C17

During the conflict between the Flyboys and Ma Dong, even though he was in danger, he did not recall all of his subordinates. He still insisted on letting those people complete the surveillance task! It was because of this perseverance that when the torture ended, the first thing it did was to discover that someone had jumped over the wall and headed west!

The Flyer reported the situation to Zhang Zhou in time. According to the spy, two people had escaped, one fat and the other thin! Zhang Zhou deduced that it was probably Old Qi and Silverrodent. However, he did not act immediately. The reason why he let Old Qi escape was to avoid the authorities and to prepare for his own arrest.

Zhang Zhou had his own plans and thoughts. His first goal was to use Old Qi to win the hearts of others! Even though that person had said whether he would help or not, it was still a two-year deadline. But Zhang Zhou was sure that the result would be different. Another reason was that if he caught Old Qi in the city, he would have to hand him over to the yamen to handle. It would be very difficult for him to obtain more benefits from Old Qi; he did not believe that an old cunning character like Old Qi would run away empty-handed! How could he explain himself to Cao Yi based on Hua Shen's small amount of money?

Zhang Zhou let Wei Da and Wang Sheng be in charge of reporting the situation to the yamen and dealing with the aftermath! He waited patiently until Yun-Qi and Old Lin returned from their mission. Only then did he lead the two of them and Yang Xiaoluo to follow the escape route of Old Qi to the west.

It was impossible to lock down the entire Hezhou City with several hundred arrests, not to mention Old Qi, who had been in the city for many years and had a strong background and powerful martial arts skills. The people who were following them had no choice but to give up on following them after they saw them climb up the western wall and use the ropes to leave the city.

It looked like the old strange fish had entered the sea and was no longer easy to catch. However, Zhang Zhou felt quite proud of himself! Knowing that Old Qi was escaping in the west direction, he confirmed his guess and allowed him more time to escape. Previously, he had analyzed Old Qi's businesses outside the city. Old Qi's businesses outside the city were very simple, and they were all small, unremarkable villas, and their distribution was not concentrated. However, as long as the positions of these villas were linked together, they could draw a line from Hezhou City to Yunzhou from the west. Why are they doing this? Furthermore, it was extremely secretive and would not let anyone else know about it! Zhang Zhou guessed that Old Qi's purpose was to prevent future troubles and prepare a way for him to escape.

After confirming the direction, Zhang Zhou assigned a different mission to Fei Zi. If he was asked to go to Old Man You to capture him, to have Old Man You help him annex Old Qi's underground power and take over his territory, then most of his main forces would be annihilated. The remaining people would be a bunch of small trash, those who were obedient would have a way to survive, and those who were disobedient would have to take advantage of the opportunity to capture them all.

Although it seemed like the four of them were reckless in their efforts to catch Old Qi, Zhang Zhou's decision was not blind. He had made sufficient preparations in advance. These people not only had powerful crossbows and steel sabers with absolute advantage, but each of their clothes were lined with a set of inner armor that could protect the vital parts of the body. Moreover, he had specifically asked them about it before, since Old Qi's figure was definitely not agile when he was escaping, and he was also sure that the poison of the crossbow arrow had worked, so Zhang Zhou dared to make a bet. Of course, there was also helplessness. They were the only ones who could be trusted and allocated.

Following the vines, Zhang Zhou found out that Old Qi had obtained two horses in a yard outside the city. As for whether or not it was prepared beforehand, Zhang Zhou didn't care, so he followed the trail of the snow and chased after two villages in a row without finding anything strange. It was obvious that Old Qi did not have any new supplies, so he did not take any action.

He had been chasing for half a day now. According to his knowledge, there was a small manor at the foot of the mountain. Since Old Qi was injured, he naturally wouldn't run away for too long. He should have chosen to rest in this manor.

Following the clear mark of the horse's hooves, he soon found his target. This manor was nothing special. It was built in a small forest. From afar, he could see that there were two horses tied up outside the manor gate, but he didn't see anyone. The four of them no longer approached. They first hid and arranged their horses. Zhang Zhou was still a bit nervous. The last few times he killed someone, he was the one in the shadows, the others were in the light, and he had seized the initiative. This time, if the other side was prepared, he would be the one ambushed, especially since the other side had a hidden weapon master.

Therefore, Zhang Zhou did not approach the manor, but chose to set up an ambush halfway. Looking at the terrain, there was only one path in and out of the manor. They quickly decided to make an ambush behind a small hill. There were a lot of vegetation around, making it easier to hide, and the small hill could also obstruct the manor's line of sight, making it easier to set up an ambush.

Zhang Zhou was in charge of blocking the road, so the power of the crossbows should be able to obstruct them. You Nan Seven and Lin Jiu hid behind the bushes on both sides after burying the rope. On the other hand, Yang Xiaoluo was hiding behind the enemy's back to kill them.

The ambush was done properly. They only needed to wait for Old Qi to enter the trap. According to Zhang Zhou's deduction, they wouldn't stay in the manor for too long. However, after waiting for less than an hour, Zhang Zhou felt that his limbs were about to go numb. He was debating whether he should run a few laps to warm up his body when Yang Xiaoluo, who was in charge of lookout, gave a signal and the target appeared.

Soon, Zhang Zhou heard the sound of hooves, and secretly used the gaps between the weeds to observe. The two horses galloped over, one in front, one behind, one behind, a thin man, and one behind, a big, pale fatty. It was Old Qi.

Unfortunately, the horse was too close, and it was too late to react. The horse's front hooves had already hit the rope, and its body could not control itself as it knelt forward, almost throwing the silver mouse out of the way, and the silver mouse subconsciously retracted its body as if it wanted to leap into the air, but in that moment, a cold light suddenly appeared in front of it, and as a hidden weapon expert, the silver mouse reacted quickly, waving his hand in embarrassment, he actually knocked off the flying crossbow, but unfortunately for that moment, an arrow had already pierced through its back, leaving Yang Lang no room to resist. This was also what Zhang Zhou and Yang Xiaolang had agreed to do. They had to get rid of the silver mouse first, otherwise, his hidden weapons would be too much of a threat.

Old Qi turned pale with fright. He quickly stopped his horse, dismounted it, and ran in the direction of the manor. He no longer had the demeanor of an expert. Normally, when Old Qi would enter a murderous state, he wouldn't wait for death when faced with a cold arrow. Then, on a snowy night, before he could even use his cultivation technique, Zhang Zhou would shoot out five crossbows to achieve success. However, after the silver rat was shot to death, he was sure that it had a lot of manpower. With his injuries and the psychological trauma from that sneak attack, he immediately gave up on resisting and chose to flee. Yang Xiaoluo's arrow had pierced through his calf, and Old Qi was finally unable to stand up, kneeling on one knee. You Nan Qi and Lin Jiu, who had almost been pulled down by the horse earlier, also tried to kill him, but Old Qi had endured the pain and turned around to hit You Nan's foot with a punch, directly knocking him over. Old Qi was unable to dodge Old Lin's arrow, and in the end, Old Qi reached out his hand and struck Old Lin's abdomen, causing him to fall down once again. He propped up the unconscious You Nan Seven with one leg.

Yang Xiaolang didn't come over, but continued to protect the surroundings. This was something that Zhang Zhou repeatedly stressed; one could never let down his guard at any time. Zhang Zhou saw Old Qi clenching his teeth and bleeding all over his body. He glared at him with hatred in his eyes. He couldn't help but feel infuriated.

"Knock him out for laozi."

Not waiting for Lin Yemao to make a move, he angrily shouted at You Nan Seven, "Nine, let me do it!"

He rushed forward. As a criminal arrest, it was a must to knock out the suspect. It was something that could be solved in a second. You Nan had to fight five or six times before it was settled. He was venting his anger.

A few people tied up Old Qi and dragged him into the manor. They found a dead old man in the courtyard. He had his throat crushed by someone. He searched around the manor a few times and confirmed that no one else was around before he finally felt relieved.

Old Qi had been tied up like a mummy. Zhang Zhou was still worried, so he might as well pick off the tendons in the old man's legs and wake him up. The result was that he was knocked out again the second time.

Zhang Zhou had seen too many movies and TV dramas, too many scenes where he had to turn the tables at the last moment. He had to be absolutely sure, not to mention dealing with a villain who was full of evil and used violence against him. Fuck! Zhang Zhou's point of view was that only people worthy of the humanitarianism. Old Qi was divided into beasts by him!

Zhang Zhou looked at the bags that he had found from the two men. The contents inside made him click his tongue; his heart was burning with passion. Last night, Wei Dazhi had given him fifty thousand taels of silver, while he had generously given twenty thousand taels of silver to Guan Yu-niang as the operating fund for Flower God Luo. As expected, Old Qi's backpack didn't let him down. Just the silver notes alone were worth more than 200,000 taels. The profits from killing the rich were quite substantial!

There were a few more letters inside. Zhang Zhou looked at the contents of the letters and didn't say anything. He kept them in his pocket. The letters that Old Qi carried with him were naturally extraordinary.

There were also some precious metal and jade artifacts. One look was enough to tell that they were expensive. Zhang Zhou really liked it. In the future, if he kept it for others, it would be better than giving out the silver from his waist purse. At least, it wouldn't hurt!

Lin Jiu followed Zhang Zhou's instructions and brought Liu Qingshan here. When Liu Qingshan saw the trussed and dispirited Old Chi, he first scolded him, then he cried and laughed loudly.

As for the outcome of the old weirdo, even the "cruel" Zhang Zhou could not stand it anymore. That old weirdo was probably beaten to a pulp by Liu Qingshan's fists, and if not for a few people stopping him, his head would probably be bitten off by this guy.

Liu Qingshan drank almost all of the wine he found in the yard and finally passed out from alcohol.

At the end of the thirteenth year of the Great Wu, Liu Qingshan of the Divine Fist Sect entered the hands of Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou didn't immediately return to Hezhou. Instead, he galloped to the two mansions behind Old Qi. The gatekeepers didn't know the details, so naturally they didn't let him mess around. Zhang Zhou didn't stand on ceremony and immediately tied them up. He had already gained some experience in the first manor, so he could easily find the secret room. When Old Qi was preparing his escape route, he was extremely serious. Two similarly unremarkable villas had found two hundred thousand taels of silver in banknotes! The corner of Zhang Zhou's mouth was so wide that it almost reached his ears.

It had already been six days since he returned to Hezhou. On the third day of the operation, Zhang Xingzhi had caught the head of the government yamen, who had escaped. On the third day of the operation, Zhang Xingzhi had caught the head of the yamen, who had escaped. Carrying with him some of the relatively pleasant achievements, he escorted a group of criminals back to the capital.

However, Cao Yi naturally could not keep a low profile regarding Zhang Zhou's achievements. He immediately wrote a supplementary report and sent it to the Capital's Ministry of Law: Zhang Zhou chased after thieves, killing Old Qi and Silver Mouse!

Naturally, Cao Yi and Zhang Zhou had a secret conversation. Zhang Zhou respectfully placed two hundred thousand taels of silver and a few large shops' contracts in front of Cao Yi.

Cao Yi looked at these things and did not move. He lightly sighed, "From the beginning of the investigation into this case, eighteen brothers from Hezhou had died at the yamen. Thirty-nine people from the outer region, not counting the casualties. "Although in the hearts of the people, we don't have a good reputation, but I know that these people are all courageous men, and they can definitely be considered to have done their duty. I have lived behind the scenes and have been able to safely survive, but facing those orphans and widows, I feel ashamed in my heart.

Hearing that, Zhang Zhou felt a sense of respect, he stood up and bowed: "This lowly one will take my lord's heart! "I have misunderstood the lord, please punish me!"

Cao Yi smiled and said, "I'm not a gentleman. Also, from today onwards, don't call me an adult. Call me teacher!"

The moment he heard the two hundred thousand silver taels were used, he no longer looked at Cao Yi with interest, but with respect from the bottom of his heart. Upon hearing these words, his heart surged as he kneeled down and said, "Teacher, please accept this student's bow!"

"Stand up!" Cao Yi pulled him up and sat him down before saying, "You are a good seed. Although you are a bribe and flirtatious person, you are very upright and have courage. You also know how to advance and retreat, regardless of the form. All of these are very good!"

"Teacher, don't say that. Those are all small tricks and won't get into the limelight!"

"You don't have to be modest! I still have another student, and that is the head of the criminal investigation, Zhang Xing. If there's anything that I don't understand, I would like to consult this senior of yours! "

"Teacher, rest assured. When a student encounters a problem, he will definitely ask the question without any shame." You will work hard and not lose face for your benefactor! "

… ….

"Keep these shops for yourself, give more of the dividends to the families of your deceased brothers!" I am not good at management, it would be a pity if I were to be abandoned! "

"Teacher, rest assured that you will accept it. The shop belongs to you. As for the management, I will look after it for you!"

… ….

With Cao Yi present, Zhang Zhou learned more about the details of the arrest! This time, the border army and the surrounding prefectures all made their move. Zhang Shuhe and the Great North River King personally led the troops to Dragon Prefecture City. After a bitter battle, they finally took over the prefecture. It could be said that Dragon and River Prefectures had undergone an unprecedented purge.

Right now, the scene at the criminal yamen of Hezhou was completely different from before. Each of them had their chests raised and beaming faces full of smiles. They were all in the limelight of the He Prefecture Prefecture at the moment.

People often remembered the victor's glory, but for those who had disappeared, who would ever think of talking about it?

Zhang Zhou naturally had a great harvest. Although according to the agreement, he could take over all of Old Qi's properties, as long as he had Flower God Luo and a few small stores, mansions, and a few inconspicuous mansions, the rest was all 'forcibly' given to Cao Yi.

The position of Constable Zhang Zhou was already confirmed. The other rewards had yet to be decided by the imperial court. He had no time to think about this because Ma Heizi and Qu Thirteen had returned from Sanzhou.