Xin Ci's arrival was really unexpected.
Qi Ning initially guessed that Xin Ci might have been sent to replace Tantai Zhilin, but then after hearing what Xin Ci said, he thought that he was just here to take care of Tantai Zhilin's affairs on behalf of Tantai Huang. Only then did he know that Although one of the purposes of this trip was to deal with funeral arrangements, Xin was given another task, but he was ordered to stay in the Donghai Navy.
"General Xin, has the Holy One issued a decree?" Qining asked: "The army cannot be without generals for a day. The position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Donghai Navy...?"
Xin Ci said: "The old Marquis has recommended Liang Qiu to the court, but the Holy Emperor has not issued the decree yet, but the court also knows that Donghai Division must be stable, and the position of the Commander-in-Chief will not be undecided. If nothing unexpected happens, The decree should arrive in the next few days."
Qi Ning nodded and said: "That's very good. General Shen has done the most great job in killing the Black Tiger Shark this time. It is most suitable for him to take over the post of Governor."
Shen Liangqiu immediately raised his hands to Qining and said, "I would like to thank the Marquis for your appreciation, humble general!"
"General Shen, the head of the Black Tiger Shark has been brought back, and arrangements can be made for the governor's sea burial." Qining sighed: "It's safe to go to the sea, you two have to worry more."
Shen Liangqiu and Xin Ci raised their hands at the same time and said, "It's your duty!"
Qi Ning had dinner at the navy camp. Shen Liangqiu was supposed to escort him personally, but Xin Ci asked Shen Liangqiu to stay at the camp while he followed Qin Ning back to the city.
The night breeze was blowing, and the sound of night tide sounded in my ears from time to time.
After leaving the navy camp for a while, Xin Ci's horse speed slowed down. Qin Ning also slowed down his horse speed and turned to look at Xin Ci. Xin Ci hesitated for a moment before finally saying: "Master Hou, when we come , the old Marquis asked the general to express his thanks to the Marquis, thank you for your hard work."
Qi Ning shook his head and said: "General Xin, you are too polite. I am also on an errand under orders and must fulfill my responsibilities!"
"The old marquis said that the reason for the death of the governor has been found. It was caused by temperament, and there was nothing we could do about it." Xin Ci sighed, looked at Qining and said: "The imperial decree will come in these days. After arriving, the Marquis no longer has to work hard and can return to the capital."
"Oh?" Qi Ning smiled faintly: "Do you think the matter here has been revealed?"
Xin Ci said: "The officials of the Ministry of Punishment have already come up with the results, so there should be no mistakes. Although we did not believe that the Governor would really commit suicide, the fact is before our eyes, and we have to accept the reality."
Qining nodded and said nothing more.
The two rode forward on horseback, with a hint of moisture in the sea breeze. Wu Dalin and others followed behind. After a while, Qining finally said: "The old marquis recommends General Shen to take over the position of governor. What does edge mean?”
"Prince Zhen Guo...!" Xin Ci smiled slightly and finally said: "The Marquis may not know that the Xuanwu Camp has just changed its commander!"
"Change the commander?" Qi Ning frowned.
There are currently five troops stationed inside and outside the capital, including the Yulin Camp within the imperial city, the Hushen Camp guarding the capital, and the three major battalions of Black Blade, Black Scale and Xuanwu that are stationed near the capital. Although Xuanwu Camp is not as equipped as the other four camps, The camp was large, but the number eventually reached 15,000.
"The Marquis may not know yet, but less than two days after you left the capital, several generals from the Xuanwu Camp jointly signed a document, exposing Commander Zhou of the Xuanwu Camp for abusing his power and taking advantage of others." Xin Ci said slowly: "The hometown of Commander Zhou is here. In Guiyang, his tribe used his power to bully men and women in the local area, and they were extremely rampant. A few years ago, they even beat people to death in order to occupy a piece of fertile land. However, because they were concerned about the status of Commander Zhou, the local government made this matter a big deal. It was reduced to a minor matter and finally settled. It is said that because of this matter, Commander Zhou wrote a secret letter at that time and asked the local government to handle the matter properly."
Qi Ning frowned and said, "Xiangjia has investigated this matter. Is it true or false?"
"After receiving reports from several generals, the imperial court sent people to investigate the matter." Xin Ci smiled faintly: "The local official was easily found back then, and even the vague secret letter from Commander Zhou, that official I have always kept it. Although the letter did not say anything clearly, it is an indisputable fact that I was involved in the murder case that year."
Qi Ning sighed, knowing that this was Sima's usual tactic.
Over the years, Sima has collected information on many civil servants and generals of the imperial court, and has many handles. He usually remains quiet and discreet, but at critical moments, he can use these handles as fatal moves.
Feng Ruohai, the Minister of Household Affairs, collected a lot of evidence of the Sima family's crimes and impeached Sima Changshen at the court meeting. In the end, the Sima family produced more fatal evidence, causing Feng Ruohai to be completely defeated.
"Although that letter cannot prove that Commander Zhou was involved in the murderous hegemony, it is a serious crime to use his power to get involved with local officials privately." But I can no longer take the position of commander. After verification, Commander Zhou has been dismissed from office and sent back to his hometown."
Qi Ning knew that after he left the capital, Sima Lan would definitely make some moves, but he did not expect that his moves would be so fast. After thinking for a while, he asked: "Who succeeded Commander Zhou?"
"Qu Yanzhi!" Xin Ci said: "Deputy Commander of the Black Blade Battalion, just before the general came to the East China Sea, the Ministry of War had already issued an appointment letter."
When Qi Ning heard the name Qu Yanzhi, he remembered it.
When the Black Scale Battalion was rebuilt, three candidates competed for the position of commander of the Black Scale Battalion. Apart from Qi Ning and Jiang Suiyun, the other one was Qu Yanzhi. Although Qu Yanzhi's martial arts was not weak, he was still in front of Jiang Suiyun. Using the spiritual sword in his backhand, he almost lost an arm.
The Black Blade Battalion is the only military force controlled by the Sima family. Chu Cangge, the commander of the Black Blade Battalion, is a first-class brave general, and Qu Yanzhi is also a rare brave general.
Xuanwu Camp is among the five major camps in the capital, and its ownership is relatively unclear. Inside Xuanwu Camp, there is a mixture of fish and dragons, and there are people from all forces in it. Even the fallen King of Huainan has some people in it. Unlike Black Knife Camp, which is directly under the Sima family , Black Scale Camp is directly under the Jinyi Qi Family, and because of this, although all forces have always wanted to control Xuanwu Camp, due to the complexity, no force has been able to truly control it.
This time Sima Lan transferred Qu Yanzhi, the deputy commander of the Black Blade Battalion, which meant that he had begun to take control of the Xuanwu Battalion.
Today is different from the past. Back then, the situation in the DPRK was relatively balanced, and no one in the Xuanwu Camp dared to show it too obviously. But now Sima Lan has become the most powerful minister in the DPRK, and will fight with his confidants. After the general was transferred, Qu Yanzhi had Sima Lan's support, so he naturally had the confidence to start eliminating dissidents in Xuanwu Camp. Qining knew that in less than half a year, Xuanwu Camp would be completely controlled by the Sima family.
Once they hold the Xuanwu and Heidao battalions, the troops and horses controlled by the Sima family will be unparalleled near the capital, and their power in the court will be further enhanced.
He glanced at Xin Ci and understood now.
The Jindao Tantai family and the Sima family obviously made a political deal. The Donghai Navy was still led by the Tantai family, while the Xuanwu Camp was handed over to the Sima family. This was obviously a deal between the two big bosses of the empire. of a transaction.
Qi Ning sneered in his heart. In fact, he once had a glimmer of hope. He thought that as the Sima family became more and more powerful, Jin Dao Tantai would not just sit idly by. Perhaps Tantai Huang would join forces with other forces to jointly check and balance the Sima family, but today's news has It is to let Qining understand the facts. In the final analysis, these aristocratic families only think about their own interests and the interests of the family and the country. The Tantai family still chooses to protect their own power.
"General Xin, in fact, up to now, the old Marquis has not accepted the fact that the Governor committed suicide. He still believes that there is another reason for the death of the Governor, right?" Qining sighed lightly and said with a smile: "The deal is done, My mission to the East China Sea is considered completed, right?"
Xin Ci was startled, obviously not understanding yet.
Qi Ning sighed: "The so-called investigation of the truth about the death of the Governor, in fact, the old Marquis never thought of asking me to investigate the truth from the beginning, because he is very smart and knows this case. As a young boy like me, I can't find out the truth at all. The truth cannot be found.”
"This... the Marquis is self-effacing." Xin Ci forced a smile: "The Marquis is both civil and military, and the old Marquis has praised him many times."
Qi Ning shook his head and said: "Actually, there is no one else. It doesn't hurt if we chat casually. There are some things I don't want to say, but if I don't say them, I worry that you will really treat me as a fool."
"Why did the Marquis say this?"
"The old Marquis of Tantai asked me to go to the East China Sea not to investigate this case, because he knew that I would not be able to get any results from the investigation." Qining sighed: "Even if the Governor is really killed by someone's conspiracy, then this The conspiracy must be extremely thorough. I am a newbie here and know nothing about the situation in the East China Sea. How can I find out the truth in a short time? As long as this case can delay me for ten days and a half, the matter will be complete. "
The corners of Xin Ci's eyes twitched slightly, but he said nothing. Qin Ning continued: "The old Marquis is a man who has gone through many hardships. He has gone through mountains of swords and seas of fire in his life. His determination is unparalleled by ordinary people. The death of the governor, for the old Marquis , the first thing to deal with is not to find out the cause of the death of the governor, but to protect the Donghai Navy in this crisis and prevent the Donghai Navy from falling into the hands of others. General Xin, you are Lao Hou My confidant, what I said is correct, right?"
Xin Ci looked solemn and said: "Master Hou should know that the situation in the court is extraordinary now. If the Donghai Navy falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, the consequences will be disastrous."
"The other people you are talking about can only be the Sima family." Qi Ning said lightly: "Of course the Sima family will not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and will definitely take the opportunity to infiltrate the Donghai Navy. The old Marquis also knows this, so he has to After hearing the news of the death of the Grand Governor, the first thing he thought about was how to deal with the Sima family's offensive. In other words, from the very beginning, the old Marquis had been preparing to make a deal with Sima Lan."
Xin Ci's expression became even more serious. Qin Ning smiled slightly and said: "One is the Golden Sword Marquis and the other is the Duke of Zhenguo. They are both veterans of the empire. The emperor has just ascended the throne. What if these two veterans really want to do something?" As long as a tacit agreement is reached in a transaction, even the emperor cannot object. Just to be safe, the old marquis had to give up all his efforts before the transaction, and at least remove one possible troublemaker first, so that he could trade with peace of mind. And this trouble is naturally me." Qi Ning raised his finger and pointed at himself: "Young and energetic, impulsive, and someone wants to control Xuanwu Camp, maybe this stupid young man will have trouble and make things more complicated or even... It's out of control. In this case, find a suitable reason and transfer this stupid young man away. When the rice is cooked, it will be too late to object."