The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 297 The Angry Dragon Gang

The entire city of Xuzhou was placed under martial law.

Soldiers and officers were seen coming and going on boats and in the surrounding towns and villages.

Several Japanese corpses were hung at each of the four city gates, in the east, west, south, and north, making them easily visible to the passing people.

Of course, the reward of five thousand taels of silver offered by the government on the notice board at the city gate also made the eyes of all passersby light up.

Five thousand taels!

Even disregarding the sheer amount of silver involved, the fact that the enemy was Japanese pirates was enough to warrant the involvement of all parties.

As a result, in less than two days, the underworld and legitimate world, centered on Xuzhou Prefecture and radiating to the surrounding three prefectures and twelve counties, were all alarmed.

Even the soldiers from the surrounding garrisons, many of them, asked for leave together to leave their camps and search everywhere.

Unlike ordinary people, if they can help Ningguo Prefecture find this group of Japanese pirates, their future careers will undoubtedly be ten times smoother than they are now.

It should be noted that although the Jia family is not in the military, it is still easy for a noble family like the Duke's Mansion to promote a few people.

Moreover, Jia Lian of the Rongguo Mansion was also the Director of the Military Treasury.

Not to mention them, even their superiors hoped that they could help find those Japanese pirates so they could curry favor with the Jia family.

As the news spread rapidly in all directions, Kaneda Shoji, Uno Hideharu, and the others who had sailed to Weishan Lake overnight all looked extremely unlucky.

They never expected that such a meticulously planned assassination attempt would be thwarted by those people.

"My lord, we cannot stay in Weishan any longer."

Hirota Hashimoto, with the air of an honest fisherman, said, “The five thousand taels reward has attracted not only those in the underworld and the legitimate world, but also the people of Weishan, who have begun to pay attention to the surrounding boats.”

And their ships are relatively large.

But abandoning ship is no longer an option.

Although they had already spent money to obtain travel permits, the government still required them to speak and inspect their tiger's mouths when checking them.

In the past, the government was quite capable in investigating notorious bandits, but it had never been this dedicated.

This time, in particular, it has attracted the participation of people from the martial arts world.

"How could this be?"

Shoji Kaneda frowned deeply. "A fallen Jia family..."

"My lord, the Jia family has declined, but the name of Madam Shen of Ningguo Mansion is still known to the gentry and common people of Jiangnan because of those Jurchens who abandoned their country."

Hirota Hashimoto was frustrated. It would be fine if that woman were really dead, but they hadn't even succeeded in getting her yet.

"Then tell me, where can we go now?"

He went out for a walk today, but he definitely couldn't go to the canal.

Soldiers have already set up checkpoints at several points where Weishan Lake and the Grand Canal connect.

Shoji Kaneda regretted it deeply; they should have headed to the capital that very night.

Weishan Lake seems like a good place to hide, but it is precisely because it is suitable for hiding that it has attracted the most attention.

If the authorities hadn't investigated them so thoroughly, things would have been fine, but unfortunately...

"What I mean is, we're heading to Dushan Lake."

"Didn't they set up a checkpoint over there too?"

Uno Hideharu also went out to inquire today.

"Yes, there is a checkpoint over there, but there are relatively few soldiers there."

Hirota Hashimoto said, "If all else fails, after we break through the card, we'll split up."

He said, "If we gather together, we'll either attract the attention of the government troops or those江湖人士 (jianghu figures)," and there's absolutely no way to escape that way. "But if we disperse and wait for the storm to pass before we return to Xuzhou, we might not be noticed."

This?
The fourteen people on the boat looked at each other, then all turned to look at Shoji Kaneda.

This assassination attempt was a decision made by Lord Kaneda.

On the Russian side, they also hoped to capture the culprit behind the Jin people's abandonment of their country—Madam Shen of the Ningguo Mansion.

Although the Left Minister opposed it, the Right Minister strongly supported it.

"Then..."

Shoji Kaneda was also helpless.

He failed in this mission.

It could even implicate the mission itself.

Just as he was about to say that he would listen to Hashimoto, the only woman on the ship, Kurosaki Nami, said, "Sir, perhaps we still have another way."

After bowing to him, she said, "Instead of forcibly breaking through the checkpoint at Dushan Lake, why don't I seduce the Zhao general who has set up a checkpoint at Weishan Lake?"

This?
Shoji Kaneda was very tempted.

However, Kurosaki Kimi, who was accompanying the mission, was killed at that post station.

When he came, he promised his mother that he would take care of him and his siblings.

"You want to avenge Kurosaki-kun?"

“It’s not just my brother.”

Nami Kurosaki lowered her eyes meekly, "And Honda and the others too."

Her brother and lover were both lost at that post station.

I will not avenge this...

I swear I will never be human!

“Everyone thought we would flee to another place, but we did the opposite.”

Mission accomplished, revenge taken!
"On the contrary, it might catch them off guard."

This?
Shoji Kaneda lowered his eyes and thought for a long time before finally saying, "Then... let's give it another shot."

At that moment, they had a good plan.

Little did they know, a line of water was flowing from the side of the boat towards the small boats casting their nets to catch fish in the distance.

After a while, the boy suddenly popped his head out of the water, "Grandpa, I found it."

He smiled broadly when he removed the reed tube he had been holding in his mouth.

"It really is them?"

The old man glanced at the boat out of the corner of his eye, but asked the boy with a slightly excited tone, "Did you hear that?"

"Yes!"

The boy bit back the reed tube and said, "They're still heading to Xuzhou, Grandpa, you need to gather everyone quickly."

Weishan Lake is their domain.

If someone else snatches away the meat that's practically handed to us, then none of us will be able to survive in the future.

"Okay, okay, be careful."

The old man gave a few words of advice and then rowed away.

The boy touched the small axe at his waist, swung his legs slightly, and quickly submerged into the water, turning into a white streak as he headed towards the boat.

As the sun set, the old man began to sing a vigorous yet leisurely tune: "The waters of the Canglang River are clear, I can wash my hat tassels; the waters of the Canglang River are muddy, I can wash my feet..."

He sang here, and soon harmonies came from further away, then one after another, and ships appeared one after another, until three large ships joined in from even further away.

……

Capital, Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Lian, who has been extremely busy lately, has finally returned to the mansion.

Upon hearing the maid's report that the Second Master had gone to Rongxi Hall, Wang Xifeng, accompanied by Ping'er, rushed over with a joyful expression.

She missed her nemesis, so she walked faster and arrived at Rongxi Hall almost at the same time.

"Second Master~"

Seeing that he was about to go to his father-in-law's place, Wang Xifeng hurriedly called out.

Jia Lian immediately stopped and turned around.

When Wang Xifeng saw that he no longer had the carefree smile he used to have when he saw her, but instead looked serious and angry, her heart skipped a beat. "What happened?"

Her heart suddenly panicked.

"……Father!"

Instead of immediately replying to his wife, Jia Lian bowed to Jia She, who had come out after hearing him approach, and said, "Something has happened."

When he first heard the news, he suppressed his fear, but when he saw his father, his eyes welled up with tears, and his lips trembled as he said, "I just received news that my aunt and brother Zhen were attacked at the post station outside Xuzhou Prefecture. A group of Japanese pirates used crossbows and poison, and the guards suffered heavy casualties. My aunt has also fallen ill."

what?
Jia She swayed slightly, then quickly regained his balance. "Are you sure they're Japanese pirates?"

The Russian and Japanese delegations are about to arrive in the capital!
How dare they?

"It is 100% certain that their methods and the way they use poison are the usual practices of the Japanese."

"...Very well!" Jia She gritted his teeth. "Someone, report to me immediately that the Japanese delegation has entered the capital."

Again and again, thrice, and even more...

The Jia family and Japan are irreconcilable enemies.

"Pass on the mantle of Jiao Da, pass on the mantle of Lin Zhixiao!"

Is it no longer acceptable to bully the Jia family?
At this moment, Jia She deeply regretted his own inadequacy.

What heroes were his grandfather and uncle? How powerful were his uncle and father?

When his elder brother was alive, even without official rank or title, no one dared to do anything to the Jia family.

If he can't beat them by the right path, does that mean he can't do it by the crooked path either?

While working on the woodblock printing for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," he also developed a sense of envy for certain figures in the martial arts world.

"Second Master~"

Wang Xifeng, supporting Jia Lian, asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Do you know how Brother Zhen, Rong'er, and Xiao Yue'er are doing?"

If they are alright, even if Auntie was frightened, she can recover.

But what if something happens to them...

Jia She also hurriedly looked at his son.

“Brother Zhen didn’t send a letter home, he only wrote a memorial, which said that six guards were dead and four were seriously injured, and many people had inhaled the poisonous fog, including Aunt and Yue’er.”

Therefore, Jia Lian was afraid.

Not to mention Auntie's poor health, even for Yue'er, who is not even a year old, if she were to encounter such an assassination attempt, the consequences could be unimaginable if she were to be overly frightened.

"Your Majesty... did you say anything?"

Jia She clenched his fist, which was hidden in his sleeve, and asked his son in a slow voice.

“My son was originally at the Bureau of Machinery Manufacturing. It was the Emperor who sent Xiao Sanzi to inform him,” Jia Lian said. “The Emperor has already issued an edict ordering the garrison commander of Xuzhou to send one hundred soldiers to accompany and protect them until they return to the capital.”

When the emperor received this news, he was both shocked and furious.

When the Japanese delegation was about to enter the capital, they actually dared to send someone to assassinate the first-rank imperial consort of the Zhao Dynasty.

Is this a way of putting him in a tough spot?

The emperor issued several edicts to the south of the Yangtze River, questioning military and political officials and demanding a thorough investigation of the Japanese pirates, with no one spared.

He sent Jia Lian home to deliver the message in order to drive Jia She mad.

The generals of the garrisons in Tianjin and Tongzhou all had some connection with the Jia family.

If he can maintain a good image, he can imprison the Japanese delegation the moment they land.

The emperor couldn't issue an official decree about this, but he was truly furious.

Now the emperor is only hoping that Jia She can do his job.

Therefore, when Jia Lian returned home to report the news, An San also secretly squatted down at the Rongguo Mansion.

……

In Xuzhou, Shen Ning, who had been transferred to the prefectural government office, had actually recovered.

After Xiaoyue'er took the medicine for two days, she felt a little better.

But the mother and daughter cannot recover immediately.

She needs to be sick, and even the emperor might need her to be sick.

As a result, Shen Ning fell ill, and Jia Zhen, being her own son, naturally sought medical help.

In fact, he was not only seeking medical treatment, but he was also writing to various garrison troops and guard posts in the surrounding area, asking them to help find the Japanese pirates who might have escaped.

In short, whoever defeats any Japanese pirate will become Jia Zhen's brother.

He did indeed only inherit the title and not hold any real position, but anyone in the military would love to take on this unexpected brother.

"Mother~"

Early in the morning, Jia Zhen personally brought over a calming and nourishing soup, saying, "The medicine has cooled down a bit."

Shen Ning: "..."

She couldn't help but frown upon smelling the bitterness.

But I won't drink it...

Shen Ning knew that the old doctor in charge of the household was watching over her every day.

"No spoon needed."

Drinking it spoonful by spoonful, how bitter must it be?
Shen Ning took the bowl and gulped it down in one go.

Oh dear, it's really too bitter.

She quickly took the tea that Xiaodong handed her to rinse her mouth, and then Xiaonan fed her a candied fruit.

"Still no news about those people?"

With so many people dead, Shen Ning couldn't believe that those who were determined to assassinate her would let it go.

"Not yet."

Jia Zhen was also helpless.

If the Japanese were truly trying to conceal their identities, they would have already spent money to obtain travel permits and other such documents.

Finding it right away isn't that easy.

"But don't worry, Mother. If they don't show themselves, fine. But if they do, they definitely won't escape."

"...When they reappear, it will definitely be when they attack again."

Shen Ning sighed, "Have you finished making the things I asked Yan Huali to make?"

Those bastards dare to use poison?
She doesn't know how to make landmines or hand grenades, but she can provide ideas.

Although the gunpowder rations weren't explicitly stated, we asked them to experiment extensively, and to prepare a sample of the rations for each type.

"It's being done!"

Jia Zhen was also holding his breath.

“My son has been going to see Old Man Li every day these past few days.”

It's a family heirloom craft.

The fireworks they made were very powerful and sold well all over the country.

Now I've changed careers...

If it weren't for the fact that he was dealing with Japanese pirates and Russians, the old man probably wouldn't have paid him any attention.

Jia Zhen was also impressed.

“Yesterday, he also had his son order a lot of small jars.”

"Do whatever he tells you to do."

Shen Ning thought of something and added, "Oh right, later you can get some sharp pieces of porcelain, nails, sheet metal, or something, break them into small pieces, and have him put them in a jar to try."

"……Yes!"

Jia Zhen glanced at his mother and obediently agreed.

"Things can be a little dirty."

Shen Ning leaned back in her chair. "Try them out a bit. Whichever one is the most powerful, we'll use that one from now on."

"Eh~"

Jia Zhen nodded obediently. Just then, Jia Rong ran in, "Grandmother, Father~~"

His tone was full of joy and excitement, "We caught them all, we caught them all."

what?
"You mean those Japanese pirates?"

Shen Ning stood up abruptly.

"Yes!"

Jia Rong nodded vigorously, his eyes shining brightly. "Those Japanese pirates fled into Weishan Lake overnight. They were suspected by a group called the Angry Dragon Gang. When the pirates were inquiring about news from the outside world, they sensed something was wrong and kept a close watch on them. They then confirmed that they were the same pirates who had fled there that day. They gathered all their gang members, scuttled their boat, threw them all into the water, killed ten of them, and spared four. They have now arrived at the government office."

what?
Ah?

Shen Ning and Jia Zhen were overjoyed.

"Mother, your son will go and check right away."

Shen Ning: "..."

She really wants to go too!

In the past, whether it was Jia Zhen or Rong-ge'er, they would definitely have said, "Why don't you change your clothes and we'll go to the government office to watch the excitement as ordinary citizens?"

But not now; they don't dare let her take that risk.

Jia Zhen hurriedly ran off, and when Shen Ning looked over, Rong Ge'er quickly said, "Grandmother, I'll go and listen to you, and then I'll come back and repeat it for you."