The prince is more stable

Chapter 385: Search the City
He laid a tight net, ready to shut the door and beat the dog, but the most important dog escaped.

Zhong Jianzhong was extremely anxious at this moment. He knew that he had made a serious mistake and it was difficult to explain to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Not only Zhong Jianzhong, but even Zhao Xin and his subordinates from the Imperial City Division also found it difficult to explain to Zhao Xiaoqian.

If a commander-in-chief of a wing who commands 10,000 imperial guards were to run away, serious trouble would occur. People who hold military power are often the most uncontrollable and are also a serious threat.

Zhong Jianzhong was almost going crazy. Contrary to his usual gentle appearance, he yelled and cursed in rage. He mounted his horse and led two thousand men like headless flies, searching for Zhang Lan everywhere in Zhending City, kicking every door and cursing at every person he saw.

The news spread quickly, and Zhao Xin, who was monitoring the residences and relatives of all the criminal officials, also got the news that Zhang Lan had escaped.

Zhao Xin was utterly shattered, and looked even more insane than Zhong Jianzhong.

Zhong Jianzhong was in charge of the troops, and he was only responsible for entering the city to arrest people, but Zhao Xin was from the Imperial City Bureau. In theory, all the officials and their relatives involved in the incident in Zhending City tonight must be under the strict surveillance of the Imperial City Bureau, and no one must be left out.

Why was Zhang Lan left out?

In particular, Zhao Xin was a thoughtful person with an obsession with promotion that was difficult for ordinary people to understand. Moreover, his official career had been bumpy to begin with, and a task that was almost certain to be accomplished might not go smoothly in his hands, which almost delayed his promotion.

Now that he had finally been promoted from a clerk to a seventh-rank official, he was full of confidence tonight, planning to make new achievements and strive for a small promotion to the next level. However, he did not expect to make such a big mistake.

Now he no longer dared to think about promotion. What Zhao Xin was most worried about was that the Duke of Zhao would get angry and turn him back to his original state, dismiss him from his official position, and make him continue to be a clerk.

Life is unbearable!
Zhao Xin was completely despairing. Upon hearing the news that Zhang Lan had escaped, his immediate reaction was not to lead the Imperial City Division to hunt down Zhang Lan. Instead, he drew his sword without a word, raised his head and cried out in grief, "I'm so sorry, Lord! Let me die!"

As he said this, he was about to wipe his own throat.

He didn't necessarily want to die sincerely, but he had to put on an act in front of his subordinates. Otherwise, if the Duke of Zhao knew that Zhao Xin had lost sight of Zhang Lan and was still smiling shamelessly, guess whether the Duke of Zhao would kill him?

In a normal and melodramatic situation, when the boss slits his own throat, there will definitely be subordinates who rush out, snatch his knife, and force him to drink chicken soup, saying things like "A real man can bend and stretch" and "As long as there is life, there will be life".

Fortunately, life is so bloody.

Before Zhao Xin could cut his throat with the knife, his subordinates rushed out and snatched the knife from him.

It really is... not surprising at all.

After the impulse, Zhao Xin came to his senses and quickly prepared himself mentally.

I will admit defeat this time. Even if I am dismissed from office or beaten and scolded by the county lord, it doesn’t matter. At worst, I can start all over again. I, Zhao Xin, will definitely sit firmly in my official position in this life.

Zhao Xin calmed down and immediately arranged for all the Imperial City Bureau officers in the city to search for Zhang Lan.

The search covers not only the city but also outside the city.

Teams of scouts were running around the streets of the city, and the people were in a panic, not knowing what was going on.

The city gates were also opened, and the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp, belonging to the Imperial City Bureau, rode out of the city one after another, heading in various directions to search for Zhang Lan.

There were also messengers rushing to the Zhending Prefecture Imperial Guards Camp, which had been successfully controlled by Zong Ze. In the Imperial Guards Camp, the commanders, battalion officers, and military generals of all levels who were originally under Zhang Lan's command were all taken under control by Zong Ze, and the Imperial Guards were also appeased.

Zhao Xiaoqian was very careful and thoughtful. That night, Zhong Jianzhong, Zhao Xin and Zong Ze each performed their duties and completely cut off the paths of all officials and generals involved in the incident in Zhending Prefecture.

If Zhang Lan hadn't run away, everything would have been perfect.

In the courtyard of a simple house two streets away from the government office, Zhao Xiaoqian hugged the two sisters and enjoyed the snow scenery in a very high mood.

After tonight, Zhending Prefecture will be truly under his control, and he can concentrate on dealing with the invading Liao army.

All the shitty things were buried like the heavy snow.

"Look, this is the kingdom I built for you..." Zhao Xiaoqian pointed in the direction of the government office with high spirits.

The two sisters looked at each other and their gazes involuntarily turned to the north outside the city.

clap clap!

The two women's buttocks were slapped hard. "Don't look at that place, it hasn't been hit yet. Look here. Without being modest, after this Duke personally takes charge of the situation tonight, everything is under my control..." Zhao Xiaoqian smiled confidently.

The city was filled with flames, gunshots, and shouts of killing, and it seemed to be in chaos. However, Zhao Xiaoqian believed that after dawn, Zhending Prefecture would enter a period of great order, and the people of the nine counties under its jurisdiction would finally see the light of day.

Just as he was about to brag a few more words, the dilapidated door of the house was pushed open, and Zhao Xin walked in with a dejected look on his face, and bowed down without saying a word.

Zhao Xiaoqian was slightly surprised: "What do you mean?"

Zhao Xin lowered his head and said, "All the officials involved in the incident in Zhending Prefecture have been questioned, except, except... Zhang Lan, who escaped. The Imperial City Bureau's surveillance was flawed, and this official is guilty of the death penalty!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes widened in shock, and his face instantly darkened.

This is such a slap in the face...

Just now, he was boasting in front of the beauty about how great he was, how he was in control of everything, and how he had everything under control...

In a blink of an eye, Zhao Xin slapped him in the face, and his face was almost swollen.

Zhao Xin knelt in front of him with a look of shame on his face, not moving. Zhao Xiaoqian looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath.

After a long while, Zhao Xiaoqian waved at him: "Come, Zhao Xin, come here, I'll show you an ancestral treasure..."

Zhao Xin was stunned and stood up and walked closer.

"No, that's not the way to look at it. Turn around, with your back to me, and stick your butt out. Yeah, that's right..."

Zhao Xin got into position as instructed. Zhao Xiaoqian took two steps back, then took a run-up and kicked Zhao Xin hard on the butt, knocking him to the ground and making him roll twice.

Zhao Xin was kicked and his expression became more and more ashamed, but he was very happy in his heart.

He knew that the Duke had already punished him and there would be no further punishment.

"Thank you, Lord County. I swear I will never make the same mistake again!" Zhao Xin said happily.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and suddenly said with a smile, "How about you write a 10,000-word self-reflection now?"

Zhao Xin suddenly looked embarrassed. "Ah? Write it now? I don't have anything else to do?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's face turned pale. "I know you have other things to do, so why the hell are you still wasting away? Go and arrest Zhang Lan! If he gets away, I'm afraid you, a seventh-rank official, will have to go back to being a clerk."

Zhao Xin quickly turned around and ran out.

Zhao Xiaoqian stopped him again and said, "Tell Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze to search not only inside the city, but also outside. Zhang Lan has no chance of survival in the entire Song Dynasty. If nothing unexpected happens, Zhang Lan will have no choice but to flee north to the Liao Kingdom. Focus your search on the north. Go!"

…………

Zhang Lan did run, and ran very fast.

After Zhong Jianzhong's troops entered the city, Zhang Lan discovered something was wrong. It was the natural intuition of a general about the army. While patrolling on the east city wall, Zhang Lan discovered that there was a vague and inexplicable sense of oppression outside the city. This sense of oppression only existed when facing a large army.

Although nothing could be seen outside the dark city, Zhang Lan stood on the city wall and pondered for a long time before deciding to leave the city and hide for a while.

Everything that needs to be arranged for tonight has been arranged, and the rest is left to Liu Qianliang. Zhang Lan can't play much of a role. No matter who wins tonight, it is safest for Zhang Lan to hide outside the city and just wait until tomorrow morning to inquire about the situation in Zhending City.

If Zhao Xiaoqian won, Zhang Lan would decisively leave the city. If Liu Qianliang won, he would not enter the city and would follow Liu Qianliang to defect to the Liao Kingdom. After all, if Zhao Xiaoqian died, the court would definitely hold him accountable, and Zhang Lan would definitely be punished, so it would be better for him to defect to the Liao Kingdom.

Unlike Liu Qianliang who announced it to the world, Zhang Lan had already secretly contacted the Liao Kingdom a long time ago, but he didn't tell anyone and did everything quietly. He didn't need to amaze the world, he just wanted to save his life.

So, after inspecting all the city gates in the evening and instructing them to be closed and not opened, Zhang Lan led a dozen trusted generals without any reluctance and quietly left the city.

When the Dragon Guard Battalion and the Imperial City Division were frantically searching the entire city for Zhang Lan's whereabouts, Zhang Lan had already left the city for more than ten miles and had struggled to flee to the Liao Kingdom in the north in the midst of heavy wind and snow.

(End of this chapter)