75
It only took one day for the Red Flag Gang's fleet to set sail and leave the port. Cheng Xi and others moved out of the Lu Mansion and moved into the courtyard found by the Green Phoenix Gang, leaving only one person to pass on messages at any time.
"They moved outside Xinglong Street?" Lu Jian nodded thoughtfully when he heard the news.
Xinglong Street is not too remote, and there are some wealthy merchants' mansions nearby. More importantly, it is very close to the government office and can be reached by crossing a few alleys.
Is this for close observation, or does he have other plans?
In fact, Lu Jian invited Cheng Xi to participate in this matter, which was also a test.
After all, there is a traitor's accomplice in the prison who is going to be executed in the autumn. If Cheng Xi is really related to General Qiu, he should be interested in that prisoner.
Unfortunately, when meeting Sun Yuanrang, Cheng Xi did not mention this matter at all. It was not known whether he was not well-informed or simply did not care about this financial official who was rumored to have gone crazy.
Now that he lives next to the government office, how could Lu Jian not pay attention to it?
But on second thought, he wondered if he was being too suspicious.
The Suoi Gang had caused havoc at the government office and sent troops to rob the prison. It was a big deal. Wouldn't showing up now be courting death? Besides, there was no need to be too nervous about a man who was destined for execution. They could just wait until the Suoi Gang finished their job and then find another opportunity to rescue him.
Not many people mention General Qiu's case now, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to find a way to escape by escaping.
"Master, do you want to send someone to keep an eye on that place?" Lu Sanding asked carefully.
"No need." Lu Jian came back to his senses. "Since you want to avoid suspicion, don't leave any handle. Just be careful and take precautions these few days."
Although he guessed that the idiots of the Lu family would burn the shop first, it was not impossible that they would send troops to launch a night attack at the same time.
Now that all the members of the Red Flag Gang have left, the Lu Mansion's military strength is a bit stretched, but they can't afford to be attacked at the critical moment and make a fool of themselves.
Lu Sanding understood that since they were trying to lure the enemy, it would be wise for both sides to strengthen their defenses.
If we divide our troops to guard the granary, the mansion will inevitably be short of manpower. We must not be careless at this critical moment.
…
A piece of paper was spread on the table. It was none other than the floor plan of Panyu Prefecture Yamen.
Of course, the drawings were crude, with only boxes, lines and simple markings, but it was still possible to confirm the terrain.
Yan Yuan introduced, "The government office has five halls. The first three are government offices, and the last two are inner quarters. The main hall is the most spacious, with examination rooms on both sides. The second hall is where cases are heard and the office is located. Six rooms surround it. The torture chamber is located at the top of the west side. Walking in, you will reach the prison."
Following his instructions, we were able to quickly identify the structure of the government office.
This yamen is not square, but a rectangle with a straight central axis but unbalanced left and right sides.
Due to the terrain, a piece of land protruded from the side and rear of the second hall, which was used as a prison cell, which was the state prison.
Yan Yuan pointed at that spot. "The prison is surrounded by high walls, and there's an iron gate at the exit, behind the screen wall of the Prison God Temple. To the east are the women's prison and the death row, to the west are the jailers' quarters and the torture chamber, and to the south are the most severely punished prisoners."
Cheng Xi asked, "There's only one exit? How do we get out of the prison?"
"There are two shortest routes. One is through the Second Hall and out the small gate on the east side. The other is around the parade grounds and out the horse gate." Yan Yuan hesitated. "But neither of these routes is very safe. Behind the parade grounds is the barracks, where there's at least a 20-man squad stationed. The small gate on the east side is even further away and is locked at night. There are also soldiers guarding the gate, making it difficult to break out."
In fact, Yan Yuan thought that the location of the prison was too tricky. It would be wishful thinking to break into the prison without at least a hundred people.
But no matter how arrogant the Minoco Gang is, they can't possibly have so many people, right? So how exactly are they planning to break into the prison?
Cheng Xi looked at the blueprint for a while, then suddenly asked, "If you were asked to set fire to the government office, where would you choose?"
Yan Yuan was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "It might be the Third Hall. It's closest to the inner house, so it will definitely make the prefect nervous and urgently dispatch personnel. Moreover, the Third Hall is next to the storehouse, so it must be rescued."
Cheng Xi smiled: "If it were me, I would choose to set fire to the east side of the second hall. Then the small door would naturally open, making it easier to escape."
"The road to the East Gate is far, and the fire cannot be controlled by humans. What should we do if an accident happens and we can't escape?" Yan Yuan frowned.
"So someone has to be the bait. The people held in the prison are all serious criminals, important criminals, and there are also many death row prisoners. If they are given a chance to escape, will these people let it go?" Cheng Xi asked back.
Yan Yuan shuddered, "If someone leads them to attack the horse gate of the parade ground, the government office will be in chaos."
There are real soldiers over there. In order to fight for a way to survive, it will be a life-and-death battle.
With prison breaks and arson, there may not be many people who have the time to pay attention to a small side door.
Could it be that this is the method used by the Suoyi Gang?
However, after thinking it over again, Yan Yuan said, "Boss, this is just a guess, it may not be taken seriously."
"Well, I can think of five escape plans, but they may not choose this one." Cheng Xi nodded in agreement, "So the most important thing is how we can get into the prison and rescue Tian Yu."
Yan Yuan perked up and looked at Cheng Xi. She scanned the map and suddenly pointed at a spot. "Is this a narrow alley?"
She was pointing at the road outside the prison walls. Yan Yuan immediately shook his head. "That's the night watchman's road. It's only wide enough for one person to pass through. There are streets in front and behind. If you get stuck in there, you won't be able to get out. And if you run into the night watchman and he blows the gong to warn people, it will be even more troublesome."
The night watchman's path is the road the night watchmen walk on. It is often extremely narrow and can only accommodate one person. Two people basically have to pass by each other to squeeze through.
Besides, the night watchman was carrying a gong. If he rang it, it would even wake up the King of Hell!
"If I were the one planning this, I would have to get rid of the night watchman first, so that the people in the government office couldn't tell the time." Cheng Xi smiled slightly, "Without the night watchman, this road is the shortest way to the prison."
"That won't work either. The outer wall of the government office is too high, at least 15 feet. The side facing the street is mostly covered with eaves, and there is no place to cast the grappling hook..." Yan Yuan was a little anxious. If the previous statement made some sense, it was simply wishful thinking now.
Cheng Xi interrupted him: "What if I can find a way to get up there?"
Yan Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "That is indeed a shortcut, but it may not be able to lead anyone out."
It's hard to climb up to such a place by yourself, let alone bring out a person who has been severely punished.
"Of course we need a way to leave. Can you get some clothes for soldiers or yamen runners?" Cheng Xi asked back.
Yan Yuan hesitated for a while before saying, "I'm familiar with soldiers' clothes and can get a few."
He was a soldier by trade, so he was naturally familiar with the attire. Not to mention the uniforms of ordinary soldiers, given enough time, he could even imitate the uniforms of generals to a considerable degree.
"Then let's prepare everything first. Also, find out the entrances and exits of the guard post, the specific heights of the walls and eaves, the location of the death row and Tian Yu's cell, as well as the troop arrangements and patrol patterns near the several exits, so that I can make specific plans." Cheng Xi ordered.
This is very different from Yan Yuan's previous experience, but if you think about it carefully, it is also a kind of "temple calculation" method.
Anyway, before setting off, Cheng Xi must make the plan clear. If it fails or the risk is too great, he can just dissuade him.
With this idea in mind, Yan Yuan no longer hesitated and continued to investigate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
