Because he did not want to see Jia Cong, the regent of the Yan State, and others, the Imperial Government decided to leave the capital and return to his hometown. The title of the Duke of Imperial Sui had expired, and now Mr. Shi was a first-class general. Because of his old age, everything in the mansion was under the control of Mr. Shi Guang
Zhu presided over it, so he hired the Capital Fuwei Escort Agency to escort him all the way. The escort's surname was Xiong, and he was eight feet tall, with a strong back and strong waist, and excellent arm strength. The Shi family was quite satisfied.
The convoy took a main road. There were many merchants on the road, and there were soldiers patrolling the streets when they encountered big towns. The road ahead was smooth, and the escorts were smiling. On this day, Xiong's face had been sullen since he got up in the morning.
His face was already dark, but now it is even darker. Yesterday, all the bodyguards were joking with each other, but today they all suppressed their smiles, and all of them had a sullen face. The servants of the Ziguo Mansion looked strange, and quietly returned here with their uncle.
thing.
Shi Guangzhu rode over to take a look, right? With the two ears on Xiong Biao's head, he thought it was really a black bear. He hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Xiong Biao, is there anything wrong with it?"
Xiong Biaotou hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "Uncle Shi, there is no need to panic, there is nothing wrong. It's just that today we have to leave the territory of Yan State and go to Qi State. I'm afraid there won't be such peace in the future, and there will be bandits."
Shi Guangzhu was surprised: "The Yan State is peaceful, but there are bandits in the Qi State? Why do I often hear about bandits in the Yan State?"
Xiong Biaotou said: "The Yan State had some bandits in the early days, but there were much fewer bandits than the Qi State. Last year, what happened in the capital, the regent wanted to develop trade. This year, General Jarvis went around reorganizing his troops, and now he has
The reorganization is complete.”
Shi Guangzhu was surprised again: "Didn't he reorganize the Royal Forest Army? Did he go elsewhere?"
Xiong Biaotou said: "He reorganized the Beijing Army and Yulin Army personally, and his generals reorganized elsewhere. When it was done, he went over to review it. After all, the reorganization was completed in the first half of the year. In recent months, military exercises have been carried out everywhere.
There are often officers and soldiers running around in the territory of Yan State. Therefore, the bandits of Yan State have all avoided it, and many of them have gone to other countries."
"What are you going to another country for?"
Xiong Biaotou said: "Ping'an Prefecture in the north, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan in the south have long lost their bandits. There have been no bandits in Fujian in the past few years. There are not many bandits left in Jiangxi. The largest bandit nest in the Yan State is at Zhanglu, Yanshan. I don't know where it is.
He disappeared inexplicably, and I heard recently that the regent secretly sent people to suppress it." He paused, "The person sent was the newly appointed Tianjin magistrate."
Shi Guangzhu took a breath of air and exclaimed: "It's him?! Where did the escort hear the news? Is it accurate?"
Head Guard Xiong smiled and said: "In our line of work, we don't know anything about bandits. There are indeed fools among them, and there are many who are not fools. Since the regent wants to develop trade, suppressing bandits is the first thing he does.
The officers and soldiers of the Yan State cannot be beaten by bandits. Therefore, it is okay for everyone to relax in the Yan State." He said seriously, "Qi State is weak and its people are fierce, so there are many bandits. It's so long.
Our convoy will inevitably be watched. I have told my brothers a long time ago that we must cheer up as soon as we leave the territory of Yan Kingdom."
Shi Guangzhu nodded: "Thank you, head escort...wait, young bandit from Yan country? Why do I hear about encountering bandits everywhere?"
Xiong Biaotou asked curiously: "I have never heard of it? Except for the fact that Ren Yazi often encountered bandits a while ago, they were officers and soldiers from other countries deliberately let in by the Tianjin prefect."
Shi Guangzhu said in shock: "Are they really officers and soldiers from other countries? I still took it as a rumor."
Head Guard Xiong thought: "As far as I know, there were originally few bandits in the Yan Kingdom. Since General Jarvis reorganized the soldiers, there have been even fewer. Even if there are bandits, they are in extremely remote places. What we are taking is the high official road.
, there are often patrols by officers and soldiers. Aren’t the bandits looking for death when they come here to rob?”
Shi Guangzhu was stunned for a long time, and said with a wry smile: "Our family really made the right move. Jia Cong is so ruthless." Then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief - since he left the Yan Kingdom, there is no need to be afraid of him.
Sure enough, less than four hours after entering Qi State, the first wave of bandits came down the mountain, and there were three or four hundred of them. Head Xiong glanced at them calmly and ordered his bodyguards: "Get the flag and come out." The bodyguards then
He took out a big flag from his bag and hung it high. The flag was red, with a round and weird pattern embroidered on it. The people who were repairing the country were too frightened to speak out, and Shi Guangzhu had already been pulled out.
He had a sword on his waist. Unexpectedly, the bandit leader opposite looked at the flag for a long time, whistled, and led the people away! In the blink of an eye, there was no trace, as if he had never been here.
Head Guard Xiong ordered the flag to be collected and went on his way. Shi Guangzhu breathed a sigh of relief and urged his horse to come closer: "Head Guard Xiong, what is this flag? Why did the bandits run away when they saw it?"
Head Guard Xiong smiled and said, "This is a trick played by our boss. Uncle Shi doesn't need to know about it."
Shi Guangzhu did not ask further questions and said, "What if we encounter bandits again in the future?"
Xiong Biaotou said: "Most of the big ones can be scared away; as for the small ones, don't worry, Uncle Shi, we are not vegetarians." Shi Guangzhu saw that he was confident, and his heart gradually returned to his stomach.
That night, another group of bandits came. This time there were only about forty people, and it was too dark. Xiong did not allow the flag to be released. He only led his men to beat the bandits away with a bang.
Ten more bandits came later, and those with many people ran away when they saw the flag, while those with few people were able to fight off the escorts. As they saw more, everyone in the Shi family gradually became less afraid of bandits than they were at first, and became more courageous.
After passing the Qi State and entering the Wu State, Xiong Biaotou seemed to be relieved. Shi Guangzhu quickly asked if it was safe. Xiong Biaotou said: "Although it is not comparable to the Yan State, it is much better than the Qi State."
Shi Guangzhu smiled and said: "Wu State attaches great importance to trade, so it is necessary to deal with bandits ruthlessly."
After a while, the whole family knew that there would no longer be so many bandits, and they felt much more relaxed.
Half an hour later, the convoy climbed a low slope. The master, servants, and bodyguards were all very tired. Master Shi ordered them to rest at the foot of the mountain. Several stewards were busy feeding the horses and sorting out the swaying luggage. At this time,
It was already the twelfth lunar month, the weather was freezing, and we were in the wilderness. It was just what was hidden in the car. The driver and those sitting on the luggage cart were all stiff with cold. But at this moment, there was a waft of wind coming from nowhere.
It smells so sweet that everyone says they have never smelled it before and don’t know what to eat.
One of the escorts laughed and said, "Isn't this supposed to be roasted sweet potatoes? I went to Hubei Province a few months ago and ate it several times."
A greedy steward asked: "What is roasted sweet potato? I have never heard of it before."
The bodyguard said: "It's not a great food. It's very cheap, and it's very good to grow. It's the sweetest when roasted hot. I heard that it was also a product of the French country in the past, and it was called sweet potato in the south. I have been growing it for decades.
It’s just that there are few people growing it, so it doesn’t reach the market. In recent years, the number has suddenly increased. Ordinary people can’t afford rice, so they eat this and Western potatoes. This smell must be coming from a nearby farmer roasting it.”
The greedy steward immediately looked at the big butler: "It's such a cold day, since it's not a valuable and rare thing, why not buy some to eat fresh from the mountains?"
Shi Guangzhu heard it from the side and said with a smile: "That's okay. It smells very sweet. I'll ask someone to buy a few. If it tastes good, give it to my wife while it's still hot." The greedy manager quickly agreed and jumped on the horse.
I went looking for it with the scent.
Not long after, the steward ran back with a smile. When he saw Shi Guangzhu, he took out a hot roasted sweet potato from his arms and said: "Uncle, there is a tea shop just around the corner. This is where I bought it."
Yes, it's so cheap. They are still boiling water, why don't you treat the masters to some hot tea?"
Shi Guangzhu took the roasted sweet potato and didn't know how to eat it. The escort smiled and said, "Just break it open."
Shi Guangzhu then broke one open, and the sweet smell hit his face, and he smiled unconsciously. He took a bite and shouted: "It's so sweet!" He couldn't help but take two more bites, and ordered two to be given to the master and his wife.
go.
Seven or eight roasted sweet potatoes were shared among the masters in a blink of an eye. The master, wife, and the young master all agreed, and asked where they bought them, and asked to buy some more. Shi Guangzhu talked about the tea shop again. Master Shi immediately said:
"Now that we have hot tea, we might as well go over and rest for a while."
He opened his mouth, and everyone started to move. He drove the carriage around a small bend, and saw that there was indeed a tea shop on the roadside. However, although the place was not small, it could only seat the master of the government and a few respectable servants.
, there are more than 300 people outside, and the escorts are still standing in the mountains blowing the cold wind. The proprietress of the tea shop is in her thirties, as pretty and vigorous as a wild flower in the mountains. The second master of the Shi family is the most beautiful woman.
, couldn't help but try to seduce the proprietress with words. The proprietress also went up to him and turned back to seduce him. The two flirted with each other for a long time. Mr. Shi took advantage of the proprietress's time to pour tea and shook her hand. The boss just did it and didn't see Shi Erye.
The elder coughed twice before letting go.
This tea shop rarely sees so many customers passing by, so it doesn't boil a lot of water. Therefore, not everyone has hot tea. Tea is served to the masters of the Shi family first, and then to the slaves who are embarrassed.
After a while, there was no water. The escorts wanted to eat and waited for the next wave. There was a young man in the Shi family. Although he was young, he had a good mind. He only took a sip of tea and said: "I can't eat such tea. Xiong
If you don't mind it, escort chief, can you have a few bites here with me?"
Xiong Battou hesitated for a moment, clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, sir." Then he strode over, picked up the tea bowl, tilted his neck, and took two big sips.
Hearing a "bang" sound, Xiong Biaotou slammed the tea bowl on the ground, pointed at the proprietress and shouted: "No! There is sweat medicine in the tea, this is a shady shop!"
I saw the landlady and the boss standing side by side, smiling and saying: "That's right~~"
Everyone in the room was confused. Only Mr. Xiong, who had just taken his tea and the medicine had not yet taken effect, shouted: "Come in quickly! This is a black shop!"
The bodyguards outside heard this and swarmed in. Many tall and strong thieves appeared out of nowhere in the tea shop in the mountains, waving their swords and fighting with the bodyguards. The bodyguards suffered a loss.
It was not big at first, so the thieves could just attack randomly, but the bodyguards had to be careful not to hurt the people who were repairing the palace, so they suddenly had the upper hand.
While fighting was going on inside, a wife smeared some black mud on her face and rushed out shouting: "It's terrible~~He's dead~~"
The people outside were so panicked that they didn't know who the wife was, so they all asked, "Who is dead?"
The daughter-in-law cried: "They are all dead! The masters are dead all over the floor! This black shop drugged the masters!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several thieves ran out from inside with knives, shouting: "Kill them all and leave no one behind!"
When these people saw that their master was dead and the bodyguard was probably defeated, why didn't they run away and wait for death? They all ran away. Some ran to the front of the road, some to the back. Those who had only run a few steps forward saw another person.
Some bandits raised their knives to stop them and hurriedly turned around and faced back. More than 300 people ran down the mountain road, followed by seven or eight big men with knives, like wolves chasing sheep.
The two groups are still fighting. The escorts of Fuwei Escorts are indeed very skilled in martial arts. Even though they are suppressed everywhere, they still gradually gain the upper hand. The thieves from outside join the fighting group. When there are more people, it becomes difficult for the escorts again - it becomes easier.
Among the masters and servants of the Shi family who were injured and lying on the floor, only the young man who gave out the hot tea was not yet smitten. However, he was also a little dizzy, and he was too young and weak to help. He was in a hurry.
Remarkable.
But at this moment, Xiong's body couldn't hold up due to the medicine on his head, and he fell down. He was the best among the bodyguards, and could fight one against three. When he fell, the morale of the bodyguard was greatly damaged.
After a while, the thieves captured two of them alive. The young master of the Shi family was so frightened that he started crying.
Suddenly someone shouted "Stop!" A bandit ran in from outside with something in his hand. The man grabbed a captured escort and stretched the thing out to him: "Whose is this?"
The escort took a look and saw that it was the flag! He immediately shouted: "It belongs to us! It belongs to our escort agency!" The thief's expression suddenly changed.
The proprietress jumped over in a few steps, grabbed the flag and looked at it carefully for a moment, then looked up at the escort: "Is it yours?"
The escort raised his chest: "It's ours!"
The landlady was so frightened that she took two steps back, her face turning pale. The boss also saw it, was stunned for a moment, and suddenly blew a long whistle. All the thieves were slightly startled when they heard this, and they all jumped out of the circle and stopped fighting.
The boss whistled again, and the thieves turned around and walked away from the doors and windows. One of the bodyguards wanted to chase them, but an old bodyguard shouted: "Don't chase! There are still people here."
The escort masters took water from behind and poured water on the Shi family members one by one, even on Xiong's head. When he woke up, Xiong's head stumbled and said, "I was careless."
Shi Guangzhu, on the other hand, said: "I can't blame you. I have never encountered such a shady shop along the way."
Then they counted the heads. The bodyguards were all in good condition, and the master and servants of the Shi family were all fine, but those outside had escaped. Fortunately, the carriages and horses were safe and sound. Shi Guangzhu shook his head and said: "In the end, we lost so many servants."
The escaping slaves met a large number of bandits on the way, and asked them to make dumplings to catch them alive. They closed the carriage and said they were going to be taken to the State of Lu to be sold. Anyway, they were all slaves, and the master died again, but these people were still honest. Who would have thought that they were all slaves?
The bandits didn't know the way very well. After walking for half a day, they finally entered the Yan Kingdom. When they met the patrolling Yan army, they were so frightened that they dropped their carriages and ran away.
The Yan army was puzzled, so they came forward, opened the carriage, and released the people for questioning. A young steward was clever and cried: "Master Jun! We are all good people, but we were captured by the bandits and sold to the State of Lu."
The leader of the Yan army said: "Your accent sounds like someone from the Yan country."
Everyone said: "Yes, we are all from Yan! Those were bandits just now!"
The leader was furious: "I let the bandits escape under my nose! Chase!" He led the people to chase the bandits.
Only the slaves of the former Tuiguo Mansion were left alone and no one cared about them.
On the other side, the people from the Xiuguo Mansion arrived safely at their hometown. Because more than 300 slaves escaped, Xiong Biaotou refused to accept their full payment, so he gave them a 30% discount and left with the money. The remaining slaves of the Shi family gradually packed their luggage.
, I discovered that three cartloads of valuable and important items had been replaced by rough wooden furniture at some point!