A river of clear water passes through the city, and ten miles of green mountains half enter the city.
At the juncture of the continuous war in Jinghu and the internal struggle for power, Xiangyang City, as an important pass for the southern waterway transport, began to quickly regain its vitality.
Outside the city, construction is in full swing, the towering city walls are reinforced, and the moat is constantly widened.
Not only was the width increased to sixty feet, but under the command of Tao Zongwang, the craftsmen also left a water outlet and a control gate in the southwest and south canals of the city. When the water in the moat was shallow, the water from the Xiang Canal was introduced.
A water outlet was left in the northeast of the city and a gate was set up. When the moat overflowed, the gate was opened and released into the Han River to adjust the water level of the moat and ensure the safety of the city.
The Ministry of Engineering worked very hard, and Tao Zongwang even felt the joy of construction. As for whether Fang La was happy or not, he didn't know.
The inside of the city has changed even more.
It turns out that when Guo Kang was wreaking havoc in this area, the wealthy families fled first. If they didn't flee, their homes would be confiscated and their families would be exterminated. The common people would follow suit, and if they didn't flee, they would be captured and made into young men.
Now, on the other hand, after receiving the news, people flocked back one after another. Even the people who were not from Xiangyang originally gathered here with their families and families in order to avoid the war.
As a result, in addition to starting to train naval forces in the Han River, the Yan army also had to send manpower to limit the number of people entering the city.
After all, the scale of Xiangyang City is so large. If the city is besieged in the future, the food in the city cannot bear too much pressure.
As for the crowds that came over, there was no need to drive them away. They could just send them directly to Luoyang, which had been repeatedly devastated by the Liao army and Zhang Xian's thieves before, so that their vitality was severely damaged.
When Li Yan and Qiao Daoqing brought Wang Qing and Song Jiang into Xiangyang City, they saw people flowing northward in an orderly manner. Yang Xiong, who had been waiting for the news for a long time, stepped forward and saluted: "Senior Zuoming, I have seen you."
!”
In order to deal with Mingzun, "Zuoming" specially asked King Yan to appoint two helpers.
One is Qiao Daoqing from Erxian Mountain, who came specifically to break Ming Zun’s illusion;
The other one is Yang Xiong, the confidential minister of the Dudu Mansion, who came specifically for southern intelligence.
At this time, Yang Xiong presented the list: "The identities of the eight guardians of the cult have been confirmed, their connections have been collected, and the special attack department has dispatched personnel!"
Li Yan took the list, read it carefully, and was pleased with Yan Ting's increasing efficiency: "Okay!"
Wang Qing thought of these protectors who had the virtue of humility in Ming Zun's words, and subconsciously raised his head.
I saw that the people above were distributed in various states and counties in the south, including Jinling and Jiangling. They were not only wealthy merchants, but also local gentry and noble families, all of whom were prominent figures.
But there is no doubt that the fact that this group of people can have such wealth and status is inseparable from the support of Ming Zunjiao.
The believers in the middle and lower classes rely more on faith, while the connections at the top rely on interests. Of course, there are also people who are devoted to King Ming.
Wang Qing obviously values all interests. This time, he felt that he was deeply dragged down by Mingzun, and secretly gritted his teeth: "Mingzun's sect must be destroyed!"
He originally served well as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but Fang La achieved great achievements and he was able to lift the boat. However, Fang La was defeated. First, the Fang family and the most hard-working generals such as Wang Yin and Shi Bao died. In the end, he was pushed to the front, and there was no room for mistakes.
There is a possibility that we can hunt directly north to Xiangyang...
So at this moment, Wang Qing really hated Ming Zun and asked impatiently: "Senior, is Ming Zun really a descendant of Chu Xiang?"
Li Yan shook his head: "How can they be the real descendants of Chu Xiang after more than a thousand years apart? The so-called descendants of famous people have high credibility within a hundred years. They can be traced back hundreds of years and have survived wars without being destroyed."
They are usually those high-ranking nobles from the previous dynasty."
"Even the high-ranking gentry, such as the Five Surnames and Seven Families, actually basically made their fortunes during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and many of them engaged in false pretences."
"When was Chu Xiang? It has been 1,300 years ago. There are absolutely no descendants. Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Bo surrendered to Emperor Han Gao and was given the surname Liu and changed his name to Liu Pan. It is most likely that it has been passed down to today's Xiang Bo.
The bloodline of the clan should be people with the surname Liu, and they have been lost to everyone for a long time."
Thinking that the Xiang family now has the surname Liu, Wang Qing couldn't help but sigh: "So that's it..."
Li Yan continued: "However, it is too common to randomly identify one's ancestors. For example, Ma Yin in the Five Dynasties separatized Hunan. This man was named King of Chu by Zhu Wen, but he claimed to be General Fubo of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Even after nearly a thousand years, Ma Yuan's descendants still dare to identify him randomly."
"Many rulers who were born in poverty will be like this after reaching high positions. Firstly, they have a glorious ancestor, which makes it easier to get recognition from all walks of life. They also have an inflated vanity and begin to forget their roots and feel that they should have been born noble."
"My judgment on Ming Zun's identity is not based on blood inheritance, but on psychological analysis... General Song, what do you think?"
Song Jiang didn't expect that this person would ask him for his opinion. A flash of hesitation flashed across his dark face, and finally he said: "Mingzun has so much power, but he has always been low-key and lurking. He is always unwilling to accept it. If this person is really named Xiang
, using Chu as the country's name should reflect the desire for power, and also the intention to steal the country's destiny in the end..."
Wang Qing always thought that he understood people's hearts, but he understood it completely after hearing this. He couldn't help but look at this imperial general with admiration.
Li Yanze knew that the other party's reading of the heavenly book was not in vain, and nodded slightly: "It is for this reason that General Song really understands people's hearts."
Song Jiang said: "I got a hint. I am far less discerning than your Excellency. I can deduce so much from just one king's title..."
Li Yan said: "This is not a conjecture, just a guess. There are too few clues, so it can only be like this. If it hits, it depends on luck rather than clear observation."
Song Jiang actually thought so too, but when the other party said it like this, he couldn't help but feel heavier.
As this person just said, people with higher status often have inflated vanity and begin to forget their roots. They have a blind self-confidence and think that whatever they do is right. It is good if they can accept advice with an open mind. If they can clearly understand themselves
That's really scary.
This greatest treacherous person in the world belongs to the latter group.
Thinking that the King of Yan had occupied the Central Plains, and that there were people like this supporting him in his struggle for the dragon, Song Jiang felt more and more the court was in danger and was worried.
"Songjiang, Songjiang, the country of the Song Dynasty, can we resist it on our shoulders?"
Li Yan looked at this short dark man and found it quite interesting.
He doesn't like Song Jiang, but he won't belittle him either.
Compared with the CCTV version of Song Jiang, who was severely weakened and relied on the halo of the protagonist to make all the heroes worship him, the Song Jiang in the original work is very capable, especially good at uniting people, managing organizations, and has charisma. He is a local leader.
Good stuff for the leader.
For the mainstream thinking of people in this era, Song Jiang can be regarded as a good man in Liangshan and fought for a good way out. But for later generations, this man was loyal to the corrupt court during the Huizong period of Song Dynasty, knelt down to corrupt officials, and devoted himself to his life. In the end
The brothers suffered heavy casualties. None of the old slogans were realized, and the appearance became very abominable.
Now Song Jiang does not need to be a thief first and then recruit people. This petty official was gloriously appreciated in the shaky court, his status rose sharply, and Fang La extended his hand to recruit people...
Things are truly wonderful.
After thinking about it, Li Yan began to arrange the specific work: "One of you has stolen Fang La's power, and the other is unknown to the court. You are both involved in Mingzun's calculations. The so-called entanglement of cause and effect, this search is also carried out by you.
Yang Busi, take them to the secret room..."
Yang Xiong accepted the order: "Yes! You two come with me!"
Walking into the house, looking at the high stack of documents, Yang Xiong introduced: "These are the lists of officials, squires, and wealthy households from all walks of life. If you want to find people, you can start with this stack of Jinghu South Road...
…”
Song Jiang and Wang Qing were shocked. They quickly came to the table and looked through it.
What is recorded in it is indeed a summary of the situation of important social figures from various parts of the South.
The official part was obtained from the official department of Bianjing. Zhao Ji fled in a hurry when he fled south, and a large number of documents were not taken away. They were all peacefully taken over by the Yan army, saving a lot of time.
The civilian part is organized by the secret department, which has dispersed spies into the southern states and counties early on, and continuously reports intelligence.
"Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger. The Yan army is really terrible!"
The more Song Jiang watched, the more frightened he became. The Song Army had almost no sources of information from the north, and its gaze could only be limited to the south of the Yangtze River. On the other hand, the north knew the Song court's movements clearly...
Such an intelligence gap cannot be tolerated by both armies of equal strength. What's more, the combat effectiveness of the Western Army is still deteriorating. A Jiangling Mansion that is easy to attack and difficult to defend can stop them for a long time...
"The gap is too big. Even if I can safely seize Fang La's foundation, how can I resist Yan's army once it goes south? It's really better to let Fang La be the lord and I be the minister. When I surrender, I can still be an official in the new dynasty.
Job…”
Wang Qing also sighed secretly. After seeing the vitality of Xiangyang City, and then seeing this gap in specific work, he was basically despairing.
Not to mention that the entire Jingxiang is not occupied now, even if it is occupied, compared with the Yan army, which dominates the essence of the Central Plains, I don't know where to win...
While the two were quite dejected, they looked at each other again and realized that they had the same idea: "Find Ming Zun first. Only if this person dies can we survive!"
Under the supervision of Yang Xiong, Song Jiang and Wang Qing started working with a group of officials.
Li Yan and Qiao Daoqing were chatting and drinking tea not far away, discussing the techniques of illusion.
Facts have proven that a clear division of labor is conducive to work efficiency.
Soon, the Xiang family on Jinghu South Road was found and handed over to two people for investigation. Then the scope was expanded to the surrounding areas, and finally the social relations of the eight guardians were cross-compared.
With Mingzun's careful and prudent way of dealing with things, under normal circumstances, he will not let his true identity be closely connected with the protectors under his command, so as to avoid the protectors being exposed and implicated.
Of course, this is not completely absolute, but it is still of great reference value during the screening process.
So, just over an hour later, Song Jiang and Wang Qing presented a short list:
"Xiang Shi'an, whose courtesy name is Pingfu, is from Jiangling Prefecture on Jinghu North Road and knows Ezhou;"
"Xiang Yong, courtesy name Boda, is from Songxi County, Jianzhou, Fujian Road, and is currently the county captain of Changsha;"
"Xiang Long, whose courtesy name is Fengming, is from Shezhou, Liangzhe Road. He is now an official and lives by the Dongting Lake;"
The Xiang family is a small surname, so there are not many people, and there was a screening process, and in the end there were only three people.
Li Yan looked at it and handed it to Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiongxin understood this, and immediately took people to summon the rural gentry and noble families in Xiangyang City, asking if anyone recognized these three people, and began to add specific information, such as which imperial examination session, official connections, hobbies, relatives and friends, etc...
When this information came back again, it was already dark, and one piece of paper had turned into three rosters.
Li Yan looked at it and his breath was calm.
Wang Qing and Song Jiang stood in front of them, breathing quickly and becoming nervous.
According to this person, the investigation from Xiang's family was just speculation and there was no real evidence. However, when they just searched, they felt a strange feeling, as if the target they were looking for was really hidden among this group of people.
In addition, since it is related to my own safety, of course I am eager to succeed.
After reading it, Li Yan said calmly: "Are you two impressed by Zhu Dan, the prefect of Jiangling Prefecture?"
Their expressions changed immediately.
Wang Qing first said: "Of course, this person also believes in King Ming. He initially took refuge in Fang La and was persuaded by the sect. He also cooperated with me a lot before..."
Song Jiang said in a deep voice: "My brother Wang Ying died because he wanted to instigate rebellion against this person..."
Li Yan handed over the list: "Xiang Long is Zhu Dan's father-in-law. Zhu Dan is forty-two years old this year. He only has a five-year-old only son. He regards it as a treasure and loves it extremely. The biological mother of Xiaoyanei is Xiang Longzhi."
female."
Qiao Daoqing was not good at this and had not spoken before. Hearing this, his eyes became serious: "Is this person Ming Zun?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I remembered something from this."
Li Yan shook his head slightly and looked at Wang Qing: "You said before that Mingzun usually sees you after Xu Shi, but not long after Wang Ying died, he made an exception to see you in advance?"
Wang Qing nodded repeatedly: "That's right!"
Li Yan looked at Song Jiang again: "Your men, Mu Hong and Mu Chun, took Zhu Dan's only son Xiaoyanei out of Jiangling Mansion and into Song Camp?"
Kidnapping a five-year-old child was obviously a scandal, but Song Jiang knew he couldn't deny it and whispered: "Yes."
But then, Li Yan's words sent chills straight to Tianling: "You two are in pairs, are these the same day?"
As the two spent time together, Wang Qing groaned: "No way..."
Song Jiang's face changed drastically: "No! I gave the child to my brother to take care of!"
…
"We must rescue my brother. We must see him alive and his body before he dies!"
In the Song military camp, Li Kui's broken gong voice resounded in all directions, and occasionally Zhang Qing and others cursed, creating a quarrel.
"Wow wow wow - wow wow -"
Outside the tent, Song Qing hugged Xiaoya Nei and coaxed the child: "Don't cry, don't cry! Alas, he should have been sent to Jiangling Mansion long ago, why are you keeping this child?"
Just when he had a headache, the cry of the child in his arms slowly stopped.
At some point, two figures hung above, looking down: