"That's right. Even Li Du Wei and his men were defeated by these people. If we make a death feud with them, we'll be asking for trouble. In my opinion, we should each take a dozen or so people with strong martial arts skills and go in together to hear what he has to say.”Commandant Huang added.
"Brother Chen, Brother Huang, can't you tell that this is a Hongmen Banquet? He Chong is treating himself as the City Lord by hosting a banquet in the City Lord's Mansion. If there are insufficient troops in the city, how about the two of you mobilize the troops stationed outside the city now?”Bai Jin suggested.
Instantly, the two of them were somewhat tempted. Originally, the two of them could only bring 100 soldiers into the city, but now Bai Jin actually agreed. However, this suggestion was quickly rejected by the two of them. There were three reasons:
First, the two of them absolutely did not trust Bai Jin. They were afraid that if they fought each other, Bai Jin would reap the benefits. Although he took the initiative to move out of the City Lord's Estate, in reality, he was the City Lord. They were absolutely unwilling to accept this.
Secondly, Commandant Huang knew the severity of the situation. He was unwilling to lead a large army into the city to attack the City Lord's Mansion. As for Governor Chen, he had not led troops for a long time. For many years, he had been helping the City Lord lead the county officials under him. This time, he was not leading troops to protect the city, but to prevent chaos in other provinces and counties, to snatch the people of Huo Zhou, and to unite with the county government to fight against the enemy. These soldiers used to be Commandant Huang's subordinates. After he got rid of He Chong, whether these soldiers would still listen to him was another matter.
Third, the City Lord had died, the Vice City Lord and He Chong had disappeared, and Bai Jin had been conferred the title of City Lord. Huang and Chen were still unclear about the ins and outs of this matter. Now that the parties involved had appeared, how could they fight to the death without asking them in person?
"I think Brother Huang's suggestion is right. Each of us should bring ten elite soldiers and listen to He Chong first. Among us, I'm afraid that He Chong is the most trusted by the City Lord.”Governor Chen said without hesitation.
"Brother Chen is right. We can't fight to the death without knowing the situation. Today, I heard that many officials have attended the banquet. If they can go, then we can go as well. If Brother Bai is afraid, then you can stay here.”After Commandant Huang finished speaking, he laughed and led a dozen people into the City Lord's Mansion.
"Guard the entrances. Without my orders, no one is allowed to move.”
"Yes, sir!"
Governor Chen followed behind.
Bai Jin's face was gloomy. He waved his hand and said angrily,
"Hmph, I didn't kill the City Lord. What can he do to me?”After saying that, he also led more than ten people into the City Lord's Estate.
He Chong's guards did not stop them. The three of them went to the tall pavilion in the garden.
There was a guard at each corner of the corridor in the attic. Long Jiang stood at the entrance of the banquet hall on the second floor. The hall was spacious and there was a red carpet that extended all the way to the main seat.
At this moment, He Chong was sitting in the main seat. Beside him was a young man who stood calmly at the side. It was Chu Yurong. On the left and right sides of the red carpet, dozens of tables were basically full. These were all officials of Huo Zhou, big and small. Many of them were even officials under Bai Jin, He Chong, and Governor Chen.
Governor Chen had not yet entered the door when he saw He Chong sitting in the main seat. He stopped in his tracks and seemed to be confronting He Chong with his eyes. Commandant Huang and Bai Jin were also beside Governor Chen, and thirty to forty guards filled the attic platform.
Governor Chen did not speak, and Commandant Huang did not move. As the city lord, Bai Jin was even more unhappy. He took a step forward and said,
"Official He, what do you mean?"
"What do you mean? Bai Jin, don't tell me you still want to sit on this City Lord's seat? You colluded with the King of Huaiyang and plotted against the City Lord, yet you still dare to come here.”
"Where do you get this from? He Chong, are you trying to slander me?”Bai Jin did not expect He Chong to immediately make things difficult for him.
"Commandant Huang, Governor Chen." He Chong stood up and cupped his hands at the two people outside the door.
"On that day, both of you also knew that the Lord of the City had declared that he would obey the will of the Emperor after his death. Unfortunately, Li Duwei did not care about the Lord of the City's promotion at all and killed the Lord of the City. The next day, he wanted to harm me and was captured by me.”
At this moment, Huang and Chen both aimed at Bai Jin at the same time. Bai Jin was extremely anxious.
"Nonsense!"
Bai Jin knew that after the First Prince's defeat and death, Li Du Wei had no use for him. He had a good relationship with Li Du Wei, and letting him go was just to gain another chess piece.
"Whether it is or not, the two of you will know once you ask.”
At this moment, a soldier stood up in the banquet hall. It was the South Gate Commandant, Li Shan. He dragged a person out from behind the screen. His entire body was tied up with ropes and his hands and feet were chained. It was Li Duwei.
"Reporting to the two sirs, the traitor's martial arts are very strong, but he was seriously injured and was captured by me. Please interrogate him personally.”After Li Shan finished speaking, he cupped his fists and retreated.
"Li Duwei, did you really kill the City Lord?”Commandant Huang asked fiercely.
Li Duwei did not say anything. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to lie on the ground like a corpse.
He Chong said lightly,"
"Bai Jin, what else do you have to say?”
Before Bai Jin could speak, Governor Chen spoke first,
"Wait a moment, Official He, I'm afraid it's not your turn to decide who to judge. Everyone, please take a look. This is the military order that was given to me on the day the City Lord died and on the day he was appointed. The City Lord has instructed that if there are any changes in Huo Zhou City, all military and political matters will be given to me.”Governor Chen took out a sheepskin document and held it high.
The moment he said this, the officials present were in an uproar. He Chong, Bai Jin, and Commandant Huang all revealed surprised expressions. Could it be that the City Lord knew that he would die? Could it be that he knew that Li Duwei wanted to kill him? Could it be that the City Lord deliberately supported the fake posthumous edict and let Li Duwei kill him so that he could follow the Emperor?
For a moment, no one spoke, and Governor Chen stood still, waiting for He Chong and Commandant Huang to reply.
Suddenly, Governor Chen was shocked. The sheepskin secret document flew out of his hand and landed in the hands of a young man beside He Chong. He unfolded the sheepskin and asked He Chong for the Tiger Tally to compare it to the seal on the secret document.
This scene not only shocked everyone, but the appearance of the Tiger Tally also made everyone's eyes light up.
After a while, Chu Yurong threw the sheepskin scroll and the Tiger Tally to He Chong at the same time.
"It's fake." Chu Yurong did not say anything to He Chong. With his cultivation technique and cultivation, it was easy for him to distinguish this ink mark.
Governor Chen's face was pale. He thought that with Bai Jin and He Chong's confrontation and the presence of so many officials, as long as he could use this move to suppress everyone and force Commandant Huang to listen to his orders, everything would be in his hands. He had been in possession of the county government documents for so long that he was confident that he could pass them off as real. He did not expect that he would be seen through by a strange young man at a glance.
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