Chapter 723 Everyone is united
Xiaoqi's corpse looked particularly miserable, with his intestines hanging on his body and his heart, liver, stomach and lungs clearly visible. He looked like a fat pig that had just been slaughtered.
Zhang Da's face turned pale and he immediately sent someone to investigate.
Not long after, the news came.
"This little flag has a clean background. His father and grandfather were both sergeants of Datong."
The military household system of the Ming Dynasty ensured the size of the army, but over time, the military households had long been reduced to farming soldiers.
"My Lord, this man has a clean background. He was probably bribed by Altan's secret agents." Zhang Da smiled bitterly and said, "It's my fault."
"You can't cover everything." Jiang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes, "Let's wait for the assassin to speak."
Seeing that Zhang Da was still not relieved, Jiang Qingzhi said: "A small flag cannot cause any trouble, so there is no need to worry."
Zhang Da smiled bitterly, "I thought of the time when the leader of the White Lotus Sect was in charge of Datong Guard."
The leader of the White Lotus Sect, who was besieged by the Northwestern Military, suddenly became the commander of the Datong Guard. This is just like the Eagle Sauce in later generations besieging a drug lord, but the drug lord became the commander of a military base of the Eagle Sauce.
This is too magical!
Sun Chonglou personally carried out the torture. His method was very simple, which was to hit with a hammer, starting from the toes.
Shan De screamed and looked at him. When Sun Chonglou stopped, he said, "You have Buddha nature."
Sun Chonglou continued to smash.
"You and my Buddha have a connection." Shan De panted.
"Will you tell me or not?" Sun Chonglou looked up.
Shan De smiled and said, "I have always wanted to say this."
Sun Chonglou: “…”
Shan De explained everything very thoroughly.
"I am indeed from the Dahu Temple. The Dahu Temple is a place that the Khan values, and it enshrines the tablets of the Khan's ancestors. A while ago, the Khan sent someone to find the temple and asked it to have a fight. I am the most skilled in fists, feet, swords and spears, so..."
"Why do you want to assassinate the young master?" Sun Chonglou asked.
This question is silly.
"Of course it's for the war." Shan De answered seriously: "I learned from the army that Lin Siyuan was killed in a mutiny, and Chang Wei Bo built a Jingguan in the northwest of Datong, which dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the army. The Khan ordered me to set off. Whether I can succeed in the assassination or not, I just need to spread the news..."
"Disrupt our army's morale!"
Jiang Qingzhi is here.
Shan De smiled and said, "Chang Wei Bo is very smart, which surprised me. Otherwise... In addition, I only saw a faint light flashing when Chang Wei Bo used something, and my body felt as if it was hit by a sharp arrow. If not, how could I be captured..."
Jiang Qingzhi felt the gun bag under his armpit and thought, no matter how good his martial arts skills are, he can still knock him down with one shot, "Why not attack the stone?"
This was where he was confused.
Sun Chonglou had a good impression of Shan De. Given Shan De's skills, if he launched a sneak attack, Sun Chonglou would have a hard time escaping.
Shan De looked at Sun Chonglou and smiled, "There is a furious Vajra sitting under the Buddha. He looks ferocious, but he is actually the most innocent. There are also Asuras in the underworld who make a living by killing. People in the world are afraid of them and try to avoid them. But they are actually the most innocent."
"What's complicated is the human heart." Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Sun Chonglou, who lowered his head and looked obviously uncomfortable.
"I have thought about it before... but the thought disappeared as soon as it came up." Shan De smiled and said, "Stone."
Sun Chonglou raised his head, "If you want to kill the young master, I will kill your entire family!"
"My home... When my parents passed away, my brother forced me to give my home to the Dahu Temple so that I wouldn't have to share my wealth. If you kill them, I won't be able to say anything."
Sun Chonglou: “…”
"I refused at the time and cried loudly. The monks from Dahu Temple came out and said to me, 'This child has Buddha nature.'"
Shan De smiled at Sun Chonglou and said, "Your roots are not in the mortal world. Go outside, go outside..."
The voice became weaker and weaker, and Shan De's head slowly lowered, "Go...Fangwai..."
Sun Bu Tong walked over, leaned over to feel Shan De's pulse, sniffed his breath, turned around and said, "Dead."
After being shot, he ran wildly around the city for half a night and fought a fierce battle with Sun Chonglou. His tenacious vitality was shocking.
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the room, and Yan Song's men were still there.
"Tell the Prime Minister that the assassin is from Altan."
"Yes." The visitor took a closer look at Jiang Qingzhi and saw that he was indeed fine, then left.
Zhang Da came over later and said, "The captain of the small flag just cleaned up the place, but did not find any accomplices."
"It's just one person." Jiang Qingzhi suppressed some doubts in his heart, "There is no need to make a big fuss before the war."
Rectifying corruption in the military can boost military morale, while investigating spies will undermine morale.
Zhang Da understood this truth, "Yes. By the way, Master, I have some servants around me. If Master does not mind, you can order them to obey your orders."
This is a euphemism for saying: You have too few guards here.
"No need." Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Mo Zhan. After this incident, even Mo Zhan felt humiliated.
If Jiang Qingzhi accepted Zhang Da's kindness, it would mean that he no longer trusted Mo Zhan and others.
When Jiang employs people, he naturally does not employ those he doubts, and does not doubt those he employs.
Mo Zhan's face turned pale. He later took his men to carefully survey the scene and rearranged the guard posts.
"If this happens again, get out of Xin'an Lane!" said Mo Zhan.
Sun Bu Tong said: "Although the uncle has never scolded us, people should have dignity and trees should have bark. Don't take the uncle's tolerance as weakness."
"Yes." The guards' faces turned pale.
Sun Chonglou ate very little at breakfast.
Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian exchanged glances and carried the big bowl over.
Datong is not like home, and we cannot have as much food as we like. Today's breakfast is noodles, and everyone has a poached egg. However, because of the season, there is no shortage of meat.
"This lamb chops is really delicious." Xu Wei sat opposite Sun Chonglou and ate with big mouthfuls.
Sun Chonglou ate the noodles listlessly, "Old Xu, do you think I'm stupid?"
"Whoever dares to say you are stupid is a fool." Xu Wei said gently, "You are not stupid. What is stupid is this world. This world that forces good people to become prostitutes and forces people to become thieves. Good people are always deceived... This is not your fault!"
"But I almost hurt the young master!" Sun Chonglou looked up with red eyes.
"Oh!" Xu Wei sighed, "Isn't the uncle fine? Besides, if it weren't for you, that little flag would continue to lurk in the army, and who knows when something big would have happened." "Yeah!" Sun Chonglou nodded, picked up the big bowl, slurped the noodles, ate a few bites of the lamb chops, and stuffed the poached egg into his mouth, and that was it.
When Xu Wei returned, Hu Zongxian asked, "Did you persuade him?"
Xu Wei shook his head. "Shitou is a kind person. He is trying to reassure me. Here," Xu Wei pointed to his chest. "The simpler a person is, the harder it is to let go after being hurt. This depends on him."
After breakfast, Sun Chonglou went out for a walk.
Although Altan's army was not far away, Jiang Qingzhi still ordered Zhang Da to cancel the curfew.
Compared with being taken advantage of by enemy spies, Jiang Qingzhi valued the morale of the people before the war more.
While lifting the curfew, Jiang Qingzhi ordered Zhang Da to send a large number of plainclothes personnel to patrol the city, focusing on guarding the warehouses.
The leader of the convoy transporting food and fodder could not see the end of the convoy. The leading official looked exhausted and said to the official in charge, "The next batch will take three days."
The handover official shook his head, "No need."
"Why?"
"Altan's army will be able to reach the outskirts of Datong within three days."
The official was stunned. “You can turn back… the return trip will cost a lot.”
"Brother, what are you doing..." The official who was taking over was a little curious.
It’s public property, so just waste it!
The official said, "In order to prepare this batch of food and grass, our Shangshu and Nanjing fell out. If we waste it on the road... that's it."
The official turned around and said, "Everyone has worked hard. Hurry up and unload the goods. Then go out of the city to meet the next group of convoys, pack the food and fodder, and rush to Datong!"
The official who was taking over the task was surprised and said to the clerk beside him, "In the past, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were not so loyal to their duties. They hoped that the food would be eaten up on the way, or that the caravan would be destroyed by some natural disaster or man-made calamity, so that they could save money. Why has it changed now?"
The official from the Ministry of Revenue who was escorting the grain had sharp ears and turned around and said, "The past is the past. The Minister said that when a war comes, even if it is a mortal enemy, we must put aside our grudges. Brothers fighting against each other..."
"Defend against external aggression!" The receiving official cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Please rest assured that every grain of food here will be delivered to the army."
In the past, the food and fodder distributed by the Ministry of Revenue would be stripped of a layer of skin in the Ministry of Revenue. Then after it was distributed to the army, the generals in the army would tamper with it and strip it of a layer of skin again. This was called "piaomo".
The official from the Ministry of Revenue nodded and handed over the booklet, "Please check it. If there is any missing, it will be my fault."
The receiving official took the booklet and checked it carefully. "Quite a lot!"
The two officials remained silent.
A strange atmosphere makes people feel something indescribable.
Is it touching?
Not all.
It's more like experiencing something epic and grand, which makes people feel excited...
Sun Chonglou squatted on the side and watched for a long time, then stood up and clapped his hands. He went to the city gate and chatted with a few beggars for a while.
The beggars were going out to beg, and Sun Chonglou walked into the alley aimlessly.
Before the war, every household was hoarding supplies and reducing consumption, so even near noon, there was not much smoke from cooking.
"Madam, please sew this silver coin on the corner of Dalang's clothes."
"Ok!"
"Dad, what about you and mom?"
"Your mother and I have hands and feet, so we won't starve to death."
"Then I have one too!"
"You are young."
"I'm already fifteen."
As Sun Chonglou was listening to this, he saw a child squatting at the door of his house, holding his chin with his hands, staring blankly at the opposite side.
He walked over and squatted beside the child. The child tilted his head and glanced at him, "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm not looking for anyone." Sun Chonglou imitated him, holding his chin with both hands, "What are you looking at?"
The child, who looked about six or seven years old, pointed to the opposite side and said, "I heard someone fighting inside earlier."
"Oh!" Sun Chonglou's brows were dark.
"Were you beaten by your parents?" the child asked curiously.
“I made a mistake.”
"What's wrong?"
"I knew that man was an enemy, but I still took him to see the young master and let him figure out the terrain. He almost harmed the young master."
“……” The child obviously didn’t understand.
Sun Chonglou explained: "It's just that I didn't know I was making a mistake..."
"That's right!"
"But it almost hurt the young master."
"My mother said that we should avoid ants when walking and not deliberately step on them to death." The child frowned, thinking that this person was a little stubborn. "So I asked my mother, what if I accidentally step on an ant to death?"
The child pretended to sigh in a woman's voice, "Ah! That was an unintentional mistake. The gods will not punish me. See, it's not your fault!"
Sun Chonglou shook his head, "But I just feel uncomfortable."
"If you feel bad, tell mom." The child said seriously, "Don't hide it, this is what my dad said."
Sun Chonglou scratched his head, "But I... feel guilty when I see the young master. Unless... unless the young master comes to ask me, I don't have the face to see him."
The kid pointed behind him, "Big guy, there's someone behind you."
Sun Chonglou turned back slowly.
Jiang Qingzhi, who was standing not far away, took a puff of medicinal cigarette, exhaled the smoke, frowned and asked, "Have you eaten it?"
"No." Sun Chonglou, who was like a giant spirit in the eyes of the children, stood up at this moment and was as well-behaved as a child.
"I didn't eat either."
"Master, I passed by one earlier and smelled the delicious meat buns."
"lead the way!"
(End of this chapter)
