Perhaps he was a righteous man, but he was loyal to the Great Ming Dynasty!
As Chen Ran was about to disappear from Han Kuang's field of vision, he turned back and glanced at him, a cold sneer spreading across his face.
The Great Ming Dynasty was rotten to its core.
As a time traveler from the 21st century, Chen Ran held no such loyalist sentiments.
If the emperor was incompetent, then simply replace him!
If the government was corrupt, then tear it down and rebuild it!
Kings and generals, are they inherently superior?
It wasn't right for a bunch of people to suck the blood of the people while the commoners suffered, and yet he should strive to maintain such a state of affairs.
Had he become addicted to being a lackey?
"Brother Chen!"
Lu Jian Xing and Shen Lian galloped towards him, a group of Jinyiwei following close behind.
"The three Jurchen spies at Tian Fu Xiang Wine Shop have all been captured and are now imprisoned in the Northern Garrison of the Jinyiwei!"
Both of them had excited expressions.
Not only did they know that this capture of Zhao Jing Zhong and the Jurchen spies was a great achievement, but they also felt a sense of excitement and honor from being involved in a major event.
Moreover, Chen Ran was now the acting commander of the Northern Garrison of the Jinyiwei, and they were now surrounded by people, a glory they had never experienced before!
"Brother Chen!"
Lu Jian Xing's face was full of joy, as if he couldn't wait to act:
"Let's go straight to Zhao Jing Zhong's secret residence and arrest him now!"
But Chen Ran shook his head.
"No need!"
Lu Jian Xing, Shen Lian, and Jin Yi Chuan were all stunned.
Chen Ran smiled faintly.
"Zhao Jing Zhong has already left the city!"
"Ah!"
Shen Lian and the others were taken aback. Even Ding Xiu, who had remained silent all this time, was somewhat moved.
Chen Ran, however, remained unfazed, as if he had already anticipated this.
"Brother Lu, you and Yi Chuan should immediately take several Qi family soldiers to the Shen family's old residence in the east of the city. There is something under the bed in the servants' quarters, three feet below the surface! "
"After you dig it out, load it onto a carriage and transport it to the Tian family estate in the south of the city. If you encounter any checks, show your Northern Garrison of the Jinyiwei badge and tell them that the Jinyiwei are under orders to apprehend Jurchen spies!"
Lu Jian Xing and Jin Yi Chuan were stunned once again.
The entire city was in turmoil, yet Brother Chen was asking them to dig something up from the Shen family's old residence?
Although they were confused, they still agreed, turned their horses around, and galloped towards the east of the city, without taking any Jinyiwei with them.
Chen Ran glanced at their backs and a subtle smile appeared on his face.
Zhao Jing Zhong had escaped the capital, but the entire situation was still under Chen Ran's control!
When Chen Ran forced Zhao Mian to reveal Zhao Jing Zhong's secret residence, he had already sent out a few Qi family soldiers in disguise to keep an eye on both Zhao Jing Zhong's public residence and his secret residence.
More than half an hour ago, Zhao Jing Zhong, seeing that Zhao Mian had not returned, was already like a bird startled by a bowstring!
Having served the emperor for many years, and even serving Wei Zhong Xian for a longer time, he was more cautious than anyone else. Seeing that Zhao Mian had not returned, he sensed that something might be wrong.
He knew that Chongzhen was suspicious of him, and Han Kuang's involvement in the Jinyiwei's affairs with Wei Zhong Xian had made him even more anxious.
He had already obtained a map of the defenses near the capital, as well as the methods for forging advanced firearms such as red-clothed cannons. He had also secretly collaborated with Li Yong Fang of the Jurchen!
So he immediately changed into plain clothes, put on a hat as a disguise, carrying the defense map of the capital and the manufacturing diagrams of the red-clothed cannons, and rode out of the north gate on a fast horse!
At that time, Han Kuang had not yet received the imperial decree, and the four gates of the capital were not under strict scrutiny!
However, all this was within Chen Ran's expectations, and it could even be said that Zhao Jing Zhong was deliberately released by him!
He had deliberately given Han Kuang the credit for killing Wei Zhong Xian, in order to build a relationship with this chief minister.
But this time, Chen Ran intended to take all the credit for himself!
The credit and the money would be mine, no one else would get a share!
If Zhao Jing Zhong had been captured by Han Chen at his residence, or even if he had been captured within the capital, Chen Ran would have had to share some of the credit with Han Kuang.
But leaving the city was different!
Hundreds of miles north of the capital was the grassland. Once Zhao Jing Zhong left the city, Han Kuang would naturally be helpless. The only one who could catch him was Chen Ran!
This credit was his and his alone!
What was a thousand household commander of the Northern Garrison of the Jinyiwei?
What Chen Ran truly wanted was to become the supreme military commander of a region!
Only by obtaining a genuine military post could he openly recruit and train troops, and carry out the plans he had already conceived in his heart!
He let Zhao Jing Zhong escape, but at the same time he had several Qi family soldiers secretly follow him, and at the same time, he took advantage of the opportunity to chase Zhao Jing Zhong out of the city to transport Wei Zhong Xian's hidden treasures out of the capital.
This was Chen Ran's plan!
He had Lu Jian Xing and Jin Yi Chuan responsible for transporting the treasures because they were loyal enough!
Now, they were escorting the carriage out of the city, using the guise of the Northern Garrison of the Jinyiwei capturing Zhao Jing Zhong and the Jurchen spies, so naturally no one dared to investigate!
In this way, they could transport Wei Zhong Xian's treasures out of the capital without anyone knowing!
Chen Ran had no trust in Chongzhen or the Great Ming Dynasty, so he would never leave anyone or anything he cared about in the capital!
Neither Wei Zhong Xian's treasures, nor Zhou Miao Tong and Bei Zhai Miao Xuan!
He sat on his horse and thought for a while, confirming that there were no flaws in the plan. Then, he waved his hand:
"Let's go, follow me to Zhao Jing Zhong's secret residence!"
Then, he led Shen Lian, Ding Xiu, and a group of Jinyiwei towards Zhao Jing Zhong's secret residence.
Zhao Jing Zhong's secret residence was in the north of the city, not far from the city gate.
The reason why he placed his secret residence here was that, in case anything happened, he could quickly escape to the Jurchen territory from there.
When they arrived at the secret residence, a group of Jinyiwei quickly surrounded it, and several Jinyiwei hundred households and flag captains rushed to Chen Ran's side:
"Thousand Household Commander, let us lead the men inside to capture the traitor Zhao Jing Zhong!"
A smile appeared on Chen Ran's face.
They were all vying for credit!
But these guys were slow on the uptake, they wouldn't be able to catch up even if they ate the feces now!
"Fang Bai Hu, you lead everyone inside to apprehend Zhao Jing Zhong!"
Fang Bai Hu was overjoyed. He clasped his fists and said loudly:
"Yes! This subordinate will surely capture the traitor Zhao Jing Zhong and bring him before the Thousand Household Commander, eliminating this scourge for the emperor and the court!"
He then immediately led a group of Jinyiwei, kicked open the door of Zhao Jing Zhong's secret residence, and charged in.
Chen Ran watched these people shouting and rushing in, but he couldn't help shaking his head.
The Great Ming Dynasty was rotten to the core, and its government was also corrupt and filthy.
These Jinyiwei were barging in, shouting and making a fuss. Even if there were really Jurchen spies hidden inside, they would have already escaped through a secret passage or somewhere else.
There was no way, the Great Ming Dynasty was too rotten, rotten through and through.
Looking at the entire Northern Garrison of the Jinyiwei, the only truly capable people were a few like Shen Lian and Lu Jian Xing. But these few truly capable individuals were unable to make progress within the garrison!
The court was controlled by a group of incompetent and corrupt officials who only knew how to collude with each other and enrich themselves. Those who truly had the ability had no way to advance. Could such a Great Ming Dynasty be saved?
Chen Ran was sighing when suddenly a Qi family soldier in plain clothes came galloping towards him on a fast horse:
"Master!"
The soldier came to Chen Ran and whispered:
"Zhao Jing Zhong is riding at full speed, he has already reached a hundred miles outside the city!"