It is already dark, and the Cangcheng public housing area in Jiangling City has already been sparsely populated. As the core of the entire gang, the patrolling sergeants can still be clearly seen under the light of the brazier, and several of the rooms are even brighter.
brightly lit.
"So fast?" Xie Minghe looked at Staff Zhao who came in, obviously surprised. "What happened yesterday happened tonight?"
"It's something that happens in this city. It would be ridiculous if we have to wait for three to five days for this." Chen Bin, who was sitting behind the desks in the middle of the public room, responded casually, took the wooden folder that was handed to him, and took out the wooden folder.
He picked up the paper record among them. "Is the message confirmed?"
"I'm sure, that woman is a palace maid. She was captured when the queen went south, and then worked in the Jiyin Quilt Factory. Later, she was transferred because she was literate and good at accounting. Now she works with Leader Cao, in charge of logistics accounts, and already has a deacon.
Their identities... I guess I met them when I was receiving the reward." Zhao Dacan, who came to report, lowered his head and handed his hands in front of her. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He didn't know that when he was drinking yesterday, these two people were on top. Otherwise, how would he have met?
About Xiao Liuwen.
"Where is that store?" Chen Bin closed the wooden folder and continued to ask.
"We are already reorganizing and checking, but I know that the store mentioned by the manager is the property of Leader Xu's family..."
"Which leader Xu?" Xie Minghe was extremely surprised.
"Xu Shiying..." Staff Zhao explained carefully.
"Wasn't his house ransacked?" Xie Minghe became increasingly puzzled.
Staff Officer Zhao: "..."
"What do you mean?" Xie Minghe turned to look at Chen Bin.
Chen Bin did not speak, but just gestured with his lips.
At this time, Zhao Dacan carefully explained to Xie Minghe:
"To be honest with Xie, in charge of the division, not long after the raid, and before Xuzhou was invaded, the three chieftains Shan, Wang, and Zhai each took a portion of the land they and their clansmen had received from their military merits, plus the sublease of the farmland.
For the hired workers, each family gave a small village to Chief Xu's family as a gift. The two chiefs of Lu gave a small fleet of boats as a gift. Ding, Guo, Xiahou, Zhang, and Liang jointly gave gifts to the surrounding chieftains of Dongjun.
There were three or four caravans, and there were some treasures... The jewelry that Xiao Liu Wenwen bought this time should also be a palace item. The queen got it from the gang before, and then rewarded it to the leaders, and who gave it to them.
Leader Xu, Leader Xu took it out and sold it in his newly opened shop..."
Xie Minghe was startled for a moment, then he smiled: "It's the same thing everywhere. If the Xie family is ruined, there's no way I can even make a fortune in Jiangdong just by going back."
"The centipede insect is dead but not stiff!" It was Chen Bin who said coldly, but he didn't know who he was mocking.
"Then...where is that wine shop?" Xie Minghe quickly asked.
"What wine shop...?" Staff Zhao panicked. "Is it the wine shop where my subordinate had a drink with Liu Wenwen yesterday afternoon? I..."
"You don't have to worry about it." Chen Bin waved his hand and explained to Xie Minghe. "There is indeed something wrong with the wine shop... When I came to buy the foundation, I was said to be from Wuyang, but the products sold were all Fen wine, and the people transporting the goods were all Hongshan people.
I usually take the Qinghe North Road. Leader Lu of the border patrol team had a discussion with me from the beginning, and they all suspected that they were coming from Wu'an."
"Really a spy?" Xie Minghe was extremely surprised, and then he immediately reacted. "You knew he was a spy, but you still took me there?"
"We can't call them spies. They are just doing business normally, listening to news and reporting. Moreover, it is not easy for Wu An to talk to us about friends and foes." Chen Bin explained. "The kind of spies you think are very rare...
Unless they are in battle, most spies are like this, and all the information they hear is public, so just keep it in your mind."
At this point, Chen Binfu looked at the stunned Staff Officer Zhao again: "Old Zhao, you just have to know what's going on in your mind. Don't scare the snake. You should go and talk about it. It's no big deal."
Kuaishan Zhao could only nod.
"Where are other places?" Xie Minghe couldn't help but continue to ask. "I won't ask about Jiangdu, but what about Dongdu? Where about Hejian? Are there such spies?"
"On the contrary, there are less in other places. There is none in Hejian, but there is it in Youzhou, and there is none in Dongdu, but there is it in Yecheng, and there is it in Jijun... Especially in Yecheng, it is similar to what you think." Chen Bin did some popular science.
"But that's not what you should ask. Just know that Liu Wenwen was not hooked up by a spy."
Xie Minghe nodded, and Zhao Dacan also wanted to leave.
"Wait a moment." Manager Xie thought of something and suddenly stepped forward and wrote a note on Chen Bin's desk, then turned to hand it to the fast-legged Staff Officer Zhao. "I haven't received my reward. Thanks for your hard work, tomorrow
Find Chief Cao for me, get a piece of silk from him, and give it to Xiao Liuwen, saying it is my personal gift... I have to visit Xiangguo County tomorrow, and I don't have time to take care of it myself."
Staff Zhao was stunned for a moment, then nodded immediately and looked at Chen Bin at the same time.
"You are quite troublesome." Chen Bin waved his hand to signal the other party to leave, while scorning his old friend's actions.
"To borrow a word from Zhang Sanlang, politics without human feelings cannot last long." Xie Minghe sighed. "But you, on the other hand, can't even show this posture. Can you really do anything?"
At this time, Staff Officer Zhao had just gone out. Chen Bin naturally became irritated when he heard this: "Why are you still talking about this?"
Xie Minghe just shut up.
Just like that, the next day, it was not said that Xie Minghe went to Xiangguo County to do something, but that Zhao Dacan went to the back of Cangcheng, but did not see Cao Xi... As a rare female leader in the gang, Cao Xi was responsible for very complex matters.
And there are always new jobs. The person responsible for distributing the fine items and gift coupons here in Cangcheng is Ji Sanniang in Cao Xi Camp. She is only the same level as Counselor Zhao. She is Xiao Gao, a well-known fighting general in Doulide Camp.
Mrs. Zhao Dacan handed over the note and asked Ji Sanniang to get a piece of silk for Xie Minghe.
Xie Minghe is an old bachelor and has no shortage of money. He eats on the porch, eats before camp, or simply works with Chen Bin. He has always kept his rewards, but Ji Sanniang is young and nimble, and asks people to collect them.
, but on the other hand, I can’t help but be curious:
"Zhao Dacan, this is the first time for Chief Xie to ask for something, and it's just a piece of silk... What do you want to do?"
Staff Officer Zhao looked away from a female historian who was keeping accounts at the far end of the warehouse. The pearl and gold phoenix hairpin on the latter's head was particularly conspicuous, so he also smiled and replied: "I'm not thanking the leader for his own use, but for others... It's a coincidence."
, the day before yesterday, Xiao Liuwen saved a lot of gift coupons, and only exchanged them for a piece of jewelry with pearls and golden phoenix hairpins. Leader Xie happened to be passing by and saw it, and he felt that Xiao Liuwen didn't know the rules. If he gave such a gift, he would use silk if he was good, and he would use silk if he was bad.
If you use linen, there must be some fabric to match it... So I asked me to come and get a piece of silk and give it to Liu Wenwen, so as not to be laughed at by the woman when I actually go to give the gift and lose our face on stage. "
Ji Sanniang was stunned for a moment, not knowing that Chief Xie still cared about this matter, so she just handed over the silk and sent Zhao Da Shen out. When she returned to the warehouse to settle the account, she stared at the pearl and gold phoenix hairpin that was dangling around.
By the afternoon, everyone in Cangcheng, both men and women, knew about this matter.
After eating on the verandah and dispersing, the whole Jiangling City will probably know about it.
Others did not mention it, except that Cao Xi, leader Cao, had been busy all day. In the afternoon, he went to Cangcheng to listen to the report and had dinner, and then returned to his residence in the west of the city. He thought that he and a hired man were the only ones at home to cook.
Unexpectedly, Dou Lide, who had been inspecting the farmland for more than ten days, had returned, and several old brothers from Gaojibo had also returned together.
The age gap between the couple is slightly larger. They have been married for two or three years, and they spend less time together and more separation. It is not necessarily a deep relationship, but Cao Xi's brother Cao Chen is the backbone of the group, and when Dou Lide is away, he is basically Cao
Xi struggled to maintain it together with other family members, so the group itself was still very strong, and it also played a considerable role in fixing their marriage.
In addition, as Cao Xi gradually rose to prominence in the gang, Dou Lide was actually very supportive, unlike many people's subconscious reactions. This really made Cao Xi feel quite grateful to her husband.
She is not a Bai Sanniang. People like Ma Ping'er are naturally full of cultivation and charlatanism. How could she have ever thought that she would have a career of her own? Her husband can support her, no matter what the reason, which makes her feel very lucky.
But now that her identity was there, Leader Cao wanted to cook, but was stopped by someone, so she was more or less invited to take a seat first.
However, after drinking for three rounds, these people gradually became dissolute. Cao Xi still took the opportunity to leave the table, went to the kitchen to help the cook prepare a few vegetables, and then hid in the side room early, using the skills she had learned recently.
A few words, carefully but roughly recording the day's work, and trying to recall what I did wrong and what I did OK.
The commotion at home lasted until the second watch, when the quiet street drums began to play outside. Probably because they were afraid that drunkenness would cause trouble and offend someone in the city, the banquet quickly dispersed.
After finally packing up their things, the couple went to bed and turned off the lights. Dou Lide did not return for many days, so they inevitably talked about some gossip, but it was mainly Chief Dou who came to ask Chief Cao about various matters here.
Of course Cao Xi didn't hide anything, so he talked about it one by one.
"Nowadays, the gang is becoming more and more powerful everywhere. People come from everywhere to pay homage to the mountain. The border is also honest. If the crops in the fields were not confiscated, I guess there would be people running here." Dou Lide listened.
For a while, I just yawned on the couch and sighed. "Chief Zhang's power in the gang is getting bigger and bigger, and basically no one can shake it. Several leaders have established their own positions, and they dare to disobey without seeing anything."
…”
"Who says it's not?" Cao Xi also agreed with this. "The uncle of the leader, Xiao Zhou, actually decided to rebel because the chief became the chief. The other companies also had similar thoughts and felt that only the chief became the chief.
Only by helping us can we be stable, and the war in Xuzhou must be put behind us."
"Chief Xiao Zhou..." Dou Lide sighed quietly. "I also just found out that he is a kind of Nanchen general. His father is dead and he still has an uncle. With such a background, he actually followed Chief Zhang to rebel alone that day. He actually believed that he was a general.
Is Chief Zhang the only one who can avenge him?"
"It's hard to say. Back then, his uncle didn't dare to rebel. Only Chief Zhang dared to rebel. Naturally, he would follow Chief Zhang."
"It makes sense." Dou Lide paused for a moment after responding, but continued. "I have been investigating the farming affairs in the north these days, and I have had more contact with Xu Shiying, who is in charge of the northern defense line. In the past, I only met face to face, not
What do you think? Now I feel that this person is really a great person. He is good at literature and martial arts, and his cultivation is also amazing. I think he will almost become an elixir..."
"There are too many capable people in the gang." Cao Xi sighed sincerely. "Not to mention King Xiongtian, Bai Sanniang, etc., isn't the leader single powerful? Such a person, if he didn't rebel back then, he would be a gangster, and if he rebelled, he would
Big boss, when he saw us, a group of orphans and widows, he could still behave like that... and he was also very capable at fighting."
"That's not what I mean." Dou Lide explained after listening patiently. "I want to say that for such a powerful person as Xu Shiying, Chief Zhang ransacked his home and raped his boss, but he could still be honest and honest.
, Xuzhou worked hard during the First World War, and also worked hard to build defense and organize troops when he came to Hebei... Recently, Chief Zhang asked him to create a matching document system for practitioners and officers in each battalion, as well as practitioners and officers directly under Chief Zhang. He also
He did it in an orderly manner, and even asked me to sign my name, saying that we would release it together after the New Year... You think, how can Chief Zhang be so able to win people? I used to think that he was more benevolent and righteous than me. But Xu
How can benevolence and righteousness explain the matter of Shiying? I'm afraid he is really a bit intimidating and fearful, just like a wolf and a sheep... But if this is the case, where is Chief Zhang's authority? How did he let a person like Xu Shiying
Why is it so scary? I never understood it."
Cao Xi listened carefully, and after a while, she asked seriously: "Aren't you afraid of Chief Zhang?"
Dou Lide was stunned on the spot, but he immediately reacted: "Madam, are you afraid of Chief Zhang?"
"I'm still quite scared." Cao Xi replied in a low voice.
"How to say?"
"It means...it means that Chief Zhang has too many ideas."
"If he has many ideas, he can be said to be smart at best. Should we be afraid of this?"
"That's not what I mean." Cao Xi explained slowly. "It means that Chief Zhang's ideas are different from what we usually use, but they all work; and it's not one idea or two ideas, but a bunch of ideas.
; It’s not just such miscellaneous little ideas, there are also major ones such as new laws and new military systems; what’s more terrible is that these ideas are in a series, not individual... It’s like there are so many ideas in a person’s mind
It's like he has saved the whole world, but this world is still different from the world he is used to. Logically speaking, it should be just his random thoughts at this time, but in the end, he just saw people and things in more than a dozen counties.
It seems that it can work even if it all depends on his idea... Isn't this scary enough? The Supreme Immortal is nothing more than that."
Dou Lide thought for a while and remained silent for a while. He muttered half a day later: "Don't you still mean that you have great ability? I really can't think clearly, just think it is what those people said, it was taught by Black Emperor.
"
Cao Xi wanted to continue saying that the Black Emperor's rules are not like this in the North... But after thinking about it, she still didn't speak. Instead, she talked about the interesting things she encountered in Cangcheng today, that is, Ji Yin came.
Xiao Wenwen Liu spent all his money to buy a gold phoenix hairpin with pearls. However, Chief Xie saw it and disliked him for not knowing how to carry a piece of cloth. As a result, before the silk was replaced, the gold phoenix hairpin was worn on his head.
Cao Xi said happily. Dou Lide listened vaguely, but he was obviously not interested in the matter. He soon became tired and just said casually:
"Thank you for your great contribution to going to Jiangdu this time. When the next decision is made, you will be the big boss... Xu Shiying and Xiao Zhou have also made a lot of contributions in Xuzhou. I wonder if they will get the big boss.
Both of them have something to say."
Cao Xi had no choice but to respond in vain, looking a little sleepy.
However, just when the couple was about to fall asleep, Dou Lide suddenly got excited and sat up on the spot: "Then what...where is the little girl now?"
"I'm... working as a border patrol under Chief Lu." Cao Xi didn't know why and hurriedly answered. "She begged the chief many times and finally found a suitable place. This way, when she turns eighteen in two years, she can accumulate
She has the qualifications to join the army directly... She is very familiar with the terrain around Qinghe, and her cultivation level is also fast, so it doesn't matter."
"I know, I know, I'm not worried about this..." Dou Lide hurriedly responded, but carefully lay down and asked. "You think, with so many marriages happening recently, shouldn't we also find a husband for our little girl?"
Cao Xi was stunned for a moment, and then laughed dryly: "That's what I said, but it's really hard for me to interrupt in this matter... Who does your husband like?"
"To tell you the truth, when I first met the person, I thought that maybe I could be a concubine for Chief Zhang." Dou Lide said seriously.
"Don't be joking..."
"Just thinking about it, I gave up a long time ago when I saw Bai Sanniang." Dou Lide continued. "But this time, isn't it about Leader Xiao Zhou and Xu Shiying? Both of them are young, not married, and both
suitable."
"That's true." Mrs. Cao thought about it for a while, but she felt that there was something strange about it, because she instinctively realized that her husband's "suitability" may not be what she thought. "How should I say it specifically?"
"Xu Shiying is an old member of the gang when he founded the gang. He has no qualifications or abilities. Not to mention that the position of the big leader will come back sooner or later. Even now, he is actually responsible for the important task alone." Dou Lide analyzed carefully. "And he also has
I am related by marriage to King Xiongtian, and he is also the leader among the leaders of Dongjun... If I can marry him, the benefits will not be too many. I felt it when I went to Henan this time. What I can do in Hebei cannot be done there.
, it’s because the people in Henan don’t recognize me.”
"But……"
"I know, I know, it's just too utilitarian." Dou Lide continued seriously. "It's too obvious, everyone can think of it. Therefore, even if the chief wants to unite the north and the south, he may not agree with me, the leader of Hebei, to act like this.
The marriage of a key figure may lead to beatings, and the gains outweigh the losses... From this point of view, Leader Xiao Zhou is a lot more suitable. He is the chief's confidant, and there is also a faint Dongdu Fulongwei behind him, the leader of Jing'antai
The factions, Bai Sanniang, Wang Zhen, Prefect Qian, Leader Lu, including Xie Fen, can all talk about it, not to mention he has a close uncle who separatized the three states."
Cao Xi felt helpless. Her husband was her Achilles heel. She was thinking about managing her power and strengthening her gang, just to support herself in doing things. I'm afraid it was for this purpose, rather than like her brother.
, I only see myself doing things happily and showing off my face, so I support it.
As soon as she thought of this, she simply reminded: "Husband, are you sure that whoever you ask my wife to marry can be her? I can't control her, and you can't control her. If you make her anxious, she can still find someone to marry."
If the chief makes the decision and makes a fuss, shouldn’t Chief Zhou and Chief Xu have to avoid them?”
When Dou Lide heard this, he only froze on the couch for a while. Finally he was discouraged, but he was unwilling to give in: "In a few days, I will find an opportunity and have someone send a letter to ask her! Who else can she find better than Xu Shiying and Zhou Xingfan?"
Isn’t there a good place to go?”
After saying that, he turned over in bed, yawned and fell asleep.
Mrs. Cao was left alone, listening to the sound of crickets coming from nowhere outside the window, feeling inexplicably sleepless.