My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 196 Prison Visit
A casual question, like nothing happened, turned out to be a fatal blow in a split second.

In an instant, Ma Fulun's smile shifted to Li Bailong's face.

The nobles of the Cao Gang were greatly shocked.

——How did he know!
Friends who are often arrested know that killing someone is not serious, but not handling the incident properly afterwards is serious.

The six major sects are at the top of Qi State. Under their glorious robes, there must be bottomless darkness. Ma Fulong killed three people at that time. To be fair, it was an impulsive murder on impulse, and he might even be mentally ill. However, Yunhuatang's subsequent finishing work was very dedicated and professional.

Ma Fulong's mentality exploded at that time, and he was mentally confused for a while. After killing people, he actually let other businessmen go out to do things. However, there were many experienced old hands in Yunhua Hall. They immediately smelled the blood on these businessmen, judged that people were killed, and arrested them immediately.

Taoist Ling arrived upon hearing the news and in a few words, he found out the cause and effect.

Deputy Commander Yun Hua, who was carrying the secret order of Lord Yun, was calm. After all, when it came to matters like accidental killing, every larger sect had a mature and complete public relations process, with everything from the victim's family to the local government and even public opinion in the martial arts world clearly arranged for you.

As soon as he made some arrangements and laid out the target strategy, he signaled his subordinates to "follow the process" and then went to visit Ma Fulong and said "I will take care of it", which was nothing more than a combination of intimidation and persuasion, and he covered his mouth and asked them to pay compensation.

Ma Fulong trusted Taoist Ling. After all, this man had been working in the gang for decades and was proficient in everything, and he had never made any mistakes. Besides, it was not a big deal for a nobleman of the Cao Gang to kill a few lowly merchants. So after hearing this, he no longer cared about the three dead men. After all, there were many more important things to do.

However...how does Taoist Ling do things!
Looking at Li Bailong's despicable and smug smile, Ma Fulong felt a chill run down his spine.

How did the news leak out?
It should be noted that whether the matter of murder is serious or not depends entirely on whether there are powerful people willing to interfere. If they ignore it, human life is as worthless as grass. If they care about it, it will be "in a peaceful and prosperous age, human life is of paramount importance"!
After all, Ma Fulong was a hero of the Cao Gang and his reaction was extremely quick.

When he found that Li Bailong's words accurately pointed out the number of "twenty-six" and "twenty-three", he knew that the other party was not bluffing and the matter would not end well!
Instantly, Ma Fulong shouted: "Li Bailong, you actually slandered me for murder!"

When Li Bailong just spoke, his voice was concentrated into a line. Taoist Ling was a little far away and didn't hear it at all. But when he heard Ma Fulong's shout, his face suddenly changed drastically!
——How did it leak out?

impossible!

After discovering that the hall master had committed murder, he had already begun to arrange the aftermath.

Those merchants had been secretly taken on board and taken to a secret place in the middle of the river, where an eloquent person in the hall explained the severity of the situation to them, and then they signed a series of confidentiality clauses, supplemented by the gang's confidentiality prohibitions to ensure that nothing could go wrong.

Calculating the time, they are still in the river!

From leaving Yunhua Hall to boarding the boat at the dock, these merchants rode in sedan chairs the entire time and did not show their faces. They were closely protected by the elites of the Cao people, so there was no possibility of any leaks in terms of time and space...

——How did Li Bailong know about this!

Hearing Ma Fulong shouting like that, Ling Daoren’s first thought was disbelief. He looked at the hall master with a little dissatisfaction... Have you been intimidated by Li Bailong again!

Then, he heard the hall master shout, "What three? I didn't kill any of them!"

—Shit! It’s actually true!

Taoist Ling felt that something was wrong, and quickly pulled over a person beside him. With a sharp look in his eyes, he whispered, "Go and contact the Jiangchuan Huayun... If you can't get in touch, send a message to the ships on the river to pick you up!"

Li Bailong knew that three people died, but it didn’t matter.

But if he had eyewitnesses, then things would be very serious!

However, at this moment, a melodious sound of a horn rose from the river, vast and humming, like the roar of a dragon, shaking the waves.

Someone among the canal workers shouted, "It's the bugle call from the Hebo Station!"

The Yun River is broad, with long sails sailing back and forth like a forest. The river boats use flag signals and horns to control the river. At this time, the Canghao Longdi sounding throughout the Yun River means to notify the ships on the river to drop anchor and stop all activities!
Taoist Ling was stunned for a moment, and Ma Fulong reacted a little slower, and soon he also showed a look of shock and anger.

Li Bailong stood with his hands behind his back, showing a calm smile that showed he had everything under control.

For some reason, this smile actually looks a bit kind.

"——Let this bureau tell you, this is the voice of the magistrate Zhang Chun leading the fleet to cross the Yangtze River, suppress the bandits, and save the famous entrepreneurs of this city!"

These words shattered the last bit of hope.

Li Bailong seemed to have been monitoring the movements of those businessmen and knew their locations very well!

Faintly, there seemed to be muffled spring thunder coming from the river far away.

There was a lot of noise outside the dock. The officers from the Tongwen Bureau and the detectives from the Tuguan Office had already gathered. They were equipped with weapons and were on standby. They were so well prepared and arrived so quickly, it was obvious that this was all planned.

The encirclement has been reversed.

Originally, it was thought that the arrival of the chief and deputy chief of Yunhua Hall together, with thousands of canal workers surrounding Li Bailong, would render this beast helpless, unable to escape or fight... Who knew the situation would change so quickly.

The storytelling at Fengping Wharf this morning turned out to be an elaborate trap.

"Ma Fulong, I now suspect you are involved in several murders. Come with me to see the official."

Li Bailong snorted coldly, "I wanted to get along with you as a fellow martial artist and understand the situation with you calmly, but who knew that you were guilty and ambitious, and actually attacked me!"

To be an official, one must have the ability to flexibly fabricate information and make logical associations.

He shouted, "Now, I will punish you for multiple crimes. You will also be charged for assaulting an official out of fear of crime. In addition, the six major sects have committed criminal cases in the Imperial State, so the sentence will be tripled. Wow, how many cuts will it take!"

Ma Fulong was greatly shocked.

He is a member of the Cao Gang and is not afraid of the laws of the court, but he is afraid of Li Bailong who holds high the stick of law!
When this man has no cards, he can create them to play. Moreover, today everyone has the right time, right place and right people. He can seize the unique opportunity and nail Ma Fulong on the altar of court laws!

It is conceivable that Li Bailong will not hold back!
This is a dispute over the doctrine of educating the same people.

By nailing the head of the Yunhua Hall to death with the murder case, the Tongwen Bureau would be able to win a great victory. The Cao Gang was leaderless in Huazhou, and they were caught in such a weak spot that they could not show off. Even their own leader was imprisoned and convicted according to the court laws. The guilt was set in stone. According to the rules of the court, the Cao Gang had already lost.

So... we must not let Li Bailong succeed!
Li Bailong shouted, "Ma Fulong! Are you coming with me on your own, or do I have to order you to come?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the police officers and detectives in the outer circle rushed forward and shouted.

"Wait!"

Taoist Ling shouted, "If there is a murder case, someone must report it. If there is no body or victim, who will report it? Are you trying to frame someone and wrongly accuse the innocent?"

Untie it for a while and stir the water first!
Li Bailong immediately responded: "I sued myself!"

The Tongwen Dao dispute has reached the match point, and the two sides are at loggerheads. Ling Daoist sneered, "What? Could it be that the missing person is a relative of Lord Li?" Li Bailong replied, "I am the Tongwen governor. The missing person is an outstanding private entrepreneur under my jurisdiction and an enthusiastic supporter of the court's policies! I called them to a meeting, but found that they were missing. Out of personal friendship and public interest, I tracked them down and found such a shocking case. What? Is there a problem!"

Damn, I was so well prepared!

Taoist Ling was furious and was about to fight back when the leader who had taken the order came back in a hurry and whispered, "The Jiangchuan Huayun is surrounded by the Huazhou Navy warships! The Tongpan Hall sent out sampans to forcibly board the ship, and our people can't hold on any longer! Should we force the other ships on the river to move out?"

The Hebo Station has already blown the Canglong Horn. If we force our way out, we will certainly violate taboos.

If nothing is done and the Tongpan Hall boards the ship to rescue Zheng Xiuyuan and the others, and if these people are instigated to rebel and accuse the hall master of killing people... then the matter will be ruined!

——Damn it! How could it become like this!
Taoist Ling was in a dilemma and said angrily: "How come even the Court of Judges can't stop it!"

Taoist Ling gnashed his teeth, his ferocity rising. The outcome of this matter depended on those merchants! If they were rescued by Li Bailong, the dog officials would have a hundred ways to make them turn against him...

The leader suggested in a low voice: "Military Advisor, do you want to kill them?"

Taoist Ling said angrily: "Shrimp brain! The dead are more talkative than the living!"

Killing people to silence them is a good way to solve the problem once and for all in most cases, but this time the opponent is a perseverant and resourceful villain. The bodies of Zheng Xiuyuan and others falling into Li Bailong's hands are more terrifying than living people falling into his hands! Ling Daoren dare not take risks.

"Order all ships on the river to fully support the Jiangchuan Huayun!"

After hesitating for a moment, he made a decision.

No matter what, we must not let Li Bailong snatch the people away! If one or two of Zheng Xiuyuan and his men fall into Li Bailong's hands, with that fellow's methods, the hall master will definitely be nailed to death!
Thinking that this series of troubles were caused by Ma Fulong, Ling Daoren became more and more annoyed and anxious.

——Damn it, how could Lord Yun let a madman who can’t control himself take on such a big responsibility!

The order was issued, and all the ships of the Cao Gang sailing on the river were to set sail forcibly to hinder the Tongpan Hall from accomplishing its mission. Taoist Ling gathered his energy and, together with Ma Fulong, engaged in a verbal battle with Li Bailong to delay time.

If we can stop the Tongpan Hall, transfer the merchants or resolve the issue, there is still room for maneuver in this matter... We can only hesitate for a while!

However, the enemy's surname is Li.

Soon, the sound of drums was like spring thunder, coming from the surface of the river far away and vibrating densely.

Ma Ling and the other two both changed color!

Huazhou is close to the river, and the people of Huazhou are well-informed. The canal workers were confused and watched the excitement. When they heard the dense drumbeats, they shouted, "The navy is coming! The navy is coming!"

This is the marching drum.

The Yunjiang navy stationed at Xingyun Water Fort set sail.

The Yunjiang Navy is not subordinate to Huazhou, and in the command sequence, there is absolutely no reason for it to obey the orders of the Yunzhou government. However, the troops in the ancestral land of Huangzhou all have a nominal supreme commander.

At this moment, Taoist Ling also felt horrified and powerless.

He looked at Li Bailong as if he were a monster.

When the Canglong horn was blown by the river port, it was stipulated by law that all boats on the river must immediately drop anchor and stop all activities. If they disobeyed orders and set sail, doing their own thing, they would be regarded as bandits and traitors.

Of course, the Caobang ships could ignore the river and port offices and force their way to sea.

But now that the Yunjiang navy has arrived, they can easily suppress the bandits on the river!

The Royal Navy fought a fierce battle with the Cao Gang ships in Yunjiang. There must have been heavy casualties and the consequences were unpredictable. But in the final analysis, the Cao Gang was at fault first. To be honest, the Yunjiang Navy was also fighting against bandits.

Can't find any fault with the program!
The Yunjiang navy was happy to obey King Zhao's orders. Li Bailong completely suppressed the Yunhuatang and achieved his goal. King Zhao won the dispute, and the only one who was hurt was the Cao Gang.

“…Switch the boat.”

Taoist Ling sighed and ordered, "Make it clean."

Li Bailong has made all the calculations, and even directly called in the Yunjiang navy to stabilize the situation. It is obvious that he wants to achieve his goal in one battle. In this battle, he wants to seize the sore spot of the Cao Gang and completely crush the Yunhuatang under his feet... He can only do his best to deal with it!

After giving the order, Taoist Ling's eyebrows raised, and he suddenly looked murderous.

He just shouted, "Master Ma, the innocent are innocent. If you have any grievances, just tell us. The brothers of the Cao Gang will support you!"

Ma Fulong was startled, he had understood Ling Daoren's hint.

What the other party meant was to muddy the water and run away first, but never fall into Li Bailong's hands!

——Has it come to this?
He hesitated in his heart.

It's easy to run away now, but Yun Gong's grand plan will have to be carried out by Ling Dao Ren!
Then what is the meaning of everything I have done so far, all the sacrifices, even hurting my aunt, not even being able to get her to leave, being humiliated and crushed by Li Bailong...all of this?

Reluctance and hesitation arose in my heart.

We are running away like a stray dog ​​now, what should we do in the future?
This unwillingness and hesitation only lasted for a moment, and Li Bailong had already seen the advantage.

He immediately shouted, "Mr. Ling is right! Our Huazhou government is reasonable! Now we only suspect that you are involved in the murder case, but you just need to cooperate with the investigation. After we find out the truth, we will definitely give you justice! You have to believe in the government, and you also have to believe in Mr. Ling!"

Taoist Ling suddenly felt something was wrong.

"While you are cooperating with the investigation, the power and work will be temporarily transferred to Mr. Ling. Just like I have filled in for the prefect, power is not like a wife, so it's okay to give it to him..."

Li Bailong shrugged and said, "After all, what bad intentions could Mr. Ling have? Well, when we met a few days ago, Mr. Ling was still a yes-man, always following your lead. How come he seems to be improving these past two days? He can take charge of things on his own so quickly. You, as a leader, know how to delegate power."

Taoist Ling said angrily: "Shut up!"

Ma Fulong couldn't help but look at him.

Li Bailong then advised earnestly, "In short, if you have any opinions, requests, or grievances, you might as well say them directly. Don't run away. Running away means resisting the investigation and absconding from the crime. If you don't run away and stay and cooperate with the investigation, there will be another great benefit..."

Ma Fulong was so confused that he couldn't help asking, "...what?"

"Brother..." Li Bailong said sincerely, "You can bring your uncle to visit the prison."

(End of this chapter)