Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 122 Heavy Rain
A flash of lightning flashed across the sky, as if tearing the dark sky apart. Thunder roared and heavy rain began to fall.

The heat around him suddenly disappeared. Liu Daogui hid in the canal boat. He was disturbed by the roaring thunder and felt that the thunder would strike the top of the boat at any time.

But nothing happened along the way.

The heavy rain came and went quickly. In less than an hour, the clouds cleared and the sky became clear.

As soon as the boat entered the territory of Guangling, more than a dozen fast horses came running towards it.

But he was not looking for Liu Daogui, but for Dai Qizhi. "Report to Dai Gongshi, Sima Tan captured over 200 suspected bandits in Yandu and has taken them to Guangling for punishment. Governor Wang requests that Gongshi return immediately!"

"Okay! As long as we catch them, I will let them see my methods!" Dai Qizhi's face was full of viciousness.

Liu Daogui was stunned. There was not even a trace of the fire left at Yandu. The people had already run away. Who could Tan Pingzhi catch?

If you think about it carefully, it should be the person that Tianshidao took the initiative to hand over to take the blame.

After all, Sima Daozi has to be given an explanation.

Dai Qizhi was so excited probably because he wanted to extract evidence of guilt from these people.

The canal boat pulled alongside, and Dai Qizhi hurriedly disembarked, jumped on his horse, and turned back to smile at Liu Daogui, "I'll say goodbye, General Liu. See you in Guangling!"

"Take care, Dai."

The cavalry went away, and Liu Daogui stood on the boat for a long time.

The fire in Jiangzuo has been lit, but it is not certain who will be burned.

The canal boat continued to sail south and arrived at Guangling City three days later.

Jianghuai has entered the rainy season. The sky is gloomy, as if a heavy rain will fall at any time.

The surroundings are a bit dull.

As soon as I entered the city, I met Zhao Lunzhi, whose face was terribly gloomy.

Liu Daogui's heart skipped a beat, thinking that something might have happened.

When they were alone, Zhao Lunzhi whispered, "A powerful figure has emerged from the Tianshi Dao. They've checked all the new members of the sect for the past six months and arrested quite a few."

Liu Daogui felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Considering the internal strife between Wang Gong and Sima Daozi, he had neglected the Tianshi Dao, and someone actually started an internal investigation.

"Our people were captured?"

"I haven't found out yet. The situation is so tense right now that no news can get out from within the Tianshi Dao. Governor Wang also kept it a secret. I only found out about this after entering Guangling."

There was a loud bang and a muffled sound in the sky.

Heavy rain suddenly began to fall.

"When did Tianshi Dao become smart?" Liu Zun took out a straw raincoat and put it on Liu Daogui.

Zhao Lunzhi wiped the rain off his face and said, "I heard it was a man named Lu Xun, who is very resourceful."

"Let's see the situation first." Liu Daogui felt annoyed. It was all because he had been entangled with Dai Qizhi for most of the month. If he had gone to Langya and stayed in Guangling, he might have heard some news in advance.

But things have already happened, complaining is useless, we should think clearly about how to deal with it.

Looking at the gate of the General Zhenglu's Mansion, I suddenly felt like I was about to enter a tiger's den.

But even if it is a tiger's den, you have to go in bravely, and Liu Daogui stepped through the door.

"General Liu is back." The garrison soldier Zhao Liangzhi hurriedly greeted him.

"Why don't you take shelter from the heavy rain?" Liu Daogui, seeing him soaked to the skin, threw his own raincoat over him. Zhao Liangzhi's face was filled with gratitude, and he whispered, "Isn't that Wang Duhu here? He's been sniffing around like a dog all day. If his men find him, he'll definitely be whipped."

Duhu, although the name sounds nice, is actually a military supervisor who is in charge of both the upper and lower levels and has command power during wartime. He is equivalent to Wang Gong's spokesperson in the Zhenglu Army.

I don’t know whether this Wang Duhu is just a temporary appointment or he will stay in the military headquarters in the future.

Yandu is less than a hundred miles away from Guangling. When such a big thing happened, the first suspect was the Zhenglu Army Headquarters.

With this Governor Wang around, the days ahead will probably be difficult.

"Just bear with it for a few more days and it will be over." Liu Daogui patted his shoulder.

Zhao Liangzhi said: "Haha, the general is right. He is an outsider and can't stand in our military headquarters!"

In Sima Yamen, Yuan He sat alone in silence.

Seeing Liu Daogui coming in, his expression changed, "I think Dao Ze must have heard the news too. Wang Duhu has found some clues."

"I have indeed heard something." Liu Daogui took off his wet shoes, shook off the rain on his body, walked to the seat and sat cross-legged.

"There are only you and me here. If Dao Ze knows something, it's best not to hide it, otherwise I can't help you." Yuan He suddenly changed the subject with a strong threatening tone.

Liu Daogui squinted his eyes and looked at him, many thoughts surged in his mind, but he suppressed them all. He had experienced this kind of small scene countless times, and his mind was extremely strong. If he had been tricked out by him in a few words, he would not be alive today.

"What do you mean, Sima? I have always been loyal to my duties and have never committed any crime."

I still say that if Yuan He really knew something, he wouldn't waste his time talking to me.

Even on the way back to Guangling, there were soldiers coming to arrest me, or assassins coming to silence me...

As expected, Yuan He laughed heartily, "I was just joking, but you are honest and upright, and you are a loyal and good man."

Liu Daogui cursed inwardly, joking like this could kill someone...

"Those evil thieves of the Tianshi Dao cleared out some spies from within the sect and deliberately handed them over to Wang Du, also known as Wang Duhu, Wang Lingjun's younger brother."

In order to investigate the case, Wang Gong even sent his own brother to investigate, which shows how much importance he attached to this matter.

The Tianshi Dao sent the person to Wang Gong instead of Sima Daozi, with ulterior motives, obviously wanting to sow discord between the two factions.

Wang Gong plotted against Sima Daozi, and the Tianshi Daoists were also plotting against the imperial court...

"The Tianshi Dao is fickle and has ulterior motives. If Governor Wang tries to pry something out of these people's mouths, I'm afraid..." Liu Daogui also said half of the story and kept the other half hidden.

Yuan He told him so much because he was also panicked.

Wang Duhu may not be able to overthrow Sima Daozi, but Yuan He, as the Sima of the Conqueror Army, will definitely not be able to escape. He may even become a scapegoat and send his entire family to jail.

When the sky falls, those who are neither up nor down will be the first to suffer misfortune and have no way out.

As expected, Yuan He no longer had the calm demeanor he had just now. "How can anything good happen if the person falls into their hands? As long as they use torture, what crime can't they find?"

He stood up and walked in front of Liu Daogui, with a half-smile in his eyes, and said, "Dao must lend me a hand."

Liu Daogui was silent for a moment, and Wang Du's eyes were as big as lanterns, waiting for someone to bring it up.

The last time Huan Chengzhi was ambush, it was because this person threatened him. But now it is obvious that Wang Du has set a trap in the prison. Yuan He did not give any promises or benefits, but he wanted to rush forward and be the scapegoat. Isn't this treating himself like a three-year-old child?
"In my opinion, Sima Dang should immediately seek help from the Prince of Xiang."

Yuan He was silent for a moment, his face full of disappointment, and he forced a smile, "That's what Dao Ze said."

At this time, Du Shunu stood in the heavy rain and said, "Report to the Sima, Wang Duhu has ordered that the thieves of the Tianshi Dao be taken to Jingkou for interrogation tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)