At the third hour of Hai, there was no one on Yongfeng South Street. Wくw    W★.

√8    1★z    W√.

C           M★

Because the faceless meeting was about to be held, Tiande Youjun Nandaying set up a checkpoint on the street in front of the gate to check the people in and out. At this moment, there were only two soldiers on the night side on the level, waiting for their companions to change shifts while chatting.

A squeaking sound of car wheels came from the night, and the two of them suddenly became nervous.

"Who?" The older soldier stopped shouting, and was ready to run away.

"From the Governor's Mansion." With a reply, a black tarp carriage was parked six or seven meters away. The front of the car was indeed hung with an official lamp for the Governor's Mansion. A green-robed official jumped out of the car and waved to the two and walked over.

When the soldiers saw that it was the chariot of the governor's mansion, they relaxed their vigilance. The older soldiers asked, "It's so late, where are you doing it?" The little official smiled and said, "After the order of a different driver, I will be lucky to leave the city and go to Hengsai Town. Do you want to open your eyes?" The two brothers were interested when they heard this, and followed the little official to the car together.

Suddenly, two figures rushed out from behind the car, slid behind the two soldiers, knocked them unconscious on the ground, tied their hands and feet and stuffed them into their mouths, dragged them up and threw them behind the tree on the side of the road. Then two men in right-army clothes picked up the spears on the ground and stood on the checkpoint in front of the camp gate.

The carriage continued to move forward with a harsh squeak. When he came to the south gate, the little official jumped out of the car and raised the lantern and shook it a few times towards the dark south gate. Suddenly, a lantern appeared on the city tower, three left and three right. After a few sways, the inner city gate opened in a muffled voice. The little official had a smile on his face and knocked on the carriage twice with his hands.

The carriage slowly drove into the urn and the inner city gate suddenly closed.

"What do you want to do? This is the car from the governor's house! It's your own person!"

The little official shouted at the blue and white night sky above his head, but he was afraid and had no confidence. No one paid attention to him. The city of Weng was dark and silent, and the carriage was lonely like a small boat in the eyes of the storm. There was a chance that the boat would capsize and die at any time.

After a cup of tea, the inner city gate opened with a creaking sound, and a small school walked in with a lantern: "Please tell Zhang Changshi the city gate." The car door opened, and Zhang Cheng, dressed in casual clothes, jumped out of the car first. The green robe official took the foot pad, and a young woman in red coat supported a white old man and got out of the car.

The Arrow Tower in the South City Gate was heavily guarded. More than 20 soldiers from the patrol battalion were tied and knelt in front of the duty room on the left side of the arrow tower. Everyone looked ashamed when they saw Zhang Cheng. Zhang Cheng stopped and looked at the soldiers and bowed deeply: "I was the one who harmed you."

Yang Hao was waiting in front of the gatehouse and bowed to the old man Bai and said, "I guess this is Senior Gu."

The old man replied, "I am Gu Zan. I wonder what advice should I give to you in the middle of the night?" Yang Hao smiled slightly, let him beside him, and said, "Please serve tea in the hall." The old man thanked him, took a big step into the arrow tower, sat in the host and guest seat, Zhang Cheng and the young woman sat next to him.

Yang Hao asked the woman with a smile: "Madam is Liuyun?" The young woman said: "I can't afford to be the word 'Madam', it's rare that Judge Yang still remembers the little woman's name."

Yang Hao smiled and said, "How can I forget it? At the beginning of the year, the wife broke into here alone with a knife, opened the city gate and let Yang Hao enter the city. Yang Hao was blocked and the wife used a little trick to help Yang Hao pass. How dare Yang Hao forget such kindness?"

Liuyun sneered and said, "We were still friends at that time."

Yang Hao asked back, "Madam, do we mean we are enemies now?"

Gu Zan snorted coldly and said, "I am a rough man and I have never liked to bend around. Shangguan arrested me and must have known my identities. How can Shangguan deal with the remnants of our three ghost gangs?"

"I want to ask Mr. Gu to go to Chang'an to create another ghost gang." Yang Hao's answer was more direct.

The three of them were both shocked when they heard this. Gu Zan asked carefully: "Don't Shangguan hate the Ghost Gang the most?"

Yang Hao smiled and did not answer directly, but started with another one:

"'Telling in the south, robbing in the north, scammers in the west, cheating in the east, only Qingliu'. The Ghost Gang is not a single piece, there are more than a dozen factions of all sizes. Among all the factions, the Qingliu faction is still clean. You rely on guarding the house, transporting goods, mediating disputes, and spying on news to earn hard money. I heard that you are very good at finding news. Even if you lose a needle in Yongfeng City, as long as you ask for help, you will be able to find it back, and the price is fair and you will be free."

Gu Zan couldn't stop nodding. He was still unable to tell what Yang Hao was trying to say about these things, so he didn't answer. Yang Hao continued to say:

"I heard of one thing. A blind mother-in-law once paid 128 cents to ask you to help her find an old incense burner that was passed down from her family. You went through a lot of trouble to find the incense burner, and spent 120 taels of silver. After you got the incense burner, you found that it was a rare treasure worth a thousand gold. Someone advised you to hide the incense burner privately, or sell it and deduct 120 taels of silver and then return it to the owner. However, Mr. Gu returned the incense burner to the old woman without saying a word. Such a loyalty is really amazing."

Gu Zan showed a proud look on his face, waved his hand and smiled, "That was a loss-making business that Gu did. When it comes to mention it, it is shameful."

At this point, Gu Zan had roughly seen Yang Hao's intentions, so he asked directly: "Does Shangguan want me to act as an eye-catching person in the capital and inquire about the news?"

Yang Hao nodded with a smile.

Gu Zan pondered: "Chang'an is the foundation of the world, and it is not easy to live in..."

"Yang Hao is willing to pay 30,000 taels of silver to support Mr. Gu. If you have any trouble in the future, you will get a reward. In addition, General Meng has agreed to appoint Zhang Chengyinglang of the Tiande Army as the Chengyinglang of the Shangdu and the Zuoyuan. He can help you secretly."

Zhang Cheng was shocked when he heard this. He did not expect that Yang Hao not only did not pursue him, but also entrusted the important task of the Jinzuo Academy to Chengyinglang. Chengyinglang was ranked eighth in the Jinzuo Academy and was second only to the Zhiyuan. The funds for the Tiande Army stationed in Shangdu Jinzuo Academy have always been mostly borne by the three cities in Fengzhou, so the weight of his Chengyinglang speaking in the Jinzuo Academy is no less than that of Qin Bang of the Zhiyuan.

"How can Gu Zan repay Shangguan's re-creation of the Ghost Gang?"

"Please tell the second leader of the Ghost Gang that Yongfeng has become a place of right and wrong, and Yang Hao doesn't want to see any unpleasant things happen again."

"Hahaha..." Gu Zan laughed loudly and stood up and said, "Judge Yang is a cheerful person. Gu also said something refreshing. I will persuade the second leader to withdraw from Yongfeng and not cause any further trouble for you." He also said, "Gu vowed to heaven that from now on, the Chang'an Ghost Gang will be driven by Judge Yang." Yang Hao was overjoyed and handed over the 30,000 taels of silver to Gu Zan in person, and released the twenty soldiers of the patrol battalion.

Yang Hao stood at the head of the city and watched the carriage disappear in the vast wilderness of the night. He suddenly felt sad. Although he and Zhang Cheng had known each other for a while, they felt very close to each other and admired his cleverness and ability. However, the mystery that happened after entering Yongfeng made Yang Hao doubt his identity. First, the mysterious disappearance of Hou Jie and fifty people, Meng Bochang knew the truth from far away in Fengzhou. As a garrison, he was kept in the dark. This was unreasonable.

Then there was the mysterious incense case. Zhang Cheng kept saying that he wanted to find out the truth, but in the end he blamed all the blame on the singer who escaped without a trace, saying that she left the fragrance to harm others in order to avenge Mengchang.

Finally, there was the kidnapping case of Lu Rui. The carriage of the Changshi Mansion was at the scene when Lu Rui disappeared. After Lu Rui was returned, Zhang Cheng hurried to the scene.

All the signs indicate that Zhang Cheng has a close relationship with these three things. He may not be the mastermind behind the scenes, but he must know who is the mastermind behind the scenes. Yang Hao remembered what Meng Bochang said to him, and he sent someone to follow Zhang Cheng, and it turned out that he was really entangled with the Ghost Gang. From this, Yang Hao can conclude that these three mystery cases were planned by the Ghost Gang.

When Hou Jie disappeared, the overall situation in Yongfeng was not decided, and the outcome was still between the two. They abducted Hou Jie to take advantage of the situation. When planning the mysterious case, they wanted to give themselves a warning and warn themselves not to infringe on their interests. When they kidnapped Lu Rui, Yongfeng's power was already in their hands. This was their efforts to rescue Qingpi. Yang Hao believed that if Zhang Cheng had not intervened at the last moment, they would have sent someone to show their confrontation.

Zhang Cheng played a very subtle role here. He could not stop the Ghost Gang from acting, and he didn't even know it in advance, but he could always intervene quickly afterwards to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Could it be that he is the legendary second leader?

Yang Hao told Meng Bochang everything he knew. What surprised him was that Meng Bochang knew from the beginning that Zhang Cheng was a member of the Ghost Gang. At that time, in order to ensure the success of the righteousness, Zeng Chongyang and Meng Bochang decided to cooperate with the Ghost Gang. They chose Zhang Cheng, who was on the black and white, as their partner, and promised Zhang Cheng that he would be the Changshi of Yongfeng after the successful righteousness. The "business" of the Ghost Gang could also be expanded to Fengzhou and Feng'an.

Zhang Cheng persuaded the Ghost Gang to participate in the act of righteousness, but this move was boycotted by the Ghost Gang elders. In the end, Qing Pi only agreed to Zhang Cheng participate in the act of righteousness in his personal capacity, and at the same time promised that the Ghost Gang remain neutral when promoting righteousness.

After Meng Bochang and Zeng Chongyang parted ways, Zhang Cheng and the Ghost Gang lost their value. In order to gain a foothold in Yongfeng, Meng Bochang accused Qingpi of planning the "Hou Jie's disappearance case" behind the scenes, which violated the promise of neutrality. He put pressure on Yang Hao to completely resolve the Ghost Gang's problem before the face-free meeting on March 8. Yang Hao also hated the Ghost Gang's human trafficking. He and Meng Bochang had no conflict in the liquidation of Ghost Gang, but he and Meng Bochang had a disagreement on how to deal with Zhang Cheng.

Meng Bochang advocated the elimination of the roots and executed Zhang Cheng, Qingpi and others together. Yang Hao had another idea: the Ghost Gang was not as vulnerable as imagined. After Qingpi and thirteen leaders were arrested, they could still kidnap Lu Rui in the street in broad daylight. Moreover, more than 20 soldiers in the patrol camp that had always been regarded as their confidants were willing to risk their lives and death to help Zhang Cheng escape.

This is a mysterious and terrifying force. Once you choose to be enemies with them, it will be an endless nightmare. On the contrary, if you can turn enemies into friends and take them for yourself, it is like adding wings to them.

Gu Zan once became the leader of the Ghost Gang, and was the leader of the Qingliu School. The Ghost Gang was at the critical moment of life and death. As a senior in the gang, Gu Zan planned to kidnap Lu Rui and put pressure on him to rescue Qingpi. This is a reasonable thing. If Zhang Cheng could make Gu Zan change his plan and then convince him and Liuyun to escape with him, then he should be the second leader of the Ghost Gang!

Once Qingpi died, Zhang Chengjiang became the leader of the Ghost Gang. Qingliu was in power, and the Ghost Gang had the opportunity to reform himself to abandon evil and follow good.

Of course, Yang Hao also knew that Meng Bochang would not let the Ghost Gang stay in Yongfeng again, so he suggested to Meng Bochang that Zhang Cheng would replace Qin Bang and serve as the magistrate of the Tiande Army stationed in Chang'an Jinzou Academy, and that he would also create another Ghost Gang in Chang'an, which could not only move the disaster out, but also give him a look of watching the court.

Meng Bochang finally agreed to Yang Hao's idea, but out of distrust of Zhang Cheng, he did not agree to replace Qin Bang, but instead let Qin Bang and Zhang Cheng restrain each other and supervise each other.

———

On the eighth day of the third month of the first year of Kaicheng, the faceless meeting of Baoli Society was held at the Chiayi Inn outside the north gate of the Yongfeng Governor's Mansion. The so-called faceless meeting means that all participants attended the meeting wearing masks and no one is allowed to speak at will without the permission of the host. Violators will be executed immediately.

Yang Hao and Meng Bochang were not able to attend the formal meeting. One was busy serving everyone to eat, drink, defecate, and the other rode a horse and carried a knife to serve as the guard. The faceless meeting lasted for three days, and Yang Hao was frightened for three days. The third meeting lasted until late at night. When it was about to end, someone called him and Meng Bochang into the venue.

The venue was transformed into three upper rooms, which could accommodate 200 people at the same time. There were only 87 participants. The general manager and seven swords sat on the high platform at the east end. Behind them was a golden screen. A secret door was opened behind the golden screen. After the secret door, he rode a horse through an alley and turned north. He was the southern gate of the patrol camp.

The golden mask worn by the chief executive was very eye-catching in the candlelight. The seven swords surrounding him were wearing silver masks, and the seventy-nine horizontal swords under him were all bronze masks. There were also many halberds who came to Yongfeng this time, and they all acted as the warning outside the spot and were not qualified to enter the venue. Yang Hao was the only halberd wearing a black iron mask in the venue.

The two stood down from the stage, and a sword stood up and said, "The Great General Manager, the fourth-grade horizontal sword Meng Bochang was promoted to the third-grade high-grade horizontal sword. The ninth-grade halberd Yang Hao was promoted to the fifth-grade horizontal sword."

After speaking of the sword, everyone stood up in awe.

The chief manager walked down the steps and came to Meng Bochang and Yang Hao. A horizontal swordsman held a tray. The tray was made of bright yellow satin as the bottom, and two jade tokens were placed on it. The token was engraved with an oval shield on the front. The shield was engraved with the two words "sting horse" on the inscription, and the back was a pattern of crossing the two swords. The only difference between the two tokens is the tassels on the bottom. The tassels on Meng Bochang's token were purple, and Yang Hao's tassels were red.

The chief manager bent down and hung the jade plaque on the belt of the two, and asked the two: "What is the responsibility of stabbing the horse?"

"Assess the Holy Lord, revitalize the Tang Dynasty." Everyone in the hall shouted in unison.

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Note: In the Tang Dynasty, all the vassal states set up residences in the capital, and the general was the chief, which was called the descendant of Shangdu. In the 12th year of the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty (777), it was renamed Shangdu Jinzuyuan, abbreviated as the Jinzuyuan. With the Zhiyuan as the head and Cheng Yinglang as the deputy head, he was in charge of reporting and transferring edicts and orders. Because the establishment of the Jinzuyuan as the local vassal states, the cost was also borne by the local government, so the Jinzuyuan also became a gateway for local vassal states to spy on the central government and other places. It regularly reported military and political information about the central government and the Dusheng, such as the emperor's activities, the emperor's edicts, the appointment and removal of major officials, the memorials of ministers and other important information to the local area.

Note: The Chinese text is similar to today's check.

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Chapter completed!