Entering Wutou Station, the station manager has already greeted him.
With the help of the guards, Chen Chang got off the horse, moved his numb legs and feet, and rubbed his stiff hands, and said to Hou Andu who came after him: "Master Sikong, I know you are carrying the emperor's responsibilities."
To be honest, this job is not easy to do. But don’t worry, since I promised to return to Jiankang, I won’t have any inappropriate thoughts along the way, don’t you think so?”
Hou Andu smiled and said: "Thank you for your highness. I am on an errand under orders and can't help myself. However, before leaving, the Holy One told me personally that your highness has recently left the country at a young age.
As a hostage, in the hands of the enemy, it is located in a remote place and separated by mountains, so there is no way to return. Returning to Jiankang with His Highness is not only the last wish of the late emperor, but also the wish of the current Holy Emperor."
"There is not a day that goes by that Your Majesty does not miss His Highness. Your Majesty is the nephew of the late Emperor and your cousin. His blood is thicker than water. He has deep family love and always has a deep forbearance. This is why he followed the instructions of previous generations.
The constitution follows the imperial ceremony, and enfeoffs the virtuous relatives of the emperor like those of the Zhou and Han Dynasties. Xiangzhou is strategically located and controls the rivers and mountains. It is a good place to defend the city. It is not that relatives are not suitable to live here. Only His Highness can take this position.
."
Chen Chang sneered and said: "In the past, the Jin State destroyed Lu Hun, and Lu Hun's survivors fled to Chu. They were resettled in the hometown of Yun State, and they called that place Anlu. How does Xiangzhou compare to Anlu today?"
Hou Andu said loudly: "How can it be compared? Today's Holy Emperor follows the late emperor, unites the righteous and martyrs of the world, uses might externally, and internally uses divine force to achieve the hegemony of the enemy. The late emperor suddenly died, and His Highness was far away across the river.
The country is in turmoil, and the whole country is uneasy. Today, the Holy One is in danger, and he is diligent in the affairs of the dynasty. He wades into the current and teaches military discipline. He clears the air in all directions and determines it in all directions. His ambitions are far-reaching, his benevolence spreads far and wide, and his virtues are as strong as the wind blowing grass.
Fu. Your Majesty and His Highness are brothers, and His Highness is also the son of the late emperor. How can we listen to the slanderous words of the villain of the Northern Zhou Dynasty?"
Chen Chang heard what he said was clear and logical, but he couldn't find the right words to refute for a moment. He angrily tossed his sleeves and led the guards into the room.
The originally deserted inn became lively due to the arrival of Chen Chang and others.
Hou Andu smelled the smell of paint as soon as he entered the house. According to Yi Cheng, the doors and windows in some rooms were in disrepair and had just been painted. Yi Cheng did not expect that a wave of uninvited guests would suddenly come so late.
, serving everyone with sincerity and fear, for fear that something is not done well.
In fact, the post station in Houliang does not need to worry about a few Chen Dynasty people, but the post Cheng has been notified long ago and must do his best to protect the Chen Dynasty mission returning from Guanzhong.
Hou Andu also knew that this was someone else's territory, so he was very polite to Yi Cheng.
Not long after, Hou Andu walked into Chen Chang's room happily and said: "Your Highness, it is suitable for us to stay at Wutou Post tonight. Thanks to you, there is a lot of wine and meat in the post.
I have already ordered the postmen to start cooking. I wonder if Your Highness would be so kind as to allow me to have a few drinks with Your Highness?"
Chen Chang nodded slightly. He was returning home as fast as an arrow. He slept in the open air because he was really tired yesterday, so he delayed his trip for half a day. It was true that he didn't have a good meal. Although he didn't
I am happy to be in Andu, but I don’t have to worry about my stomach.
Seeing that Chen Chang had agreed, Hou Andu reported to him the status of the guards and sergeants. As he was speaking, someone suddenly shouted loudly outside.
Following the scolding, a guard hurried into the room to report. Chen Chang shouted angrily: "Why are you panicking? Are there any rules?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, something doesn't seem right about this inn!"
Chen Chang was surprised, and Hou An asked anxiously: "What happened?"
After the guard reported the truth, Chen Chang and Hou An both followed him to the last row of houses in the inn.
It turned out that the guards and sergeants discovered a young woman while on guard, and when they asked the postmen, they all said she was a woman whom the postmaster had just taken in.
When Chen Chang and Hou An both entered the house, the woman was being surrounded by guards and sergeants, commenting on her.
I saw this woman with her back against the wall and her head lowered. Because her face was too dirty, she couldn't see her appearance clearly. I could only estimate that she was less than twenty years old. She was wearing a coarse cloth dress and her hair was messy.
, kept twisting the corners of his clothes with his fingers.
Chen Changqi asked: "What's the fuss about a woman appearing in this station?"
Hou Andu said: "His Royal Highness's safety is extremely dangerous, so naturally I cannot be careless in any way."
Chen Chang looked at Hou Andu out of the corner of his eye, smiled coldly and said: "Humph, she's just an ordinary woman in trouble, why is she so nervous? Someone will bring her some food later and find her some more.
Clothes that fit."
This time, Chen Chang returned to Jiankang with his two concubines. It would be convenient to find some women's clothes.
"No!"
A guard agreed and strode away.
Hou Andu followed Chen Chang out of the room step by step, and then said: "Your Highness, I have to ask Yi Cheng in detail about this person's details."
After saying that, he asked a school captain who was following him: "Colonel Zhou, has Yi Cheng arrived?"
A one-eyed sergeant with a fierce look on his face strode forward, glared at Hou Andu with his only remaining one-eye fiercely, and said in a loud voice: "The general has sent someone to call, I think it will be soon."
I will come over."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a scream from the front yard, and the guards immediately drew their swords to protect Chen Chang in the middle.
Chen Chang was shocked and turned pale with fright.
Hou Andu looked calm and said: "Your Highness, please don't panic, wait for me to go and check." After saying that, he led some of the sergeants to the front yard.
Captain Zhou did not go with him, but led his sergeants to guard the outer circle of the guards.
Not long after, Hou Andu came to report that Yi Cheng was shot to death with a crossbow outside the house where Chen Chang lived. According to the guards, a masked man appeared near the house, apparently trying to do Chen Chang a disservice.
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Hou Andu said: "This Wutou Station is a bit weird. Your Highness, we'd better leave here quickly."
Chen Chang glanced at him coldly: "Lord Sikong, could it be that someone knew that the lonely king would be here and set up an ambush in advance?"
Hou Andu held up his hands and said sternly: "Wei Chen is scared. He failed to eliminate the thieves in this inn in advance. This is Wei Chen's dereliction of duty. But Wei Chen guarantees with his head, it is definitely not Wei Chen who revealed the whereabouts of His Highness. Besides, Wei Chen guaranteed it with his head.
, His Highness decided to take a rest here temporarily, and it was expected that the thief could not have predicted it beforehand. Your Highness, please be patient and wait until the ministers find out the reason, then report back."
Having said that, regardless of whether Chen Chang paid attention to it or not, he immediately led his people back to the front yard.
The one-eyed Lieutenant Zhou and the guards closely guarded Chen Chang in the center. They each held swords, spears, swords, strong bows and crossbows, and their eyes were like torches as they watched the surroundings vigilantly, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Hou Andu was thinking as he walked. He was also wondering who sent the assassin who came to kill him.
People from the Northern Zhou Dynasty? Probably not!
Isn't the purpose of Northern Zhou's release of Chen Chang just to create civil strife in Southern Chen?
There are no two days in the sky, and there are no two masters in the country. Yu Wenhu is eager to see Chen Chang and the current emperor fighting in Jiankang.
In order to ensure Chen Chang's safety in Beizhou, Yuwen Hu even sent an army to protect him.
However, Chen Chang was not willing to express his gratitude and just let them scatter around far away.
The leader of the army, Zheng Junzhu, did not insist on insisting, so he followed Chen Chang.
People from Northern Qi?
This speculation is quite possible. Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Gao Yang, indulged in alcoholism, committed cruelty and indiscriminate killings, carried out large-scale construction projects, and carried out excessive rewards and punishments. He died suddenly due to excessive drinking in October last year.
Although Gao Yang's son Gao Yin inherited the throne, it was his uncle Gao Yan who was really in power. The uncles and nephews were suspicious of each other and guarded against each other. Northern Qi was also suffering from internal and external troubles. At this time, people were sent to assassinate Chen Chang, which caused the conflict between the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Southern Chen Dynasty.
It would also be a good strategy to reduce the war between the two countries and alleviate domestic conflicts.
Of course, there is another possibility.
This guess was so bold that it even made Hou Andu shudder.
If this possibility is true, it means that the Holy Spirit no longer trusts him, and will use him as a scapegoat.
However, he quickly rejected this speculation. Based on his understanding of the current Holy Emperor, this should not be the case.
No matter who sent this group of assassins, they would ruin his affairs, Hou An thought so.
At this time, we must not let Chen Chang get into trouble in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Otherwise, Nan Chen has just experienced the transfer of imperial power, and internal and external troubles still exist, making it difficult for him to make enemies with the Northern Zhou Dynasty again.
Therefore, he ordered people to strictly guard the post station, and at the same time, he gathered all the post soldiers in the post station. His soldiers were everywhere in the post station to take full control.
Facts have proved that Hou Andu's prevention strategy was extremely correct. When he was about to control the postmen, another captain Liu Ming discovered something unusual. Maybe these postmen could hide it from ordinary people, but they
You can't escape Liu Ming's sharp eyes.
It turned out that when the soldiers were calling the postmen to assemble, Liu Ming happened to see a strong and sturdy postman carrying a load and walking quickly towards the kitchen. The man was wearing a green cloth postman's clothes, but he was wearing
He was a little short, judging by the heavy weight he carried, which weighed more than a hundred kilograms, but he walked very quickly, without any sense of laziness like the postmen I had seen in the past. Such a glance left me in awe.
He carefully observed several other postmen, and carefully looked at the paint repair areas in the post, and found an inconspicuous blood stain on a window lattice.
Liu Ming originally wanted to take down these post soldiers quietly, but the other party was also very alert.
In fact, some of these postmen were shocked from the moment they were ordered to gather together.
At night, the night in Wutouyi is like water, the trees are swaying in the wind, and the layers of branches and leaves cast interlaced ink shadows on the wall, making it look strange and strange.
The sound of hurried footsteps, heavy breathing, and the friction of nails sounded one after another in the inn. The murderous intention reappeared in this small inn where the smell of blood had just faded away.
This chapter has been completed!