first minister

Chapter 302 Everyone has their own thoughts and preparations
The midsummer sky suddenly became groggy.

The wind suddenly became noisy, blowing large dark clouds, pressing low on the top of the head, making people feel depressed.

Cao Sijin stood in the courtyard, his eyes slightly narrowed by the wind and his hair flying, like a beast that was provoked to fight.

He snorted coldly, turned around and went back to his room, saying, "Prepare your horses!"

After a while, he changed his clothes and went out, riding his horse straight to the house of the fourth elder, Han Changyan.

To the people in the Han Mansion, Cao Sijin had long been an old acquaintance. The concierge even asked someone to take the initiative to help lead the horse, and led Cao Sijin directly in without any notice.

Soon, Cao Sijin saw the fourth elder who was listening to music in the waterside pavilion in the back garden.

He walked straight over and sat down next to the fourth elder with a solemn expression.

The fourth elder is an old man with a tall stature and a thin appearance. He is holding a teacup in his left hand and stroking the lid of the cup with his right hand. He slightly closes his eyes and shakes his head. He seems to have a vague sense of elegance. When he hears the movement, he opens his eyes and turns to look at him. With one glance, he waved the singing woman away.

When there was no one else in the water pavilion, Cao Sijin said, "Something went wrong."

Han Changyan turned to look at him with a questioning expression.

Cao Sijin explained: "The group of people from Zhongjing City who contacted us before were all killed by the imperial envoy."

Han Changyan shook his hand holding the tea cup and spilled a lot of tea soup. He said in shock: "Are they the group of thieves that the imperial envoy said they captured at the apprenticeship banquet the day before yesterday?"

Cao Sijin nodded solemnly.

Snapped!
Han Changyan directly smashed the tea cup in his hand and cursed angrily: "Waste! Waste! A bunch of waste! Waste who fails to achieve anything but fails to succeed!"

Cao Sijin did not comfort him, but quietly waited for the other party to calm down slowly.

After a while, when there was no movement, he looked at Han Changyan and said, "Do you want to find a woman to vent your anger?"

"That's what you like to do!" Han Changyan sat down angrily and slowly exhaled a few breaths, "Are we deeply involved with that side?"

Cao Sijin pursed his lips, "The days are not long, not too deep, but whether it is secretly helping to kill Long Ziwang, framing the son of the gang leader, or colluding with outsiders, stirring up civil strife, killing court officials, any one of them is absolute as long as it is exposed. capital offense."

Han Changyan was silent for a moment, his voice dry, "Tell me, what are you going to do?"

Cao Sijin said: "Did you receive the order from the gang leader?"

Han Changyan frowned and nodded, with a gloomy expression, "It seems that the gang leader thinks he has taken advantage of it and plans to take the opportunity to deal with us!"

"How can he have that ability? It wasn't the imperial envoy who did it!"

Cao Sijin snorted, "This man does have some abilities. He has managed so many things in the past few days. Now he thinks that if we catch this group of people, we will be able to find a handle on us, so naturally he is impatient." They are coming to deal with us.”

"Don't worry about whether others are impatient. These losers are really being caught."

Han Changyan's expression was full of solemnity, "I originally had the power of life and death given by the emperor, but now that I have witnesses, can't I deal with us?"

"He really may not be able to deal with it!"

Cao Sijin chuckled and said with a stern expression: "He said those people colluded with us. Even if those people admit that they colluded with us, we don't have to admit it!"

He looked at Han Changyan, "Is there any evidence? Are there any letters? My dealings with those people have always been private and have never been seen by the gang. Only a few confidants in my house know about it. They said that we Yes, we can also say that they deliberately framed us!"

He looked at Han Changyan who was a little dumbfounded, and said in a low voice: "Think about it, where is our territory, and why the gang leader has never dared to do anything to us, isn't it because we have so many gang members' support? Let's Let’s spread the word about this in advance. When the time comes, as long as they attack us, the gang members who support us will be able to tear them apart!”

Han Changyan was so shocked by this idea that he stuttered, "What if the other party insists on having his own way?"

"Then let's fight them to the death!" Cao Sijin looked as ferocious as a trapped animal, "Even if there is only half of the Cao Gang, we can still enjoy the food and drink, so why not be better than being captured without any help!"

After saying this, he suddenly put away his expression and smiled calmly again, "Of course, that is just our last step of amulet. As long as we put on this posture, no matter what the imperial envoy wants, The gang leader must help us stop him."

He said solemnly: "As soon as we pass this level, we have to reorganize the people under our command and speed up our actions."

Han Changyan sighed softly, "I hope I can pass this test."

"It's not a hope! It's definitely possible!" Cao Sijin said firmly, and then slapped his thigh, "Then the matter is settled. I will contact the hall leaders and helmsmen under me. Those people under you, you want Go and have a talk with them. Let's let the wind out first and let everyone be angry with the same enemy. When the time comes, if they really dare to take action, they have people who support us, so we won't be afraid anymore!"

Han Changyan nodded slowly and said nothing. Cao Sijin got used to his posture, reached out and patted his shoulder, then turned around and strode away.

Cao Sijin left, but Han Changyan was still sitting quietly like a sculpture in the waterside pavilion.

The housekeeper watched from a distance, worried that his master might have been secretly raped by the Fifth Elder just now. He walked over cautiously and tremblingly stretched out his hand to sniff.

As soon as his hand was halfway extended, Han Changyan turned his head silently, opened his eyes and looked at him, so frightened that the housekeeper almost jumped up.

"Get out!"

The butler, who almost said "hoax" came out of his mouth and ran away quickly.

Being interrupted like this, Han Changyan also came out of his daze and remembered what happened yesterday.

Yesterday evening, while he was still busy at the head of the Cao Gang, he was unexpectedly called over by the gang leader.

This is a common thing on weekdays. They are just rebelling on weekdays. They are not directly opposed to the gang leader's rule, or they have not had time to directly rebel. So on the surface, normal work is still the same as usual, so no one cares. Who knows? When he sat down in the room, the gang leader gave him a bolt from the blue.

"The gang of thieves captured by the imperial envoy were the ones who colluded with you that day to kill the third elder's son and frame my son. The leader was named Yuan."

The gang leader's sudden words made him look around in fright, fearing that several swordsmen would rush out and chop him into pieces.

"Don't panic, since I told you so, I don't mean to punish you."

The gang leader seemed to be as gentle as usual, but at this moment, Han Changyan felt a little more confident and confident, making people subconsciously afraid to resist.

"Now that I have the imperial envoy, the county magistrate, your irrefutable evidence, and the army that the imperial envoy can mobilize at any time, your affairs have been exposed, and it can be said that you are at the end of the road. But you are different from Lao Wu, you are not the culprit , and you haven’t done much evil. I will kill Lao Wu, but I can give you a way out. If you agree, I can also let you continue to be the elder of the Caogang. You will enjoy endless glory and wealth, and you can be stable in your old age. But if If you don’t agree, you will end up with your head missing and your body exposed in the wilderness!”

Han Changyan was not too frightened. He just followed Ye Wenhe's words and asked, "What does the gang leader want me to do?"

Not long after, he left the gang leader's room calmly, just like many times before, but there was already a huge wave in his heart.

He thought over and over again, was what the gang leader said true?Is the defeat really decided on my side?Can the gang leader do this?If he agreed, would he keep his promise?
But today, Cao Sijin's arrival and his words that he thought had stabilized the morale of the army gave Han Changyan the answer he wanted.

He thought for a long time and quietly made a plan in his mind.
-
As the core of the Caobang, there are countless ships at the docks in Chuning County.

The river waves are surging, the lights are dim, and these boats in the night are natural places to do business.

On one of the large ships, Cao Sijin was sitting in the middle of the cabin. He glanced over. In front of him were a dozen young and strong men, most of whom were in their 20s and 30s. It was when they were most aggressive and motivated that they were most easily seduced by him. people.

These people are all young men in the gang that he has trained and trained over the years. They all admire and respect them very much, and they are also the foundation of his power in the Caogang.

"Are they all there?"

A man sitting first on his left said respectfully: "Elder! Except for the five or six people who are still on the water to pledge their goods and have not returned, everyone is here!"

Cao Sijin hummed, "Okay! It's a big deal to suddenly call you here today and interrupt your fun and rest!"

Although everyone had expected it, their expressions were stern when they heard this.

"Elder! It's none of his business, you give orders, whoever dares to stop in front, we will all be crushed by him!"

"Correct!"

Before he could say anything, a few impatient people started shouting.

This kind of scene without order and rules actually annoyed Cao Sijin, but if he wanted to take advantage of these young people, he had to tolerate them temporarily, so he stretched out his hand and pressed the button, slowly calming down the atmosphere of the crowd, "The thing is like this ."

"Previously, we killed several corrupt officials who had been oppressing our gang for a long time and had committed heinous crimes, which made the brothers vent their anger. We also frightened the subordinates and bullies along the way who had always oppressed us, and we gained peace on the way. However, this matter has attracted the imperial envoys from the imperial court, who want to investigate the matter, capture the righteous man, and bury the dog officials with him!"

"Fuck him! How dare he!"

"If you ask me! Just kill that dog officer as well!"

"That's right, if I dare to kill one, I dare to kill the second! Directly kill Potian, the emperor will let the elders do it!"

Hearing the shouting started again, Cao Sijin, who was interrupted from casting a spell, was helpless and had to say quickly: "Don't talk about that yet, just listen to what I have to say!"

When the cabin became quiet again, Cao Sijin continued: "Everyone knows that the leader has always had great opinions on me, and he wants to get rid of me quickly. But we are on the side of justice, and we are united in the same boat, and the leader can't do anything about it, so We can only sit back and watch us grow stronger. But things are different now, the imperial envoy is here, and he has the confidence!"

"The imperial envoy wants to investigate the cases of those dog officers who died and catch the murderers; the gang wants to seize power and clean up us. They are like adulterers and adulterers, they hit it off and worked together!"

He looked at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Now, they have arrested a group of thieves, and they want to use their confessions to frame us! In this way, they can arrest me, and all of you here, and use them all over the ground. With his blood and heads, he will consolidate his position as gang leader and serve as a ladder for promotion and wealth for that dog official!"

"The guild master is too confused to do such a thing of fratricide!"

"Yes, no matter what we say, we are all members of the gang, and we are all brothers who drank blood wine together. As the leader of the gang, how could he do this!"

"Damn it! Such a thing could happen? Elder, is this true?"

"Of course!" Cao Sijin snorted coldly, "Didn't you receive the news that a gang meeting will be held in three days? Think about it, what kind of gang meeting is being held now for no reason?"

"The gang leader can't do this! I'll go find him and talk to him!"

"Let's go together!" "Don't worry about it! Do you think that you can change the things that the leader and the imperial envoy made together with just a few words of yours?"

"Then what should we do? Do we just watch it?"

"What's the hurry? The elder called us here, how can we still have no idea?"

Cao Sijin looked at the person who finally spoke, and he even felt a little grateful in his heart. There weren't many people with such a brain in his hands. He had to use it again later.

He said solemnly: "The matter is actually not complicated. No matter whether the gang leader is bewitched, forced, or simply takes the initiative, in short, we must not let them succeed!"

He looked at everyone, "We have spent so much effort, put in so much painstaking effort, and even paid the price of the lives of many brothers, in exchange for the awareness of so many people in the gang today, are we going to watch us like this?" Will your efforts be ruined?"

"We have finally gathered so many like-minded people, and we have worked hard together to achieve the momentum we are currently experiencing. Are we going to kill them at the slightest opportunity and let those cowardly and incompetent people who are just sitting there with nothing to eat return to power? "

"The world is so bad now. We have finally managed to clear out a piece of pure land so that our wives, children, and parents can start to live a stable and worry-free life. Are we going to surrender and let them go back to the miserable life of before? Are you going to win? Do you agree to such an ending?"

"No promise!"

"Never promise!"

Everyone was successfully incited, screaming, to support the fifth elder, to set things right, and to revive the world!
Cao Sijin was determined, and he slapped the table with a determined expression, "Okay! It's good if everyone has this intention! In the next three days, we will gather the other brothers and work together, and when the meeting is held, let them see Look at our unity and strength!”

"it is good!"

Everyone stamped their feet together, the hull of the boat rippled slightly, and the low roar spread like ripples in the night and gradually dissipated until no trace was left.
-
At this moment, in the county jail, all the former prisoners have been moved to the other side, while the gang of desperadoes from the Prime Minister's Mansion are scattered in four or five adjacent cells.

In this putrid and dirty prison, wearing heavy shackles, many men who followed Mr. Yuan could not help but feel regret.

I felt that I shouldn't have been tempted by him to come to Longshou State in the first place, and I was hiding in hiding. I didn't accomplish anything, but I was caught all in one fell swoop.

These days are far different from when I followed the young master.

At this time, they also remembered that two of the eight horses under the master's direct command were dead and six were left.

Mr. Yuan is one of the eight steeds, if the young master's arrangement is really in Longshou Prefecture, why didn't the other five adults follow?

Just as they were thinking about it, Mr. Yuan, who had been sitting still, said calmly: "Everyone, please stop thinking about things now. Our first priority right now is to get out of trouble."

Someone couldn't help muttering in a low voice: "It's all like this, what trouble do you have to escape!"

Mr. Yuan knew that his "rule" was in a precarious situation, and he did not dare to get angry. He could only patiently explain: "The situation in Cao Gang and Xia Jingyun is not stable at the moment. Cao Gang has an opposition headed by the fifth elder. Longshou There is Xiaozhou Mu in the state, and no matter where something goes wrong, it is our opportunity. Don’t think about confessing and getting away with it. Once we confess, we will be useless, and that will be our real death."

Everyone is not stupid, that's right when you think about it.

A man asked again: "But we have been detained for two days, and we have not been interrogated. What if they forget us? Or do they not know how important we are?"

Everyone was startled, this is true!

But before they could discuss it, the door outside the prison was opened, and several jailers walked in and said coldly: "The Imperial Envoy will bring you to trial in person. You bunch of rebellious ministers and thieves, please be honest with me for a moment!"

As he said that, he randomly ordered someone, "You, come out!"

The man glanced coldly at the little jailer who was once like an ant to him and remained motionless.

"Hey! Damn you!"

The jailer immediately picked up the stick.

Mr. Yuan, who was in the cell next door, spoke at this time, "Go ahead, remember what we just said."

After hearing this, the man slowly stood up and walked out of the cell door with his body hunched over.

The jailer was still angry and hit him on the back with a stick.

The man glared angrily, and his sharp eyes, which had killed many people, instantly frightened the mighty jailer.

In the interrogation room at this moment, Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian were sitting at the table together.

Bai Yunbian was a little worried, "I sent someone to watch secretly. This group of thieves has been here for two days. They don't shout or make trouble, and they don't seem to panic at all. It's not easy to dig out the inside story from them. Can you do it?"

Xia Jingyun smiled and said: "You can only know if it works or not by trying it! If it's really what I guessed, they can't be scared easily."

Bai Yunbian whispered: "Are you going to use the method you used to deal with those Baihualou guards?"

"That won't be of much use to them." Xia Jingyun shook his head, "I thought of another way."

Immediately he heard the movement outside, "Okay, no more talking, just watch."

Soon, a prisoner was brought over, looking up at the roof at a 45-degree angle with a stubborn look on his face.

As expected, the kind of torture to extract a confession did not happen as expected.

The imperial minister, who was too handsome and too young, just asked calmly: "Where are you from?"

He ignored her and looked up at 45 degrees, still stubborn.

"You're not even willing to cooperate with such words. Are you not planning to recruit at all?"

He still ignored him and still looked up, but his neck felt a little stiff.

Xia Jingyun sighed, "Okay, then let's take him down!"

"Eh? No?" The man was stunned. Is it so easy?
The two guards brought by Xia Jingyun personally took the man down, but instead of going back to the prison, they walked out in another direction.

Then, Xia Jingyun nodded towards Chen Fugui. Chen Fugui scooped out a spoonful of hot pig blood from the bucket that had been prepared nearby and sprinkled it in a very professional shape on the ground.

Although Xia Jingyun didn't know why it was like this, he knew that with Chen Fugui's experience, others would not be able to spot the flaw.

Then he called two jailers, "Do you remember clearly what I told you?"

The jailer nodded, and Xia Jingyun asked one of his guards to follow them there.

When they heard the cell door reopened, the men in the cell were also stunned.

A man couldn't help but said: "So fast?"

"The Imperial Envoy has so many things to do every day, how can he have so much free time to waste with you! If you want to recruit, just recruit, if not, just cut him down, and you will be left to grind slowly? Do you think you are so important? Come out!"

He pointed at someone casually, and the man he was pointing at suddenly felt a little afraid to get up, and was forcibly dragged out by the jailer.

He came to the interrogation room and smelled a thick smell of blood when he entered the room. Judging from the shape, he really had his head chopped off on the spot.

He swallowed and sat down on the chair, not daring to show his 45-degree stubbornness like the previous one.

Xia Jingyun asked: "Where are you from?"

He thought for a while and finally chose to bow his head and remain silent.

After all, they are all men who lick blood from their swords, so they are not intimidated so easily.

Xia Jingyun was equally straightforward and didn't even want to ask the second question, "It's not a move, right? Let's get down there!"

The man trembled and was about to die generously, but found that he had been stuffed with rags in his mouth and taken away.

Seeing Chen Fugui spilling pig's blood again, Bai Yun frowned, "Can you do this?"

Xia Jingyun shrugged, "I can only try. I don't believe these dozen people are so stubborn."

Then, the jailer brought two more people one after another.

It was almost the same situation, and the other party didn't do anything, but the difference was that for the fourth person, Xia Jingyun deliberately rambled on for a long time, and then asked the jailer to call the fifth person.

The jailer came to the cell, "Do you know why that person took so long? He was recruited, but the imperial envoy immediately released him. What should you do? Think about it for yourselves. Is it because the head is missing, or is it a free life from now on? Don't think that the imperial envoy It’s easy to mess with! You! Come out!”

After another person was taken away, Mr. Yuan looked at the few remaining companions and said in a deep voice: "Don't listen to his nonsense. Xia Jingyun would never dare to kill so indiscriminately. They must be intimidating us."

Everyone was silent, already nervous to the extreme as each of their companions left and never returned.

As soon as he finished speaking, the jailer actually came again, shaking his head as he spoke, "Looks like it's another beheader. Come on, it's your turn!"

The guard who had been following the jailer pointed at the one huddled in the corner, and the jailer shouted, and then escorted him to the interrogation room.

As soon as the man walked in, he saw that on the night they were captured, one man knocked down several of their murderers, holding a big knife, and chopped off the head of his familiar companion with one blow.

The headless corpse fell to the ground, blood gushing out.

The head that he had drunk with yesterday fell alone into a pool of blood and spun around several times.

He looked at the thick and sticky blood under his feet, and his mind collapsed instantly. He knelt down and said, "Don't kill me! I'll attack! I'll attack!"

(End of this chapter)