Hai turned to leave, but he turned back and took out five hundred yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Yang Ling's pocket: "This is the medical fee I promised my sister-in-law, please accept it."

Yang Ling quickly refused: "That's not possible!"

Zhang Hai stuffed the money into Yang Ling's sleeve and left in a hurry. Yang Ling looked at the background and thought to himself: "This man has a straightforward personality. No wonder he can become a centurion. Well, he is worth making friends with."

When Zhang Hai and his wife were robbed by refugees, it was Yang Ling who led the Jinyiwei to arrive in time to save the couple's lives and arranged for someone to escort them back home. Zhang Hai himself was very grateful to Yang Ling, so he would send people to give Yang Ling gifts during festivals or holidays such as Double Ninth Festival and Dragon Boat Festival.

Zhang Hai returned to the Beizhenfusi Yamen and went straight to the Beizhenfusi file room to ask for an audience with Sun Yuanhua. Yang Ling's guess was correct. Zhang Hai really wanted to transport his parents' remains back to their old nest for burial. Sun Yuanhua was the deputy envoy of Jiangxi Salt and Iron in his early years, but later retired due to illness. Now he is working in Dongguan County and is an honest and upright official.

When Sun Yuanhua heard Zhang Hai mention Yang Ling, his brows furrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "How dare this kid surnamed Yang trespass into the Northern Pacification Office?"

"Lord Sun, you have misunderstood. Brother Yang was just passing by the Northern Pacification Office and came to visit his subordinates." Zhang Hai hurriedly defended Yang Ling.

Sun Yuanhua sneered and said, "Passing by the Northern Pacification Office? Humph, I think you are not interested in the bar!"

"Lord Sun has misunderstood Brother Yang!"

Sun Yuanhua retorted disdainfully: "Do you think I will believe it?"

"Sir Sun, Brother Yang is indeed here for the Northern Expedition to suppress bandits. He said that the military secrets involved in this liaison mission must not be leaked. I hope you can be flexible."

Sun Yuanhua stared at Zhang Hai for a while, then suddenly asked, "How capable do you think Yang Ling is?"

Zhang Hai answered without thinking, "Ten points."

Sun Yuanhua nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, go back and tell Yang Ling that I will do my best to cooperate with him in his work."

Zhang Hai was overjoyed and quickly bowed and said, "I would like to thank you on behalf of Brother Yang. I will take my leave." After saying that, he left in a hurry. He had to go back and discuss with his father to see whether he should go to help Yang Ling.

Yang Ling stood in the yard, watching Zhang Hai's figure gradually walk away, thinking to himself: "Although Captain Zhang is honest and loyal, he is a rough man after all, and he doesn't do things properly. But his thoughtfulness is worth making friends with."

Just as Yang Ling was about to clean the courtyard, he saw two soldiers from the patrol department escorting two men over and pushing them directly in front of Yang Ling. One of the tall men was forced to kneel in front of Yang Ling, his face full of anger and humiliation, obviously unwilling to give in, but due to the other party's tyranny, he dared not act rashly and could only endure it temporarily.

At this time, a short fat man was pressed at Yang Ling's feet, and said with a smile on his face: "Master Yang, these two thieves are so bold to steal. I will catch them and bring them to you to deal with them!"

Yang Ling looked up at the short and fat man and found that he had a pointed face and monkey cheeks, which made him look quite funny. He asked casually, "Which of you two is the leader of the thieves?"

The short fat man smiled flatteringly and said, "My name is Liu Fucai, and I am a famous quarry owner in this area!"

The sturdy man next to him held his head high and said, "My name is Zhao Dequan, a well-known local constable who specializes in arresting fugitives!"

Yang Ling couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Then where did I catch you?"

The short fat man immediately patted his chest and replied: "Master Yang, you caught it at the foot of the North Mountain of our North Pacification Division."

Yang Ling was stunned when he heard this. He originally thought that this group of thieves were refugees who fled into the mountains and forests to hide. He did not expect that they were committing crimes on the territory of the Northern Pacification Office.

Seeing that Yang Ling seemed interested, Zhao Dequan immediately flattered him, "Master Yang, this group of thieves just sneaked into Beishan last night. I happened to be patrolling by, so I took my men to capture them."

Yang Ling nodded lightly, pointed at Zhao Dequan under his feet and asked: "Zhao Dequan, let me ask you, why are you here?"

Zhao Dequan answered fearlessly, "Master Yang, I am in charge of the public security in the area under the jurisdiction of the Northern Pacification Division. Recently, some people have been active in the mountains and forests. I was worried that there might be trouble, so I brought people here to investigate. As a result, I encountered two petty thieves, so I arrested them for interrogation, and then I discovered the trick. It turned out that they were spies for the Japanese pirates, and they were about to sneak into the North Mountain to report to the Japanese pirates."

Yang Ling narrowed his eyes and asked coldly: "If he is a spy of the Japanese pirates, why do you keep him?"

Zhao Dequan quickly smiled and said, "Don't blame me, Master Yang. I was worried that these people had already reported the news successfully, so I waited until they were eating to capture them and brought them here."

"How did you find this place?" Yang Ling asked again.

"Master Yang, I'm sniffing with my nose. Look, isn't this the smell of these bastards?" Zhao Dequan stretched out his index finger and shook it, looking very much like a dog.

Yang Ling shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and ordered his men to drag Zhao Dequan and the short and fat man away.

Two soldiers from the patrol took the two away. Sun Yuanhua also came out of the house and asked in confusion, "General Yang Qian, who were those two people just now?"

Yang Ling replied calmly: "It's a Japanese pirate spy!"

"Japanese pirate spy?"

"Yes, it is the Japanese pirates. They have already informed the Japanese pirates that we will deal with them in the spring of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen!"

Sun Yuanhua jumped up in fear, then angrily cursed: "Damn it, these bastards deserve to die. They actually dared to betray us. Such people should be killed and fed to dogs."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Killing them is easy, but how are we going to deal with the Japanese pirates?"

Sun Yuanhua said unhappily: "What are you afraid of? The Japanese pirates are busy with their own affairs, how can they have the energy to attack us?"

Yang Ling smiled and said, "That's true, but if the Japanese pirates really attack Beijing, what should we do? We can't just sit there and wait for death, right?"

Sun Yuanhua was silent after hearing this. After a while, he sighed and said, "Well, you have a point. After the Japanese pirates broke through Beijing, they would definitely burn, kill and loot. I don't know how many people would suffer. No, I have to find a way to spread the news."

Yang Ling advised: "Forget it, the news has already been released. If it spreads out now, it will probably cause more people to panic. Then the people outside Beijing will probably scatter in panic."

"So what do you think we should do?"

(End of this chapter)