In the blink of an eye, it is another year of Chinese New Year's Eve, this year God is particularly gracious, since the 23rd day of the lunar month, the weather is as warm as a day, good weather can always bring a good mood, the people of Fengzhou are now immersed in the joy of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.

There is a small forest in the west of Feng'an City, called Jinjiling, which is the only way for Feng'an to Fengzhou. Due to the remote location, there were often robbers here in the past to do some business, even at noon single merchants did not dare to pass. Therefore, the locals also call Jinji Ridge "Broken Soul Ridge". However, in the first year of Kaicheng, the name of "Broken Soul Ridge" was no longer mentioned. Meng Bochang, Zeng Chongyang, and Yang Hao, who successively ruled Fengzhou this year, all have an extraordinary enthusiasm for suppressing bandits. The bandits who had been crisscrossing the Hetao for many years had to leave their hometowns with tears in their eyes and go to other places to beg for a living.

At noon that day, the two young men went up to Jinjiling, and seeing that there was no one around, they took out a short spade and dug a shallow ditch on the road and buried a tripwire. The two men were very skillful, digging trenches, burying ropes, covering the soil, and then sprinkling some fallen leaves on the soil, which at first glance had no flaws.

After the two of them were busy with all this, they looked left and right to see no one, and then ran into the woods next to them.

One of these two people is named Chen Du, and the other is called Gu Li, both of whom are military academies of the Xiao Cavalry Battalion. After finding a hiding place, Chen Duan took out a wine gourd, pulled off the lid and poured a sip of wine, and asked Gu Li: "Are you afraid?" ”

"What are you afraid of," Gu Li pretended to be calm, but his heart was pounding suddenly.

"Come, drink a drink and strengthen your courage." Chen Duan handed the wine gourd to Gu Li, but Gu Li, who was originally not drinking alcohol, poured two big sips of "Gu Dong, Gu Dong", because he was in a hurry, he choked and coughed again and again.

"Don't be afraid, he has three followers." Chen Du cheered up Gu Li. Gu Li's nervous face turned pale, and even his lips were bloodless.

Chen Duan cheered him up again: "A son like him became a general by relying on his ancestors, and he himself is not a fart." ”

"Da Da" came from the woods, and there was a rapid sound of horses' hooves.

"It's coming!" Chen Du let out a low roar, got up with a bone, and grabbed the tripping horse tightly with both hands. Gu Li, who had been trembling all the time, seemed to be a different person at this time, calmly grabbed the bow beside him, and calmly drew out a highly poisonous carved arrow.

From west to east came three horses, led by a young man, riding a white horse and wearing a brocade robe.

"Hey!" Chen Duan broke off and suddenly pulled up the tripping rope,

The white horse let out a scream and fell to his knees, and the young man on the horse suddenly lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

"Shoot the arrows!" Chen Du let out a low roar, and Gu Li's arrow had already left the string.

The young man died without saying a word. The two retinues behind him turned their horses away, and Gul stretched his bow and arrows and turned out one by one.

"Brother is good at archery, I really misjudged you." Chen faint gasped and praised, turned over the young man's body, and unconsciously changed his face, the deceased was a rich young man in his early twenties.

"Is he Yang Hao? Looks like he's a few years older. Gu Li was puzzled, searched the young man's body for a while, and unexpectedly found a letter, opened it, and unconsciously scolded: "Mother, it's not him." ”

"What now?" Chen Duan suddenly ran out of ideas.

"Things have changed, we have to go back and tell them not to do anything, otherwise everyone is doomed."

"Okay, you go to Feng'an, I'll go to ......" Chen Duan didn't finish speaking, and everyone froze. Twenty archers sprang up from the woods,

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According to the usual practice, the official offices at all levels in Fengzhou did not have a holiday until noon after the Chinese New Year's Eve.

On this day, the principal officials also went to the city's nursing homes and children's and infant halls to visit the lonely, widowed, sick and disabled children, and to send New Year's goods to pay New Year's greetings, thus creating a harmonious atmosphere of family relations between the government and the people. Zhang Huchen went to the children's hall, and after giving holiday gifts to forty-eight children, it was already dark. In the city of Fengzhou, it is already "the old year in the sound of firecrackers, thousands of households spend the New Year", "firecrackers" are also called "firecrackers", and the firecrackers of later generations are not the same, it is a longer bamboo pole to burn section by section, and the sound of blasting is continuously emitted.

The red lantern in front of the gate of the Assassin's Mansion has been hung, and incense is burning in the gatehouse, which can be smelled from afar. A month ago, Zhang Huchen's old wife came from his hometown with his young/daughter, and he will not be lonely this year.

"Teacher, please stay." Feng Yi, the secretary in charge, bowed and waited beside the Yimen, and behind him stood two sturdy young men, both of whom had unfamiliar faces.

"Go home and spend the New Year with your mother." Zhang Huchen said and walked to the inner hall.

Two young men stopped him, one after the other.

"What do you want to do?!" Zhang Huchen shouted loudly, his voice trembling a little.

"Please take a step forward, this is related to the lives of many people." Feng Yi bowed to the end.

"Xiao Feng, you didn't listen to what I said." Feng Yi, who was staring at Zhang Huchen's knife-like gaze, broke out in a cold sweat.

"The Zhang family is kind to me, I ...... I have to ......" Feng Yi's gaze dimmed.

"The surname is Zhang, don't be embarrassed. Come on. The young man behind Zhang Huchen shouted rudely, stretched out his hand and pushed Zhang Huchen.

Feng'an stabbed the main hall of the Shifu, and Yu Tai, the new commander of the Fengzhou battalion, paced anxiously with his saber in his hand. Under the eaves of the corridors on both sides, a group of young military academies wearing armor and hanging swords looked nervous and anxious. Yu Tai is Yu Hong's younger brother and was formerly a military captain in Yongfeng Yingdian. Yu Hong was killed in the Qing Purge, and the Fengzhou battalion was completely destroyed by the Guiyi army. On the recommendation of Zhang Yannian, Yang Hao appointed Yu Tai as the commander of the Fengzhou battalion and recruited soldiers to rebuild the Fengzhou battalion.

Seeing Zhang Huchen coming over with a gloomy face, Yu Tai straightened his clothes and armor and bowed down. Zhang Huchen ignored him and sat straight in the main hall. The two young officers beside Yu Tai tried to stop it, but Yu Tai stopped it.

"I will not be involved in your business." Zhang Huchen's words gave Yu Tai a slap in the face.

"Yang Hao is obviously investigating human trafficking, but in fact, he is harboring evil intentions, and if he continues to investigate like this, Fengzhou will be bleeding. Not only can't the old general be saved, but you, my lord, are also in trouble. ”

"I'm not involved in your work." Zhang Huchen snorted coldly, "What am I afraid of?" ”

"Adults are naturally innocent, but are all the officials in Fengzhou innocent? Break the bones and tendons, the adult wants to be alone, but he is afraid that he will not let you go. Zhang Huchen sighed slightly when he heard this.

Seven days ago, Zhang Ren, the commander of the Xiaocai Battalion, was taken away by people from the Military Justice Department in his own barracks at Boulder Fort. On the same day, Zhang Yannian said that he was sick and returned to Yongfeng to recuperate.

In just two days, twelve officers of the cavalry battalion were arrested. Cheng Keling served as the commander of the Xiao Cavalry Battalion, and the men and horses of his department were divided into three and placed under the supervision of Chen Mingyi, Yu Yanlu, and Suo Yi. All this seems to herald the beginning of the "inversion". As soon as the fighting at Boulder Fort subsided, the top level of the Xining Army was brewing a new round of military reform, which would use the sentry post as the basic unit to disrupt the original sequence and carry out reorganization, and all battalion-level officers would be dismissed from their posts on the spot, re-evaluated, and reappointed.

It is a fact that there are many mountains in the Xining army that cannot be concealed, and Yang Hao's strong advocacy of leveling the mountains is also well known. This round of military reform is obviously aimed at those large and small hills. The three mountains in the Xining army stand together, Tiande, the ghost army, and Yongfeng Zhang. Only a few months ago, Tiande and the Ghost Army were still competing with each other, but in the blink of an eye, the Tiande Department and the Ghost Army were no longer in the limelight.

The two giants of the Tiande system, Ling Tong and Li Tong, have lost the hearts of the people because they failed to prevent Zeng Chongyang's purge of the Xining Army, but they have been hollowed out of their foundations. Park Eun-joon, the actual leader of the ghost army, has been purged, Suo's strength has been greatly damaged, Lee Chang-rim is alone, and Makh is still unambitious, violent and greedy, so there is no need to worry at all. It is obvious that the spearhead of Yang Hao's restructuring this time is directed at Zhang Yannian, Zhang Yannian was originally the most inconspicuous among the three major factions, but he has been rooted in Fengzhou for many years and has a deep foundation.

It is not difficult to understand that Yang Hao's reform ideas will be strongly opposed by Zhang Yannian. It is also easy to associate the arrest of Zhang Ren with factional disputes. Some people even suspect that Zhuang Yunqing's recommendation of Zhang Yannian as the former army commander was an important part of the reversal of Zhang, and Zhang Ren had already trafficked human beings privately, so why did he arrest him again at this time? Isn't this a conspiracy, but what is it?

Whether the rumors are true or not, Zhang Huchen does not dare to make a conclusion. If time goes back a few months, he will definitely stand on Yang Hao's side clearly, but because of the experience of Zeng Chongyang's incident, Zhang Huchen has become cautious, and before the matter is still unclear, it may be the wisest choice to remain neutral.

Since we want to remain neutral, we must neither be biased nor biased. Zhang Huchen understood that he was very safe before the two families had an official showdown, which was why he had the confidence to refuse Yu Tai. But Yu Tai's words just now hit his soft underbelly.

While Yang Hao was making every effort to grasp military power, Zhang Huchen quietly held the administrative system of Fengzhou in his own hands. How many Fengzhou officials will be involved in Zhang Ren's case, Zhang Huchen has a number in his heart, this is "breaking bones and connecting tendons", will Zhang fall to himself in the end? Zhang Huchen was not sure at all.

Seeing that Zhang Huchen began to hesitate, Yu Tai felt that the opportunity had come, and he decided to exert some more pressure: "Don't hesitate anymore, adults, you have already made a mistake once, Yang Hao will not let you go." The old general said, as long as the adults can repent, you will still be the history of Fengzhou in the future. ”

Zhang Huchen secretly shook his head and asked quietly: "Is this what General Zhang said?" ”

Yu Tai was stunned for a while, and hurriedly replied: "Yes, although it was not said by the old general himself, but the old general's meaning is known." ”

Zhang Huchen slapped his surprise when he heard this, and sneered: "It turns out that you are making claims, not only can you not save Zhang Ren by doing this, but also affect your old general." ”

Yu Tai opened his mouth and couldn't speak, and a junior colonel beside him sneered: "If there is an old general in the lead, what are you talking about?" Let me ask you again, are you willing to take the lead? ”

Zhang Huchen sneered: "The old man is a courtier of the Tang Dynasty, and he doesn't dare to be with the thief when he dies." ”

When the young military academy heard this, he took out his saber and put it on the desk, threatening: "Old thing, take back your words!" Zhang Huchen looked at the sky and snorted contemptuously.

"Bang!" The military academy kicked over the public case, and grabbed Zhang Huchen and wanted to be rough.

"Stop!" Yu Tai shouted, rushed forward and asked, "Hand over the Great Seal of the Thorn History, but you will not die." ”

Zhang Huchen sneered: "The Great Seal belongs to the imperial court, how can I give you anti-thieves." When the young military academy heard this, he punched him twice and knocked down Zhang Huchen's official hat.

Yu Tai pressed his hand: "The old bones are very hard, it's useless to beat him." Then he turned to the door and shouted, "Bring someone in." ”

The two military academies brought Zhang Huchen's old wife Feng and young/female Zhang Yingying in, Zhang Yingying was only ten years old, she was dark and thin, and when she saw her old father being beaten, her nose and eyes were swollen, she trembled with fright, and went straight to Feng's side to hide.

"Hand over the Great Seal of the Thorn History, and spare your family from dying." Zhang Huchen and his old wife Feng have a very strong relationship, and Yu Tai has Feng in his hands, and Zhang Huchen will definitely let go. ”

"Teacher, just say it." Feng Yi, who had been standing outside the door, suddenly broke in and knelt in front of Zhang Huchen with a "plop". Feng Yi was originally a small official in Cangcao, the assassin of the history of the country, alone to serve the old mother, Zhang Huchen felt that he was filial, so he transferred him to his side to do the book, and then saw that he was diligent and studious, so he often instructed him, Feng Yi privately called him "teacher", Zhang Huchen also acquiesced.

"You get out of here, I don't have a student like you." Before Zhang Huchen could finish his sentence, he was punched hard in the chin by the colonel, and he screamed out with a painful "ouch". Seeing her father fall to the ground helplessly, ten-year-old Zhang Yingying suddenly rushed forward and hugged Yu Tai's hand and bit it down fiercely.

"Ahh Yu Tai screamed, and a piece of meat was torn off by Zhang Yingying.

The little colonel pushed Zhang Yingying to the ground, drew his knife and slashed over, and at the critical moment, Feng Yi roared, stopped his waist and hugged the little school, and shouted: "Xiao'er run." Zhang Yingying came to her senses and hurriedly ran out. A military academy guarding the door stopped her and hugged her, Zhang Yingying reached out and scratched it, Feng took this opportunity to hit her head, and the military academy was hit by her, and she lost her hand. Zhang Yingying took the opportunity to rush to the courtyard, relying on her thin body, she shook off the encirclement of several military schools in a row, and ran to the front of the Yimen.

"Ahh Feng Shi's screams came from behind her, and she hurriedly looked back, just as she saw Yu Tai stabbing his mother's heart with a knife in both hands, and a stream of blood spurted out. As he was dying, Feng hugged one of Yu Tai's legs tightly......

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On the Chinese New Year's Eve of the first year of Kaicheng, the old Zhang family house in Yongfeng was deserted more than ever.

In the main hall, red candles flickered, incense mist flowed, and a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve banquet was set with five pairs of dishes and chopsticks. Zhang Yannian sat on the main seat in a new group, looking at the four empty seats with empty eyes.

"Master," the housekeeper Zhang Zicheng walked in.

"Are they all gone?"

"It's all gone," Zhang Zicheng paused, "Yuxing is outside, she wants to come in and kowtow." ”

"No need, let her go, find an honest man to marry."

"Alas," Zhang Zicheng walked out helplessly.

"Tell her again......" Zhang Zicheng walked to the door and suddenly heard Zhang Yannian have something to explain, and hurriedly stopped. But Zhang Yannian didn't say anything, and only waved his hand silently.

Yuxing left in tears. Prior to this, Zhang Yannian scattered all his family wealth and dismissed all his family, and at this moment, only he and his old family Zhang Zicheng were left in the huge Zhang family's old house.

Zhang Zicheng picked up the wine jug and poured wine into the five empty glasses. Then the old family who had followed Zhang Yannian for most of his life knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Yannian with tears in his eyes, and walked out of the door lonely......

At the beginning of the hour, the bell of the West Daning Temple in Yongfeng City rang. Stepping on the sound of "crackling" blasting rods, Ma Heshang, the commander of the Fengya Battalion, personally led a team of soldiers to break into the old house of the Zhang family.

"Zhang Yannian's intention to rebel is conclusive. At present, Ma Heshan, the commander of the Fengya Battalion, immediately escorted the officer to the Military Justice Department for interrogation. After reading these words, Ma Heshang shook the arrest warrant in his hand to Zhang Yannian, who was sitting upright in the main hall.

A junior colonel whispered next to him: "General, he has committed suicide by taking poison." ”

Ma Heshang glared at him, slapped the arrest warrant on the little colonel, and said word by word: "You escorted him to the Feng'an Military Justice Department overnight, and there must be no mistake." ”

Ma Heshang turned to the army and said, "The anti-thief Zhang Yannian committed suicide in fear of crime!" All the brothers took a ten-day holiday and went home to drink! ”

The army was jubilant, and yesterday they had received a bounty of ten taels each. At dusk today, Feng'an sent 20 women, 50 male slaves, 300 fat sheep, and 500 jars of wine.

Only the little school stood like a stake, looking at the arrest warrant in his hand, and actually cried.