The moonlight is like water, and the cool breeze is blowing.

A flying horse came in a hurry, the horse's hooves trampled on the bluestone road, making a crisp sound, indifferent, solemn, startled that the neighbors along the way opened the windows to watch, saw the war knife out of the sheath, cold as frost soldiers, quickly retracted, closed the window, for fear of causing trouble.

In the team, Xu Shiji took the lead, his face was also gloomy and terrible, he galloped wildly, and soon came to the barbecue bar in Dongshi, looking at the skyrocketing fire, countless people were frantically fetching water to extinguish the fire, and the whole person was stunned.

Just received the report, Xu Shiji still doesn't believe it, and someone dares to move the industry of the protector of the country? It wasn't looking for death, but the scene in front of me was like a slap in the face, slapping it heavily on the face, hot and painful.

A gust of wind blew, mixed with the heat of the fire, Xu Shiji came to his senses and shouted: "Order, the first battalion will block the surroundings, and the second battalion will search all the streets and alleys within three miles, and if there is anything abnormal, report it quickly." ”

"Obey!"

The two lieutenants will leave quickly with the men and horses of each battalion, and the remaining battalion of men and horses are motionless, Xu Shiji turned over and dismounted, quickly stepped forward and pulled one of them and asked, "Who is in charge here tonight?" ”

"Back to the adults, the little ones don't know." The other party came back and rushed to the river with a wooden bucket to fetch water.

Fortunately, the water is not too far away, and it is convenient to draw water, Xu Shiji hurriedly stepped forward with a battalion of officers and soldiers, and when he entered the gate, he saw that there were many people fighting the fire, but more people were wailing on the ground, acquaintances were taking care of them, and some people were dying, and the scene was chaotic.

Seeing this scene, the corners of Xu Shiji's eyes twitched, this is a big incident, and he hurriedly ordered: "Leave a hundred people, and the rest will be scattered by Lao Tzu, even if it is tied up, the doctor must be tied up, go quickly." ”

"Obey!" A large group of people hurried back.

Xu Shiji looked forward, the stage was smashed by something and a big hole, and many people in the troupe were injured, but fortunately, there was no danger to their lives, so he hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Who is in charge here tonight?" ”

Dong'er asked rhetorically, "Who is my lord?" ”

"This official British Duke Xu Shiji, and the young master of your family are old friends, tell me quickly, what happened?"

Dong'er heard that it was the British duke, and had heard Qin Huaidao mention it, knowing that the relationship between the two families was good, so he hurriedly said: "Back to the British duke, the slave family doesn't know what's going on, they are singing, the guests are also eating, everything is as usual, suddenly a fireball fell from the sky, killing and injuring many people, you also saw the situation." ”

"What do you mean by a fireball falling from the sky?" Xu Shiji was a little confused.

"The slave family doesn't know, flying from that side, it looks scary."

Xu Shiji followed the direction and looked at the things that were smashed down, it was clearly a stone, and the oil in the package was commonly used in the army, and he suddenly reacted, and his face changed greatly, is this a rebellion?

Catapults are strictly controlled in the army, and the people are not allowed to build, but they actually appeared in Chang'an East City, and others used it to attack the barbecue from a distance, what a big hatred, how deep a grudge? beckoned a subordinate to come forward and advised: "If you see that direction, give an order, and strictly investigate and investigate." ”

The other party looked in the direction, agreed, and hurried away.

At this time, He'er rushed over when he heard the news, knew Xu Shiji, and hurriedly saluted: "He'er has seen General Xu." ”

Xu Shiji also knew He'er's identity and asked, "The situation is already clear to the official, is the loss big?" ”

He'er's face turned bitter: "General Xu knew at a glance that he smashed several roofs, and also smashed the kitchen, causing a fire that burned several rooms, and so many guests were injured, all of them had to be compensated, and the losses were heavy. ”

Xu Shiji nodded, as far as the loss he saw in front of him was not 100,000 yuan, don't think about it, who can come here to eat has no status, and compensation is indispensable, Qin Huaidao knows that this is not to go crazy, as an elder, he can't turn a blind eye, and immediately said: "Organize firefighting first, the official has already asked people to find a doctor." ”

"General Xie Xu helped." He'er hurriedly said, as a personal maid, where did she go through such a big event? If it weren't for the fact that he was in charge of the workshop alone during this time, and he had some responsibility and ability, he would have been frightened.

The young master is not there, and Uncle Jia is no longer there, He'er knows that he can't fall down, he must hold on, and he has a few simple words with Xu Shiji, and hurriedly runs to organize firefighting, save people, and comfort the guests.

Not long after, an officer ran over and whispered a few words in Xu Shiji's ear, Xu Shijie's face changed greatly, and he hurried out, speeding all the way, passing through two alleys, and saw small catapults lined up in front of him.

A captain stepped forward and saluted: "General, when I find this place, there will be no one left, only catapults." ”

"Anything suspicious?"

"Back to the general, the catapult looks like the latest build, and it is difficult to trace it because it has not been paid."

Xu Shiji was furious and angry, the military catapults were built by the Ministry of Industry, and each one would be marked on the key components, indicating who was built at what time, and it was easy to trace if there was a quality problem.

Thinking of Li Er's advice before leaving, Xu Shiji knew that there was a big trouble, and hurriedly said: "You take a team of people to get these catapults back to the camp, so that they can be taken care of, and there must be no mistakes." ”

The other party also realized the seriousness of the problem, and quickly agreed to organize his subordinates to carry it.

Xu Shiji hurriedly returned to the door of the barbecue bar, just when he saw the doctor inviting him over, he waited in his heart, and was just about to enter the gate, when he heard someone shouting, he looked back and saw that it was Cheng Yanjin who came with someone, greeted him, hugged his fists and smiled bitterly: "Cheng Heizi, there is a big problem." ”

"What did you find?" Cheng Yanjin asked, turning over and dismounting.

"Someone built 10 new small catapults, soaked in fire oil in stones, and attacked the barbecue bar from a distance, causing heavy damage to the house and killing and injuring many guests."

Cheng Yanjin's face changed greatly when he heard this, and his anger rushed to the top of his head, and he scolded: "Straight lady thief, I actually moved the catapult, this is to rebel or not, don't be known by Lao Tzu, I must have scraped him alive, tell me, what now?" ”

The Nan Yaguan, who returned to Cheng Cheng to bite the gold in the city, had such a big event, and the two of them couldn't get out of it, Xu Shiji didn't have a clue for a while, and suddenly thought of Qin Huaidao's proposal, and was ready to ask the surrounding gangs, and he dared to barbecue, and he would never be spared, and immediately said: "I'll take someone to ask the little cubs who are helping around, maybe they know." ”

"Those bastards don't have great skills, but they know a lot of gossip, this method is good, you stay and preside over the overall situation, and Lao Tzu will personally take people there." Cheng Yanjin's eyes lit up, and he didn't care whether Xu Shiji agreed or not, and left in a hurry with a team of people.

To move Qin Huaidao is to move the martial arts of the Manchu Dynasty, can this be endured?

Once Cheng Bites Jin's temper comes up, the king of heaven dares to cut, and he has been in charge of the sixteen guards of the forbidden army for many years, and he is very familiar with the bulls, ghosts, snakes, and gods of Chang'an City.

The headquarters of the Foot Force Gang is a three-way courtyard, Cheng Yanjin led the team to rush over, stepped forward and kicked the door open, and rushed in first.

The gang inside rushed out when they heard the noise, holding various weapons in their hands, and someone shouted: "Who dares to come to my foot force to help make trouble, and don't want to live?" ”

"You ......"

Cheng Yanjin pointed at the other party and scolded: "Get out of here." ”

The other party rushed forward angrily, and after seeing that it was Cheng Biting Jin, the black killer, his feet were so frightened that his feet were weak, and he quickly threw away his weapon and said to spare: "Lu Guogong, the little one doesn't know, the little one is guilty, please spare Lu Guogong's life." ”

"Lao Tzu has a bad temper today, can you live up to yourself, let's say, who is fiddling with the catapult over there in the East Market?" Cheng Yanjin asked coldly.

"Catapults? I don't know. The other party looked dazed.

"If you don't know, don't live, come on, cut it!" Cheng Yanjin said coldly.

Someone rushed up immediately, and they were going to do it.

Seeing that Cheng Biting Jin was a dead hand without saying a word, the other party was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, crying and shouting with a sad face: "Lu Guogong spares his life, the little one really doesn't know, how dare he not tell you if he knows." ”

Cheng Yanjin was too lazy to deal with the other party, looked at everyone and shouted: "It's all for Lao Tzu to listen to, who knows?" Those who know can live, those who don't know, don't want to run tonight, deal with the same party, and decide! ”

"Kill—"

The soldiers roared cooperatively, and the momentum was like a rainbow.

Where have the gang members seen this meeting, their legs were weak with fright, many people sat on the ground, Cheng Kill was famous, it was a murderer who had killed countless people, he couldn't afford to provoke it, and his eyes were full of despair.

One of them suddenly shouted: "My lord, my lord, I don't know who built the catapult, but I heard that someone recently bought a batch of wood, and I am afraid it was used to make the catapult." ”

Cheng Biting Jin's eyes lit up, yes, the murderer can't be found, it can be traced from the materials, the catapult can't be generated out of thin air, it needs wood, it also needs stones and fire oil, these things can only be bought, there are traces to follow, staring at a person in the crowd and asking: "Who buys wood?" ”

"The little one doesn't know, the Muji shop sells wood, and when the small one delivered it to them a few days ago, I heard the shopkeeper's explanation to let the wood be sent to a place, and the quantity was quite large, so I remembered it."

"Muji Shop, where is it?" Cheng Yanjin asked.

"Just a few corners away."

"Where does Lao Tzu know how to turn around, get up and lead the way, and you, stay honest, you are not allowed to leave the yard for half a step, if anyone dares to report the news, raid the family and exterminate the clan." Cheng Yanjin warned impatiently.

Everyone nodded in fright, not daring to move.

The person who spoke did not dare to resist and hurried forward.

The group left in a hurry, followed by the door of a shop, the door of the shop was closed, it was dark inside, and without waiting for Cheng Jin's order, someone immediately rushed up and knocked the door open, and a group of people rushed in, like a wolf and a tiger, and soon escorted a middle-aged man out.

The middle-aged man was the shopkeeper, his face was pale with fright, and he had no owner.

Cheng Yanjin stepped forward, stared at the other party and asked: "Shopkeeper, you sold a batch of timber to people a few days ago, who is the other party, and invite it truthfully, otherwise you will destroy the family, understand?" ”

"Right...... The other party didn't say his identity, he only asked him to send it to one place, the general, the small one didn't do anything, and asked the general to find out. The other party said hurriedly.

"Where? Forget it, lead the way ahead. ”

"Yes, yes, little one leads the way." The shopkeeper hurried forward.

Not long after, the group came to the gate of a courtyard, and the soldiers slammed the door open and rushed in, and soon, one of them rushed out and said: "General, it's too late, and all the people inside have been wiped out." ”

"What?" Cheng Biting Jinqi's face was pale, and he rushed in to see that there was still a lot of leftover wood in the yard, and there were six people lying on the ground, all of whom were killed with a sword, looking at the wounds, it was a master with a sword.

An officer rushed out of the house: "My lord, an old man, two women and two children were also killed, and they were killed with a sword, and the wounds were all in the throat." ”

Cheng Chumo rushed in to take a look, the wound was exactly the same as the outside, and he knew in his heart that this was the killer's style, and shouted: "Go, I'm looking for someone." ”

"Obey!" An officer hurried away.

Returning to the courtyard, Cheng Chumo picked up the torch and squatted down next to a corpse, looked at it carefully for a moment, had a guess in his heart, saw Li Zheng coming over, and asked bluntly: "Who is the owner of this courtyard and what is his identity?" ”

Li Zheng recognized that it was Cheng Chumo, looked at the corpses all over the ground and panicked, and hurriedly replied: "Lord Hui, his name is Feng Laosan, he is a carpenter from the Ministry of Works, what's wrong with them?" ”

"What's wrong with them, Lao Tzu still wants to ask you, see, who is Feng Laosan, do other people know each other?"

Li Zheng hurriedly stepped forward, borrowed a torch to identify them one by one, pointed to one person and said: "This is Feng Laosan, the other two look familiar and have been here, but I don't know who it is, and the rest are all faced." ”

"Go in and see, is it Feng Laosan's family?"

Li Zheng hurriedly went into the inner room to check, and then hurriedly came out: "My lord, it is Feng Laosan Aya, the woman is Feng Laosan's mother-in-law and servant, and two of them are his children." ”

"Search!"

Cheng Biting Jin gave an order, the soldiers rushed into the house to search, rummaging through the boxes and cabinets, but did not find anything valuable, Cheng Biting Jin estimated that someone had bought Feng Laosan a lot of money to build a catapult, Feng Laosan couldn't do it, and found a familiar colleague to help, but was killed afterwards, and the heavy money was taken away.

After having a judgment in his heart, Cheng Yanjin asked people to notify the Criminal Department to send an investigation to ensure that the judgment was prepared, which was related to Qin Huaidao, Cheng Yanjin did not dare to be careless, and hated the murderer behind him in his heart.

After leaving a team of people to guard the scene, Cheng Yanjin hurriedly returned to the barbecue bar and found Xu Shiji to explain the situation. ”

"Lao Tzu has a fart solution." Cheng bit the golden mouth and scolded.

At this time, Li Jing hurriedly came over, and after asking about the situation, his face became solemn, Qin Huaidao had just left, someone attacked the barbecue, or a long-range attack, all the clues were cleared, and the relevant personnel were eliminated, this method was not leaky, it was very spicy, and the person behind it was by no means simple.

After waiting for a while, Cheng Yanjin asked impatiently: "Pharmacist, I am a rough person, and my brain is not good for you, you say, what should we do?" Dare to touch Huaidao's territory, Lao Tzu will never agree, if he doesn't catch the murderer, when Huaidao comes back, we old things won't have the face to see him. ”

"Alright, don't talk to me." Li Jing glared at Cheng Yanjin, after many years of cooperation, no one knows what is in someone's heart, and added: "The Criminal Department is estimated to be unreliable, in this way, let the Supervision Office dispatch, and the murder of the ministers of the imperial court is tantamount to rebellion, and it is reasonable to characterize it as a rebel, and it is reasonable to hand it over to the Supervision Office, and no one dares to say no." ”

"It makes sense, Lao Tzu knows that you old horseman has the best brain." Cheng Yanjin smiled.

"Get out—"

Li Jing scolded, thought about it, and said: "Cheng Heizi, you lead people to continue to track down the underground gangs, see if you can find the killer of Fengyulou, find me and fight to death, those gangs also take the opportunity to clean up, Chang'an City has been a little chaotic recently, and the people are uneasy, so that the people behind it can think that we have no other way, but to take the gang and Fengyulou to be angry, and the supervision government will secretly investigate, and take a multi-pronged approach." ”

"Okay, this old man is good at it." Cheng Yanjin hurried with someone.

"World achievements."

"Dashuai!" Xu Shiji saluted solemnly.

When he was still in the army, Xu Shiji was Li Jing's deputy, the two cooperated tacitly and were familiar with each other, Li Jing was not polite, and said bluntly: "Huai Dao originally asked you to check the gang, but the flying horse identity is special, not very suitable, and you are not as familiar with the place as Cheng Heizi, staring at the criminal department every day to investigate, to show that you are in a hurry, the criminal department is still Gao Shilian, the old man is inconvenient to interfere, you represent the saint from a certain angle, more suitable than anyone else, understand?" ”

"Understand, just like Cheng Heizi's side, let the people behind you think that our donkey skills are poor, relax and be vigilant, so that the Supervision Mansion can take advantage of it." Xu Shiji is thorough at all.

Li Jing nodded and said: "That's the truth, but it's not necessarily true, if the Criminal Department can find out something, it's better, let's divide the labor, Cheng Heizi will check the gang to get the news, you keep an eye on the Criminal Department, the Supervision Office is secretly tracking down the source of the catapult materials, and the old man will report to the Shengshang, lest the Shengshang wait for a long time to be anxious, and then explain the situation to the Supervision Office, with a three-pronged approach, the old man will not believe that he can't find out the problem." After saying that, he hurriedly left.

Xu Shiji also came up, holding his breath in his heart, originally Wang Tongbiao's matter had already made the saint dissatisfied, if it weren't for the intercession of the party Qin Huaidao, he would have been dismissed and investigated, and now that something happened, he couldn't find out and couldn't explain to the saint, and he was sorry for Qin Huaidao's trust.

The anger in his heart burned, Xu Shiji held his breath and shouted to the flying horse beside him: "Order, ask me door-to-door near the catapult, have a better attitude, and be sure to ask for clues, otherwise, the yesterday of the Hundred Cavalry Division is the tomorrow of our flying horse, go!" ”

Someone immediately ran to pass the order, the hundred horsemen became yesterday's yellow flower, everyone didn't want to step into the footsteps, Xu Shiji led a group of people to knock on a house, and the old man who opened the door asked: "Boss, have you seen suspicious people walking around the neighborhood tonight?" ”

"Suspicious people, no." The other party shook his head again and again, his eyes full of panic.

Xu Shiji said patiently: "Don't worry, uncle, this official was ordered to investigate, not long ago someone attacked the Protector of the Prince's barbecue, if you know something, please let me know, there will be a reward." ”

"Someone attacked the Protector's barbecue, right?" When the other party heard this, he exploded, opened the door, and said excitedly: "The protector is a big hero, a good man, and he is really good to our people, how can such a person be bullied, the old man will help you call people, see who knows." ”

Xu Shiji was a little confused, Qin Huaidao's folk prestige was so high? But it is a good thing that someone helps after all, there is no objection, the old man walked out of the door, opened his voice and shouted: "Neighbors, the protector of the country has been bullied, not long ago, who knows something, they all came out to talk about it." ”

"What...... The Protector was bullied, and he didn't agree. Many people opened the door and came out, filled with righteous indignation, and were a little panicked when they saw the neat and uniform and awe-inspiring officers and soldiers, but they still stepped forward.

Xu Shiji didn't expect Qin Huaidao's folk prestige to be so high, and realized that the opportunity was coming, so he hugged his fists gratefully and said: "Neighbors, this official Xu Shiji, I am ordered to investigate, not long ago, someone installed catapults in the nearby streets and alleys, and remotely attacked the barbecue of the protector of the country, the fire was finally extinguished, and there were not many people, and the rescue was timely, I am afraid it has burned to you, the villains are ruthless and vicious, and they do not compromise their means, but it doesn't matter whether everyone lives or dies, if you know, please inform one or two, this official has a heavy reward." ”

"What, catapults, and fire?"

Everyone listened to the atmosphere, the distance is not very far, if it really burns over, won't they all suffer? One by one, they were angry and asked each other about the situation, and an old man squeezed up and said: "This lord, the protector is really good to our people, and the matter of the protector is our business, how can we ask for a reward?" I didn't insult my ancestors, when the old man got up at night, there used to be a group of people in black passing by, there had to be hundreds of people, carrying things, it was too dark, I didn't see what it was, all of them were vicious, the old man didn't dare to cause trouble, so he didn't look at it much, he knew it was like this, and he had to stop them even if he didn't want to fight for his life. ”

"That's right, the protector is a good person, give us a way to live, give us enough silver, don't owe money, don't deduct grams, take care of food is also enough meat, treat us as people, how can such a good person be bullied, who else knows?"

"That's right, if you have any clues, come out and talk about it."

Everyone shouted, and the scene was a little chaotic.

A thief-eyed junior squeezed up and asked with a grin, "General, really give a silver reward?" ”

"As long as it's true that it's gone, give."

"How much?" The other party asked with a smile.

One of the people next to him was angry, slapped him, and scolded: "Little dog, what the hell are you going to do, and you are embarrassed to ask for silver for the matter of protecting the country?" Lao Tzu can't kill you. ”

The other party said dissatisfiedly: "Uncle, you know a request, if I say it, I can't mix in Chang'an in the future, if it weren't for the matter of protecting the country, I wouldn't dare to say it." ”

Xu Shiji's eyes lit up and asked, "How much do you want?" ”

"A hundred, not a single point less, I have to change places to live if I take the silver, otherwise there will be one more corpse in the stinky ditch tomorrow, and there is no way, the small ones are afraid of death, and they have to live, if it is not for the matter of protecting the country, I will not say it, and please understand."

"The news is true, General Ben will give you two hundred guan, give you a new identity, you will decide where to go, and secretly arrange for you to leave Chang'an."

"Really?"

"Will General Ben need to trick you?"

The other party was right when he thought about it, and immediately said, "Take a step to speak." ”

Xu Shiji nodded and motioned for the other party to come to a place where no one was.

This person no longer hid it, and asked: "General Xu, after speaking, can you change the small family to protect it, the little one is afraid that he will not be able to survive tonight, if it is not for the fact that the Lord Protector has the grace of life for the little family, I really dare not say it, and please understand." ”

"The other party is so powerful?" Xu Shiji's face changed slightly, and when he saw the other party nodding, he thought about it and said, "No problem, I will arrange you to go to the Protector's Mansion overnight, where it is the safest, how about it?" ”

"Master Xie." The other party was overjoyed, and helped Qin Huai to come out, it was indeed the most suitable to go to the Protector Mansion, no longer hesitated, looked around vigilantly, and said in a low voice: "Wanhualou." ”

"What do you mean?" Xu Shiji didn't react for a while.

This person explained: "A small acquaintance of a person in Wanhualou running hall, he said that once when running through a private room, he heard the shopkeeper of Wanhualou and said that he wanted to do a barbecue bar in the Huguo Mansion and snatch the business back, but he didn't dare to listen to it more, and he couldn't see who was in the private room. ”

"What's the other party's name?"

"Song San'er, we are pariahs and don't have a big name."

"Go to your house, pack up and leave as soon as possible." Xu Shiji was overjoyed, this clue was too important, and told a school captain: "You take two hundred people to Wanhualou immediately, seal it up for me, and no one is allowed to enter or leave, find Song San'er to protect it, whoever dares to resist will be killed." ”

"Whoa!" The other party hugged his fists and hurried away.

Xu Shiji re-trusts his promise, he will never regret what he promised, and followed the man home, his heart was full of suspicions, it is not strange to use some means in business competition, but he will never dare to move the catapult, I am afraid that it is not so simple behind this.

There must be someone behind Wanhualou daring to do this, who will it be?

Came to the other party's house, waited at the door for a while, a pair of old men came out, with some salutes, all thrown on the carriage, drove the carriage out, and said that the homeland was difficult to leave, Xu Shiji saw that the old man did not blame his child for talking too much, he became interested, and said: "Uncle, I have wronged you." ”

"What did the general say? Other grass people will definitely not agree, but the grass people have pulled coal to the protector, if it weren't for the righteousness of the protector, our family would have starved to death, not to mention that when the thieves killed, the protector also saved our lives, and gave the silver afterwards, otherwise, how can the grass people have the silver to see a doctor for my son, and the children and grandchildren have already been cut off, although my son is a bastard, but this time it is right, the grass people are too late to be happy, and they are not wronged. ”

As soon as Xu Shiji heard that there were such things, he admired Qin Huaidao more and more, and sure enough, good people have good rewards, and he firmly believed in the clues provided by the young man, and escorted the family to the barbecue bar first, just when Jia Youcai heard the news, he rushed to explain the situation with Jia Youcai.

As soon as Jia Youcai heard that there was a clue, he was overjoyed, and immediately said: "General Xu rest assured, the Protector Mansion must protect this family thoroughly, and there is no need to go to other places to hide, not to mention the homeland, and it is not convenient to live in an unfamiliar place, so I will go to Qinjiazhuang to stay, no one dares to go to Qinjiazhuang to ask for someone, but I have to change my identity and be safe, as for the reward, I will go out of the Protectorate Mansion, how can I let the general break the bank." ”

"What do you think of Qinjiazhuang?" Xu Shiji looked at the family.

The old man hurriedly said: "Qinjiazhuang is good, Steward Xie Jia." ”

"It turned out to be you, I remember that you helped the government transport coal, and you are considered your own person, and I can't let you suffer, I will go to the Huguo Mansion for one night, and I will send you to Qinjiazhuang tomorrow, rest assured."

"With a word from Steward Jia, the whole family of the grass people is relieved."

Jia Youcai nodded, and called a government guard to tell him a few words, so that he would accompany him, so as not to disbelieve the government.

Xu Shiji saw that Jia Youcai was well-arranged, so he couldn't help but look at it a few times, and also called a team of people to escort him, so as not to have an accident on the way, talk to Jia Youcai for a few words, and hurriedly took the others away, and went straight to Wanhualou.