Not long after Zhou Laojiu left, Zhao Chong, the captain of the left battalion, came.

In the local military government of the Tang Dynasty, the highest military commander was the commander of Zhichong, who had 800 to 2,000 people under his jurisdiction, depending on the size of the state. Below the two Lieutenants of Zhichong are the two Lieutenants of Guo Yi as deputies, and Pang Fei is now in this position. Next is the captain, generally each brigade has four to eight captains, each commanding the strength of a regiment.

Datang's regiment is different from the current "regiment". In the military structure of the Tang Dynasty, fire is the smallest system, with ten people per fire and a chief fire commander; The five fires are a team, with a principal and deputy team; The two teams are a brigade with a brigade commander. Generally speaking, two brigades are a regiment with the post of captain. However, Xiangzhou is the upper prefecture, and each regiment has four brigades under its jurisdiction, with a total of 400 people. There are a total of four regiments in the whole prefecture, which are stationed in the military tun in front and back, left and right, so Zhao Chongcai is used to being called "the captain of the left battalion". And Qin Mubai, the supreme commander, Zhi Chongdu, will lead his own officers and soldiers of the Qinxu Mansion to be stationed in the middle camp and command the three armies. In addition to Pang Fei, the thirty hundred cavalry who accompanied him were all officers of the Chinese army, serving as Zhonghou, Si Ge, Si Ge, and Halberd Commander respectively.

Counting it, Zhao Chong is also a senior officer in Xiangzhou Mansion. If the entire Xiangzhou Military Government is equivalent to one of our current regimental headquarters, he is equivalent to a battalion commander.

Qin Mubai twisted his brows lightly with one hand, and looked at Zhao Chong with a more serious expression, and did not say a word.

When he was called by Pang Fei, the "deputy head of the regiment", Zhao Chong was already panicked enough, thinking that even the errand runner was a Guo Yi Lieutenant, maybe he wanted to use me to clean me up...... Seeing Qin Mubai's expression again, Zhao Chong felt a sense of fear in his heart that he had never felt before, and he bowed head-on.

"The last general paid a visit to General Qin...... The last general should die, please condemn the general! ”

Qin Mubai gently picked the corners of his mouth and said easily, "What are you guilty of?" ”

"Uh, this ......" Zhao Chong was speechless for a while, unable to answer, and choked for a long time before saying, "The last general doesn't know how to respect his face, and he offended General Huwei!" ”

"You have said 'you don't know how to respect your face', as the saying goes, those who don't know are not guilty, don't blame you, get up and speak." Qin Mubai wrote lightly.

"The last general will not dare!" A cold sweat was flowing on Zhao Chong's forehead, and he still recalled the kick he was kicked by Yuwen Hongtai in the prison cell. He thought to himself, these children and officials of the Shi family from the capital have strange tempers, and they are not small, so it is better to be careful.

"If you insist on kneeling, you will be in charge." Qin Mubai said, "But then again, if you don't care about the crime of offending His Highness and me, tell me frankly, have you made any other mistakes?" ”

"This ...... The last general doesn't know what the general means by this? Zhao Chong raised his head, looking at Qin Mubai with a little shock and a little trepidation.

"I really don't know?" Qin Mubai accentuated his tone a little.

"The last general is stupid, please make it clear!"

Qin Mubai was worried, he wanted to knock on the mountain and shock the tiger, but it seems that this Zhao Chong is not as easy to bluff as Zhou Laojiu. Well, I'm a newcomer, so don't startle the snake yet. It is difficult to say whether the people in the military government have colluded with the water ghosts. If I act recklessly, they will be on guard.

So Qin Mubai cleverly diverted the topic: "Then I will remind you of it." Which battalion sergeant is Viet Cavalry? ”

"Ah...... The general forgives the sins! Zhao Chong panicked and hurriedly said, "When there was an accident in the Eight Ghost Crossing, the matter was urgent, and the last general was ordered by General Du Chengyuandu, the commander of Guoyi, to rush to the rescue." Considering that the water ghosts are fierce and stubborn, and the situation is urgent, the general has no choice but to temporarily recruit...... The elite of the general's Chinese army rode more and went to the Eight Ghost Crossing! ”

Qin Mubai gently hooked the corners of his mouth: "According to my Tang Dynasty military law, the military government must obtain the permission of an officer above the rank of Lieutenant Guoyi to mobilize a team of less than fifty people out of the camp; If there are more than 50 people, it must be directly approved by the commander. Moreover, no one in the Chinese army has the right to transfer them, except for Captain Zhichong. This time, not only did you call fifty cavalry, but you also directly transferred the Yue cavalry from our Chinese army...... Zhao Chong, you are also a general, you have been in the barracks for many years, and you don't understand this rule? ”

"The last general is indeed guilty, please punish the general!"

Qin Mubai smiled to himself: "Let's go!" I read that you also violated military regulations in order to save the emergency situation, so I will spare you this time. In the future, you will have to memorize military law a little more. ”

"General Xie is generous and forgiving!" Zhao Chong responded to the promise in a deep voice, and secretly wondered with a sigh: What is the matter with my Dao, it turns out that I still have some worries about me catching you! …… You haven't taken office yet, so what's the point of your Chinese military being mobilized for emergencies? It's clearly to find fault and teach me a lesson! - Hey, what did this guy call me for, and why am I getting more and more confused?

Qin Mubai looked at Yue Chong with a suspicious expression, and wanted to laugh in his heart. With a calm look, he said: "Zhao Chong, in the military government, you have direct jurisdiction over more than four hundred brothers, and their position is not low and their power is not small; In the territory of Xiangzhou, you can be regarded as a character. Come to think of it, you should be very familiar with the situation in Xiangzhou, and I have something to ask you. ”

"Please show the general!" Zhao Chong's heart tightened, and Zhengse replied.

"When I first arrived, I heard that the water ghosts in Xihecao were extremely fierce, killing people and despising the king's law, and their crimes should be punished." Qin Mubai said, "As a military officer, it is your duty to maintain local peace, have you led troops to chase down water ghosts?" ”

"Yes." Zhao Chong replied, "There are several chases and killings every year, and there are usually a lot of encounters with water ghosts. But...... We've never dealt any real blow to them, at most we've only caught a few people or killed a few people sporadically. In order to compete with the water ghosts, the military government also specially built the 'Divine Fish Spaceship' and drilled the 'White Wave Water Army', although it can completely overwhelm the water ghosts in terms of force, but it can't kill them all. The last general is also very ashamed and distressed! ”

"Divine Fish Spaceship, White Wave Water Army...... Hmm, that sounds pretty good. Qin Mubai said, "What is the reason why the dignified soldiers of the Celestial Empire can't clean up a few water ghosts and grass cowards?" ”

"The general doesn't know anything. The water ghosts are all treacherous and slippery, usually hiding well and not showing up at all, and occasionally after gathering on the river to do a case, they can quickly disappear without a trace. Because they are all on the water, even if they are contained, the most they usually do is to recover the goods. Those people, all like loaches, disappeared when they entered the water, and there was no way to catch them! Zhao Chong shouted with some annoyance.

"Really?" Qin Mubai grinned coldly, "Isn't your claw hook spear quite powerful, haven't you caught one?" If you can catch one or two live mouths and pry their mouths open, are you afraid that you won't be able to find out the culprit, and you are worried that you can't annihilate them in one fell swoop? ”

"This ......" Zhao Chong inadvertently gently raised a trace of the corners of his mouth, and said, "The last general is incompetent, and he really hasn't caught a living mouth." ”

"In a few years, haven't caught a live mouth?" Qin Mubai asked.

"Exactly." The corners of Zhao Chong's mouth were slightly provoked, and he replied, "Even if you are caught, you will be inexplicably let go by the official yamen." As for the reason for this, the final general is unknown. In short, the conclusion is that these people captured by the last general are not real water ghosts. ”

After listening to this, Qin Mubai was thinking in his heart: Looking at Zhao Chong's disdainful and somewhat resentful expression, it seems that he is a little dissatisfied with the Xiangzhou Thorn History Mansion and the Xiangyang County Ya? Watching and listening, this Zhao Chong seemed to know something, but he didn't want to tell me directly...... He should have some scruples. Well, I'm not in a hurry, just probe the wind first. On the ground of Xiangzhou, it is a little more complicated than I imagined, and it is not too late to trace it down when I understand the situation.

"In the military government, who is directly in charge of the Shenyu Spaceship and the White Wave Water Army?" Qin Mubai diverted the topic and asked.

"It's the last general." Zhao Chong replied, "The last general is responsible for clearing and exterminating water ghosts all the year round, and the left camp of the military government is the naval camp, and the military ships are also under the jurisdiction of the last general." On that day, the case happened on the shore, and the last general's command had no cavalry and insufficient power, so he was forced to call the general's Chinese army to ...... cavalry."

"Hmm...... Tomorrow, before two o'clock, gather your left battalion and military ships near the Eight Ghost Crossing. Ben is going to be reviewed. Qin Mubai said.

"The last general commands!" Zhao Chong solemnly clenched his fists and promised.

"It's okay, let's go!" Qin Mubai said.

"Uh...... The last general dared to ask when the general would take up his post in the military government? Zhao Chong asked, "I waited for a group of colleagues, but I didn't welcome the general in the Assassin's Mansion today, so I went back to the barracks to rectify the officers and soldiers of the three armies, and waited for the general to pick up the wind and wash the dust for the general." ”

"Tomorrow on the Japanese ship, we will meet. The thieves made such a fierce fuss, they would have had no intention of feasting. Go back and spread the word that the vulgar rites such as receiving the wind and washing the dust will be exempted. Tomorrow, all the officers above the brigade commander will come to your Shenyu spaceship and wait for me. Qin Mubai said.

"The last general obeys!" Zhao Chong bowed and left.

Pang Fei walked in and said, "Teacher, the apprentice just listened to your conversation, and the teacher couldn't ask any questions, but he answered cautiously, and his mouth was very tight. Presumably, this Zhao Chong knows a lot about the water ghost, but he is reluctant to say it. ”

"Clever and energetic." Qin Mubai stood up and said with a slight smile, "He seems to have said a lot to me, but in fact, he didn't say anything meaningful. It's just that I vaguely feel that he is a little dissatisfied with the officials of the state and county yamen. Now that the Tang Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, the small place of Xiangzhou is actually haunted by water ghosts, and the green forest is factional, isn't the difficulty abnormal? If there is no yamen or the military government to open the door for them, how can such a phenomenon be repeatedly banned? To say that they have no connection with the water ghosts, I absolutely do not believe it. ”

"That's what the apprentice thinks, too." Pang Fei said, "It is too unusual and unreasonable for these water ghosts to dare to openly kill people and oversell goods under Lang Lang Qiankun, and then escape without a trace." After all, it is a group of people and a big brown cargo, even if it is a good person to hide and hide, how can this cargo disappear in the air? ”

"Well said, in a word!" Qin Mubai stroked his palm and said with a smile, "It seems that your kid has also seen some clues." If you want to eliminate the water ghosts, just by force and directly round up, it is definitely to stop the boiling. The enemy is dark and we are clear, and when we kill the murderer, they hide and hide, and do not come out to commit crimes; As soon as we slackened, they quietly gathered to commit crimes. In this way, we are always passive. If you want to turn passive into active, you have to grasp their seven-inch key point - that is, how did they clear the large amount of thieves? ”

Pang Fei blinked a few times: "Looking at the situation where the teacher's wisdom bead is in his hand, it seems that he has a good idea?" ”

"Haha!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "It seems that you are not fooling around in vain, and you have practiced well in the ability to check your face and look at your appearance." We deliberately asked Zhao Chong to go back and pass the word, explaining that the military parade on the day was just to confuse them and confuse the public. Early tomorrow morning, you and I will dress up in disguise and go around the state city. After noon, go back here and get ready for the Eight Ghost Stream military parade! ”

"The teacher is wise, and everything is really arranged!" Pang Fei happily arched his hand and said, "If you follow your teacher, you can learn good things!" ”

"Don't always call a teacher." Qin Mubai patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You are also a dignified Guoyi Lieutenant now, you should have your own opinions and opinions, and you should also learn to stand alone." You also saw it just now, Zhao Chong, a school captain, is so difficult and spicy, you have to train more in the military government in the future! ”

"Yes!"

That night, Qin Mubai, who was tired, fell asleep in the inn, and had no dreams until early in the morning, when Pang Fei knocked on the door to wake him up. After hastily eating some breakfast, they changed their clothes and disguised themselves as business travelers, servants, etc., Qin Mubai and Pang Fei and a group of five or six people went to the state city.

Xiangzhou is a port city, and business travel is very active. Although it is not as magnificent and luxurious as Chang'an West City, it is not as lively as a few points. Especially in the port market of Beicheng, many goods hauled from the port are traded directly here, and it is extremely prosperous. There are many shops, cars and horses, and there is an endless stream of people coming and going, and the cries and selling are noisy.

"Owner, this port market in Xiangzhou is really lively!" Pang Fei smiled, "What are you really pretending to be, dare to love this businessman's demeanor and expression, all learned from the Wu Dong family, right?" ”

"Lots of nonsense." Qin Mubai scolded with a smile, "I'm taking advantage of the fact that few people in Xiangzhou know me, so it's convenient to make a secret visit." Everyone should pay attention to it, and when they see a shop or an official name that sells salt and rice, they tell me. ”

Pang Fei's eyes lit up, and he leaned over and whispered, "Teacher, do you mean ...... It is likely that the stolen goods were resold through the government-run grain store or salt number? ”

"Isn't that possible?" Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "With so much grain and salt, can the water ghosts still eat it by themselves or sink into the river?" They don't want food and salt, they want money. But with so much grain and salt, it is impossible for them to transfer it, let alone resell it. Therefore, the best way is to resell the stolen goods directly to the grain store and the salt number! ”

"But...... My Datang's 'grain, iron, salt and cloth' are all monopolized by the government! Pang Fei said in surprise, "All grain stores and salt stores must be licensed firms hired by the government, and only one can operate in each state and county." Moreover, whether it is the source of goods or the market, the price of the goods or the purchase price, the price is determined by the government, and the grain store and the salt number only earn a very meager price difference as a profit. ”

Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Is it meager?" I don't think so. Originally, the most profitable goods in the world were food, clothing, housing and transportation, especially grain and salt. Think about it, who in the whole world doesn't eat grain and salt? Just talking about this Xiangzhou city, if anyone can obtain the government's grain and salt management rights, it means that the people in the whole city are making money for him. Even if each person only earns him a penny a day, that is a staggering amount of money. Therefore, generally speaking, most of the businesses dealing in grain and salt are the richest people in the local area. Figuratively speaking, Zheng Fengchi of Chang'an! ”

"Oh...... Got it! Pang Fei nodded suddenly, "The government-run grain store and salt number are provided by the government with the supply of official grain and salt, so the profit is low. But if it was the thieves who were given to them by the water ghosts...... That's a big profit! Moreover, these thieves and official food and salt are the same, and there is no way to distinguish them at all-Teacher, such an analysis is really very likely! ”

Qin Mubai smiled to himself: "I thought you had figured it out a long time ago!" ”

"Uh......" Pang Fei scratched his head in embarrassment, blushed and smiled embarrassedly, "If I had such a good brain, I would have been out of the school a long time ago, hehe!" ”

"Stop talking nonsense, take the brothers around the port city and find the grain store and the silver number. In the second minute, we have to go to the Eight Ghost Crossing military parade, and the time is urgent! Qin Mubai said.

"Good! Take your brothers and find it right away! ”