In the case of Gao Ran's assassination, except for a few assassins who were killed on the spot, the remaining assassins disappeared into the streets and alleys of Guantao City, and have not been heard from since. Don't look at Chen Zhen's appointment as the Taishou, he sent officials to investigate this matter, but there was never the slightest clue. Just when everyone thought that this case would become a headless public case, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Han Zhan is about to return to Jizhou, so naturally he has a lot of things to explain to Chen Zhen and Gao Lan. As he was talking, an errand officer hurriedly walked in and reported to Chen Zhenyu: "Qiyu Taishou, there is a woman outside who asks to see you!" ”

"A woman asking to see you?" After listening to the report of the officer, Chen asked with some displeasure: "What is the matter with her looking for this official?" ”

"If you go back to Taishou," replied the officer cautiously, "she said that she had read the notice posted outside and had come to report the news." ”

The words of the errand officer immediately reminded Han Zhan that he had asked Chen Zhen to post a post in the city yesterday, offering a reward for the capture of the assassin hiding in the city. Whoever binds the assassin to the government shall be rewarded with fifty gold; Whoever reports the news shall be rewarded with ten gold. Unexpectedly, just a day after the list was posted, someone actually came to report the news.

Han Zhan hurriedly instructed the messenger: "Go and invite that woman in!" ”

After a while, the servant led a young woman into the hall. The woman knelt in the middle of the hall, her head on the ground, and said tremblingly, "Little women, see all the adults." ”

"Excuse me!" After receiving Han Zhan's signal, Chen Zhen said: "The women in the hall don't have to be formal, just tell the official if you have anything!" ”

"Thank you, Lord Taishou." After the woman finished speaking, she straightened up and said with some nervousness: "In the courtyard next to the little woman's house, more than a dozen rude men have lived in the past two months. However, what is strange is that they live in seclusion on weekdays, except for buying firewood, rice, oil and salt, they almost don't go out. The little woman saw the list posted by the Taishou yesterday and thought that they were suspicious, so she came to report them to the adults. ”

Han Zhan, who was sitting on the side, looked at the woman who reported the news, and he was a little kind. After the other party finished speaking, he said: "This woman, Benhou sees that you have a kind face, as if you have seen it somewhere?" ”

When the woman heard Han Zhan's voice, she stared at him for a long time, and then exclaimed, "You, aren't you a state-related order?" Why is it here? ”

"The woman in the hall is rude!" Chen Zhen saw that the woman was a little out of shape, and hurriedly stopped her: "This is the new Jizhou Mu, Zhangshui Pavilion Hou Han. ”

Unexpectedly, after the woman heard Chen Zhen's words, a surprised expression appeared on her face: "Sure enough, it is a state-related order." My lord, do you really not know Little Women? ”

Han Zhan looked at the woman carefully, thinking quickly in his mind, where had he seen this woman, and why did she look so familiar?

Seeing that Han Zhan didn't recognize herself, the woman hurriedly reminded the other party: "My lord, do you remember that when I was in Sheguo County, my brother was killed by a few splashes, but the adult upheld justice, sentenced them to death, and gave us ten gold." ”

After the woman's reminder, Han Zhan suddenly remembered the identity of the other party, he pointed at the woman with his finger, and said with a smile: "Ben Hou remembered, you are the sister of Thirteen Lang, Chen." Thinking of the poor little widow of the Chen family, Han Zhan couldn't help but add, "I don't know how your brother and sister Wang are now?" ”

Seeing that Han Zhan not only thought of himself, but even thought of his younger siblings, Chen couldn't help but sigh and said, "My brother died tragically, and he hasn't even found his body until now. A pair of twin daughters in the family only rely on the Wang family to do a little needlework to support them, and life is extremely difficult. ”

"When the case was closed, didn't Ben Hou give you ten gold?" Han Zhanxin said that ten gold can buy a good house in this dynasty, but after just over half a year, you have used up all the money. Therefore, in a displeased tone, he asked, "Why did you run out so quickly?" ”

"Back to Lord Hui's words," Chen heard his dissatisfaction from Han Zhan's tone, and hurriedly explained: "Wang said that Sheguo County is a sad place, and he didn't want to stay there anymore, so we left Sheguo County and prepared to come to Guantao to settle down. Unexpectedly, we met a bandit halfway, and our coils were robbed, so we had to beg all the way back to Guantao. ”

After listening to Chen's experience, Han Zhan couldn't help but sigh, he looked at Chen Zhen and said, "Filial piety, immediately arrange a messenger and follow this woman back to her residence to check." If those people were indeed the Assassins who had slipped through the net, they were to be arrested immediately. ”

After Gao Ran waited for Han Zhan to finish speaking, he stood up with difficulty, and arched his hand and said, "Lord, those assassins are very skilled, just relying on a group of errands, I'm afraid it will be difficult to help them, it's better to transfer some more soldiers and horses to go with you." ”

"My lord," Xiahou Lan, who was sitting on the side, also stood up and took the initiative to ask Han Zhan for advice: "The last general is willing to personally lead five hundred soldiers to capture these assassins." ”

After Han Zhan learned about the terrain from the Chen clan, he immediately instructed Xiahou Lan: "Xiahou Lan, you are away from five hundred soldiers and horses to block the streets there, you are not allowed to enter or leave, and absolutely no assassin is allowed to escape." ”

Seeing that Han Zhan agreed to his request, Xia Houlan said happily: "The last general will obey the order." ”

Han Zhan turned his head to look at Chen Zhen again and said to him, "Xiaoqi, after Captain Xiahou led people to surround the courtyard where the assassins lived, your servants rushed in to arrest people, and if they encountered resistance, they would all be killed. ”

After two incense sticks, Xiahou Lan led the troops to block the street where Chen's house was located, and drove the idlers and others back to their rooms, and a Dubo led a hundred soldiers to surround the courtyard that Chen said.

There was a burly man in the courtyard who was chopping wood, and when he heard the sound of hurried and neat footsteps outside, he turned his head to look and saw a group of officers and soldiers outside the courtyard, as if they were preparing to fence off the courtyard. He knew that something was wrong, so he hurriedly whistled and rushed towards the officers and soldiers with an axe, trying to take advantage of the chaos to kill a bloody way.

Xia Houlan, who personally led the team, actually didn't believe what Chen said, thinking that she was reporting false news for the sake of reward. At this moment, I saw a big man rushing out with an axe, and hurriedly shouted: "Array!" ”

At his shout, the shield-wielding sword and shield soldiers immediately lined up quickly and raised their shields, while the spearmen in the back row stretched their spears out of the gaps in their shields. The big man rushed to the front of the queue, and without saying a word, he raised his axe and cut it. The sword and shield soldier who was struck by his shield was numb from the shock, but he gritted his teeth and slashed the knife in his hand forward. At the same time, the two pikemen behind him also stabbed the big man with their spears.

The big man who was shot and stabbed in his body screamed miserably, and the axe in his hand fell to the ground, and his body froze. When the spear that had pierced him was drawn, he fell on his back, blood gushing out of several holes in his body.

The people who stayed in the house heard the whistle of the big man and knew that something was going on outside, so they rushed out with weapons in their hands. When I rushed into the courtyard, I saw that there was an army outside. When it comes to fighting alone, four or five soldiers outside can't beat any of them, but in the face of such a rigorous queue, they are not of much use. Two unbelievers, brandishing their weapons in their hands, tried to rush out, but all of them were shot indiscriminately and stabbed into a hornet's nest. Seeing that the situation was not good, the rest hurriedly threw away the weapons in their hands and knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

Xia Houlan knew that in order to find out the mastermind behind the assassination of Gao Lan, he had to go back alive, so he ordered the messenger who had just arrived to enter the courtyard to arrest people. In order to prevent these Assassins from resisting, twenty crossbowmen stood outside the courtyard wall with crossbows in their hands, and if they tried to resist, they would be immediately shot into hedgehogs.

The capture of the Assassin went unusually well, with no casualties except for one Sword-and-Shield Soldier whose arm was dislocated. Three assassins were killed on the spot and five were captured alive. Xia Houlan saw that the assassins were all tied up, so he ordered: "Take them all back to the Taishou Mansion." ”

Han Zhan, who stayed in the Taishou Mansion, thought that Xia Houlan would go to arrest the assassin this time, and it would take two or three hours at the earliest to come back. Unexpectedly, less than half an hour later, he saw Xiahou Lan striding into the main hall. He came to Han Zhan and bowed: "The last general will see the lord." The last general was fortunate to be killed, and he had already wiped out all the assassins. ”

"Caught the assassin so quickly?" Hearing Xia Houlan say that all the assassins had been caught, even Gao Ran felt incredulous, it had been almost a month since he was assassinated, according to his own thoughts, these assassins were not fools, they would stay in the city If they were caught, it is estimated that they would have fled long ago. Unexpectedly, Han Zhan received a tip and ordered Xiahou Lan to arrest people, and in less than half an hour, he arrested all the assassins. "Captain Xiahou, you won't catch the wrong person, right?"

"Lieutenant, please rest assured," Xiahou Lan turned her head to look at Gao Ran and said with a smile, "I have interrogated one of the assassins, and he has confessed that they are the assassins who assassinated you. ”

In order to find out who was behind the assassination of Gao Lan, Han Zhan hurriedly ordered: "Bring the assassins up, and Ben Hou will interrogate them personally." ”

Xia Houlan agreed, walked to the door of the lobby, and rushed outside and said loudly: "Bring the assassin up!" ”

Soon, there was a commotion outside, and five men who had been tied up by the flowers were escorted into the lobby by strong soldiers.

After Chen Zhen and the other assassins knelt down, he asked them, "The one who assassinated the high lieutenant in the city last month is waiting." ”

A person who obviously looked like a leader, heard Chen Zhen's question, and hurriedly replied: "If you go back to the adult, it is indeed the villain's doing. ”

Seeing that the other party admitted so readily, Chen Zhen bowed slightly, and then asked, "This official asked you, who instructed you to assassinate the high school captain?" When the leader heard Chen Zhen's question, he immediately became dumb.

Seeing that the leader refused to answer his question, Chen Zhen slapped the table and said sharply: "It's not too fast to recruit truthfully!" ”

Who knew that the leader knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Chen Zhen and said: "My lord, the little one is guilty, but I want to die, please punish the little one Ming Zheng." ”

Seeing that the leader of the assassins would take the initiative to seek death, it was indeed unexpected by everyone in the hall. After Chen Zhen and Han Zhan glanced at each other, they both saw surprise in each other's eyes. Chen Zhen continued to ask: "What is your trouble, but it doesn't matter, this official will make the decision for you." ”

"Please, my lord, kill us." The leader said in a crying voice: "If there is a small confession, the whole family will not survive." ”

As soon as his words fell, the assassins who were kneeling behind him also shouted: "The little ones want to die quickly, please fulfill the adults." ”

"Are the families of the Mofir and others under the control of the Lord?" Seeing that these assassins were unwilling to confess to the mastermind, but on the contrary, they were anxious to die, Han Zhan felt that something was wrong, so he said tentatively: "If Ben Hou can rescue your family, can you confess truthfully?" ”

Hearing Han Zhan say this, a hesitant expression appeared on the leader's face. But instead of speaking, he turned his head to look at the brothers kneeling behind him. When the assassins saw the leader's eyes on them, they nodded their heads one after another, indicating that they could consider Han Zhan's request.

The leader sighed and said: "This adult must be the new Jizhou Mu, Zhangshui Pavilion Hou Han, the little one believes your words, as long as the family members are rescued, the little one is willing to confess truthfully." ”

"This brother," Han Zhan and the other leaders said with a sneer, "If you don't tell us where your family members are, how can we rescue your family members?" ”

The leader hesitated for a long time before he spoke: "The little family members are all in Shouchun now. If the Pavilion Marquis can rescue them, the little one is willing to confess truthfully. ”

When everyone in the hall heard the name Shouchun, they were all stunned. Then Chen Zhen slapped the table with his hand and roared to sleep: "This is impossible." The high school lieutenant has no grievances with Yuan Shu, how could he send someone to assassinate him? You're just talking nonsense. ”

The leader actually said Yuan Shu's name to the other party, only to realize that he had inadvertently revealed the identity of the main messenger behind the scenes, so he shut up. Han Zhan carefully observed the expression on the face of the assassin leader, and realized that Chen Zhen's guess was completely correct, so he waved his hand and ordered the messenger: "Put these people in prison first, and then try them another day." ”

After the assassin was escorted away, Chen Zhen said with some emotion: "Lord, if Yuan Shao is the mastermind behind the assassin, I believe this; But if Yuan Shu is the mastermind, I think it's ridiculous. ”

"Chen Taishou is right." As soon as Chen Zhen's words were finished, Xiahou Lan continued: "It must be those assassins who deliberately framed us in an attempt to provoke a conflict between us and Yuan Shu. ”

Han Zhan also felt ridiculous at the conclusion of everyone's analysis, he and Yuan Shu had no grievances in the past, why did he send a group of assassins to infiltrate Guantao to assassinate Gao Lan? What is the purpose of what he says this? And what benefits can be gained from this?

Just as everyone was pondering and meditating, Gao Lan, who was the person concerned, suddenly stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I think what the assassin said is true, maybe it is really Yuan Shu Yuan Highway of Shouchun who sent someone to assassinate me. ”