Inside the Shangshu Mansion.

Butler Xu Bo knocked on the study door.

There was a sound at the door, and Uncle Xu pushed the door open and said, "Master, someone wants to see you."

Zhang Shi raised his head in confusion.

At this hour, there are still people asking to see you.

"Who is it?"

Uncle Xu unconsciously whispered: "He is the prince's man."

King Wu... I haven't seen him for a while. Why did he find someone to inform him for no reason?

Zhang Shi frowned: "Please come in."

Not long after, a middle-aged man in black clothes walked in.

He bowed respectfully, held the letter in both hands and said, "Master Zhang, the prince has asked me to send you a letter."

"Who are you? Why doesn't the prince have a face-to-face conversation when something happens, and why does he still send someone to deliver a message?"

"I'm the Prince's Guard Qian Hu, Jiang Hu."

Zhang Shi took the envelope tremblingly and looked at Jiang Hu in surprise.

The Prince's Guard... Before the vassal reduction, the local vassal king still had some reservations.

But this guard has been canceled long ago!

King Wu actually secretly hid this private army?

Zhang Shi quickly opened the envelope and read it carefully, sweating uncontrollably as he looked at it.

Haiyuan City was exposed...The prince went there in person?

Zhang Shi folded the letter and said anxiously: "Besides this letter, what else did the prince say? Will the prince come back?"

Jiang Hu said: "Your Majesty asked you to keep yourself useful. I have brought the message to you. Mr. Zhang, please say goodbye!"

After saying that, Jiang Hu turned and left.

Uncle Xu cautiously came over and asked, "Sir, why didn't King Wu take his guards with him when he left?"

Zhang Shi lit the letter directly with an oil lamp and looked thoughtfully at the ashes flying.

"Well... you go down first."

.........

Jiang Hu left Shangshu Mansion and ran straight to a mansion not far from the Wang Mansion.

There are many people in black costumes guarding the mansion, which looks particularly strict.

He walked through the hall and went directly to the study room in the backyard, calling a few people along the way.

This study room is decorated differently, with a table placed in the room.

On the desktop is a map that looks like a certain county.

As soon as he entered the room, Jiang Hu went straight to the point: "Everyone, the prince has gone far enough."

"Within three days, we will capture Taoyuan County and seize Gongde Wuliang, and then set off from Jiangling Port. By then, the prince should be ready to receive us at another port."

Someone asked: "Qianhu, what is this immeasurable merit? Why does the prince pay so much attention to it?"

Jiang Hu looked at the map and said: "I don't know. I just heard from the prince that it is a magical object that can split mountains and rocks! This object is the most important thing to the prince. If he goes to capture Fang Zhengyi, if he fails, it will all depend on us.

Be prepared and make sure nothing goes wrong!"

Jiang Hu pointed at the map: "We only have 2,000 people. We will send 200 people in disguise to enter Taoyuan County the next day and seize the city gate."

"The rest are hiding in the woods two miles away. When the time comes, we will go directly into the city to kill them!"

"The total number of guards and arrests in a county will not exceed five hundred, and they are all mediocre. You each lead a soldier and horse, and two teams go to guard the city gate and don't let anyone out. The rest will be divided up to search.

, kill anyone who blocks the road, we must fight quickly!"

"That's roughly it. I've sent Xiao Liu out to investigate the situation in Taoyuan County at noon. He should be able to return tomorrow and make detailed arrangements then."

Everyone began to take turns pointing at the map to discuss plans to prevent unexpected situations from happening.

Suddenly, a panicked figure broke in and stood panting in front of Jiang Hu.

Jiang Hu was shocked: "Xiao Liu! Why did you come back so soon? Have you finished the investigation?"

Xiaoliu gasped hard and said after a while: "I...I...I didn't pass the toll booth..."

"What!? Toll station?" Jiang Hu was dumbfounded.

"Ah! Toll booths! The land that enters Taoyuan County is full of damn toll booths! I didn't bring enough money, and I can't get through after two stops..." Xiao Liu looked sad.

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Everyone practices in the Zhuangzi outside the city on weekdays, and rarely has the opportunity to come out. This kind of thing has never been heard of.

Isn't this fucking robbery?

Jiang Hu was furious: "Are you a fool?! Can't you take a detour?"

Xiaoliu was extremely aggrieved: "I want to go around! But there are people patrolling the places that are easier to walk! Unless you go through the mountain, you have to pass through the toll station!"

"What the fuck! I thought there was a toll booth after I passed it, but I walked three hundred feet and another one came! Their toll booth was set up like a tea stall. They were obviously officers and soldiers, wearing linen outside.

Clothes! Isn’t this just a hooliganism!!!”

"Also, the horse was tired from walking, and there was a grass vendor selling fodder on the roadside, so I didn't think much about it. Who knew that a piece of fodder costs two cents! He also said that this is some bullshit greenhouse grass. Isn't this life-threatening? It's over.

After two stops, I only had 20 coins left on me, and they surrounded me if I didn’t pay.”

Jiang Hu slammed the table and said angrily: "Fucking thugs! Why didn't you kill them?"

"They all have knives..."

"Then did you give the money in the end?" someone asked hurriedly.

Xiaoliu cried: "I really have no money. They detained my horse and gave me some money, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to get out of the toll station. I ran back..."

“You’re charged to go in and you’re still charged to come out!!!”

"yes...."

"..."

"Qianhu, we encountered a real robber, what should we do?"

Jiang Hu held his chest and breathed hard for a few times, feeling a little at a loss.

Things are different from what I imagined. Have all robbers become regular now?

"Qianhu... what should we do? We can't go over the mountain, right? It would be too time-consuming, and brothers can't stand it!"

"In my opinion, we might as well rush in, knock down their bird toll booth, and then quickly attack Taoyuan County!"

Xiao Liu quickly stopped and said: "No! Absolutely not!"

"There is a toll booth every three hundred feet. If you open the first one, the people behind will go back to spread the news. And we don't know how many toll booths there are behind us. When the city gate is closed, we will do everything.

No!"

"What should I do with Qianhu?!"

Jiang Hu's face was solemn. He didn't expect that a small county town could be in such big trouble! This kind of situation is unheard of, and it doesn't exist in military books...

Jiang Hu blushed and said hesitantly: "Everyone... let's raise some money and go to the toll station first..."

"Qianhu, aren't we going to rob?"

"Shut up! Xiao Liu, how much does it cost for one person at the toll station?"

Xiao Liu painfully recalled: "One liang for a person, two liang for a horse..."

A total of four thousand taels including people and horses... At this moment, Jiang Hu's eyes were full of confusion.

When the prince left, it seemed that he didn't leave any money for him except travel expenses... There wasn't enough money.

Xiao Liu's weak voice came: "How about we sell the horse..."
Chapter completed!