Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 52 Zhang Yong enters Yangzhou (Special thanks to book friends Xiangzhi Mantianxia for giving me 2 monthly passes! Thank you twice!)
Because the "God's Arm Bow" is an important weapon of the country, in order to avoid the risk of losing it during this mission, Zhang Yong only asked two thousand households and three of himself to carry the "God's Arm" with them among the 2,000 "Longxiang Guards" bow".

The two thousand people were divided into dozens of teams and went to various places in Huainan and the Southern Tang Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River to carry out exploratory missions.

Zhang Yong led twenty "Longxiang Guards" to Yangzhou, the most dangerous place, to gather information.

Along the way, I often saw people in ragged clothes plowing in the fields.

The Huainan area is densely covered with water networks and fertile fields with extremely high yields. However, due to the land tax and corvee of 50% to 60% in the local Jiedu Prefecture, the people's lives are difficult.

Seeing Zhang Yong and his party riding on horseback and carrying swords, many hard-working people couldn't help but look at them with vigilant eyes.

Zhang Yong ordered the sergeants of the "Long Xiang Guard" to carefully avoid the fields along the way to avoid trampling on the crops.

They rode for more than a day and arrived at the west gate of Yangzhou City at midnight on October 17th.

Due to Emperor Chai Zongxun's measures to promote business, the complicated checkpoints between various places in the Great Zhou Dynasty were cancelled. At this time, there were many business travelers waiting to enter the city in front of the city gate.

Zhang Yong and others also pretended to be business travelers from Bianjing.

When it came time to enter the city gate, Baihu Fanli, the "Longxiang Guard" who was walking at the head of the team, handed the customs clearance documents to the gatekeeper.

The doorman opened the document and looked at it. He looked at Zhang Yong and others for a while, frowned and said:

"You are merchants from Bianjing? Why are you so young?
To guard against spies from other countries, you all come to the city tower with me, and I will inspect you one by one. "

Even including Zhang Yong, these twenty-one "Longxiang Guards" are only fifteen or sixteen years old, indeed young.

Fan Li smiled and said:

"My lord, you also know that in today's war-torn times, villains and others started working in businesses at the age of thirteen in order to make ends meet.

A little trifle, no respect. "

Fan Li took off a bundle from the side of his mount and handed it to the doorman with both hands.

The doorman weighed the weight of the silver in the baggage in his hand. He was afraid that it would not be less than twenty taels, so he hesitated and said:

"In normal times, I can let you enter the city right now.

But now that the war between the Zhou Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty has begun, Han Jiedushi ordered to strictly check the people passing by. If the details are leaked, the responsibility will be heavy, and I have to be more careful.

You guys should check them one by one with me, then you can rest assured. "

The doorman returned the bundle to Fan Li and prepared to take the group to the nearby tower.

Fan Li couldn't help but look at Zhang Yong who was standing in the middle of the team.

Zhang Yong thought to himself that he and others carried many "Longxiang Guards" military items, and he also had a pair of "God's Arm Bow" in his horseback luggage. Of course, he could not let the doorkeepers carefully check them.

Zhang Yong looked at the doorman and said:

"Your Excellency, we are all business associates who have been operating in Bianjing for many years. We have been doing business in Yangzhou and are familiar with Yangzhou's City Patrol Secretary Song Dujian. I would like to ask you to meet Song Dujian."

The gatekeeper said displeasedly:
“I want to inspect you, it’s within my authority!
The governor of the Song Dynasty is busy with military affairs, so how can he have time to take care of the trivial matters of businessmen like you?
Come with me quickly and get checked! "

Zhang Yong smiled and said:

"Sir, we have brought a lot of precious commodities with us on this trip, which are easily damaged. I cannot bear this responsibility to my employer.

Even adults cannot bear this responsibility.

I'd better ask Governor Song! When he comes, everything becomes clear. "

The doorman said angrily: "How dare you, a villain, to despise me?"

With a wave of his hand, a dozen of his sergeants rushed towards Zhang Yong and others, trying to force them to leave the city gate and go to the city tower. Although Zhang Yong and others are young, after six months of rigorous military training and good food, how can these gatekeepers who are usually laughing and joking be their opponents?
The two sides got into a fight.

After a while, seeing that the quarrel had reached the point where both sides were about to start fighting, a loud shout came from the city gate:
"Who dares to make noise at the gate of my Yangzhou city?!"

Zhang Yong turned around and saw an officer riding a yellow puma, riding quickly from the city, with a group of sergeants running behind him.

After a while, the officer galloped outside the city gate, reined in his horse, and couldn't help but look at Zhang Yong and others.

The doorman bowed to the officer and said:

"Superintendent Song, you're here at the right time! These people won't let the subordinates conduct searches, I'm afraid it's a trick by the enemy!"

When Zhang Yong heard this, he was overjoyed and immediately saluted the Governor of Song Dynasty and said:

"I have met Governor Song! I am the merchant captain of "Tongji Trading Company" in Bianjing. My surname is Zhang. During this trip, my boss asked me to bring a gift to Governor Song."

The light in Song Dujian's eyes flashed and then disappeared, he nodded and said:
"That being the case, Captain Zhang and me will come here and let me personally verify it."

Governor Song waved his hand to the doorman and his sergeants, and all the sergeants stopped and stood a few steps away.

Zhang Yong winked at the "Long Xiang Guard" sergeants around him. Everyone understood and immediately pulled their horses and followed Governor Song towards the city gate.

After a while, Governor Song led Zhang Yong and others into a house not far from the city.

Inspector Song pretended to be at the luggage area of ​​Zhang Yong and others' horses, patting and touching them everywhere, and said:

"Well, they are all ordinary commodities carried, no problem.

Captain Zhang immediately said that the big boss had brought a gift for me, so he went to the main hall with me to talk about it.

You all wait in the courtyard, no one is allowed in! "

A group of one hundred sergeants under his command loudly agreed.

Zhang Yong followed Governor Song and walked into the main hall of the house.

As soon as he entered the room, Governor Song turned around, bowed to Zhang Yong and said in a low voice:
"Song Shilun, the commander of the Imperial Guard Division, is here to see Commander Zhang!
Since receiving His Majesty's secret order, I have been waiting for Commander Zhang to arrive in Yangzhou for many days. "

China's spy agencies have existed and developed for a long time since ancient times.

From the "Edict Prison" in the Han Dynasty, the "School Affairs" in the Three Kingdoms period, the "Internal and External Officials" in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the "Lijingmen" in the Tang Dynasty, to the "Secretary Bodyguard" in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

After Chai Zongxun killed Zhao Ni's party and took over the power of the court, he saw that the old secret service "Guard Department" had a large number of personnel and unclear duties and responsibilities, so he gradually reduced it, leaving only some officers and key personnel from his father's time. The energy is mainly focused on building the newly formed "Longxiang Guard".

During this expedition to Yangzhou, Chai Zongxun passed the order to the "Guard Division", and now he is fully assisting the "Longxiang Guard" in its operations.

In the past few days, Song Dujian patrolled various city gates in Yangzhou from time to time to facilitate the operations of the "Longxiang Guards".

I just heard that there was a dispute at the west city gate, so I immediately led my sergeants to rush over.

This Song Dujian was a member of the "Guard Division" who lurked in Yangzhou during Shizong's third southern expedition to Huainan. He was ranked as a sixth-rank Zhaowu Xiaowei.

Compared with Zhang Yong, who is now a second-grade officer as the commander of the "Long Xiang Guard", he is only a minor official responsible for the affairs of one place and one state.

Zhang Yong returned the gift with a smile and said:
"Superintendent Song came just in time. My commander was worried about the noisy officer. Fortunately, Superintendent Song came to relieve the siege."

After the two sat down in front of the tables and chairs in the hall, Zhang Yong said:
"Superintendent Song, what's the current situation in Yangzhou City? Is there anything unusual?"

Governor Song pondered for a moment and then said:
"Returning to Commander Zhang, according to the officer's observation, everything in Yangzhou has been normal recently, except that the number of travelers from the Tang Dynasty coming from Jinling in the south of the Yangtze River has slightly increased.

I heard that yesterday a large Tang Dynasty merchant engaged in maritime trade came to Yangzhou to pay a visit to Han Jiedushi. "

(End of this chapter)