My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 213 General Zhang

After discussing the plan with the prefect and the magistrate, Li Bailong went out and returned to Tongwen Bureau.

The Tongwen Bureau was bustling today, with dozens of large carts parked in the vast square in front of the yamen. Elite soldiers with swords and spears were unloading goods from the carts and moving large and small boxes into the yamen.

A general in black armor was also working among the crowd.

The general, with a strong figure and a slender back, was carrying a large box and walking steadily towards the long steps of the Tongwen Bureau. He shouted, "Handle with care, and only carry one box at a time. These are all delicate treasures. If you bump into them, be careful of your skin! I will whip you with a whip dipped in salt!"

The sound was deep and rich, like the sound of an evening bell, and it echoed far across the square.

After hearing what he said, the soldiers who were unloading the trucks first responded with a roar, and then laughed and said, "Young General, every time you say that, you never really fight. It shows that your family doesn't have a deep foundation in martial arts!"

"Brother, drink some wine before you fight me, or I'm afraid you won't have enough energy!"

As the soldiers joked like this, they started laughing wildly.

The general did not take it as an offense and scolded with a smile: "Everyone is a hero in front of me, but why are you like quails when you see my father? You are all pinched... Ouch!"

The warrior was very smart and he noticed Li Bailong approaching when he was halfway through his words.

With a shout, he handed the wooden box to the deputy general, and the young general strode forward.

He was obviously born to be a military commander, with a leopard head, round eyes, a stern demeanor, and a neatly trimmed short beard under his chin. His rough and heroic demeanor was yet restrained in a proper manner. He looked at Li Bailong with a polite and sincere smile.

"Li Zhengjun." He pointed to the men behind him, "We are unloading the cargo."

"General Zhang, you have worked hard."

The young general sent by the emperor's uncle was named Zhang and had a single character, Mao.

The battle for education and common culture in Huazhou has come to a decisive hand. The emperor's uncle sent this man to lead his troops to escort the equipment, which shows that he is trustworthy. Not long ago, Li Bailong went out of the city to greet him and met with him. They had a good chat. When he was outside the city, General Zhang had already frankly introduced himself, saying that his father was the sworn brother of King Zhao.

And this second-generation military man gave Li Bailong a good impression.

He is polite, well-mannered, mild-tempered, tactful and law-abiding, which is very different from his father.

He seemed a pure soldier, accustomed to obey and execute.

"I was ordered by King Zhao to escort the treasures here. My military orders are to assist in the deployment and protection of these artifacts, and on this basis, to fully cooperate with the actions of the King Zheng."

General Zhang said this with a sincere and upright attitude, without any unnecessary behavior.

There are no brainless words or actions such as "With my status, why should I cooperate with you, a small warrior from a second-rate sect" and "What qualifications do you have to be the King Zhao's expeditionary lord? I want to weigh your weight."

The emperor's uncle sent him here probably because he was impressed by his calm and reliable character.

As soon as the two met, Zhang Mao, thinking of his uncle's mission, asked directly: "Just after entering the city, Li Zhengjun was asked to leave by the government office... May I ask if everything is settled?"

"I was just about to tell General Zhang."

Li Bailong then told the story of Ma Fulun's attack and the Cao Gang's secretive actions.

Zhang Mao frowned and asked, "Is it really the Cao Gang who did it?"

"Without evidence and without catching the perpetrators, I can't give a complete guarantee." Li Bailong said helplessly, "But from my point of view, this is most likely a self-torture trick by the Cao Gang."

General Zhang was careful and thought for a moment before slowly saying, "If the Cao Gang only wanted to rescue Ma Fulong, it would not be a big deal. As long as the Emperor's uncle succeeds, Ma Fulong is not worth mentioning. However, when it comes to the struggle for education and culture, the Cao Gang's masters are hiding nearby. We have deployed equipment in Huazhou. If this person sabotages secretly..."

Li Bailong nodded: "This is exactly what I'm worried about."

Zhang Mao turned and looked at his warhorse.

Noticing the master's gaze, a black horse neighed and tossed its head in response.

A snake spear was placed on the saddle, its blade sharp and reflecting cold light.

"If this person was sent by the Cao Gang, then attacking the government office and killing people is already a big mistake. If he was not sent by the Cao Gang, it would be even more of a death sentence..." General Zhang said slowly, "Kill him."

Li Bailong replied: "This person is hiding his head and showing his tail. I am looking for him now."

Zhang Mao nodded and said, "If there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to ask me."

"Thank you."

Such a proposal is also very measured... The troops led by Zhang Mao are foreign troops. If they take on too much responsibility and directly ask for help, it would seem like they are looking down on the local gangs, which is very impolite.

General Zhang said, "The emperor's uncle ordered us to set up the treasures as soon as possible, but Huazhou has now happened. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. What do you think? Should we start setting up the treasures now, or should we find this beast and kill him first, and then arrange and execute them calmly?"

Li Bailong had considered this and replied, "The Cao Gang is doing this to hinder this matter. In my opinion, don't delay it and do it now... Otherwise, if you catch one, the Cao Gang will send another one, and the matter will never end. Once this matter is done, the emperor's uncle will win, and the Cao Gang will naturally stop."

Zhang Mao was obviously relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

"Zheng Jun and I agree."

He smiled and said, "Just be careful... that guy will probably jump out to hinder and obstruct us."

"This is also our chance to lure him out and ambush him."

Li Bailong raised his eyebrows and said, "Back to the point, what exactly did King Zhao send?"

"This object was named 'Beacon' by the former Ministry of Education."

In the main hall of the Tongwen Bureau, desks were moved to the center and huge drawings were spread out.

A man dressed as a clerk was explaining carefully. His surname was Cheng, and he looked to be over fifty years old. It was said that he had worked in the Education Department during the reign of the previous emperor, and had witnessed the entire process of the Education Department from "slightly declining" to "falling to a big A".

Now King Zhao intends to clean up this mess, giving hope to Old Cheng, who was almost optimized.

This technician, who is already the most qualified and capable in the Education Department, was entrusted with the important task of presiding over the technical work of beacon deployment. Old Cheng is very self-conscious and knows that he is not "Engineer Cheng" but "Little Cheng". He dares not show any arrogance and works diligently to explain things to the leaders who really make the decisions.

"A main tower."

He pointed at the blueprint and explained, "It is the central focus of this set of 'beacons'. It is the most important part. It should be defended and protected, and deployed in the central area of ​​Huazhou."

Li Bailong asked: "Where? Do you want to measure it?"

Old Cheng lowered his eyebrows and replied, "In reply to the governor, the center of the city must be the Tongwen Bureau."

Li Bailong's expression changed slightly and he looked at the drawings on the table.

Beacon...

"Besides that, Huazhou is a large city in the upper province. In addition to the main tower, there must be eight guard towers."

Xiao Cheng took out the Huazhou map and pointed to the eight locations he had marked, distributed throughout Huazhou City: "One main and eight deputy. After deployment, start and maintain operation at the same time..."

Li Bailong asked: "What effect will it have?"

The other party was at a loss, and then said in panic: "This... I don't know, and I can't know."

"..."

Ugh.

Engineers don't know the purpose and effect of their work.

How can we run the Education Department well if we have to keep secrets to this extent?
Li Bailong took a look at the "beacon" on the blueprint. This thing was the wonderful tool prepared by King Zhao.

The Emperor's uncle said in the letter with certainty that this thing would come in handy... Not only would it be beneficial to the cause of educating people about culture, it might also be helpful in collecting spiritual power.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, Aozi became alert: "Let me see! King Zhao doesn't understand at all!"

Li Bailong was also very interested.

He had checked the items in the box when he went out of the city to greet them, but unfortunately they were all in the form of parts and were completely incomprehensible, and the old dragon did not sense any fluctuations related to the power of will.

“How do you deploy these things?”

"Just... select a site and build the foundation first, and then directly deploy and assemble the construction." Engineer Cheng stuttered as he explained. The abstract description was mixed with a large number of technical terms, which made Zhang Mao frown.

"Every profession has its own expertise. Let's leave the deployment to the officials of the Education Department. When they are done, we will know whether they have done it well or not."

General Zhang changed the subject. He looked at the map of Huazhou City with a worried look on his face.

"As for our mission... Li Zhengjun, I'm afraid the eight guard towers may be a bit troublesome."

Li Bailong nodded slowly, his expression solemn: "The attacker from the Cao Gang."

"The main tower set up in the Tongwen Bureau is naturally relatively easy to protect. We only need to deploy military formations and set up strict defenses, and it will be difficult for the scoundrels to attack. After all, this is still the Imperial State."

Zhang Mao frowned and said, "But these eight auxiliary towers are located in various places in Huazhou. If the thieves from the Cao Gang attack one of them, we will not have enough manpower and will be overwhelmed..."

Li Bailong thought for a moment and asked, "Mr. Cheng, are all eight auxiliary towers indispensable?"

Cheng Gong whispered, "Okay, it seems to be like this."

Zhang Mao frowned: "As if?"

"General, please forgive me!" Engineer Cheng shrank back, "I only know how to follow the instructions. The register says that one of them is indispensable. If one is missing, the effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

"What effect?"

"No, I don't know. I don't dare to know..."

Zhang Mao also found it ridiculous when he heard this. How could this guy know nothing?
Fortunately, he was a calm man and wasn't angry, but he still complained in his heart.

If Dad were here, you would have been tied to a tree and whipped...

He shook his head helplessly, and said to Li Bailong: "Zheng Jun, do you have enough troops? Including the main tower, we have to defend nine key points at the same time..."

The young general also found this situation difficult to handle. Such passive defense was the kind of battle he hated the most.

Because this is not a problem that can be solved by just putting a lot of people together.

The Cao Gang sending people to cause trouble means that a master who is good at hiding his whereabouts is constantly roaming around and attacking, which will bring huge defensive pressure and involve countless energy.

We have to find a way to kill that thief from the Cao Gang!

Li Bailong thought for a moment and said, "Someone come!"

The officer waiting outside the door came in quickly and heard Director Li's instructions: "Go to the government office and invite the adults in."

Three thousand words, wake up and write, finish writing and then black monkey

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(End of this chapter)