Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Suzhou, Yanhua Street.

When Jia Cong saw the woman carrying the load leave, he stood up involuntarily and prepared to follow her to find out what was going on.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaoliu brought Wu Maiqiao into the teahouse and walked towards Jia Cong and Zhang Wu, with unconcealable excitement on their faces.

Judging from their expressions, they must have found out important information.

Jia Cong was distracted for a moment, and when he looked for her on the street again, the woman carrying the load had already disappeared.

He felt uneasy and thought about the woman's appearance and behavior. He was almost certain of his guess.

At this time, Jiang Xiaoliu had already sat down at the table, picked up a full cup of tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

He said: "Third Master, Fifth Brother, this morning I went to the grain store that delivers rice to the Geng Mansion on a daily basis. The store owner said that in the past two months, the Geng Mansion has needed more than twice as much rice as usual.

If the people living in the inner house were the women of Geng Dafu's family, they wouldn't be able to eat so much."

Wu Maiqiao said, "Because the Luo and Geng mansions have always had contacts, I found an excuse yesterday to talk to the housekeeper of the Luo mansion.

I got information out of her that Geng Dafu's wives and concubines used rouge and powder from the Jinfeng Pavilion in the city on a daily basis, and had the Jinfeng Pavilion deliver fresh goods to their homes on a regular basis every month.

Then I went to the Golden Phoenix Pavilion to inquire about the news and spent money to buy rouge from the store. The store owner told me that they had not sent any new goods to the Geng Mansion for two months.

In the past two months, it was the housekeeper of the Geng family who came to the store to buy rouge and powder, but suddenly they no longer had to deliver the goods to the door."

Zhang Wu looked excited and said to Jia Cong, "Third Master, Jinfeng Pavilion hasn't sent any new goods to Geng's house for two months. The women of the Geng family must no longer be living in Geng's house, but in another courtyard.

The rice consumption of the Geng residence has doubled in the past two months. There must be many men with big appetites in the residence. Zhou Zhengyang and his accomplices are probably hiding in the Geng family's inner courtyard!"

Jia Cong groaned and said, "It is probably correct. He has arranged for people to keep a close eye on Geng Mansion these past two days. Luo Xiong must have arranged some preventive measures to hide Zhou Zhengyang, a potential troublemaker, in Geng Mansion.

You guys should pay more attention to the movements around Geng's house. Tomorrow night at the latest, we will sneak into Geng's house and capture Zhou Zhengyang!"

……

Zhang Wu was surprised to hear this and said, "Sir, although the current clues can basically prove that Zhou Zhengyang is hiding in the inner courtyard of Geng Mansion, after all, I have not seen it with my own eyes.

Would it be too hasty to start tomorrow night? Including the personnel withdrawn from Changzhou, we only have more than 20 people.

It is said that there are seven or eight confidants who fled with Zhou Zhengyang. They must be the best fighters in the guards. If we encounter them in a night raid, our manpower may not be at an advantage.

Besides, more than 20 people cannot be fully utilized, and some people are needed to arrange the retreat route outside.

If there is any commotion in the inner courtyard of Geng's mansion, it will definitely attract Luo Xiong's attention. Suzhou Guard has 1,500 people under its command. If the whole city is sealed off, even if we capture the person, we will not be able to leave Gusu City."

Jia Cong said: "I know that we have to start tomorrow night. Time is a bit urgent, but if we calculate the time it will take for the imperial edict from the capital to reach Jinling, we don't have much time.

The clues you have currently found are at least 90% certain that Zhou Zhengyang is hiding in the inner courtyard of Geng Mansion.

If you wait until you are 100% sure before taking action on anything, you will miss the opportunity.

Moreover, just now, I discovered something that made me feel that the arrest of Zhou Zhengyang could not be delayed any longer."

Zhang Wu asked curiously, "What did you find out, sir?"

Jia Cong asked, "You may have received the news that Miss Zou from the Ministry was assassinated in Qingyin Pavilion."

Zhang Wu's expression was slightly solemn, and he replied: "We have received news from Jinling. The murderer is the female bandit Shui Luosha under Liu Ao's command."

Jia Cong said: "When I first arrived at Qingyin Pavilion, Miss Zou was still alive, and I fought with Shui Luosha face to face. I still remember her appearance and figure clearly, and I still can't forget it.

Just now while drinking tea, I noticed that there was a woman selling Gusu rice cakes at the entrance of Geng's house. I didn't pay much attention to it at first.

But when she stood up to leave, I found that she was tall and graceful. How could a woman from a poor family have such grace and outstanding figure?

Although her face was pale and there was no flaw at a distance, her figure and back were exactly the same as the Water Rakshasa that day!
Moreover, she seemed to lift the two baskets of rice cakes effortlessly, without even shaking her shoulders, which further exposed her flaws.

Even if it was an ordinary man, it would not be so easy for him to carry two baskets of rice cakes. Ordinary women would not have such strength and power.

I am definitely not mistaken, this person is the Water Rakshasa in disguise!"

Zhang Wu looked shocked and asked, "Why is the Water Rakshasa here?"

Jia Cong said: "Shui Luosha is a killer. She assassinated Miss Zou in Qingyin Pavilion because of Zhou Zhengyang's incident.

Manager Xu once mobilized people to search for her whereabouts all over Nanjing, but she appeared in Gusu, and Zhou Zhengyang was hiding in Gusu. It was too much of a coincidence.

There are only two possibilities for her appearance near Geng's house.

One is to protect Zhou Zhengyang.

Another possibility is that someone sent her to observe the situation, just like what happened to Miss Zou. Once the situation is not right, she will be killed in time to silence her!
This means that someone in Jinling noticed that we might be acting in Gusu, so they sent Water Rakshasa to take charge.

Faced with such a situation, we cannot delay any longer and must capture Zhou Zhengyang as soon as possible!"

……

Zhang Wu thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Master Jia is right. This matter should be dealt with sooner rather than later. I will gather all the manpower immediately and let Master Jia dispatch them."

Jia Cong said: "You are in charge of all the more than 20 men you have, and arrange a retreat route out of the city.

Tomorrow night we will raid Geng's mansion and take him away. I have another person. Once we capture Zhou Zhengyang, we must send him out of Gusu City immediately."

Zhang Wu was surprised to hear what Jia Cong said, and asked, "Didn't Lord Jia sneak into Gusu alone this time? It turns out he brought other people with him?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "The people I arranged had already entered Gusu in batches before I left Jinling, and now they have been settled in various places in the city.

Now that Zhou Zhengyang's whereabouts have been confirmed, I have sufficient manpower available. You only need to be responsible for consolidating the retreat route out of the city.

You are right. If we take action tomorrow night, it will most likely alert Luo Xiong, and he will definitely send a large number of people to counterattack. So once we capture Zhou Zhengyang, we must leave Gusu as soon as possible."

Jia Cong said to Zhang Wu with a serious expression: "In addition, you should select a few capable people, bring a large sum of money, and go to the dock to find a boatman named Zheng Xiaohai.

Just say I want to use his boat and price is not an issue.

Ask him to stop the boat at the place where I boarded last time. This matter is very important. Whether we can lead people to leave Gusu by water depends on this man. "

……

On the fifth day of September, the ice melts and the tiles collapse. Don't do anything important. Be cautious about everything. It will be very unlucky.

Early in the morning, Jia Cong woke up in the courtyard of Bolan Street and saw the almanac book on the stove. It seemed that today was not a good day.

He tidied his clothes a little, and after a while, there was a knock on the door, and the knock on the door would be heard every once in a while.

By the time seven unfamiliar men came into the yard one after another, Zhang Wu's face was already filled with shock.

This Lord Jia actually sneaked into Gusu with so many people without making any noise. I was with him yesterday and did not see him send any message to the outside world.

How did these people receive the message and come here to meet him almost at the same time?

To achieve this level, the arrangements made by these people must not have happened in the past two days.

No wonder he said yesterday that before he entered Gusu, his men had already entered Gusu in batches in advance.

He saw that Jia Cong's assignment of these seven people was very organized, with a strong sense of battle.

Some of them were assigned to guard the intersections on both sides of Yanhua Street and be responsible for vigilance.

Someone was responsible for meeting people at the gate of Geng's mansion and dealing with possible reinforcements and obstacles.

Some people are responsible for guarding the perimeter of Zou Mansion to prevent anyone from escaping by encountering a wall.

There were also people who were responsible for following Jia Cong to the mansion to arrest people. Jia Cong even arranged for Jiang Xiaoliu to do some pre-emptive work in the outer courtyard of Geng's mansion in the name of transporting rice.

Moreover, from the conversations between Jia Cong and these people, Zhang Wu knew that each of these seven people commanded at least a dozen people and at most dozens of people. A rough calculation showed that there were actually several hundred people under their command.

Zhang Wu was really shocked. This Lord Jia was so generous that he could enter Gusu City without anyone noticing and bring hundreds of elite troops.

And these people were placed in various places in Gusu City, in case there was no one familiar with the situation in the city to provide support.

It is impossible to hide hundreds of elite soldiers without revealing any flaws.

The more Zhang Wu thought about it, the more frightened he became. The daily work of the China Railway Company was already secretive, but the work of this Lord Jia seemed even more mysterious and unpredictable.

……

Could it be that he had anticipated what would happen today a long time ago and had already set up a huge hidden force in Gusu City?

This force is so large that it can accommodate hundreds of secluded people!
Just as Zhang Wu was in shock at what he saw, Jia Cong said to him, "Brother Zhang Wu, this afternoon you and Xiao Liu will go to deliver rice to the outer courtyard of Geng's mansion.

After the Shen time, a new sign will be left where the Zhongchesi mark was originally.

If Chen Kuishan is also hiding in the inner courtyard at this time, I hope he can see the mark, prompting him to cooperate with us.

In addition, after 3 p.m., all those who leave Geng's residence will be temporarily detained and guarded to prevent the news from leaking out."

After listening to Jia Cong's words, Zhang Wu understood.

Chen Kuishan had been away from CRRC for too long. For some reason, he did not withdraw in time and instead fled with Zhou Zhengyang.

This man was a secret agent planted by the China Railway Corps in Jinling Guard. The fact that he was valued by Zhou Zhengyang showed that he had a good mind and methods.

If he and Zhou Zhengyang were not in the same gang, why did he follow and flee for such a long time without sending out any news about Zhou Zhengyang, and only left the logo of the China Railway Corporation at Geng's mansion where he finally hid?

If Jiang Xiaoliu and others had not happened to find Geng's house, outsiders would never have been able to discover this sign.

No one knows the real reason.

It is unclear whether Chen Kuishan can be trusted.

Jia Cong assumed that Chen Kuishan was trustworthy, so he asked him to leave the Zhongchesi mark in the outer courtyard at 3:00 pm, hoping to prompt Chen Kuishan to cooperate inside and outside.

But he was also wary that Chen Kuishan had turned against him and was in cahoots with Zhou Zhengyang, so after the afternoon, he secretly controlled the people who left Geng's house to prevent Chen Kuishan from informing the outside world.

And with the sufficient manpower under Jia Cong's control, he is fully capable of doing this.

Zhang Wu figured this out, and considering Jia Cong's previous overall planning of his subordinates, he couldn't help but be secretly impressed by his meticulousness and carefulness.

Although Lord Jia is young, his intelligence and scheming are truly intimidating. No wonder he has accomplished so many great things at such a young age and climbed to a remarkable high position.

……

The fifth day of September, just after midnight.

As the night deepens, the city of Suzhou sheds the hustle and bustle of the day and becomes as quiet as a deep sleep.

An old night watchman was patrolling on the silent Huayan Street, and the night watch barrel made a monotonous and melodious sound.

He was still shouting weakly: "The weather is dry and the atmosphere is hot, be careful of fire, stay away from bandits and thieves, and the country will be peaceful and the people will be safe."

The dry and desolate voice echoed in the streets and alleys, becoming the only sound in the dark midnight.

The old night watchman suddenly discovered that many black sunflowers appeared at the intersections on both sides of Huayan Street. They were running along the walls on both sides of the street and moving quickly towards the center of the street.

Moreover, there were endless shadows emerging from the intersection, and it was impossible to count them all at once.

These people held sharp weapons in their hands, and a few of them carried strange long objects on their backs.

They don't look like ordinary bandits at all, and there are too many of them to count.

The old night watchman was so frightened that his legs went weak. Could it be that the Japanese pirates along the river had secretly entered Gusu City?

According to common sense, as a night watchman, when he saw this situation, he had to ring the night watch barrel to sound the alarm.

But the streets were blocked on both sides. If he spoke out at this time, these thieves would not let him go. It would be his own death.

Just as the night watchman was panicking, he was hit hard on the shoulder and neck, and fainted to the ground, saving him from trouble.

The dark shadows emerged from both ends of the street and quickly approached Geng Dafu's mansion in the middle of the street, stopping at the base of the walls on both sides of the gate.

Two dog barks were heard in Geng's mansion. It seemed that dogs had sensitive hearing and had been startled by the noise outside the mansion.

But soon the sound of dog whimpering was heard again, and then there was silence.

……

Although the barking of the dogs was not loud, it still startled something.

The gates of the two houses across the street from Geng's residence suddenly opened, and six or seven people rushed out, all of them nimble and armed with weapons.

When they saw a crowd of people at the gate of Geng's house, they were about to scream when more than ten muskets were pointed at their heads.

Two of them attempted to resist, but were quickly knocked to the ground by two slashes from behind. The rest had their weapons removed and stood there in fear.

They could all see that these people were agile, killed people cleanly and efficiently, and showed no mercy. They were not ordinary bandits at all, but military personnel like them.

Soon someone found the Suzhou Guard badges on them.

"Captain Qian, these people are the secret agents that Luo Xiong arranged to guard the outer perimeter of Geng's residence."

The man called Qianzong said coldly: "My Lord has ordered that if the news of today's incident gets out, Suzhou Guards will be coerced and riots will be instigated, and we may not be able to leave Gusu City.

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Since they are here to support Luo Xiong, humph! Don't use guns!"

Before the captain finished speaking, the secret agents of Suzhou Guard had not yet fully reacted, because someone had already swiftly drawn a knife from behind and killed all the remaining people in an instant.

At this time, the door of Geng's house was opened, revealing the figure of Jiang Xiaoliu.

This afternoon, he and Zhang Wu brought a few people, disguised as grain transport clerks in the grain store, and delivered the rice ordered by the Geng Mansion to the mansion.

When it was time to leave the house, Jiang Xiaoliu did not leave, but found a place to hide in the outer courtyard.

The manager of the outer courtyard of Geng's mansion signed the grain store's delivery note, and everything was no different from the grain store's previous operations.

The manager was just an ordinary person. He didn't care that the faces of the clerks in the grain store had changed, and he didn't have the habit of counting the number of people transporting grain in and out at any time.

Naturally, it was impossible to discover that someone had taken the opportunity to hide in the outer courtyard.

……

Shortly after midnight, Jiang Xiaoliu heard dogs barking in the mansion and realized that something had already happened.

He threw the minced meat medicine cake he had prepared, knocking over the guard dog kept in Geng's house, and knocking out the gatekeeper's servant who came after hearing the news.

Jia Cong saw the heavy black oil door of Geng Mansion being slowly opened, but he did not feel relieved at all.

Although many clues previously found could prove that Zhou Zhengyang was hiding in the inner courtyard of Geng Mansion, there would be variables as long as he was not seen with his own eyes.

However, the day when the imperial edict from the capital would arrive in Nanjing was numbered, and he could not afford to hesitate any longer.

Just like he and Zhang Wu said, as long as there is a 90% chance of success, it is enough to give it a try!
He waved to the men hiding on both sides of the gate, and a huge crowd of people poured into Geng's house like a tide... (End of this chapter)