The capital, the Grand Council Chamber of the Prime Ministers residence.

  Cheng Yinghao sat in the hall with his head down, although he tried his best to remain calm, but his face still couldnt hide his anxiety and worry.

  At the top of the table sat Gu Daoxun, one of the current Marshals of the Military Department. Below him was his younger brother Cheng Ming. The sixty-year-old man sitting in the main seat was Min Zhidao, a powerful minister of the current dynasty. Although his hair and beard were slightly white, he looked spirited and agile, without any signs of aging.

  "The Prime Minister, Chen Cao is seeking an audience." At this time, a servant came forward to report.

  Min Zhitang raised an eyebrow and said, "Come in quickly."

  "Yes."

  After a while, the house servant brought in a sturdy man of about forty years old. This was Chen You Kun, also known as Chen Da Bu Tou, the renowned number one catcher under heaven and current head of the Ministry of Justices catchers.

  Chen You Kun appeared here, no need to ask, everyone knew what it was about. As expected, Cheng Ying Hao was overly concerned and asked first: "Chief Chen, hows the investigation going?"

  For this new star that the Cheng family is vigorously promoting, Chen Youkun is very familiar with him. He is even more aware of the close relationship between these few people and does not dare to slack off. He hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "General Cheng, I have arrived at the scene and inquired about the nearby residents. I found several suspicious points and suspect that there are other ulterior motives behind this case."

  Whether it was the old and cunning Gu Dao, or the impatient Cheng Yinghao, even the usually calm Min Zhidao was attracted by his words, and Cheng Ming quickly asked: "What is suspicious about this?"

  "Cough..." Mr. Min coughed and said, "Captain Chen, take your time to speak, please sit down and have some tea."

  Cheng Yinghao and Cheng Mingcai realized they were too anxious, even forgetting the most basic courtesy of hosting guests, their faces flushed red, fortunately everyone knew their current mood, no one blamed them.

  "Thank you, Prime Minister." Chen Youkun sat down in the guest seat and took a sip of the fragrant tea presented by the servant, continuing to say: "Your subordinate asked around the nearby residents and found that from the moment the killing shout started until it ended, it was only as short as half a cup of teas time. Being able to capture all of Mr. Chengs party in such a short period of time is truly terrifying."

  Min Zhitang and others nodded in unison, with Cheng Jiahui, a top-notch master, sitting firmly, yet he was quietly captured by someone. The enemys strength can only be described as terrifying.

  "It was only during the investigation that I found traces of crossbow arrows in several places, and this type is a sharp weapon in our Han army, but I dont know why it fell into the hands of the Roman people." Chen Youkun saw that everyone agreed with his point of view, and his spirit was greatly boosted, and he continued to say.

  "Its not surprising, the Caesarians have been at war with us for many years, and its normal to gain some spoils of war." Cheng Ming explained.

  "Yes, sir," Chen Youkun replied, though he was not convinced in his heart. Although these crossbows had been confiscated by the Kaizhou people before, this was a heavily guarded area of the capital, and all travelers were thoroughly inspected. If there were no insiders, how could the Kaizhou people have smuggled these deadly weapons into the city without being detected? However, since Cheng Ming had already drawn his conclusion, Chen Youkuns subsequent reasoning would be difficult to express directly. He was just a small captain, and how dare he argue with the number one favorite of the current marshal?

  There were some things that really had to be said, he considered for a moment and tactfully said: "Just according to the observation of the lower official, there are dozens of arrow marks left at the scene. If we infer from the time of the crime, they only have one chance to shoot, that is to say, the enemy used dozens of crossbows at once."

  Upon hearing this, everyones expression changed. Gu Dao scolded loudly and jumped up, cursing: "This group of city guards who are about to die, have they all gone blind? They should all be beheaded!"

  If only one or two crossbows were smuggled into the city without being detected, there would still be room for forgiveness. But if dozens of crossbows were transported under Caesars nose into the capital, the city guards could not escape blame. However, how could they have known that Jiang Kongming had manufactured the legendary Zhuge crossbow ahead of time, a strange weapon capable of firing multiple arrows at once, which was still unknown to the world, so it was inevitable that they would make an incorrect estimate.

  "I think that even if Caesars men could secretly bring these crossbows into the city without anyone knowing, due to the urgency of the situation, it is absolutely impossible for them to get rid of all of them in just one night. Therefore, I request a thorough search of the entire city, and even if Caesars men destroy them, some clues will still be found."

  "Good idea," said Ben Xiang, "Lets go into the palace and request a thorough inspection of the entire city." Ming Zhi Tang nodded in agreement.

  "Yes, Lord Chancellor is wise." Chen Youkun flattered and then hesitated to speak.

  Everyone present is a shrewd person, and one look at him reveals that he has some unspoken secrets. Min Zhitang and Gu Daoxun exchanged a glance, and said: "Marshal Chen, just speak directly if you have anything to say."

  "Yes." Chen You Kun gritted his teeth and said, "Im just worried that the ambush of Lord Cheng isnt done by the people of Jie Ze, if so, even if we dig up the entire capital, we wont find anything."

  Cheng Yinghao asked in surprise: "What did you say?"

  General, I have three doubts. Firstly, how did the Caesarians manage to smuggle so many forbidden weapons into the city? Secondly, this is the capital of the Great Han Dynasty, with strict guards, yet they managed to take away all the guards; where did these people go? Most importantly, if the Caesarians had carefully planned to sneak into the capital, they must have had a major goal in mind. Why would they expose their tracks for the sake of ambushing Lord Chengs son? Lord Chengs son is far away in the south and has no connection with the Caesarians; there cant be any grudges between them. I really cant understand the purpose behind their hijacking of hostages.

  Everyone was stunned after hearing this, and for a moment no one could say anything. As core members of the Cheng family, they naturally knew that Cheng Yingjie not only had a relationship with the Caesars but also had a close relationship with them. However, this conversation could never be mentioned to Chen Youkun under any circumstances.

  "Lets not discuss this matter for now, Chen Tou, you go back and gather the yamen runners to prepare for a big inspection. If there are not enough men, I will ask the city guards to assist you." Gu Dao spoke up, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

  "Yes, Ill withdraw." Chen Youkun bowed and quickly left. As he walked away, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

  Being able to reach the position of national total catcher, Chen Youkuns ability to observe and listen was unmatched in the world. The unnatural expressions of everyone were naturally seen by him, and he immediately knew that his inference had made a huge mistake. This Cheng Yingjie, Cheng Gongzi, must have an inexplicable relationship with the Kratz people.

  While the Great Han army and the Caesarians were at a standoff on the western front, Cheng Yingjie actually made private contact with the Caesarians, and apparently had the full support of the Cheng family. The story behind this is mysterious, but its clearly beyond ones own ability to handle. Its a matter of great importance, and something that one dare not touch, lest even ones own life be put in jeopardy.

  Seeing Chen Youkun leave, Gu Dao sighed and said: "I didnt expect the revenge of the Caesars to be so quick, this time its really miscalculated."

  Cheng Ming clenched his fists and said, "Its all because of that Xu Haifeng, who knows where he came from. If it wasnt for him taking down Linan City, we would have already succeeded. As long as that foolish ruler is captured, the world will be in chaos, and our Cheng family can take advantage of the situation in the south to rise up and seize power."

  Min Zhitang waved his hand and said: "Since things have already happened, its best for you to stop mentioning them, being cautious in all matters is the way to go."

  Cheng Ming immediately bowed his head and obeyed: "Yes, young nephew obeys."

  "Gu Shu, who exactly is Xu Haifeng and how powerful is his Black Flag Army?" Cheng Yinghao had long heard of the great name of the Black Flag Army, but after being exaggerated by countless people, it had become unbelievable, so he had always been skeptical, and now he was finally asking.

  Gu Dao stroked his beard, nodded and said: "Promoting Xu Haifeng may be the biggest mistake of my life. I originally thought he was a talented person and wanted to recruit him under my command, but unexpectedly he got close to the young master of the Fang family, and the two even became sworn brothers, making me regret it endlessly."

  Cheng Yinghao listened to Gu Daozhongs words, already believing seven parts of it in his heart, but still had some doubts: "So, the combat power of the Black Flag Army is really as formidable as the legend says? Even the five major legions of my Great Han are no match for them?"

  The old man raised his eyes to the roof, as if muttering to himself: "This Xu Haifeng doesnt seem to have any extraordinary abilities, but his method of training soldiers is indeed unique. The soldiers he has trained are truly elite warriors, with strict military discipline and a fearlessness in battle that is unmatched. With Qin Yong and Zhe Bie, those two great generals who are beyond human comparison, leading the charge, even if their numbers only reach one-tenth of the Five Great Military Tribes, they would still be able to hold their own against them. If you were to face him on the battlefield in the future, I have some advice for you, my young nephew."

  Cheng Yinghaos eyes narrowed and he hastily asked: "What teachings does Uncle Gu have, I will definitely remember them in my heart."

  "The old man smiled wryly and said: Ill give you four words: "retreat three houses"."

  "Retreat three houses?" Cheng Yinghao exclaimed.

  "Not bad, in todays world, there is absolutely no army that can match the Black Flag Army head-on, and the place where they can be defeated is definitely not on the battlefield." Gu Dao Yan said with a serious expression.

  "What a brave general, unfortunately he cant be used by my Cheng family, what a pity... "Cheng Ying didnt expect Gu Dao to admire the Black Flag Army so much. Thinking that if the Cheng family wants to achieve its ambitions, its likely that they will have to fight against them sooner or later, his heart couldnt help but feel a chill.

  "In that case, it must be removed to avoid future troubles." Min Zhitang said resolutely: "This matter is not convenient for us to take action ourselves. However, I remember that Fang Lian Tian has been recommending Xu Haifeng to the Emperor as a special envoy to Xiongnu recently, so well just go along with it and give him some face."

  "Brother Mins meaning is..." Gu Dao Xiao also understood the implication, nodded and said: "Thats right, borrowing a knife to kill someone is indeed a good method."

  "This time its absolutely necessary to plan carefully, no matter what, he must be buried in the Xiongnu." Min Zhitang said with a gloomy face.

  "Its settled then. Ill write the letter to my father at home. If all else fails, even if it means asking our ancestors for help, we must complete this task in one move." Cheng Yinghao said heavily.

  Everyone present let out a collective sigh of relief, for if one of the three great masters in the world, Cheng Xuanfeng, also known as Old Man Cheng, were to personally take action, Xu Haifeng would definitely be doomed.