The magistrate admires the people from Dongchang from the bottom of his heart.
These people came from the capital to go to Gongchang to provide disaster relief under the orders of the emperor. To put it bluntly, they were imperial envoys.
Compared to imperial envoys, a small magistrate in a place like his can only look up to him.
Providing food and accommodation for them is the responsibility of local departments.
And the troops and horses that make up for their losses are also their own.
However, providing them with information about the caravan is the first-hand information I usually accumulate.
The magistrate couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment in his heart.
"Caravan? What do they do?" Xiao Chen asked softly.
With a smile on his face, the magistrate shrank his neck: "Since the Western Han Dynasty, starting from Xi'an Prefecture, which was still called Chang'an at that time, passing through Longxi County, going out of Yangguan in the west, passing through Ili and extending to Central Asia, the silk of various countries in West Asia has
Along the road, countless caravans of all sizes were active. The caravans transported silk, tea, and ceramics from the interior of the imperial court, exchanged them for other commodities, and then transported them back, forming a huge commercial chain connecting the imperial court and various countries in the Western Regions. The journey was long and long.
It is also bumpy. Especially the Qinling Mountains between Fengxiang Mansion and Qinzhou have brought considerable difficulties to the caravan."
"If there are continuous rains or heavy rains, the rivers overflow, and the official roads are blocked, the caravans will be unable to move. In this case, an industry has arisen among the people who use animals to help the caravans carry goods over the mountains and ridges, which is the predecessor of the caravan.
Later, because horses had the advantage of carrying more things and faster than other animals, horses gradually became more popular. However, it was always inappropriate to have a small fight, so these people gathered together and established a caravan.
Unified contact with caravans and unified transportation of goods not only increases transportation efficiency, but also increases safety."
"So the caravan grew stronger and stronger, and now it is the largest gang in Qinzhou."
Xiao Chen had no expression on his face and said calmly: "Where is the headquarters of the caravan?"
"The caravan has two locations, one in Fengxiang Mansion and one in Qinzhou City, which are where they solicit business. Shanmen Town in the Qinling Mountains is where their gang is located."
"Shanmen Town?" Xiao Chen looked at the other party thoughtfully, "In addition to helping people transport goods, what other business does the caravan solicit?"
After lowering his head and thinking for a while, the county magistrate added: "This caravan is growing day by day. Now it not only transports goods, but sometimes also handles business from some wealthy families. It is a bit like a bodyguard agency."
"Escorts? Doesn't this mean that they also have their own weapons?" Xiao Chen smiled.
"How can we ensure safety when transporting goods in deep mountains and forests without armed forces? Not to mention some petty thieves who block the road and rob, wild beasts are rampant and it's not possible without anyone to protect them," said the county magistrate.
"How armed are these caravans?"
"We have everything from knives to bows and arrows."
"Such a big gang still has weapons, so the government just lets it go and no one steps in to restrain it?"
"Of course they must be restrained." The magistrate smiled and said, "The number of people in the caravan and the self-defense weapons they possess are all registered in Gongchang Mansion."
"What do you mean, Lord Magistrate, this caravan is mainly managed by Gongchang Mansion?"
"That's probably what it means," the magistrate said.
Putting his hands on the handrails, Xiao Chen stood up: "We have to rush on our way early tomorrow morning. I've been waiting for a long time to say goodbye. I hope you will prepare your army and horses as soon as possible so as not to delay our schedule."
"Definitely, definitely, I will make arrangements for you to prepare." The magistrate bowed and said.
Watching Xiao Chen and the others leave, the Qingshui County Magistrate, who had been standing by without daring to speak, slowly walked over: "Sir, you said these people from Dongchang went to Gongchang to provide disaster relief. Why did you inquire about the caravan in such detail?"
The smile on his face disappeared, and the magistrate said expressionlessly: "Didn't you hear that they lost eight army horses?"
"But what does this have to do with the caravan? The caravan stole their military horses?"
Shaking his head, the magistrate's face turned serious: "It shouldn't be that simple. The person who spoke just now should be their head. The person next to him is covered in dust, but the clothes on his body are extremely clean. This is very wrong.
Plus, when they entered, their faces remained expressionless, so they must have something on their minds."
"I am an imperial envoy from the capital. How can I smile at local officials like us?" the county magistrate said with a bit of inferiority complex.
"You are wrong. These truly powerful people will not pretend to be arrogant. On the contrary, only those who are half-dissatisfied will show off, for fear that others will not know how powerful they are. The reason why they are expressionless,
There must be something on his mind."
"Why do you think so, sir?"
"The speaker's clothes were unusually clean. There is only one explanation. He had just changed his clothes before entering the city. Qingshui County was just a small county they passed through, and it was not enough for him to treat him like this. His clothes must be
It’s in shabby shape.”
The magistrate's eyes showed a hint of solemnity.
"Isn't that great? Could it be that they were attacked?" The county seat couldn't help but open its mouth.
The people of Dongchang are already extremely noble.
But this time, they were ordered to go to Gongchang Mansion to provide disaster relief, and they were even envoys from the imperial court.
What we have to do is to rescue the refugees and to do something righteous in the midst of fire and water. Who is short-sighted and has the courage to ambush them on the road?
"There can't be such a thing. Perhaps, that adult is a very particular person and doesn't like to wear dusty clothes."
"Then how do you explain the loss of eight military horses? It's normal for a military horse to accidentally slip and fall into a valley. There are eight of them." Looking back, the magistrate looked at the county magistrate, "Did you pay attention just now?
, the two Dongchang people have some skin injuries on their bodies?"
Frowning slightly, the county magistrate looked around and lowered his voice: "When the adults said this, I really remembered it. The person who spoke, Mr. Dongchang, had a small wound on his face, and the blood stains seemed to have been dried not long ago.
.Could it be said that the caravan is really unscrupulous and will attack anyone?"
"This matter is not something we can get involved in. Well, let's go to the guard army first and requisition eight military horses before we get down to business."
The magistrate shook his head and hurriedly walked out of the gate of the county government office.
Qingshui County is located far away from the official roads, and the post house is not large, and can only accommodate thirty people.
Duan Tianming planned to look for an inn in the county town, but Xiao Chen stopped him.
"The official post office can only accommodate thirty people, but there are more than fifty of us. How can we not stay there unless we find an inn?" Duan Tianming said.
"There is a Datong Shop inside the Guanyi, so just squeeze in. So far, we have no idea who the ambush is, so don't separate." Xiao Chen looked around cautiously.
"This is Qingshui County, everything should be fine, right?"
"Qingshui County? Can the government be trusted? How do you explain that the ambusher was able to use gunpowder?"
"This, this..." Duan Tianming lowered his head.
"From now on, no one outside Dongchang can be trusted, including officials at all levels." Xiao Chen said coldly.
"Yes." Duan Tianming responded.
The sky was getting darker and darker, and on the streets of the county town, the light of oil lamps shot out from the doorways of shops.
In the official post, three men in aprons, each carrying a wooden bucket, followed a man and knocked on the door of the room where Xiao Chen and others stayed.
The door was opened, Duan Tianming stuck his head out and looked at the man a few times: "This is the official postmaster?"
"The meal is ready. I originally planned to let the brothers come over to eat. But thinking that everyone has been traveling all day and is already exhausted at this moment, so I asked for the meal to be brought over." He bowed slightly towards Duan Tianming.
, said the official postmaster.
"Thank you so much, the postmaster." As he said that, Xiao Chen hurriedly called for the people to come out and took the food they sent in.
Watching the person who delivered the meal go away, Duan Tianming closed the door, took out the silver needle, and began to experiment with the food.
"There should be no problem with this food. But you should try it." Xiao Chen said.
After a few breaths, the silver needles in the meal were still as white as ever.
"It's really no problem." Duan Tianming said, and started to greet everyone for food.
With his back against the door, Xiao Chen took the bowl of food handed over by Duan Tianming: "If there is a chance of poisoning, they will never mobilize a large force to ambush in the valley. Let's eat while it's hot and have a good rest. Let's set off early tomorrow.
