The city of Xiyang is still bustling with clouds. The bells ring out of the bell tower to report the time to the people in the city. However, the bell tower in Xiyang is slightly different from other places, and it is reported every half an hour.

Because of the "Xiyang Bell", the twelve hours a day are subdivided into twenty-four "hours", and half an hour is one hour, so the clock tower in Xiyang City's time-recording frequency is higher than that in other bell towers.

The bell tower in Xiyang City is also different from the bell towers elsewhere. It is a towering tetrahedral tower. In addition to the bell, there is also a "bell", which is the Xiyang clock that can see time, which is also called a clock.

There are huge clock faces on all four sides of the bell tower, which can be accurate to the "minutes" when walking. The two hands on the dial are running day and night, wind and rain, showing the people in the city that it is now "what is the hour" now.

The unique style of the bell tower is a famous landscape in Xiyang City, but this thing is useless to farmers because they don’t need too precise time. After all, the pastoral life that takes sunrise and sunset is just about knowing what time it is now.

But for the residents of Xiyang City, clocks are becoming more and more important to their daily lives, because there are more and more workshops in Xiyang City and outskirts, and many people are "working" in workshops, and the payment of wages is related to time.

If you are late for work, your boss will be deducted money, so the people who are working are racing against time and have to look at the time on the bell tower early in the morning to determine "when is now."

There are also many people who need to look at the time, such as officials at all levels who are going to the official office and the yamen "Dianmao" to meet with others, and the tall bell tower ensures that the residents in the city can easily know the current time.

They seize the time to go out based on the distance of the construction process. Although the workshop will have clocks, the people who work more believe in the government's clocks because the workshop can think of any tricks to deduct wages.

Because of the issue of "attendance", each workshop has a clock, and some workshops even have more than one clock. In order to avoid labor-management disputes, all clocks are based on the time of the clock tower.

After all, there are people in the Bell Tower who are responsible for the schooling every day. The pocket watches they use during schooling are proofreaded at the Star Observatory outside the city, so everyone takes the time of the Bell Tower as the basis.

Not only will the workshops with clocks everywhere send people to see the bell tower school, but those with pocket watches are also habitually taking out pocket watches when passing by the bell tower.

At the corner of the street, Tian Liuhu stopped and took out his pocket watch to look at the bell tower. A pocket watch was expensive and only rich people could afford it. But this was not a problem for him. The problem was whether the pocket watch was durable or not.

Tian Liuhu, who had just returned from Lingbei, had a darker complexion, but he was still in good spirits. The pocket watch in his hand looked no different from a common pocket watch, but the cost was doubled.

The slave hunting team often crosses mountains and ridges and shuttles through the deep mountains and forests. The rain, sweat, dew and bumpy journeys will have a huge impact on the pocket watch. It would be fine if you can't walk correctly, but once you stop, it will be bad.

There are many slave hunting teams doing business in the raw mouth. Sometimes they will cooperate to attack each other in a split attack and attack like a pack of wolves. This requires a relatively accurate clock to determine the time to take action at the same time.

Therefore, Tian Liuhu has a proven pocket watch in his hands, with excellent quality and reliable operation.

This kind of pocket watch is full of materials. Generally, slight bumps cannot affect the departure. I don’t know what to use to prevent the pocket watch from rain or sweat. Tian Liuhu doesn’t care how the pocket watch is made, but he can afford to pay if he can bid on the watch workshop.

Seeing that time was almost up, Tian Liuhu speeded up and led his entourage to a large courtyard. It was the guild of the escort business and the place he often came to besides Shengkou Market.

The escort business in Huangzhou has not been established for a long time, but it has a lot of profits. The guild is a place where the owners of various escort businessmen gather and is also a distribution center for various news. Tian Liuhu, who had just returned to Huangzhou, has been chatting with the owners in the guild these days, talking about what he saw and heard in Lingbiao and Jiaozhou.

The King of Xiyang led his troops to the expedition and marched south all the way. There were business opportunities everywhere he went, and soon brought business to the escort businesses, which made many escort owners laughed from ear to ear.

However, in addition to transporting rafts, there are many profitable transactions on Lingbiao, but many people are not familiar with Lingbiao at all. Tian Liuhu, who has been to Lingnan and Jiaozhou, has become the best candidate for everyone to inquire about the news.

The guild is still full today, and everyone here is acquaintances, but this time we gathered together is not a big talk about business.

The bosses had not had a long conversation, and the clock was on time. Several people rushed in from outside the door. The people present stood up and saluted the leader: "The grass-roots had met Sima."

"sit."

Yuwen Shiwu sat in the upper head and looked at the people present. He did not make an official article, but directly entered the topic: "Today, there is something important to announce, and it is important, so please treat it solemnly."

When everyone heard this, they sat upright, and Yuwen Shiwu continued: "Last night, I was assassinated, but fortunately I was shocked and the murderer was killed on the spot."

Before everyone could come back to their senses, he continued: "The murderer was quite famous. He was from the Xia government. In other words, the murderers who wanted to kill the original officials were officials of the court!"

"Ah? Then, is this saying..."

"Yes! The court is going to take action! We must take advantage of the fact that King Xiyang and Prince Qi are not in Shannan, so we will take action now!"

Such exciting news made all the owners present stunned, and then the crowd excited: "What is this? What did the King of Xiyang do? The court wants to use such dirty means?"

"It doesn't matter what they use. This official will never allow outsiders to get involved in Huangzhou. Therefore, this time we call everyone to explain the situation so as not to be confused..."

King Yuwen of Xiyang led his troops to the expedition, and Yuwen Shiwu was ordered to stay behind, so the owners of the escort business knew that Yuwen Shiwu is the spokesperson of King Xiyang. If anyone is not good for Yuwen Shiwu, it is not good for King Xiyang.

That is to be detrimental to everyone!

King Yuwen of Xiyang has been governing Huangzhou for more than eight years. Many people have made a fortune by Yuwen Wen's ruling measures. In other words, they are part of the interest group headed by Yuwen Wen. If Yuwen Wen is unlucky, their good days will come to an end.

Yuwen Shiwu just summoned a group of officials to discuss matters with Hao Wubo in the General Administration Office, put the assassin's head on the table, and said what he should say. From now on, he and Hao Wubo will act as the General Administration Office. Whoever dares not listen to the order will die.

Yuwen Shiwu has the final say in the dispatch of the troops of the General Administration Office. The daily operations of the General Administration Office are still responsible for the General Administration Office, but the decision must be approved by Yuwen Shiwu and Hao Wu Bo.

Yuwen Wen had already made arrangements for such an arrangement last year. If someone dared to question it, it would be either stupid or bad.

It’s time to say what it is, and it’s time to arrange what it is. Yuwen came here without stopping after the meeting, just to gather the bosses of the escort businessmen to discuss solutions.

"The emperor and the prime minister are the young master and the housekeeper. The housekeeper did work hard and make great contributions to the family business for the young master, but if we use this as a reason to drive the young master away and be the son of the son, it would be different."

Yuwen Shiwu tried to use simple principles to make the owners here understand the current situation. These people couldn't even speak official language well and had never read any books. If he quoted too many scriptures, it would make the other party more confused.

"Now, if the housekeeper wants to seize the property, the first thing he will deal with is the relatives of the little Langzhu, namely the King of Qi, the Prince of Qi and the King of Xiyang!"

"What are they sending people to assassinate our official? They are trying to make Huangzhou mess up!"

"This is not enough. Next, we will inevitably send troops to grab the territory. In this way, Xiyang City will be finished! Everyone's family business will be finished!"

What Yuwen Shiwu wants to emphasize is a "reason", that is, if the King of Xiyang is finished, everyone will follow the end. Good days are gone, family business is gone, and even the new outdoor room is gone.

"Sima! Just give me instructions on what you need to do, and ask for money, grain, and we will never be vague!"

"It's great, but I am here not to ask everyone for money, food and people, but to hope that everyone will discuss a countermeasure quickly, so that those who travel escort teams can come back quickly, and those who cannot come back quickly settle down, because there will definitely be a war next."

Yuwen Shiwu's words are about the point, but it is not a big problem for all the bosses here. They have already formulated a response plan for such a situation, so they will not panic.

The escort business in Huangzhou has developed business and has established a relationship with the powerful and powerful families along the way. First, it is to make money with harmony, and second, it is to spend money to eliminate disasters, so that the escort team can be protected locally at critical moments.

This is a development strategy that was set from the beginning, and now it comes in handy. Yuwen Shiwu told everyone the news in a timely manner, in order to let all the bosses respond quickly and minimize personnel and property losses.

While ensuring the safety of personnel, try to keep the goods and keep the credit of the bodyguards.

"I call everyone to meet, first to inform the news, and secondly, please pay more attention. Once you find that there are troops and horses in various places, you must report to me regardless of the size of the team."

"Is Sima afraid that someone will mobilize private soldiers to attack?"

"That's right! The king went on the expedition and I stayed in Xiyang. Although I made many arrangements, there would always be people who would disobey him. So I need everyone to help me and keep an eye on me!"

"Sima was joking and serving the government is what our good people should do."

Yuwen Shiwu nodded, it was related to interests. He did not think that anyone here would hold his family business and stand by and watch, so Yuwen Wen said it well: Touching interests is more difficult than touching the soul.

What he needs to do is not only inquire about the news, but also major measures that require these people to participate, that is, "joint defense".

"The government is in charge of the overall situation, and there are many affairs in the south. If there are any gaps in the south, everyone needs to help you to "jointly defend" to ensure public security in various places."

"The servants, guards or escorts, and escorts of each household, in addition to guarding the house, must also work with neighbors and villages to defend themselves. Once someone is found to have suspicious signs, they can be sent to the government. If someone is found to take advantage of the situation, as long as it is normal for self-defense, then even if someone is killed, the official will be responsible for it."

When Yuwen Shiwu said this, he stood up and saluted the people present: "The safety of Huangzhou depends on everyone's assistance to the government and work together to overcome the difficulties!"

Everyone returned the gift: "Don't worry, Sima, the people are willing to work hard for the sake of dogs and horses!"

"It's not time to go, but it will change. Everyone should move quickly." Tian Liuhu was struck while the iron was hot. Yuwen Shiwu had already angrily with him in advance, so he knew what to do.

"The Prime Minister has been planning for a long time. Now that we have to do it, we will continue to attack. We must race against time and be ready to fight!"

......

The afterglow of the sunset sprinkled on the water, rendering the river surface golden yellow. Several fast ships took advantage of the changing southeast wind and dozens of long oars on both sides of the ship's side to face the waves.

The oar hands were accompanied by the rhythmic drum beats, and the long oars were rowing in an orderly manner to push the boat forward. The clutch sailed on the river like centipedes, and the dense drum beats were mixed with snoring.

On a boat, Wang Yuwen of Xiyang was sleeping in a gentle clothes, snoring like thunder. On each boat, there were also many people snoring, and the snoring sounds one after another constituted a strange music.

When a person's body is too tired, he will easily snore after falling asleep. Yuwen Wen and others snore constantly. It is precisely because of extreme fatigue that they have not slept seriously since they passed the Zhenyang Gorge.

Last night, Yuwen Wen smashed Cui Da-chan and Cui Hongsheng's conspiracy at the Jiangzhou Prefecture. He did not care about his fatigue and convened the army to make a decision with the generals, and then forced himself to make various arrangements.

After finally finishing his trouble, Xu Shao advised him to have a good sleep, but the situation was as dangerous as he was. Yuwen Wen had no intention of sleeping. Seeing that Jiangzhou had already made arrangements, he had to rush to Xiyang overnight.

Seeing Yuwen Wen's crumbling look, Xu Shao and others dared not let him ride a horse and rush on the road overnight. After all, they arranged several fast ships to take Yuwen Wen to Xiyang overnight.

The speed of sailing against the current was very slow, but Xu Shao meant that Yuwen Wen could sleep on the boat at least, so that he would not delay the journey overnight or the rest.

Fengkou is located downstream of Xiyang, with a waterway distance of about 300 miles between the two places. Ordinary ships rely on manpower to move upstream with wind power. They can travel more than ten miles per half an hour, which is more than ten miles per hour.

This speed is not fast, but it consumes a lot of physical strength of the oar. The oar when setting out and the sometimes-disappearing southeast wind cannot support such a long-distance driving speed. If the fastest is to do it, it will have to change people continuously.

So when Yuwen Wen meets Xiyang's fleet, he changes his boaters every time he passes by a water camp.

In order to increase the speed of the ship, all the cumbersome things that Xu Shao mobilized temporarily were thrown away, in order to go into battle lightly and race against time to let Yuwen Wen rush back to Xiyang as soon as possible.

With all the efforts, the speedboat Yuwen Wen rode on even when he was traveling against the current reached an astonishing speed. From last night at the Shuokou, the 300-mile waterway was about to end in less than a day, and the boatmen were also exhausted.

Not far ahead is Bakou Port. The windmill, the landmark building of Bakou Port, has already caught everyone's eye. Several warships sailed out of the port area and ushered in the fleet.

When the fleet was about to arrive in Wuzhou Shu downstream of Bakou, news of the arrival of Xiyang King had already been heard. The defenders immediately sent people to Bakou to prepare for the welcome. A general saw that he was about to dock and quickly woke Yuwen Wen:

"King, here, here."

"Ah? Where have you arrived?"

Yuwen Wen slept so hard that he was suddenly awakened by someone. He couldn't come back to his senses so quickly. He looked at the general in a daze, rubbed his eyes, and was about to ask the final questions of life, but he saw the familiar windmill on the bank of the river ahead.

"Have you arrived at Bakou?" He finally remembered why he was on the boat.

"Yes, the king, the general has sent someone to spread it, and he will be able to dock in a while."
Chapter completed!