Ye Kenan took off his top hat and put his hand on the pergola to look at the cave on the cliff, just like Du Mu's "far up the cold mountain stone path slope, there are people in the depths of the white clouds." ”

In the fifth year of Zhenguan, the era of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Yunju Temple was completed in Youzhou. The cave on the Shijing Mountain next door is even older than this temple. There are several caves densely covered on the mountain, just like the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, full of stone carved Buddhist scriptures, like the solemn holy land of the northern country.

The stone steps became steeper and steeper, and the horse's hooves slipped several times. The general on the white horse took off his coat, unbuttoned the discipline button of his military uniform on his chest, dismounted and walked to Ye Kenan's side and said, "Brother Kenan! The traitor chose here, the poor mountains and bad waters, and the cunning rabbit three holes, which can be said to have been carefully calculated. ”

"General Xiao Xu, we don't know the terrain, but we must be careful."

"Don't be afraid! Inspector Ye, just in case, but also to search for the missing French planes and tomb beasts, a regiment of soldiers, in a moment, will surround the entire Yunju Temple, making it difficult for people to fly. ”

Looking at Xu Shuzheng's confident gaze, Ye Kenan frowned and said more.

A month ago, a detective in Beijing was tasked with investigating a serial assassination case involving a member of Congress. Both the Interior Inspector General and the Inspector General of Police gave him 30 days to solve the case. Ye Kenan's investigation confirmed that the assassins belonged to the same gang as the Tianjin German Concession extermination case nine years ago, the Beijing Prison Massacre last year, the Hongkou Massacre in the Shanghai Public Concession, and the Shanghai Youth Gang Ouyang Sicong Extermination Case...... Roughly speaking, these Assassins have committed more than 50 homicides in just one year.

Seven days ago, three more members of parliament were assassinated in Shichahai, and their bodies floated on the water surface of the lotus market, and hundreds of citizens watched, causing another sensation in the capital. Needless to say, Ye Kenan's life was by no means easy, and he had stayed up all nights in a row, constantly investigating the scene of the murder, visiting various places in Beijing where the murderers might be harboring, and the police force of the whole city went door to door to search for him.

He found out that the three councillors had come out of Bada Hutong and were killed when they passed by Shichahai in the middle of the night. Ye Kenan led a team to surround the Qinglou, and asked the bustard and the girls to recall: where the three councillors were sitting, and what suspicious people were around. Some people remember three young men, eighteen or nineteen years old, one was the well-known king of the small county of Ordos Doro, another was wearing an officer's uniform, and the third was tall and plainly dressed. The three teenagers chatted with the three councillors for a few words, and they looked a little nervous with each other.

Timur, Qi Yuanshan, Qin Beiyang - Ye Kenan wrote these three names in his notebook.

The detective visited the three people on the campus of Peking University, the alley in the depths of the flowers, and the ruins of the Old Summer Palace, only to learn the content of their conversation with the three councilors at the wine table. Perhaps, some Assassin was lurking around at the time? Pretend to be a VIP.

However, Ye Kenan had a secret that he couldn't bear to tell Qin Beiyang: General Xiao Xu not only ordered him to investigate the serial assassination of members of Congress, but also asked him to get in touch with the assassins.

This matter is extremely dangerous, and it is tantamount to taking a chestnut out of the fire. The assassin had a grudge against Qin Beiyang for killing his father and mother, and if he was allowed to get involved, he would not only ruin the plan, but also put himself in danger. Ye Ke Nan saved his life four times, and maybe the fifth time was not so lucky.

Earl of Dharmashan, please stay at Peking University, even if you only fall in love with Ouyang Anna - Ye Kenan said in his heart.

Ye Ke had difficulty finding the newspaper. At that time, the serialized columns in the newspaper were mostly talented and beautiful people of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly faction, with occasional world and detective stories. He entrusted the newspaper to find the gunman, and serialized three issues of the Beijing detective Zhiluo serial assassination case, there is a plot that the detective published a newspaper notice, to duel with the assassin, and received a reply, the two sides met on the roof of the Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City, which was a decisive battle against the top of the Forbidden City.

After three issues of the article were serialized, Ye Kenan received an anonymous letter with only a short line of text -

"Who do you serve?"

The handwriting is beautiful, and the signature is only a red stamp, the comet hitting the moon, indicating the identity of the Assassin.

How do I reply? Who to write back to? Ye Ke was hard to rack his brains. He opened the envelope and examined it, and then went to take an X-ray, only to find that the stamp on the envelope was wrong - the stamp of the White Tower in Beihai, the pattern of the White Tower was clicked with red ink, but the postmark was black, which must have been deliberately done by the sender.

Ye Ke could not understand immediately. He came to Qionghua Island in the North Sea alone, and found a small mailbox under the white tower lit by red ink in the stamps.

He wrote a note with four words on it - Xiao Xu, Pan Fu!

It's concise, but it's all unspoken. Putting down the note in the mailbox, Ye Kenan left in a hurry, without arranging for agents to wait. Let the Assassin take it to lure the snake out of the hole.

Early the next morning, Ye Kenan came to the White Tower of Beihai again and got a reply letter in the small mailbox-

"Summer solstice, Shenshi, Yunju Temple, Shijing Mountain, Leiyin Cave, welcome General Xiao Xu. Refuse to replace, expire without waiting. ”

The bottom is still covered with a red stamp of the comet hitting the moon.

Ye Ke is difficult to see the time, isn't the summer solstice today? Immediately rushed to the War Department and handed over the Assassin letter to General Xiao Xu.

"Good word! Wang Xi's body is written through the back of the paper! I'd like to meet this person. ”

Xiao Xu was called a prodigy when he was young, he was literate at the age of three, could poetry at the age of seven, was a talent at the age of thirteen, and was a student at the age of seventeen. After Gengzi years, he joined the Beiyang New Army, and with the help of Duan Qirui, he crossed to Japan and graduated from the Army Non-commissioned Officer School.

"General Xiao Xu, I have met with these assassins a few times, they are outstanding, killing people like digging for things, the guards of Beijing prisons, the patrol of the Shanghai Public Concession, and there is no way to survive when encountering the daggers of assassins."

"Are you afraid of this trip? Will I die at the hands of the Assassins? I am a soldier, and I am afraid of assassins on the battlefield. Xiao Xu touched the plate on the top of his head, "It's not like they haven't assassinated me!" In the early hours of that night, in the building of the War Department, the assassin hid in the coffin of the little prince of the Tang Dynasty and committed murder......"

Speaking of this, Xiao Xu tightened his mouth. Ye Ke's face was like the deep sea, and he didn't show half of his appearance, but his heart was shaken - the coffin of the little prince of the Tang Dynasty, the real goal of Qin Beiyang's northward journey, had fallen into the hands of the warlords! In this heavily guarded War Department building, it is no wonder that when you step in, you feel a burst of gloom.

"There is still something unclear about the lowly position - the general has his own descendants, why did he arrange for me to contact the assassins?"

"We Beiyang soldiers, benevolent and moral under the sun, are full of male thieves and female prostitutes at night, and have no loyalty at all. If you are rigorous and reliable, you are far inferior to Detective Ye. ”

Ye Kenan also wanted to take the opportunity to find out the truth about the assassin, so he agreed to the secret order and took on this black-and-white task of penetrating the needle but definitely not seeing anyone.

It was between three and five o'clock in the afternoon, and he had to walk most of the day from Beijing to Fangshan—the assassin did not give Xiao Xu any time to prepare in advance. Xu Shuzheng hung up the phone and asked the Nanyuan base to send a regiment of soldiers to get into a car and carry Ye Kenan by his side. It was followed by a truck, carrying the guards and three bodyguards, all of whom were from a Cangzhou martial arts family.

On the way out of the city, Ye Kenan asked tentatively, "General Xu, why is this such a risky meeting of the assassins?" ”

"Inspector Ye, let's say something heart-to-heart in private - every member of the Anfu Club is a pawn for me to control the Congress. I'm like a national Go player, isn't it heartbreaking to see my carefully arranged chess pieces being pulled out by the opponent one by one? The parliamentarians are insatiable and unscrupulous, and it is not a pity for these people to die, but if we destroy the great cause of the Beiyang government to dominate the world, we will all be sinners of history. ”

"You're negotiating with the Assassins?"

"At the very least, I want to know why they committed the assassination, and what forces are behind it?"

Ye Kenan squinted at Xiao Xu's falcon-like gaze, secretly admiring his courage. In today's world, warlords only know how to compete for power and profit, but Xiao Xu has Lingyun's ambitions, but he is unscrupulous, but he is also stronger than Yuan Shikai and his ilk.

When it was approaching, I rushed to Fangshan Yunju Temple. This thousand-year-old temple is large in scale and has many monks, and it is still carved on the stone today. A regiment of soldiers arrived, taking control of the inside and outside of the monastery.

Ye Ke was slightly surprised that there were several foreigners at the gate of Yunju Temple, like reporters who came to play, and their cameras took pictures of the troops entering and leaving.

Climb up to the mouth of the Leiyin Cave, and look back at the bottom of the mountain, which is already full of soldiers. Xiao Xu only brought twenty guards from Xiao County's hometown and three bodyguards with strong martial arts.

Ye Kenan took out his pistol and walked in front cautiously, but Xiao Xu said: "Inspector Ye, don't be sneaky, I'll wait for Dafang to go in, so as not to be underestimated by the assassin!" ”

The detective sighed secretly, the talented are inevitably arrogant, and the arrogant are arrogant, and the arrogant are empty-eyed. Even if Xiao Xu Tian is talented, this character will eventually lead to his death. Two years ago, Xiao Xu served as the secretary general of the State Council, and when he went to work in front of President Li Yuanhong, he bluntly said: "The president doesn't need to ask more, please hurry up and seal it, I'm very busy." Li Yuanhong, who has always been forbearing, complained: "Where is the responsible cabinet system, it is simply the responsible secretary general system!" ”

At the entrance of the Leiyin Cave, a man wearing a white mask was waiting. This section of stone staircase is narrow enough to accommodate a single person. The other person took off his mask, revealing a scar on the right side of his face.

Ye Ke could not recognize this face,

For nine years, he did not want to catch this man and bring him to justice. But on the Shijing Mountain of this Yunju Temple, Ye Ke was overjoyed and angry, and asked in a deep voice: "Summer Solstice, Shenshi, Yunju Temple, Shijing Mountain, Leiyin Cave, we are not late, right?" ”

"Very punctual."

"The general's deity has arrived, let's talk here."

Ye Kenan did not want to enter the dark cave, at least on the top of this cliff, he could be seen by the soldiers below.

"No, it's the Thunder Sound Cave, it's in the Thunder Sound Cave."

"Okay."

Ye Kenan stubbornly wanted to go inside, but was stopped by the Scarface assassin: "My master, only negotiate with General Xiao Xu himself, Inspector Ye is not allowed to enter." ”

"Who can guarantee the safety of the general?"

"First, you can bring three bodyguards into the hole; Second, your soldiers are all over the mountain, and if they miss, no one will escape. ”

Ye Kenan still wanted to negotiate, Xiao Xu said impatiently: "Don't worry too much, Inspector Ye, I'll bring three bodyguards in, and you and the guards will wait at the entrance of the cave." ”

Xiao Xu held a glass ball in his hand, and if there was a change in the cave, he would immediately smash it, and the guards rushed in to save people.

"Be careful!"

Ye Kenan told in his ear, and Xiao Xu smiled: "Don't read it." ”

Xiao Xu hid his pistol, took three bodyguards, and walked into the thousand-year-old dark Leiyin Cave with his head bowed.