Everyone happily reached into the big pot, twisted some snowflake salt to taste, and their eyes suddenly lit up. One person couldn't help but said: "Young Master, it's so salty, no weird smell, it's better than any salt I've ever eaten before, let's make a fortune."
Already."
"Hahaha." Everyone laughed excitedly.
"Just get rich, a bunch of money addicts."
Qin Huaidao laughed and scolded, quickly made a gesture of silence, looked at no one outside the cave, lowered his voice and warned: "Remember, you are the only ones who master this craft, you are not allowed to go out, let alone let outsiders know, everyone
When processing in turns, you must remember that the charcoal must be replaced after three pots are made to ensure it is clean."
"Don't worry, young master, this is how our family can make a fortune."
"Yes, anyone who dares to leak the secret is an enemy of the brothers and will be killed."
Su Dingfang also clasped his fists and said solemnly: "Dingfang must be optimistic about the secret and will never let the young master down."
"Work hard, and I will share 10% of the profits from the salt produced here with everyone, but if anyone leaks the secret, you should understand the rules of the house." Qin Huaidao warned.
"Here!" Everyone clasped their fists and solemnly agreed.
"Let's work, decide the recipe, come over here."
Qin Huaidao believed in everyone's loyalty and motioned Su Dingfang to the entrance of the cave. Seeing that no one was coming, he lowered his voice and said, "Dingfang, when the first batch of salt is refined, I will return to Chang'an and leave everything to you. What's the problem?"
Feel free to ask me if you understand. In addition, in addition to the profit dividends mentioned just now, I will give you another one hundred guan of silver as a reward every month. What do you think?"
"There is no need to pay separately, the dividends will be quite large, and Dingfang is already satisfied to be able to work with the young master."
"No rules no standards."
Qin Huaidao interrupted, looked at the busy people in the cave behind him, and continued: "Everyone contributes equally, and the dividends must be fair. But you also manage everything here, so you have to give it. You also need money to support your family. This
The salt mine can be mined in half a year at most, and there will be other arrangements to return to Chang'an after half a year."
"Thank you, Master. I promise to complete the mission." Su Dingfang is not stupid. He understands that the salt mine is a test. If you pass it, you will be a confidant and officially enter the core circle. If you fail, you will get nothing.
Ten days later.
Motivated by the high silver reward, the miners worked day and night. Qin Huaidao harvested nearly 6,000 kilograms of snowflake salt, but a hundred carts arrived and were not full. Qin Huaidao planned to wait another ten days to collect 10,000 kilograms.
As the train started again, a team member who was out for investigation hurried over with blood on his body.
"What happened?" Qin Huaidao asked in a deep voice.
"Young Master, we found about thirty suspicious-looking people in the south. They had knives, bows and arrows. They seemed to be inquiring. The brothers went up to question them and were attacked. Several of them were chopped down, and the others escaped."
Qin Huaidao pondered: "They dare to hold swords and arrows, and they can still escape in your hands, which shows that they are familiar with the jungle. There are only three kinds of people, one is the hunter, the hunter cannot attack, and the other is the officers and soldiers..."
"Young Master, they don't wear official uniforms or armor, and they don't behave like officers and soldiers." The messenger interrupted.
"Then there is only the last one left, bandits. It seems that the news here has been leaked and someone has a wrong idea." Qin Huaidao sneered and looked at Su Dingfang.
"Please give me your orders, young master." Su Dingfang said, cupping his fists.
"Take a group of people to Lizhou. Be careful on the way. If I'm not wrong, I'm afraid you'll be targeted by bandits along the way. Ride on my white hoofed crow. It's fast. If you encounter obstacles, don't be polite. I'll kill you.
, tell the transportation team staying in Lizhou to drive over overnight and put on a show of pulling goods, so that the bandits think we are preparing to withdraw and force them to take action. I want to see who is so blind." Qin Huaidao said coldly.
warned.
"Follow the order, do you want to notify Lizhou officers and soldiers to assist?" Su Dingfang suggested.
"No need, they're just ordinary bandits." Qin Huaidao waved his hand. There were fifty village protection teams around him, each one worth ten. The one hundred transport team was also from the Forbidden Army. They had rich battlefield experience and good individual combat effectiveness. If used properly, one or two thousand bandits could
No problem.
There may be bandits nearby, but they cannot be more than one or two thousand, otherwise they would have been targeted by the court.
Su Dingfang also thought of this and hurried away.
The news was suppressed, and the mining workers continued mining without knowing it.
At dusk.
Su Dingfang came in a hurry with the transport team. Qin Huaidao had already climbed up the pit. He was a little surprised when he saw the convoy coming over smoothly. Did he guess wrong?
"Young Master." Su Dingfang stepped forward and saluted: "The coming and going went smoothly. I didn't encounter any obstacles, and I didn't see any suspicious people following me."
"The information cannot be wrong, tell me your opinion." Qin Huaidao asked in a deep voice.
"Could it be that they were not prepared, or didn't know our identity in advance, so they came to check and saw our methods, or maybe they don't dare to attack us now that they know about us?"
Qin Huaidao frowned and thought. He felt that Su Dingfang's analysis was reasonable, but he was a little uneasy. He had an idea and said: "No matter what the bandits want, you will know if you try it. The car is filled with sundries, covered up, and disguised as salt to pull back the profit."
Zhou, let’s lure the snake out of its hole.”
"Understood." Su Dingfang smiled knowingly.
"A hundred people spread out to guard the surroundings, putting on a posture to guard against prying eyes, so that the bandits would think that we were really planning to pretend to leave, and to prevent the bandits from seeing the truth and exposing the plan, a hundred people were recruited from underneath the pit to come up and pretend
The car is used as a disguise.”
"Follow the order." Su Dingfang hurried to safety.
With an order, a hundred cart drivers drew their swords, dispersed their surroundings, and assumed a posture as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
One hundred miners climbed up and threw the remaining bark, branches and other debris from the felling of trees into the cart, and then covered it with tarpaulin, making it look bulging.
After doing all this, the miners returned to the pit and the convoy slowly left.
Qin Huaidao did not move and led a team of people to guard the position of the scaffolding. This was the only passage. If the bandits were not fooled and came back, it would be very troublesome.
…
Su Dingfang rode in front of the transport team, looking around cautiously. He walked very fast on purpose, as if he was worried about being hijacked. The driver also deliberately put on a nervous expression, keeping his weapons handy. He was just a bandit, a rabble.
, what kind of formations have you never seen from people who came from the Forbidden Army? They don’t care.
Walk out of the valley and onto the official road.
"Speed up." Su Dingfang deliberately shouted.
"Here!" Everyone shouted in unison.
The convoy sped forward, looking worried and scared.
Not long after, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the hillside ahead. They were all fierce and howling, like a group of hyenas emerging from the forest in search of food.
Seeing this scene, Su Dingfang smiled instead. The confusion was successful. If he really hadn't been fooled and attacked the big pit instead, things would have been difficult. He raised his right hand and shouted: "Stop advancing and prepare to fight!"
Everyone was mentally prepared. They reined in their horses and stopped, picked up their weapons and quickly jumped out of the carriage. They found a place to hide and looked around to see if there were any archers hiding. Their rich combat experience was evident at this moment.
Su Dingfang stopped immediately and asked tentatively: "Who is coming?"
A strong man stepped forward, with a mountain ax on his shoulder, and shouted in a loud voice: "I drove this road. If you want to go this way, I will leave the money to buy the road. Brothers don't ask for much. Get out of here and leave the car."
Come down, otherwise no one will be left."
"We have something to discuss. Which mountain top are you heroes?" Su Dingfang continued to test.
"Don't worry about me, you are just a group of cart drivers pulling goods. You have no business working for your boss. Get out of here if you don't want to die." The strong man said impatiently.
Su Dingfang saw that he was regarded as an ordinary cart driver pulling goods, and couldn't help but secretly rejoice. The more careless and underestimating the enemy, the greater the chance of victory on his side. He was too lazy to talk nonsense. He straightened his horse, and a fierce murderous intention erupted.
"Oh, he's still got a temper, I like him." The strong man sneered.
A man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks next to the strong man reminded: "Don't talk nonsense, let's fight quickly."
"Brothers, if you get rich, kill them!" the strong man yelled knowingly.
"kill!"
The bandits roared and swarmed forward, without any formation at all.
"A mob." Su Dingfang snorted disdainfully, and after a cursory glance, he saw that there were three hundred people. If he was really an ordinary truck driver pulling goods, not to mention three hundred bandits, even one hundred bandits would be frightened to death. His heart moved.
, shouted: "The first team will charge with me, the second team will spread out, surround in a circle, and shoot freely."
So what if there are three times as many people? They are just a bunch of chickens and dogs.
Upon hearing the order, the first team rushed forward and quickly formed a triangular attack formation. The second team spread out in all directions and surrounded them in a ring. They drew their bows and issued orders and prohibitions, moving like the wind.
When the bandits saw this scene, they were shocked. This was not a coachman. He was obviously a well-trained elite. He was immediately discouraged and panicked.
"Kill--" Su Dingfang was not one to spoil the bandits, so he roared and charged forward.