lady, please calm down

Chapter 379 Sneak Attack

In the early morning of the second day of November, it snowed heavily.

At dawn, the sky and the earth were completely white.

The snow in Hebei is a little different from the snow in Huaibei. To the south of Huaibei, although there is no shortage of snowfall in winter, the snow particles are softer and softer, with a sticky cold water vapor.

But the snow in Hebei is falling all over the sky, and coupled with the howling north wind, it is even more wild and wild, a bit like "the snowflakes in Yanshan are as big as a mat, and they are blowing down Xuanyuan Terrace."

At two o'clock in the morning, Chen Yinglang and others set off from Sanjia Village, where they were staying, to Cangzhou Laocheng Camp. As soon as Zhu Chun, who was accompanying him, went out and saw the magnificent scene of snow falling for thousands of miles, he couldn't help but become inspired by poetry. What the hell.

After half a morning of rushing, Chen Yinglang arrived at Cangzhou Fulao City Camp in the snow at early noon.

"Inspector Chen Yinglang along the river met with Pan Yingguan, please inform me."

After reporting his home, the soldiers from outside the camp came in to report, and then led a few people in.

As we walked in, we sometimes saw three or five guardsmen hiding in the snow on their backs to warm themselves by the fire, and sometimes we saw several men dressed as prisoners arm-in-arm, able to move freely in the prison camp.

Passing through an open space, I saw another prisoner with his hands tied and hanging in mid-air under the wind and snow. His thin clothes couldn't help fluttering. The man was obviously stiff.

When Lu Yuanke saw this, he couldn't help but shout, "Is this Pan Yingguan actually executing prisoners privately?"

"Silence!"

Chen Yinglang whispered a reminder. In Huaibei, he was used to the well-organized government offices at all levels. To be honest, Chen Yinglang didn't like this messy prison camp that was suspected of 'lynching'.

But the big thing is at the moment, "unite all the forces that can be united". As long as Pan Xiong can contribute to the defense of Cangzhou, things like character and temperament are the least important.

Qi State has very strict management of prisoners. Prisoners are strictly confined within a short distance of the prison and completely separated from the outside world.

In this case, the prison camp is almost a small kingdom independent of local control, and the camp manager is the mountain king here.

But one word can determine life or death.

It can be said that there are almost no good people in prison management and dispatching in various parts of Qi State.

Looking further and further, Zhu Chun, who was away from the protection of his father and mentor for the first time, gradually became nervous.

After passing through seven or eight doors, Chen Yinglang was led into a hall.

There was a bonfire burning in the hall, and it was full of guests. Among the people present, there was a man who still had his clothes open in the cold winter, revealing the tattoo of a tiger descending from the mountain on his chest.

There is a man dressed as an official and carrying a simple sword at his waist.

There is a fat monk with big ears.

There are even people wearing rags and tattoos on their faces. Only prisoners get tattoos!

The combination in front of me is really rare. A green man and an official sit at the same table, and a monk and a prisoner live in the same room.

Although everyone was dressed differently, when they all turned to look at Chen Yinglang and the weaklings, their eyes were wild and unruly.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Chen Yinglang's back unconsciously.

At the top of the hall, a man in his thirties, Kong Wu, was wearing an official uniform that was so dirty that he couldn't see his true colors. He stepped on the chair with one foot and dropped it on the ground, deliberately drying Chen Yinglang for a few breaths. , then he laughed with a voice like a broken gong: "Chen Chen is inspecting, right? I wonder what you are doing here?"

Lao Cheng Camp is not under the jurisdiction of the Xiang Army. It is said that Chen Yinglang's nominal inspection really has nothing to do with Pan Xiong.

Before coming, Chen Yinglang had collected information about this person through many sources. Pan Xiong was originally a bandit in Cangzhou, and he traveled between Qi and Jin. In the fifth year of Fuchang, he took office as the prefect of Cangzhou.

In just two years, he was promoted from the army general to the Cangzhou Laocheng camp section level, and then to the camp manager.

According to rumors, when Magistrate Niu was in office, Pan Xiong helped him do a lot of dirty work. Unexpectedly, in the seventh year of Fuchang, when Magistrate Niu moved to another place, Pan Xiong died of illness before he could be transferred to another place.

At this time, Pan Xiong became a tree without roots. Although the subsequent prefects were afraid that there were many bold and evil people under Pan Xiong and did not dare to touch his "operation and management" position, Pan Xiong also lost his way to promotion.

Since then, Pan Xiong has made friends with heroes all over the world. As long as the other person has good health and martial arts, he will warmly entertain him and provide him with a place to stay, regardless of his religion or whether he has committed crimes.

Just like in the hall in front of him, there were definitely not just one or two people who took refuge in him because they were involved in life-threatening lawsuits.

As a result, Pan Xiong also gained a reputation for being impatient and righteous, and became a hero in Cangzhou.

Chen Yinglang analyzed from this information that Pan Xiong was an ambitious man!

Based on this judgment, Chen Yinglang forced himself to calm down, ignored everyone's unruly looks, raised his hand and saluted Pan Xiong, and said, "Is this Pan Xiong in person?"

"That's right. I wonder why Inspector Chen is here this time?" Pan Xiong smiled when he heard the word 'hero'.

"I am entrusted by the Governor of Hebei, Marshal and Prime Minister King Chu, to come to visit."

Chen Yinglang called out and the hall fell silent for a moment.

Even though everyone in this hall has extraordinary origins, Jieao still has to look at who the target is!

They dared to disagree with the officers, fight, and even draw swords against them; they also dared to show disdain to the local troops.

But the name of the King of Chu is the reputation of easily destroying a local gentry and slaughtering thousands of thieves.

Does the Yongjing Army, which was the most powerful of the Hebei Route Army back then, still exist today?

Liu E, who claimed to have gathered 100,000 troops, was captured alive by who?

The people in the hall have all committed crimes to some extent, and they are somewhat unwilling to admit their fear of the King of Chu who 'sweeps out criminals' wherever he goes.

There was also the precedent of Fucheng, where several counties were booming in just over a year. They had also heard about it, and naturally they had some respect for such capable senior officials who were in charge of many troops and could benefit a whole place.

The two superimposed together are awe-inspiring.

Pan Xiong, who was sitting at the top, put down his feet on the chair and wiped his oily hands on the hem of his clothes randomly, completely subconsciously.

Then he asked: "Inspector Chen just said that he was entrusted by the King of Chu? Does the King of Chu know that I am a worthless person?"

"Hahaha, the King of Chu naturally knows about Cangzhou Pan Yingxiong, who is anxious for public good and righteous!"

Seeing Pan Xiong's reaction, Chen Yinglang felt reassured. He affirmed the other person first, and then said: "Pan Xiongxiong probably doesn't know that when King Chu was in Tongshan in his early years, he also liked to make friends with heroes from all over the world, so he was given an urgent gift by heroes from all over the world. "Justice, justice, silver spear, iron halberd"

Naturally, Chen Chu didn't know that Pan Xiong and Chen Yinglang were just trying to pull off the tiger's skin to make a big banner.

But his words were quite effective. When everyone heard that King Chu had also been on the road back then, they all grinned. They felt a little closer to him psychologically, but also felt a little proud.

Look, who said there is no future in the world!

The emergence of a figure like King Chu in the world is enough to prove that the underworld also has spring!

The King of Chu is simply the light of the underworld.

"Inspector Chen, I wonder if the King of Chu has anything to send you?"

Although Pan Xiong looked happy, he still asked carefully. For a person as big as the King of Chu to take the initiative to find him for help, it must be no small matter, so he had to ask clearly before agreeing.

"Hero Pan, heroes."

Chen Yinglang, who had unknowingly grasped the topic, made a group salute, and then said: "You should have heard that the Jin army is currently in Fucheng, and there is a danger of attacking at any time! The Jin people are ferocious, and you heroes from Hebei should know better than me. In order to prevent the Jin people from wreaking havoc on the people, the King of Chu wanted to keep the enemy away from the country. He specially sent me here to summon Pan Yingxiong and other heroes to participate in the grand event and defend the enemy in Cangzhou! What do you think?"

"." The hall fell silent again.

Someone wanted to stand up and respond, but seeing everyone's solemn expressions, he couldn't help but sit down quietly.

Also, the bravery of the Jin man is famous all over the world!

This is asking them to sacrifice their lives

Pan Xiong looked around and guessed what everyone was thinking. He wanted to use this to climb the big tree of King Chu, but the heroes from all walks of life must also agree on this. Otherwise, he would just rely on his subordinates and some death row prisoners. , how powerful it can be.

After thinking about it, Pan Xiong suddenly said: "Inspector Chen, our land in Cangzhou is far away from Fucheng. Is it really possible for the Jin people to invade?" "This matter is still unknown, but we must take some precautions."

Chen Yinglang was aware of the atmosphere in the hall. He straightened his chest, looked around and said loudly: "You are all heroes, how could you be willing to hide in the mountains, forests and prison camps for your whole life? You should know that a flying dragon rides on the clouds and a fierce tiger follows the wind. The truth! Today is the time for you to show your ambitions and become famous in the world. In front of you, there are two roads, one is to glorify your family and seal your wife's shadow; the other is to never see the light and be in fear. It’s a dangerous and wrong path all day long. It’s up to everyone to decide how to choose!”

After that, Chen Yinglang casually pulled up a stool with one leg missing and sat down smoothly.

"." Lu Yuanke couldn't help but break out a layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

"The flying dragon rides on the clouds, the fierce tiger follows the wind" means that these desperadoes wandering on the edge of the law need an opportunity and a noble person if they want to clear their name, gain power and wealth.

And the King of Chu is undoubtedly the 'Wind and Cloud' who can help them rise to great heights.

To put it bluntly, I just want to persuade them to work hard this time and embrace the lap of King Chu.

But what makes Lu Yuanke nervous is Chen Yinglang's last sentence, "I will never see the light, and I will be in fear all day long." It seems to be threatening. If you don't obey this time, the King of Chu will deal with you in the future, unless you hide in the dark for the rest of your life. be found!

Lu Yuanke was worried that these reckless men could not bear the excitement, and the superiors actually killed them.

However, his worries were obviously unnecessary. Everyone in the hall looked at each other in confusion, and in the end they all looked at Pan Xiong in unison.

Pan Xiong, who had long wanted to climb a high branch, pondered for a moment, but then he cupped his hands and said: "Inspector Chen, serve the King of Chu and contribute to the country, I will not hesitate to wait!"

In the afternoon, Chen Yinglang and others left.

In the back hall of the prison camp, the discussion gradually turned from whispers to loud noises.

This group of people had different opinions internally, and some were extremely excited, thinking that they would be in the eyes of the King of Chu, and that their rise to prominence would be just around the corner.

But some people suspected that the King of Chu wanted to use them as cannon fodder and had many concerns.

In the end, it was Pan Xiong who spoke: "Brothers have also heard what happened just now. Brothers Wang, Wu and Wang, please pick some good players from your village and move them to the camp to prevent any changes."

"Okay." Wang Wu hesitated for a moment and then agreed.

Pan Xiong then looked at the next few people. Those people had disheveled hair and tattoos on their faces. They did not participate in the discussion from beginning to end. Each of them grabbed a chicken leg and ate it.

"Brother Xu, if the Jin really invades, we still need to trouble Brother Xian to take action." Pan Xiong said politely.

But when he saw the leader sucking the remaining meat from the chicken legs, Jie Jie smiled and said: "My five brothers have been under the care of Pan Yingguan since they entered the prison camp. As long as Pan Yingguan informs us, our brothers will be in danger." Dare to take a walk."

"What a man! Hahaha."

Pan Xiong smiled heartily and said to a police officer in public uniform again: "Cui Jiexi, go to the prison and select some skilled death row prisoners. They will be fed and fed for a few days."

"Yes."

Cui Jieji responded first, then hesitated for a moment and then said: "Brother, do we really have to sacrifice our lives for others? That Jin man is not someone to be trifled with."

Pan Xiong had made up his mind. Regardless of whether the Jin invaded Cangzhou this time, he would seize this opportunity and show off in front of the King of Chu.

But he also knew that although there were desperadoes in the rabble in the hall who were willing to die in order to repay their kindness, there were also cautious people like Cui Jiexi who had no great ambitions and only wanted to drink a lot of wine and eat a lot of meat and have their wives and children warm on the bed. generation.

It is no longer realistic to expect them all to be ready to work hard in a short period of time.

In order to maintain the hard-won morale, Pan Xiong said with a smile: "Are you afraid of an egg! The border river is hundreds of miles away, our Cangzhou is barren, and the Jin people are crazy and come to attack us? This side incident, 99% will not be a disaster. As for Cangzhou, we just need to do what we need to do according to the instructions of Inspector Chen. When the future is stable, the King of Chu will also give you official robes to wear."

"Hehe, it's so good, it's so good!" Cui Jiejie was so determined that he smiled so hard that he couldn't even see his eyebrows.

Pan Xiong also laughed. Although he said that the Jin man probably would not come, he was really looking forward to the Jin man coming to visit, so that he could make some military exploits and be favored by the King of Chu.

As for Chen Yinglang, he just returned to Sanjia Village where he was stationed in the evening.

Tao Yuanwai, a squire of Sanjia Village, and Yao Zongjiang of Shawo Town, Fucheng are cousins. Lao Yao was one of the first eighteen virtuous people to accept land reform and was awarded the "House of Loyalty" with Jiarou's personal letter. In the past year or so, he has not only gained He has a high reputation and has also earned a lot of profits through cooperation with Huaibei Commercial Bank.

With his cousin Zhuyu in front of him, Tao Yuanwai was particularly supportive of Chen Yinglang's work.

Even if they didn't understand, they mobilized the people in four or five surrounding villages to dig tunnels and organize night patrols according to Chen Yinglang's request.

After returning to the village that night, Chen Yinglang smiled and declined the invitation of Tao Yuan's daughter to taste wine and enjoy the snow, and returned to the bedroom early after dinner.

Lu Yuanke joked: "The Tao family's daughter is obviously interested in Yinglang, but Yinglang is really cruel!"

Chen Yinglang lay on the bed, resting his forearm on his pillow, and smiled without saying anything.

Guo Lin, who had also just finished his errands in another village, thought to himself: Mr. Chen is a famous figure in Huaibei, how could he fall in love with the daughter of Tao Yuan's mother-in-law?

This is not bad. Children of aristocratic families like Chen Yinglang have very clear plans for their lives.

If he marries a wife, he must find a woman who can stabilize the family and be beneficial to his career. Among the current Huaibei family, apart from Yingchuan Chen, the Cai family is the most noble.

But the marriage between Chen and Cai was impossible not because of the seemingly unharmonious relationship between the two families, but because of the fear of the principal.

Just imagine, the two most powerful forces in the civil service system are converging. It would be strange if the principal is not worried. For Yingchuan Chen, Kiriyama Tsai and even the principal, everyone loses.

Chen Yinglang has learned the true story of his father. While seeing the current situation clearly, he has quietly developed a relationship with his elementary school girl Zhao Lian'er.

This Zhao Lian'er is the Zhao family who returned to Caizhou from Tokyo with the princess's great-grandmother many years ago. She is quite dignified in appearance, but she is a little timid.

Although she is not the daughter of a scholarly family, she is the princess's cousin!

At present, the Chen and Cai families are on the rise, and the princess's natal family is weak. Based on the King of Chu's concern for the princess, and in order to balance the family and all parties, the King of Chu would like to see the princess's natal family gain a foothold through Yingchuan Chen.

In this way, Ayu can have a closer relationship with the princess in the back house, and the Chen family will be more stable.

As Chen Yinglang's in-laws, it is undoubtedly easier for Chen Yinglang to climb to a high position and display his ambitions.

It's late at night at Haishi.

Chen Yinglang, who was still sleepy, put aside his private thoughts that he could not share with outsiders, reviewed what happened today, and suddenly sighed.

Lu Yuanke, who was in the same room, couldn't help but wonder: "What's wrong with Yinglang?"

Chen Yinglang looked at the bed curtain, and after a while he smiled bitterly and said: "I always feel uneasy. We have done everything we can in Cangzhou, but the Xiang army is weak. The Huaibei army only has one company, and the prison camp Pan Xiong is afraid of It is also an embarrassment for our great responsibility. If the Jin army really invades the country from Cangzhou, we will be like a mantis using our arms as a chariot."

Lu Yuanke pondered for a moment and comforted: "There is nothing we can do about it. The King of Chu only has so few soldiers. If they are spread out evenly along the river, they will be more easily defeated one by one. Cangzhou is small, so there should be no problem."

"I hope so."

Chen Yinglang secretly did not want the Jin army to invade Cangzhou, which was exactly the opposite of Pan Xiong.

The third day of November is the beginning of college.

It's snowing, it's not cold, it's snowing, and the temperature is plummeting

On both sides of the boundary river, there is a vast expanse.

On the fourth day of November, a cavalry army of about a thousand people marched ten miles north of the border to prevent being discovered by the other side.

I don’t know whether Pan Xiong’s prayer worked or Chen Yinglang’s prayer didn’t work.

On the fifth night of the Lunar New Year, after advancing two hundred miles to the northeast, this Jin cavalry army suddenly turned around and headed southeast.

Go straight to Cangzhou

(End of this chapter)