At midnight, the moonlight is like water.
Near the Three Mile Pavilion outside the city, in the darkness of a towering abandoned watchtower, Luo MingZi stood silently and solemnly.
The moonlight shone along the cracks in the tiles, outlining his angular profile.
His cold eyes were penetrating the darkness, locking onto the silent area below that was swallowed up by the locust trees.
Behind him is the deathly Solemn and Killing Intent.
Commandery Commandant Office's elite soldiers are all hiding in the darkness, with powerful crossbows cocked and muskets loaded, suppressing murderous intent.
Behind the nearby trees, beside the mounds, and in the haystacks, Enforcement Hall masters were scattered.
They restrained their breath, or held Law Sword in their hands, or held the talisman between their fingers, holding their breath.
Everyone has been waiting here for two hours, but Luo MingZi is not in a hurry at all.
The hustle and bustle of the opening ceremony in the capital has not completely subsided, but the undercurrent set off by the "artifact" Steam Engine has spread turbulently in the night. Nanyang, Oirat, Persia, and some forces lurking in the shadows are all coveting this object.
The imperial court was naturally prepared for this.
Steam Engine can be promoted, but the drawings and key technologies cannot be leaked.
At least let Great Xuan Dynasty always maintain the advantage.
Originally, this kind of thing was not under the jurisdiction of Luo MingZi, and he didn't have the time.
However, this morning, someone sent a letter without any reason, saying that the Japanese pirates who colluded with Jianmu Demon Man had sneaked into the city and were plotting Steam Engine technology, and were also related to a group of Nanyang people.
Therefore, Luo MingZi became the commander of this joint operation.
Not far away, a Enforcement Hall master was lying on the ground, with his auricle close to the ground, making secrets with his left hand, and listening carefully with Ear Mystical Power with his eyes closed.
"Coming!"
He suddenly raised his head and gave a low shout, and everyone immediately cheered up.
Not long after, several figures appeared on the wilderness trail in the distance.
They looked left and right, walking in confusion and panic under the moonlight, and they didn't even dare to light lanterns.
The leader was short and fat, his brocade clothes were wrinkled while running, and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat.
"It's East City Wu Anfu."
A Commandery Commandant Office man stepped forward and whispered, "This man is a East City grain merchant, and he also owns many restaurants. He originally worked with the Prince Ying's Estate housekeeper. After the palace was sealed, this man has no backing, and his business is being cannibalized by his colleagues."
Luo MingZi frowned slightly, "Where did he get the drawings?"
Qiankun Academy is open to promote Steam Engine, but not everyone has this first batch of opportunities.
All parties have to pay a price to gain the upper hand.
Because Prince Ying's Estate was involved in the Jinmen shelling case and "Pan Peach Gathering", everyone in the palace was sent to the army, and the rest were scattered.
A person who has settled down cannot do this.
Commandery Commandant Office The man quickly whispered, "This subordinate is incompetent and doesn't know about this."
"It doesn't matter."
Luo MingZi said in a deep voice, "Catch him and interrogate him again!"
He had an inexplicable hunch that he would definitely gain something this time.
As they were talking, those people were approaching.
The leader, the fat businessman Wu Anfu, was holding a bundle tightly as if it was a life-saving straw. Surrounded by several nursing staff behind him, he carefully entered Three Mile Pavilion next to the locust tree forest and looked around uneasily, obviously waiting for something.
Not long after, several more figures appeared on Official Road, and the sound of horse hooves was heard from the other end of the woods.
There were actually two groups of people arriving, arriving almost at the same time and separated by a clear distance.
A group of figures are short and muscular, with dark skin. Some of their faces are covered with strange scaly tattoos. They are wearing slightly weird silk robes with short brown outer coverings. Their eyes are as sharp as Night Owl. They are the secret envoys of the Nanyang Power.
The other group had strong and muscular bodies, wearing felt hats on their heads, carrying scimitars at their waists, and their faces were all etched with weather.
It is the prairie knight of Oirat Golden Horde Khanate!
The Nanyang man was carrying a heavy wooden box, and the Oirat man was leading a strong horse loaded with bulging leather bags.
The two groups of people who came here were obviously a little surprised.
Leader Oirat looked at Wu Anfu with gloomy eyes and spoke in blunt Mandarin:
"Boss Wu, what do you mean?"
Wu Anfu quickly smiled flatteringly at the two of them, and said in a trembling voice, "Two... Two uncles, I got this thing... I don't know how many roads have been opened, but this is a critical business, I can't let you lose."
"Seeking death!"
Oirat leader's eyes suddenly filled with anger and he pressed his hand on the handle of the knife.
Clang Clang Clang!
Several of Wu Anfu's subordinates also drew their weapons.
"Don't do it!"
Wu Anfu suddenly roared, took out a Fire Caltrop from his arms with his left hand, and held a fire certificate in his right hand. He looked at the crowd and gritted his teeth and said, "Laozi is doing this with his head tied, and he has no intention of selling just one copy."
"To tell you the truth, after tonight's transaction, Laozi will leave the capital!"
"Also, the city has arranged men to wait for the signal. If there is something wrong with Laozi, they will immediately go to Commandery Commandant Office to report it. Even if you kill Laozi and get the blueprint, you can't even think of leaving Divine Land!"
His eyes were blood red, and his voice was hoarse and crazy.
Many times, falling down is more painful than climbing up.
He worked hard for decades, serving the Prince Ying's Estate housekeeper like a turtle grandson, and managed to save up such a large business. Now that it is about to turn into ashes, he can no longer live the hard life of his childhood, so he can only take risks.
The two sides were at war with each other, and the air was so thick that it almost dripped with water.
"Don't be like this. If you have something to say, just say it."
The mandarin of the leader of the Nanyang secret envoys had a strong retroflex tone, and he smoothed things over with a smile on his face, "Boss Wu is asking for money, there is no need to risk your life."
After saying that, he looked at the Oirat leader again, "Sir Choros, this thing is nothing, but the Divine Land people kept it secret from us, so it doesn't matter if we each buy one. Besides, you and I are two countries separated by the north and the south. Don't kill each other and let Daxuan get an advantage."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and the attendant suddenly opened a corner of the wooden box.
Instantly, the pearlescent Treasure Qi spread out, and inside the box were neatly arranged gold ingots and a huge South Sea Pearl!
The Oirat leader was obviously a little impatient, but he did not refute. He patted the leather bag on the horse and said in a deep voice, "Gold! The best gold sand! Take the things."
"Okay, okay..."
Looking at these treasures, Wu Anfu's eyes almost popped out of his head. He nodded quickly, and with trembling hands, he unloaded the blue cloth bundle from his back and opened it carefully.
Under the moonlight, there are several drawings drawn on tough Animal Hide and thick rice paper.
There are Steam Engine geometric lines, marked dimensions, and scrawled annotations.
Obviously, the person who stole the drawings was in a panic at the time.
"Let me see!"
The Nanyang envoy was even more anxious and took a step forward to snatch the drawings.
"What are you doing!"
Wu Anfu's men were shocked and raised their weapons one after another.
"Everyone, what are you afraid of?"
A trace of disdain flashed in the eyes of the Nanyang envoy, and he waved his hands to ask his subordinates to carry the things over. Then he took the drawing from Wu Anfu, looked at it carefully and said with a trembling voice, "Yes, it is exactly the same as what I saw..."
The leader of Oirat on the opposite side couldn't help it when he saw this. He patted the horse's butt and walked towards Wu Anfu carrying Jinsha's horses.
"Wrong!"
As soon as he took the picture, the Nanyang envoy on the opposite side exclaimed in surprise.
Leader Oirat suddenly had a fierce look in his eyes. He grabbed Wu Anfu by the neck and lifted it up. He gritted his teeth and said, "You cunning southerner, how dare you deceive me with fake things!"
Wu Anfu was shocked and struggled. "Spare... spare my life, it's not a lie."
Oirat leader heard this and looked at the Nanyang envoy opposite.
"It's definitely not a fake."
The Nanyang envoy looked gloomy, "The thing should be right, but what's going on with the materials on it?"
"Black Gold Hundred Refined Steel, South Sea Mermaid Glue, Five Elements Copper... What kind of nonsense are these? I've been doing business for many years and I'm fairly well-informed. How come I haven't heard of any of them?"
Oirat Leader Wu Anfu put Wu Anfu down. The fat man fell to the ground, covered his neck and coughed a few times. He quickly argued. "This is how the academy is written. The drawings I gave are correct. As for how to get the materials, that is your problem!"
He is also considered a veteran in shopping malls and knows that he must not give in at this time.
"Hmph!"
Oirat leader snorted coldly and then blew his whistle.
Hu Lulu~
The horses carrying the golden sand turned around and ran back again.
"You... you want to break the contract?" Wu Anfu suddenly turned red.
Oirat leader snatched the drawing from his hand and said solemnly, "It's because you didn't come up with the complete thing. Go back and continue to inquire and find out the materials. Our transaction will continue."
On the opposite side, the Nanyang envoy also sneered and asked people to regain the gold, silver and jewelry.
This is a large amount of money. They had no intention of keeping Wu Anfu alive. They just took advantage of this period of time to find the other party's back-up and silence them together, so as to ensure peace of mind.
"You..."
Wu Anfu is in a hurry. Now that the academy is the focus of the capital, how can he have the courage to do this again?
But before he finished speaking, there was a whistling sound in the night sky.
"Be careful of hidden arrows!"
Oirat leader glared, turned around, and shook the wool cloak on his shoulders.
His kung fu was profound, and he used a skillful move. The cloak suddenly became as tough as iron. There were only two puffs of sound, and two crossbow arrows were revealed on it.
These two arrows originally did not go towards the vital point, but his men suffered disaster.
As the saying goes, it is difficult to prevent hidden arrows. Warriors must have the ability to identify the location of arrows shot from the dark, and warlocks must also have the corresponding Divine Ability, otherwise they will not be able to dodge them at all.
These prairie warriors can be considered experts, but the people who come to surround them are not ordinary people.
Enforcement Hall's several Xuanmen magicians held talismans with their left hands and secret formulas with their right hands, staring at them silently reciting incantations.
In an instant, these warriors felt the impact.
All kinds of weird whistling sounds were heard in their ears, and there were dark shadows in front of their eyes, making them dizzy.
Puff puff puff!
The sound of sharp blades piercing flesh continued to sound, and several people fell to the ground after being struck by arrows in the blink of an eye.
Great Xuan Dynasty has always had a tough attitude in doing things. Except for the two heads of envoys who want to be interrogated, the rest have no intention of leaving alive.
"Run!"
The Nanyang envoy turned around, and thick fog and black smoke spewed out from around him.
This is their escape method. There is a small river near the locust tree forest. As long as they escape, there is still a chance of survival.
Boom!
A gunshot and smoke filled the air, shattering his hopes.
The Nanyang envoy felt pain in his knees, lost his balance, and fell to the ground screaming.
But it was Commandery Commandant Office's sharpshooter who opened fire and directly broke his legs.
Hearing the gunfire, these people no longer had any intention of resisting and threw away their weapons and knelt on the ground.
They had seen the power of the new muskets, and they were obviously ambushed and couldn't escape at all.
As for Wu Anfu and several of his subordinates, they were already frightened and lay on the ground trembling, not daring to move.
Only then did people from Commandery Commandant Office and Enforcement Hall emerge from the darkness.
Soon, all those who survived were tied up and pushed to the ground.
"I'm so brave!"
Looking at the envoys of the two countries, Luo MingZi's eyes were slightly cold, "How can you touch these things?"
"Bah!"
Oirat leader spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed angrily, "Kill if you want, why is there so much nonsense?"
And the Nanyang envoy, although his leg was broken and was in pain, still begged, "Sir, the imperial court intends to promote this thing. We and other vassal countries are also citizens of the Celestial Empire, and sooner or later we will get it..."
"Fart!"
A Commandery Commandant Office hundred households angrily said, "What kind of vassal state? You are so ambitious that you secretly use witchcraft to control the officials sent by the court. Don't think that we don't know that the court can't care less about settling accounts with you!"
When the Nanyang envoy heard this, he suddenly panicked and his eyes wandered.
This matter is a secret. I didn't expect Commandery Commandant Office, who is thousands of miles away, to know about it.
"This matter still needs to be handled by His Majesty."
Luo MingZi interrupted them and clasped his fists at the two Commandery Commandant Office Qianhu, "Thank you, my lords!"
Although this matter sounds hateful, it is not his responsibility.
He was more interested in Wu Anfu than these ambitious vassal envoys.
The two Qianhu officers were also very sensible and escorted the person away directly.
After they left, Luo MingZi looked at the trembling Wu Anfu and said in a deep voice, "Speaking of which, who in the academy cooperated to draw the drawings for you?"
Wu Anfu lowered his head, his eyes flickered, and he did not dare to speak.
Luo MingZi was not in a hurry and said in a deep voice, "Do you know how serious a crime it is to collude with foreign traitors? It's not an exaggeration to implicate the Nine Clans. Tell us earlier and save yourself some physical pain today. If the information is useful, Pindao will also intercede for you."
"Senior Brother Luo, why do you need to talk nonsense to him?"
A Enforcement Hall warlock said, "Junior brother, I will take action. Keeping it will make him miserable!"
He smiled slightly as he spoke and spread his palms.
Swish swish!
Densely packed black little spiders suddenly surged out from his sleeves, turned into three black lines and crawled on the ground. In the blink of an eye, they crawled along Wu Anfu's clothes and into his collar and face.
"Don't, don't tell me!"
Wu Anfu suddenly turned pale, screamed desperately, and his crotch quickly became wet.
After Luo MingZi saw it, the corners of his mouth curved.
Duweisi's people had told him the information before. Wu Anfu was famously afraid of spiders. He once paid a high price to hire a Feng Shui master from the capital to decorate his home to keep these little things away. It was once a joke.
"Yes, it's Prince Hai!"
Now that things have happened, Wu Anfu feels regretful and dare not hide it.
"Prince Hai?"
Luo MingZi was a little surprised.
This Prince Hai Xiao Chenghai is famous for being ridiculous. He is not popular even in the palace. How can he have such ability?
After careful questioning, Wu Anfu stuttered out the reason.
"Prince Hai was imprisoned in Zhuangzi near the capital because he escaped and caused trouble during the grounding. He happened to escape the disaster of the palace. Later, he found the villain and lied about knowing the treasure of the palace, so he arranged to hide it..."
"Later, the villain found out, and he said he could get the Steam Engine blueprint. Unexpectedly, it actually happened..."
"Where are the others?"
"I am in the capital right now. When my transaction is successful, I will leave the meeting..."
Phew!
Luo MingZi continued to ask, then he saw a firework rising in the night sky in the distance.
"No, something happened ahead!"
Luo MingZi was shocked and hurried forward with several junior brothers.
Commandery Commandant Office Dozens of people came, including sharpshooters and warlocks, so he felt relieved and allowed his captors to leave.
Unexpectedly, when the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole is behind it!
Everyone was so fast that they arrived at the scene of the accident in less than a cup of tea.
But above Official Road, there were corpses all over the ground. Many people were frozen into ice, with weird smiles on their faces...