Nightwatcher

After lunch, Chu Xianglong ordered his followers to make a cup of tea. Holding the hot tea, he took a sip and asked:

"How is the princess?"

"Stay in the room all the time." The follower said.

In that luxurious and spacious room, the princess living there is actually a puppet. The real princess wanders around all day, mixing with ordinary maids.

Sometimes she would go to the kitchen to steal food, or watch the boatman cast a net to catch fish with great interest, and she stood aside and directed blindly.

Instead of being angry, the boatmen had a great affection for this mediocre old maid. Several boatmen who had accumulated a lot of money and had not yet married were secretly inquiring about the situation of the old aunt.

This is the charm of the princess. Even with an ordinary appearance, after getting along with her for a long time, she can still make a man fall in love with her.

Therefore, Chu Xianglong strictly forbids soldiers to go on deck, and strictly forbids men to contact the princess in private. But he couldn't say it clearly, he couldn't show that he cared more than usual for a maid.

"Go north as soon as possible, and you will be completely safe when you arrive in Chuzhou to join the army sent by the prince." Chu Xianglong exhaled.

It is undoubtedly a wise decision to hang out in the investigation mission. Before departure, even the host Xu Qi'an and other high-ranking officials did not know that the princess was accompanying her.

At this time, he suddenly heard dense footsteps from the deck, followed by the bold laughter of men.

The soldiers at the bottom came out. Chu Xianglong's face sank, and then he became angry. He repeatedly warned the big soldiers below not to go on the deck.

Did he fall on deaf ears?

Chu Xianglong walked out of the room, walked through the corridor, and came to the deck. He saw groups of soldiers, carrying toilets, pouring the waste into the river with a splash. When the wind came, the stench came in.

Centurion Chen Xiao stood on the deck and yelled: "Remember to clean the barrel after pouring."

"okay!"

The soldiers answered yes loudly, with smiles on their faces.

Chu Xianglong stood with his hands behind his back, with a gloomy and serious face, and shouted: "Who told you to come up."

The noise suddenly stopped, and the soldiers quickly put down the toilet, looked at each other, a little at a loss, lowered their heads, and dared not speak.

Chu Xianglong scolded: "Did you think that if there are too many people, the law will not punish the crowd? You like going on deck, don't you? Come here, prepare the staff, and execute the sentence."

After a while, there was the sound of noisy footsteps, and the guards brought by Chu Xianglong came around from the other side of the deck, holding their staffs in their hands.

"General Chu, this, this"

Chen Xiao was in a hurry. The reason why he didn't explain the situation immediately and told Chu Xianglong that it was Xu Yinluo's permission was because it would make people feel that he was fighting and instigating the two adults to have a conflict.

And Xu Qi'an just happened to go back to the room, he must have heard the movement outside, if he was sincerely willing to stand up for the imperial guards, he would come out.

On the contrary, it shows that he is unwilling to conflict with General Chu. After all, General Chu is the deputy general of King Zhenbei and a big man who holds military power.

"Why is General Chu so angry? I asked them to come up and wash the barrels."

Finally, the expectant voice of the imperial guards came from the cabin, and accompanied by the light but hard footsteps, Xu Qi'an, who was wearing a silver gong uniform, pressed the knife with one hand, and walked out.

Chu Xianglong turned around and stared at Xu Qi'an with an aggressive tone:

"You don't know my order? If you don't know, let them go back immediately and promise not to come out again. If you know, then I need an explanation."

Chen Xiao braced himself, clasped his fists and said, "General Chu, it's like this, a few soldiers are sick, and the humble staff are helpless, so I have no choice but to ask Mr. Xu for help."

Either very loyal, or very smart Xu Qi'an commented in his heart, but said: "Is there something for you to talk about? Get out of here."

Chen Xiao lowered his head and said nothing, his eyes flashed with gratitude.

Xu Yinluo wanted to take him out.

After reprimanding the centurion, Xu Qi'an stared at Chu Xianglong and said in a deep voice:

"General Chu wants to explain? You can go to the bilge by yourself. If you can stay there for a few days, you will feel more deeply. I have already decided that from now on, from the beginning of the day to the end of the day, the forbidden army in the bilge can come and go freely From the beginning of noon to the end of noon, you can come and go freely. From the beginning of Shenshi to the end of Shenshi, you can come and go freely.”

You can spend six hours on deck every day.

This can not only effectively improve the air quality, but also benefit the physical and mental health of the soldiers.

On the deck, the soldiers looked happy and exchanged excited glances. The wind and waves were strong, the bilge was shaking and bumping, coupled with a strange smell, it made people want to vomit.

Besides, you have to eat dry food in such an environment. Physical discomfort is one aspect, but mental torment is the most tormenting.

Chu Xianglong said indifferently: "Master Xu doesn't know how to lead troops, so don't point fingers. What is this suffering? If you really go to the battlefield, you even have to eat mud, and you have to lie in the pile of corpses to eat."

In the process of speaking, he looked at Xu Qi'an with a sneer on his face, making no effort to hide his contempt and contempt.

Xu Qi'an confronted him tit for tat, and retorted: "General Chu is a battle-tested veteran, and I am not as good as you in leading the troops. But if you want to argue with me, I can talk to you."

After a pause, he took a step forward, stared at Chu Xianglong, and asked:

"You also said that it's a war. Can the extraordinary period be the same as usual? The soldiers under General Chu also live in the toilet every day, eating dry food in the smell of feces and urine?

"These soldiers are all elites. They work hard in daily drills and know how to fight. But hard work and suffering are not the same thing. Raising soldiers for a thousand days and using them for a while, even soldiers don't know how to raise them. How do you lead soldiers? You How did you fight?

"To put it bluntly, these are not your soldiers, so you don't treat them as human beings."

well said!

Chen Xiao yelled in his heart, he felt very distressed seeing the soldiers' dejected expressions these days. Because these are his soldiers.

Chu Xianglong doesn't treat them as human beings, isn't it because these soldiers are not his.

Raising soldiers for a thousand days and using them for a short time, Xu Yinluo is worthy of the admiration from the heart of Chen Xiao, the chief poet of Dafeng. The more he thinks about it, the more he feels that this sentence is a wise saying.

The soldiers lowered their heads and gritted their teeth. Although they didn't speak, they clenched their fists slightly, showing their inner indignation.

They are soldiers at the bottom, and indeed they have no status, but soldiers are also human beings with emotions.

Chu Xianglong seemed to be irritated, with an aggressive and fierce expression, he stepped forward, keeping his face close to Xu Qi'an's, and asked sharply:

"Are you teaching me how to do things? What are you?"

"I'm thinking, is it because you gave in too quickly last time, allowing you to succeed easily. As a result, you have a wrong understanding in your heart?"

Xu Qi'an took a step back and distanced himself from Chu Xianglong.

Such a move, in the eyes of Chu Xianglong, naturally showed timidity. That's right, Xu Qi'an's first impression in his heart was: he is extremely talented, but he is greedy for power and position, so he can use greater power to control and suppress him.

This is in line with Xu Qi'an's image in the imperial examination fraud case, which easily allowed him to obtain the magic power of the Vajra, and he didn't even dare to repent afterwards, so he sent the Buddha statue to his door.

Many warriors are willing to be dogs to others, even though they are powerful, they bow their knees to high-ranking officials, because such people are greedy for power.

"Isn't it?" Chu Xianglong said contemptuously.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xu Qi'an who was taking a step back, suddenly turned around, and swept towards the waist with a fierce whip leg.

There is no sign, just do it when you say it.

Chu Xianglong crossed his hands to block, and with a bang, the air machine exploded into ripples. He seemed to be hit by a battering log, his legs slipped back, and his back hit the bulkhead hard.

The solid wooden walls snapped and snapped.

A speck of golden lacquer lit up from the center of Xu Qi'an's eyebrows, and quickly traveled all over his body, revealing a golden body, saying word by word: "I have a very bad temper, Pugaizi."

Wei Yuan reminded him that he should establish a good relationship with the people of King Zhenbei, this is for the convenience of investigating the case, so as not to encounter difficulties in everything.

But Wei Yuan definitely didn't want him to bow his knees, greet Zhenbei King's people with a smile, slap the left cheek, and even go up to the right cheek.

Because, if there is no clue about the case, he, the official appointed by the court, can return to Beijing without incident. If evidence against Zhenbei King is really found out, even if he and Chu Xianglong are friends with each other, it will not help.

Xu Qi'an had long since disliked Chu Xianglong, and took advantage of his younger brother's death, to make trouble and try to steal his vajra magic.

Chu Xianglong, whose arms were sore and whose meridians had been injured, stared at Xu Qi'an in disbelief.

How dare he do it?

He really felt that he was a little silver gong, offending the general who held the real power, the lieutenant general of King Zhenbei?

"General!"

Chu Xianglong's guards were furious, and rushed over in unison, holding their staffs, and aimed at Xu Qi'an.

As long as Chu Xianglong gives an order, they will go up and subdue this arrogant boy.

"Master Xu!"

A hundred imperial guards rushed over at the same time, surrounded Xu Qi'an, and confronted Chu Xianglong's guard with a stern expression.

Their position is very clear. Although the imperial army and Yinluo are different yamen and do not interfere with each other, Xu Qi'an is now the chief officer and the supreme leader of the mission.

Moreover, based on what he just said, it is worth fighting for him.

"Stop everything!"

The sound of drinking came from the cabin, and several officials who heard the news walked out quickly.

The two censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the chief arrester of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and the prime minister of Dali Temple, behind them are their respective bodyguards and arresters.

As soon as the two censors came up, they said in one voice: "If you have something to say, why bother to do it?"

Dali Temple Cheng glanced at the cracked wall, and Xu Qi'an who showed his golden body, and said strangely:

"Master Xu is very skilled. With this supernatural power, I'm afraid that the whole boat will be no match for you."

"You guys came just in time."

Chu Xianglong glared at Xu Qi'an viciously, told what happened just now, pointed at Xu Qi'an and said:

"The soldier's matter is just a pretext for him to stir up trouble. The real purpose is to get revenge on the general. How do the adults think this matter should be handled."

The Prime Minister of Dali Temple immediately said: "There are female relatives on the ship, and soldiers are not suitable to go on deck. This official feels that General Chu's order is reasonable."

The head arrester of the Ministry of Criminal Justice said indifferently: "In my opinion, Mr. Xu might as well make an apology, and the forbidden troops return to the bilge and are not allowed to go out. This matter has been exposed. We should be united this time when we go north."

The two censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate agreed.

The thinking of the officials of the third department is very simple. First of all, they don't like Xu Qi'an.

Secondly, it is necessary to establish a good relationship with King Zhenbei's lieutenant general during this trip to the north.

The movement on the deck alarmed the princess who was drinking tea in the room. She heard the sound and saw a group of palace maids gathered in the corridor leading to the deck.

"What happened?" She frowned and asked out of habit.

The maidservants turned their heads and glanced at her, a little displeased with the domineering tone of the old maidservant, they chirped and said:

"General Chu and Xu Yinluo had a conflict, and they almost started fighting."

"It seems that General Chu did not allow the guards at the bottom of the bilge to go to the deck, and Xu Yinluo disagreed, so there was a conflict."

"Hmph, this Xu Yinluo doesn't know how to flatter, yet he dared to fight General Chu. He is our Duke Huai's lieutenant general. Now several adults are standing on the side of Vice General Chu, asking him to make an apology."

"Although I admire Xu Yinluo very much, it's his fault this time. These big-headed soldiers stink, what an eyesore. We won't be able to go to the deck to blow air in the future."

The concubine tried to push the maids away, but she didn't expect that the maids who were respectful to her on weekdays, instead of giving way, blocked her back reasonably.

The concubine was so angry that she couldn't see the scene on the deck. Fortunately, the maidservants quieted down at this moment, and she heard Xu Qi'an's sneer:

"Apologize? I am the host officer appointed by His Majesty. On this boat, I have the final say."

Dali Sicheng retorted: "It is true that you are the host, but the mission does not have the final say, otherwise, what's the use of me waiting?"

The arrester of the Ministry of Punishment nodded: "Your Majesty's will is that the third division and the watchmen cooperate with the case. If Mr. Xu wants to make a statement, then I forgive you for not agreeing."

The two censors agreed with the words of the Ministry of Criminal Justice's arrest of the head and the prime minister of Dali Temple.

All of a sudden, the pressure was all on Xu Qi'an's side.

Even if he stubbornly refuses to admit his mistakes, but in front of everyone, being pushed out by fellow officials, his prestige is gone. The princess was keen to capture the intentions of the officials.

She didn't think that this man who was all-powerful in martial arts would give in, but in the current situation, it didn't really matter whether he was soft or not.

Everyone present could see that the organizer, Xu Yinluo, was unpopular, and the fellow officials pushed him out and suppressed him.

Once such an inherent concept is formed, the prestige of the host will plummet, and no one in the team will obey him. Even if he is respectful on the surface, he will be disdainful in his heart.

"If Prince Huai encountered this situation, what would he do?" Wang Hao thought to herself.

For some reason, she always subconsciously compared the young man on the deck with Duke Huai.

After comparing, it was found that the situation of the two cannot be generalized, after all, Prince Huai is a prince and a third-rank martial artist, far from being able to compare with the current Xu Ningyan.

So, the princess murmured in her heart again: what would he do?

I shouldn't be subdued, right? Then I'll look down on him, right? If he subdues, I'll have a reason to ridicule him. She thought to herself, and then heard Xu Qi'an's shout:

"All the officers and men listened to the order. As the chief officer, I went to the northern border to investigate the case according to the imperial order. The matter is of great importance. In order to prevent people from leaking secrets and causing trouble, I now want to expel idlers and others. Chu Xianglong and his arrangements."

On the spot, only four silver gongs and eight bronze gongs drew their weapons to support Xu Qi'an.

The hundred guards on the deck were silent, as if they didn't dare to interfere.

The scene was silent for a few seconds, and a soldier quietly returned to the bilge.

Then one, two or three more and more soldiers lowered their heads, left the deck, and returned to the bilge.

After a while, the deck was cleared.

"laugh!"

Chu Xianglong's disdainful sneer was particularly harsh.

The Prime Minister of Dali Temple was full of teasing, gloating.

The head of the Ministry of Criminal Justice twitched his lips, put his hands on his chest, leaned against the bulkhead, and put on a posture of watching a show.

The two censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate shook their heads helplessly.

Suddenly, there was the sound of noisy footsteps stepping on the stairs, and they all joined together.

Hundreds of forbidden soldiers went back and forth, and the difference was that the toilets in their hands were replaced with standard sabers.

They went back to the bilge to get their weapons.

Chen Xiao held down the saber, walked to Xu Qi'an's side, and said in a deep voice, "Draw the saber!"

"clang"

There was a loud sound of drawing swords, and a hundred soldiers drew their swords together, pointing at Chu Xianglong and others.

"You, are you going to rebel?" Dali Sicheng's face changed slightly, and he shouted angrily.

Chen Xiao was silent, licked his lips, stared at Dali Si Cheng with sharp eyes, and then glanced at Xu Qi'an, it seemed that as long as Xu Yinluo gave an order, he would dare to step forward and chop off this long-winded civil servant.

Dali Si Cheng felt a chill in his heart, subconsciously took a few steps back, not daring to stand up again.

The head of the criminal department changed from leaning against the wall to straightening his back, and his face changed from joking to serious. He quietly clenched the knife in his hand, as if he was facing an enemy.

As a martial artist, he saw the tough will in the eyes of these forbidden soldiers, and he would never hesitate when wielding a steel knife.

The veins on Chu Xianglong's forehead throbbed furiously. He still didn't believe that he, as the deputy general of King Zhenbei, would suffer such treatment. These low-level soldiers dared to draw their swords against themselves.

"Yang Yan!"

Chu Xianglong growled lowly: "Do you want to rebel if you fight more people? It is His Majesty's command that I go with the mission."

"Noisy!" Yang Yan's voice came from the cabin, with a cold tone: "I don't know about it."

"you"

Chu Xianglong's face turned pale immediately, his expression changed several times, he stared at Xu Qi'an firmly, and said through gritted teeth: "What do you want."

Facing the sun, Xu Qi'an said with a fierce face, "Three things, one, my decision just now remains the same, the soldiers have three hours of free time every day. Two, remember my identity, there is no place for you to speak in the mission.

"Is it clear enough?"

Chu Xianglong nodded slowly with a sullen face.

Xu Qi'an walked over with a knife in his hand, and said with a sneer, "Third, apologize to me."

In an instant, Chu Xianglong's face was slightly distorted, the veins on his forehead bulged, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched.

Escorting the concubine is a very important matter, and Chu Xianglong finally relented and said in a low voice: "My lord, you have a lot of people, so don't be as knowledgeable as me."

Xu Qi'an let out a hey: "Sensible."

Behind them, a hundred imperial guards grinned and showed simple smiles.

PS: Thanks to the leader of "Half-Step Salted Fish" for the reward, and thank you to the leader of "Those who missed free-range farming" for the reward.

The writing of this chapter is a bit long, and it took half an hour to update it. I originally wanted to delay another half an hour to refine it, so I had to update it first, and then refine the chapter later.