On February 20th, there was a woodcutter in Yangxia County who made a living by cutting firewood. He went to Geyang Mountain to cut wood and cut firewood as usual.
There was no way, because the fight between the merchant navy and the rangers a few days ago really frightened the people in Yangxia County. Except for some farmers who were forced by spring plowing and had to take risks, they had the courage to ask those who were on the streets.
The patrolling Shangshui soldiers asked if they could leave the city, while the rest of the Yangxia people hid in their homes, too frightened to go out.
And this woodcutter named Chang is one of the latter.
Chang Woodcutter's family of six were terrified and hid in their home for several days. Every day they were worried that someone would force the door open and break in, causing harm to their family.
As a result, nothing happened for several days. Only later did he find out that the army originally called the Shangshui Army was actually the direct army of the eighth prince of Wei, His Highness "King Su Zhao Run".
This, this, this, this is so scary.
So Chang Woodcutter went out early in the morning with a depressed look on his face.
Why are you depressed?
It's not that he was delayed for a few days, hiding at home and not daring to go out, so he couldn't make enough money to support his family in these few days.
Therefore, the woodcutter Chang brought enough tools today and prepared to carry a load of firewood back to the county town to make up for the consumption at home in the past few days.
After walking to Geyang Mountain, Chang Woodcutter took out an ax from the basket behind his back, spitting twice into the palm of his hand, picked up the ax and swung it at a mountain tree.
Although there are many withered and fallen branches nearby, those things cannot be sold for a good price unless they are burned. If you want to sell them for a good price, you must cut down the entire forest trees and extract their trunks.
And just as the woodcutter Chang was cutting down the forest sweating like rain, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound coming from not far away.
The sound became clearer and clearer from far away, as if something was moving rapidly through the forest.
"What...what's going on?"
Chang Woodcutter subconsciously clenched the ax in his hand and protected it against his chest.
He suspected it was a wolf.
Because in Wei State, wolf plagues are very serious, especially in late autumn and early spring, tragedies of jackals attacking humans are increasingly common.
Chang Woodcutter swallowed his saliva and was on guard with cold sweat on his head.
Suddenly, several figures jumped out from the grass not far away and glanced at Chang Woodcutter with sharp eyes.
"ah!"
Chang Woodcutter couldn't help but screamed.
However, those figures ignored him and whispered something to each other.
"Not here, go over there!"
With two whooshing sounds, those figures suddenly disappeared into the forest, leaving only Chang Woodcutter with a dazed look on his face.
"The people of Yiqiu? Or the people of Fuqiu?"
Chang Woodcutter, who had come back to his senses, patted his violently beating heart while secretly guessing the identities of the figures just now.
Geyang Mountain is the territory of the Yiqiu people and the Fuqiu people. This is a well-known fact among the people of Yangxia.
But just as Chang Woodcutter was secretly guessing, several figures suddenly appeared from behind him and sped past him.
With a startled glance, Chang Woodcutter discovered that they seemed to be the hidden thieves from Geyang Mountain.
Faintly, Chang Woodcutter had a bad premonition in his heart. He vaguely felt that Geyang Mountain seemed to be in danger today.
"I'd better go back as soon as possible..."
Chang Woodcutter became a little timid.
But just as he was about to pick up the basket and go down the mountain, he suddenly heard a "ding-dong-dang" sound coming from deep in the mountain.
The jingling sound was not like the rhythmic sound of a blacksmith, but like the sound of swords clashing, chaotic and chaotic.
"What on earth... happened?"
The curiosity in his heart drove Chang Woodcutter to put down his basket, hold his ax and walk towards the depths of the mountain where the strange sound came from.
In the past, he would never have had the courage, because both the Yiqiu people and the Fuqiu people prohibited the local woodcutter from going deep into the mountains and forests, lest anyone discover the location of their camp.
Therefore, like the Chang woodcutter, they only dare to cut down trees on the outskirts of the mountain forest, and never dare to risk their lives going deep into it.
But today, because he was really curious about the strange noise, he bravely walked deep into the forest.
After walking for more than a mile, Chang Woodcutter suddenly stopped and subconsciously held his breath.
Because he was shocked to find a man in gray cloth lying beside a tree not far ahead.
After observing carefully for a moment, he bravely stepped forward and stretched out his hand to detect the man's breath. Only then did he realize that the man had already expired.
However, even though he had died long ago, his body was still warm.
In other words, this person died not long ago.
"What on earth...is going on?"
Chang Woodcutter was frightened and frightened.
At this time, the strange sound like the collision of weapons in the distance was still continuing.
Gritting his teeth, Chang Woodcutter quietly touched a bush, parted the bush and looked deeper.
After just one glance, he took a breath of surprise.
Because about 20 feet away, about a hundred people were fighting fiercely. Each of these people was wearing black or gray cloth, and some had their faces covered with cloth. They were holding daggers, short blades, and their own weapons.
The enemy was inextricably killed.
The ground was filled with corpses, and blood dyed the land of Geyang Mountain red.
"The people of Yiqiu...the people of Yiqiu and the people of Fuqiu are fighting?"
Chang Woodcutter subconsciously covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound, but just watched with his eyes wide open.
In his eyes, those hidden thieves who were agile and highly skilled in martial arts were holding sharp short blades and risking their lives to strike at the vital points of their enemies. In the end, they either killed their opponents or they were
If you are killed yourself, there is no third ending.
Chang Woodcutter was shocked and speechless. He had lived for more than thirty years and had never seen such a fierce fighting.
Suddenly, there was a pop and a corpse fell in front of Chang Woodman, who was so frightened that he almost screamed.
After calming down and taking a closer look, I saw an arrow as slender as a bamboo stick stuck in the neck of the corpse.
This is a blowing arrow.
No, not far away, a thief just put away the blowpipe in his hand and put it into his arms.
But in the blink of an eye, the hidden thief was stabbed in the heart from behind by another hidden thief, and fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.
The entire battlefield was so chaotic that Chang Woodcutter felt that every time he blinked, several hidden thieves would lose their living lives and turn into corpses that could not move.
He didn't dare to look any further because his whole body was trembling.
He picked up the ax and ran away down the mountain.
When he turned around, he found that many hidden thieves had glanced at him, apparently having discovered him, but for some reason they did not pursue him and continued to fight with the enemy.
"Something big happened, something big happened..."
In a panic, he returned to the place where he left the basket. Chang Woodcutter did not bother to pick up the wood that had been chopped into sections, and fled down the mountain with the basket on his back.
How could an ordinary commoner like him be allowed to watch the fight between the Yiqiu people and the Fuqiu people?
He returned to Yangxia County in a panic, but did not return home. Instead, he found a wine shop and asked the waiter for two bowls of wine to calm his panic.
Because he is a frequent tavern, the store owner and his waiters all know Chang Woodcutter.
So, seeing the frightened look on Chang's woodcutter's face, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "What's wrong, Lao Chang, his face is blue, has he seen a ghost?"
Chang Woodcutter waved his hand, took several sips of wine, and then lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "Brother, guess what I saw when I went to Geyang Mountain to cut down trees just now?"
"Have you seen a vixen?" the store owner joked, causing all the drinkers in the restaurant to burst into laughter.
Seeing this, Chang Woodcutter waved his hand angrily, and then said mysteriously: "I saw the people from Yiqiu and Fuqiu fighting."
"People from Yiqiu? People from Fuqiu?"
The store owner and the drinkers inside were stunned.
You must know that a few years ago, the Yiqiu people and the Fuqiu people did meet and a fight was inevitable. But that was many years ago. In recent years, the Yiqiu people and the Fuqiu people have not been at odds with each other.
What?
"Really?" the shopkeeper asked in surprise.
Chang Woodcutter smiled and drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp.
The shopkeeper understood and took the initiative to fill up the wine for him, and then said: "Lao Chang, stop hiding it and tell me what you saw. Today, brother, I will give you free wine money."
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Chang Woodcutter stopped pretending, and after happily taking a sip of wine, he told the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes. He only heard the store owner and the drinkers look at each other in shock.
Because if what Chang Woodman said is true, then this time the Yiqiu people and the Fuqiu people are not just having a small fight. Maybe one of them is not good, and one of the hidden thieves is likely to be expelled from Yangxia and completely reduced to
for history.
This... what kind of hatred or resentment is this?
Everyone in the wine shop looked at each other.
After a while, the store owner asked suspiciously: "Lao Chang, did you really see it with your own eyes?"
"How can it be false?" Chang Woodcutter wiped his mouth and vowed: "I swear to God, if I have a good word, I will be picked up by a jackal when I turn around."
Seeing that the woodcutter from Chang had mentioned this, everyone believed it.
However, why did the people of Yiqiu and Fuqiu, who had been at peace with each other in recent years, suddenly start fighting each other again?
In just half a day, this breaking news spread throughout Yangxia County and reached Zhao Hongrun's ears.
"It moves so fast..."
When Zongwei Gao Kuo, who was responsible for collecting intelligence information, told Zhao Hongrun the news, Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but smile proudly.
He was indeed a little proud. After all, it was he who had single-handedly caused the hidden thieves to kill each other. If things went smoothly, perhaps there would be no need for the Shang Shui Army to be dispatched, and he would be able to solve the Yangxia hidden thieves, a long-standing problem in the imperial court.
problem.
"But it's not enough...let me add more fire!"
With a chuckle, Zhao Hongrun issued an order to Zongwei Gao Kuo.
On the same day, another notice was posted in Yangxia County.
This is a notice to appease the people of Yangxia County. After all, almost the entire county has heard the news that the Fuqiu people and the Yiqiu people are fighting each other, but they just don't know why.
In this announcement, Zhao Hongrun pointed out the reason.
He wrote in the notice that among the hidden thieves in Yangxia, some thieves repeatedly violated the prohibition and refused to obey the discipline, and even assassinated him, King Su, and killed the family of Yangxia County Magistrate Ma Qian. They were unforgivable crimes!
However, among the hidden thieves in Yangxia, there were some other hidden thieves who kept themselves clean and turned from darkness to light. Zhao Hongrun gave them material rewards on behalf of the court.
However, Zhao Hongrun did not clarify who were the traitors and who were the obedient and loyal people.
In other words, the winner is the king and the loser, the winner is the loyal and the loser is the traitor.
Zhao Hongrun believed that the hidden thieves in Yangxia would definitely understand the profound meaning of this notice.