Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 397 Comrades
Mu En ordered all the troops to be cavalry, because if they walked out of the city, they would probably be caught up.

One hundred and twenty-eight riders rushed out of Lin'an City like the wind.

Something happened at Xiangji Temple last night. Although all businesses in Lin'an city are still open today, there are obviously fewer pedestrians on the streets, so driving along the way is smooth.

"Mu Tiju, the Japanese may have already set off at this time. Why don't you and I split our forces? I will go to the front to block them, and Mu Tiju will go to Banjing Hall."

Mu En said: "Okay!"

Mu En immediately led fifty cavalrymen from the Imperial Archery and Horse Station and more than ten cavalrymen from the Imperial City Administration, and continued along the original route towards the main road to Banjing Pavilion.

Liu Shangqiu said: "Erlang, I will go with you to intercept them."

The two men led the remaining sixty or so people towards the canal.

When they reached the bank of the canal, Liu Shangqiu reined in his horse, looked upstream and downstream, and asked, "Erlang, should we chase them downstream or meet them upstream?"

Yang Yuan said: "Ask first."

Seeing a sand boat coming from afar ahead, Yang Yuan ran a few steps to the riverside, then reined in his horse and waited there.

When the big ship loaded with sand slowly came over, Yang Yuan waved at the ship, signaling it to dock.

The boatman saw that it was a group of soldiers armed with swords and guns, so he quickly pulled the boat to the shore and asked tremblingly, "What do you want, sir?"

Yang Yuan asked, "Did you see a government ship during your journey?"

The boatman thought hard and replied timidly, "Sir, I have never seen an official ship coming."

Yang Yuan asked, "Where did your boat come from, and how long has it been on the water?"

The boatman answered respectfully again, and Yang Yuan waved his hand and said, "Go away."

The boatman was pardoned and quickly ordered someone to steer the sand boat away.

Yang Yuan said to Liu Shangqiu: "This sand ship came out in the early morning and has been sailing on the canal for two hours.

Since they didn't see any official ships, the Japanese ships should still be behind them.

We will go upstream and find a narrow area to set up a checkpoint to intercept them."

Liu Shangqiu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Not bad, not bad."

The two men led their men and horses upstream to meet the enemy, and after walking about two miles, they saw a narrow river channel.

There is also a small ferry by the river, with three or two small boats ferrying travelers here.

Yang Yuan and Liu Shangqiu were stationed here. They requisitioned several ferries, took half of the troops across the river, and lined up on both sides of the river to wait.

After another half an hour, a large official ship came from afar, with the flags of the Song and Japanese countries fluttering in the wind.

There were three official ships in total. The first one was a lead ship of the Song State, the back one was a guard ship of the Song State, and the middle one was the Japanese sea ship.

When Liu Shangqiu saw the boat coming, he couldn't help but shout excitedly: "Finally they are here!"

Liu Shangqiu asked the soldiers to wave and shout, signaling to stop the ship.

The Song Dynasty's "escorting envoy" Du Rangmei and "escorting deputy envoy" Yu Jiguang needed to escort the Japanese all the way out of Yanpu Port to complete this diplomatic mission.

It would take two days to go from Lin'an to Yanpu and back, unless they returned overnight.

At this time, at the invitation of the Japanese envoy, Monk Jinghai, the two of them were guests on a Japanese ship.

Monk Jinghai and Government Official Yoshida were all smiles and in very happy moods.

Taira no Kiyomori asked them to come, so they dared not not come. However, they were also very nervous about the possibility of losing their heads.

Now that their mission is complete, they can finally return to Japan.

With this great achievement in hand, I believe Taira no Kiyomori will not be able to make things difficult for them anymore.

Although Hakata Port is in a state of disrepair now, they can still rise quickly after the destruction. Without so many powerful temples and shrines sharing the profits in the future, they can still rise quickly.

"Ah, where is Yagyu Hougan? Why haven't I seen him today?"

Yu Jiguang discovered that the third-in-command of the Japanese delegation, the delegation judge Yagyu Shijutake, had not been seen since early this morning, and he couldn't help feeling a little strange.

Monk Jinghai smiled and said, "Ah, Liu Sheng-kun has caught a cold and has been resting."

At this moment, a man suddenly hurried in from outside the cabin and whispered a few words to Monk Jinghai's ear.

Monk Jinghai's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He smiled and nodded to Du Rangmei and Yu Jiguang, saying:

"I have something to discuss with Deputy Envoy Yoshida, so I'll ask Aoi and Ryoko to have a few drinks with you two."

Monk Jinghai waved his hand, and the four Japanese musicians standing by the side came over slowly and knelt down beside Du Rangmei and Yu Jiguang respectively.

It turned out that there were six musicians in the delegation, two of whom were Kanon and Kona, and the remaining four were real musicians.

Some ninjas returned last night, but Kanon and Kona were not among them.

However, Monk Jinghai was not surprised by this.

Even the senior ninja Yagyu Jushitake died, so it's no wonder that two female ninjas died.

From the beginning to the end, Monk Jinghai never suspected that there was a second possibility for the disappearance of the two female ninjas.

This is thanks to the strong reputation that the ninjas have built up over the years.

Du Rangmei, the Deputy Minister of Rites and the Junior Minister of Rites, frowned when he saw the two girls snuggling up to him, looking a little disgusted.

Although these two musicians did not wear the scary dead makeup at this moment, and had delicate features and charming looks, they represented officials of the Song Dynasty court.

"Dusan, please have a drink." Aoi said in broken and simple Chinese, holding up the wine glass.

Ryoko smiled and took Du Rangmei's arm, squeezing it into her soft breasts.

Mr. Du immediately pulled his arm away and said unhappily, "Ladies, please respect yourselves!"

Although the two Japanese girls did not understand what he said, they could see his unhappy expression and of course did not dare to take any further action.

At this time, Chen Lixing walked into the cabin and waved to Yu Jiguang.

"I'm going to make a convenience!"

When Yu Jiguang saw this, he quickly pushed away the two Japanese musicians who were wrapping themselves around the beauty like snakes, stood up, said something to Du Yuanwailang, and walked out of the cabin.

Yu Jiguang followed Chen Lixing out of the cabin and asked in a low voice: "What's the matter?"

Chen Lixing whispered, "Yaoban, something is not right. Our boat has stopped, and the people setting up the checkpoints are all dressed in military uniforms. They should be soldiers from the imperial court."

When Yu Jiguang heard this, his eyes suddenly fixed.

Even though he had been working as a servant in Banjing Pavilion, he now knew what happened at Xiangji Temple last night.

At this time, soldiers intercepted foreign envoys...

It is not surprising that all major land and water transportation routes in Lin'an should be subject to strict inspection today.

However, the people who were able to intercept the official ship flying the imperial flag could not be ordinary guards.

What made Yu Jiguang suspicious the most was that when the imperial court stopped the people for investigation and Monk Jinghai got the news, he should have told him or Du Rangmei immediately and asked their "companion envoys" to solve the problem. Why did he hide it from them and act sneakily?

A thought suddenly flashed through Yu Jiguang's mind: Could it be that the Japanese ship has hidden any contraband?

There is precedent for this. A Japanese envoy once left in the name of diplomacy, but when it left, it smuggled a large amount of Song Dynasty coins on board to be taken back as the country's currency. As a result, there was a shortage of coins in the market in the Song Dynasty.

From the beginning to the end, Yu Jiguang never suspected that these Japanese were related to the Xiangji Temple case.

Yu Jiguang said: "Let's go and take a look."

……

On the front deck, Monk Jinghai looked at the lead boat that had stopped further ahead and the officers and soldiers riding horses along both sides of the river, his expression extremely ugly.

Yoshida, the government official, said, "Master Kan, what should we do now? Is it possible to conceal this?"

Monk Jinghai said in a deep voice: "Since they intercepted our diplomatic ship which was escorted by the official ships of the Song Dynasty, they must have come prepared."

Upon hearing this, Yoshida, the government official, was immediately panicked and said, "What should we do? We can't afford to be investigated. 25% of the members listed in the entry register have disappeared, and many are injured."

Monk Jinghai gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "If we continue to use the boat, we won't be able to leave."

"What should I do?"

"Dock and seize the horse!"

Monk Jinghai said coldly: "The fastest thing to ride in this world is a horse.

If we seize the horses and run away, they will have no faster way to catch up with us.

We will wait until we reach Yanpu and then hijack the ship and go out to sea!"

Yoshida, the government official, knew that he had no choice but to take a risk. He gritted his teeth and said, "Then, are their 'escort envoys' still useful?"

According to their original plan, they were to wait for the ship to arrive in Yanpu, and then hijack the "escort envoy" as a hostage and go out to sea.

Because arriving in Yanpu means leaving the Song Dynasty, the Maritime Customs will check each person who registered for entry.

How could they possibly explain it clearly when they were missing so many people?

At that time, they would use the two "escorting envoys" as hostages to force the Song Dynasty Maritime Customs to open the gate and let the people pass.

Now that the plan has changed, the two "escort agents" seem to be useless.

Monk Jinghai said in a deep voice: "Kill him! Don't make too much noise.

After killing them, we immediately told everyone to get ready. As soon as the boat reached the shore, we would rush out, seize the horses and run away!"

Yoshida government official responded in a deep voice: "Okay!"

He drew out his sword with a clang, turned around abruptly, and was immediately shocked.

Yu Jiguang, who was walking quickly, stopped in his tracks, hurriedly drew his knife, and stared at Yoshida, the government official, and asked, "Vice-Envoy Yoshida, what do you want to do?"

Yoshida, an official of the government office, held a sword in his hand, with a fierce look on his face.

He tried hard to change his ferocious expression into a smile, but his facial features twisted several times and he failed because it was too difficult.

Monk Jinghai closed his eyes and sighed, "There are only three Song people on our ship. There is no need to hide. Let's just do it."

Du Rangmei and Yu Jiguang were invited by Monk Jinghai to be guests on the Japanese ship, and they only brought Chen Lixing with them to pass messages and run errands.

After listening to Monk Jinghai's words, Government Official Yoshida finally stopped bothering himself with his facial features.

He roared, raised his sword, and pounced towards Yu Jiguang.

Yu Jiguang was terrified. What contraband did these Japanese bring that they actually killed the "escort envoy" just to evade inspection?

Seeing a flash of knife coming towards him on the head, Yu Jiguang roared and raised his knife to meet the knife.

Seeing this, Chen Lixing quickly drew his sword and ran to the side of the ship.

As he ran, he shouted, "Hurry up, the Japanese are rebelling! The Japanese are rebelling!"

In the cabin, Mr. Du poked his head out of Miss Kuisi's arms, wiped his mouth, and asked in confusion, "Who is shouting? Where are the human traffickers?"

……

After Liu Shangqiu stopped the Song Dynasty's leading boat, Yang Yuan abandoned his horse and galloped away. He leaped forward, reached out his hand and grabbed the side of the boat, then jumped onto the deck.

"Yang Yuan of the Mechanical Speed ​​Department and Liu Shangqiu of the Imperial Archery Department, following the orders of the two palaces, have ordered the Japanese envoys to return immediately for investigation."

As soon as Yang Yuan boarded the ship, he showed his badge. He said to the captain who came to meet him, "The decree is in the hands of the Imperial Envoy Mu En. I and the Imperial Envoy Mu will act separately. He has gone to the Banjing Pavilion. If you don't believe me, you can stop the ship and wait for him to come."

How could the captain of the escorting ship not believe it? Didn't he see that there were cavalry on both sides?
At least sixty or seventy riders!
If there hadn't been an imperial decree from the palace, who would dare to mobilize so many cavalry and stop the ships of foreign envoys?

The captain immediately clasped his fists and said, "I understand. But I have not received orders from the superiors, nor have I seen the imperial edict, so I cannot cooperate with the superiors to arrest people. I hope you can forgive me."

Yang Yuan said with satisfaction: "It's okay, just turn the boat sideways and block the way, and your people don't have to do anything."

The captain immediately turned around and shouted, "Did you hear your superior's order? Put the boat across the river!"

The hull began to move slowly sideways.

On the boat behind, Monk Jinghai saw the boat ahead start to turn sideways and knew there was no room for maneuver, so he immediately gave the order: "Dock, dock immediately."

Then, he whispered to several of his trusted followers who had hurried to his side, "Once we get ashore, we will seize the horses and flee along the canal embankment to the Yanpu Wharf."

Chen Lixing rushed to the side of the boat, looked at the cavalry rushing over from the shore and shouted: "The Japanese are rebelling, come and capture them!"

Then he held the knife across his chest in a righteous manner, turned around and shouted, "Yu Yaban, jump off the boat quickly, and stop pestering me!"

After Chen Lixing finished speaking, when several Japanese warriors with swords raised were about to rush in front of him, he leaned back gracefully and fell off the boat in a very handsome manner.

Yu Jiguang became anxious.

"I don't know how to water! That cup of yours!"

Yu Jiguang swore angrily and ran towards the side of the ship.

Several Japanese warriors were blocking him from the front and chasing him from the back. Yu Jiguang knew that if he was caught by them, he would be in danger of death, so he put all his strength into it and moved very gracefully.

Amidst the flashing of swords and sabers, Yu Jiguang managed to rush to the side of a ship unscathed.

Du Rangmei came out of the cabin impatiently, wiping the lipstick marks on her face while shouting, "What happened? Why did the boat stop?"

Yu Jiguang jumped onto the side of the boat and, like Chen Lixing, shouted to Du Rangmei: "Du Shaoqing, the Japanese are rebelling, run away!"

After saying that, Yu Jiguang pinched his nose, closed his eyes, and jumped straight out of the boat.

"brush!"

A bright knife light passed by the place where Yu Jiguang had just stood, and disappeared.

"brush!"

Another bright knife light swept across Du Shaoqing's neck, sweeping out a pool of blood.

……

When the ship in front swung sideways, the Japanese ship following behind took the initiative to move towards the shore.

If Monk Jinghai did not go ashore, the people who tried to intercept him might not be able to board the boat in a short while.

But that is meaningless. This is the territory of the Song Dynasty. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for him.

He had to take the initiative to reach the shore and quickly seize the horses while there were only these cavalrymen.

Just five or six horses would be enough for him and his confidants to escape.

As soon as the Japanese ship docked, the cavalry from the "Imperial Archery and Horse Training Center" launched a charge.

The "Imperial Archery and Horse Training Institute" was originally a place for training grassroots military officers.

Among these cavalrymen, many had fought at sea with Yang Yuan last time.

All a soldier needs to mature is a battle.

Now, in terms of combat experience, combat will and combat awareness, they are already the best in the "Imperial Archery and Horsemen's School".

It was precisely because they were the most outstanding that Liu Shangqiu incorporated them into the cavalry after testing them.

They brandished sabers, held high their spears, and took advantage of the flat mudflats on the shore to launch wave after wave of attacks on the Japanese who had disembarked from their boats.

If the Japanese ninjas were asked to carry out assassinations, stealth, and surprise attacks, they would be experts at it.

But asking them to fight head-on with a group of elite soldiers in such an open area would be a bit too bullying.

Although the elite cavalry of the "Imperial Archery and Horsemen's Corps" in front of them could not compare with the top soldiers in the "Beiwei Army" such as Old Man Song and Old Man Ji, they were definitely not ordinary people either.

In fact, the combat effectiveness of the regular army of the Song Dynasty has always been strong.

Otherwise, in the original history, when the Jin Emperor Wanyan Liang invaded the south, the Song army in Lianghuai was defeated step by step, and the Jin army was like a fish in water.

However, when the Jin army reached Caishiji, Yu Yunwen, a civil servant of the Song Dynasty who went to the front line to reward the troops, hurriedly gathered the defeated soldiers who were scattered along the river and had no one under his command.

These defeated soldiers, numbering no more than 18,000, fought a decisive battle with 150,000 Jin troops at Caishiji. As a result, the Jin army was severely defeated and Wanyan Liang fled in panic.

If the soldiers of the Song army have no fighting ability, how can you expect Yu Yunwen to win?

The Song Dynasty has always been weak in its upper echelons, weak in some people who command the army, especially some people in the government.

Monk Jinghai miscalculated.

The garrison troops stationed in Beijing were already the elite of the Song Dynasty, and the soldiers of the "Imperial Archery and Horsemen's Office" were the elite among the elite.

The Japanese plan to kill people and seize horses was temporarily unsuccessful.

Liu Shangqiu rode his horse and held his spear, leading the cavalry to charge again and again. In just four rounds, he killed seven people by himself, and his blood immediately boiled with excitement.

Yang Yuan let the way boats block the canal, then flew ashore and joined the battle.

Yang Yuan was not riding a horse at this time, but when he fought on foot, he seemed even more ferocious than Liu Shangqiu who was riding a horse.

Yang Yuan charged into the enemy group, with swords flashing and sand flying everywhere.

When he rushed out from the dust cloud with flying sand and rocks, six or seven stiff bodies of Japanese people fell down with the dust.

Liu Shangqiu saw this from his horse and was horrified: "Erlang is not a human being!"

Liu Shangqiu's fourth brother-in-law is also a fierce general, holding a big knife in his hand and is very ferocious.

But in Liu Shangqiu's opinion, if his fourth brother-in-law were to compete with Yang Yuan at this moment, even if Yang Yuan would suffer a disadvantage in fighting on foot, Erlang would be the winner in the end.

Yang Yuan saw Monk Jinghai. After all, Monk Jinghai's black monk robe was quite eye-catching.

Yang Yuan didn't want to leave him alive. In the fierce battle just now, he had already killed the administrative officer Yoshida, so this monk Jinghai could also die.

Monk Jinghai did not know the true identity of "Yang Sanyuan", nor did he know that he was a member of the imperial court. Even if Monk Jinghai was arrested, he might not mention the Hakata Rebellion.

However, one should always be prepared for the worst. Since there is an opportunity to eliminate the hidden danger, there is really no need for Yang Yuan to leave this loophole.

Besides, Monk Jinghai didn't know the details of the assassination, so he was less useful than the surviving ninjas.

With the help of several trusted men, Monk Jinghai finally managed to secure a military horse.

He struggled to climb onto the horse's back, and as soon as he shook the reins, he was about to flee.

Yang Yuan quickly chased after it with the "Eight Steps to Chase the Cicada" move and threw the knife in his hand forward with all his strength.

"Puff!" The steel knife pierced into Monk Jinghai's chest from the back and came out through his chest.

Monk Jinghai widened his eyes and slowly fell off his horse.

At the moment when his consciousness completely fell into darkness, only one thought flashed through his mind: "Can my 'Dashan Temple' be rebuilt?"

……

Dozens of riders on fast horses came galloping over to the bank of the canal. Wherever they passed, the dust on the ground splashed up a winding earth dragon.

Yang Yuan glanced at Mu En and the others who had led the team, held up the loud speaker with both hands, and shouted to Liu Shangqiu: "Brother Qingyang, leave him alive!"

Liu Shangqiu was about to stab a Japanese warrior in the heart with a gun, but when he heard these words, he subconsciously tilted the tip of the gun and stabbed the man in the ribs, then knocked him to the ground with one shot.

Liu Shangqiu held the gun in his hand, holding the reins with one hand, and rolled his eyes at Yang Yuan in a way that was even more coquettish than a woman's.

You've killed the most people, and you still blame me!
Chen Lixing stood shirtless by the canal. The Japanese were no longer a threat, so he wrung his clothes with confidence.

Not far away, a dark whirlpool on the water surface suddenly made a splash, pushing a person who was caught in the undercurrent underwater to the surface.

Chen Lixing was startled and looked carefully. He saw that the man had a belly as big as a drum and was floating on the water with his arms and legs spread out. It was none other than Yu Jiguang.

Chen Lixing quickly dived into the water, swam over and dragged Yu Jiguang, who was like a dead pig, to the shore.

Chen Lixing pressed hard on Yu Jiguang's stomach, and a stream of water spurted out of Yu Jiguang's mouth.

Yu Jiguang, who was unconscious, had just taken a breath when he cursed again: "Your cup!"

……

Mu En, Yang Yuan, and Liu Shangqiu stood together in the bedroom of the Funing Palace.

Behind a curtain, Queen Wu was sitting on a chair.

Empress Dowager Wei was an old lady who had been accompanying Zhao Gou all the time and her energy was already exhausted.

Empress Wu, who was still ill, persuaded the empress dowager to go back and rest for a while while she stayed here.

Fortunately, Liu Wanrong was brought back to the palace. With her helping Empress Wu take care of the emperor, Empress Wu felt a little relieved.

Mu En bowed slightly and said, "Queen, is the emperor doing well now?"

They brought the Japanese back alive from the canal, but the emperor was still unconscious, so Mu En was naturally worried.

Empress Wu said, "The imperial physician examined the emperor just now and said that he is in good condition. However, I think... because of the injury to the lungs, he often feels short of breath, listless and sleepy..."

Queen Wu sighed softly and asked, "Have the Japanese envoys been intercepted?"

Mu En said in a deep voice: "My Lady, I think the Japanese envoy is very suspicious!"

He intercepted the troops led by Yang Yuan and Liu Shangqiu. When the Japanese envoys saw the Song army blocking the way, they immediately killed the "escorting envoy" Du Rangmei, forced the deputy envoy Yu Jiguang to jump into the water and nearly drowned, and finally refused to surrender even after death under the attack of Yang Yuan and Liu Shangqiu.

Mu En said: "All signs indicate that there must be a significant connection between these Japanese and the assassins of Xiangji Temple.

We have captured some prisoners alive, and after reporting back to Your Majesty, I will immediately bring them to trial."

Liu Wanrong, who was wiping the sweat off Zhao Gou's forehead with a wet towel, couldn't help but feel delighted when she heard this.

As an elder sister, of course she is happy that her brother is successful.

And Yang Yuan, with this great contribution, he should be able to return to his post, right?

Empress Wu said: "Mu Qing, go and interrogate the suspect immediately. I want to know the truth as soon as possible."

"I obey your order!" Mu En agreed and retreated quickly.

Empress Wu glanced at Yang Yuan from behind the pearl curtain and her tone became much softer. "Mr. Yang, you were the one who discovered the suspicious behavior of the Japanese, and you and Mr. Liu stopped them. I will remember your contribution."

Yang Yuan was secretly observing the Funing Palace. He thought, "General," the more he knew about this place, the more confident he would be.

Only when Mu En left did he regain his composure, still looking respectful with his head bowed, listening to the Queen's instructions.

Yang Yuan bowed and said, "This is my responsibility, and I should devote all my energy to it."

Empress Wu nodded and asked, "What position does Yang Qing hold in the Privy Council now?"

When Liu Shangqiu heard this, his eyes lit up immediately and he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, Yang Yuan is now a member of the Privy Council, 'ready to be used'!"

PS: I am very worried. When will this debt be paid off? JJM's debt has not been paid off yet, and someone else has come from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean∪∪

(End of this chapter)