Hu Ban, wearing a pair of black shoes, stood on a piece of dry ground and shouted.
A group of people were working outside the backyard wall of the county government office, being monitored by Zhou Cang and others. These people were the thieves who robbed and cut the paths with Feng Chao, but they also had another identity, that is, they were Haixi County patrolmen.
!Anyway, Deng Ji was short of manpower now, so he simply pulled these people over to work. Regardless of whether they were willing or not, under the gaze of Zhou Cang's eyes, they had to work hard.
Feng Chao put down the gavel in his hand and straightened up.
"Follow me, the young master is looking for you."
Hu Ban waved his hand, signaling Feng Chao to hurry up.
Feng Chao was stunned for a moment and then hurriedly walked over.
"Come with me quickly to change clothes. The young master is waiting in the front hall."
"Which young master?"
"Ha, how many young masters can there be in this county government office? Let's go, you will know when you go there."
Hu Ban was making a fuss, which made Feng Chao a little confused. He followed Hu Ban, first changed into a dark gray shawl, and then covered it with a big robe, followed by Hu Ban.
Behind him, he passed through the backyard arch and soon came to the front hall door.
Outside the gate, Cao Peng was dressed in black robe, standing with his hands behind his back.
Dianman and Xu Yi also put on new clothes, wore black shoes, and carried riding whips in their hands.
Wang Mai and Deng Fan were talking in a low voice. When they saw Feng Chao coming, they just nodded towards him and said nothing.
"Young masters, please call the criminals to come..."
Cao Peng waved his hand impatiently, "Okay, okay, why sinners don't blame others. If you really want to forgive me, go out for a walk with me."
"ah?"
"Don't tell me you're not familiar with this place!" Cao Peng's expression was very indifferent, and he couldn't tell whether he was happy, angry or happy.
"We are new here, and we don't know much about the situation here. You have been here for two years, so you must have an understanding of Haixi County. Take us around, and tell us about the scenery and customs of Haixi County...
By the way, are there any good places to eat here?"
"Well...this sinner is quite clear about it."
"In that case, let's go."
Cao Peng said and walked down the steps.
He wasn't riding a horse either, he seemed to be planning to walk there.
Dianman and Xu Yi followed him with smiles, chatting and joking from time to time.
"Feng Chao, how to get there?"
Standing at the fork in the road, Cao Peng turned around and asked, "Since you are leading the way, why don't you come over a little so that everyone can talk more easily."
"This... sinner is disrespectful."
Feng Chao suddenly felt infinite emotion in his heart.
Two years ago, he was the son of the magistrate of Haixi County; two years later, he became a prisoner.
These young men in front of him were obviously unusual. Feng Chao felt lonely in his heart, and at the same time he felt a sense of hope.
He took two quick steps and led the way.
Feng Chao is about in his early twenties and has a good appearance.
According to him, his ancestral home is in Xudu, and he is considered a small and prominent family in the local area. However, because his father Feng Yuanshu came out and separated from the family, he joined Tao Qian's account. After ten years, he finally
He became a county magistrate, but he didn't expect that he would lose his life in just two months. Feng Chao had never returned to his hometown and had almost no memory of things in his hometown, so he didn't talk much about it.
After leaving the county government office, everyone headed south.
First, we went to the Haixi Tower to have a bird's-eye view of the panoramic view of Haixi.
This tower is said to have been built in the Western Han Dynasty. At that time, Haixi Kingdom was still under the rule of Li Guangli, so someone built this tower as a commemoration. At that time, the tower was named Guanhai Pavilion, which is said to be because Li Guangli once stayed in this tower.
It was famous for drinking and watching the sea. However, Li Guangli later defected to the Huns, and Guanhai Pavilion became ignored and gradually became a local landscape...
"There is a lotus pond over there, and there are hills in the pond.
In the summer, the lotus flowers bloom in the pond, and the weeping willows curl up beside the pond... But this season, the area around the lotus pond has become very deserted."
Feng Chao was beside Cao Peng and introduced him to the scenery of Haixi.
"Going to the north is the commercial market. At this time, it is when the market opens. Well, if you are interested, you can also go and have a look. Although the population of Haixi is not too large, there are several people around here.
County, it can be regarded as the most prosperous county."
Guangling County was founded in the third year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and was transformed from Jiangdu State into Guangling State.
In the first year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wang Maishi changed the name to Jiangping County. Later, in the early days of the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the name was changed from Jiangping County to Guangling County, and the administrative seat was set up in Guangling County.
During this period, it went through changes and the name of the county was repeated several times.
In the third year of Yonghe reign of Emperor Shun, there were eleven counties under Guangling County, including Guangling, Jiangdu, Gaoyou, Ping'an, Lingxian, Dongyang, Sheyang, Yandu, Yuxian, Tangyi and Haixi. Haixi County was due to its geographical location
Due to its location, it is located to the east of Youshui with Qu County in Donghai County, and across the water from Quyang Huaipu. It is no exaggeration to describe it as a hub connecting the two Huaihe Rivers in Shandong and eight rivers.
It can be heard that Feng Chao is still a little proud in his words.
Maybe two years would be enough to assimilate him! Assimilate him into a Haixi person...
"Feng Chao, you said yesterday that there are three evils in Haixi?"
Cao Peng suddenly changed the topic, which shocked Feng Chao.
He quickly looked around and saw that there was no one else on the tower except for them. Cao Peng went out and brought ten followers with him to guard the stairs of the tower. Dianman and Xu Yi stood by another window, looking towards
Pointing at the line of sea and sky in the distance.
This was the first time they saw the sea.
It's just that the distance is a bit far, so the view is not very clear and a bit blurry.
Wang Mai and Deng Fan stood behind Cao Peng, seemingly guarding him. Feng Chao was relieved.
"I want to know, is there anyone else in Haixi?
I mean, the more famous people... Haha, when we come here, we always have to pay a visit to the local gentry to understand the situation."
"Haixi... speaking of it, there is no big shot. However, during the reign of the late Emperor, there was a man named Xiaolian, and later he served as Taizhong doctor in the court, named Mai Xiong. But he did not work for long, and I heard that he was less than a month old.
Yu was replaced by others and returned to Haixi.
This person is a famous person in Haixi.
When the Taiping thieves were raging, Lord Mai Xiongmai also organized resistance from the villagers. However, in recent years, due to his increasing age, his health has become worse and worse. He has not appeared in public for almost several years. When my late father took office, he went to
When I visited this person, I only met him once on the bed. According to what my late father said when he came back, Mr. Mai was in very poor health and he only spoke one or two sentences from beginning to end."
Speaking of this, Feng Chao couldn't help but sigh.
"If Mr. Mai had been in good health, Haixi would definitely not be what he is now."
"Mai Xiong?" Cao Peng frowned and instinctively thought of Mai Cheng who was imprisoned. However, he did not ask further questions, but looked at Feng Chao curiously and said, "Does Mr. Mai have no heirs?"
Is it? If he can’t come forward, his son can too?”
"Mai Ren...too weak!"
Feng Chao smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Mai has an only son who is nearly forty years old. But his body is not in good shape and he is an alcoholic. He rarely wakes up. Those people in Haixi County will not provoke the Mai family.
, Master Mai naturally didn't bother to pay attention... By the way, the jailer who was in the county government yesterday is Master Mai's distant nephew. It is said that he is very popular with Mr. Mai, so he was kept in the county government.
.That man... To be honest, he is not likeable and very cunning. I don’t know why Mr. Mai took a fancy to him. Mr. Mai doesn’t think much of Mai Cheng and basically doesn’t interact with him, so he just lets him live in this county.
Within the Yamen..."
Cao Peng tapped the edge of the window gently with his fingers, showing a thoughtful attitude.
"anything else?"
"In the west end of the city, there was a Mr. Wang named Wang Cheng. This man had read the books of sages and opened a private school in the west end of the city to teach the children in the neighborhood. His family background was quite good, so he was not too greedy for money.
He is quite famous and a kind person."
Wang Cheng?
Never heard of it, very strange!
Cao Peng only knew that in the later model play "Heroes and Sons", there was a hero named Wang Cheng.
Three Kingdoms period……
He turned around and said with a smile: "Brother Hutou, it's still your family."
Wang Mai chuckled and said nothing.
Cao Peng asked again: "Besides these two people, is there anyone else?"
"The rest..." Feng Chao's cheek twitched, "It's Chen Sheng!"
"Who is Chen Sheng?"
Feng Chao replied: "Chen Sheng is a tyrant in Haixi County.
He was originally from Dong'an, Langya County, and came to settle in Haixi ten years ago. This man is quite capable, and he also has a group of minions at his disposal. He cannibalized whales and plundered, occupying more than 30% of the fertile land in Haixi.
There are also shops in the city. Three of the ten shops in Beiji Market were opened by him. Moreover, this man is very smart. Every once in a while, he will go to the county and state offices to take care of things.
When Tao Xuzhou was still alive, he had been bewitched by him. Tao Xuzhou's two sons also helped Chen Sheng a lot, making his foundation in Haixi more solid. After my father took office, because they knew Chen Sheng, they
I also tried to persuade him. The two of them had conflicts over this, and even turned against each other. After my late father passed away, Chen Sheng actually played drums at home and entertained guests and friends."
Speaking of this, Feng Chao gritted his teeth and his face looked ferocious and terrifying.
Cao Peng whispered: "Then the county magistrate before your Majesty, no one cared about it?"
"At that time, Tao Xuzhou was still there, and the two young masters Chen Sheng and Tao Xuzhou had a good relationship. Who dared to ask questions?
Also, after Tao Xuzhou passed away, Chen Sheng joined the Chen family in Guangling and became a descendant of the Chen family. Now he is even more arrogant."
This Chen Sheng sounds like he fits Xue Zhou very well!
You see, he came here ten years ago.
Xue Zhou happened to be missing at that time and there was no trace of him.
He has minions in his hands, a solid foundation in Haixi County, and has a relationship with the Chen family in Guangling...
Doesn't this coincide with Xue Zhou's situation? Could it be said that Chen Sheng is Xue Zhou? In these days, it is not difficult to remain anonymous.
During the day, he is a local tycoon; at night, he becomes a pirate!
It's possible, very possible!
Cao Peng couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He stood by the window for a long time and suddenly said: "Let's go to the North Market."
"Going to the North Market?"
"Haha, take a look at how this Chen Sheng does business."
Feng Chao scratched his head and followed Cao Peng down the tower.
"Feng Chao!"
"The sinner is here."
"You said Haixi has three evils.
I already know about pirates, and I also know about merchant beetles... But how did this salt owl become a danger?
It stands to reason that although salt lords trade through Haixi, they may not necessarily bring benefits to Haixi, but at least they will not cause harm."
"Those salt lords are selling private salt and colluding with the wealthy families of the Huaihe River and Huaihe River. They have become an irreversible trend. How can they not be regarded as a harm?"
"I mean, he and Haixi County..."
Cao Peng paused, glanced both ways, and lowered his voice: "They are in Haixi, so they probably haven't colluded with anyone."
"Well...the salt owl always comes and leaves in a hurry, but I haven't heard of anyone contacting them."
"Then who do you think will be the person who ruined my father's life? The Mi family? The pirates? Or that Chen Sheng?"
Feng Chao seemed a little hesitant. It was obvious that he was not sure who the murderer was.
These people may have contacted the bandits and may have killed his father. But who are they? He has been asking for two years, but to no avail.
"Then who do you think it will be?"
"Chen Sheng!"
Feng Chao thought for a while and gave an answer.
"Why?"
"Before the accident, my father had met Chen Sheng, and the two had a fierce quarrel. After returning home, my father once said to me: Chen Sheng is a silverfish, and he will die sooner or later. Because of this incident, my father even got drunk that day.
, cursing Chen Sheng in the yard..."
Cao Peng nodded and did not express any opinion.
Unknowingly, the group of people passed through a double-layered arch and arrived at the North Market.
Different from the deserted scene in the tower, the North Market is very lively. Businessmen from the west bank of the river, as well as merchants from Donghai County and the Lianghuai area are bustling with people. According to Feng Chao, Haixi County has now become Donghai County
The largest stolen goods market in the region. Selling illegal salt, reselling stolen goods... there are many things like this. Basically, buyers and sellers do not meet each other, and they all conduct transactions through the shops here. The shops in Haixi use this method
Earn the price difference in this way, which can be regarded as a huge profit.
Real seller and buyer, no contact required.
Let the Jia people here handle everything, which can save you a lot of trouble.
Therefore, although Haixi County has a population of only more than 30,000 people, it is a place with many different directions.
The sounds of hawking in the market kept coming and going.
There are many restaurants lined with fabrics, making it extremely noisy.
Cao Peng and his party were walking when they suddenly heard a loud scolding coming from the front.
"What kind of shabby store is this? Grandpa only lived here for a few days, and yet he charged so much money?"
"Sir, what are you talking about... You have lived here for so many days, and the children have served you with all their heart. Not to mention anything else, you have to drink two bottles of wine every day. One bottle is five kilograms, twenty
A big money, that’s forty big bucks a day. In addition, you eat meat so happily every day, don’t you need money? In addition, counting that you stayed for seven days, I only charge you ten big bucks a day, which adds up to five hundred bucks.
, The small ones don’t ask for more. This is also a small business, and you have a lot of money, so why bother with the small ones?”
"what happened?"
Cao Peng couldn't help but came forward to visit out of curiosity.
"I stayed in a hotel and ate wine for no money."
Feng Chao seemed a little surprised by this.
"Don't talk about your bad wine. One bottle of wine is mixed with half a bottle of water. It's so bland that it doesn't even taste like a bird. How dare you charge so much money?"
"Sir, when you were drinking, you didn't say anything like this, and you kept cheering.
Besides, twenty dollars a bottle of wine, what else do you want? I dare say, no one in this market can sell it cheaper than the small shop..."
After the boy said this, he suddenly frowned.
His tone changed, "Sir, you don't have money and want to live and eat for free."
"nonsense!"
The person quarreling with the waiter was a young man.
Judging from his age, he seems to be in his early twenties, not much different from Feng Chao.
His bronze face was purple in color. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he looked quite energetic... But at this time, the young man seemed to lack confidence, and his speech lacked the same heroic spirit as before.
"Whether you are talking nonsense or not, you will find out if you take out the money.
If you can't get the money..." The guy sneered twice and shouted towards the backyard: "Brother Sanhei, someone wants to default on the debt here!"
Before he finished speaking, the curtain on the inner hall door was raised.
Hula la, five or six idle men came out from inside.
The leader was an idle man with broad shoulders and a broad back. On a cold day, he only wore a thin t-shirt, exposing the thick black hair on his chest.
“What bastard dares to default on his debt here because he has the heart of a bear but the courage of a leopard?
Don’t even ask, whose place this is... Are we, Mr. Chen, someone you, a scoundrel, dare to insult? We are looking for death..."
As he said that, the idle man waved his hand, and the people behind him cheered and surrounded him.
The young man suddenly became furious, "What do you want?"
"Boy, if you hand over the money honestly today, grandpas will let you live.
If you don't pay, don't blame us Haixi people for not knowing how to treat guests. If you come in vertically, I'll tell you to get out horizontally..."
The young man couldn't help but sneer, "Those little stupid thieves have such a strong tone."
"Stupid thief?" Sanhei was furious.
"Brothers, take action!"
At this time, the people watching around him cheered and dispersed like birds and beasts.
The young man stepped forward, twisted his waist, and jumped onto the street.
He rolled up his sleeves and tucked his clothes into his waist, "Come on, come on, I, Pan Zhang, am here, and I want to see how you deal with me."
Cao Peng originally wanted to watch the fun and did not want to intervene.
After all, this was his first day in Haixi, and he didn’t want to cause too much trouble...
But when he heard that the young man had announced his family name, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Pan Zhang?
Cao Peng suddenly took a breath of cold air: Could it be that Pan Zhang and Pan Wengui who followed Lu Mengqi to attack the beacon tower, and later captured Guan Yu alive, took away the Qinglong Yanyue Sword, and trapped and killed the veteran Huang Zhong?
No, isn't he Jiang Biaohuchen, a powerful general of Soochow?
How come when I heard him speak just now, it sounded like he had a Dongjun accent, without any hint of Jianghuai accent!
Could it be the same name?
Cao Peng hesitated for a moment, then heard a series of screams coming from the market.
He looked up and saw Pan Zhang knocking down the idle men in the blink of an eye, grabbing the San Hei and punching him in the face.
This punch is obviously extremely powerful!
Only San Hei was beaten so hard that his face was covered in blood...
"It's murder, someone is making trouble!"
The waiter shouted loudly at the door of the store.
Cao Peng frowned, turned to Dianman and Xu Yi and said, "Second brother, third brother, do you want to relax your muscles and bones?"
"certainly."
"That's Chen Sheng's shop. We'll have to deal with him sooner or later. It's better to do it sooner rather than later. How about we destroy this shop now?"
"Just what I wanted."
Dianman Xu Yi heard this and burst into laughter.
"Brothers, smash this store for me."
As they spoke, the two of them rushed over as fast as flying.
Without saying a word, the ten followers rushed into the store like the wind, beating people and smashing things. There was chaos in the market.
Cao Peng shouted to Pan Zhang: "Pan Zhang, come with me quickly."
