Ping An Biography

In the afternoon, Zhang Ning left Chu Palace in a carriage, left the palace through the Wangjing Gate in the north, and then walked east along Chayuan Street.In addition to the guards on horseback, the group of people also had two carriages, both of which were two-horse carts, but the one in front was bigger and more luxurious; Zhang Ning rode in an old cart made of solid wood and hadn't been painted. Also in the car was Chunmei, as Yao Ji's regular attendant, it was really rare for Chunmei to go with Zhang Ning.

It's just that Zhang Ning's team is very low-key for ordinary travel, without the need for etiquette and pomp for major festivals.A group of guards on horseback only wore regular clothes, no armor and no long weapons. They looked like the servants of a big family; but because of long-term formal training, the posture and temperament displayed by this group of people were not like ordinary servants. If you pay attention, you can guess that they are soldiers.There are scepters in front of the chariots and horses, and only the ranks of officials in Wuchang City have the standard to use this kind of thing.

Naturally, pedestrians were not cleaned up on the street, and the chariots and horses could be guessed to be an official team in the eyes of passers-by, but it was really difficult for people to realize that this was King Xiang, the current ruler of Huguang.After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, when the princes and nobles go out, they must beat gongs and drums, five steps, one post, ten steps, and one whistle to clear away the idlers and so on.

Everything is very ordinary, Zhang Ning's itinerary is not much different from usual, he is usually like this; if the ordinary daily itinerary requires a lot of fanfare and makes half the city fly, it is really unnecessary and troublesome.At this time, the central government office of the Suzaku Army was located in Wuchang City, and there were many upstart bureaucrats, and they could always be seen when walking around the street, so there was nothing unusual about a team like Zhang Ning.

Zhang Ning on the carriage today was not as calm as before. He seemed a little restless. Did he untie the bamboo curtain to see the scene outside?Chunmei who was sitting opposite said nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, don't look, you just turned a corner, and you must have left Chayuan Street and entered Shahufang."

Zhang Ning is also familiar with the places around Chu Palace, after all, he has stayed in Wuchang for several months.So he naturally knew where he was, but he still looked up from the car at the archway at the entrance of the street, and there was a word on it: Shahufang.

He let go of the bamboo curtain, sat upright in the carriage and took a deep breath.

After a while, suddenly there was a scream of pain from the front, followed by the neighing of the horse and the screaming of the woman, which immediately broke the noisy but peaceful downtown.The Guards shouted at Li Zhen's voice: "There are assassins, be on guard!"

"Someone is doing it!" Zhang Ning said in a deep voice, he still looked a little nervous, and then he slapped the carriage hard: "Don't stop the two carriages, go straight ahead, and go back to the Chu Palace."

On the street outside, someone had already been hit by a crossbow bolt, the crossbow bolt pierced through his flesh, and the blood stained the irregular stone slabs on the street red, a horse galloped wildly towards the side of the street, and a pedestrian carrying a load spilled nuts On the ground, the woman screamed loudly after being frightened, and some people ran to avoid it.Two crossbow bolts were inserted into the side of the large carriage in front, and several others had penetrated into the carriage through the weak part of the roof.

Li Zhen looked at the left wing who came from the attack. It was a closed noodle shop, and there was a piece of paper on it, which probably said that the shop was closed for three days due to something.This kind of "false two-story" storefront building is often seen in the wells of Wuchang City. It is actually a continuous wall, but it is built higher than the wall of ordinary houses, and then the floor is made of beams and planks in the middle to form a two-story building. ; The lower part is open to the street, and the upper part can accommodate the family of the store, which saves land.The crossbow arrows came from the upper mouth, and there was a figure shaking in the mouth, and someone was shooting at the vehicles and horses on the street with a crossbow inside.The main target of the attack was the conspicuous and large carriage in the front.

At this time, the groom behind shouted: "The lord ordered the driver to go first!"

After hearing this, Li Zhen called out to the cavalry guarding the flank: "Follow me with the left flag, and attack the right flag to catch the assassin. Wang Da, you immediately go to the palace gate to invite troops and surround Shahufang!"

But the cart in front stood motionless in the middle, and people discovered that the groom had been shot to death, as if the assassin had shot the groom to keep the team behind.Li Zhen jumped off the horse in a hurry, ran over to find the whip and hurriedly drove the carriage.

After the two carriages started, they had just passed the location of three or two shops, and seven or eight people in short clothes and masks rushed out from the alley.A sudden attack on the slanted ground, a knight guarding the side was directly dragged off his horse by two men; then a cavalry rode his horse to rescue him, but the waist knife in his hand was too short, not a weapon used by cavalry, and he couldn't reach it at a distance. When he turned sideways and wanted to chop, everyone ran to the carriage.

An assassin, Sa Yazi, ran after the big carriage and got in through the door at the back.A guard yelled: "Captain Li, watch out!" So Li Zhen, who was driving the car, kept looking back at the carriage behind him.

At the same time, another assassin also climbed up to the door of the second carriage, but as soon as his hand was on the door frame, Chunmei immediately stabbed there with a dagger, only to hear a scream from the man to let go, and the blade that pierced the back of his hand came back. As soon as he pulled it, blood spattered.Then I heard the sound of "plop" falling heavily to the ground.

It was too late to say it, and then it was fast, with a "wow", a masked man rushed up from the outside. The carriage had just started and the speed was still very slow. The man came in directly, holding a machete in his hand. People are stabbed.Zhang Ning shouted: "Be careful!"

Unexpectedly, Chunmei drew her sword lightly and hit the side of the scimitar accurately. With a sound of "Teng!", the blade trembled under the force and deflected. Chunmei's temples.

Then the dagger flicked lightly, and a piece of cloth on the sleeve flew into the air, and a bright red line of blood appeared on the assassin's wrist, "Oh..." Then Chunmei stopped attacking him, and waited for the assassin Clasping his wrist with one hand and instinctively squatting up from the ground, he raised his foot and kicked the man's chin; "Bang" and received a heavier kick, and fell directly on his back.

After some fighting, the carriage had already driven half a street, the speed was getting faster and faster, and the attack gradually subsided, only the sound of the wheels turning "squeaky" and the soft creaking sound of the wood joints were heard.The pedestrians outside were chaotic, avoiding the speeding vehicles in the busy city.

Chunmei let out a breath, and looked at him with eyes as if she had just met Zhang Ning.

Zhang Ning remained calm, with all kinds of thoughts in his heart, and thought: Although this Chunmei usually looks a little frivolous, since Yao Ji said that Chunmei is fine, then she should not leak some internal secrets.

It is unnecessary to exhort or admonish again at this time, Yao Ji will also do these processes for her.Zhang Ning realized Chunmei's gaze, and asked lightly, "Are you not injured?" [

This sentence may have surprised Chunmei, she was slightly surprised, she shook her head in response, and said nothing.

The chariots and horses made a small circle and returned to Chayuan Street again.When I arrived at Wangjing Gate, I saw groups of soldiers moving eastward.After Zhang Ning's carriage appeared, several generals went up to check it out, and even Chen Gai, the garrison officer of Wuchang City, rode over after hearing the news.

Zhang Ning got down from the carriage, and everyone was relieved to see that he was unharmed, and came forward to greet him one after another.

At this moment, the guards were walking down Li Zhen, and "Plop" fell to his knees on the ground, bowed his forehead and knocked his forehead on the floor tiles and immediately saw blood: "The last general deserves death!"

Seeing this attitude, Chen Gai just twitched the corner of his mouth and sneered.

Zhang Ning remained calm, but his face darkened slightly. He was not angry, but seemed a little sad, "The dead brother must be buried generously, and I will order the Senate to do its best to comfort his family."

Chen Gai hurriedly said: "The minister is also guilty. He is responsible for guarding Wuchang City, but let spies and assassins infiltrate the city. He is responsible for lax security."

Zhang Ning waved his hand: "Wuchang City connects five provinces, connects rivers and lakes, and is located in the center. There are many business travelers coming and going. Unless the city is under martial law, there is no way to prevent bad people from mixing in. This is not General Chen's responsibility."

Chen Gai was originally a martial artist who was not very good at talking, and he was straightforward. At this time, he didn't care about the fact that the palace guards and generals were not under his jurisdiction. You can't take the prince's convoy on the same road every day, and change the route every now and then, how can the assassin plan to set up an ambush? That's all, he chose a route, and there are no secret whistles along the way? You walk on the street without looking at the wind. Yes, I'm so absorbed in my mind!"

Li Zhen could still accept such a few words. He blamed himself a little at first, so he admitted right away: "The general is guilty, guilty..."

"Could it be you cooperating inside and outside?" Chen Gai suddenly added.

Now Li Zhen's green face really turned greener than black and white.

Zhang Ning stopped Chen Gai in time, called a group of people to stay in the corridor inside the palace gate, and sent someone to inquire about the search results.

In less than half an hour, a military general guarding the palace gate and a civil servant from the Senate came to report.There are armors on the corpses of several assassins. This is not easy, because armors are prohibited no matter where they are. Generally, no one hides them privately. If it is an ordinary assassin without much behind-the-scenes background, where did the armor come from?Not only that, but more directly, a blood book was found in the store where the ambush was set up: "Follow the imperial edict to seek rebellion."These four words contain a lot of content.

The civil servant of the Senate reported: "When I felt that this matter was not trivial, it was too late. Many soldiers witnessed it with their own eyes. I had no choice but to warn the officers and soldiers not to spread rumors. However, there are so many witnesses that it is difficult to keep secrets. "

Zhang Ning asked: "Is there anyone alive?"

The civil official replied: "Catch two alive. It is estimated that there are still escapees. I have sent people to notify the four gates of the temporary martial law and prohibit pedestrians from entering and leaving. We will first search in Shahufang."

Zhang Ning ordered: "The living criminals will be handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Senate will propose martial law, and the entire city will search for assassins."

Everyone did not have any doubts about this order. After all, it was the King of Xiang who met the assassin.