webnovelvip Chapter 238 The Terrifying Luo Ying! Zong Yu Arrives in Changzi County!
Chapter 238 The Terrifying Luo Ying! Zong Yu Arrives in Changzi County!
Zhang Fan walked up to the one-eyed boatman and looked at him coldly.
"How dare you!"
"How dare you launch a sneak attack on the First Fleet of the Great Qin Dynasty?"
The one-eyed boatman, on the verge of tears, hurriedly tried to explain:
"General, you are wise!"
"The rain was so heavy just now, it was pitch black!"
"We couldn't even see them clearly; there were dozens of large ships on the other side!"
"If we had known it was the Qin fleet, we wouldn't have dared to do it even if we had a hundred lives!"
Just then.
Wang Li walked over and handed a jade pendant to Zhang Fan.
The jade plaque was found on the body of the one-eyed oarsman; it had a large character engraved on it—
Swallow!
Zhang Fan weighed the jade pendant in his hand, his gaze falling on the face of the one-eyed boatman:
"What is this now?"
The one-eyed boatman was pale and his lips were tightly pressed together; he refused to answer.
Zhang Fan and Mo Feng exchanged a glance, and the corners of their mouths involuntarily turned up slightly.
Hehehehe!
Whoops!
Finally, we've met a tough nut to crack!
Not long after!
The one-eyed oarsman was tied to a chair.
Luo Ying walked over carrying a wooden box. Inside the box, various torture instruments were neatly arranged, reflecting a faint light.
The one-eyed leader looked at the instruments of torture, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Luo Ying didn't say anything.
She took a thin steel needle from the box, then pulled over the one-eyed boatman's right hand and pressed it onto the table.
The tip of the steel needle pressed against the nail crevices of the one-eyed hawk's head and slowly pushed it inward.
"ah--!"
The one-eyed oarsman let out a scream.
His body suddenly stiffened, and his legs kicked wildly on the ground, making the wooden floor creak.
His single eye was wide open, and the eyeball was filled with blood vessels!
The muscles in his face were completely contorted due to the excruciating pain.
Luo Ying's expression remained calm and expressionless.
She put down the steel needle and picked up a small knife with a hook.
She used the tip of her knife to pry open the eyelids of the one-eyed leader; the cold metallic touch caused his entire body to convulse violently.
Less than a minute!
The one-eyed boatman's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
"I'll talk... I'll talk!"
He was breathing heavily, his voice hoarse.
"I am a collateral relative of the Yan royal family... Back then, the Qin army destroyed Yan!"
"The rest of the clan members all fled to Japan with their people..."
Zhang Fan watched from the side, and his eye twitched involuntarily.
Luo Ying calmly put away the hooked knife!
But a chill ran through me!
This girl is usually quiet and reserved, but she can be so ruthless when she gets going.
Seemingly noticing Zhang Fan's gaze, Luo Ying turned around.
The coldness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a sweet smile, with shallow dimples on her cheeks.
"Young master, what's wrong?"
Luo Ying asked softly.
As she spoke, she casually pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and slowly wiped the bloodstains between her fingers.
The movements are gentle and graceful!
Zhang Fan coughed lightly, forcibly averted his gaze, and waved his hand:
"No, it's nothing! You can continue..."
"No! There's no need to continue, he's already confessed."
He looked again at the one-eyed man on the chair.
The other person was like a lump of mud, slumped in the ropes, his lips still trembling.
"A collateral branch of the Yan royal family..."
Zhang Fan repeated it in a low voice, his brows furrowed.
He ignored the one-eyed oarsman and walked directly to a corner of the deck, where he took out his phone and dialed Zhu Feng's number.
"Sir, something's happened!"
Zhang Fan lowered his voice and gave a detailed report on the capture of the pirates and the identities they had revealed.
After receiving Zhang Fan's message, Zhu Feng immediately gathered several senior historians.
Several professors quickly flipped through the files.
An elderly professor adjusted his glasses and said:
"Found it. The records show!"
"During the Qin Dynasty's conquest of the six states, the son of King Xi of Yan led several thousand elite troops and artisans from Liaodong to sea, and their whereabouts are unknown!"
"Several branches of the Qi royal family also took away a large amount of supplies and books and disappeared into the East China Sea."
After listening to the report, Zhu Feng immediately recounted it to Zhang Fan!
"Did they really escape to Japan?" Zhang Fan pressed.
"Very likely!"
Zhu Feng replied, "Yan and Qi are both close to the sea, and their navigation technology was the most advanced at the time!"
"They took away a large number of artisans, technical books, iron smelting techniques, and agricultural seeds!"
"Japan was originally backward, but the arrival of these people brought the technology from the Central Plains."
Zhang Fan held his phone, looking out at the dark sea in the distance.
"So, these pirates must have a much larger force behind them."
"That's right!"
Zhu Feng reminded him,
"Since there are collateral relatives from the Yan state, there might even be nobles from the Qi state!"
"They've been established there for many years, and the technology they brought is enough to make them dominant in the region!"
"Comrade Zhang Fan! Be careful on your upcoming voyage!"
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Fan turned around and gave Wang Li the following order:
"Take that man away and keep him under surveillance; make sure he doesn't die!"
"Pass down the order: the entire fleet must remain on standby. Those people probably have more than just these few ships."
Wang Li accepted the order and waved for the soldiers to drag away the limp, one-eyed Zhuo Shou.
Luo Ying walked back to Zhang Fan's side, her expression returning to its usual obedient state.
She smiled and asked:
"Young master, would you like some hot tea to calm your nerves?"
Zhang Fan glanced at her hands, which had just been handling the torture instruments, and then, recalling her actions, felt a chill run down his spine.
He nodded:
"I really need to drink to calm my nerves!"
As he spoke, Zhang Fan walked towards the room, muttering to himself.
Luo Li, the younger sister, is still the cutest!
The kind that will make you cry if you squeeze it!
Mo Feng continued to steer the course.
The First Fleet of the Great Qin Dynasty continued sailing according to the predetermined course!
For five consecutive days, everything was peaceful and uneventful!
……
at the same time.
Changzi County, Shangdang Prefecture, is located thousands of miles away.
A horse-drawn carriage is traveling on the official road outside the city.
The carriage was jolting violently, and dull thuds of collisions could be heard from inside the carriage from time to time!
Shaofu Zongyu sat in the carriage, feeling somewhat agitated by the swaying.
He pulled back the carriage curtain and looked outside, his brows furrowing deeply.
The road ahead was incredibly muddy!
The ground was crisscrossed with extremely deep tire tracks!
Judging from the traces, it is clear that a large number of heavily loaded horse-drawn carriages frequently passed through this section of the road, leaving it in a dilapidated state.
He immediately sensed something was wrong!
I am the Minister of the Imperial Household, in charge of the royal family's private property and all the artisans under heaven!
It is quite clear that Changzi County produces coal!
But this coal is used not only as fuel for local steel mills!
The remaining shares must be strictly registered and transported to Xianyang.
This place is not the official road leading to Xianyang at all!
How could there be such a dense network of heavy vehicle tracks here?
"parking!"
Zong Yu gave a cold shout, and the carriage stopped immediately.
He lifted the hem of his casual clothes and stepped off the carriage, stepping onto the muddy road to carefully examine the deep ruts.
Sudden.
His gaze lingered on a mud pit at the edge of the rut.
He crouched down, picked up a dark, fragmented piece from the mud, and wiped away the mud and water from its surface.
It is black and shiny, and hard.
"Coal!" Zong Yu's pupils contracted.
Such a large convoy deviated from the route to Xianyang.
Coal also fell off the truck!
There is only one explanation:
Someone is illegally reselling coal mines in Changzi County!
All the coal mines and steel plants in Changzi County were under Zhang Fan's control.
Zhang Fan is secretly selling coal!
And there are quite a few!
Zong Yu held the piece of coal in his hand, his mind racing.
"Who did he sell all that coal to?"