The devil is coming

Chapter 109 Assassination!
"So, our deep-sea comrades will come here to fight with us soon."
Xue San joked while adding carbon to the bottom of the pot.
"Ah."
Zheng Fan nodded, picked up the kettle next to him, and added a little more water to the white water pot.
This is a small charcoal stove hot pot. The soup base inside is very simple.
A little salt, two green onions, and three slices of ginger.
The side dishes are even simpler, just soft tofu and nothing else.
After the water boiled, Zheng Fan put a few pieces of soft tofu into the pot. After boiling for a while, Zheng Fan, Blind Man and Xue San each picked out a piece.
The sauce is even more simple, just soy sauce.
The tender tofu is dipped in soy sauce and tastes smooth, tender and delicious.
"call……"
The three of them were all breathing while eating.
Blind Bei took another sip of Yinlang County's rice wine, looking very much enjoying himself.
"This way of eating can be said to be quite pleasant in winter." Xue San said with emotion.
Blind Bei nodded and added: "Before, it was still a poor man's way of eating, because tofu was cheap."
But at least the demon kings in Cuiliu Castle have good conditions for eating and drinking. Occasionally, they can have some light and simple food to change their mood.
Then,
Blind Bei poured a few more pieces of tofu into it and said to Zheng Fan:
"My lord, what do you plan to do about Zuo Jiqian?"
Zuo Jiqian came to ask for help yesterday. Although Zheng Fan was perfunctory and left in angrily in the end, this matter will definitely be settled after Xu Wenzu takes office.
"Do nothing." Zheng Fan answered honestly.
Blind Bei nodded in agreement and said, "My lord is wise."
"Counting the days, Xu Wenzu should enter Yinlang County today. After we finish eating, we will go to the inn to greet him in advance."
"Of course, the Lord is thoughtful." Blind Bei agreed.
No matter what, Comrade Shenhai is here. Before he enters Nanwang City to take up his post, it is a matter of great benefit and harmlessness to meet him in private in advance.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is one of the warmest things in life. Emei Feng and Shenhai once again cooperated on another front, which can be regarded as a good story.
Zheng Fan couldn't relate to how nervous and fearful Zuo Jiqian was, but it was foreseeable that Zheng Fan's life would be more comfortable after the fat Mr. Xu Wenzu came here and became his immediate boss.
Zheng Fan took a sip of wine and said, "Okay, let's set off after we finish eating."
In the small room, the three of them had a very comfortable meal eating soft tofu hot pot. However, halfway through the meal, there was a knock on the door and the sound of grass coming from outside:
"Master, Mr. Liang sent someone to ask. There are many refugees gathered in Nanwang City. Do we want to accept them in Cuiliu Fort?"
"Refugees?" Zheng Fan put down his chopsticks and asked, "Did you say where the refugees came from?"
"It's from the south."
"Come from the south?"
The location of Cuiliu Fort is considered to be the southernmost line of the Yan Kingdom. Anyone coming from the south is obviously coming from the Qian Kingdom.
Zheng Fan put down his chopsticks and said to Blind Bei:
"Come on, let's go take a look, and then go to the inn to wait for Xu Wenzu."
…………
The group of refugees is not very large, but it is definitely not small either. There are refugees on both sides of the road. According to preliminary estimates, there are several thousand people.
Zheng Fan was sitting on the horse, and beside him were Blind Bei and Xue San.
Maybe it was because Zheng Fan had a lot of fun last time and went to Qianguo for a trip, which frightened the demon kings under him. Therefore, every time Zheng Fan went out after that, there would be at least two people following him. If the magic pills on the body are also included, that is the lineup of three Demon King's bodyguards.
There are some Yan cavalrymen who don't know which castle they are from, maintaining the order of the team, and at the same time leading the direction of the team's march.
These refugees are basically as small as a family unit, or as large as a village unit, with families and dependents. Because there are many old, weak, women and children, the proportion of young people among them is not very high.
Xue San specially rode over to inquire about the situation and came back to report:
"My lord, they are indeed from the Qian Kingdom. They originally went to Nanwang City, but they were redirected and assigned on the way. Those cavalrymen were from Ji Tui Fort. It is said that Zuo Jiqian gave the order, and he Ji Tui Fort accepted them. All refugees from Qian Country.”
"He is really from the Qian country." Zheng Fan said with emotion.
Because Qian Guo has always given people the impression that he loves the rich and loves the rich.
Although the military strength is not good, it has considerable advantages in economy and culture.
Therefore, Zheng Fan was really surprised that people from the Qian Kingdom would sneak across the border and come to the Yan Kingdom.
Blind Bei noticed Zheng Fan's surprise and said:
"Lord, this is normal. Qian Country is rich. However, Qian Country has not seriously managed the three northern counties due to the incident of the first Zhenbei Marquis a hundred years ago. In addition, the three northern counties have many garrison soldiers and a heavy labor burden. , after being severely oppressed, it was not as easy for these ordinary people to live as in the Yan Kingdom to the north."
There are many noble families in the Yan Kingdom, but these noble families are actually not that unbearable to the farmers under their control. At least, the master family will find ways to make their own farmers survive as much as possible. At the same time, If conditions permit, some economic and even political benefits will be released and shared with them.
Because these farmers are actually the family's own "subjects", their users and political influence, including their own "private soldiers", are actually the most fundamental source of the farmers' population on their own land.
This is a bit similar to the later generations' "If you don't waste the things belonging to the public, it will be useless", but your own things must be especially cherished.
For the court officials, the people under the court's rule were actually similar to public property. Once they became their own households, they became their own private property, and their attitudes were definitely different.
In addition, in recent years, the Yan State has relied on the benefits of the Silk Road to develop its commerce and trade. Unlike the Qian State, the Yan State cannot really collect commercial taxes. Therefore, the Yan State's court does not have much control over the local area. Secondly, it has received substantial financial supplements from commercial taxes, which has caused the survival pressure of ordinary people under the rule of Yan State, which is indeed much smaller than that of the other three countries.
This was also Zheng Fan's first impression of the mental outlook of the residents nearby when he came to Cuiliu Fort on his first day.
"I just don't know what the officials and literati of Qian Kingdom will think when they know this."
"My Lord, this is actually understandable. Things like culture are a bit too far away for the people at the bottom. They don't know the big principles, but they know how to vote with their feet.
There are similar records in the Song Dynasty. The people in the Song Dynasty voluntarily gave up their identity as Song citizens and fled to the Liao Kingdom to become subjects of the Liao Kingdom. "
"The Yan Kingdom is not the Liao Kingdom." Zheng Fan reminded.
"Yes, the Lord said so."
"Zuo Jiqian led these refugees to his Ji Tui Fort for resettlement. He probably wanted to perform as well as possible before Xu Wenzu took office."
The appearance of these refugees is a feat in itself, proving that destiny and people's hearts are with Yan but not Qian. Xu Wenzu hasn't even taken office yet, which means that a wave of political achievements has already come to his door.
But there are still thousands of mouths, and they need to eat every day, so Zuo Jiqian, who has the financial support of the Zuo family, dares to lure these refugees to his Ji Tui Fort, and he will take care of them.
It was equivalent to the Zuo family spending money to support the new commander-in-chief Xu Wenzu's political achievements. Zuo Jiqian probably hoped that Xu Wenzu would take this matter into account and take lightly Zuo Jiqian's previous mistakes in the military defeat of Qianguo.
"We don't want these people, right?" Zheng Fan looked at Blind Bei.
Blind Bei shook his head and said: "If they are all young and strong, it's not that we can't accept it, but there are so many old, weak, women and children, so let's not compete with Zuo Jiqian for the opportunity to perform."
"Yes, after all, Zuo Jiqian's Chicken Leg Fort has enough chicken legs."
In fact, if one really counts financial resources, Cuiliu Castle, with the support of the Sixth Prince, is really not afraid of retreating from the castle.
First of all, the construction of Cuiliu Castle has been completed. Although there are still some small details that need to be repaired and improved, it will be enough to make some small repairs after the spring thaw. It has the ability to absorb the population.At the same time, Zheng Fan knew that in the warehouse of his fortress, there were not only some additional weapons and equipment, but also a rich food reserve.
The Sixth Prince is indeed very generous. Either he doesn't take action, but once he does, he will definitely milk you to the point of ejaculation.
Blind Bei even said that people from the trading company over there sent a message and asked him why he didn't expand his troops here. It was obviously the signal from the Sixth Prince.
For a fort that is responsible for the defense, the court is generally only responsible for the military salary expenses of 500 people. But if you have the ability, you can raise 800 or 1000 people. Generally speaking, the court will turn a blind eye to this. This is the current trend in Yan State.
At the same time, the court's main focus and main contradiction is still on the big gatekeepers. It is common for these gatekeepers to bring down tens of thousands of households. If they want, it is normal to pull out thousands or tens of thousands of private soldiers. .
It's just that Zheng Fan has always wanted to take the route of elite soldiers. It really doesn't make much sense for you to gather a lot of miscellaneous soldiers.
It's better to wait with peace of mind for Emperor Yan to take action on the clan before expanding. The people in the clan are of high quality, and secondly, they are even more dedicated to meritorious service after being exiled and assigned. Maybe they will be able to receive glowing cubs in the future, which is better than relying on these farmers. How useful is it to have more soldiers?
"Actually, I feel that something is a little abnormal. In previous years, people from the Qian Kingdom fled to the Yan Kingdom to make a living. This year, because the Lord went there before winter to stimulate the Qian Kingdom, it stands to reason that Qian Kingdom will No matter how unbearable the border troops are, there is still no problem in hiding in the den. The border is lined with forts. Small groups of people are smuggling across the border. Suddenly, thousands of people are smuggling over here. There may be some people among them. The Qian people’s secret plan is here.”
Hidden recruits refer to spies, and there may be quite a few of them.
"Let's not talk about the quality of Qianguo's border troops, but the silver-armored guards there at least gave me a pretty good impression, and they also allocate wives."
"Haha." Blind Bei also laughed, "Actually, my subordinates think that Zuo Jiqian should also know that there must be a time bomb here, but he wants to finish eating first, and he doesn't care whether he will have diarrhea in the future. ”
"Okay, stop reading. Let's go to the inn and wait for Xu Pangpang."
After meeting with Comrade Shenhai in advance, Zheng Fan decided not to make too much of a fuss, so he took Blind Bei and Xue San with him without any troops.
The three of them rode horses and marched from afternoon to dusk before arriving at the post station on the outskirts of Yin City.
Nanwang City is undoubtedly the largest city in Yinlang County, but Yin City is the capital of Yinlang County, but like some provincial cities in later generations, it has little sense of existence.
The post stations of Yan State received officials who were on official business and were responsible for preparing horses and entertaining messengers, but they did not do business with the outside world. On the way from Beifeng County to Cuiliu Fort, Zheng Fan also stayed at many inns. It felt that most of them The inns were made similar to the comprehensive hotels of later generations, and officials did not have to foot the bill.
Since it was not a business trip and he wanted to hide his relationship with Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan chose to pay for it at his own expense. Considering that he would probably have to chat for a long time after meeting Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan simply asked for two rooms. guest room.
When ordering food and drinks, Xue San was responsible for going up and asking the guest from Beifeng County which room he would stay in.
Because Xu Wenzu's physical characteristics are too obvious, it is easy to make clichés. The news we received is that Xu Wenzu and his group have booked a first-class hospital.
Well, as the newly appointed commander-in-chief of Nanwang City, he still has this card.
However, when Zheng Fan went to Class A Hospital and explained his intention to the soldiers at the door, the soldiers replied that Xu Wenzu had gone out to visit friends in the afternoon and would probably not come back until night.
As for who the friend he was visiting was and where he lived, the guards who stayed here didn't know.
There was no other way, so Zheng Fan and the other three could only hastily eat the dinner prepared by the inn, then rest in their respective rooms and wait.
Xue San gave some money to the clerk at the inn and asked him to report when he saw Xu Wenzu coming back.
There is no need to worry about being suspected, because there are many people who want to "encounter" dignitaries in the inn every day, and this little official is obviously used to it.
Blind Bei and Xue San lived in the same room, and Zheng Fan lived next door to them alone.
Fortunately, Director Zheng is considered a small "local emperor" in Cuiliu Fort, and no one will keep track of the director's attendance, so there is no problem if he stays outside for a day without going back.
Lying on the bed, Zheng Fan made a bow gesture with his hands, feeling it over and over again.
This month, with A Ming accompanying him to practice archery, Zheng Fan felt that he had made great progress, but when it came to how to release Qi and blood, he still couldn't master it well.
A ninth-grade warrior is considered a master in the eyes of ordinary people. In the army, he can also hold the position of leader of the soldiers. But Zheng Fan knows that it is sometimes really difficult to save his life with this level of cultivation.
During my trip to Qian Country, I killed more than one high-grade warrior in the battle formation.
Zheng Fan felt that at least he had to have the level of cultivation of Shatuo Queshi to ensure his own safety. In fact, it would have been really difficult for Shatuo Queshi to die if he hadn't wanted to die.
Lying in bed and repeating "An arrow in the heart is better than no arrow in the hand" over and over again, it was late at night before I knew it.
Zheng Fan was a little worried that Xu Wenzu would stay with friends tonight and not return to the inn, right?
Or maybe that friend is actually a widow who used to be an old sweetheart?
"Dong dong dong..."
There was a gentle knock at the door.
Zheng Fan thought it was Xue San or the blind man at first, so he got out of bed and opened the door.
After opening it, I found that standing at the door was a short, fat woman in her 40s. The woman's face was smeared with thick makeup and was greasy.
"Sir, do you need anyone to accompany you tonight?"
Therefore, the service of hotel rooms in later generations actually existed in ancient times, right?
Zheng Fan pointed at this woman,
Road:
"Are you coming to accompany me?"
"Oh, sir, look what you are saying, of course it is not my concubine. There are many young ladies under my concubine, the pretty horses from Jin State, the thin horses from Xiahang, the noble horses from Chu State, and the fierce horses from our Yan land. , I have all of them, my lord, just tell me which one you want to choose, and the girl will come up later to ensure that you are satisfied."
The girls of the Jin State are pretty and have good figures, and the thin horses of Xiahang are already extremely famous. Even Emperor Qian took in the three sisters of the Yang family of Xiahang in one fell swoop. There are many nobles in the Chu State who have been passed down for hundreds of years. Because of internal strife, There are often noble girls wandering around. As for whether they are real noble girls, no one knows, but at least they will pretend to be like a noble girl and serve you. The Fierce Horse of Yandi is just as the name suggests.
To be honest, with the most outstanding mother in the world, Siniang, at home, Zheng Fan really has no interest in hunting wild food outside. Even if he really wants to hunt, how can it be possible for those little red girls trained by Siniang? Is it worse than the ones outside?
Furthermore,
Two of his men live next door, and there is also a blind man who can play "live broadcast" for you even though there is a wall. How can Zheng Fan find services here?
"I'm tired, no need."
"Then I'm disturbing you."
Fat Mommy looked at Zheng Fan knowingly and turned to leave. Soon, there was a knock on the door next door.
Then,
Then Xue San’s voice came,
I heard Xue San shouting excitedly:
"I want it, I want it all, one piece of each!"
"Master, just wait, the girls will be here soon."
After saying that, the fat mommy went downstairs, probably to call the girl.
Zheng Fan walked out of the room and stood in the corridor on the second floor. Xue San also walked out at this moment and looked shy when he saw Zheng Fan.
"It's fun, let the blind man come to my room."
Zheng Fan himself has a fourth mother. Although he has never been able to get on base, the mood of playing needlework is also wonderful. Therefore, he cannot feed himself while leaving his subordinates hungry all the time.
Xue San shook his head and walked from the door to Zheng Fan. Because the floor on the second floor was a little old, the corridor floor made a "squeak" sound when he walked.
"My lord, did you hear that?" Xue San asked in a lowered voice.
Zheng Fan suddenly understood.
"For someone as short as this subordinate, the floor made a sound when he walked here. But when the fat mommy just walked by, there was no movement at all."
"It seems that someone sneaked in and wanted to harm Xu Wenzu."
Then he could be regarded as Xu Wenzu's savior, but he had already caught up with him.
But when I think about it, I find it quite ridiculous. Zheng Fan wanted to kill Xu Pangpang outside the Zhenbei Hou Mansion. To this end, he dispatched King Zuo Guli of the Barbarian Royal Court.
As a result, Xu Pangpang accidentally got off the carriage at that moment to pull arrows.
It's a real piece of shit luck.
But now, Xu Pangpang wants to be his immediate boss, and he who originally wanted to kill him now wants to protect him.
At this time, a clerk holding a lantern came out from downstairs, waved the lantern at Zheng Fan who was standing on the corridor above, and then left.
This was to tell Zheng Fan that Xu Wenzu had returned. Because he lived in the courtyard, he did not go through the gate of the inn.
At this time, the blind man Bei also walked out of the room and looked at Zheng Fan.
"My lord, go quickly and remind Xu Wenzu to be on guard."
Zheng Fan nodded and went downstairs alone. As for Xue San and Blind Bei, they did not go with Zheng Fan. They should be responsible for the peripheral support.
The soldiers at the gate of Class A Hospital have changed. It should be that the soldiers who accompanied Xu Wenzu to visit friends during the day have just changed their posts.
The person who can go out with Xu Wenzu to visit friends during the day and be responsible for safety must be a member of the personal soldiers. Moreover, these two personal soldiers actually recognized Zheng Fan. Seeing that Zheng Fan actually appeared here, the two of them were stunned at first, and then immediately became alert. With such a look, he put his hand on the handle of the knife,
"Captain Zheng, is that you?"
one of the soldiers asked.
"It's Mr. Zheng. Could you please tell Mr. Ming Zheng that Mr. Zheng is here to visit."
If it were anyone else, who wanted to vote for a spot, gain popularity, and gain connections, the soldiers might have thought that Xu Wenzu was tired just after he came back, so they stopped him, but when they saw that it was Zheng Fan, he was an angry enemy of his own lord. , but they did not dare to neglect, and one of the soldiers immediately went in to report.
"Let him in, quickly, let him in."
Xu Wenzu's voice came from inside, and he was walking quickly towards the door.
The soldiers at the door stopped blocking him. Zheng Fan walked in and saw a huge mountain of meat pressing towards him.
Xu Wenzu lost a lot of weight on the way back to Zhenbei Hou Mansion, but now it seems that he has completely made up for it, and is even better than before.
This was Yinlang County, not Beifeng County, and the area was guarded by soldiers he could trust, so Xu Wenzu was very relaxed and walked over with a smile to greet Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan didn't have time to tell Xu Wenzu how happy he was to see his comrades again.
He lowered his voice and said quickly:
"Sir, be careful. There is an assassin who wants to kill you in this inn. I am here to inform you as soon as I get the news."
"what!"
"what!"
at this time,
Two screams came from the outer wall of the courtyard. Apparently, one of Xu Wenzu's soldiers had been shot.
What surprised Zheng Fan was that he originally thought that the assassin would sneak in with poison or rely on door-to-door service to get close to Xu Wenzu.
But I really didn’t expect it,
The assassin came to kill him without hesitation.
Simultaneously,
Another chorus of angry shouts came from outside:
"Zheng Fan, the swallow dog, pays for the debt with blood, and his life is here!!!"
"..." Xu Wenzu.
"..." Zheng Fan.
(End of this chapter)