Aoyama

Chapter 337 Smoke Bomb

Under the triple eaves of the Bell and Drum Tower, the bell and drum official watched the clock ticking beside him. He stood beside the desk with a red pen in his hand, his eyes fixed on the clock.

When the last drop of water in the clepsydra fell, he circled the hour of Mao on the day and night book with a red pen, and the other two bell and drum officials pulled up the huge wooden hammer and struck the eight thousand jin bronze bell.

thump.

The sound of the bronze bell spread outward like an iron plow, and the day began.

Chen Ji walked into the gate. Li Xuan was standing on the parade ground. When he saw him come in, he asked, "What did you forget to bring that was so important that you had to go back to get it?"

Chen Ji replied: "I forgot to bring the silver."

Qi Zhuozhuo was tying his arm armor with his head down. Hearing this, he said helplessly, "Master, if you had told me earlier, I could have just lent you some. Why would I have to go back and get them?"

Chen Ji smiled and explained, "I don't like to owe favors to others, so it won't be a big deal to take it."

Li Xuan asked worriedly, "You haven't encountered any difficulties, have you? If you have any difficulties, you can tell us and we can help you come up with ideas."

Chen Ji's heart trembled. Li Xuan was a more thoughtful person than ordinary soldiers. He must have noticed that something was wrong with him when he left just now.

He shook his head: "It's okay. We just got promoted. What can happen? I'm going to put on my armor."

Chen Ji was worried that if he said too much, he would be exposed, so without waiting for Qi to speak again, he walked into the Yulin Army Governor's Mansion, signed and sealed his name from the armory, and took out his silver armor.

When they were replaced and came out, Li Xuan was looking at the Yulin Army lined up on the parade ground. There were only 241 soldiers left, a far cry from the 5,000 soldiers at its peak.

The Yulin soldiers who were promoted to the next level were in high spirits. They had their silver armor polished and wore brand new white pheasant tails on their heads.

The centurions had a long white pheasant tail on their heads, the thousand-men wore one long pheasant tail and one short pheasant tail, the commander wore one long pheasant tail and two short pheasant tails, and Li Xuan had a white tassel on his helmet, which was unique.

On the other hand, the Yulin soldiers who were demoted to soldiers were all covered in dirt and dust, and even the white pheasant tails on their helmets were taken off. From now on, they could only wear them temporarily during major festivals to look neat and tidy.

Qi Chenzhuo raised his hand and touched the white pheasant tail above his head, feeling very happy.

Chen Ji's mind was not here. He stood in the array, thinking about how to hand the wooden box to the secretary of Huitong Hall.

In theory, the simplest way is to ask the Golden Pig to help.

Previously, when he robbed the inner prison and blew up the Cloud Sheep and the Rabbit, the other party knew about it and they were in the same boat. If something happened to him, the other party's escort would be hopeless, so he didn't have to worry about the Golden Pig turning against him before he sought the Dao Realm.

But this is a test of Si Caogui's loyalty. If the Military Intelligence Department discovers his identity in the Secret Service Department, there will probably be more complications.

You have to deliver it yourself.

At this time, Li Xuan slowly spoke to everyone, "From now on, this commander-in-chief will be in charge of the Yulin Army. No one can be absent without reason, and they must train every day..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw a middle-aged man walking into the gate with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

This man had a square face with sharp edges and corners. He was wearing a green official robe with a bear patch on his chest, a gold lychee leather belt around his waist, and black soap boots on his feet. He was a fifth-rank military officer.

Judging from the golden lychee belt bestowed upon him by the emperor, he was a tough guy who had made great contributions and received commendations from the emperor.

When the other party walked past the Yulin Army formation, his sharp eyes swept across the Yulin Army, like a steel knife, scraping across everyone's face.

He came in front of Li Xuan and clasped his fists and said, "I am Wu Xuan Ge, honored to meet you, Lord Li."

Li Xuan said calmly, "I have heard of Lord Wu's great reputation in the Wansui Army. No need to be polite."

"I dare not." Wu Xuan Ge handed a document to Li Xuan: "This is the document from the Ministry of War appointing me as the commander of the Yulin Army. From now on, I will be in charge of the Left Guards."

Li Xuan took the document and glanced at it, showing full respect: "From now on, we will be colleagues. Brother Xuan Ge, please wait for a moment. I have something else to do..."

However, Wu Xuange interrupted Li Xuan and said in a deep voice: "Please forgive me, Lord Li. Since I have come here under the order of the Ministry of War, I must first gather my troops."

Without waiting for Li Xuan's reaction, he turned around and faced the Yulin Army, unfolding another document in his hand: "Those who have heard of this, please step forward, Zhuang Wen!"

The Yulin soldiers looked at each other, not knowing whether they should step out.

Wu Xuan Ge sneered, "Can't you even follow orders? It seems that you guys lack training and have no spirit of bravery. Others don't dare to restrain you, but I do. I shout again, if you don't get out of line, you can go home to your mother, Zhuang Wen!"

A soldier walked out of the formation, and Wu Xuange strode forward and slapped him on both sides: "Will you remember this?"

Zhuang Wen lowered his head and said, "I'll remember this."

Wu Xuan Ge said angrily: "Lift your heads, there are no soldiers in my Great Ning Dynasty who would kowtow and bow to the enemy!"

Zhuang Wen raised his head and said, "I've learned my lesson!"

Wu Xuan Ge picked up the document and pointed at another person: "Yuan Xi!"

Yuan Xi hurried out and said, "Yes!"

As his name was called, Li Xuan's face looked gloomy.

Chen Ji whispered to Qi Chenzhuo beside him: "What is the origin of this person?"

Qi Chenzhuo explained, "This man is a captain of the Wansui Army. In the 21st year of Jianing, he encountered the vanguard of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of the Jing Dynasty outside Chongli Pass and captured the flag. He was commended by His Majesty and given a golden lychee leather belt... The key is that this man is Wu Xiu's cousin. It was because of his achievement that Wu Xiu stood out from the inner court and caught His Majesty's attention. He first became the eunuch admiral and then the chief eunuch of the Silijian."

Duo Bao on the side reminded: "Wu Xiu can be the eunuch in charge of writing, not only because of Wu Xuan Ge, but also because of his own ability. In addition, the Wu family also has a man named Wu Xuanyi, who is now the transport envoy of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Bureau, a third-rank official. Wu Xuanyi has increased the salt tax by 20% in the four years since he took office, and is highly valued by His Majesty."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Since Wu Xiu has a family background, why did he enter the palace to serve?"

Qi Chenzhuo explained: "The Wu family was implicated in a case before, and their fortunes fell."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "What case?"

Qi Chenzhuo lowered his voice, "During the reign of the previous emperor, a concubine gave birth to a child and gave money to Xu Shi, the chief priest of the Imperial Observatory, to make random comments on the Ziwei astrology. The empress dowager found out about this, and all the adult males of the Xu family were executed, and the women were exiled to Lingnan. All the males under the age of 18 were castrated and sent to the Firewood and Charcoal Bureau of the inner court to guard the hunting grounds. The Wu family didn't know what they did in this. Wu Xiu's father was exiled to Lingnan and died on the way, and Wu Xiu was also castrated and sent to the Firewood and Charcoal Bureau."

Chen Ji continued to think with his head down, how to hand the wooden box to the secretary, and ignored the rest. Whether Wu Xuan Ge came to share power or to rectify military affairs, it was the business of the Left Guard, and had nothing to do with the Right Guard where he was.

After an incense stick of time, Wu Xuange gathered his men and horses, turned around and clasped his fists to Li Xuan and said, "Master Li, the Yulin Army's military discipline is lax. I have to go and rectify the military discipline right now. Other matters can be discussed another day."

Li Xuan was silent for a moment: "Okay."

Wu Xuan Ge turned to look at the soldiers of the Left Guard and said sternly, "From tomorrow on, all of my soldiers of the Left Guard will live in the barracks of the Governor's Office and can leave the camp only on the third day of each month. Do you want to go home every day to your wife and children? The morale of the army is demoralized! In addition, if I find anyone gambling or visiting prostitutes, I will immediately remove them from the Yulin Army. Now, change this shiny armor. With me, everything is practical, not empty."

After saying this, he led more than two hundred Yulin soldiers to the other side of the parade ground.

Qi Chenzhuo looked at Wu Xuange's back and said angrily, "Commander-in-chief, his words are disgusting to you. How come he is acting like the commander-in-chief of the Yulin Army?"

Li Xuan said in a deep voice: "It is normal for a man from the Wansui Army to be a little domineering. Moreover, everything he did was right. The Yulin Army was too slack in the past. From today on, we will also be strict with him."

Qi Zhuozhuo murmured quietly: "How come he can only manage about 30 people after becoming the commander-in-chief? I thought the Yulin Army would be controlled by our Qi family in the future." Chen Ji suddenly said: "It is precisely because we cannot let the Qi family dominate the Yulin Army that we urgently transferred Wu Xuange here."

Qi Chenzhuo was stunned: "So that's it!"

Li Xuan had been staring at Wu Xuan-ge. Seeing that he had already started training, he took a deep breath and said, "Take off your armor. We can't stop training. We can't let him win."

……

……

At noon, the training of the Yulin Army stopped. All the soldiers collapsed on the training ground due to exhaustion. They gasped for two incense sticks before struggling to get up.

Qi Chengzhuo walked out with Duobao and the others arm in arm, calling out to Chen Ji: "Master, let's go to Qipan Street Bianyifang for dinner."

Chen Ji shook his head: "I won't go, Xiaoman will bring me food."

Qi Zhuozhuo turned around and saw Xiaoman standing outside the gate with a food box in his hand. "No way, Master, the food is cold after being brought from Chen's house. How can it be delicious without any aroma?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Save money."

Qi Chenzhuo was stunned: "Master, you are short of money? Didn't you just raid Wang Huan's house?"

Chen Ji glanced at him and said, "It's just a matter of appetite. As long as I can eat my fill, that's enough."

Qi scratched his head and said, "Okay."

After everyone left, Chen Ji came to the gate. Xiao Man placed the food box on the head of the stone lion in front of the gate and said, "Young Master, please have a try. This pot of fried tofu and scrambled eggs with chives was made by me."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "How do you know I like pot-fried tofu?"

Xiaoman smiled and said, "My second sister reminded me. She also reminded me that the second branch of the Chen family suffered heavy losses this time, so she asked me to select the ingredients and cook by myself to prevent someone from secretly harming you."

Chen Ji leaned against the stone lion, holding a bowl of rice in his hand and shoveling it into his mouth. After swallowing a mouthful, he asked, "Are you afraid that the second wife Wang will take revenge on me?"

Xiaoman shook her head: "No, Wang has been placed under house arrest by the second house this morning."

Chen Ji was startled: "Why?"

Xiaoman said slowly: "It was originally a marriage between the Chen family and the Shuntian prefectural governor. Without the Shuntian prefectural governor, the Wang family is gone, and Wang Shi is no longer useful. This deep mansion is the most ruthless. Useless people will naturally be abandoned. I believe that in a while, Wang Shi will die of illness."

Chen Ji put down his chopsticks and asked, "She is Chen Wende's biological mother, right?"

Xiaoman said, "Second sister said that Chen Wende is already the Minister of Rites. If he wants to go further, he can't leave a stain like Wang Shi on himself. Maybe he is the one who wants Wang Shi to die the most."

Chen Ji finished his meal in a few bites and said, "Xiao Man, go back and help me prepare a few things and send them to the gate before 3 p.m."

Xiaoman asked curiously, "What does the young master want?"

Chen Ji closed his eyes and recalled for a moment: "Willow charcoal, sulfur, rosin powder, oil-soaked hemp paper, cinnabar, bamboo tube, saltpeter, arsenic. Remember, arsenic and saltpeter must be bought separately at the pharmacy. These things must be crushed and sieved twice with a horsetail sieve before being put into the bamboo tube, filling it only six-tenths full..."

Xiaoman's eyes widened: "Sir, I can't remember!"

Chen Ji returned to the Governor's Office and wrote a note: "Give it to your second sister and ask her to prepare it. Remember to remind her to burn this paper after reading it."

Xiaoman said, "Leave it to my second sister. She can handle it properly."

"Go," Chen Ji put the bowl and chopsticks into the food box, whispered a few words to Xiaoman, then stood up and left.

Huitongguan is right next to the six ministries and only one mile away from the Yulin Army Governor's Office.

People were walking on the street. Chen Ji followed a carriage and slowly passed by the gate of Huitong Hall, his eyes constantly scanning the people passing by.

The peddler carried his goods on a shoulder pole but did not shout his wares. He just paced back and forth nearby. The coachman was cleaning the carriage at the street corner, but his collar was spotless.

There are many spies, all of whom are from Xuanshe.

There were more than twenty spies lying in ambush in front and behind Huitong Hall, and it was unknown how many more were lying in ambush inside Huitong Hall.

Unless Chen Ji took out his Haidongqing waist badge, he would definitely not be able to enter.

Chen Ji looked towards the rooftop again. To the west of Huitong Hall was Shanglinyuanjian, and to the north was Hanlin Academy, both of which had Five Cities Army on duty on a rotating basis. It was even more impossible to walk through the rooftop.

He did not stop here, but followed the carriage without looking back.

Now is not the time.

……

……

At 3 p.m., three knocking sounds were heard from opposite the Yulin Army Governor's Mansion. These were the sounds of the six ministries being dismissed.

In the setting sun, green silk sedan chairs filed out of the yamen one after another. The curtains of the sedan chairs were held down by Xiangfei bamboo strips, and the sedan chair bearers were wearing fast boots. The officials in the sedan chairs were rushing to the Jiaofangsi to watch the excitement. It was heard that the wives of the Shuntian prefect had just arrived there.

The wives of such important figures were rarely seen in the Jiaofangsi on ordinary days.

After the sedan chairs and carriages had left, clerks came out of the yamen in groups and headed straight for the teahouses and taverns on Qipan Street. Qipan Street suddenly came alive with lanterns hung up in every household.

In the Yulin Army Governor's Mansion, Qi Zhuozhuo had just changed his clothes and looked at Duobao curiously: "Where is my master?"

Duobao looked around and said, "Hey, I was just here."

Qi Chenzhuo was startled: "Why did he leave alone? He said he would go to my Qi Mansion tonight to attend the literary gathering."

At this moment, Chen Ji lowered his head and followed the sedan chair of the Minister of Industry, walking silently in the endless stream of people. When passing by Bian Yi Fang, Xiao Man came towards him, handed the bundle in his hand to him, and left without looking back.

Chen Ji reached into his bag, took out a bamboo tube, lit the fuse wrapped around the bamboo tube with a fire stick, and gently placed it on the side of the road.

He continued to move forward, but saw thick smoke billowing out of the bamboo tube behind him, first white, then red, and in an instant it covered an area of ​​three meters in radius.

Passersby on Qipan Street cried out in surprise: "There's a fire! Bianyifang is on fire!"

Chen Ji lit another bamboo tube and threw it among the pedestrians, throwing it as he walked until half of the Qipan Street was shrouded in smoke and the pedestrians all began to cough violently.

The spies on the street did not bother to hide and sent out five or six people to check.

In the thick smoke, Chen Ji passed by the secret agent. He covered his mouth and nose and walked outside the Huitong Hall, lit the last bamboo tube and threw it into the second-floor window.

Since you can't get in, let the people inside come out.

(End of this chapter)