On May 23, the second year of the Apocalypse, the middle route army of the southern line of the Tiance Army broke through the city defense of Jinling City, and 100,000 troops poured into the ancient city, and the division swept the town navy. The street battle then raged fiercely, and in view of the characteristics of the many streets and alleys of Jinling City, the Tiance Army divided the troops into countless squads of 20 to 50 people, and cooperated with each other to clear them. Chen Yu led his personal guards along the main street and went straight to the Jiedu Embassy. However, when he arrived, the Jiedu envoy's mansion was empty, and Xue Mei had already fled, and even Zhou Kun disappeared. Chen Yu, who did not get Xue Mei, spread all his anger on the other town and navy in the city, and ordered the troops to kill all those who resisted, and dispatched troops to start focusing on the areas marked in advance by Xuan Yingwei and the Flying Eagle Brigade. And the family of henchmen led by Xue Mei, Pei Shiji and Zhou Kun was also taken down forcefully. The Tiance army that had just entered the city was iron-blooded and strong-sided, and all the people of Jinling City proved that this torrent from the north had a real killing intent.

The killing continued from 23 May to 24 May. After Chen Yu handed over the city defense to Li Jipeng and gave him 30,000 men to defend Jinling, he led the main force to withdraw from Jinling City to recover other cities in Jiangnan Province such as nearby Zhenjiang and Wuxi. Due to the prosperity of the Jiangnan region, many cities and towns have been built, and it is necessary to divide troops to take them one by one.

At this time, the latest news also came from Zhongshan outside Jinling City, the Tiance army commanded by Liu Yang finally took the defensive position of Zhongshan Zhou Bao after a day and a night of continuous attacks, killed Zhou Bao's troops Tian Niu on the spot, and captured more than 20,000 of Zhou Bao's troops.

At this point, the Battle of Jinling was basically over. It's just that Zhou Bao, Zhou Kun and Zhen Haijun made Xue Mei disappear. Most of the army began to clean up the battlefield, clean up the traces left by the war, and temporarily put all the troops under their control, waiting to be received.

However, Hu Xiaosi and the Flying Eagle Brigade also disappeared, and seemed to have lost contact with the large forces of the Tiance Army. This made Li Jipeng, who was going to find Hu Xiaosi after the war and plan to rectify Jinling, inexplicable, but at this time, almost all the affairs of Jinling were handed over to him, so that he had no intention of paying attention to the whereabouts of his boss. Yang Qiu had already drawn up all the matters for the reception, and had made a detailed plan with the results of Xuan Yingwei's previous investigation.

"Minister Yang, let's start with the Pei family and the Gu family. These two families had been unclear about the connection with the Jiedu Envoy Mansion before, and then they also participated in the negotiations with our Xuanyingwei on behalf of the local forces in Jinling City, and the foundation was not clean. Li Jipeng thought for a while and said to Yang Qiu beside him.

Yang Qiu nodded with a deep groan: "It's okay, just kill a hundred and give other families a deterrent." But we still need to find an excuse, I think it would be better to carry out land reform in advance? I just saw that the two families of them have hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land near Jinling City, and this is not counting the industries in other areas. ”

"Your cabinet is most familiar with these things, I have no opinion, how to operate you guide me to be responsible for implementation." Although Li Jipeng is the person in charge of the military administrative region, he still lets Yang Qiu have ideas about these civil affairs.

"Then let's go and issue a proclamation immediately, announcing the land announcement of the Jinling Thorn Mansion of the Tang Empire, publicizing the land law, and implementing the land reform on the first day of June." Yang Qiu nodded and smiled: "Also, Brother Jipeng, you are also a member of the cabinet now, and the deputy minister of the Ministry of Security is okay." ”

"I forgot about it." Li Jipeng scratched his head and smiled bitterly: "It's okay, let's go separately to supervise, this is a big deal, and we must go all out." ”

The two agreed to let their subordinates issue a proclamation immediately, and the 30,000 troops left by Chen Yu were now acting as assistants in the military district to help complete the land reform. And after this proclamation was issued, it quickly set off a huge wave in Jinling City, which had just been won over the hearts of the people. Although the Tang Empire has begun to register the industrial and agricultural population separately, the peasants are still the main force of society in this era, and there are no exceptions in places like Jiangnan, or even more. The merchant families were in fact large landowners themselves, and they controlled most of the fertile land in the south of the Yangtze River, as well as the vast number of peasants. Agrarian reform is tantamount to cutting off their greatest weapon of manipulation of the land. So compared to the people's suspicions, these people are really panicked, they have long known the news of the reform in Jiangbei, but what they didn't expect is that so soon, the Tiance army has just taken Jinling, and the people's hearts have not yet been attached to the implementation of this big killing weapon. So Jinling City, which had just been calm for a few days, was surging again. But this time the implementation of the Tiance Mansion is not the previous Xue Mei's Jiedu Embassy, after the announcement was issued, the Tiance Army began to measure the land on the spot, door-to-door to inform the empire of the household registration policy, inform the people to resettle down, and inform all the people who hold the household registration of the Tang Empire will be protected by the empire and enjoy all the policy preferences of the empire in industry and agriculture.

And in the next few days, Li Jipeng really arranged for manpower to start a comprehensive investigation of the matter of registration, checking the household registration and identity certificates of passers-by at the gates of various places, and all local people in Jinling City were prohibited from leaving the city if they did not have a household registration. This method allowed ordinary people to quickly gather at the yamen in various parts of Jinling City to register and settle down. This also quickly opened up the situation, and as more and more people registered, the population of Jinling City gradually came into the hands of the empire. In the villages and towns outside the city, the effect is much better than in the city, after the Tiance army read out the land policy, it quickly got the support of those peasants who have been oppressed and exploited all the year round, not only the household registration matter was implemented very quickly, but in many places even the land has been measured, just waiting for the orders of Li Jipeng and Yang Qiu in Jinling City to start dividing the land.

"Report to the Minister, this is the latest information from the families in the city." Li Jipeng, the envoy of Jiedu, received the latest information from the secret guard, looked at Yang Qiu beside him, and smiled: "Minister Yang, the fish has been baited." It's time for us to prepare. After speaking, he handed the information to Yang Qiu, who looked at it and nodded: "It's still that you Xuanying Wei are fast, and you have been able to get the conversation of these people's secret meeting so quickly, you really have it." ”

"I'm going to let them do it, and then we'll strike later." Li Jipeng said: "Since these people dare to resist the imperial policy, then let's wait for them to make a move." Guards, inform all the battalions in the city to come to the meeting, I have something to explain to them. ”

When Li Jipeng and Yang Qiu were preparing to deal with the big family of Jinling City, Hu Xiaosi and the Flying Eagle Brigade who disappeared took a naval warship to circle in Taihu Lake.

"I said Xiaosi, you've been here for a few days, have you found the lair of Xue Mei and the others?" Wang Houchun looked at Hu Xiaosi beside him boredly and complained: "I, a landlubber, have been on the boat for the past two days, but I have suffered to death, and I haven't found anyone to see how I clean you up at that time." ”

Hu Xiaosi said casually while facing the map and asking Guo Chongtao to change course: "Don't worry, my deputy marshal, you wait, if I don't catch Xue Mei and them, I will go to the prime minister myself to ask for guilt?" I promise you'll be dazzled by the gold and silver treasures in their treasure troves. ”

Hu Xiaosi's words made Yang Tiancheng, who had never spoken to look at the scenery, interested, and said with a smile: "Since Xue Mei put the treasure house in Taihu Lake, how did you Xuanyingwei know?" ”

"This, we got one of his concubines, she said it. And we have investigated, this concubine was originally from Jiuhua Mountain, and she was ordered by the master to take refuge in Xue Mei, and the woman's experience in the troubled times was particularly miserable, so there is a sect in Jiuhua Mountain that specializes in planning a way for women to survive. I forgot what it was called, but I can go and see it when I have time. Hu Xiaosi said a little embarrassed.

"Okay, follow this course, go find a small island in Taihu Lake, and there it is." Hu Xiaosi studied the map and said with a smile: "This warship of the Navy is still a little smaller, I'm afraid it won't fit when the time comes." ”

"It's okay, Xiaohu's Flying Eagle Brigade has already followed behind by boat, and it will definitely all be transported back when the time comes." Guo Chongtao shook his head and smiled: "I heard that the shipyard is already building a thousand-ton warship, which is two as big as the Fuxing, and I plan to wait until the new warship is equipped and start going to sea to try." ”

"Forget it, no one cares about your new warship now, hurry up and don't let Xue Mei and the others escape." Hu Xiaosi babbled and continued: "Isn't Qian Ning already fighting with Qian Di's troops in Huzhou and other places. Let them help keep an eye on it again to prevent any fish from slipping through the net. His words made others laugh, and Wang Houchun even directly sarcastically ridiculed Xuan Yingwei.

However, a few people talked and laughed, but the Fuxing spewed black smoke and rushed directly towards a nameless island that was already faintly in sight.

"Chongtao, tell your marines and everyone in the personal guard to rush forward in a while, and if anyone who resists stubbornly kills, all the remaining people will be put together, and then ask Xue Mei where they are." Hu Xiaosi smiled after glancing at it.

The Fuxing lowered its boat less than three miles from the island and began to storm the beach, but their speed was soon overtaken by the Eagle Brigade that had been hanging behind them. This group of soldiers jumped directly into the water, and they actually rowed faster than the boat. Wang Houchun and a few others also followed the large army ashore in a small boat.

However, as soon as they came ashore, they immediately discovered that there was a mystery on this island, and the surrounding environment was obviously touched by people, and it looked eerie. Yang Tiancheng glanced at Su Xiaohu next to him, who immediately walked in front with the Flying Eagle Brigade.

"Chongtao, let your people listen to Xiaohu's arrangement, let's just wait here. As long as Xue Mei is there, they will not escape the search of the Flying Eagle Brigade. There is no one in this world who is an opponent of the Eagle Brigade. After Wang Houchun asked Guo Chongtao to give an order to the marines, the four of them began to walk along the shore and said with a smile: "Don't you say that this Xue Mei found this island as a treasure hiding place, it is really unique, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and there is no shortage of five elements. ”

Wang Houchun's words made the big guy despise for a while, this guy's typical mouth is good, let him live in seclusion It is better to expect the sun to come out of the west. However, at this time, there was already a faint sound of killing on the island. Hu Xiaosi said with a smile: "Did you hear it, Xue Mei must be here, this guy wants to hide from the limelight in the lake, and then defect to Qian Biao." As long as he is caught, he will not be afraid of Zhou Bao. Zhou Bao's treasure is actually hidden in a very simple place, just in Changzhou, and I have already sent someone to dig it up. ”

Yang Tiancheng was surprised: "What do you mean Zhou Bao is not here?" I thought you could catch them all. ”

"How could Zhou Bao escape with Xue Mei. These two are natural rivals. Zhou Bao and the Red Turban Army have an inexplicable relationship. He must have fled back to Changzhou after the defeat on the Zhongshan side. Don't worry, I'll let the dragons track it down, maybe it's even faster than ours. Hu Xiaosi waved his hand and smiled.

"Report to the commander, Xue Mei and his men were all arrested on the island. Commander Su asked the marshal to go. When a few people reached the halfway circle and were about to continue walking, Yang Tiancheng's personal guards came to report the final results.

When Yang Tiancheng arrived, Xue Mei and several of his henchmen, generals and several family members were all escorted to the front of several houses in the center of the island, and the corpses lying on the ground around were all dressed as soldiers of the town navy.

"Little four, he is Xue Mei." Wang Houchun pointed to a middle-aged scribe dressed as a middle-aged scribe in front of him and asked in surprise. Among them, only Hu Xiaosi knew Xue Mei.

Hu Xiaosi looked at it and smiled: "That's right, it's this old boy." Houchun, they will hand it over to me and Xiaohu, you hurry up and prepare some picks or something, make some space, so as not to splash your blood. Hu Xiaosi's smile was gloomy in the eyes of Xue Mei and the others, and he was so frightened that he was a dead soul, and hurriedly said, "What do you want to do?" ”

"What? The brothers have been poor recently and want to make some money to go back to marry their daughters-in-law. I said that the festival will make the adults not so stingy, right? After Hu Xiaosi sent Wang Houchun and the others away, he and Su Xiaohu walked to the side and sat down with a smile: "Acquaintances, hand over all the gold and silver treasures in your hands, lest I go to find them." ”

Su Xiaohu smiled with a machete at this time while trimming his nails: "Boss, you are too merciful, and you want me to say that I will cut one or two first, try the knife and then interrogate, otherwise I am afraid that my knife will rust." This sentence almost didn't make Xue Mei sit on the ground all of a sudden, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Some gold and silver treasures have been prepared below, as long as you can spare me a way to live, I am willing to sacrifice them all." ”

"Didn't you hear that Lord Xue is a person of high and high age? Why is this more beautiful than me now? Hu Xiaosi originally thought that this Xue Mei should still struggle for a while, but when he saw what he said at this time, he suddenly lost interest, waved his hand and said: "Xiaohu, send someone to follow him to find it, you must find out all the money, if you play tricks, you will cut it directly." If it works well together, give them a way out. ”