Lin Jue sat in the corner, frowning and thinking. In fact, the words of these people were not very different from the previous messages. What Lin Jue thought was, in that situation, whose decision was the most unreasonable, then he would be very suspicious.
. However, if you think about it carefully, the decisions made by several people are actually reasonable. Ma Bin and He Chao abandoned the ship and fled because they were unable to defeat the bandits' survival instinct. Lin Ke's decision seems suspicious, but if you stand in his
Considering it from a different perspective, it is also a correct decision. If the entire water transport fleet catches fire, it will be a terrible disaster.
At least on the surface, it was difficult for Lin Jue to judge whose behavior was suspicious. Lin Jue didn't want to waste time thinking about this issue. He thought it would be better to ask for some information that would be more helpful for the follow-up.
…
The issue that Lin Jue was concerned about was also the issue that King Liang was concerned about. After getting angry, King Liang calmed down.
"Can anyone tell me whether the identity of this group of gangsters is confirmed? What are the specific circumstances? What I am most concerned about right now is who are these gangsters? Where are they? How can we get back the birthday gift?"
"Your Majesty, I have made inquiries before I came back, and the identity of this group of gangsters has been confirmed. They are a group of lake bandits entrenched on Guishan Island in Hongze Lake. This group of bandits gathered nearly twenty years ago
There were only a few dozen people on the lake at first, but now there are nearly 3,000 people. They have occupied the Hongze Lake area and harassed the towns around the lake, becoming a nuisance to the imperial court." Ma Bin reported first.
Liang Bing nodded slightly, this news was consistent with the previous analysis results.
"Are you sure it was them? Where did you get the news? Chuzhou Yamen?" Liang Bing asked with a frown. He was a little worried that this matter had been known to Chuzhou Yamen, which meant that they might
Reported to the court.
"Your Majesty, after the incident, in order to avoid chaos... we blocked the news. It happened at night, and although the people around us saw it, they didn't know the inside story. As for the source of this news, it is absolutely reliable.
Because the bandit trouble in Hongze Lake is very serious, our Imperial City Division has sent personnel to pay attention to their movements more than ten years ago. This time, I was ordered to escort birthday gifts to Beijing, and all the brothers in the Imperial City Division along the way also
After the incident, they sent news confirming that a large ship returned to Baima Lake from Qingzhou Stream overnight. It must be the hijacked ship carrying birthday gifts. This news is absolutely unmistakable. "
Guo Bing nodded slightly. He knew very well what the Imperial City Department did. Originally, at the beginning of the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, the Imperial City Department was just a small government office that was responsible for the entrance and exit of the palace, the guards in the Zhoulu, and the opening and closing of the palace gates.
.But although it is a small yamen, it is extremely important. Because the Imperial City Secretary controls the entrance and exit of various palace gates, it is crucial to the defense of the imperial city. Whenever courtiers and nobles enter the imperial palace to meet the Holy Emperor, they must go through the emperor.
The Imperial City Secretary conducts strict inspections, dismounts the horse and stops, checks the number and identity of the people carried, and inspects the items carried. If the Imperial City Secretary does not allow it, even the Prime Minister and Prince may not be able to enter the Imperial City.
Because of this, the envoys of the Imperial City were all the military attachés most trusted by the Holy Emperor. In the 12th year of Taiping, it was the first time that a chamberlain was assigned to serve as the chief envoy of the Imperial City. It was also from that year that the Imperial City began to
Collecting intelligence for the Holy Emperor and observing the actions of the subjects. It then developed into a large-scale intelligence collection work with branches from the capital to every major state capital to secretly monitor local officials and people's sentiments.
The Imperial City Secretary acts in a low-key manner and does not have much fame. His reputation among the people is not revealed. But in the eyes of the central court and some officials who know the inside story, the Imperial City Secretary is definitely not easy to mess with. They also try their best to mess with the Imperial City Secretary.
A good relationship makes it easier for them to do things. Although it is only a fifth-level yamen, even the prime minister and privy ministers are polite to them.
The imperial court has always attached great importance to such major events as the bandit infestation in Hongze Lake. Although many encirclement and suppression campaigns have failed, even if they cannot be eradicated, it is necessary to pay close attention to the movements of these lake bandits and collect information about them.
Of course, this responsibility fell on the Imperial City Division. Therefore, Ma Bin said that the source of this information was the Imperial City Division's personnel in Chuzhou, which fully demonstrates the reliability of this source.
"Very good, thank you for your hard work, brothers from the Imperial City Division. Now that it has been confirmed that it was indeed the lake bandits from Hongze Lake, then we know the real owner, and there is no need to bump into each other like headless flies. Deputy Ambassador Ma, this is
You handled the matter properly afterwards. Remember, the news must not spread. You should also take care of your brothers in the Imperial City Department and ask them not to spread the news to the capital. I am not here for others.
Yes, I just don’t want to cause trouble for the Queen Mother before her birthday is coming, and I don’t want to make the Holy Father unhappy because of this matter. For those of us, as ministers and sons, the most important thing is to take the initiative to solve the problems that can be solved.
Go and solve it, don't make progress in everything, and make the people above you tired and tired, so what do you want us people to do?" Guo Bing's tone softened a little, and he was quite persuasive.
Although these words are sanctimonious, everyone here who knows the inside story understands that this is just a crowning statement. The prince does not want the higher-ups to know, because it will be very bad luck. Of course, everyone here does not want the court to know.
, because they will suffer even greater misfortune. If the matter can be solved secretly, naturally it will never be reported. One of the rules in official circles is 'report good news but not bad news', and the second rule is 'hide it but don't hide it'
Come on, everyone knows these things.
"Your Majesty, please tell me how we should act now. Since we have made a big mistake, we are determined to make up for it. Your Majesty, please tell us that we will go through fire and water to death." Ma Bin said to everyone.
Everyone wanted to say something. The prince said that the matter should not be reported to the court and should be resolved privately. This was certainly what everyone wanted. But how to resolve it? These people didn't know what to do.
King Liang glanced at Lin Jue, who lowered his head and didn't know what he was thinking.
"Of course there will be a way, but it is not convenient to announce it at the moment. That's all. You have traveled all the way back, and you have traveled hundreds of miles. I'm afraid you are very tired. You go back and have a sleep first. I will call you back tomorrow morning to discuss countermeasures.
"Go back." Guo Bing waved his hand, stood up, and walked out of the hall slowly.
Everyone had no choice but to cup their hands and say, "Farewell, Your Majesty." Then they left one after another.
Lin Ke and Lin Run walked out of the hall. When passing by Lin Jue, Lin Ke couldn't help but asked Lin Jue, who was sitting still, "Why are you here? Dad sent you to take us back.
Is it?"
Lin Jue shook his head lightly and said: "No, you two brothers should go back quickly. The head of the family knows that you are back, so I am afraid he will be anxious waiting."
Lin Run frowned and said, "What? Aren't you going to leave?"
Lin Jue said softly: "I can't leave, I still have something to do here."
Lin Run chuckled and said, "What can happen to you?"
Lin Jue said expressionlessly: "Nothing to say, the two brothers should leave quickly and don't delay here. At this time, you should keep a low profile and don't hang around here. After all... the prince is in a bad mood right now.
.”
Lin Run was ready to scold him when he heard this, but Lin Ke frowned and whispered: "Lao San, he is right, we should leave quickly. Go back and ask dad, and you will understand everything."
Lin Run glared at Lin Jue fiercely and followed Lin Ke out of the hall.
After everyone left, Lin Jue came to the study to see King Liang. After analyzing the news he just learned, Lin Jue said to King Liang: "Your Majesty, that Ma Bin, I want him to come with me. He is
One of my finalized candidates."
Guo Bing shook his head like a rattle and said repeatedly: "Ma Bin? I'm afraid it's hard to do this. You can have your eye on anyone in my palace, but Ma Bin is from the Imperial City Division. Although I am the prince,
But I can't force him to follow you. Besides, Ma Bin is the deputy commander of the Imperial City Department, and his status is really not low. The danger of going here is too great. If he dies in the bandit camp, it will be even harder to explain."
Lin Jue sneered in his heart. What Guo Bing meant was that other people's lives are cheap, but Ma Bin's life is precious, so he can't die. But it doesn't matter if you die.
"Your Majesty, I must take him with me because I need to use his identity. He just said that his Imperial City Division has been paying close attention to the movements of the Lake Bandits all year round and has a lot of information in his hands. I need their information. If not
If I take him there, I might not be able to get help. I need to know some useful information about the lake bandits so that I can know one thing and the other. Besides, this man seems to be very smart, and we can discuss things with him. The prince is not worried that I am not qualified.
Is this the case? Then think of a way to get Ma Bin to come with me, so that the prince will have less to worry about."
Guo Bing frowned and said nothing. He was indeed not at ease with Lin Jue. After all, Lin Jue was just a young man who had not yet reached the age of weakness. Although he had some strategy and eloquence, it was hard to say whether he could actually achieve anything in the bandits' den. If Ma
Bin can follow, and Ma Bin's many years of experience in the Imperial City Division will be of great help.
"Father, I'm going to tell him that after all, the Imperial City Department has nothing to do with this matter. The matter is in his hands, and it's impossible for him to stay out of it." Guo Kun interjected from the side.
Guo Bing hesitated for a moment, nodded and said: "That's fine, you can ask him, but you can't force him or threaten him. Ma Bin is a confidant of Mr. Chen, the commander of the Imperial City Division. Mr. Chen is a former guard of the palace and has a deep understanding of the situation.
He has the trust of His Majesty, and must not act recklessly. In addition, you must clearly explain to him the dangers of going here. Only if he is willing to go, don't force him if he is not willing at all."
Guo Kun nodded in agreement.
Lin Jue was very happy. If Ma Bin could accompany him, it would be much easier for him. Using his identity would make it easier for him to do things. Then he asked a few more questions about the results of yesterday's discussion between the prince and Song Yanping, and got the answer.
Guo Bing answered in the affirmative, and Lin Jue felt relieved. After all, he needed to be prepared on both sides. If he couldn't outwit the enemy, then he would use internal and external attacks to annihilate the bandit stronghold by force. That was also the last resort.
After a few words of discussion, Lin Jue stood up and resigned, but he was not leaving the palace, but going to a separate courtyard in the northwest of the palace where the craftsmen had been prepared by the prince, because the drawings in his arms were
Put it into practice. Time is tight, so I can only stay up late and seize the time to do it.
At that moment, a special person led Lin Jue to a separate forest courtyard in the northwest corner of the palace. There, more than a dozen skilled craftsmen from the palace had been gathered by King Liang, waiting for Lin Jue's arrival.
