Hu Bowen nodded slightly and said softly: "Master Hou, no matter who wants to sabotage it, let's be more careful so that they can't do anything."
Qining just smiled and said nothing.
The mission set out on time at five o'clock the next day. At this time, it was still dark and the road was still dark, but after a night's rest, everyone was refreshed.
Everyone packed up their luggage in an orderly manner, put away their tents, loaded their horses, and started a new journey. The horses also rested for the night and were as energetic as people.
The sky in the distance slowly showed a light blue dawn, heading north, and soon, the east slowly shone with rays of light, and the golden sun rose. The morning light made people feel comfortable, and the dewdrops on the grass were crystal clear and exuded. There was a lot of energy, and there were birds chirping in the jungle on the roadside, which really cheered up the mission.
Liang Xiong reported that someone was following him yesterday, and Hu Bowen was really worried. However, under the sunshine, it made people feel dark. He always felt that there were nearly 300 people in the mission, most of whom were brave and good at fighting. Even if someone was following him, If there are evil intentions behind the scenes, as long as the envoys are more careful, no one will dare to act rashly.
As the deputy leader, Liang Xiong led the team from the rear. Hu Bowen looked back several times and found that Liang Xiong was observing his surroundings from time to time, appearing very cautious.
Wu Dalin was as taciturn as ever, riding beside the team, occasionally stopping to look back at the team.
At noon, the team stopped at the edge of a forest, distributed dry food, and rested for a while. Qining ate very quickly, finishing it in two or two, and then walked around when he suddenly saw Liang Xiong coming towards him and stopped. When Liang Xiong saw Qi Ning, he rushed to greet him and said with a smile: "Master Hou!"
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Deputy Leader Liang, you have had a hard time on the road."
"It's not hard work, it's not hard work." Liang Xiong said with a smile: "Master Hou is the one who works hard. With his rich body, he can live in the open air with a group of rough guys like us. Everyone admires him. Everyone said, Master Hou He is approachable and approachable. I am very happy to be with Mr. Hou this time. Mr. Hou, if anything happens, just give me your instructions."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "We all go to Dong Qi together as envoys and work together, so naturally we will share the blessings and misfortunes."
Liang Xiong showed admiration and said: "Master Hou said it is true." He looked around and saw no one approaching, so he lowered his voice and said: "Master Hou, there is one thing, I don't know... I don't know whether I should talk about it or not. …!”
Qi Ning was a little curious and asked: "What's going on?"
Liang Xiong glanced around and lowered his voice: "Master Hou, last night, Wu... Leader Wu seemed to have left the camp."
Qi Ning frowned, glanced around, and saw Wu Dalin sitting under a tree from a distance. There were several Yulin warriors beside him. They seemed to be whispering something in a low voice, but they didn't pay attention to this side.
Qi Ning didn't say anything, hesitated for a moment, then motioned for Liang Xiong to follow him, and turned behind a big tree by the forest. There was no one around, and then asked softly: "Leader Wu is not in the camp?"
Liang Xiong whispered: "After reporting to the Marquis last night, Beizhi patrolled around the camp, but no one was found to be following him this time. Leader Wu is responsible for the safety of the mission. Although Beizhi did not capture any real evidence, he thought that since I have already reported it to the Marquis, but I still have to say something to Leader Wu...!"
"Deputy Leader Liang, you found someone following you, why did you report it to me first?" Qining's eyes were bright, "Leader Wu is responsible for the safety of the mission, why didn't you discuss it with Leader Wu first?"
Liang Xiong's face showed a look of embarrassment, but he stopped talking.
Qi Ning said gently: "If you have anything to say, just say it, there is no one else here."
Liang Xiong thought for a moment and then said: "Master Hou, humble position does not mean... I don't have any objections to Leader Wu, it's just...!" There seemed to be some hesitation, but when he saw Qi Ning encouraging him with his eyes, he looked towards Wu Dalin. After taking a quick look to confirm that no one was paying attention, he whispered: "Master Marquis, this time the guards are all selected from the Yulin Camp, but Leader Wu was not from the Yulin Camp before."
"Oh?" Qi Ning frowned: "How do you say this?"
Liang Xiong said: "The Marquis should know that when the late emperor passed away, the defense in the capital was mobilized. The Yulin Battalion was transferred out of the capital and the Black Knife Battalion was stationed in the capital."
Qining nodded and said, "I know."
"The Yulin Camp was transferred out of the capital that time and stationed outside the capital. The generals in the camp were also adjusted." Liang Xiong said in a low voice: "The Yulin Camp has always been led by Commander Chi, followed by two deputy commanders, but that time After the transfer, except for Commander Chi who remained in his original position, the two deputy commanders were replaced, and Leader Wu was one of the two deputy commanders who were transferred to the Yulin Camp at that time."
Qi Ning knew that the Yulin Camp and the Black Knife Camp had indeed been mobilized, but he did not know about the internal deployment of the Yulin Camp. He asked, "Has Leader Wu just joined the Yulin Camp not long ago?"
Liang Xiong nodded and said: "Exactly. The two newly transferred deputy commanders, one is from Black Knife Camp and the other is from Xuanwu Camp. Leader Wu was transferred from Xuanwu Camp."
Qi Ning seemed to understand something and asked in a low voice: "Is this all arranged by the town government?"
Liang Xiong just nodded, and Qi Ning asked again: "Does Leader Wu also serve as the leader of the team with the intention of Duke Zhen Guo?"
"The emperor has decreed that Commander Chi will deploy two hundred elite troops to guard the mission." Liang Xiong explained in a low voice: "Commander Chi has to guard the imperial city, so naturally he cannot leave, so the leader of the mission can only be led by the two deputy commanders. You have to choose one of the two, otherwise it would be against the rules. Commander Chi chose Leader Wu to lead the team, but...!" After a moment of hesitation, he finally said softly: "Before leaving Beijing, Commander Chi told me that if anything happens, I must first Report to the Marquis."
Qi Ning finally understood and said: "So Commander Chi doesn't trust Leader Wu?"
"Chief Commander Chi also wants to make sure everything is in place." Liang Xiong said: "Leader Wu is not Commander Chi's direct confidant, and he is... Moreover, Duke Zhen Guo was transferred from Xuanwu Camp, which does not mean that we should be wary of Leader Wu. It’s just that you have to be careful in everything.”
Qi Ning smiled slightly and said: "Commander Chi is very thoughtful. Yes, you just said that Leader Wu was not in the camp last night. Why is that?"
"Master Hou, I humbly went to see Leader Wu last night and wanted to report to him the fact that someone was following him." Liang Xiong said softly: "But when we arrived at Leader Wu's tent, although there was a light in his tent, there was no one around. I I didn’t want to alert others, so I looked around the camp and didn’t see him.”
"Where did he go?"
Liang Xiong shook his head and said: "I don't know, Bei Zhi. Bei Zhi stared at him outside his tent for most of an hour. He never came back, so he had to go back to his own tent. When I woke up this morning, I found that he was already in the camp."
Qi Ning pondered for a moment and then said: "Deputy Leader Liang, don't reveal this matter to others. Pay more attention to yourself. No matter what happens, come and report it to me immediately."
Liang Xiong agreed and then stepped back. When Liang Xiong left, footsteps could be heard from the side. Qining turned his head and looked over. He saw Qi Feng approaching and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qi Feng came closer, looked at Liang Xiong's leaving figure, and whispered: "Master Hou, last night I saw this man sneaking around in the camp for a long time. He seemed to be looking for something. I don't know what he wanted."
"Oh?" Qining said with a smile: "Didn't you check what he was looking for?"
Qi Feng said: "I followed him for a while, but this guy was very alert and seemed to notice someone following him. He was almost discovered, so he didn't continue to follow."
Qi Ning thought for a moment before asking: "Have you met these two team leaders before? The Yulin camp was transferred a while ago, did you know?"
Qi Feng whispered: "The Yulin Battalion was transferred out of the capital by the Black Knife Battalion. I heard that there was indeed a reorganization and deployment outside the capital. It seemed that several generals were replaced, but my subordinates did not inquire carefully. Wu Dalin, I heard I don’t know much about Liang Xiong, but he seems to have been staying at Yulin Camp for many years, and he has come to this day step by step.”
"Wu Dalin is from Xuanwu Camp?" Qining asked.
Qi Feng nodded and said: "Wu Dalin used to be the commander of Xuanwu Camp. He was transferred to Yulin Camp as the deputy commander. This is a demotion. The deputy commander of Xuanwu Camp filled Wu Dalin's vacancy." He smiled and said: "But Xuanwu Camp Among the battalions garrisoned in the capital, it has the lowest status and its equipment is not as good as other battalions. Although the official position seems to have been reduced, but in the Yulin Camp, guarding the imperial city, the future will be much smoother than in the Xuanwu Camp. "
"The Yulin Camp is the Royal Guard, so it is naturally stronger than the Xuanwu Camp." Qi Ning nodded and said, "How is Wu Dalin like a person?"
Qi Feng smiled and said: "Wu Dalin is taciturn now, but he was not like this back then. He suffered a lot and his temper has changed a lot."
"Suffering a loss?"
Qi Feng said: "Wu Dalin first stayed at the Tiger God Camp. Once, he led a team and was ordered to escort grain and grass to the front line. On the way, he encountered a heavy rain and the Yangtze River was flooded. When the grain and grass arrived, it was a whole day late. The general was furious and went to the front line. Zhezi participates in the impeachment...!" After a pause, he whispered: "Does the Marquis still remember the grudge between the Jinyi Hou Mansion and the Dou family?"
"Dou Kui?"
"Exactly." Qi Feng said: "Dou Kui's success today is actually related to the recommendation of the general. When Dou Kui was still the head of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he often led teams to deliver grain and grass to the front line, and almost every time he could do it in advance. The general had a good impression of him and said good things about Dou Kui in front of the late emperor. Dou Kui was very obedient to the general at that time. Even after he was promoted to an official position, Dou Kui often did it in person. Escort food and fodder.”
Qi Ning was aware of this matter and asked, "Did Wu Dalin delay his trip that time with Dou Kui?"
Qi Feng said: "Exactly, Dou Kui borrowed soldiers and horses from the Tiger God Camp when he was transporting grain and grass, and Wu Dalin was sent to escort him. It was also that delay that led to General Dou Kui and Wu Dalin being involved. Dou Kui From then on, Wu Dalin had a grudge with our Jinyihou Mansion. Wu Dalin was transferred out of the Tiger God Camp and sent to the Xichuan Army Corps for two years. After making great achievements there, he was transferred back to the capital and entered the Xuanwu Camp. After that, he endured many more years before taking the position of commander of the Xuanwu Camp, and was transferred to the Yulin Camp."
Qi Ning raised his hand and touched his nose, and sighed softly: "So, Leader Wu and the Jinyihou Mansion also had some quarrels. Our Jinyihou Mansion has offended a lot of people."