Chapter 1653: Diversion of attention, Ronin attacks

The emperor's attitude left many people confused.

Although nominally the emperor wanted to send someone to Qianzhou to investigate, what about Zhao Chen?

The emperor still did not give an explanation.

Zhao Chen was not even asked to return to Beijing to explain the matter clearly.

You know, the method of making gunpowder is only in the hands of Zhao Chen and the emperor. Apart from the emperor, it should be Zhao Chen's problem.

But now?

Many officials are secretly wondering whether Zhao Chen made the gunpowder in Qianzhou himself.

The emperor didn't give any explicit orders to embarrass Zhao Chen, he just didn't want to make the matter a big deal.

If that's the case...

…

The emperor's order had just reached outside the palace, to a courtyard in Chang'an City.

It was cloudy and the yard was filled with darkness and shadows.

The surrounding trees are dense and tall, making it intimidating.

In the dark corner, you can see a few crows sitting on the branches, making eerie cries.

The walls of the courtyard are old stone with many cracks and raised patterns. In the black night, the walls looked particularly terrifying, as if they would suddenly collapse.

There is an ancient dry well hidden in the courtyard, and a damp breath comes from inside. A suffocating breath flows slowly and slowly around.

In the dark corners, it seems that you can see unknown small animals squirming, which is creepy.

There was no light source in the yard, the only light coming from torn clouds and the faint moonlight.

Several bats were flying in the air, sometimes left and sometimes right, as if they were playing. The yard becomes more and more weird at night, as if there is some kind of terrifying secret hidden.

"Sir, it seems that the emperor has no intention of tracing the gunpowder. He just sent people to Qianzhou to investigate. He has no intention of recalling Zhao Chen." Next to Dry Well, stood a man wrapped in night clothes.

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I couldn't see his face clearly, but his voice sounded hoarse.

After the man in black finished speaking, he stood motionless, silently waiting for something.

"Gugu——"

After a long time, the chirping of birds on the branches passed by, and then a voice slowly came from the small house in front.

The voice sounded a bit old, and it seemed like someone had pinched his neck.

"Li Shimin still has some brains and wants to use this method to induce us to continue taking action."

"What do you mean, sir, that Li Shimin deliberately did not investigate strictly just to lure us into taking the bait?" the man in black asked curiously.

"Pass the order, gunpowder, don't take any action for the time being, wait for a while."

"Don't let anything happen to me at this juncture." The voice in the room came again, but did not answer the man in black's doubts.

"Then what should I do?" The man in black asked cautiously.

There was another brief silence, and the man in black even suspected that the person inside was no longer there, and then he heard the sound.

"Isn't Zhao Chen still in Qianzhou? He is entangled in the south, so that people on the southeast coast can move and disturb the court's sight."

As soon as the voice fell, the door to the room was closed.

The man in black finally came to his senses, but he didn't expect that his master would actually choose to let the people on the southeast coast move.

Although this can attract the court's attention, if one accidentally exposes the trump card along the southeastern coast, wouldn't it be worth the loss?

The man in black bowed slightly toward the house in front, and then slowly walked out of the yard.

When I walked outside, I realized that the sky seemed even gloomier.

It seems

A storm is coming.

…

"Brother Emperor, we are almost ready and we can set off." Li Ke ran into the courtyard of the Qianzhou Governor's Mansion and told Zhao Chen that everything was ready and they could set off north.

Zhao Chen nodded and looked at Han Chong who was waiting for instructions.

"General Han, the safety of Qianzhou will be left to you for the time being. I hope you will..."

"Report!"

Before Zhao Chen finished speaking, a soldier ran in from outside.

The soldier's body was covered with dust, and his face was full of panic and exhaustion. It seemed that he had not had a good rest for many days.

And I have been on the road for a long time.

"What's going on?" Han Chong felt nervous when he saw the soldier's appearance.

The soldiers' uniforms are different from those in Qianzhou.

But Han Chong knew in his heart where the soldiers in front of him came from.

The soldier in front of him was dressed in the style of the southeast coast. He had a friend who served as a school captain on the southeast coast.

Han Chong had visited before.

Now that the soldiers on the southeast coast appeared in front of him, they were still in such a mess, Han Chong suddenly felt an unpleasant feeling in his heart.

I was even speculating in my mind whether something happened along the southeast coast.

But Han Chong thought it was impossible.

Since the emperor ascended the throne, the southeast coast has been peaceful.

The only riot was put down six years ago.

I used to joke that the position of captain on the southeast coast was much more comfortable than his position as general of Qianzhou.

But why did such a soldier suddenly show up now?

"General, there is an urgent report along the southeast coast. We are being attacked by Japanese rogues. They are invading various parts of the southeast coast, robbing people of their property and killing our people of the Tang Dynasty."

"snatch

After that, they fled to the sea before my army arrived. "

"The captain is exhausted, and I hope General Han can lead troops to support." The soldier quickly told Han Chong the whole story.

It turns out that a large number of criminals in the Japanese country were exiled.

These people are the so-called Japanese rogues.

They were very skilled and took a boat to the southeastern coast of the Tang Dynasty. They found that the land was vast and the people were rich, so they became coveted.

Six years ago, the imperial court sent a large army to conquer.

After killing some of the ronin, the rest of them fled into the sea, and there was no news from them again.

Unexpectedly, another ronin appeared on the southeast coast this time.

The appearance of ronin means that the lives of the people of Tang Dynasty are threatened.

This is a very serious matter.

Moreover, Qianzhou is adjacent to the southeast coast. As a general of the Tang Dynasty, he naturally has the responsibility to lead his soldiers to assist.

However, the King of Han Zhao Chen is by his side now.

You still have to ask for his opinion whether to go or not.

"First of all, pay homage to His Royal Highness the King of Han and His Highness the King of Shu." Han Chong shouted to the soldiers.

When the soldiers heard this, they were also stunned subconsciously.

Without thinking too much, he just followed Han Chong's words and said, "I pay my respects to His Highness the King of Han and His Highness the King of Shu."

"Your Highness, the ronin are criminals from the Japanese country. The imperial court attacked them once in six years."

"I didn't expect that trouble would come again this time. Should we go and help?" Han Chong carefully asked Zhao Chen for his opinion.

"Of course I want to go." Before Zhao Chen could speak, Li Ke spoke first.

In Li Ke's view, a mere Japanese prodigal dared to challenge the great Tang Dynasty, which was simply a life he was tired of.

He, Li Ke, wished he could lead his men to kill all those rogues now.