It was approaching dawn, the sky was dark, and the rain was pouring down and it still didn't stop.
Pei Xingjian returned to the town office, took off his soaked clothes and put on dry official robes. He sat on a chair and drank a cup of hot tea. With a heavy heart, he refused the breakfast served by the cook.
The warehouse explosion was too strange. If it were really pointed at Fang Jun, it might not end well.
Huating Town is where Fang Jun’s foundation lies. Whether it’s the ground-breaking production team model here, the wharf as the heart of the shipping company, or even the countless gold and silver salt fields along the coast, it’s all the result of Fang Jun’s years of hard work.
A lot of hard work.
To be able to entrust such a foundation to Pei Xingjian's hands shows how heavy this trust is.
But now, there has been such a big oversight in Pei Xingjian's hands...
How to live up to this trust?
I looked up at the pouring rain outside. It was still dark. The officials and servants in the courtyard were all wearing raincoats and rain gear, walking in a hurry and coming and going in a hurry.
Everyone knows that such a big event has happened. If the imperial court pursues the case, no one here will be able to stay away from it. In the worst case, they may even be escorted to Beijing to be interrogated by the three divisions...
Killing weapons like Zhentian Lei are really too important!
How could the emperor let go of so much lost at once? This matter would never stop until the whereabouts of the lost thunders were traced.
Under the curtain of rain, an official wearing a raincoat came quickly and entered the house.
"Long history!"
"How's it going?"
The official let the rain drip on his forehead and replied solemnly: "We have searched Wu Laosan's home and found no large sum of money. However, his wife revealed that Wu Laosan went crazy after drinking five days ago and said he owed a huge sum of money.
Due to gambling debts, he even wanted to sell his two girls, who were not yet hair-haired, to a brothel to pay off the debts. His wife threatened to die, so Wu Laosan gave up the idea. From that day on, Wu Laosan never came home."
Pei Xingjian's eyes lit up: "You haven't gone home for five days? So he has been on duty at the dock?"
The official said: "Of course not. Soldiers on night duty have to stay awake all night, so the soldiers on night duty at the pier are on duty for one night and two days off. Wu Laosan was on duty last night and last time he was on duty.
The value should have been three days ago, but there is a record at the dock that Wu Laosan did not arrive three days ago when he took leave."
"That is to say, since the last time Wu Laosan had a fight with his wife at home until he was on duty last night, this man was neither at home nor at the dock for several days, so where does he live?"
"The official has already sent people to investigate. As long as the targets are brothels and gambling houses in Suzhou City, they must be in these two places."
Pei Xingjian nodded slowly and praised: "Well done! Send more manpower, block the news, and investigate in secret, so as not to cause trouble in the city."
The official smiled bitterly: "I will do my best."
Suzhou City is a prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River. There are many aristocratic families in the city, many merchants, and countless brothels and gambling houses. If you want to investigate which house Wu Laosan lives in, you must go to each house one by one, so as not to arouse the alert of interested people.
Easier said than done?
But there was no other way. Although the navy was powerful, it had no foothold in Suzhou City, let alone Huating Town. In the eyes of the wealthy businessmen from Suzhou City, they were filled with jealousy and hatred for the prosperous Huating Town.
I wish the sea water would pour back and flood the entire Huating Town...
The official left in a hurry, and another general came in a hurry.
After entering the room, the general took off his raincoat. He had a handsome face and a tall figure. He saluted and said, "I have met Chang Shi!"
Pei Xingjian nodded slightly and said, "It's a no-brainer for me to be granted the title of god. How is the investigation going?"
This young general's name was Pei Su, also known as Shenfeng. He was a descendant of the Wenxi Pei family and a younger brother of Pei Xingjian. He followed Pei Xingjian south to Huating Town. Pei Xingjian saw that he had a strong temperament and was not familiar with the tact of officialdom, so he placed him in the navy.
Among them, he is now a school captain.
Pei Su said: "The general has already gone to the site with the craftsmen of the navy to make firearms. Preliminary estimates indicate that the scale of the explosion would require no less than a hundred thunderbolts, and there are three thunderbolts stored in the warehouse.
One hundred pieces, that is to say, at least two hundred pieces are missing."
Pei Xingjian covered his forehead and his heart sank deeply.
Although he already knew that Zhentian Lei must be stolen, he still couldn't believe that so much was lost at once.
The power of the sky-shaking thunder has long been known to everyone in the court. Its powerful power has been demonstrated in several wars. It has always been regarded as a top priority by His Majesty Li Er. He has repeatedly warned that it must not be left outside. If these two hundred thunders are
Tianlei was finally transported to Chang'an...
The consequences are simply unimaginable.
However, this was not the time to sigh and frown. Pei Xingjian took a deep breath and asked, "What does Governor Su have to say?"
Pei Su said: "The governor sent the last general to come, and he has given instructions, but with the command of the chief commander, no order can be disobeyed."
Pei Xingjian felt warm in his heart. This was Su Dingfang's expression of support to him. It was also a way of expressing his feelings. If there is a problem, let's take it on together!
This is the robe of arms and legs...
Pei Xingjian made a prompt decision: "In that case, please give an order to the navy. All speed boats will be dispatched. Some will block the Wusong River, and some will control the Yangtze River, and strictly inspect the ships coming and going! This heavy rain is quite powerful, the river is swollen and the waves are rolling, and the thieves are bound to be there.
We can’t go far, and no matter how fast we go, we can’t go faster than the navy’s clipper!”
Pei Su thought for a while and said: "Yes, they can't run fast on the river, and they can't abandon the ship and land on the river carrying two hundred thunderbolts. On such a rainy day, the thunderbolts must be packed with equipment to avoid being blown away.
The rain will make it wet, otherwise it will be useless! I will arrange for a speedboat to block the waterway now!"
"Go ahead, don't be careless in the slightest. Anyone who is suspected will be arrested immediately. We would rather arrest the wrong person than let him go!"
"Here!"
Seeing Pei Su striding away, Pei Xingjian breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this heavy rain provided the thieves with convenient conditions to commit crimes, it also became a fetter that bound them. Do you believe that the thieves can still fly into the sky?
As long as the thief is still within a hundred miles, even if he digs three feet into the ground, he still has to dig out these two hundred thunderbolts!
*****
Around Chen time, the rain stopped and the wind gradually increased.
The strong wind mixed with the fishy smell of sea water dispersed some of the dark clouds in the sky, gradually revealing the light, and the warehouses that were blown up by the pier began to be tidied up. The merchants and porters on the pier also heard the loud noise last night.
Later, the entire dock was almost surrounded by navy soldiers. They were so frightened that they hid in their rooms and did not dare to go out, for fear of arousing suspicion and being arrested.
Now that the situation is a little more stable, many brave people went out and were secretly speechless when they saw the navy clippers plying in the river.
What happened last night that caused the Navy to place almost the entire Huating Town under martial law?
…
The officials who went to Suzhou City to investigate returned and brought Pei Xingjian exciting news: "Chang Shi, I have found out that Wu Laosan has been at Wanfu Gambling House in the west of Suzhou City for the past few days, and I heard that he owed a large sum of money.
Money!"
Pei Xingjian stood up from his clothes.
Regardless of his family's comfortable life in Huating Town, Wu Laosan colluded with outsiders to blow up the Sky Thunder and stole hundreds of Thunder Thunders, which was either a matter of life or money.
People die for money and birds die for food. Whether it is receiving a large sum of money or signing a huge gambling debt, this is Wu Laosan's motive for taking risks.
And his creditor is most likely the mastermind behind it!
"The lower official investigated the situation and did not dare to act rashly. He just sent someone to keep an eye on the gambling house and report back here. Can the government officials from Huating Town be dispatched?"
Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: "No, Suzhou is the seat of Jiangnan East Dao government, and the entire Jiangnan Dao Yamen are stationed there. The rank is too high. If there is any trouble behind this, and Jiangnan Dao Yamen intervenes forcefully, the matter
There will be troubles. You should notify the Navy immediately and ask them to send someone to see me!"
"Here!"
The official left, and a moment later, Pei Su came quickly.
"Chang Shi, what are your orders?"
Pei Xingjian said in a deep voice: "Now a clue has been found in Suzhou City, which is very likely to be related to this case. You immediately recruit a brigade of soldiers. You are not required to participate in the investigation. You only need to ensure that if anyone interferes, they will be stopped.
That’s it. Remember, no matter who is trying to stop you, they are suspected and can be captured on the spot!”
Pei Su perked up and said loudly: "The general has received his order!"
As for a mere naval lieutenant who went to Suzhou to arrest people, and "captured anyone who dared to stop him on the spot", whether he was suspected of overstepping his bounds, he never considered it at all.
The name "Royal" is in front of the navy. The actual controller and the boss behind it are powerful figures like Fang Jun. They have always been superior to others. The navy is full of arrogant soldiers, and it is difficult to fight overseas.
It was a major event that went directly to the imperial capital and interfered with the succession of the king. How could a mere Jiangnan Province count?
Pei Su immediately ordered his troops and horses to attack Suzhou City with great momentum.