Fenghou

The weather has reached the hottest moment, the sun is so hot that it seems that even the air is burning, and you will sweat profusely if you move a little.

At noon, a caravan of camels came from outside Xianyang City. There were about a hundred camels carrying heavy cargo. It was composed of several businessmen and more than [-] clerks. One businessman had deep eyes and a high nose. But the road is not surprising. The starting point of the Silk Road extends eastward from Chengji County to Jingzhao City, and a large number of Hu people began to migrate to Jingzhao City again.

And Xianyang County, which is very close to Jingzhao City and has cheap rent, has become a place for Hu people to store camels.

The camel caravan entered Xianyang County, checked the tax invoices at the city gate, and entered the county seat. Not long after, the caravan came to a large inn. The inn covers an area of ​​ten acres, which is unimaginable in Jingzhao City. Really need such a big inn, otherwise the camels of the caravan will be stored there?

A score of men unloaded the goods and handed over the camels to the innkeepers, who carried the goods into the guest rooms.

At this time, the shopkeeper of the inn hurried over and saluted the leader of the caravan. The leader of the caravan asked, "Where are the people who came earlier?"

"They're all scattered. Some are in Lintao County, some are in Xianyang County, and some have sneaked into Jingzhao. The internal guards of the Western Army are very strict. We dare not take it lightly."

This caravan actually came from Xixia. The leader of the caravan is Murong Wenshu, who is the head of the Xixia Heijintang. The Heijintang belongs to the Xixia Central Guard Army. Now it is under the direct control of the Xixia Emperor Li Ganshun. He is responsible for intelligence detection, assassination, sabotage, etc. and other special actions.

The Song army is preparing for the war in Lanzhou. How could Xixia not know it, but Xixia is now weak and unable to fight. Once the Song army comes, Xixia may be in danger of destroying the country. Jin Guo suffered a disastrous defeat in northern Shaanxi and is concentrating its forces to protect the east road. Can no longer support Xixia.

Li Qianshun had nowhere to ask for help, so he had to rely on himself to protect himself. On the one hand, he tried his best to prepare for the battle. On the other hand, Li Qianshun took a risky game and sent Hei Jintang to infiltrate the pass to assassinate Chen Qing. As long as he could stop the Song army from invading, Li Qianshun would do anything.

This time, Heijintang almost came out in full force, sending [-] elites to sneak into Guanzhong in various ways, looking for an opportunity to assassinate Chen Qing.

Murong Wenshu is a native of the Black Khanate. He is in his forties this year. He is one of the founders of Heijintang. He is skilled in martial arts and has a keen mind.

The Xixia Heijintang is different from the Jin Guo intelligence station. Although Li Toutuo also wanted to assassinate Chen Qing, their main business is to inquire about information. Assassination is a layman, but the Xixia Heijintang is a professional assassin. , very hidden.

This big inn in Xianyang is currently the first foothold of Heijintang warriors. The head of the Xixia intelligence station is the inn war manager, named Li Lu, who has been in Guanzhong for four years and knows the situation of the Song army very well.

"Tell me about Chen Qing's situation. Is there any chance of assassination?"

Li Lu nodded and said: "Chen Qing lived in the former palace. The entire palace covers an area of ​​about [-] mu. The front part of the palace is the Xuanfu envoy's office. The east side of the palace is a military camp with [-] troops stationed. The first line of defense in the palace, and then Chen Qing has [-] soldiers stationed in the palace, which is the second line of defense, and there are probably dozens of female guards in the back house where Chen Qing lives, I don't know the exact number. "

"Female guard?" Murong Wenshu couldn't help but laugh.

Chapter 648

Seeing the contempt on Murong Wenshu's face, Li Lu quickly explained: "The hall master must not think that Chen Qing's defense is weak, these female guards are only responsible for personal protection of Chen Qing's family, if the hall master's target is Chen Qing's Family members, there is nothing to say about that humble position."

Murong Wenshu shook his head, "Will assassinating Chen Qing's family make him retreat? Obviously impossible, our target is of course Chen Qing himself."

"Chen Qing's martial arts are very strong, ordinary assassins are no match for him at all, and his back house is very big, I don't know where he rests?"

Murong Wenshu smiled faintly, "You are an amateur when it comes to assassination. I have been an assassin for 20 years and have assassinated hundreds of people. I am very familiar with various assassinations. You said that there are only dozens of female guards in his back house. I know that he did not guard against assassins. The [-] troops you mentioned, and the personal soldiers stationed in the mansion, these measures are actually just to prevent civil strife and prevent harassment.

The real assassination is in an instant, and a poisonous crossbow arrow is enough to kill. Can the army and personal soldiers react?No matter how strong his martial arts skills are, it is impossible to be on guard all the time. There are always times when he is negligent. I thought his defense was as impenetrable as the emperor's, so I sent 300 people here. Now it seems that I only need to send three masters. enough. "

Li Lu said urgently: "The hall master should not be careless, if he misses the first hit, he will not give us another chance."

Murong Wenshu said with a faint smile: "Don't worry! I won't be in a hurry, I will understand the situation clearly, and then wait for the opportunity like a wolf."

……

At night, Sima Zhang Xiao was reading a book in the study, his eldest son Zhang Pingyuan said at the door: "Father, soldier Cao Shenjun Yang Xiaochen has something urgent to see!"

"Ask him to my study outside, I'll be right over!"

Zhang Xiao put on a coat, and walked to the outer study in the atrium without haste.

In the outer study room, Yang Xiaochen was pacing back and forth uneasily. He was about 30 years old, very smart and capable, and had always been Zhang Xiao's right-hand man.

At this time, there were footsteps outside, and Zhang Xiao walked in with a smile, "Is there something urgent for Yang Canjun?"

Yang Xiaochen hurriedly saluted, "I'm bothering Sima so late, but my humble job does have something important to do!"

"Don't worry, sit down and talk slowly."

Zhang Xiao asked Yang Xiaochen to sit down, and asked the maid to serve tea.

Yang Xiaochen hurriedly said: "Tonight Lin Jianqing invites the humble official to drink. In addition to the humble official, there are also the judge Zuo Changsheng of the Facao, and the military officer Liu Yan. According to Sima's instructions, the humble official had a good chat with him. This man actually pretended to be clever to trick me if."

Zhang Xiao specially arranged two people in the military department to contact Lin Jianqing, one was Cangcao judge Wang Di, and the other was soldier Cao Shenjun Yang Xiaochen.

Zhang Xiaowei smiled and said: "He is not pretending to be smart, he is no match for you old officials, what did he ask?"

"He complained that the pressure to adjust the grain was too great, and asked me when I would attack Xixia. I said winter! Only when the Yellow River freezes can we use sledges to transport grain and grass supplies."

"and then?"

"Then he said that he had more than a dozen friends who wanted to sign up to serve the country in the army, and asked if we knew when the recruitment would start and how many troops would be recruited?"

Zhang Xiao smiled and said, "It's an interesting question, how did you answer him?"

"Just follow Sima's instructions. I'll tell you the truth. I don't recruit soldiers specifically. I turn [-] township soldiers into full-time members. If his friends want to join the army and serve the country, they should sign up to join the township soldiers."

"But these few issues are not urgent!"

Yang Xiaochen said anxiously: "The key is that he asked Beizhi at the end. He heard that the Xuanfu envoy had a substitute. Is it true? This question made Beizhi go crazy. What do they want to do?"

Zhang Xiao's face became serious, and he actually asked Xuanfu envoy if he had a substitute. This was obviously asked by Jin Guo's spies. It was obvious that Jin Guo wanted to assassinate Xuan Fu envoy!

Zhang Xiao couldn't sit still anymore, the assassin was not something that could be discussed slowly, the assassin would make a move at any time, maybe it was tonight, and he had to notify the envoy immediately.

"I see, you did a good job and it was very timely. I will notify the Xuanfu envoy now. Don't be careless!"

……

About two miles away from Chen Qingfu's house is Baoen Temple in Jingzhao City. There is a pagoda in Baoen Temple, about five feet high, which is a famous tower in Jingzhao City.

Before night fell completely, a man in black appeared on the top of the pagoda, hugging the spire and looking towards the back garden of the palace, where the man in black could clearly see the layout of the Houzhai mansion garden under the afterglow.

Finally, the eyes of the man in black fell on the hill in the northeast corner, and the eyes of the man in black were bright...

As the night gradually deepened, the pedestrians on the street could no longer be seen, and the two men in black flew along the corner to the northeast corner of the high wall of the palace.

They threw a stainless steel tiger claw over the high wall, hooked it, and the two men in black jumped to the top of the wall, moving very quickly.

After climbing over the high wall, there was a small hill inside. They jumped up a big tree, and when the surroundings became quiet and there was nothing abnormal, they climbed down the tree and ran to the other side of the hill.

These two men in black are the two masters of Heijintang sent by Murong Wenshu. Murong Wenshu has led Heijintang for 20 years and planned countless assassinations. He has rich experience. He will never do it lightly, he must be careful Planning, mastering all the situations, and knowing the whole details of the target, and then patiently waiting for the best opportunity to hit it with one blow.

Especially for this kind of assassination related to the fate of Xixia, Murong Wenshu was even more cautious. He knew that there was only one chance, and he would never take it lightly, but once he did, he must not fail.

Assassination is divided into internal assassination and external assassination. Generally, internal assassination is given priority. External assassination is too tight for the opponent to have a chance. Murong Wenshu must first understand the layout, population, living habits, etc. Only when the internal stab cannot be executed will the external stab be considered.

The two assassins had a lot of experience, and they entered the house very easily. There was no ambush by the other side, and no hounds patrolling. This shows that the hall master's guess is correct, and Chen Qing has no awareness of guarding against assassins.

The two assassins secretly became excited. If the rules were not strict, they would have wanted to assassinate tonight.

But the hall master's order was very strict, he did not order the assassination, and no one was allowed to act rashly.

With the cover of boulders and trees, the two men in black gradually approached a stone road.

At this moment, a bright light appeared in the distance, and the two men in black immediately hid behind two big trees, only to see a light carriage driving fast, with a lantern hanging in front of the carriage, a strong woman drove In the carriage, a middle-aged man with a slightly shorter stature was sitting in the carriage.

The two men in black didn't move. They knew that Chen Qing was only 30 years old and tall. This man was definitely not their target.

When the carriage was far away, the two men in black ran across the stone road and swam into the water. They needed to know about the lake and see if they could sneak into the residential area from the water...

The middle-aged man who came to visit was Zhang Xiao, and Chen Qing received him in the study outside.

After listening to Zhang Xiao's report, Chen Qing narrowed his eyes and asked if he had a substitute, and he actually wanted to assassinate him.

Of course, Chen Qing was not unprepared. After Li Cheng sent people to assassinate him in Chengji County last time, he strengthened his guards, especially there were [-] female guards in the compound, all hiding in secret places, even if the assassin entered In the back garden, there is no way to safely enter the courtyard.

Chen Qing then asked the maid to find the leader of the female guards, and asked her to lead her subordinates to monitor the surroundings.

The female guard leader took the order and went.

Zhang Xiao persuaded again: "Xuanfu envoy should move to the barracks temporarily! It's best to leave tonight, don't be careless, what if the assassin hurts the wife and young master?"

Chen Qing smiled and waved his hands and said, "It shouldn't be a big problem tonight. I have already arranged for guards to patrol. Even if there are assassins, they will scare the snake away. I will think about it tomorrow. It is best to find a hidden house in the city."

As soon as the voice came out, there was a rush of running outside, Chen Qing was startled, walked to the door and asked, "What's going on?"

The leader of the female guard stepped forward and bowed: "When we were patrolling just now, we found two black spots in the lake. I don't know what they are. They don't look like water birds. We suspect that they are two people."

Chen Qing had a thought, and immediately ordered: "You monitor the water bay, and then tell Yan Jun to bring your own soldiers to inspect the back garden and the lake. No matter what is on the water, shoot and kill!"

The water bay extends from the lake to the residential area, and some small bridges and water pavilions are built. This is a defensive loophole, and the assassin can sneak into the residential area from underwater.

"Follow the order!" The female guard hurried away.

Zhang Xiao's face was a little pale, he didn't expect something abnormal to happen.

"The humble post will leave first, and it will not affect the deployment of the Xuanfu envoy."

Chen Qing nodded, and asked two guards to escort Zhang Xiao away in a carriage.

He then returned to the inner house and ordered the female guards to protect the family and gather in the red building.

Chapter 649 Going to the Island

Not long after, a large group of female guards rushed over to protect Lu Xiu, Zhao Qiaoyun and Yu's sisters, and the two wet nurses behind were holding Chen Qing's son and daughter.

Lu Xiu saw her husband wearing armor and holding a bow and arrow in his hand, she was a little frightened and said, "Husband, what happened?"

Chen Qing smiled as calmly as possible: "I found two black spots in the lake, which may be water birds such as night herons. Just in case, everyone should sleep in the red building tonight!"

Lu Xiu knew her husband was talking nonsense as soon as she heard it. If it was a waterfowl, why would she be so nervous? She must have discovered the assassin. She didn't say anything, but turned around and said to everyone: "Let's go to the second floor!"

Zhao Qiaoyun stepped forward and said to Chen Qing: "Officials, bring Master here too!"

Chen Qing said with a smile: "Don't worry! We have sent someone to pick her up, and she will be here soon."

Just as they were talking, two female guards hurried over with Li Qingzhao and her personal maid Chuntao.

"I'm just an old woman, it's okay, you don't have to worry about me!"

Zhao Qiaoyun stepped forward to hold Master by his arm, "Master, hurry up and go upstairs!"

"Hey! You are pregnant, you can't stay up late at night, go to bed quickly."

Everyone went upstairs, twenty female guards were deployed inside and outside the red building, and Chen Qing also went up to the roof.

At this time, Yan Jun entered the backyard with a hundred soldiers and several hounds. They divided into ten teams and searched the entire garden thoroughly. There were also several small boats on the water surface to search for them.

They searched all night and found no trace of the assassin, but there was actually a problem. The three female guards all saw two black dots in the sparkling light, but they didn't find anything suspicious. Could it be that the black dots were really waterfowl? Startled and flew away.

At dawn, the soldiers finally discovered the situation, and Yan Jun rushed to report to Chen Qing.

"Reporting to Dutong, the brothers found wet soil on the wall in the northeast corner and on a big tree. It has not rained in Jingzhao for more than half a month. There is only one explanation for the wet soil. Someone crawled out of the water. Judging from the soil distribution, there are indeed two people, and they should be assassins."

Chen Qing didn't know that the person who wanted to assassinate him was not only Jin Guo, but also Xixia, but this was not important, what was important was how he would deal with it?Especially how to protect the safety of your family.

"Do you think I should find a secret house outside to protect my family?" Chen Qing asked Yan Jun.

Yan Jun thought for a while and said: "There are many uncertain factors in finding a house outside, especially the army cannot participate in the protection. If the assassin finds out, it will be more dangerous. I suggest going to the military camp, or there is another way."

"What other way?" Chen Qing didn't want to put his family members into the barracks, which would shake the morale of the army and cause unnecessary speculation among the soldiers.

"Beizhi suggested to move the family members to the Qifeng Pavilion on the island. The Qifeng Pavilion itself has a main building and four auxiliary buildings, which are enough to live in, and then equipped with patrol soldiers and mastiffs around. The assassins will be found when they swim to the island, which is more critical. Yes, it’s impossible for the assassins to come to find out for the second time, they don’t understand the situation on the island at all, so it’s not easy to assassinate them.”

It’s a good way to go to the island. Living on the island, food, and daily needs can all be done by boat. More importantly, the layout of Qifeng Pavilion is relatively complicated. Mastiff, it is basically impossible for assassins to come up to assassinate.

"Your suggestion is very good, go to the island today!"

……

At dawn, Lu Xiu took everyone to the island by boat. The area of ​​the small island is about six or seven acres. It was originally a stone island, but it was covered with soil and filled with large grasslands. All kinds of wild flowers are colorful and swaying. It is colorful and full of wild charm. Unfortunately, the soil layer is too shallow to plant big trees.

A six-storey pavilion was built in the middle of the island, called Qifeng Pavilion, surrounded by four auxiliary buildings, and a circle of tall courtyard walls was also built.

The first floor of Qifeng Pavilion is a ten-foot-high granite base, on which a six-story wooden building is built. There is an annex building on each side of the base, and an air bridge connects the east annex building to the base. This is the only way to enter the Qifeng Building. You must first enter the wing building before you can walk onto the granite base.

The area of ​​Qifeng Building is not small. Each floor has three to four hundred square meters, and there are more than twenty rooms, almost all of which are suites. Many rooms are connected by secret doors, which is very complicated.

In fact, Qifeng Pavilion is a place of refuge for emergencies in the palace. Even if the assassin gets to the island by chance, avoids the patrolling mastiff dogs and guards, and sneaks into Qifeng Pavilion, he may not be able to find his target.

However, Chen Qing, the assassin's real target, still came to the official room on time. Although he didn't sleep last night, he was still full of energy.

As soon as Chen Qing arrived at the official room, Wang Hao, the commander of the internal guards, rushed over. Yan Jun had already informed him of the abnormality in the inner house of the Xuan Fu envoy last night, which shocked Wang Hao into a cold sweat.

Chen Qing smiled and waved his hands and asked, "Did your internal guards find anything unusual in the northeast corner?"

"Reporting to Dutong, the inner guard originally had three brothers in the northeast corner. Because Han Zhengfu was also in charge of monitoring the Wanxi Restaurant, he transferred some brothers, and there was only one person left in the northeast corner. I went to the surveillance point to check it out early this morning. I found that there happened to be a corner over there that was difficult to monitor, and if there were three people, they would definitely be able to see it, and they continued to send more people because they were humbled to make up for it.”

Chen Qing was not satisfied with this answer. Han Zhengfu was obviously the commander of the ninth group, but he went to do the work of the first and second groups, which led to the ineffective monitoring.

However, Chen Qing didn't want to pursue the responsibility for the time being. He took a few steps behind his back and said, "Lin Jianqing asked me if I had a substitute. It is reasonable for them not to act rashly until they get a clear answer. The abnormality last night was more like someone stepping on the spot. I suspect People from the Kingdom of Jin are not the only ones who want to assassinate me."

Wang Hao was startled, "Dutong refers to Xixia?"

Chen Qing nodded, "Xixia has a tradition of assassination. At this critical moment, Xixia sent people to assassinate me to prevent the Western Army from attacking north. To relax the operation, not only to arrest the spies of the Kingdom of Jin, but also to interrogate the spies of Xixia, not only Jingzhao City, but also the counties around Jingzhao City. In addition, Han Zhengfu was transferred back to monitor Wanxi Restaurant and let a group go. "

Wang Hao was a little ashamed and said: "The humble job is not thoughtful, so let's arrange it!"