Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Jinzhou, the southernmost part of Liaodong Bay, is long and narrow from north to south, with high in the middle and low on both sides. There are many hills and mountains in the middle, and small plains and hills formed by alluvial deposits of coastal rivers in the east and west. The scenery is excellent with blue sky, waves, strange peaks and rocks. Because it is close to the sea and the terrain is relatively flat, there are many natural harbors, especially the bays around Zhongzuosuo (Lüshun) with large docks that can dock large ships. Not long ago, the David court approved the reconstruction of Zhongzuosuo City into a customs, which increased the number of ships traveling to and from Zhongzuosuo. Major business houses and sea merchants from various countries brought fleets here to trade, bringing great wealth and vitality to this place.

With the deepening of maritime trade and various measures to pacify the people, the originally broken economy of southern Liaoning gradually recovered, and the area around Zhongzuo was particularly lively. The customs was still more than 130 miles away from Jinzhou City, and its prosperity even exceeded that of the city. There were military ports and water forts built on the beach not far away. Jin Weifan, the garrison commander of Jinzhou Water Camp, was stationed here with 300 men and 11 warships to protect the safety of the customs. This small fleet, composed of three speedboats from the Jinzhou Inspection Office and eight larger fishing boats collected, was weak in strength but of great significance. It was the first navy of the David Kingdom! There were also 100 tax collectors sent by the Ministry of Revenue to guard the customs.

The business opportunities here attracted immigrants from all over the country. People came from all directions just to fill their stomachs, and if they were lucky, they might even find gold. Some time ago, there were two brothers, one civil and one military. The civil one was named Ye, elegant and romantic, and the military one was named Yang, heroic and vigorous. They moved here from Shengjing. Unlike others who mostly opened businesses and bought and sold goods, they were ingenious and opened a restaurant. Because it was opened by two brothers, it was called "Shuangyinglou". On the opening day, the second shopkeeper Ye Mingzhu wrote a couplet with ink: "The family has a true tradition, a roast chicken for guests and friends; with great virtue in mind, hundreds of sea dishes are served to all parties." A local ate the dishes in the building and commented that there were indeed nearly a hundred sea dishes, such as fried fish slices, abalone crisps, fried shrimps, five-spice Spanish mackerel, mullet egg soup, etc., but the taste was ordinary. No wonder, the locals who make a living on the sea have tasted all kinds of seafood. Even though this restaurant has hundreds of seafood dishes, they are just ordinary in the eyes of local people. What is unusual is the roasted chicken. No one knows how it is roasted, but it has the crispy aroma of roasting and the delicateness of roasting. It is really heart-wrenching and can't stop. It is said that the chicken is roasted first and then coated with sauce and roasted, and a section of green onion, a piece of whole ginger and several mushrooms are stuffed into the belly. Other restaurants have tried to make it, but because they don't have the unique sauce of this restaurant, they can't make it taste the same. Gradually, Shuangyinglou in Jinzhou Zhongzuo became famous throughout Jinzhou and was known as the best restaurant in the local area. The business of the head shopkeeper Yang Zepu and the second shopkeeper Ye Mingzhu is getting better and better, but they still remain humble. They smile at people from a distance and often help widows and orphans. They are very famous in the local area.

It was late at night, and the oil lamps were still lit in the backyard of Shuangying Building. The second shopkeeper Ye Mingzhu was respectfully reporting to the first shopkeeper Yang Zepu, "Brother, I took the opportunity when Jin Weifan came to the building to drink and tried to test him a few times. He felt that he was just an insignificant inspector in the Qing Dynasty, but after surrendering to the Wei Dynasty, he was promoted to the fifth-rank garrison commander. He was so proud of himself that he was grateful to the pseudo-Khan. It would be difficult to get him to give up the dark and join the light!"

The second shopkeeper's real name is not Ye Mingzhu, but Yehenara Nalan Mingzhu. His grandfather was Jin Taiji, the leader of the Yehe tribe of Haixi Jurchen, who was Nurhaci's mortal enemy. When Nurhaci broke through Yehe City, his grandfather was strangled to death. It is said that he had a blood feud with Jianzhou Jurchen. But two generations have passed. With the improvement of the Eight Banners system, Haixi Jurchen is also a part of Jurchen after all. The Yehe tribe was incorporated into the Eight Banners and enjoyed many benefits such as banner salary. Slowly, the hatred faded. By the time of Nalan Mingzhu, he had long forgotten his grandfather's hatred and became a guard beside Emperor Shunzhi. Because of his shrewdness and ability, he was constantly promoted. Not long ago, he was promoted to the doctor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was sent to Liaodong by eunuch Wu Liangfu to assist the shopkeeper in his work. The shopkeeper was actually not called Yang Zepu, but his surname was Zu and his name was Zepu. Zu Zepu is the second son of Zu Dashou, a general who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. He was a good scholar and warrior since childhood and was once a first-class guard in front of Emperor Shunzhi. Some time ago, Asaha, the general manager of the Arms Bureau of the Thirteen Yamen, instigated the rebellion of the Nen Korqin Durbert tribe, Taiji Taben, to capture the rebellious Nen Korqin Durbert minister and Henjirige County Prince Selen, and conspired to select beautiful women to enter the palace to assassinate the pseudo-Khan, but all failed. Li Ge, the deputy general manager of the Arms Bureau, failed to instigate the rebellion and was kidnapped by Selen and Taben brothers to Shengjing to seek credit. The Qing Dynasty's spy network in the Nen Korqin area was almost wiped out. Eunuch Wu was very dissatisfied. Taking the opportunity of the Arms Bureau being changed to the Military Preparation Institute, he gave Asaha a sinecure and let Zu Zepu take over as the Minister of the Military Preparation Institute and sent him to southern Liaoning. First, Zu Zepu was quite capable, and second, the Zu family had deep roots in Liaodong. Letting him be in charge of the spy network in Liaodong could make better use of his family's resources. Although Zu Zepu was not a Manchu, his family and most of his clansmen were in the capital, and all of his clansmen were members of the Han Army Banner, so they did not dare to disobey the order and went to Liaodong obediently, using the alias Yang Zepu. However, Emperor Shunzhi was not very confident about the Liaodong Zu family, who had been generals of the Ming Dynasty for generations, and sent Nalan Mingzhu to assist him in his mission, both to assist and to monitor him. Although Nalan Mingzhu's grandfather died at the hands of his grandfather, he was a legitimate Manchu after all. At critical moments, Manchus were more reliable than Han people.

"Eunuch Wu wrote to say that the court has sent warships to escort Minister of State Lai Tuku, Governor of Huguang Dong Xueli and 13,000 cavalry and infantry from the sea to Liaodong for assistance. They will arrive in about three to five days. Time waits for no one. Didn't Jin Weifan say that he would invite Yang Hui, the guerrilla commander of the left camp, to come to our place for a drink in three days? I have prepared thunder god vine. When the time comes, let them drink it with wine. They will die in a day and will not live more than four days," Zu Zepu said with a stern look.

"If we poison these people in our restaurant, will our identities be exposed?" Nalan Mingzhu was a little worried.

"It's okay. The poison of thunder god vine won't take effect immediately after drinking it. By the time it takes effect, our people will have gone far away. You quickly send a flying slave to inform Eunuch Wu and stay here to take charge of the situation. I will rush to Fuzhou immediately," said Zu Zepu.

"Brother, why are you going to Fuzhou?" Nalan Mingzhu asked in confusion.

"Gu Si, the garrison commander of Fuzhou, was my father's personal soldier when he was in Jinzhou. He was a garrison commander during the Qing Dynasty and he was still a garrison commander after surrendering to the Wei court. Wang Guotai recommended him to the Wei court as the guerrilla commander of Fuzhou a long time ago. For some reason, the appointment document has not been issued. I heard that he is very upset about this matter and often complains about it. I am going to Fuzhou just in time to add fuel to the fire and see if I can persuade Gu Si to rebel," Zu Zepu stroked his beard and smiled.

"Oh, if this succeeds, our Qing Dynasty will be able to cross the sea to aid Liao without any obstacles!" Nalan Mingzhu was overjoyed.

"Well, let's act separately. Success or failure depends on this one move." Zu Zepu looked at Nalan Mingzhu seriously. (End of this chapter)