When Qi Ning went to the East China Sea this time, he did not ask Qi Feng and others to follow him. After all, the Hou Mansion needed guards to take care of him. Secondly, he also asked Qi Feng and others to continue searching for Zhuo Xianer's whereabouts. He knew that the Beggar Gang was well-informed, so he Ask Qi Feng to find Bai Shenghao, and also ask the brothers from the Beggar Clan to help inquire about his whereabouts.
When leaving the house, Qining only took the driver with him. Under the watch of Gu Qinghan and others, he set off before dawn.
This time, in addition to several officials from the Ministry of Punishment, who followed Qi Ning to the East China Sea, they also transferred 20 elites from the Black Scale Battalion to accompany them. They were personally escorted by Wu Dalin.
This time I went to the East China Sea not as an imperial envoy. Although I had received a secret order to secretly mobilize troops, on the surface, I was just going to investigate the death of Tantai Zhilin as the Minister of Punishment, and Tantai Zhilin Lin's suicide has not yet been announced to the public. It is a confidential matter. Qi Ning's visit was only for a secret investigation, so naturally it was not easy to make a big deal about it.
Bring twenty elite soldiers with you and keep a low profile, so that even if you get to the East China Sea, you won't be too noticeable.
The carriage left the city from the south gate. Qining opened the curtains and didn't know if Mrs. Tian had arrived. After only one mile, he saw a carriage parked on the roadside and a person standing beside the carriage. He was looking at his carriage.
The man was wearing a thin cloak and a hat. When Qining's carriage appeared, the man couldn't help but come closer. Qining glanced at it and immediately recognized it was Mrs. Tian. .
It's just that Mrs. Tian's attire is very different from the past. Under the cloak, she is wearing a light blue gown and a royal blue belt around her waist. Dressed up, she looks like a young man from a rich family. That beauty mark makes this young man look a little more charming.
Qining knew that Mrs. Tian was disguising herself as a woman according to his instructions yesterday. He couldn't help but look at Mrs.'s chest. Perhaps the gown inside was too loose and he couldn't see the rough waves in the past. Qining was confused. I secretly wondered whether Mrs. Tian was tied up with a belt just like Gu Qinghan disguised as a woman. If that was the case, with her richness, it would be very uncomfortable to tie her up.
When Mrs. Tian saw Qi Ning behind the curtain, she smiled and was about to speak, but Qi Ning already said lightly: "Just follow me in the car." Without further words, he lowered the car curtain.
Mrs. Tian was stunned and saw Qining's carriage continuing to move forward. She felt a little aggrieved. She bit her lower lip and glared at Qining's carriage, but she quickly got on the carriage and followed Qining's carriage.
They were only five or six miles ahead, and under the dim sky, they saw a group of people waiting on the roadside. Before Qining could get close, they were already coming towards him.
The carriage stopped, Qining got out of the carriage, and at a glance he saw Wu Dalin standing beside the carriage, smiling and nodding to Wu Dalin, but Wu Dalin bowed deeply and said nothing.
Wu Dalin was transferred to the Black Scale Camp before the incident at the Imperial Tomb. Duan Canghai and others in the Black Scale Camp were quite wary of him at first, but after a while, everyone got along pretty well. Wu Dalin himself is extremely capable. After entering the Black Scale Camp, he trained soldiers carefully and worked conscientiously every day. Duan Canghai and others had a good impression of him.
Although Wu Dalin has been in the army for many years, he is just a newcomer to the Black Scale Battalion, so he is also very humble in the Black Scale Battalion. This time Qining traveled and transferred troops from the Black Scale Battalion. Most of the Black Scale Battalion belongs to Qi Ning. Qi Ning, a confidant, named Wu Dalin to accompany him. Wu Dalin was surprised, but he was very grateful in his heart.
Several officials from the Ministry of Punishment left the city early to wait. Since Da Xichong and Cao Sen were executed, the entire Ministry of Punishment was in awe of Qi Ning. Before dawn, the four accompanying officials from the Ministry of Punishment were waiting. Among them, Wei Yujiang, the Chief Judge of the Autumn Trial Division He was also brought out by Qining. At this time, several officials came over and waited beside the carriage.
Everyone, including Wei Yujiang and Wu Dalin, knew that the young Marquis was going to the capital for business, but where exactly he was going, Qining did not reveal the news, and he was always very curious.
Wu Dalin, the cavalrymen of the Blackscale Battalion, and the officials of the Ministry of Justice are all in casual clothes. The cavalrymen of the Blackscale Battalion are all wearing gray uniforms. It is impossible to tell the identity of everyone just by looking at their appearance. This is what Qi Ning ordered in advance. , and everyone acted as ordered.
When Qi Ning saw that everyone had arrived, he said with a smile: "Excuse me, everyone. According to the emperor's order, we are going to the East China Sea to run an errand. However, this matter should not be publicized to the outside world, and it is not appropriate for us to go to the East China Sea. Too many people know about it, so I asked you to wear casual clothes.”
Only then did everyone understand that the original goal of this trip was the East China Sea. They were just going out to handle imperial errands, but they had to conceal their identity. This really made everyone feel strange, but they also keenly felt that this trip would not be simple. After all, several people from the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice were mobilized. When officials go there, the case that happened in the East China Sea must be extraordinary.
At this time, everyone also saw the carriage following Qining, but no one dared to ask any more questions.
Several officials from the Criminal Department were riding on horseback. Qining did not waste any time and waved for everyone to start. Several officials from the Criminal Department got on their horses. Wu Dalin waved his hand, and the twenty Blackscale Battalion cavalry got on their horses almost at the same time. , before the morning glow came out, we were already heading south.
The journey was non-stop, and the distance from the capital was getting farther and farther. It took more than one day to pass through the Gyeonggi area, and after another day's journey, we entered the East China Sea.
Donghai is located on the southeast coast of Chu State. In the early years, it was part of Kuaiji County. However, later the imperial court divided Kuaiji County into two. The east side was named Donghai County and the west side was named Kuaiji County. Today's Kuaiji County is divided into two. Before, the area would be reduced by nearly half.
There are thirteen counties under the East China Sea, with Gulin City as the capital city. Because the Donghai Navy is stationed in the East China Sea, in order to allow the Donghai Navy to easily control the city, Gulin City in the southeast of Donghai County was set up as the capital city. The distance from Gulin City The East China Sea is only thirty miles away, and residents in the city can even feel the coming sea breeze.
The existence of the Donghai Navy has actually always been on par with the Dongqi Navy, and it has always been expected to surpass the Dongqi Navy in terms of strength.
The previous dynasty was torn apart, and Eastern Qi became its own country. Its main combat force was the Dongqi Navy. The predecessor of the Dongqi Navy was actually the most powerful naval corps of the previous dynasty. There were many soldiers in the army who were good at water warfare. Shen Tuluo, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Qi Navy, is now the pillar of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, but his father was once a naval general of the previous dynasty. Today's Dongqi Navy is in the same line as the former Navy, so the background is very deep.
The Chu State's Donghai Navy was different. When the Chu State conquered the East China Sea and the East China Sea King Han Jingting was executed, the East China Sea was still in chaos. Many of the East China Sea King's remnants were not willing to be ruled by the Chu State. They fled to the East China Sea and even contacted pirates in the East China Sea and frequently harassed the coast of the East China Sea.
Emperor Taizong of the Chu State ordered the establishment of the Donghai Navy, but it also consumed a lot of manpower and material resources. However, the Chu State had just been established at that time and was full of waste. The money used to establish the Donghai Navy was not much. Jin Daohou Tantai Huang could only draw materials nearby and recruited some large fishing boats for use by the navy. However, fishing boats were far from warships. No matter how large a fishing boat was, it was only weak compared to warships.
Fortunately, Jin Daohou was very good at using troops. It took several years to rely on the weak Donghai Navy to stabilize the situation along the East China Sea and prevent the people from being harassed by pirates.
But the strength of the Donghai Navy at that time was really far from that of the Dongqi Navy. The most powerful one on the East China Sea was still the Dongqi Navy.
But after all, Chu State has a vast territory, and the imperial court has always been wary of the existence of the Dongqi Navy. It has never slowed down the construction of the Donghai Navy. Over the years, the Donghai Navy now has considerable strength, and can fight in large and small battles. With nearly 200 ships and 30,000 well-trained naval officers and soldiers, it is one of the most powerful legions in Chu State.
In the early years, the Dongqi Navy once invaded the Chu State's sea territory and occupied many islands in the sea. However, as the Donghai Navy gradually expanded, there were frictions between the two sides. In order not to fight with the Chu State because of the sea border, Dong Qi Greater friction occurred and they began to withdraw to the northern part of the East China Sea. Now the two countries have reached a tacit agreement on the maritime sphere of influence. Dong Qi occupies a large area in the northern part of the East China Sea, while Chu occupies the southern part of the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
After the pirates in the East China Sea were severely damaged, the only strong enemy of the Donghai Navy now is the Dongqi Navy. Therefore, the main force of the Donghai Navy is stationed along the coast of the East China Sea, and several warships are sent to cruise in the South China Sea from time to time.
Although Qining and his party entered the East China Sea in three days without stopping, there was still a long way to go before they could reach Gulin City.
On the way, everyone did not disturb the local government and only stayed in inns. Although Mrs. Tian accompanied him along the way, they had no chance to talk to Qining. Although the accompanying people naturally saw Mrs. Tian, they felt that there was such an extra person. It was a bit strange, but no one dared to say a word.
There were several times when Mrs. Tian found an opportunity and wanted to talk to Qin Ning, but Qin Ning deliberately turned a blind eye and walked away without waiting for Mrs. Tian to approach. This made Mrs. Tian extremely depressed along the way, with a sad face and uneasy heart. He couldn't even eat well and couldn't sleep well.
At dusk that day, a group of people arrived at Dongyang County, which was only a day's journey from Gulin City. Qining also knew that the soldiers of the Black Scale Battalion were on the road for several days, but several officials from the Ministry of Punishment and Mrs. Tian must be exhausted. Very much, I wanted to let everyone take a break, so I went into the city before it got dark and found a place to rest instead of continuing on the road.
Qi Ning knew that after arriving at Gulin City, he would have to investigate the death of Tantai Zhilin and might not have much time to rest, so after dinner, he went back to the house early to rest and recharge his batteries.
I don’t know how long I slept, but I was suddenly awakened by a burst of crying. When I opened my eyes, the room was dark, but it was already night. At this time, I could faintly hear the crying coming from me. I walked to the window and opened it. The street below was quite deserted, and from the lanterns hanging outside, I could vaguely see a person lying there under the wall on the opposite side of the long street, and the cry came from there.