1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3176
Amidst the loud sound of gongs, drums and cheers, the carriage of the executive committee stopped in front of the Qingchun gate. After getting off the carriage, they waved to the onlookers, and then walked through the Qingchun gate together under the leadership of Shi Diwen. spring gate.

Shi Diwen introduced the origin of Qingchun Gate to everyone as he walked: "This gate was built in the Southern Song Dynasty. It was called Dongqing Gate at first, and was renamed Taiping Gate by Zhang Shicheng at the end of Yuan Dynasty. Only in the dynasty."

"In the past, these places outside the city gate were all vegetable fields. Vegetable farmers outside the city used this gate to transport vegetables into the city and carry manure out of the city. However, the shipping industry on the Qiantang River has developed rapidly in recent years, and a lot of goods have entered and exited Hangzhou. It is also through the Qingchun Gate, so many new shops, warehouses and hotels have been built in these places inside and outside the city gate, and it has gradually become lively."

In the past, it was hard to imagine that Shi Diwen, a child of Chinese descent living overseas since he was a child, would become a magistrate who knows the local situation well. It can be seen that the living environment has greatly changed people.

On the other side of the city gate is the Qingchun Road in the city. At this time, both sides of the road are already crowded with onlookers.Seeing the members of the Executive Committee walking out of the city slowly, the people immediately shouted.

Many of them waved small red and blue flags while shouting slogans such as "Long live the executive committee, long live, long live."

Some people knelt on the ground tremblingly, and kowtowed to the members of the executive committee to show their allegiance to the new dynasty.

Most of the people looked at the high-ranking officials of the Executive Committee with curiosity and awe. It turned out that the legendary Haihan Executive Committee, which held the power of the empire, was not a supernatural being with three heads and six arms.

However, seeing the prominent local officials and gentry celebrities all following closely behind, with a low-browed look, it is not difficult to feel the monstrous power represented by these high-ranking officials.

Under the guidance of Shi Diwen, all members of the executive committee walked along the ramp next to the city gate to the tower of Qingchun Gate.

The city wall at Qingchun Gate is more than two feet high. Looking outside the city from here, you can see plains as far as you can see, and you can vaguely see the fleet of ships docked at the mouth of the canal several miles away.

On both sides of the official road below the city tower, there are crowds of onlookers. Previously, I couldn’t see how many people were in the car. When I got to the top of the city tower and looked down, I could see tens of thousands of people gathered outside the Qingchun Gate. The scene was quite shocking. .

Shi Diwen walked to the edge of the battlements, raised his arms as a signal, and the sound of gongs and drums outside the city soon stopped.Seeing this, the onlookers knew that the big man was about to start speaking, and gradually became quiet.

A subordinate next to him handed over the microphone, Shi Diwen took it over, and said, "Fathers and elders, I am Shi Diwen, the governor of Donghai Region..."

Many of the onlookers saw the power of the electric horn for the first time. When they heard Shi Diwen's voice was as loud as thunder, the sound was transmitted for several miles inside and outside the city wall, and they were bound to be shocked.

When Shi Diwen was giving a speech, Gong Shiqi quietly stepped forward and pulled Ji Yuanqing aside.

Gong Shiqi said straight to the point: "Zhu Zhongyun's case is a bit weird!"

Ji Yuanqing asked: "Brother Gong, what new discovery?"

Gong Shiqi said: "The blame is that the weapons used by these assassins seem to have been tampered with!"

Ji Yuanqing said: "Brother Gong, do you have evidence?"

Gong Shiqi nodded and said, "Follow me."

After finishing speaking, he led Ji Yuanqing into the tower, pointed to several rifles placed on the ground and said: "We captured another team just now. They used rifles to resist arrest, but the strange thing is that they didn't fire a single shot. Later we Checked the guns and found that they were all jammed!"

"Then I adjusted the rifles seized yesterday for inspection. Sure enough, they all had the same problem. The chambers of the guns were tampered with, and the bullets would jam when the trigger was pulled. I also removed a few bullets. Look, there's not even a primer in the shell."

"That is to say, the weapons they got were just swanky but useless!"

"But the wonderful thing is that these assassins can only receive this batch of rifles after they enter the city, so they have no chance to test the guns through live ammunition shooting. Only when they finally do it, they will know what they have. A rifle is really just a few sticks of fire!"

Ji Yuanqing said: "So, they should have been tricked by the seller!"

Gong Shiqi snorted and said, "Is it really as simple as being tricked?"

Ji Yuanqing said: "Then brother Gong, what's your opinion?"

Gong Shiqidao: "The seller tampered with these guns, not only to cheat their money, but obviously not to let them achieve their goals. But if Zhu Zhongyun and others fail in their actions and find out that there is something wrong with the guns, they will definitely seek revenge from the seller afterwards .”

Ji Yuanqing said: "If the seller really had a premeditated plan, I'm afraid he would have fled long ago and disappeared."

Gong Shiqidao: "As long as we catch Zhu Zhongyun, the identity of the seller will be exposed. Smuggling arms and assassinating high-ranking officials are all capital crimes! The important thing is that he not only offended us, but also killed the Ming factory guards. Once the reward is issued, although the world is big, where can he escape?"

"Report the factory guard, and you may be able to atone for your crimes and avoid severe punishment; if you help the factory guard, you can also get asylum from Ming Dynasty and escape from the arrest of our country. But this person blocked both roads ahead of time. You said his purpose What is it? Do you want to seek death, or do you want Zhu Zhongyun to make a big mess in Hangzhou, and let Daming take the blame?"

Ji Yuanqing seemed to turn a deaf ear to what Gong Shiqi said, and responded blankly: "Brother Gong is so sure, it seems that Zhu Zhongyun is hard to fly!"

Gong Shiqi stared at Ji Yuanqing and said, "According to the confession of the prisoners we captured, Zhu Zhongyun may not know that we have captured his two teams, and most likely will follow the original plan, and he must be hiding somewhere in the city to wait." Let the executive committee enter the city."

"But I have a strange premonition, I don't know if I should say it or not."

Ji Yuanqing said: "Brother Gong, you and I are on our own, so if you have something to say, it's okay to say it."

Gong Shiqi said slowly: "I think Zhu Zhongyun can't escape today whether he takes action or not. But the time to arrest people must be after the executive committee enters the city, and the person who finds them should not be the My men."

Ji Yuanqing said: "Brother Gong, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Gong Shiqi sneered and said, "Although this is likely to be a farce, the show must be over. Otherwise, the assassins will be caught before the executive committee enters the city, and the final effect will be greatly reduced."

Ji Yuanqing said: "Why do I hear Brother Gong's words implying that I have something to do with this matter?"

Gong Shiqi said: "It's not that I want to doubt you, it's because there are too many doubts and coincidences in this matter, so I have to think about it!"

(End of this chapter)