nycdaug Chapter 261: Clashes erupt between Xingzhou pursuers and the Transport Commissioner; Exiles Escape.
Chapter 261: Clashes erupt between Xingzhou pursuers and the Transport Commissioner; Exiles Escape.
But it was too late!
"Whoosh!"
An arrow, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, pierced directly into the front of the formation!
If it weren't for Su Yunhai's quick reflexes and dodge...
That arrow is probably going to go right through his head!
Shen Shuli was so frightened by this scene that she broke out in a cold sweat. Worried that her family members might be hurt, she immediately turned around to check the situation.
did not expect.
What catches the eye.
It was a densely packed group of soldiers!
These soldiers wore armor conforming to the imperial court's regulations.
The cavalry at the front numbered over fifty, followed by a densely packed group of infantry.
The man at the very front of the group was holding a bow and arrow; he was the one who just shot that arrow.
He was still raising his arm, ready to shoot another arrow!
No one expected that there would be such a large army behind them, and they wondered what these soldiers wanted to do.
But Shen Shuli had sharp eyes and recognized at a glance that the leader was the soldier who had been kicked by the Xingzhou prefect in the courtroom back then!
In other words.
This army.
It's very likely that the prefect of Xingzhou sent them!
At this critical juncture.
The prefect of Xingzhou sent so many soldiers, yet he still tried to prevent the people from entering the city.
Their purpose is self-evident!
Su Yunhai immediately realized what was happening and urged the Su and Shen families to hurry into the city.
Most importantly, those in the exile group!
Even if the transport commissioner has already recognized the criminal's identity, as long as the other party doesn't reveal it.
Everyone else was completely unaware!
otherwise.
Once the Xingzhou army stops them and exposes their identities, they will be doomed!
However, the city gate leading into the city was only the rightmost side gate, and only one of the gates was open.
It allows a maximum of two people to pass side by side at a time.
But then two more sharp arrows shot towards them from behind.
Everyone was frantically dodging the arrows, and they all ended up blocking the doorway.
The person in front hadn't even gotten a good footing when they were accidentally bumped into by the person behind and fell to the ground.
Immediately afterwards, a group of people fell down, and the scene was very chaotic.
When the Xingzhou army caught up.
Only the Su family and the Shen family managed to enter the city.
The rest of the exiles were all stopped outside!
Gao Fei immediately gave his subordinates a signal, and then rode his horse around to the back of the group.
The escorting convoy immediately followed behind Gao Fei, blocking the procession of exiled prisoners and cutting off the Xingzhou army's path.
"Outrageous! Who are you? How dare you rob the official salt convoy!"
Gao Fei's voice was powerful and imposing, striking first!
Xingzhou military officer Wang Chongshan finally arrived at the city gate.
The news about the He family was presented to Prefect Wang Runze by the soldiers.
Based on the limited clues at hand, he followed the trail and unraveled the mystery, and he quickly found an important lead!
He didn't expect that.
The escaped exiles and the Su family were right under his nose.
They used fake household registrations to conceal their identities and entered Xingzhou Prefecture with impunity!
I also stayed one night at Xingzhoufu Inn!
As for how he discovered that the prisoner had used a false identity to infiltrate the city.
It's actually quite easy to investigate.
Because the prefect of Xingzhou knew the detailed identities of all the escaped prisoners.
The names of men, women, young and old, and their general characteristics are all recorded in the register.
He even had information on nearly a hundred members of the Su family.
The total number of Su family members and prisoners remains unchanged.
Moreover, Su Yunhai's fake household registration was done hastily, and there was no time to have someone disguise their gender, age, and other details.
When the officials below checked the list of people entering the city, they quickly found this large group.
The information about this group of refugees, exiles, and the Su family overlaps too much!
The prefect of Xingzhou immediately concluded that this group was the exiled group that had suddenly disappeared and the Su family!
Because the He family, who ran a cloth shop, acted as an inside man, the prisoner was able to successfully change out of his prison clothes and disguise himself!
After all the clues were put together, Wang Runze immediately sent people to investigate all the movements of this group in the city.
The matter was eventually determined.
The prisoner traveled along the official road towards Quanzhou!
Wang Runze immediately dispatched some troops to pursue the exiled prisoners.
The hope is that the prisoner can be brought back after entering the capital city of Quanzhou.
Wang Chongshan led two thousand elite soldiers, traveling day and night without stopping.
at last.
They caught up with the prisoner just as he was about to enter Jeonju Prefecture.
If the prisoners are allowed to enter Jeonju smoothly, things will be extremely disadvantageous for them!
Because Jeonju was the emperor's territory!
Quanzhou was a major salt-producing city and a prefecture city that the emperor valued highly.
This is definitely not a place where troops from other states can set foot and interfere at will.
In particular, the total military strength of the entire prefecture is 50,000.
If the Transport Commissioner misunderstands, he can simply act first and report later, directly leading his troops to destroy Xingzhou before reporting to the court!
But Wang Chongshan never expected this.
They finally caught up with the escaped exiles and were about to stop them.
As luck would have it, the Transport Commissioner was blocking their way!
He was extremely anxious.
"Greetings, Lord Gao! Please investigate thoroughly, Lord Gao. We had no intention of trespassing on the government salt. This is all a misunderstanding. I can explain!" Wang Chongshan hurriedly dismounted and immediately went to Gao Fei to bow.
Gao Fei remained unmoved and wouldn't let him get up.
Wang Chongshan was furious.
The prisoners knew about the mine, and if they leaked the information, it would be a disaster for everyone on their ship!
Now is a crucial moment for the King of Luo.
They absolutely cannot hold King Loth back at this crucial moment!
"Lord Gao, we are acting on imperial orders to track down an important fugitive. The situation is urgent, and I apologize for any offense I may have caused..."
"But we have important duties to fulfill. I wonder if you could make an exception and let us pass?"
“These people are wanted criminals by the imperial court. If you don’t believe me, sir, I can go over and confront them face to face!”
Wang Chongshan quickly explained the reason, and in order to stop the prisoners from entering the city, he spoke very loudly.
Hopefully, the soldiers guarding the city will stop those people immediately upon hearing this.
In just a few short sentences.
Many people have already taken the opportunity to enter the city.
Gao Fei hadn't expected that these people were actually there to hunt down exiled prisoners.
But these were the people he wanted; otherwise, he wouldn't have given them the opportunity to enter the city.
How could we possibly let these people go over there to arrest people?
"What proof do you have that these people are fugitives? If you have evidence, produce it. Otherwise, I will think you are making excuses to covet our salt mines!"
"Don't think I don't know, that scoundrel surnamed Wang has been secretly planting spies in my territory all along!"
"Otherwise, if I were to get serious, you'd better think carefully about whether you can bear the consequences!"
Gao Fei's tone was cold, giving the other party no chance whatsoever.
They even deliberately obscured the information about the wanted criminals mentioned by the other party, making their subordinates believe that these people were just making up a reason for the salt mine.
Everyone has always known that many princes want to get involved in the salt mines.
In particular, the prefect of Xingzhou.
He would come to Quanzhou almost every month to bribe officials with large sums of money to do things for his master.
It wasn't just one prince who wanted a piece of the pie.
But the entire state was thoroughly managed by Gao Fei.
The flies outside can't get in at all.
Wang Chongshan never expected the other party to misinterpret his meaning in such a way.
However, the prefect of Xingzhou had indeed always wanted to seize this salt mine, so he maintained contact with this area.
Unexpectedly, it became a stumbling block for him to capture the wanted criminal!
"Your Excellency has misunderstood! We are indeed here to arrest criminals! I'm sure you've heard that a group of exiled prisoners have escaped!"
"According to our detailed investigation, these people ahead are prisoners in disguise! If you don't believe me, sir, just have someone stop them and check them, and you'll see that what I'm saying is true!"
"By the way, I remember that Lord Gao used to have a close relationship with the Xie family. I don't believe that Lord Gao didn't recognize the Xie family!"
"The Xie family has committed the heinous crime of treason! Now they have even killed fifty people who were escorting them and who have fled to escape punishment! Surely Lord Gao is not going to show them favoritism!"
"You should think carefully before you decide whether you want to lose your position again because of the Xie family, who ruined your future!"
Wang Chongshan explained anxiously, but he had already spoken recklessly.
Seeing that all the prisoners were about to enter the city, he was genuinely anxious, and his tone unconsciously rose a few decibels, seemingly questioning or contradicting his superior.
Gao Fei's face darkened even further.
"How dare you! You dare to slander my reputation in front of me! Guards, seize him!"
Several people immediately stepped forward to apprehend Wang Chongshan.
Wang Chongshan didn't even realize that his tone was a bit out of line; he was only surprised that the other party was really going to attack him!
But Gao Fei only brought a maximum of five hundred soldiers with him, while this time he brought more than two thousand soldiers.
If the two were to fight, he would most likely win!
If we can seize this opportunity to capture Gao Fei, then the entire Quanzhou will be our master's possession...
If that's really the case, then he has definitely done a great service in front of his master!
The more Wang Chongshan thought about it, the more excited he became!
He immediately drew his sword and ordered his men, "Everyone, follow me and take down these accomplices who are trying to protect wanted criminals!"
Gao Fei never expected that these people would dare to use force on his territory; it was utterly foolish.
He sat astride his tall horse, remaining unmoved by the situation, looking at Wang Chongshan as if he were an idiot.
His men didn't need to be told at all; they immediately stepped forward to meet the enemy.
On the city wall behind.
When the soldiers on guard saw that the transport commissioner was being besieged, they immediately sounded the horn to call for friendly forces.
Almost the instant the bugle sounded.
Wang Chongshan immediately regained his senses!
But it's too late!
The two sides have already clashed.
There was absolutely no turning back.
The Su family and their exiled entourage have successfully entered the city.
They were still shaken.
I never expected that the prefect of Xingzhou had already sent people to investigate this place!
If they had traveled a little slower...
They might have already been arrested!
Hearing the horn sounding from the city wall, everyone was quite surprised.
A fight has broken out outside?!
No one expected it.
The transport commissioner not only failed to expose their identities.
They showed them leniency and were quite considerate, not only killing those who had humiliated them without hesitation...
They even let them into the city and helped them intercept the pursuers behind them.
Given the current situation, it seems we are about to go to war with the Xingzhou army!
The army from the whole state arrived quickly to provide support.
The exiled troops quickly moved aside to make way for the army.