Chapter 14 Entering the Sheep

The door of the study was tightly closed, like the mouth that the nobles and nobles would never open in the face of torture.

Dang Xiaobo and other admirals were tortured in the back garden, but their mouths had already been stuffed with a smelly rag, so they did not make a scream.

Hong Changqing looked at the dark night vigilantly, and led several yamen runners sent by Jiaozhou magistrate to scatter around the study, preventing anyone from getting close to that room.

The study room fell into a dead silence. I wonder what Fan Xian and Xu Maocai said, discussed, cared about, and argued about it.

Following the faint candlelight, you can see the increasingly heavy expressions of the two people and the chill in their eyes.

Fan Xian lowered his head slightly, and the shadows on both sides of his nose were very conspicuous. He whispered: "This matter has ended here, that's it."

Xu Maocai thought for a while and nodded: "Yes, sir."

The conversation between the two of them about that year and beyond came to an end. While being excited, Xu Maocai also returned to the peace of the years, turning the title from a young master to an adult. He knew how rebellious the conversation between him and Fan Xian was. If someone else knew what he had said to Fan Xian, he would definitely die, and Fan Xian would definitely not have any good life.

"I'll talk about the future." Fan Xian said calmly: "How to deal with this problem now?"

Xu Maocai has been in the Jiaozhou Navy for twenty years, from the lowest-level soldiers to the important generals today, he naturally has prestige and network among the Navy that others cannot reach. Fan Xian's handling of the Jiaozhou Navy would definitely be much easier if he had his help.

"I will contact the people in the army." Xu Maocai thought for a while and said, "If the adults need someone to come forward, I can try it."

Fan Xian frowned and thought, if a large number of middle and lower-level officers could be subdued in the navy, it would naturally be much smoother. Since the old Qin general refused to come forward, Xu Maocai was willing to come forward to help him, and the effect would be similar. However, after thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, "Don't come forward in person."

Xu Maocai looked at Fan Xian in surprise.

Fan Xian said: "I don't want anyone to find out a little problem... After all, you are from Quanzhou Navy. Since you have been stable for many years, you won't come out today."

It was not a critical moment, but Fan Xian's chess piece in the army could not be exposed. He just dealt with a deformed arm like the Jiaozhou Navy. He would never use the Li Feng kitchen knife that he had finally picked up on the roadside.

"But... the lower level of the army, please help me think of a solution." Fan Xian continued: "Influence some people you can influence, at least let them settle down. After dawn, we will go to the navy to announce the order. I don't want tens of thousands of soldiers to besiege me by then."

Xu Maocai smiled and bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir, actually tonight, I feel that you seem to think about this matter too hard."

"Oh. What do you mean?" Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and became interested.

"You underestimate the loyalty of the army to the court and the influence of Your Majesty on the soldiers." Xu Maocai said calmly: "Maybe Chang Kun can control a part of the army, or his confidant can incite soldiers who do not know the truth to make trouble... But now the situation is that Chang Kun is dead. Dang Xiaobo and several others have also been arrested and imprisoned by you. Whether soldiers or the people, if they have the courage to attack the imperial envoy, they must take the lead."

Xu Maocai finally said: "If the sheep dare to rise up and make a wolf rebellion, it must be that there is a wolf hiding among the flock of sheep."

Fan Xian's eyes lit up, and when he looked at Xu Maocai for a long time, he realized that the lucky one left by his mother back then was indeed a bit unique in his view of things.

"But I am a wolf from another place." He said with a smile: "The old wolves in the navy also cherish their feathers."

Xu Maocai said lightly: "You escort them, they have to go... No need to say anything, just stand in the camp. The navy officers and soldiers will naturally know their position. If there is still trouble in the army, the adults will not be careful not to kill them."

"Kill people to establish their authority?" Fan Xian frowned, "What I am afraid of is to startle a mutiny. The smell of blood is very pungent, which can easily make people's brains dizzy."

Xu Maocai looked at him and smiled, saying in a harmonious voice: "Sir, the smell of blood can easily make people timid, especially those who are not very brave."

This is plain, but with a hint of weirdness and resentment. It must be that when the Quanzhou navy was cleaned twenty years ago, this timid man who was scared by blood and was frightened by the blood.

Fan Xian thought for a while and nodded.

Xu Maocai saw that the worry between his eyebrows was still not clear, and knew what he was worried about. After thinking for a while, he tentatively said: "Even if I don't show up today, I can try it later."

What to try? Naturally, it is to try to take the Jiaozhou Navy into Fan Xian's hands. With Xu Maocai's current qualifications and status, as long as he is more prominent in the court's investigation of the Jiaozhou Navy case, his loyalty to His Majesty appears to be purer. Even if Fan Xian does not help, he will probably have a great chance of being promoted to the Admiral of the Navy.

For Xu Maocai, this proposal was not for his own career, but for his own thoughts that he could help Fan Xian obtain a strong help.

But Fan Xian just shook his head.

"I know your business is too late," he said, "so there was no arrangement in advance. The Jiaozhou Navy's funeral has been decided in Kyoto. Ten days later, people from the Privy Council will take over. As for you... I will find a way to prevent you from being implicated and stay in Jiaozhou, but there is no way to be the admiral's position."

Xu Maocai nodded. He knew about the navy's follow-up arrangements, and the palace must have had a certain number. Since Fan Xian didn't know his origin, he certainly did not make any arrangements in advance.

"Who is the next admiral?"

"Qin Yi." Fan Xian said slowly: "Cousin Qin Hengdi."

Qin Heng is the current garrison of Kyoto, the second-generation leader of the old Qin family, and his relationship with Fan Xian was quite harmonious when he was in Beijing.

But Xu Maocai's expression was a little strange when he heard this name.

"What's wrong?" Fan Xian saw his worries and asked curiously.

"Why did Your Majesty ask the people from the Qin family to take over?" Xu Maocai frowned and said, "Even if the Ye family has lost favor now, there are more than two in the army, and there are still several generals in the Western Expedition Army that have not been in a suitable position."

"I don't understand very well," Fan Xian replied with a smile. But he thought to himself that in an important place like Jiaozhou, the emperor must choose his confidant to control it to avoid Chang Kun's recurrence.

Xu Maocai looked at Fan Xian and wanted to speak, but after a while, he decided to say, "The Qin family is not simple."

"What's the meaning?"

"I have no evidence, but I always feel that the old Qin family is not simple." Xu Maocai frowned and said, "You also know that the third person in the navy is from the Qin family. Chang Kun has done so many tricks in the navy. He led thousands of soldiers southwards, how could he hide it from him... Why has he never reported it to the court? If he told the old Qin family, the old Qin family did not tell His Majesty... This would be a bit strange."

Fan Xian calmed down, carefully calculating the details in his mind, and then said, "So you have to stay in Jiaozhou and stare at the admiral who is coming soon. I believe that the old Qin family will not betray His Majesty, because no matter from any perspective... this is nothing good."

Xu Maocai thought that this is true. Your Highness is now in charge of the imperial guards, and the Ye family was scolded by His Majesty and did not dare to say anything, so he had to hide in Dingzhou to raise horses. The entire Qing State military is now the most powerful. Naturally, the old Qin family. If they betray His Majesty, they will never be able to gain a higher status and glory.

Political choices are the same as doing business, and there is no profit. No one is willing to do it.

"You go and do things." Fan Xian smiled gently and said, "Pay attention to your safety. In the days ahead, as long as I don't take the initiative to look for you, don't do anything for me."

Xu Maocai also laughed, walked to him and knelt down, kowtowed respectfully, without saying anything, and turned around and left.

Looking at the figure of the general in his early forties leaving. Fan Xian put his hands behind him and narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that the other party was willing to bow to him, and he must have been extremely happy. Twenty years ago, twenty years later, life was not many twenty years, but this person had been waiting for so long, which was really not easy.

A faint whiteness floated in the distance. Fan Xian squinted his eyes and looked at it. He didn't know where his mind had floated away, his brows frowned. He felt a little more pressure and a little more excitement in his heart. He would not do anything like rebellion, just like what Ye Qingmei said in his letter back then, dominate the world? She disdains and Fan Xian doesn't like playing such games. However, in the years to come, besides rebellion, there are always many meaningful things to do.

For example, live well, let the one who just left live well, let some people live unhappy.

At this time, there was no noise and hustle and bustle in the Admiral's Palace, but only a tranquility surrounded. Many people were not asleep, and dawn had just broken.

When the morning light was getting more and more intense, the closed Jiaozhou city gate was slowly opened, and the state troops who had been tightly blocked all night were tiredly gathered up, standing weakly on both sides of the city gate hole, and watching the team walk out of Jiaozhou City with their eyes and heading towards the navy camp not far away.

In the middle of the team was Fan Xian. He had already changed into his official uniform while riding on the horse. He was extremely luxurious and majestic. On the left, Hong Changqing held the Emperor's sword with a cold expression on his face, and the officials of the Supervision Office on the right hand were holding the golden imperial edict.

There were soldiers leading the way in front of him walking panting with signs, and then there was a golden umbrella that drove the clouds.

Jiaozhou has formed a team of silk and bamboo from somewhere, playing and playing, and gongs and drums, and it is lively.

It was a somewhat simple imperial envoy's ceremonial guard. Fan Xian looked at him coldly and couldn't help but feel funny. The Jiaozhou magistrate really had two tricks, but in the middle of the night, he actually made such things. But why did the bamboo team have such a strong smell of powder? Could it be that it was borrowed from a brothel?

The imperial envoy's ceremonial guard has been staying in Suzhou and never thought he would use it on the beach. However, since he was going to the navy to announce the imperial edict, it would always be beneficial to show off such a show. But Fan Xian was a little worried about Wu Gefei. Will the old scholars in Kyoto be unhappy if such frauds are unhappy?

All the time, Jiaozhou officials and the unconvicted naval generals followed Fan Xian honestly. From the expression alone, it was impossible to tell whether these people were happy or sad. They had to struggle all night and few were in good spirits.

The citizens of Jiaozhou were already vaguely aware of what happened last night at the breakfast stall, and they rushed inside and outside the city gate to watch the scene. The brave citizens of Jiaozhou pointed at the imperial envoy’s ceremonial guard and spread it. The handsome young and powerful man who was like a girl was the rumored Lord Fan.

Fan Xian’s reputation among the people is so famous.

However, the Jiaozhou Navy's reputation in the city is not much better.

I don’t know who started it, but thousands of people inside and outside the city gate shouted, wishing the imperial envoy good health, so they knelt down and bowed apart.

Fan Xian was stunned, looking at the dark heads, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed. He thought of what Xu Maocai said in the early morning. He realized that the people at the bottom of society were indeed instinctively afraid and respect for the angels who were above them.

This understanding made Fan Xian not feel comfortable. He subconsciously glanced at Xu Maocai.

Xu Maocai smiled as if he was slanderous.

As a last resort, Fan Xian waved his hand to stop the team from moving forward, filled with a gentle smile on his face, and dismounted in the guards of the officials. He walked lightly to the people outside the line, gently replied to the gifts, and helped several old people up politely, and said a few nonsense like Sheng'an and Tianshun. Then he returned to the horse and started the team.

On the playground of the navy, Fan Xian sat on the chair with a calm face, looking at the officers and soldiers below on the platform. The officers and soldiers looked at the officers and soldiers with different expressions, either excited, resentful or fearful, but their eyes were all glittering at the imperial envoy and officials on the stage.

Most of the navy officers and soldiers had already known about what happened last night. However, because time was too tight, those confidants of Chang Kun among the middle-level generals did not have the opportunity to arouse the emotions of the entire camp, but just led the sergeant all the way to go to the state to save people. However, the team suddenly disappeared into the darkness.

So at this time, the navy officers and soldiers were a little scared. I don’t know why the imperial court suddenly sent an imperial envoy over here, nor did I understand why Admiral Chang Kun and the party’s generals were not on the stage. Is the rumors in the army true?

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked at the crowded heads below the audience, and found that the ground was so dark that it was lined up to the edge of the port.

It was not until this time that he felt a little worried. He had seen the imperial guards, and the black cavalry was always by his side, but suddenly he saw tens of thousands of soldiers standing in front of him, and then he felt the oppression brought by the number of people. If these ten thousand soldiers were their enemies, he would be afraid that he would not be able to sit on this platform.

Fan Xian raised his lips and smiled with a sarcastic look. He didn't listen to the words of the No. 3 general of the Navy. He thought that he was really lucky. He actually found Xu Maocai inside the Navy. Although the soldiers in the stands were a little unstable, there shouldn't be any major problems. It must be that Xu Maocai did a lot of work in the dark after the early morning.

Chang Kun is dead, Dang Xiaobo is already in vain, and no one takes the lead. No matter how bloody these soldiers are, it is impossible. Xu Maocai is right, and he overestimates the sinister nature of the situation.

Fan Xian touched the thin paper in his arms. This was the confession written by the generals involved in the East China Sea. Dang Xiaobo was indeed a tough guy. Even if he was knocked out, he would not speak. However, not all such tough guys in the army. Under the severe punishment of the Supervisory Office, someone finally asked him.

With the confession, he had the title of the land in the great righteousness. Fan Xian no longer worried about anything and listened to the general's reckless speech.

This general was the one from the Qin family. He was unwilling to stand up, but after hearing Xu Maocai's suggestion, Fan Xian did not give him this opportunity at all. He simply tore his face apart and asked him to speak out without a smile. At the same time, he also handed over the difficult task of proclaiming Dang Xiaobo's crime to him.

As Fan Xian expected, when the general said that Dang Xiaobo colluded with foreign enemies, affair with pirates, and illegally transferred troops, the officers and soldiers in the audience were in agitation, especially those middle-level school officials, there were some bad signs.

Fan Xian looked at this scene, slowly left the chair, walked to the front of the stage, looked at the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers below the stage, and said gently: "I am Fan Xian, and I came here at the order."

He was not a god, and he could not use his eyes to make the whole audience quiet, but a trace of the domineering true energy in his body was squeezed into his words, and it spread quickly. Niao Niao resounded throughout the playground, making the officers and soldiers stunned.

In this gap, Fan Xian’s opening title was: “Admiral Chang Kunchang, was assassinated last night.”

There was an uproar in the audience, full of disbelief and shocking voices.

Wu Gefei, the governor of Jiaozhou, looked at Lord Xiao Fan in front of the stage with concern. He did not agree with the entire army's assembly and promulgation. He should be divided into different camps. I don't know what Lord Xiao Fan thought.

Fan Xian looked at the officers and soldiers below and said slowly: "Admiral Chang is stationed in Jiaozhou for many years and guards the country. He is willing to be in a difficult place and is actually a pillar of the country. Whenever his Majesty discusses it, he will praise Admiral Chang's contribution to his country and his loyalty is commendable."

Liao Liao and the other two who knew the inside story were silent. They had already received the result of the handling announced by Fan Xian on behalf of the court, and the other officials and generals were stunned when they heard this. Didn’t Lord Fan come to check on Admiral Chang?

The officers and soldiers in the audience gradually became quiet and looked at the stage with confusion. No one understood what the imperial envoy said.

Fan Xian had a hint of heavy face and said with a faint feeling: "Tian Wuyan, but unexpectedly Admiral Chang died young... Who are the extremely vicious people who dare to commit such evil deeds!"
Chapter completed!