allonlinenovel Chapter 308 The Tu Emperor
Chapter 308 The Tu Emperor
He Weifeng stood up and slowly walked to the window. He looked at the lights of thousands of houses in the distance and sighed. "Our He family has been operating in Longmen City for many years. A tall tree attracts the wind, and there are so many eyes watching us! The imperial envoy has come here with an important mission. Let's not get into trouble. It won't be too late to deal with Chen Shuo after the storm has passed."
Mudik thought to himself that if he hadn't wanted to help Murong Ling'er achieve her goal and rely on the power of the He family, he would have come up with a brilliant plan at this moment to make the He family pay a heavy price for their actions.
After all, if he could reveal the evidence of the He family's secret collusion with pirates to the imperial envoy, confiscation of property and extermination of the clan would be the least of his problems. However, he could only think about it and pretend to be submissive on the surface. He whispered, "Dad, I will listen to you, but I am really uncomfortable with this tone."
At the same time, in the prefectural yamen, Chen Shuo was pacing alone in his study with an anxious look on his face. In the past few days, he had been on guard against the He family's revenge. His nerves were as tense as a fully drawn bowstring, and every little movement would make him break out in a cold sweat.
"Master, the imperial envoy's army is already outside the city!" The butler hurried in and said breathlessly.
Chen Shuo suddenly stopped, a hint of surprise and relief flashed in his eyes: "Really? That's great!" After these few days of anxiety, there is finally hope.
Once the imperial envoy arrived, no matter how arrogant the He family was, they had to restrain themselves a little.
Outside the city, tents were lined up and military flags fluttered in the wind. Li Yuanhong, dressed in official uniform, sat in the tent with a dignified look on his face, looking at the map with a frown on his face.
Chen Shuo was led into the tent by the soldiers and saluted quickly: "I am Chen Shuo, the prefect of Longmen City, and I am honored to meet the Imperial Envoy."
Li Yuanhong stood up and returned the greeting, his expression solemn. "Master Chen, I have been ordered to suppress the bandits this time. I understand the heavy responsibility. However, I am new here and don't know much about the pirate situation on this East China Sea Island. I hope Master Chen will be generous in his guidance."
Chen Shuo bowed slightly and said, "Sir, these pirates have been lurking on the sea for years. They are familiar with the water and are extremely cunning in their combat. Moreover, their warships are flexible and light. If we don't have enough warships, we will suffer a great loss in a sea battle."
Li Yuanhong nodded slightly, his eyes falling on Chen Shuo: "In your opinion, Lord Chen, how should we respond?"
Chen Shuo's heart moved, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Your Excellency, you may not know that there is a powerful He family in Longmen City. They happen to have a number of sea vessels. If we can persuade the He family to lend us these ships, and combine them with the elite troops you have brought, our chances of winning this bandit suppression battle will be greatly increased."
Li Yuanhong stroked his beard thoughtfully, "Is this He family...reliable?"
When Chen Shuo mentioned the He family, Li Yuanhong paused for a moment, and his brows instantly twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川".
As a Beijing official and a close minister of the emperor, he came all the way from Kyoto to Longmen City. If he asked to borrow a boat easily, he would inevitably be criticized for bullying others.
Seeing this, Chen Shuo hurriedly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and explained earnestly, "Sir, you don't know that the He family is one of the most prestigious families in Longmen City. They have deep roots and extensive influence. Almost all the ships in this area are controlled by them."
"He Weifeng, the head of the He family, is an extremely domineering and powerful person. He usually has the final say in the city and acts in an extremely arrogant manner. When General Chen was ordered to suppress bandits, he asked the He family for help and borrowed a boat, but he flatly refused, showing no respect to the court at all."
As Chen Shuo spoke, he secretly observed Li Yuanhong's expression. Seeing that his face was becoming increasingly serious, he continued, "I, your humble servant, really have no weight in front of Master He. This matter of borrowing a boat is of great importance. I'm afraid I must trouble you personally to come forward."
Chen Shuo knew clearly that he and He Weifeng had a long-standing grudge. If he did not tell Li Yuanhong the truth about the He family's difficult situation, he would most likely be met with failure if he rashly went to negotiate.
Li Yuanhong thought to himself, how could a prefect be constrained by a local tyrant? Could it be that the He family had become the local tyrants in Longmen City?
But the mission of suppressing bandits was urgent, and the warship was crucial, so he could not care less. After a brief pause, he decisively ordered: "In that case, Lord Chen, go and get He Weifeng for me immediately."
When He Weifeng received the summons, he was sitting in his study, sipping tea leisurely. When he heard that the imperial envoy had summoned him as soon as he arrived, the teacup in his hand almost slipped.
He had originally intended to keep a low profile under the nose of the imperial envoy and weather this period of controversy, but now it seems that he can no longer escape it.
With a nervous mood, He Weifeng stepped into the tent.
The atmosphere in the tent was solemn, the candlelight flickering. Before he could even see the Imperial Envoy's face, he dropped to his knees with a thump and bowed respectfully: "I, He Weifeng, pay my respects to the Imperial Envoy. May you be blessed with great fortune and a prosperous career."
Li Yuanhong sat upright in the main seat, his expression stern and imposing without anger. "Master He, please stand up. I have asked you to come here to discuss an important matter. I hope Master He can provide you with all your assistance. Please do not refuse."
At this time, Chen Shuo and a group of military generals were neatly lined up on both sides, invisibly creating a strong sense of oppression.
He Weifeng knew clearly in his mind that it must be Chen Shuo who exaggerated his situation in front of the imperial envoy and told him everything. He cursed Chen Shuo in his heart, but facing the imperial envoy, he dared not complain at all and could only put on a smile.
He humbly responded, "I dare not. If your Excellency has any command, I will certainly go through fire and water without hesitation."
……
Just as the atmosphere in the tent was tense, a huge pirate ship was sailing through the waves on the vast ocean.
Inside the pirate ship, smoke filled the air and the pirate leaders sat together with different expressions on their faces.
The Shark Gang leader was the first to break the silence. His brow furrowed, his voice filled with anxiety. "Everyone, we've received word that the imperial reinforcements from Donghai Island have arrived. They number 30,000 soldiers! That's no small number. Should we continue the attack?"
The Shark Gang is relatively small among the many pirate gangs. When the gang leader heard that the imperial reinforcements were so powerful, he immediately became timid and began to think about retreating.
The leader of the Black Dragon Village slammed his hand on the table, shaking the wine glasses. His face was thick with flesh, and his eyes were wide with anger. "What are you afraid of? We have dominated this sea for many years, how can we be afraid of these imperial soldiers? It's not like we haven't fought them before, and we always drove them away!"
At this moment, the pirate leader, who had been silent the entire time, slowly raised his head. His gaze was deep, like a cold star twinkling in the night sky. "Wait a minute, this time is different from the past. I heard that the leader of this team is the Imperial Commissioner Li Yuanhong. He is resourceful and ruthless. We must not underestimate him."
As soon as the boss's words came out, the cabin suddenly became quiet and everyone fell into deep thought. After all, no one wanted to rashly confront the powerful imperial army head-on and end up being crushed to pieces.