Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 119 Deduction
Inside Yandu City, there were ashes and ruins.

The one who suffered the most serious losses was not Sima Daozi, but Tianshi Dao. More than ten years of operation and former prosperity were all burned to ashes and disappeared.

A Confucian scholar walked in front with a gloomy face, followed by two followers. One of them was the chief priest Xu Daofu, but from his humble demeanor, it seemed that the Confucian scholar in front was of more noble status.

More than twenty Taoist priests were scattered everywhere, being cautious and vigilant.

"Who do you think did it?" Veins popped up on the scholar's face.

Xu Daofu and the other person looked at each other, but said nothing.

The scholar angrily said, "Lu Xun and Xu Daofu, you two are always so proud of your talents, but today, when faced with such a major event, you have no opinion at all. What use do I, the Heavenly Master, have for you two?"

Lu Xun was not afraid at all. Instead, he gently advised, "Those who want to achieve great things must avoid being too eager for quick success. Master is trapped in Jiankang. The important matters of the sect depend on you to preside over them. Don't lose your composure."

The scholar took a few deep breaths, and his expression unexpectedly softened. "Brother Lu, what you said is very true. I will remember your teachings."

This person was Sun En, the nephew of Sun Tai, the master of Tianshi Dao. His ancestor was Sun Xiu, the chief strategist of Zhao Wang Sima Lun during the Rebellion of the Eight Kings. His family had been followers of the Five Pecks of Rice Dao for generations.

After the people moved south, the Xianhe Tuduan policy promoted by Wang Dao first cut off the influence of these aristocratic families who moved south later. The Sun family's status declined and they became a poor family.

Sun En's ancestors were members of the royal family of Sun Wu, but now they had fallen into poverty, so they were very hostile to the Jin Dynasty and the noble families with the surname Qiao.

"This must have been done by the Zhenglu Army Headquarters." Xu Daofu said quietly.

Sun En became interested. "Why do you think so?"

"Yandu is less than a hundred miles away from Guangling. Every move is under their noses. The only person who could do such a big thing nearby is someone from the General Zhenglu's Mansion!"

Xu Daofu picked up a piece of burnt wood and quickly drew a map of the area near Guangning County, marking the surrounding forces.

The character "Huan" was written on Guangling in the north of the Yangtze River, and the character "Wang" was written on Jingkou in the south of the Yangtze River.

In addition to these two, there is also a "Liu" character written on Pengcheng.

"The Liu family of Pengcheng?" Lu Xun was born in the Lu family of Fanyang, but he had lived in Pengcheng since he was a child, so he naturally knew the power of the Liu family of Pengcheng.

Especially Liu Laozhi, as the chief general of the Northern Palace Army, he had at least 3,000 soldiers under his command.

The Tianshi Dao had always wanted to win over Liu Laozhi, but Liu Laozhi had no interest in them and was only interested in currying favor with the noble families.

"Go on." Sun En stared at Guangling.

How could he not know the Huan family's subtle intentions? The two families had interacted with each other before, and had always wanted to instigate an uprising among the Tianshi Dao to relieve the pressure on the Huan family.

Xu Daofu pointed at the map and said, "But I still have many doubts. We haven't seen any troops coming from Jingzhou in recent days. If Huan Hong was using the troops from the Zhenglu, our spies should have received the news long ago."

Sun En said disdainfully, "Huan Hong is just a dandy boy. I know him well enough. He definitely doesn't have the guts to do such things."

"Since it wasn't Huan Hong, then it must have been someone from the General's Conquest of the Enemy's Mansion. Don't forget, Huan Chengzhi died in Yandu City last year. All signs pointed to the General's Conquest of the Enemy's Mansion, yet the true culprit has yet to be found."

Xu Daofu insisted that it was the General Zhenglu's Mansion.

The people who died at the time were from the Huan family. The Huan family made a big deal out of a small matter, and the Tianshi Dao did not investigate further.

This matter is over.

However, everyone else forgot, but Xu Daofu did not. His sister was almost sent to Huan Chengzhi by Sun Yizhi to be tortured.

But because of his sister's involvement, Xu Daofu was evasive and did not tell the whole story.

Sun En nodded. "There are many figures in the Zhenglu Army headquarters. Yuan He is one, Meng Chang is one, and Liu Yi is one. He has taken in many refugees from Yongzhou, and there is also the Tan family." Lu Xun interjected, "There is another person, Liu Daogui of the Pengcheng Liu family. I heard that he is doing very well in Lanling and has created something called the Eight Buildings."

The Tianshi Dao has many eyes and ears, so it is not surprising that they know the Eight Towers.

"You've said so much, but who is the mastermind behind this?" Sun En didn't have the patience to listen to him continue his deduction.

Xu Daofu said, "It's actually quite simple to find out the truth. We just need to follow that ship and investigate."

The tower ship that appeared in Haiyang County has been intercepted by the Tianshi Dao.

But they were reluctant to burn it, so they sent it to an island and hid it, preparing to use it as a warship in the future if an uprising broke out.

"That building ship is indeed suspicious. The wind and waves on the sea are so strong, but it was discovered by our people. Are you saying that the people who discovered the building ship were suspicious?" Lu Xun was quick-witted and reacted quickly.

It is totally unreasonable for such a large ship to drift all the way from the sea to Haiyang in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In this season, the wind is mostly from the south, so it should drift to the north.

It is impossible to drift from Yandu to Haiyang in the south.

So there was something wrong with those Taoist priests who first discovered the building ship.

Lu Xun was Sun En's brother-in-law, and Xu Daofu was Sun En's brother-in-law. These three were actually relatives by marriage.

"It's not just the Daoists in Haiyang who have problems. Over the years, many spies have infiltrated those who joined our Tianshi Dao. If there weren't any insiders, how could the thieves have looted Yandu so easily? As long as these people are still in the sect, I can find them out and follow the clues to find the mastermind behind the scenes."

Xu Daofu is full of confidence and very patient.

It is actually very simple to investigate. All those Taoists with unknown identities, who joined in the past six months and who are not from the royal family and have no guarantors, are suspicious.

Sun En frowned, "How long will it take you?"

Xu Daofu bowed, "Three months is enough!"

After all, there are nearly 100,000 members of the Tianshi Dao, and it is not easy to track them down.

"I'm afraid we don't have that much time. Yesterday, Sima Daozi from Jiankang sent a letter demanding we hand over the ship and the culprit, and pay a compensation of one million strings of cash and silk!"

The reason why Sun En was so anxious was because he was forced by Sima Daozi.

Lu Xun angrily said, "One million strings of cash? Isn't this bullying? Sima Daozi knew very well that we didn't do this!"

"The tower ship fell into our hands. It was not us who did it, but it was us who did it!" The veins on Sun En's forehead popped out again.

Among all the forces involved in this turmoil, the Tianshi Sect happens to be the most conspicuous one and the easiest to deal with.

"In my opinion, the Jin Dynasty has lost the support of the people and the Mandate of Heaven is no longer with us. The people of Jiangzuo are suffering, and the refugees heading south are even more miserable. We should return to Kuaiji and call on the young men of the Three Wu to rise up, attack Jiankang, and overthrow the Sima family's empire!"

Lu Xun was not really a man of mild temper. His ancestor was the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi, and his family had a profound learning. However, the Lu family was rejected by the Jiangzuo gentry just because they crossed the river a few years later.

Lu Xun was talented and versatile, but had no place to use his talents. He also resented the Jin Dynasty, so he simply defected to the Sun family, which also crossed the river later, and joined the Tianshi Dao.

"The time is not yet ripe. In my opinion, Sima Daozi and Wang Gong will fight sooner or later. Since there is civil strife in the Jin Dynasty, it is not too late to raise an army!" Xu Daofu's voice was steady and powerful.

"Then what do you think we should do now? Sima Daozi has already found us." Sun En looked at Xu Daofu.

"We must wait and see! Sima Daozi is being pressured by the Emperor and Wang Gong, so he absolutely dares not turn against us at this moment."

Sima Daozi's opponents were Wang Gong and the emperor, and Tianshi Dao was secondary.

(End of this chapter)