Due to the heavy rain, the streets of Chongping County were overflowing with sewage. Search: \(?Complete?Book?God?Station) to read quality literature for free. This small county town, mainly engaged in fishing, was located on a tributary of the Grand Canal. As carriages passed, fish scales and entrails were everywhere in the water. The stench might have been somewhat lessened by the rain, but it was still clearly discernible, making one imagine what the scene was like on ordinary days.

On the way here, Ning Yi had already learned about the situation in Chongping. Although it was said to be a fishing town, in reality, besides fishing and distribution, the main business in this county was pickling fish, and the materials used were mostly dead fish. Those that had died recently and hadn't yet rotted were unsalable, so they were dragged here to be pickled into dried fish.

Although the world at this time was far from as good as in later generations, there were still many people who were willing to eat freshly dead fish. But saying "dead fish" out loud was still not pleasant, so the small business in this county could be said to be treading on a gray line. Since it was already gray, people didn't pay much attention to it. Usually, the stench here was overwhelming, so people of higher status were reluctant to come, which made it a haven for those in the Green Forest.

Ning Yi and his party were here to find a responsible person from the Secret Intelligence Division (密侦司) in this area. When the convoy stopped outside a small courtyard on one side of the county town, the person was frantically tidying up a basket of overturned dead fish in the yard. Seeing the convoy stop here, the person quickly grabbed several handfuls of dead fish from the ground and threw them into the basket, then wiped their forehead and came over.

After exchanging secret codes and asking for names, Ning Yi and the others confirmed that the person in front of them was Hao Jinhan, the responsible person of the Secret Intelligence Division stationed here. He was one of the first members of the Secret Intelligence Division and had been sent to Liao to carry out a three-year mission as a spy before being assigned here. At this time, the middle-aged man in front of them looked to be in his early forties. Although his clothes were dirty and emitted a faint stench of dead fish, at first glance, he looked like an ordinary farmer who worked all day long. However, his posture was steady, and his eyes had a calm air. Although the arrival of Ning Yi and the others made him somewhat uneasy, he still seemed reliable.

The Secret Intelligence Division was established at the beginning of the resistance against Liao, and this group of people were military personnel. The person's position was a squad leader, with seven people under their command.

"Sinong, Yaomei, Sanzi... and several apprentices under me, they've all gone out today, delivering goods and exploring the surrounding situation. Inside... uh, my humble abode, simple and crude, please, adults, bear with it, bear with it..."

After confirming each other's identities, the person welcomed Ning Yi and the others into the courtyard. The room was indeed quite simple. Dried fish hung all around, and the room was not very bright. Hao Jinhan lit an oil lamp, then started a fire in the stove to boil water to welcome the guests. When Ning Yi and the others said "we are on the same side" and went to help, the person went out to pick up some dead fish from the sewage in the yard and put them back into the basket, then carried the basket of dead fish back to the room opposite.

He didn't delay too much, simply changed his clothes, and when he came back, he had already brought a lot of intelligence.

"Mr. Cheng, these should be what you want. The movements of yamen runners and soldiers in the nearby counties in the past few days, and some scattered intelligence. I... I haven't sorted it out yet, you can take a look first."

"That's great." Hearing that the person had brought these, Ning Yi smiled and took it, glancing at the beginning, "Mr. Hao, do you have a map of the vicinity?"

"Yes."

Hao Jinhan nodded and brought an old map from the next room.

At this time, everyone had just entered the room, some were carrying things, and some were helping to fetch water and boil water. Ning Yi sat down at the table in the room with the stack of intelligence, and then looked back and said, "Mr. Hao, how accurate is this map?"

"Sixty to seventy percent accurate. If there are some uncertainties or unpainted places, I know them all."

"That's great." Ning Yi laughed, "Please, Mr. Hao, work with me to deduce what has happened in the past two days, come and sit down."

Hao Jinhan still had the smell and mucus of dead fish on his head and hands. Although he didn't seem to be a procrastinator, he was somewhat hesitant at this time. Ning Yi smiled and waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, we are short on time, we must race against time."

Although Hao Jinhan was also a man who had seen the world, what he saw in front of him didn't seem to match his previous expectations. Before long, Ning Yi had dragged him to sit down at the table. Zhu Biao and others brought warm water and other things, and he cleaned his hands and face a little. The others carried some boxes into the room. When Ning Yi began to browse the nearby intelligence, seven or eight people who had come with him had already gathered around. Zhu Biao led the remaining ten-odd people to observe the situation around and be on alert.

The incident near Chongping this time, with Fang Qifo as the center, involved three factions: the government, Fang Baihua and other remnants of Fang La's rebellion, and the suddenly appearing aristocratic families. For the Secret Intelligence Division, the intelligence on the government's side was relatively transparent. Zong Feixiao and Tie Tianying had sent many yamen runners and constables in the vicinity to encircle and suppress them. Although they were not the main force in capturing the experts, some local people were killed, and some places were forcibly broken through. These clues, when summarized, could roughly piece together the situation of Fang Baihua and others escaping after being scattered.

Among the people who came with Ning Yi this time, there was a group of companions who had also gone to Shandong with Ning Yi. After this period of experience, they all had good logical abilities. When a group of people gathered together, they began to summarize the information in the intelligence. Hao Jinhan was a true local expert, and everyone asked him about things from time to time. He was originally somewhat restrained by this resolute and efficient style, but Ning Yi's words were kind and his reasoning was clear, so he quickly relaxed and began to combine the intelligence to express his own speculation and discuss the surrounding situation with everyone.

Some of the information was then pieced together...

"...In the early morning of February 11th, after the battle at Sipinggang, most of Fang Baihua's group had already been scattered. The group of experts who later appeared to encircle and suppress them clearly had an understanding with Tie Tianying and Zong Feixiao. They took orders from the prefectural government, which should be the style of those aristocratic families with influence. We can't find out the specific situation, but among the Green Forest here, some people have become very nervous, saying that people they can't afford to provoke have come, but specifically how, they are all vague, mostly just hearing others say so..."

"The Green Forest is a mixed bag, and everyone knows different people. These days, rumors are flying everywhere, and some news is very unreliable. But the wind can blow for so long, I estimate that some elders with status have recognized someone, but they don't dare to talk nonsense, and finally it becomes like this. Until later, we heard that it might be a Mani sect internal strife, and even heard the name Wang Nanda, then we felt that we had to tell the higher-ups, who knew that Mr. Cheng would come so quickly."

"I've heard the name 'Mad Tiger' Wang Nanda. More than ten years ago, there was an internal strife in the Mani sect. Sikong Nan's faction was squeezed out. Wang Nanda was the Right Protector, his martial arts are so-so, not considered an expert or grandmaster. If this incident is just that Wang Nanda and those people were squeezed out and left alone, it's not a big problem, but if the Mani sect remnants are resurrected, soon there will be another Fang La disaster." Ning Yi said, smiled, and casually said, "Oh, by the way, what people were captured from Fang Baihua's side, who died, and how many are still outside, has Mr. Hao heard anything?"

Hearing Ning Yi say that Wang Nanda's martial arts were so-so, Hao Jinhan's eyes flickered, obviously disagreeing. However, considering that the Chancellor's guest from the capital might have limited knowledge of martial arts, he naturally couldn't say anything. At this time, he smiled and nodded, then shook his head: "That's what we're afraid of... but the specific situation on Fang Baihua's side hasn't been revealed too much. Now this news is in the hands of Zong Feixiao and Tie Tianying, and it probably won't be told to the local government for a while. But... I guess there aren't many people left, I heard that the famous 'Towering Saber' Du Sha also had an arm cut off in this battle, and may have died."

"Oh?" The smile on Ning Yi's mouth did not diminish, "Towering Saber Du Sha, I've heard of him, he's a notorious bandit. The Overlord Saber Manor... is probably about the same, right."

"There are still some on the run, but it may be difficult to escape. Some people said that they saw a black iron broadsword, almost as tall as a person, and very wide, in the camp escorting Fang Qifo, very similar to the weapon of the legendary Overlord Saber Liu Dabiao... If they kill Liu Dabiao, Zong Feixiao and his gang will have another great achievement."

"Haha."

When Hao Jinhan mentioned "Liu Dabiao's weapon," Ning Yi had already opened his mouth and laughed, the joyful smile lingering in the air. After he finished speaking, he laughed "haha" twice more. He was originally sitting on the chair, but at this time he leaned back in the chair, then, with one hand pinching his chin, made a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he looked at Hao Jinhan, his mouth opened, Hao Jinhan thought he was going to say something, but finally no sound came out.

After a long while, Ning Yi opened his mouth again: "Good thing, these don't matter, but... where are Zong Feixiao and Tie Tianying now? Where are their camps? If possible, we still have to say hello to them, mainly... the Mani sect thing can't be taken lightly."

"It's a little southwest of Sipinggang, uh... on the map, here..."

In Hao Jinhan's voice, Ning Yi's smiling expression was as usual, but his words kept going: "...In those years, the Mani sect developed rapidly, also thanks to the protection of some great families and gentry. Although Sikong Nan's faction was driven out, it doesn't mean they are not the Mani sect. If they deceive some people in high positions, then it will be the same thing again. Oh, here... Moreover, it's okay for great families to raise strong servants and thugs, but privately sheltering such rebellious people, where is the national law? And sheltering them for so many years without reporting to the court or the government, clarifying and whitewashing their identities, what are these people's intentions! They are simply enemies of the court, enemies of the people..."

Ning Yi rambled on, Hao Jinhan nodded repeatedly, but he did not understand the original meaning of the words. The Right Chancellor wanted to promote the Northern Expedition, and there were allies and opponents in the court. Led by Wang Fu, many of the aristocratic families participating this time must also be political enemies of the Right Chancellor. If these political enemies are involved with the Mani sect, the Right Chancellor can make a fuss about it. The reason why he quickly sent the news out was also for this reason. At this time, this "Cheng Zhouhai" was going on and on, and Hao Jinhan probably thought in his heart: "My news was delivered well, the Chancellor should be able to use it." He had also been to Liao and promoted the Northern Expedition, and although he was not in a high position at this time, he was happy to be able to contribute in this way.

A group of people analyzed for a while longer, Ning Yi excused himself to walk out of the room, and stood under the eaves, somewhat lost in thought, his fist already clenched in his sleeve.

Zhu Biao came over from the side and whispered, "That Liu Dabiao..."

Ning Yi swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then looked at him, and after a while, opened his mouth in a low and difficult voice: "See the body to be sure."

Zhu Biao nodded: "Then tonight, you go over, want to make a move?"

Ning Yi shook his head and said nothing more. After a while, Zhu Biao saw his lips move, and he bared his teeth, not knowing what he was doing. The expression on his face changed, like a smile, but it actually seemed somewhat ferocious. The expression changed several times under the eaves before he finally found a seamless, amiable smile.

So he smiled like that and turned back into the room. Before long, laughter was heard from the room...

****************

In the heavy rain, two figures were still constantly chasing and fleeing.

The rain falling on the body could no longer be felt, the blood was boiling, and the body felt like it was burning. In the frantic rush, the pain could no longer be felt, only the alarm that was constantly pushing the body to its peak was buzzing in his ears and vision.

Rushing down the grassy slope, the attack from behind had already arrived again. She parried two moves from the opponent while turning around, and simply spat the blood in her mouth towards that fat face, and then rolled down the grassy slope.

Dizzying. When she struggled to stand up from the ground, staggering, behind her was... the river.

The sound of breaking wind came from the front, she blocked it with both hands, and the whole person flew towards the sky behind her.

The petite body turned a few times in the air and fell into the turbulent water with a bang.

The huge body chased to the river, grabbed a round stone, and waved it out with force. With a bang, the stone whistled and smashed the surface of the water. The girl only felt a pain in her shoulder, and her body spun drowsily to the deeper part of the water, and blood had already spread in the water...

Can't sleep! That fat guy will chase over! She tried to stay awake, gritted her teeth, but her body had indeed reached the edge of exhaustion.

On the river bank, the huge body rushed into the water with a crash, stirring up high splashes of water in the heavy rain, looking like a giant bear rushing into the water, approaching its prey -

*****************

At the same time, in another mountain forest in the rain, a small episode was also taking place.

It was a bag of lime powder, which burst open in the air in this level of battle...