Chapter 192: The Traitor
The people who were chasing them on the lake did not leave until nightfall, and Zhao Xiao quickly pulled Song Yuzhu ashore.
"A-choo!" Song Yuzhu sneezed. Although it was June, the lake water was still cold. After soaking in it for so long, her body was almost frozen.
Zhao Xiao asked nervously: "Are you okay?"
"It's okay, let's get out of here."
The two hurried back to the inn to change clothes. Zhao Xiao was afraid that he would catch a cold, so he asked the kitchen staff to help make ginger soup.
Song Yuzhu drank it all in one breath while it was still hot, and broke into a sweat, and then she felt better. Thanks to Taoist Master Qingyi's medicine, otherwise, with her previous physical condition, she would probably have been seriously ill.
The two had originally decided to leave Hangzhou tomorrow, but now they couldn't leave. The Chamber of Commerce not only attacked them, but also wanted to cause trouble for the Deng couple. If they left like this, the Deng couple would probably meet with an unexpected event.
Zhao Xiao remained silent, but he had already planned in his mind how to get rid of the Chamber of Commerce. These people dared to hunt down Yuzhu, which had touched his bottom line. There was no way he would let them go.
"I'll mobilize the troops and capture all those people from the Chamber of Commerce in one fell swoop."
Song Yuzhu asked, "How should we resolve the issue of the muskets?" If we hastily dispatch troops from Hangzhou before we understand the situation of the muskets, we might alert the enemy.
"So what should we do now?"
Song Yuzhu rubbed her fingers together and fell into deep thought. Right now, she had to first ensure the safety of the Deng couple. Unfortunately, they did not bring any secret guards with them this time, so Zhao Xiao would inevitably be overwhelmed if he relied on himself.
"Can Ding Daqian be trusted?"
Zhao Xiao said, "He was an old subordinate of Ye Qing. He surrendered with the Sheng army when they surrendered. Although he looks careless, he is very careful with the baggage. When fighting with the Jin Kingdom, he led the army to escort food and solved the food shortage crisis at the border, which can be considered a meritorious service."
"Why don't you go find him privately first to find out what he is saying. If this person has no connection with the Chamber of Commerce, you can ask him to find some trustworthy people to protect the Deng family."
"good!"
For safety reasons, the two of them changed inns overnight. Song Yuzhu also changed into a dark women's dress as a disguise, tied up his hair, and put on a veil. Even if people from the Chamber of Commerce found this place, they might not be able to recognize him.
Zhao Xiao went to Ding's house overnight.
It was quiet in the middle of the night. The servants in the Ding Mansion had all gone to bed. In the main room, Ding Daqian was lying on the bed doing a cupping. The concubine Lian Ye held a glass cup, heated it with a candle, and deftly put it on his body. Soon, his entire back was covered with cups.
"Hiss, so comfortable!" In the early years, he followed Ye Qing to guard the border. The climate in the north gate was bitterly cold, and he suffered from back and leg diseases over the years. In recent years, he has grown old and feels uncomfortable every time it rains. Cupping can make him feel much better.
"Master, let me massage your shoulders again." The woman placed her soft hands on his shoulders and began to massage them, sometimes lightly and sometimes heavily. Ding Daqian felt so comfortable that he began to snore soon.
No one noticed a figure quietly walked into the house.
Lian Ye's hands were sore from massaging, so she stood up and prepared to go to bed to rest. Suddenly, she saw a figure on the ground. She turned her head in confusion and was about to scream when Zhao Xiao knocked her unconscious with a knife.
Ding Daqian, who was lying on the bed, seemed to have sensed something. People like them who had been marching and fighting for many years had an instinctive sense of danger.
He suddenly lost consciousness and rolled over on the bed. He took out a knife from the end of the bed and stared at the uninvited guest below with a fierce look: "Who are you? How dare you break into Ding's house at night!"
Zhao Xiao raised his eyebrows in surprise, thinking that this old guy is quite capable.
He turned around and ran out. Ding Daqian didn't even bother to put on his clothes. He chased after him with a set of glazed fire cups on his back, making clanking sounds.
I chased him all the way to the side room, but the man suddenly stopped, turned around and untied the cloth on his face.
"It's you! I'm here to see the great general!" Ding Daqian was startled and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
"Get up."
Ding Daqian stood up in confusion: "I wonder what the general has to say about visiting so late at night?"
Zhao Xiao got straight to the point and asked, "Are you related to the Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce?"
"It's not relevant."
Zhao Xiao asked: "How many muskets does the Hangzhou garrison have now?"
"There are a total of 130 muskets, three of which are broken. I have not yet reported this to the higher-ups."
Zhao Xiao didn't believe him, "Do you have any files?"
"Yes, but they are all in the barracks. Do you want to take a look, General?"
Zhao Xiao nodded and said, "I'll go to the military camp with you."
Although Ding Daqian didn't know why he suddenly came to check the musket in the middle of the night, he knew that it must be a serious matter since it had alarmed the General Fuguo, so he immediately went outside.
Zhao Xiao stopped him and said, "Are you planning to wear this to the military camp?"
Ding Daqian looked down and saw that he was barefoot and only wearing a pair of underwear. He blushed and scratched his head: "General, please wait a moment. I will go in and change clothes."
After a cup of tea, Ding Daqian changed into casual clothes and came out. There were horses in the mansion, and the two of them rode directly to the barracks in the city.
It was almost three o'clock in the morning, and the soldier on duty was so sleepy that he dozed off against the door.
Ding Daqian got off his horse, stepped forward and kicked one of them: "Damn it, is this how you stand guard? If you go to the battlefield, you won't even know if your camp is attacked!"
"Hello, hello, the garrison commander!" The two were shocked. They didn't know why the garrison commander suddenly came to the military camp in the middle of the night.
"Is Lao Zhang from the weapons battalion here?"
“Yes, yes.”
Ding Daqian walked up to Zhao Xiao and said, "Please follow me in."
The soldier on duty looked at the two men in surprise. To be able to make the garrison speak so humbly, this person must be of great importance!
The two of them watched them go in, and only started to discuss in low voices after they had disappeared.
The Hangzhou military camp was not very big, with 15,000 soldiers stationed there. It belonged to the Southern Military Region, and the military power belonged to the imperial court. No one else was allowed to mobilize the troops without permission. Although Ding Daqian was the garrison commander of Hangzhou, he only had the right to lead the troops. Without an imperial decree, he could not mobilize the troops.
Zhao Xiao remained silent along the way. Ding Daqian walked in front, feeling uneasy.
Why did the general suddenly come to ask about the musket in the middle of the night? Could it be that there was something wrong with the musket?
"General, the weapons camp is ahead."
The captain of the weapons battalion is called Zhang Dongliang. He is also an old soldier who has followed Ding Daqian for many years. He has always trusted him and there should be no mistakes.
"Lao Zhang, wake up, wake up quickly."
"Sir, why are you here?" Zhang Dongliang climbed up from the bed and looked at him in confusion.
"Where's the key to the armory? Give it to me."
Zhang Dongliang instantly lost his sleepiness, sat up and asked, "What do you want the key for?"
"Never mind, just give it to me first."
Zhang Dongliang swallowed nervously: "It's so late... why not wait until tomorrow to see."
Ding Daqian frowned: "What happened in the armory?"
"No, no!"
"Then give me the key!"
Zhang Dongliang reluctantly went downstairs and began to look for the key. "It was clearly placed here... Which bastard took it away from me? It's hard to find it so late at night. How about we go back and look for it tomorrow?"
Ding Daqian was no fool. Seeing him making excuses, he knew something must have happened in the armory.
He shouted angrily: "Zhang Dongliang! Give me the key!"
Zhang Dongliang was so frightened that his shoulders trembled. With a pale face, he took out a bunch of keys from the drawer and handed them to him, "Defense..."
Ding Daqian glared at him fiercely and ran out to open the door of the armory. If something really happened, he might have finished his defense.
The armory was opened, and Zhao Xiao and Ding Daqian walked in with torches in hand. The warehouse was filled with miscellaneous weapons, many of which were covered in dust and rust.
Zhao Xiao said: "Although our conditions are good now, we still need to protect our weapons and cherish them."
Ding Daqian nodded repeatedly: "General, you are right. I will ask them to sort out these weapons tomorrow."
In addition to these swords and axes, the armory also has some obsolete artillery. Previously, the military industry department developed low-profile cannons that were prone to bursting, so after improvements were made, these low-profile cannons were banned and stored in the warehouse.
Then there are the valuable muskets, which are not easily used because of their complex parts.
Walking forward, you can see rows of muskets placed on the shelves. These muskets were distributed in recent years. They have shiny barrels and mahogany stocks underneath.
Zhao Xiao picked up a handful and weighed it in his hand. They were very heavy and were all high-quality products produced by the Ministry of Military Industry.
"Go count how many muskets there are in Curry."
"Hey!" Ding Daqian put down the torch and started counting. He took the muskets off the shelf. The more he counted, the more disappointed he became. In the end, there were more than 30 missing! He didn't believe it and counted again. There were still 30 missing.
Zhao Xiao had expected this, and sneered, "Master Ding, where are those muskets?"
"Zhang Dongliang!" Ding Daqian shouted, and Captain Zhang, who was standing at the door, almost peed his pants.
He knelt on the ground and said, "Sir, please spare my life, sir, please spare my life!"
Ding Daqian ran out and kicked him in the chest: "Where's the musket? I'm asking you, where's the musket!"
"The musket... the musket was sold by me... I..."
Ding Daqian's eyes nearly popped out when he heard this. He slapped him hard on the face: "Selling muskets privately is a capital crime. Did you know that? Who did you sell them to? Tell me now!"
"Sold... sold to the gambling house..."
It turned out that Zhang Dongliang had suddenly become addicted to gambling since last year, and he would go to the gambling house to play a few rounds every time he had a day off. At first, he only won or lost a few taels of silver, as he earned a lot in the military camp, so he didn't feel bad if he lost a few taels of silver.
Later, as he gambled for a long time, he gambled more and more, from a few taels of silver to a hundred taels of silver. Later, someone introduced him to the gambling house on the East Island of West Lake, where he got carried away and spent thousands of taels of silver, and lost tens of thousands of taels of silver in one night.
He was a captain and his monthly salary was fifteen taels of silver. How could he have gotten tens of thousands of taels of silver?
Zhang Dongliang had no money to pay off his gambling debts, so the other party asked him to pay with his hands and feet. Zhang Dongliang was so scared that he begged for mercy. Unexpectedly, the other party changed the subject and asked him to pay with his muskets. One musket could be worth 1,000 taels of silver. So he secretly stole 30 muskets to pay off his gambling debts.
Ding Daqian became angrier and angrier as he listened. He punched him hard a few times and grabbed his collar and said angrily, "If you can't pay off your gambling debts, you'll lose your hands and feet. If you sell the musket, you'll lose your life. You're so stupid!"
It's too late to say anything now. Zhang Dongliang thought he had done it perfectly, but he didn't expect to be discovered so quickly.
"Come on, follow me to receive punishment!" Ding Daqian grabbed him and walked away.
"Wait a minute, let me ask him a few questions."
Zhang Dongliang raised his head and looked at Zhao Xiao beside him. He shuddered and widened his eyes in disbelief. If he was not mistaken, the man in front of him was the general who assisted the country? !
"What did the gambling house want the musket for?"
Zhang Dongliang said: "They said they were using it to collect debts."
"Besides these thirty muskets, did you sell them anything else?"
Zhang Dongliang was silent for a moment and then said, "There are still 5,000 rounds of bullets and seven short guns."
"Take it away." Zhao Xiao waved his hand.
Ding Daqian ordered his men to take Zhang Dongliang to the military prison. His life was definitely in danger. He could hardly save himself now, so how could he dare to plead for others?
"I am not strict in my management of my subordinates. Please punish me, General!"
Zhao Xiao said, "I'll give you a chance to atone for your crime. Pick a few reliable men and go to the Hangzhou Steel Plant to protect a businessman named Deng. Give me a few soldiers who are tight-lipped but agile. I want to find out the power behind the Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce."
Ding Daqian said excitedly: "Okay, okay! I'll do it right away!"
(End of this chapter)
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