Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 276: I was killed by you, a fool!

Lu Shaochun’s idea is quite good.

He obtained Zhu Cilang's protection through the Advisory Council, and then used this protection to spread all the information he found mixed with his own speculations in order to achieve the purpose of alerting the enemy.

If things could progress to this point, he thought that the real mastermind behind the scenes would definitely take action because his investigation direction was not confused by the smoke screen he had created.

In this way, he doesn't need to look for any evidence anymore. He can roughly guess the approximate scope of the mastermind behind the scenes just by those shadowy actions.

The rest of the things will be much easier to handle. With the advantages accumulated step by step, he can collude with those forces.

If the other party is smart enough, they will probably understand that the only way left is to sacrifice the car to save the king. Otherwise, even if they are really capable of launching a rebellion within a certain range, Your Majesty, who has been forced into a corner, will probably have no choice but to send troops to quell the rebellion despite the chaos.

It was not difficult to make the choice between enduring the purge of the most powerful army of the time and throwing out one or two scapegoats. Lu Shaochun even felt that the group of shrewd guys might have already prepared some unlucky guys, just waiting for the court to find out about this and then throw them out.

At this point, Your Majesty has not only maintained the dignity of the court and punished the evil gentry who bullied the people, but also gained benefits such as land and money in the process. It can be said that you have gained both face and benefits. Although those local forces will suffer some losses, it is not a big loss to let someone know that some ideas are best not to be put into practice.

Lu Shaochun had already gone through the entire process several times in his mind, and he was almost 100% sure that this matter could proceed smoothly.

After all, this is how things have been going on for thousands of years. Anyone who can read one or two history books will naturally understand that the so-called successful rebellion and the punishment of rebels are, to put it bluntly, the game between the central government and local governments. The only difference is that you have the advantage today and I have the advantage tomorrow.

However, no matter how carefully Lu Shaochun thought about it and how much he had read in history, he never expected that when the troops sent by His Majesty arrived, after he used the strategy of alerting the enemy as planned, the forces hidden behind the scenes did not even react at all.

Faced with such a situation, even though Lu Shaochun was confident, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

He understood clearly that this situation could happen either because those local forces were confident or they were ready to fall out.

Of these two possibilities, if they are fearless, then it would be fine. Regardless of assassination, poisoning or something else, the worst that can happen to Lu Shaochun is that he will lose his career in politics. But if those people are really ready to turn against him, then his life will naturally be in danger.

It is true that even a wise man will make a mistake in a thousand considerations, and even a fool will gain something in a thousand mistakes.

Just when Lu Shaochun was extremely conflicted, Niu Junchang, who had been dismissed as a mystery earlier, brought back a crucial piece of news.

"You guys can take a look too."

After finishing reading the letter in his hand, Lu Shaochun handed it to Yan Yingyuan who was sitting on his right.

Afterwards, he said no more and took advantage of this opportunity to think about it.

While investigating the surrounding garrisons, Niu Junchang accidentally discovered that there was a group of bandits speaking with a Shaanxi accent between Changxing and Liyang, and that this group of bandits appeared just after His Majesty had driven the Tartars back to Jiangbei.

From this, he felt that this group of bandits was most likely the defeated Tartar army that failed to retreat in time, and then he suspected that this case might have been committed by these people.

It has to be said that after the plan to alert the enemy failed, this is indeed the only clue left.

But after Lu Shaochun thought about it, he felt that this possibility was not very high.

Indeed, as the letter said, if these bandits were really defeated Qing troops, then it would not be difficult for them to use a considerable number of people to surround and kill a group of police officers and soldiers.

But Lu Shaochun thought that these defeated soldiers were in a foreign place after all. Under such circumstances, apart from looking for necessary daily necessities, they would probably stay in the village all day long. How could they risk attracting the attention of the court to do such a big thing?
Therefore, in his view, this value gained by chance was probably just gained by chance.

However, he did not intend to ignore it. After all, all clues had been cut off, and his plan of alerting the enemy had no effect at all.

If a large group of them were trapped here like this, not to mention whether the real power behind the scenes would see that he was helpless, the higher-ups' perception of him would also be affected.

"What do you think?"

After a brief change of mind, Lu Shaochun had a plan. He did not rush to say anything afterwards, but waited until the people present had finished reading the letter before asking in a deep voice, as if he attached great importance to this clue.

"Mr. Governor, in my humble opinion, this clue should be investigated, but that's all. There's really no need to spend too much energy on it."

When Fu Rongfa heard what Lu Shaochun asked, he spoke out his thoughts without thinking.

He could naturally see the importance the governor attached to this clue, and could even guess about 50% to 60% of what the other party was thinking.

If it were a few months ago, he would certainly not have expressed his thoughts so directly, but now he is a member of the Advisory Council, and he must do everything to live up to the trust of His Majesty.

Under such circumstances, how could he allow Lu Shaochun to have other thoughts?
"Counselor Yan, what do you think?"

Lu Shaochun could naturally hear the softness in Fu Rongfa's answer, but as a man who climbed to the position of prefect without any family support, how could he possibly get angry?
After all, this wasn't the first time he had faced this situation.

When everything goes smoothly, the whole group will naturally be harmonious. However, if they encounter difficulties that are difficult to deal with, not to mention his small temporary team, even people who have worked together for many years will have all kinds of inexplicable friction.

So after noticing the subtle warning in Fu Rongfa's words, he just smiled faintly and turned his head to Yan Yingyuan.

Yan Yingyuan was probably aware of the discord hidden in the scene. After hearing Lu Shaochun's inquiry, he did not answer directly. Instead, he thought for a moment before solemnly saying, "If the defeated army had a hundred or so people, it would not be difficult to surround and kill Ruan Butang and his entourage, but..."

Yan Yingyuan let out a long groan, and then continued as if he had made a decision in his mind: "As Fu Ziyi said, they really have no reason to do such a big thing. It is unreasonable to identify them as murderers just because of their ability."

Ever since he brought the young men from Zhutang to rescue Yingtian, he has become a person "favored by the Emperor". Although after the war he only got the sixth-rank post of military counselor due to his lack of military merits and his low starting point, everyone can see that this historian placed in the army by His Majesty must be more than that.

What is rare is that even with such high expectations, Yan Yingyuan still maintains his usual caution and low-key attitude.

Even though it was impossible for Lu Shaochun, the prefect whose official career was about to be cut off, to suppress him during this investigation, Yan Yingyuan still regarded himself as a bodyguard and did not overstep the line in any way.

But in this situation, his words were more direct than Fu Rongfa's. Thinking about it carefully, he was just telling Lu Shaochun not to mess things up with a few defeated soldiers and bandits. From this, it is easy to see how much he values ​​His Majesty's orders.

"Although I haven't made any great achievements during my tenure, I am not a person who would just mess around. If the defeated army had nothing to do with this incident, then they have just cleared away a nuisance for the local area. How could I force such a huge case on them?"

Having said this, Lu Shaochun also understood what the other party was thinking through this implicit or not so implicit warning. Afterwards, he no longer concealed it and clearly showed his desire to serve His Majesty in front of the two of them, which temporarily dispelled their doubts.

In the final analysis, Yan and Fu were not prepared to ignore the defeated army, but they were worried that Lu Shaochun would use this defeated army as a scapegoat when he was at his wit's end.

According to others, in addition to the prefect and the county magistrate, there are also two advisors and a counselor who leads a team of people in the camp. Lu Shaochun has no chance to do such a fool.

But among those present, except for that rough man Niu Junchang, all of them have been in the officialdom for so many years, so how could they not know the rules of operation?

They originally thought that the so-called killing by the garrison was just a fog created by the forces behind the scenes. As long as this fog was broken, the case would be able to make substantial progress.

But who would have thought that there was another layer of fog behind the fog? Even if they were not careful in dealing with this layer of fog, the forces behind the scenes would find an opportunity and pin the case on those defeated troops.

This is not an exaggeration, as they have encountered similar things in the first half of their lives.

After all, evidence is not the only consideration in deciding a case. If they really fall into the schemes of the forces behind the scenes due to negligence, how can they be worthy of His Majesty's kindness in selecting them from humble backgrounds?
After some negotiation, the three of them led their troops to meet up with Niu Junchang. By the time they arrived at the camp of the defeated army, two days had passed.

In order to be safe, they not only tried their best to hide their whereabouts, but also did not let the local government and garrison know of the news.

Yan Yingyuan has not been idle in the past few months. Although the soldiers he led this time have been reorganized and most of them are new recruits, this is after all a group of young people from Zhutang.

After such a long period of running-in, although their combat power is still not as good as those youngsters back then, the difference between the two is ultimately just experience. As for external equipment, they are much stronger than that half-civilian, half-military group.

"Counselor Yan, I'm counting on you this time."

"You are too polite, sir."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Yingyuan urged his horse to leave, while Lu Shaochun and Fu Rongfa stayed behind with a group of officers.

Although they had various thoughts in their minds at this time, they were still full of confidence in wiping out this group of defeated troops.

After all, as a person who is highly valued by His Majesty, Yan Yingyuan's resume will naturally attract attention from all parties.

If it was a serious battle between two armies, they would probably still be a little worried, but the enemy is just a group of defeated soldiers. If Counselor Yan cannot defeat them with his superior forces, it would be a waste of His Majesty's trust.

Sure enough, from the time the sound of musketry was heard in the front, it was only more than half an hour before Lu Shaochun could hear no loud noise here.

After a while, Yan Yingyuan's figure appeared in their sight again.

"Fortunately, we have fulfilled our mission. Although some have escaped, all the leaders of the village are here."

"Why. Why so fast?"

Faced with this situation, although Lu Shaochun was surprised, he was still able to maintain calmness. However, Fu Rongfa, who was also a direct subordinate of His Majesty like Yan Yingyuan, spoke out his doubts without noticing.

"Although they are from the same group, it is difficult for them to fight against the enemy in full force after becoming bandits. It will be faster to fight the bandits with the army."

Yan Yingyuan had obviously anticipated the ease of this battle, but the reasons behind it were somewhat complicated, so he just gave a general explanation and didn't say anything more.

Afterwards, the two of them naturally praised Yan Yingyuan, but he did not take any credit for it and fully affirmed the important role of the two in this battle. After a large basket of true or false compliments had accumulated, he took advantage of the two people being at a loss for words and pointed to the few people behind him who were tied up like dumplings.

"These are the leaders of the village. I wonder if the governor will try them here or take them back first?"

"The night is long and dreams are many, so let me ask here first."

Lu Shaochun had naturally noticed these guys in ragged clothes a long time ago, but in his mind, official rules were more important. It was not until Yan Yingyuan asked him directly that he turned his attention over.

"Who are you from? Why do you want to live here?"

"Kill me if you want, chop me up if you want. As of today, I have no intention of escaping from your hands."

As this question was asked, another person among the defeated soldiers immediately answered with his neck stiffened. When Lu Shaochun and others heard this, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shock in their hearts.

Why?

If they were ordinary defeated bandits, they would probably ask for their lives first, but they just said "we have no intention of escaping from your hands", which clearly showed that they had a clear understanding of their guilt.

Judging from the situation, there is an 80% to 90% chance that the case will fall on them.

just
If I report this result, will His Majesty think that I have colluded with the forces behind the scenes? That's why I use this statement to try to fool this big case?

"Oh? How do you know that you can't survive my hand? Did you commit a serious crime?"

No matter what he thought in his heart, Lu Shaochun did not show it on his face.

Afterwards, he asked in a friendly manner and waited quietly for the other party's answer, as if he was just an ordinary local official who came to suppress bandits.

But who would have thought that the other party ignored such temptation, and instead cursed at the man in front: "Wang Siwa, you should have listened to me and dealt with that dog official and his entourage. Now he has broken his promise, and all my brothers are going to be killed by you, a fool!"

(End of this chapter)