Xu Wujiang was recommended by the local clan at the provincial level. He was a low-ranking soldier in the Inspection Department and had a low status. However, in addition to the fact that the Xu family behind him was a powerful family in Tongbai Mountain, he himself was famous for his tyranny in the countryside.
The group of soldiers led by Xu Wujiang were mainly members of the Xu clan and villagers with different surnames from Lutai Village.
Deng Gui usually treated him very kindly.
Xu Wujiang lived in a separate small courtyard north of the Yamen of the Military Village Inspection Department; Xu Huai had been hanging out with Xu Wujiang for the past two years after his mother died of illness. He and Xu Xin'an usually lived in that courtyard as their followers.
.
Except for Deng Gui, there are two heads of the Inspection Department, and the six section-level officials are surrounded by two or three cronies who live and eat with them. Over the years, they have been receiving military pay in the Inspection Department, accounting for almost one-third of the Inspection Department's share.
of troops.
Xu Huai is under age now and is not considered a formal soldier of the Inspection Department, but Xu Wujiang also receives a military salary for him and helps him save it for marrying a wife in the future.
Xu Huai followed Xu Xin'an back to his residence. Xu Wujiang, who had taken off his clothes and armor, was standing in the corridor wiping his face with a sweat towel.
Xu Wujiang's wife Di Niang was a woman with a strong figure. She was not very beautiful, but she was beautiful and generous. At this time, she came out of the wing and saw Xu Huai. She complained: "You idiot, why are you running away again?"
Go hang out in Yingzizui, if you let those horse thieves hurt your life today, how will I explain to your dead parents!"
She took the sweat towel from Xu Wujiang's hand and pulled it towards Xu Huai with hatred of iron being broken.
It wouldn't hurt if he was hit, and Xu Huai wouldn't hide.
Xu Huai was mentally confused in the past and didn't know much about his own family affairs. He only knew that his father, Xu Wuxuan, was a military attache of the Imperial Army in his early years. He left the military camp fifteen years ago and met Su Di's family who were fleeing the famine on his way back south. He helped them to the Xu family
Yuhuangling, where the clans lived together, settled down.
Xu Huai's father died two years after returning to his hometown. For more than ten years, his mother took him and Su Di's family to depend on each other. There was a big epidemic in Biyang County the year before last, and his mother and Xu Wujiang's wife both died of the disease.
, Su Di married Xu Wujiang as a second string, and became Xu Huai's "Seventeenth Aunt".
Xu Wujiang took him in because Su Di was worried that he was clumsy and would not be able to support himself on the three to five acres of thin farmland.
Xu Huai felt that if there was anyone else in the world who really cared about him, it was Su Di.
The sweat towel hit Xu Huai's neck, and there was a "snap" sound. Di Niang herself felt distressed. She grabbed his shoulder and saw a light red mark on his neck. She cursed: "You idiot, you don't know."
Hide for a moment, does it hurt?"
"Xu Huai hasn't made much progress in his martial arts training, but his body is as lumpy as iron bones. If you hit him with an iron bar, you may not be able to make him cry out in pain!" Xu Wujiang said with a smile.
"Have you not eaten yet?" Di Niang asked, then ran to the kitchen to prepare food for Xu Huai.
Xu Wujiang called Xu Huai and Xu Xinan to the east wing to question:
"Today is it really like Mr. Wang said, how many horse bandits came to Huaiyuan Town to rob money without opening their eyes?"
If Xu Wujiang asked him on the way, he really didn't know what to say, but for now he decided to hide the matter. Wengsheng said: "It should be so, I didn't see it too clearly."
Otherwise, could it be that he had already expected that Wang Zhen would be in trouble in front of Yingzizui Cliff today?
Could it be that when he was in Yingzizui, he also discovered that the three horse bandits were actually the assassins who were chasing Wang Zhen?
Could it be said that these three assassins were probably sent by Cai Qing, the Privy Councilor of the current dynasty?
He can't even figure out what happened. Can all this be explained clearly?
Xu Wujiang saw that Xu Huai was in a daze again, so he walked to the window and muttered to himself:
"Wang Zhen must have offended someone in the court and was demoted to Tangzhou. But if Deng Gui didn't get close to Wang Zhen, it would be over. There is no need to avoid it in a hurry! This is really wrong! Let's talk about Hutouling.
, the group of people in Xiema Mountain have been quite honest in recent years, and can usually secretly gain the respect of nearby villages. They should not attack an inconspicuous old carriage - if they are targeted by horse thieves from other places.
Even a fat sheep can't get close to the eagle's mouth and attack?"
Listening to Xu Wujiang talking to himself and analyzing today's events, Xu Huai looked at his figure in surprise.
He had been ignorant before, and his understanding of the people around him was only superficial. However, he did not expect that the seventeenth uncle Xu Wujiang, who was usually quite rude, seemed to have no scruples in front of Wang Zhen and others just now. In fact, he had already seen many doubts.
"If you're not a horse thief who robbed money, could you be the assassin who chased that old man Wang Zhen? I think Uncle Seventeen you are just too worried." Xu Xin'an said carelessly.
"Am I too worried?" Xu Wujiang raised his hand to slap Xu Xin'an and said, "According to the rules, the inspection envoy must personally lead the soldiers every month to inspect the villages and villages under his jurisdiction to prevent bandits from breeding, but Deng Gui
That turtle son has been in office for more than two years. Except for the first two or three months, he was quite diligent. After that, apart from staying in the military camp to eat wine, or going to the market to brag about Sister Hua and sleep with him, what serious things have he done? "
Xu Xin'an asked: "Seventeenth Uncle, you said so, this matter is a bit strange, but Mr. Wang and Mr. Wang have already stayed in the post house. Before Deng Langjun left, he ordered Seventeenth Uncle to recruit them, do you want to do more?
past?"
"Deng Langjun, Deng Langjun, you are using chicken feathers as arrows, have you fallen in love with that young lady from the Wang family? Why don't you pee and look at your own face?" Xu Wujiang smiled and kicked Xu Xin'an in the butt.
, scolded, "Deng Gui ran away in a hurry, why are we going to join in the fun?"
"What about the escort tomorrow?" Xu Xin'an asked.
"Go to the market and find out which cavalry team will go to the county town tomorrow. You and Xu Huai will accompany them there and then come back overnight after sending them to the county town. Don't delay..." Xu Wujiang told Xu Xin'an.
"Yeah!" Xu Xin'an responded.
"Oh, by the way, you go to Xu Sihu and the others again and ask them to be stricter and not to tell nonsense about today's incident - no matter what is strange about this matter, there are horse thieves in Yingzizui, but the 'bandits are not peaceful'
It's a big or small crime. It's not a good thing if it's spread to the county. Don't make trouble for yourself." Xu Wujiang ordered again.
"Okay, I understand all this! I can't guarantee Deng Langjun's side!" Xu Xin'an said.
"Deng Langjun still needs a fool like you to worry about. Why can't you learn from Xu Huai and keep your mouth shut when doing things?" Xu Wujiang glared at him.
"He can't even make a sound with three sticks. Uncle Seventeen is left alone with him. Don't you feel bored and panicked?" The things Xu Wujiang ordered required a sharp mind, and Xu Xin'an also felt that he was the only one who could do it.
Accept it.
Xu Huaile was enjoying his leisure time. When he heard Di Niang calling him from behind, he ran over to eat.
"No! Eat quickly. Look how hungry you are. You've lost a lot of weight in the past two days!" Di Niang saw Xu Huai running over and stuffed a bowl of freshly heated whole grain rice into his hand with a strip of sauce.
Give him the melon.
Xu Huai poked the bottom of the bowl with his chopsticks and pulled out a large piece of oily bacon. Suddenly, the hungry bugs in his stomach woke up and screamed desperately: I want to eat meat.
There was a dining table in the kitchen, but the room was too dark, so he squatted in front of the porch, eating and thinking about things.
Xu Huai was confused in the past, and others would not tell him many things, but now he has regained his consciousness, and from what he sees and hears every day, he understands that things are not peaceful in Tongbai Mountain.
There has never been a shortage of criminals in this world. They have been exploited by the government and powerful clansmen, and it is not new for villagers who cannot survive to turn into bandits.
Those extremely dangerous, rugged and remote places in Tongbai Mountain are the most susceptible to collecting dirt.
Therefore, banditry has been a problem that has plagued Tongbai Mountain for a long time; when the banditry was at its worst, all business travel on the Zouma Road was cut off.
When the Inspection Department was first established in Huaiyuan Town 30 years ago, the effect of suppressing bandits was not very good. The main reason was that the main force of the Inspection Department's soldiers at that time were mainly rotating garrison guards.
The gangsters also wanted large households to donate money and food to support the military.
The clansmen with the big surname did not dare to fully cooperate with the inspection department at first, for fear that the suppression of the bandits would not be successful and they would eventually suffer the revenge of the bandits.
Tangzhou later changed its military system, and the Huaiyuan Inspection Department was able to recruit native soldiers from the local area.
Everyone's interests were closely related, so the clan with the big surname gave full support to the suppression of bandits, fought several tough battles, and captured many strong thieves and sent them into exile.
Even though there are many people who commit crimes these days, and there are always a few stubborn bandits in the dangerous places in Tongbai Mountain, they still dare not go to the big surnamed clans for revenge;
Take great risks.
Gradually the two phases stopped fighting.
Of course, the price for the villagers not to go down the mountain to rob houses at will is to go to nearby villages every once in a while to extort food and property.
The Inspection Department and the clans of the big surnames will turn a blind eye to this, and even blackmail them. As long as it is not excessive, they will accept it and treat it as an extra tax donation to buy peace.
After the delicate balance was formed, the horse trails in Tongbai Mountain have become peaceful in the past few years.
Even if there are some newly fallen thieves who don't understand the rules and come to cause trouble near Huaiyuan Town, the inspection department doesn't even need to take action. Several cottages may secretly send their heads here.
It has been more than a month since Xu Huai regained consciousness. Xu Wujiang, besides leading his team to patrol around Huaiyuan Town every day, is also practicing martial arts and drinking in the military camp, gathering soldiers to bet money, and his impression of him is only about his temperament.
He is rugged, powerful, and capable of convincing others.
However, what he said just now made Xu Huai realize that Xu Wujiang only seemed rough and rough, and that he had never had the opportunity to show his delicate scheming in front of him before.
Deng Gui had been transferred to Huaiyuan for more than two years. Every day, he either drank in the military camp or went to the market to have fun with prostitutes. He didn't take care of anything. Xu Huai thought he was an incompetent and fatuous official.
Looking at today's situation, Xu Huaicai realized that Deng Gui had probably figured out the situation in Huaiyuan Town before he took office and was definitely not a fool.
Deng Gui would let things go and leave everything to the head of the province, and the provincial level would be responsible. In fact, he handed over the power to the local forces. He was drunk and dreaming every day, ignoring the affairs, but he was able to survive his three-year term safely.
