Wang Yongan later took Tang Yunyi and others to the 24th Mixed Association station, found Luo Yinxian, the head of the Quartermaster Division, and proposed to him to buy second-hand idle firearms for self-defense. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoIt is not without tradition to buy idle or "abandoned" firearms from the military, and every once in a while a part of the gun damage meter is sent for repair, and the guns that cannot be repaired will be destroyed, which gives some people the opportunity to use. But in the six towns of Beiyang, where military discipline is strict, this matter is absolutely impossible, and only the 24th Mixed Association has this kind of loophole.

Luo Yinxian knew that there was a revolutionary party in Yangzhou City in the past few days, in case the revolutionary party went to the fourth young master, and the fourth young master was killed again, he would have to suffer this crime himself. He flipped through the records, and it happened that some of the guns were ready to be repaired, and they were a batch of 130 Han 88 rifles (that is, made in Hanyang), which were prone to explode because of the quality of the barrels, and he was worried about how to repair them.

"Fourth Young Master, let me tell you the truth, I have one hundred and thirty Hanyang-made guns here, because the quality of the barrel is used in training or combat, and long-term use will cause explosions. But if it's self-defense, it's perfectly fine. If the fourth young master feels willing to accept it, I can grant you thirty sticks. Luo Yinxian said.

Wang Yongan did not have an army in his hands, and he did not need a good rifle to fight, so he gladly accepted this batch of weapons. When he was about to give Luo Yinxian money in private, but Luo Yinxian refused, Luo Yinxian said: "Fourth young master, there is something to ask you for in the future." ”

"You say, if I can do it, I will do it." Wang Yongan said.

Luo Yinxian said: "It's not what I want now, but one day in the future, the fourth young master can promise to help in the next small favor." ”

Wang Yongan was very puzzled and said, "What is the busy?" ”

Luo Yinxian smiled mysteriously, shook hands and sent Wang Yongan away from the quartermaster class, and then sent someone to take Wang Yongan to the warehouse to pick up guns and ammunition. Wang Yongan and Tang Yunyi brought back thirty guns and handed them to the guards in the palace, and asked Lao Tang to send the remaining guns to the inspection office.

Not long after Wang Yongan arrived home, Li Yao came running around and shouted excitedly: "Fourth young master, I found it, I found the clue, the sheriff Zuo Ping found the clue!" ”

"What evidence?" Wang Yongan asked knowingly.

"A bottle, a kerosene bottle!" Li Yaoshen said mysteriously.

It turned out that this afternoon, the police officers were looking for clues in the backyard of the prefect's yamen, and a careful police officer found kerosene bottles left in the forest. The officers immediately presented the kerosene bottle to the police commissioner Zuo Ping, and after Zuo Ping and his subordinates looked carefully, they found a clue with the word "Cao" gravure on the flat bottom. There are only two uses of the Cao character gravure print, one is the Salt Transportation Division, and the other is the Cao Gang that cooperates most closely with the Salt Transportation Division.

Therefore, the people of the revolutionary party are hidden in the Salt Transport Division or the Cao Gang, the Salt Transport Division has a lot of oil and water, and most of the officials in the department are Manchurians, how can there be Manchu people who are the revolutionary party to overthrow their own country, so Zuo Ping speculated that the revolutionary party must be hidden in the Cao Gang, which has many complex personnel.

"Only the Cao Gang has this condition, and the Cao Gang has tens of thousands of people, and there are 2,000 people in Yangzhou alone." Zuo Ping naturally couldn't imagine that it was because the Cao Gang bullied a group of little beggars that this series of disasters were caused, and even Wang Yongan himself didn't expect that the grand master would be scared to death.

Cao Gang and the Manchu Qing Dynasty for many years of cooperation, since the beginning of the Kangxi Ping Domain, the Cao Gang assisted the Imperial Court to carry the salt grain of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and then the Cao Gang has changed several times, but this cooperative relationship has always existed, so the Cao Gang and the Salt Transportation Division are like unspecified cooperation units. With the strength of the Yangzhou Police Department, Zuo Ping did not dare to search the Cao Gang rashly, so he immediately reported his findings and analysis to Wang Yongtai, the chief of urban defense.

At this time, Wang Yongtai was being severely reprimanded by the imperial court, and he, who did not have much foundation, was even more disgraced at this time. The regent Wang Zaifeng even sent an urgent telegram, ordering Wang Yongtai to arrest the revolutionary party within 10 days, otherwise he would be removed from his post and investigated.

These Manchu nobles have been guarding against Han Chinese officers, and they can find an excuse at this time, if it weren't for the fact that Wang Yongtai once killed the revolutionary party, they would have taken him down as an accomplice.

Wang Yongtai was anxious, and at this time Zuo Ping's evidence was presented, and said: "General Wang, it is too easy for 100,000 people in Yangzhou City to hide a few revolutionary parties, but the lower officials think that the most suitable place for hiding the revolutionary party is the Cao Gang. Just searching the Cao Gang is bound to offend the Salt Transportation Division, and the next official is a small sheriff, I'm afraid that I won't even be able to enter the gate of the Cao Gang. ”

Wang Yongtai asked him to go down, and then paced up in the house, and it didn't hurt to enter the Cao Gang to search for people, but if he couldn't find the revolutionary party himself, he would offend the Yanyun Division, and he wouldn't be able to complete the task, but even if he did, what could he do? He couldn't help but sigh and smile bitterly, how could one or two revolutionary parties be worthy of the case of Yangzhou prefect being scared to death?

Wang Yongan sorted out his thoughts and said, "Second brother, ......"

"The army calls me Lord Xietong." Wang Yongtai scolded.

Wang Yongan knew that he was in a bad mood and would definitely not reprimand himself like this on weekdays, so he just smiled and said, "Lord Xietong, my subordinates have something to say." ”

"What?" Wang Yongtai said.

"About finding a substitute for the dead." Wang Yongan said with a wicked smile.

Wang Yongtai raised his head, surprised in his heart, and said, "What is the ghost of the dead?" ”

"The substitute of the revolutionary party!" Wang Yongan gritted his teeth and said.

Wang Yongtai asked: "The revolutionary party's substitute ghost?" What do you mean by that? ”

Wang Yongan sneered and analyzed: "The imperial court asked you to arrest the revolutionary party within ten days, if you catch the revolutionary party, there will only be three or four stunned young people who are not afraid of death, second brother, you just obeyed the requirements of the imperial court as usual." But the second brother, the prefect of Yangzhou died, since the revolutionary party made trouble a few years ago, no prefect has ever died in office, but the second brother, you are the commander of the city defense, and you led 2,000 troops to be stationed in Yangzhou, but a revolutionary party died. Do you really think that the court will not be held accountable? ”

Wang Yongtai was silent and did not answer, obviously Wang Yongan's words reached the bottom of his heart, and what he was most afraid of now was the court's accountability.

Wang Yongan continued: "Second brother, let alone the imperial court, it is impossible for the people of the fifth town to let you go. Now Wu Changchun, the commander of the fifth town, is seriously ill and cannot be a director, and the internal and external military affairs are all managed by Zhang Yongcheng, the chief of staff of the fifth town, and you also told me that Zhang Yongcheng has always had a bad relationship with you. ”

Wang Yongtai smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know how many people covet the position of my twenty-four mixed association. ”

"Therefore, if you don't make a great contribution now, someone will definitely replace you immediately, since ancient times, there are few people who send charcoal in the snow, and there are many people who fall into the well." Wang Yongan glared and shouted.