Bill's caravan stayed in the small town of Eyad for two days.
Because a carriage was crushed and needed to be repaired, several boxes containing goods also needed to be replaced. In front of the craftsmen, boxes of silk products from the distant country of Bactria, as well as precious tobacco, perfume, exquisite silverware and
The jewelry was packed into new wooden boxes purchased in the town.
Unfortunately, their guide was injured due to jealousy with one of his own in the tavern and had to stay. Bill, the dandy-like businessman who bought several women's pistols, had to find a local guide.
Discussing the next itinerary with the guide, they planned to leave the town at dawn tomorrow in order to hurry up.
The next day, when the sky was dimming, the caravan set off.
There was mist in the forest and the visibility was not good, but fortunately the road was not bad.
The caravan consisted of three carriages loaded with goods, a luggage cart loaded with supplies and sundries, four grooms driving the carriages, and four horsemen, plus Sean.
The guide's name was Kerry, and he was a chatterbox. Sean noticed that his right hand was covered with calluses, and he always inquired about the business situation of Sean's family, intentionally or unintentionally.
In fact, it was Sean who found Kerry through the gun shop owner. The intelligence team had run this route, and Sean had also run it himself, and he had highlighted some places.
Leaving the town of Eyad, there is about 20 kilometers of forest trail. This section is quite flat and the trees are quite sparse, making it difficult to use as an ambush location.
At almost noon, at a fork in the road, the caravan stopped to rest. The grooms unloaded the horses and let them eat some fodder and drink water. The people also had to rest.
"Master Bill, there is an intersection ahead. I suggest you go to the left. Although the road condition is poor, it will save at least two hours." Kerry said at this time.
"Why don't you take the main road? It's hard for our carriage to pass." Sean questioned.
"I have been walking on this road for twenty years, but it is not easy to pass. Of course it is easier to walk on the main road, but you may have to spend the night in the woods tonight. This is summer, and the night is cool, but the mosquitoes at night
But it's terrible, they will suck the blood of horses." Kerry said, "Besides, don't you want a cool room and refreshing wine at night?"
"Yes, boss, Kerry is right. If you can leave this forest sooner, you can also make money sooner." Quinn Ennick interjected.
"Shut up, Quinn. You are just my employee, and you are not qualified to give orders on my behalf." Sean scolded.
Quinn's expression was stern, but he turned his head to the side angrily.
Kerry looked at Sean with a weird smile, like looking at a fat sheep.
Sean sighed: "Well, we have been delayed for two days in the town of Eyad. Every extra day, I lose a lot of money. Kerry, then just take the trail as you said."
About an hour later, the caravan set off again. Sean looked back at Quinn, who was riding at the end. Quinn nodded slightly and chopped a knife on a big tree at the intersection.
This trail is pretty good, and a carriage can pass through it calmly. However, the trees on both sides are getting denser and darker, and you can't see the other side.
After walking for a while, Sean suddenly stopped and asked.
"How far is it to the next town?"
It was already 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
"There are still 4 hours. If we travel normally, we can arrive before dark." Kerry replied.
"I feel like both of my thighs are worn out. Let's take a rest." Sean looked unhappy.
Young men always have thousands of reasons to be a little lazy.
The look of disdain on Kerry's face briefly disappeared, why: "In this case, it may be difficult for us to arrive before dark."
"Then let's spend the night here. Anyway, I don't want to ride a horse anymore. I need to take it easy." Sean said.
He ordered his men to unharness their horses and set up a tent on the spot.
Quinn smiled and said: "Master Bill, we are paid on a daily basis anyway, we don't care how long we stay."
The other guys, all glib people, also agreed.
"Quinn, shut your mouth, I don't need your reminder." Sean replied angrily.
Seeing that Sean and others had made up their minds, Kerry stopped entangled and sat on the side smoking his pipe.
This is a rare open space in the dense forest. On one side is a river beach covered with boulders and waist-high weeds, and on the other side is a dense forest 300 steps away.
The tent was pitched by the river beach, and four carriages were used to block the possible sight of the dense forest.
"Kerry, you are a local, are you familiar with the mountains and forests here?" Quinn suddenly asked Kerry.
"Yeah, what are Brother Quinn's orders?" Kerry asked.
"If you can hunt some wild game for us, our young master will reward you," Quinn said.
"Of course, please wait a moment." Kerry put away his pipe, patted his musket, and headed into the dense forest without waiting for Sean's approval.
Looking at Kerry's disappearing back, Quinn smiled: "As soon as this guy stuck his butt out, I knew what he was going to do. We disrupted his plan. Look, he must have gone to the ambush point ahead to call for help.
.”
"Have you made any marks along the way?" Sean asked.
"Second Lieutenant, don't worry. I think our people will be chasing you within an hour."
Sean said to everyone: "The gang will come within an hour, maybe even earlier. So don't take it lightly. Send three people to guard the intersection, use binoculars to guard the high points, and keep a lookout. If you find the gang coming, just go ahead and guard the intersection."
We shouted loudly, and then we pretended to be scared, guarding the carriage and fighting back, and then we were defeated and fled to the river beach behind us, where there were huge rocks to block us, which allowed us to resist and escape at the same time, and we were not allowed to fight."
"Yes!" Everyone agreed in unison.
From one of the carriages, a large box hidden in a secret compartment was moved away. Each person prepared three rifles, loaded them with ammunition in advance, and placed them on the retreat route in advance.
At 3:30 in the afternoon, the sentry suddenly shouted loudly from the front and asked:
"Brother Kerry, why did you come here empty-handed? Who are they?"
Then there was a gunshot. The gangsters opened fire, but they were too far away to reach them.
The sentry quickly retreated to the carriage, and Sean soon saw a shadowy figure in the dense forest. It was nearly 300 steps away, and it was impossible to shoot accurately under normal circumstances.
Sean deliberately panicked: "Kerry, you son of a bitch! You will die badly."
"Dear Master Bill, surrender, we will ensure that you leave safely. But the weapons and carriages will be left behind." Kerry hid behind a tree and shouted, "Don't even think about resisting. You only have 9 people, but we have 50!"
"Oh my god, Master, we are finished. Surrender now." Quinn shouted with a cry.
"Shut up, you weakling!" Sean yelled angrily.
"Haha, Brother Quinn understands the truth. As long as you put down your weapons, hold your heads in your hands, and leave slowly, we will not pursue you. Don't worry, we are not interested in your butts." Kerry laughed.
The gangsters started laughing.
Bang, there was a clear gunshot, and a gangster fell down clutching his chest. He was so complacent that he exposed himself from behind the tree.
The gangsters fired subconsciously, and most of the lead bullets fell on the front of the carriage, with only a few hitting the carriage. Their bullets could only leave a little mark on the carriage.
Quinn yelled and ran away behind him, and several other people also ran away and hid among the rocks and weeds on the river beach.
Upon seeing this, the gangsters emerged from the dense forest and chased in the direction of the carriage.
The few who were running at the front were too far forward, and were shot and fell one after another amidst the sound of several gunshots. The gangsters were stopped in their tracks, and the alert ones turned around and looked for cover.
"Catch them and cut them into pieces, then chop them into pieces and feed them to the dogs." A bandit leader shouted loudly.
"There are few of them. As long as they rush to the carriage, they can't do anything to us. Rush!"
They all had lives in hand, and they mustered up the courage to outflank them from different directions in twos and threes. Sean and others, after releasing the ammunition they had prepared in advance, fled.
"Get rich!"
The gangsters opened the boxes in the carriage and found that there were indeed many good things inside, worth no less than 5 thousand louis, including many exquisite silks, silverware and women's favorite jewelry.
Cigars were lit, wine was spilled everywhere, and the killed gangsters were hastily buried and quickly forgotten.
After getting the goods, the gangsters abandoned the carriage, carried the goods on their shoulders, and went into the dense forest - they wanted to take the loot back to their lair.
Kerry did not leave with the large group of people, but returned to the small town of Eyad, taking his share with him. He was Benjamin Tang's gang's associate and informant in Eyad, and was responsible for inquiring about information and scouting.
Target.
A box of fine cigars worth 50 gold louis and two gold rings was what he deserved this time. Although it was insignificant compared to the three carriages of goods. But Kerry was very satisfied. If he got rid of it, it would be enough for him to live happily for a while.
.
Although Tang's gang has been in this area for many years, harvests like this are rare a few times a year, because small caravans travel together and hire guards, making it difficult to take action, and the gangs are unlikely to attack frequently.
Therefore, I didn’t get much money in the end.
When he walked under a big tree on the side of the road, Kerry felt the need to urinate, so he unfastened his belt and let the water out. He felt someone tapping his shoulder.
He hurriedly turned around and saw two people wearing green rags with green paint on their faces, smiling at him from left to right, showing big white teeth. One of them had severe bad breath.
"Ah!" Before Kerry could make a sound, he was put down by someone. When he woke up again, he found that the young businessman named Bill was eating barbecue, and he didn't look embarrassed at all.
There were more than a dozen people standing around the young master. Some were eating barbecue while looking at him, while others were standing smoking and chatting.
Everyone was carrying a rifle and a sword. The guy named Quinn was also among them. When he looked at him now, he no longer had the temperament that the slippery caravan guy should have.
Seeing Kerry wake up, Sean raised the mutton chops in his hand and asked:
"Would you like some? I didn't expect that the lamb produced here has a fresh and tender meat with little smell of mutton. Coupled with the seasonings from Daxia, it is really delicious."
No matter how stupid he was, Kerry realized something.
"Do you have anything to say to me?" Seeing Kerry's silence, Sean turned to Quinn and asked, "Quinn, do you know how to skin a human being?"
"Human skin? I've never heard of it. I think the best butcher would know it." Quinn answered truthfully.
"Actually, there is a simpler way. Of course, I just heard it, so I don't know if it will work." Sean said.
"I heard that a cruel king in ancient times would bury his betrayer vertically in the soil, leaving only his head exposed. He would cut a cross on his head, pull the scalp open, and pour mercury inside. Because mercury has a very heavy specific gravity, it would
Pulling the muscles and skin apart, the person buried in the soil will be in agony, but unable to break free. The body will keep trying to move upward, and finally it will jump out naked from the opening on the top of the head, leaving only a piece of skin behind.
In the soil.”
Quinn was shocked.
"Another method is to skin the person alive. First, make an incision on the back of the skinned person's neck, cut a slit along the back and down to the anus, and then tear the skin to both sides, tearing off the fleshy skin on the back and between the arms.
They are connected together and spread out to the left and right, like two bat wings. The person who is skinned in this way will not die for a while, but will continue to struggle painfully for more than a day before dying. It is said that if the person who is skinned is fatal on the spot, the executioner will
Executed to death by a tyrant."
Quinn was speechless in shock. But Kerry turned pale, fell to the ground in fright, and shouted:
"I said, I said!"
However, the information Kerry confessed was not of much value. He and the gun shop owner were both peripheral personnel and had never been to the gangster's lair. Benjamin Tang was very cautious and the division of labor within the organization was clear.
These peripheral personnel, such as the owner of Eyad Gun Shop, will hang a red piece of clothing in the attic of the gun shop as long as the characteristics suit the target.
When the gangsters receive the news, they will immediately send people to contact them and formulate a robbery plan based on the target's situation. As far as he knows, there are many people like him, distributed in large and small villages and towns in the Black Forest area.
Convinced that nothing could be asked, Kerry was taken down, and Quinn asked: "Second Lieutenant, are those two methods of skinning people you mentioned true?"