Outside the Pass in the twelfth lunar month, dripping water turned into ice, and strong winds swept the sky with flying snow, raging across the earth. The sky and the earth were completely white, and they were all the same color. Even the green pine trees in the mountains were covered with snow, making it difficult to distinguish them. [] Usually you can still see a few.
A black bear shuttled through the mountains and forests, but it was nowhere to be seen at this time. It was unknown which cave it was hiding in to avoid the wind and snow. In the valley of the mountain, dozens of carriages were parked scatteredly next to several wooden houses, and the wooden houses were crowded with people.
People taking shelter from the wind and snow.
Damn it, when will this snow stop? People hiding from the wind and snow in the house shivered and hugged their thighs, huddled in the corner and shivered. They looked up to the sky from time to time, their faces full of helplessness and pain, some
The impatient people even began to curse God. However, unlike these people, in the innermost part of the room, there was a man in a leather jacket sitting there quietly, and around him, there were seven or eight people.
The burly men who were also wearing leather jackets were sitting there lazily in a casual manner. However, as long as you pay careful attention, it is not difficult to see that the positions where these burly men are sitting are just blocking the man in leather jackets behind them.
The man in the fur coat was Zhao Qiang, and those strong men were the guards he selected from the bodyguards. Only two of them were Han Chinese, and the others were Mongolians and Oroqen people. As for those who complained about God from time to time,
This time we are escorting the caravan of the three surnames heading south.
Wei Ji has always been careful in his work. Although he is very talented, he is more stable. Whenever he does things, he always thinks of the worst outcome in advance. Therefore, everyone who participated in the caravan going south is from the whole family.
Sk, so before they have second thoughts, they must consider the wives, children and children left in Guan Ningjun's hands. Of course, in addition to having relatives as hostages, these people have one thing in common, that is, their loyalty is absolutely beyond the limit. When some people
It is Guan Ning Army who has enjoyed the war dividends in all the battles against Russia. The sweetness has been tasted, and it is difficult for them to give up. In Zhao Qiang's words, these people have been tied to Guan Ning Army, and they will be prosperous.
, one loses and everyone loses. For the sake of one's own personal interests, no one would be stupid enough to inform the Qing army.
It’s just that no one in the caravan knew Zhao Qiang’s identity. They only knew that he was the escort sent by the civil servant Wei. Zhao Qiang was not often in Yask, and there was no news broadcast in this era, so people who knew him did not know him.
Most people can only glance at the commander from a distance, but they don’t know the commander’s true face in Lushan. Therefore, as long as Zhao Qiang doesn’t tell, and the people around him don’t tell, the guys and leaders in the caravan will naturally not know Zhao Qiang’s true identity.
identity.
The caravan has strict rules, to some extent even stricter than the military discipline of the Guan Ning Army. Except for the few leaders, the people below know all about the destination south, except that it is the three surnames. As for those around them,
They did not know where their companions came from, and they were strictly prohibited from asking each other. In short, this caravan was not like a real caravan, but more like a hierarchical army, so every member of the caravan was
In addition to concentrating on doing their own duties, people are not allowed to interfere with other things. Of course, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, Wei Ji also borrowed a small group of Sauron soldiers from the Guards Division to supervise the business.
Team.
Outsiders would always be surprised by such a caravan. If it were placed inside the pass, the government would probably have sent people to check it out along the way. However, outside the pass, there is no need to worry about the government. Because there are many tribes living in the mountains outside the pass.
Because of the inconvenient terrain and transportation, few merchants would go into the mountains to do business with them. Therefore, these tribes would always gather the strong men of the tribe at the end of the year and let them carry the furs and ginseng collected by the tribe for a year.
The medicinal materials were sold in the city. With such a potential cover-up, Guan Ningjun's caravan naturally did not have to worry about outsiders becoming suspicious.
It has been half a month since we set off from Yask, so it is now the seventh day of the first lunar month in the 23rd year of Kangxi's reign. I originally wanted to get to Sanxing before the Spring Festival, but there was constant wind and snow on the way to Nairobi, so it was really difficult to speed up the trip, so I delayed it.
It took half a month for the caravan to arrive at Jiaoshan Post, which was still more than sixty miles away from the three surnames.
Jiaoshan Post is a post station set up by the Deputy Dutong Yamen of the Three Surnames. It is used by both the military and civilians. In times of war, messengers who travel to various places to convey military information can exchange horses here. In normal times, the post station provides accommodation and meals for traveling caravans to earn some small money to supplement their livelihood.
Since its establishment, Jiaoshan Station has a history of more than 30 years.
There are six people in Jiaoshanyi, all of whom are over fifty. Most of them have gray hair, but their accents are very familiar to Zhao Qiang, because they are all Han people, and they are all Han people from Yunnan. They, like Zhao Qiang,
They were all former captured Wu troops. After Kangxi pacified San Francisco in the 18th year of his reign, Kangxi ordered the captured and surrendered Wu troops to be sent to the outside world as slaves in batches. The young and strong ones served as coolies, while the older ones were
They were assigned to various post stations to serve as couriers. Zhao Qiang was still familiar with this period of history. In addition, the army had a dozen or so couriers brought back by Hu Wang from around Morgan, so when he heard the familiar accents of these couriers, he
He didn't show any excitement, but quietly followed the leader into the house. The trip to Beijing was very dangerous, so Zhao Qiang had to be careful and careful not to show any signs of weakness. Before setting off, he stuck it on the back of his head.
He has a braid and is dressed like a Sauron. As long as he doesn't speak, no one will know that he is Han.
The leader of the team was a Sauron named Batu, who originally ran a cloth shop in Mergen. Later, Hu Wang sacked Mergen, so he and his family were taken to Shouyi City and later moved to Yax. Because of his knowledge,
Deman, who also knew some Chinese characters and could settle accounts, was chosen by Wei Jixiang because he was an eloquent person and was assigned to serve as a clerk in Mincao's Agricultural Reclamation Department. When organizing a caravan, due to the lack of knowledgeable manpower, Wei Ji arranged for him to be a clerk in the Commercial Department.
, it was he who organized the caravan southward for the first time.
Batu had run a fabric business and worked as a businessman, so he naturally had to worry about this situation. Because the wind and snow suddenly got heavy, he could no longer continue on his way, so Batu discussed it with the other two team leaders and Xiaoqi, who was escorting the team.
After a while, they decided to go to Jiaoshanyi to take shelter from the wind and snow. Zhao Qiang would not object to their decision. Although he was anxious to rush to Beijing, things were unpredictable. No matter how hard he went against nature, he could not defy nature, so he followed them.
Arrive at Jiaoshan Station.
As soon as he arrived at the post station, Batu stuffed two taels of silver into the pocket of the post officer in charge. As a result, the post officer in charge of the station couldn't close his teeth in a smile. It was freezing cold, and it was so cold.
During the Spring Festival, the official caravans have long since disappeared. Before the spring, it is rare to see caravans coming and going. On weekdays, the inn usually earns some money when the caravans come to stay. If the caravans don't come,
They have to wait for three or four months, living a life of food and worry. This post officer sounds like an official, but in fact he is nothing. He is also a Han rebel with a background. Compared with a clerk in the caravan,
He was all bowed down. Without external subsidies, he, the post officer, and his few post servants would all have to drink from the northwest wind. Just when he was crying for his father and mother, and no one was paying attention, a sister Lin fell from the sky and joined the business.
The leader of the team had also stayed here before, so he was an acquaintance. The post officer immediately welcomed him inside without asking any questions. The postmen who were warming themselves in front of the brazier in the room were already happy when they heard the news.
, without waiting for the post officer to say anything, he diligently went to help the caravan guys arrange the carriages and horses, brought some fodder from the backyard to feed the horses, boiled hot water and so on. Their diligence was not in vain, because according to the rules, waiting for business
When the team is leaving, these tasks all require money. If there is no money, who would want to find trouble.
But it is a pity that this Jiaoshan Station is like an old man. Several wooden houses have long been in dilapidated condition, and two houses do not even have a roof. When the north wind blows and the snowflakes drift, it is difficult to stay inside or outside.
What's the difference? Fortunately, the postmen are diligent and go to the woodshed to bring dry firewood for lighting without waiting for a greeting. With the fire, it will be much better for everyone to stay warm there.
In the evening, Batu took out the grain and asked the postmen to help make it. The white-flour flatbread was filled with dried meat, which was quite enjoyable to eat. That night, everyone stayed in the dilapidated Jiaoshan Post for one night. Zhao Qiang was woken up by the cold at night.
Both times, although he wore Feng Yun's bearskin jacket underneath and a large leather jacket outside, the weather was more than ten degrees below zero, so how could it not be cold.