The medicinal liquid went down, and within ten minutes, Zou Wenxin regained his consciousness. The moment the chair hit him, he knew his scheme had been exposed.
"Speak! Why did you do this?"
Yangzhou was prosperous, and countless people had been desperate for the position of Prefect. The Emperor had chosen you alone, and this is how you repay him?
Zhang Gongjin pulled out a hand cannon from his waist and aimed it at Zou Wenxin's forehead, as if he would pull the trigger at any moment.
The heavy, cold muzzle pressed against his forehead, but there was no trace of panic in Zou Wenxin's eyes. Instead, they were filled with malice.
"Hehehehe, hahahahaha, go ahead, shoot, kill this official with one shot!"
"If you want to know why I did this, you can ask in your next life!"
After speaking, he actually raised his remaining, intact right hand and quickly grabbed at Zhang Gongjin's hand cannon.
He immediately felt the trigger and pulled it.
*Click~*
However, the crisp sound indicated his intention had failed.
He recognized the device and had seen Zhang Gongjin use it, but he didn't know that the safety had to be released before firing!
"You dog, you actually want to die?"
Zhang Gongjin was furious and kicked him to the ground.
"General, if you hit him again, he really won't be saved!"
The military doctor quickly reminded him.
Although the chair hadn't killed Zou Wenxin, the shattered bones had pierced his lungs. With a few more kicks, even the divine physician Sun Simiao might not have been able to save him.
At this moment, one person stepped out from the special forces behind Fang Er. His name was Zhou Yanxi.
"My Lord, why don't you let me try? I learned a few tricks from Director Lai."
Given the difference in their status, he addressed Fang Er.
Fang Er stepped forward and pressed Zhang Gongjin back into the chair, then gave Zhou Yanxi a nod.
Zhou Yanxi picked up Zou Wenxin and walked down from the platform, asking the soldiers of the Shenqiang Battalion to find him a room.
"What's wrong with your soldier? Can't you interrogate him here?"
Zhang Gongjin asked, confused.
"Don't worry, I can definitely get it out of him."
Fang Er guaranteed.
"That brat Lai Yifa, ever since he stayed in Shenyang, he's been idle and has been solely focused on interrogation matters."
"Zhou Yanxi learned from him, so he shouldn't be too far behind."
As expected, in less than half an hour, Zhou Yanxi returned alone, without a drop of blood on him.
"My Lord, I've got it. It was someone from the Kong family who found him."
The person was named Kong Huiqing, from the Langya branch of the Kong family in Qufu.
Fang Er was stunned. He had suspected that someone from the Kong family was behind it, but he hadn't expected them to reach as far as Yangzhou, a thousand miles away!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gongjin frowned and looked at Fang Er: "Brother, we need to report this to the Emperor."
"The Kong family is too powerful!"
Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism had been honored exclusively, and countless years of accumulation had spread their roots throughout the land.
"Any move could lead to bloody chaos throughout the Great Tang!"
"My elder brother has official duties and cannot leave. You look after Yangzhou, and I will return to Chang'an to see the Emperor personally!"
Fang Er quickly made his decision.
"At this stage, I must have a face-to-face talk with Li Shimin."
"Alright, you can take the Tianhuo Army. The regiment you sent to escort the national debt is still stationed with the Wudi Army."
Zhang Gongjin hadn't mentioned it, and Fang Er had almost forgotten.
Liu Meng's regiment was divided into three, each escorting national debt for the four branches in Shenyang, Bianzhou, and Dengzhou. Currently, the national debt in Yangzhou had not been transported due to these villains. The regiment responsible for escorting it should indeed still be in Yangzhou.
As the matter was of great importance, Fang Er did not linger and immediately left the Shenqiang Army's encampment with his men.
Zhang Gongjin sent Donkey Goods to lead the way for Fang Er.
Along the way, Wang Xuance and Donkey Goods chatted for a while. He was very curious about what the original Mie Lu Army was like.
By the end of their conversation, Donkey Goods even revealed that he was the one who first discovered someone was secretly causing trouble, which made Fang Er look at him with approval.
The Tianhuo Army's contingent here was the Third Division, Third Regiment. Upon hearing of Fang Er's arrival, they immediately rushed out with a thousand Tianhuo Army soldiers.
As soon as they saw Fang Er, their eyes immediately turned red.
"Tianhuo Army, Third Division, Third Regiment Commander Hao Daniu, reporting for duty, My Lord!"
After Fang Er returned their military salute, Hao Daniu suddenly burst into tears.
"My Lord, we must avenge our brothers from the Second Regiment!"
The other soldiers of the Third Regiment also echoed loudly.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
A palpable killing intent permeated the air above the Wudi Army.
The soldiers of the Wudi Army watched them from afar, and while they felt sympathy, they were more impressed!
"Good! I will lead you to avenge our brothers from the Second Regiment!"
Fang Er clenched his fists tightly. At this moment, looking at the brothers before him, he changed his mind.
"Chang'an!"
"I'm not going back!"
"To hell with those worries!"
"Kong family, prepare to face artillery fire!"
"No matter how powerful your influence, I'll see this through to the end!"
Having made such a decision, he immediately waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"
With that, he turned and walked towards the pier.
The special forces and the soldiers of the Third Division, Second Regiment followed behind him.
Donkey Goods watched their departing backs, recalling the conversation he had heard on the platform of the Shenqiang Army. His expression changed drastically.
The Duke of Shenyang's posture suggested he wasn't returning to Chang'an but was going to attack the Kong family directly!
With this guess, he dared not delay any longer. He took out his Shenqiang Army instructor's token, asked the Wudi Army soldiers for a warhorse, and galloped back to the Shenqiang Army at the fastest speed.
After finding Zhang Gongjin, he quickly reported: "General, something has happened!"
"What is it?" Zhang Gongjin was startled.
"Could it be that Fang Anzhi was assassinated?"
"General! The Duke of Shenyang is leading the Tianhuo Army and is likely heading to attack the Kong family!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gongjin was first relieved. As long as Fang Er wasn't assassinated, it was fine.
But immediately after, he slammed the table and stared at Donkey Goods with wide eyes.
"Are you sure he's going to attack the Kong family?"
Donkey Goods quickly recounted everything he had seen in the Wudi Army.
Zhang Gongjin slumped back into his chair, muttering to himself.
"Trouble, trouble!"
"Damn it, why are you so impulsive!"
After a long pause, he looked at Donkey Goods and said, "Go to the bank! Have them send a car back to Chang'an, and you go with it. Present this matter to the Emperor in person!"
"Don't delay for a moment! Hurry!"
"Yes!"
Donkey Goods didn't even have time to bow before turning and running out.
After he left, more military orders were issued by Zhang Gongjin, passed on by his guards.
He had to plan ahead and make all preparations within his capabilities.
At the Yangzhou pier, the Yan Yun riders were slightly surprised to see the Tianhuo Army behind Fang Er, but quickly understood the reason.
Guan Chang asked with some helplessness: "My Lord, with so many people, how can we manage with just one boat?"
"Who says there's only one boat?"
"Xuance, Yanxi, come with me!"
With that, Fang Er turned and walked along the riverbank into the distance.
When he found a secluded spot, he looked at Wang Xuance and said, " Knock Zhou Yanxi unconscious."
Wang Xuance did not hesitate, turning and punching behind Zhou Yanxi's ear.
Before Zhou Yanxi could react, he fell to the ground, but Wang Xuance caught him and gently laid him down.
After the blow, Wang Xuance came to his senses. The military orders were like mountains in his mind, and his fist had moved before he could even think.
Looking at Zhou Yanxi on the ground, he asked doubtfully: "My Lord, did Yanxi do something wrong?"
"Not at all." Fang Er shook his head, then suddenly punched Wang Xuance.
Wang Xuance, still confused as to why Zhou Yanxi was knocked out, was now floored by Fang Er.
As he fell, his mind was filled with questions.
"?????"
"What the hell was that for!"
Fang Er caught his falling body, slowly set him down, then walked to the riverbank, looked back at the two of them with concern, and after confirming they were both unconscious, he waved his hand and took out two more hovercrafts from his spatial storage.
Sitting in place, he lit a cigarette and used water to wake the two men up, then pointed to the boats in the river.
"Let's go, the boats have arrived!"
Wang Xuance: "???"
Zhou Yanxi: "???"