Zigui (now Yichang, Hubei), the hometown of Qu Yuan, is located at the throat of Sichuan and Hubei, on both sides of the Xiling Gorge.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zigui was the westernmost county town of Nanjun in Jingzhou, bordering Bajun in Yizhou and serving as a hub connecting Yizhou with the outside world.

In recent years, there have been wars and banditry all over the land of China. Although the riots in Nan County were not too severe, there have been rebellions in the nearby Wuling County, Lingling County and Changsha County. The remaining rebels were unable to suppress them, or they fell into the trap and became bandits.

Nanjun was not very peaceful due to the frequent crimes committed, and Zigui suffered the disaster of Chiyu. Due to the rampant bandits, everyone did not want to become the trophies of the bandits, so there were many fewer caravans and civilians.

Although the road is dangerous, there will always be brave caravans or civilians who must cross the border for some reason.

These caravans and civilians often gather in Zigui, and when there are more people, they go on the road together, hoping to reduce risks. The caravans have escorts, but this is far from enough. The team raises money to hire mercenaries to escort them, and the young and strong civilians are also gathered together.

Holding a gun and a stick, pretending to be a member of the escort team, creating the illusion that the team has considerable force.

But the bloody facts proved that it was useless.

The escorts organized by civilians are just superficial. Once the bandits come over, many people will be scared to the point of weakness, let alone expect them to fight the bandits. The caravan guards and mercenaries do have a few brushes, but the number is limited.

Their combat effectiveness may not be higher than that of bandits, but in terms of courage and determination to fight for their lives, most of them are not as good as bandits.

Moreover, bandits are not stupid. In the teams traveling together, there are often spies of the bandits to find out what is true. They may not dare to touch the truly powerful teams, but as for those bluffing teams...man, bandits also have to eat, so don't block the road.

Robbery and let them drink the northwest wind?

In recent times, the Yizhou rebellion has intensified, and the road has become increasingly unstable.

The teams entering and exiting Zigui were robbed by bandits many times. Many caravans and civilians were looted, and many people were killed by bandits. For a time, on the road from Zigui to Yizhou, the merchants were trembling, the civilians were terrified, and almost no one was there.

Dare to take risks again.

A large number of caravans and civilians who wanted to go to Yizhou were stranded in Zigui City.

The caravans and civilians were stranded, waiting hard for the next opportunity to go on the road together, even though it was very dangerous.

It's dusk again.

The afterglow of the setting sun falls on the earth, covering everything it shines with a pale golden veil.

A troop, clad in pale golden glow, arrived outside Zigui City.

This troop attracted a lot of attention. It had been more than ten days since any troop came from Yizhou. The troops marched in a generally neat formation and numbered up to a thousand people. The NPCs in Zigui City immediately understood the reason why they were able to pass smoothly.

.

No bandit is willing to provoke a thousand regular troops.

Moreover, the civilians in this team seemed to be only a doctor and a few agile guards. They did not see a lot of heavy supplies. The bandits would not chew such hard bones. There is no benefit. Instead, they will easily break their teeth. Still

It would be better to watch them crossing the border silently.

In the center of the team, a strong black-faced man with double axes stuck in his belt looked very powerful.

Someone recognized the flags flown by the troops.

"Deer Flag! This is the army of Zhulu Leader!"

"You read that right? How come the troops from the greatest city in the world came to Jingzhou?"

"Yes, Yizhou is in chaos right now. I heard that the best city in the world was attacked by rebels some time ago."

"correct!"

The person who recognized the deer flag was a caravan steward, and he swore: "Our caravan has been to Zhulu Territory, and the flag they flew is exactly the deer flag. Did you see that black man with two axes? In the past, the first person in the Hei's caravan was

The first time I went to Zhulu Leader, I was thought to be a bandit. Later, the Hei caravan was killed by the Yellow Turbans, so this black man ran out and joined the Zhulu Leader. There is no way he could admit his mistake!"

There was more than one caravan that visited Zhululing, and soon someone from the caravan came forward to prove it.

"It seems that the Zhulu Army is sending the doctor out of Yizhou. I don't know when they will return."

"When will they return and what business do they care about us?"

"We can follow!"

"That's right, a thousand Zhulu Army escorts, who dares to make a mistake! Who dares to make a mistake!"

"Who's going to ask?"

…

The Zhulu Army stopped outside the city.

Zhang Zhongjing said goodbye to Xiong Dong and said with emotion: "Thanks to the city lord's thoughtfulness, if it hadn't been for you to see me off, Zhang Ji would still be in Yizhou, and he might have been killed by bandits."

Xiong Dong smiled and said: "Sir, you are kind-hearted and kind. Even if you encounter bandits, you will definitely not do any harm."

Zhang Zhongjing smiled bitterly and said: "If the thief is sick, there is nothing to diagnose and treat him. He is afraid that he will not be able to escape..."

This situation is very likely to happen, and thieves also need healers.

Zhang Zhongjing had been away from home for more than three years, and he had already returned home. After walking through the most dangerous areas, he suddenly wanted to fly back to his hometown and decided to leave overnight.

Xiong Dong understood Zhang Zhongjing's mood and didn't say anything. He reminded Mo Wei who was accompanying him to be careful along the way and ensure Zhang Zhongjing's safety. After Mo Wei and Zhang Zhongjing left, Xiong Dong saw that it was getting late, so he asked the troops to find an open space outside the county town.

Set up camp, have a good night's rest, and return to the territory tomorrow morning.

The camp was not set up yet, and there were two people outside asking to see them.

One of them was the caravan steward who was the first to recognize Lu Qi.

The steward traveled all over the country and had the ability to deal with people. After revealing his identity, he talked about Xiong Dong's origin and said that he had met Xiong Dong in the Hei's caravan. Seeing the other party mentioning the Hei's caravan, Xiong Dong's wariness faded.

After a few minutes, I listened to the other party talk about some of the past events of the caravan, and found that everything was correct, and I felt completely relieved.

The reunion of old friends was extremely cordial.

The caravan steward asked about the Zhulu Army's itinerary. It was not a secret, and Xiong Dong told him frankly.

The two were overjoyed and asked if they could take them with them.

"Thieves are rampant. Ordinary caravan guards and mercenaries are no match for them. We have been trapped here for many days. The Zigui Line Prefecture is unwilling to send troops to escort everyone across the border. Besides, even if the Zigui Line Prefecture sends troops, it will still have to be done by the county government in Yizhou.

According to the report, there is a rebellion going on over there in Yizhou, so we can’t spare any troops to escort the caravan and civilians. The Zhulu Army is about to return, so if you can take me with you, I’d be very grateful!”

Xiong Dong was a caravan guard and knew the hardships of traveling to various places. He couldn't bear to see this and asked: "How many of you are there?"

"I'm afraid there are more than a thousand caravans and civilians..."

"no."

When Xiong Dong heard this, he immediately shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to make it easier for you, but with so many people going together, there will definitely be many people who can't keep up with our army's marching speed and fall behind in the middle, which is equivalent to harming them; to accommodate everyone,

Our army's schedule will be delayed, and we won't be able to explain ourselves if we return late. You also know that Yizhou is in chaos. Our Zhulu leader was besieged by the rebels some time ago. I will wait until I come out this time to complete the mission and then return to the team, just in case.

Because of the delay in the trip, something happened to the territory. I will never redeem myself..."

The two representatives had to use their trump card.

"I will not let you military masters work in vain. As long as the Zhulu Army agrees to escort us there, I am willing to spend 20,000 gold to let you military masters buy wine."

"Twenty thousand gold?" Xiong Dong didn't speak for a while.

The territory is short of money, which is something that both the soldiers and civilians of Zhulu know.

After all, Xiong Dong is the commander of Panshi Camp and has a deeper understanding of this.

It happened that the house leaked and it rained all night. Some time ago, the rebels and the Wuling bandits collaborated to damage a certain territory. The Zhulu leader suffered heavy losses. All the money for the battlefield recruitment was borrowed from friends to pay the pensions for the fallen soldiers and mercenaries.

The territory was sold for gold, and even the captured high-grade war horses were sold, including Xiong Dong. The Zhulu soldiers regretted and grieved this.

That is a top-grade war horse!

A top-grade war horse that is difficult to buy even if you have money in Yizhou!

When the lord decided to sell the war horse, he must have felt very sad...

Without money, nothing can be done...

The two representatives offered money to lure the Zhulu Army escort, and Xiong Dong was shamefully tempted.

If you take them there, you will get 20,000 gold, which is very easy to make!

With these 20,000 gold, life in the territory will probably be a little easier, and the Lord should be very happy...

However, taking these caravans and civilians out without permission, and delaying two more days at least, will definitely not look good on Mr. Xu's side. It's okay if there is nothing going on in the territory, but if there is any action that urgently needs people, he will waste two days.

In a few days, I might be beheaded by Mr. Xu when I go back. Well, the lord is kind and Mr. Xu is not an unreasonable person. It is unlikely that he will be beheaded, but dismissal or abandonment is very possible...

…

very scary!

Xiong Dong didn't want to die in such an unclear death, so he refused with tears.

The two representatives left angrily and came back after a while.

Xiong Dong hesitated for a while before refusing. He was obviously a little moved. They went back to discuss it. No one wanted to miss this rare opportunity and decided to increase the price to 30,000 gold. Everyone thought clearly.

Five mercenaries also have to spend money. According to legend, the combat effectiveness of the Zhulu Army is very high. If you spend more money to hire the Zhulu Army to escort you, at least your safety will be greater.

Xiong Dong still refused with tears in his eyes. Even the two mass representatives could feel his pain and hesitation.

"The military discipline in the territory is very strict, and I really don't dare to test the law myself."

When it came to this matter, the two mass representatives had no choice. Although they wanted to go with the Zhulu Army, their lives were at stake and Xiong Dong could not be allowed to risk being dismissed or laid off when he returned.
To be continued...