Late Qing Dynasty Executioner

Chapter 48 Zhang Jiashi

In ancient times, transportation was slow, so the speed of transmitting information was naturally not very fast.

Ten days ago, Addis was shot dead by Chen Gu at the junction of Jiangjin County and Hejiang County upstream. All the soldiers on the ship were killed on the spot, and all the supplies and silver were looted. The few remaining boatmen and the warships were also hidden by the Bian family.

In the end, the entire large Tongan warship, along with the people and the ship, disappeared without a trace.

Naturally, government officials at all levels would not pretend not to see such a big thing. In fact, the Chengdu General's Mansion was already getting anxious and panicked at this time.

During the dry season in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, large ships can only go to Yibin. Even if there are more ships, they can only go to Leshan via the Minjiang River. It is impossible to go further up to Chengdu, which is only possible during the flood season.

According to Addis's itinerary, starting from the time of his death, it only took three days to reach Yibin by boat, and then it would only take five days at most to travel by land to Chengdu. The time to reach Leshan by boat is actually about the same.

Generals of the level of Addis, whether they are going out or returning, actually have to report on a date. Otherwise, if an order comes down or there is something urgent and they can't find him, then they are doomed.

Therefore, as soon as Addis's return journey was delayed, the Chengdu General's Mansion immediately sent people out to investigate, but the result was that he had disappeared without a trace. There was no one in Leshan and Yibin, and even the warships did not appear.

After investigating in Luzhou, they learned that a Tongan warship had appeared in the afternoon ten days ago, but it turned around and headed downstream as soon as it appeared, and did not even dock.

Although Abida himself is not as capable as his brother Atis, his two sons are very powerful. The eldest son, Na Yanbao, is currently serving as the deputy commander of the Han army of the Plain Yellow Banner, and will be promoted to the position of General of Chengdu in the future due to his merits.

After Agui, in addition to Addis, the Zhangjia clan also had Abida, who served as the Minister of the Ministry of Works.

By the time the investigation was completed, it was half a month after Addis disappeared. The final result was that Addis and the entire Tongan warship, including the eighty soldiers and more than twenty boatmen on board, had disappeared without a trace.

But it was fine for Attis to die, but he had to take the Tongan warship with him. Now things became serious.

The second son, Na Yancheng, was born into a Jinshi family and was already a cabinet scholar at that time. He was later promoted all the way to become a vice minister of various ministries, and then the governor-general of various provinces and the minister of various ministries.

Even faster than the 300-mile express was the carrier pigeon. Before the imperial court received the news, the Zhangjia family had already received the news that Atis and his warships had disappeared.

This result was difficult for the Chengdu General's Mansion to accept, but they had no choice but to report the matter to the capital as they could not find the person along the Yangtze River.

Abida didn't care much about his brother Addis's life or death. They were both old men in their sixties, their feelings had faded long ago, and they had already separated and lived separately.

It can be said that Abida is much better than Addis in raising children and grandchildren.

Afterwards, people from the Chengdu General's Mansion continued to investigate downstream, but the warship had disappeared without a trace. It was not seen in Hejiang County, Jiangjin County, or Chongqing Prefecture.

A large Tongan warship is not only valuable, but also a weapon of war. Even the entire court does not have many of them. It can be said that a large Tongan warship is actually more valuable than General Addis of Chengdu.

Such a big thing was beyond the ability of Addis's useless sons to handle. Jiaqing was furious, and Abida, as his brother, would definitely be implicated.

Abida felt a splitting headache after receiving the news, and hurriedly called back his two sons to discuss countermeasures. "What's there to think about? There are countless White Lotus Sect, Tiandihui, Gelaohui and the like in Sichuan and Shaanxi. The rebels have not been wiped out yet. It's normal for your uncle to run around along the river with a boat!" Na Yanbao was somewhat disdainful of Adis's character.

Abida sighed and said, "As for your uncle, we have nothing to say. The problem now is the impact of this incident on our family. That is a Tongan warship.

Not only are there all kinds of armor and swords on it, there are also countless muskets, gunpowder, and even ten cannons. If these are taken by the rebels and used on the battlefield, I am afraid that His Majesty will hate our family every time he reads the military report.

What should I do? "

"Father, don't worry too much. The Emperor is wise and kind. He will not implicate our family because of this matter!" Na Yancheng said with a smile.

If the Qing Dynasty had to find a good emperor, it would have to be Jiaqing, whose temple name is the word "Ren".

Emperor Jiaqing was a generous and low-key person who advocated frugality. He did not create false cases or wrongful convictions, and when he was wronged he did not vent his anger on others. He was diligent in government affairs, worked hard and was willing to do so without complaint. He also strictly prohibited opium, not only its buying and selling, but even its cultivation was prohibited.

Unfortunately, success and failure are due to kindness. If Jiaqing had been as ruthless as Yongzheng and Kangxi, the situation of the Qing Dynasty would have been better.

As Jiaqing's secretary, Na Yancheng was not worried that Jiaqing would implicate their family because of this matter, but he still frowned and said, "This matter does have an impact on our family. Even if the emperor does not mention it, other ministers will not let go of using this matter to attack us."

As the saying goes, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. The higher up the social ladder you are, the more brutal and fierce the competition is. After all, there are only so many resources, and if your family takes up a little, others will have less.

This principle is applicable everywhere, and has never been wrong in the past or present.

The father and his two sons fell silent for a while.

Finally, it was Na Yancheng who said, "I have been working in the cabinet for several years. It is a good opportunity for me to be sent out to serve as a prefect. When I come back, I can serve as a minister in one of the six ministries."

According to the original history, Na Yancheng did not have the experience of being sent out to other places. Instead, he was directly transferred to the Ministry of Works as a vice minister a few years later.

Abida nodded and said, "That's good. Leaving the center will reduce the chances of being attacked. Which state do you want to go to?"

"Chongqing, I'm going to find the disappeared Tongan warship!" said Na Yancheng.

"Chongqing?" Abida didn't expect his son to have such an idea. He frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Chongqing is a big city, which is worthy of your status. But your uncle must have had an accident in Luzhou. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to find him in Chongqing, right?"

"The Tongan warship disappeared in Luzhou, but the accident definitely didn't happen in Luzhou. It was just a deliberate attempt by the thieves to confuse the enemy."

Na Yancheng sneered, "The real place where the accident happened is either Yibin or Chongqing. Yibin has a military camp because it is the first city on the Yangtze River that can sail during the dry season. Yibin even has a navy, so I am more inclined to believe that the accident happened in Chongqing."

"It's good that you have such an understanding!" Abida smiled with relief and said, "Your uncle is probably finished, and his sons are all useless. In the future, the glory of the Zhangjia family will have to rely on you brothers to maintain it!"

(End of this chapter)