boyutpedia Chapter 111 Taking advantage of the situation
Chapter 111 Taking advantage of the situation
“Brother Zhang, this is our guard captain, Lai Fu!” Tan Ya said, pointing to Lai Fu.
Xiao Dezhang nodded when he saw Laifu dressed in a smart and capable outfit, looking shrewd and efficient.
The well-prepared Military Intelligence Division's action team sprang into action, and within minutes everyone was ready to depart.
"Brother Tan, your guards are truly impressive. They are indeed Lord Shen's elite troops!" Xiao Dezhang exclaimed in amazement. He had never seen such a speed of assembly before and couldn't help but give them a thumbs up.
How could they not be amazing? These are all top talents selected from the entire army! Lai Fu thought smugly.
The group consisted of twenty-eight riders and two two-horse carriages, standing imposingly before Xiao Dezhang, making him feel a little uneasy.
“Brother Zhang, you should take them there!” Tan Ya nodded and said.
"Brother Tan, aren't you coming with us?" Xiao Dezhang asked in surprise.
"I'll take care of your businesses and people in the capital, so I won't go with you!" Tan Ya waved his hand.
"Then take care, Brother Tan. We'll meet again sometime!" Although Xiao Dezhang felt a little regretful, he didn't say much more.
"Laifu, you must follow the instructions of Steward Li and Eunuch Zhang on the road, understand?"
"We will obey your orders!" Lai Fu and the others stood at attention and said.
"Good, good, good!" Xiao De Zhang nodded in satisfaction.
"Whoosh!" Several torches were lit, and the group left the courtyard and headed towards Deshengmen.
The clatter of hooves approached, and the appearance of a cavalry force startled the dignitaries gathered at Deshengmen. Many of them hurriedly hid.
Upon arriving before the crowd, Xiao Dezhang jumped down from the carriage. Seeing that it was a palace eunuch, the crowd gradually quieted down.
Seeing the mess, Laifu frowned and whispered a few words in Xiao Dezhang's ear. Xiao Dezhang nodded and led Laifu to a luxurious carriage.
"This servant greets Prince Qing!" Xiao Dezhang stepped forward and bowed.
"Hmm! You're Steward Li's godson? What can I do for you?" Yi Kuang nodded after the steward whispered the introduction in his ear.
"Your Highness, this servant has been ordered by the Empress Dowager to summon the guards of Shen Da, the Grand Marshal of Taiwu Lindao, to escort you. These are them! Now, the captain of the guards, Shen Laifu, has something to report!" Xiao Dezhang said, pointing to Laifu beside him.
"Oh! You are Shen Lian's guards? You are truly elite troops! In fact, I was the one who recommended your master, huh? Hehe! What brings you here?" Yi Kuang stroked his beard and nodded with a smile.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness! May Your Highness be blessed! My master has long instructed that we will never forget Your Highness's kindness in helping us!" Laifu stepped forward and bowed.
"Very well! Shen Lian has not disappointed me after all my hard work, leading the troops to the capital to defend the emperor. I just wonder where he is now? Sigh!" Yikuang nodded in satisfaction. Empress Dowager Cixi had praised Yikuang quite highly for Shen Lian's support of the court.
"What do you find me for?"
"Your Highness, our escort of the Emperor out of the capital this time was rather rushed. This chaotic state will not do; it will only slow down our journey. We hope Your Highness will step in and organize things properly!" Lai Fu said, bowing.
The young master instructed that these people should suffer as they see fit, but they must do their utmost to protect the safety of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu. These people blocking the entrance in a disorderly manner is unacceptable.
"Hmm! You're absolutely right! Since you were appointed by the Empress Dowager, I'll entrust you with the task of reorganizing the troops. You're in charge of disciplining everyone, no matter who they are!"
Yi Kuang also wanted to escape smoothly as soon as possible, and it would be best if someone could help reorganize the group. His job was to organize and coordinate, it was his primary responsibility. He just hadn't considered all of this beforehand.
Upon receiving Yikuang's instructions, Laifu naturally didn't stand on ceremony and immediately made the arrangements.
"Anyone without a carriage or a horse should go back! Reduce weight, and don't bring any unnecessary items!"
"Why are you bringing so many people in this carriage? You've even brought several maids and servants. Can it even move? Disperse them immediately!" a guard said, pointing at a carriage.
"How dare you! Do you know whose carriage this is?" the steward standing beside the carriage said disdainfully.
"I don't care who you are! Get lost! Don't even think about coming with me unless you streamline your plans!" The guard wasn't going to put up with him.
"How dare you! This is our Prince's carriage! You dog of a servant... *slap!*" The steward had barely uttered a word when he was slapped across the face. Shen Lian's soldiers were not afraid of these Manchu nobles.
"Get down right now! Your single-shaft carriage can only carry one driver!"
Prince Pu Lun was a prominent figure in the imperial family. However, he was utterly powerless against these fierce-looking guards carrying modern rifles and long swords. He had no choice but to send his family away!
After dismissing the irrelevant personnel, Laifu began to line up the remaining twenty-odd carriages, with Prince Qing Yikuang's carriage naturally at the front.
"Not yet! You've carried too much gold and silver in your carriages. They won't be able to move at all. Each carriage is only allowed to carry five hundred taels of silver. Unload the rest immediately!" Lai Fu grinned and shouted sternly.
"No way! What will we eat without money!" Sending their families away was no big deal. But asking them to abandon their money was something these officials and nobles would never agree to.
"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Many officials gathered around.
"Laifu, can't you bring a little more silver?" Yikuang was the one who brought the most gold and silver, and he was even more reluctant to leave behind a single tael of silver.
"Your Highness, if the foreigners discover that His Majesty's carriage is missing, they will definitely send troops to pursue him. Cavalry is much faster than carriages. If we are even slightly slow, we could be overtaken."
"We don't know how far we'll have to run. We can only protect the fastest runners. There's nothing we can do about those who can't run anymore!" Lai Fu shook his head and said.
"And many of you have silver notes with you, right? You can exchange them for silver at money shops when you get to the big cities," Laifu added.
"Alright!" Yi Kuang thought for a moment, deciding that his life was the most important thing. He gritted his teeth and ordered his men to unload the silver chests from the carriage; they were filled with gold for their escape!
Seeing that Prince Qing had taken the lead in carrying the silver down, the other officials had nothing to say. They could only ask the guards to help carry the boxes down, and many of them were heartbroken and sobbing.
Lai Fu beckoned to one of the guards and whispered a message to him. The guard immediately mounted his horse and rode away.
A short while later, the guards arrived with several carts. They carried all the silver chests on the ground onto the carts and took them away.
Were Shen Lian's guards doing this on purpose? Were they all prepared to plunder him?
The officials and nobles watched the silver carriage being pulled away, thinking to themselves, "Hmph, you can have it for now, but I'll settle accounts with you when I get back."
Lai Fu thought to himself, "You guessed right! I knew you guys brought a lot of gold and silver. If I don't take this opportunity to fleece you, who else should I fleece? Hehe!"