When the team returned to the official dock, it was already afternoon, almost an hour and a half later than the time required by the order, so Shen Leng, who came back with a few heads, was punished to stand on the pier trestle, and was not allowed to leave without Cen Zheng's order.

The figure was a little lonely.

Shen Leng looked up at the sun that was about to set, thinking that Meng Changan should be much more lonely than himself when he went north, right? He just felt lonely at this moment, and when he returned to the ten-person team, there would be warmth, and when he returned to Mr. and Tea Master, that warmth made him feel that there was beauty everywhere.

When it was almost dark, Bai Xiu, the general of Wupin Guoyi, walked slowly to Shen Leng's side, looked at the human head that had dried up with bloodstains, and his eyes flickered.

"General Cen actually didn't mean to embarrass you."

Bai Xiu pointed to those heads: "Find a place to bury it casually, I have already written down the military merits for you, and I will try my best to send people to find out the identities and origins of these people, but you know, there are places where the sun is not as sunny as daylight, and some things may not be able to be checked clearly." ”

Shen Leng looked at Bai Xiu: "General Xie, I will continue to investigate Li Tuming's hatred." ”

Bai Xiu frowned slightly: "Why are you so stubborn? ”

Shen Leng: "The general thinks that what is the heaviest thing in the world?" ”

Bai Xiu replied: "Daning is the heaviest. ”

Shen Leng glanced at Bai Xiu and nodded: "The general's answer is really standard...... But I feel that it is the most important person, and Daning should not only refer to thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, but more importantly, the vast number of living beings in the rivers and mountains, why are people important? It's because people have feelings, and Li Tuming is my brother. ”

"You have taken your revenge and killed so many people."

"Li Tuming is my brother."

"You are a soldier, you should know that military discipline is the heaviest."

"Li Tuming is my brother."

Shen Leng took a deep breath: "General, why are the Daning soldiers invincible?" Because we treat our fellow comrades as brothers. ”

Bai Xiu snorted, and his face gradually turned cold.

"Shen Leng, I have already persuaded you, you should know that if you don't value you, I won't tell you this, people must be self-aware."

After finishing speaking, Bai Xiu turned around and left, and Shen Leng slammed the heads on the ground: "General, just now you said that these heads were buried casually?" But I don't want to, the Daning soldiers treat the enemy and can't tolerate the soil for peace. ”

Bai Xiu's footsteps stopped, and he turned to look at Shen Leng: "Then burn it." ”

After saying these five words, he strode away, obviously angry at Shen Leng's performance.

In the Xiongniu warship, Cen Zheng stood there and looked at the cold and hard Shen Leng on the trestle like a stone, frowned slightly when his eyes turned to Bai Xiu's side, and then sighed, with a faint self-reproach in his eyes.

"Where are the soldiers?"

"The subordinates are here!"

The two pro-soldiers hurried over and leaned over with their fists clenched.

"Let Shen Leng go back, tell him that Li Tuming's matter is over here, and if he dares to make any reckless moves, I will behead him according to military discipline, and let him remember that he must not give General Ben a chance to fall with the knife."

The two pro-soldiers looked at each other, and said in their hearts, General, what's the matter?

But the general's words were orders, and the two of them didn't dare not listen, so they found Shen Leng after leaving quickly, and told Shen Leng Cen Zheng's original words, Shen Leng turned to look at the bear-bull warship, his eyes were complicated.

Li Tuming was buried not far from the official wharf, the place chosen by Shen Leng, he didn't know much feng shui, but the terrain was open, and he could see far away from the north, maybe he could see his hometown.

The next morning, the fleet continued to move south, and the smell of blood on the official dock also dissipated, but everyone knew very well that Ningwu County was destined to be uneasy for a while.

The report that the bandits attacked the Guanbu Wharf and killed more than 100 soldiers arrived in the capital eight days later, and it was written by Zhuang Yong, the commander of the naval division, and the speed of the military post was much faster than that of the people's post, so the music of Ningwu County and Anyang County were still on the way.

Thousands of miles of urgency, substitution and horse relay day and night, under normal circumstances, it takes almost 20 days to ride a horse from Anyang County to Chang'an City, and Zhuang Yong's recital has been placed on the desk of His Majesty the Emperor eight days later.

Unexpectedly, the emperor didn't show much anger, but the knuckles of the hands that were holding the fold were slightly white.

The emperor handed the fold to the scholar Mu Zhaotong: "Pavilion Elder, what do you think should be done?" ”

Mu Zhaotong keenly saw the danger from the emperor's subtle reaction, he took the fold with both hands and looked at it word by word, not daring to miss a single thing, and after reading it, he fell to his knees and sweated profusely.

"The minister is guilty."

"What is the crime of the elder of the pavilion?"

"The county magistrate of Ningwu County is a candidate recommended by the minister."

"I know, so I ask you, what to do?"

"Kill and decide."

Mu Zhaotong raised his head, and these three words were said simply and ruthlessly.

"Just do what the elder said...... Ningwu County Order, the county Cheng was decided, the rest of the county officials carefully investigated, the Ministry of Officials and the Criminal Department sent people to kill, those who should be killed, those who should be exiled, those who should be exiled, and all the following officials of Anyang County will be fined for two years, and they will be placed on duty to check, and those who are found to have dereliction of duty will not be spared...... The following officials of Jiangnan Provincial Government Chen Lianzhi were fined for one year, so that Chen Lianzhi could check the people under him! ”

Mu Zhaotong knelt there and bowed his head: "The minister remembers." ”

"Admiral Zhuang Yong of the Navy Division has no way to suppress bandits, and he will be fined for one year and demoted by one level."

After the emperor finished speaking, he rubbed his temples: "I don't want to see such a thing again. ”

Mu Zhaotong crawled to the ground: "The minister asks His Majesty to punish him, and the minister's crime is unforgivable." ”

"Ge Lao...... Well, you should also be fined for a year. ”

The emperor was silent for a moment: "The Ministry of Household Affairs sent people to Ningwu County, and I distributed all the money confiscated to the families of those who died in the box, I have said many times, I can lose myself, but not my people...... The officials who were selected and supplemented to Ningwu County should be seen for myself. ”

"Yes!"

Mu Zhaotong kowtowed again and again: "It's just that the minister is only fined for one year, which is too light." ”

"Elder Ge, get up quickly, this matter has nothing to do with you."

The emperor got up and went over to help Mu Zhaotong up: "There are still too many things that need to be handled by the elder pavilion, and I can't do without you by my side...... It seems that the sailor can't be limited to the Nanping River, Ge Lao, so a large sailor only guards an Anyang City Jiangnan Weaving Mansion, and the things are not used to the fullest...... I wondered, should I let the sailor temporarily walk freely on the waterways of Jiangnan Province, without being subject to the cumbersome notification and negotiation of local governments? To eradicate harm for the people, you can't stop or wait. ”

Mu Zhaotong's heart trembled, but he could only bow his head: "Your Majesty is thoughtful, and the minister will draft the will." ”

The emperor snorted: "The sailor can borrow money, grain and materials from the treasury of the local government in Jiangnan Province, and the local treasury can report all the things taken by the sailor to the household department...... At the level of the provincial government, there is no need to be subject to one piece. ”

"Yes."

Mu Zhaotong sighed in his heart...... Zhuang Yong, Your Majesty has promised you such a great right, can you hold it?

Except for the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, which is from the first grade, the others are all members of the second grade, and Zhuang Yong is a fourth grade...... No, it's already from the fourth grade, and this has been entrusted by His Majesty to the same level as the Taoist officials.

It is said that it has been lowered by one level......

The emperor sat down again: "Elder Ge, is it a bit heavy that I handled the affairs of Ningwu County just now?" ”

Mu Zhaotong said in his heart why did His Majesty bring the topic back to that case, but he didn't dare to answer directly, and after pondering for a while, he suddenly thought of someone...... His Majesty punished Jiangnan Province up and down, but there was no mention of one person, Bai Shangnian, the general of the Yizi Battalion of Jiangnan Province.

The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty all knew that Bai Shangnian and Mu Zhaotong had a great relationship, and they were well-known old friends.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is not enough, and Bai Shangnian, the general of the Yizi Battalion, is also guilty of dereliction of duty and failure to investigate, and he should be punished."

"How is it punished?"

"Minister...... Your Majesty is please. ”

The emperor glanced at Mu Zhaotong: "Bai Shangnian has been stationed in Jiangnan Province for many years, and it stands to reason that his fault is greater than Zhuang Yong's, so he will be reduced to a penalty of three years." ”

A penalty of three years for a downgrade!

Mu Zhaotong kept thinking in his mind, what is Your Majesty's mind? Could it be that Bai Shangnian did something wrong? The water bandit is the business of the water army, and the water army did not go out of the Nanping River before because it did not have the permission to walk freely on the waterways, so His Majesty just punished Zhuang Yong by one level, and it is estimated that it will not take long to rise back, what about Bai Shangnian?

Mu Zhaotong lowered his head: "Your Majesty Shengming." ”

The emperor waved his hand: "Elder Ge is also tired, let's go home and rest first, I am also a little tired." ”

Mu Zhaotong had no choice but to bow his head and withdraw from the study, but all he was thinking about was Bai Shangnian.

The emperor sat on the chair and seemed to be a little worried, and for a long time he looked at the red wooden box on the table, picked it up, opened it, took out the secret letter inside, and looked at it again.

The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty all knew that His Majesty's control over the soldiers had reached an unprecedented height, not only because His Majesty took back the right to transfer troops from the Ministry of War, but also because His Majesty had set up a news box, and the soldiers in various places and even in the four frontiers and four libraries had cronies arranged by His Majesty, and no one except His Majesty knew who these people were.

And these people have a special channel to quickly report the affairs of the soldiers to His Majesty, which is called the news box.

This telegraph box was sent from the water master, and it arrived a day earlier than Zhuang Yong's recital.

"Qingsong Dao people in the White Tower View of Cloud City...... It's been sixteen years...... Is it really such a coincidence? ”

The emperor muttered to himself.

He leaned back, his face looking strangely tired.

Sixteen years ago, that night, he was busy making final preparations for entering Beijing, a major event happened in the palace, involving many people, because of this incident he was furious, and before leaving, there were so many people who were executed in one breath that it made people's scalps numb, and the ground in the courtyard of the palace was stained red, and dozens of buckets of water were splashed and not washed away.

But the Taoist of Baitaguan escaped, and he didn't hear from him for many years.

Now if it is really that person in Anyang County, Zhuang Yong must know about it, but why didn't Zhuang Yong report it?

The emperor burned the secret letter, and after a long pause, he said in a deep voice: "Let the dog enter the palace, I have something to do with him." ”

In the shadows, a man dressed in black came out and knelt down: "The minister will go." ”

Half an hour later, the emperor had already moved from the study to the house, the guards and palace maids around him were all dismissed, there was some terrible silence in the house, and the shoulders of the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground trembled slightly, because His Majesty had not seen him for at least three years.

"Dog."

"The minister is here."

"Go to Anyang County, check one person for me, check one thing."

The man who was called a dog by the emperor looked up and saw the sadness in the emperor's eyes.

"Yes...... Sixteen years ago? ”

"Well, I haven't seen you in three years because I don't need to show you anything other than that."

The emperor waved his hand: "By the way, check if Zhuang Yonghe has anything to do with the incident sixteen years ago, I remember that he also went to Baitaguan that day." ”

The middle-aged man got up: "The minister knows, tomorrow morning...... The minister will leave tonight. ”

He turned around and walked out of the house before he straightened up, and the night wind blew his white clothes, and the pattern of the three fiery clouds on the sleeves seemed to be alive.