Chapter 3 Storm (Part 2)

"Madman." Zhang Songling was disturbed by the singing and lost all You Xing. He threw down the rotten tree branch in his hand and turned to hold his mount. The man like a black iron tower looked very bright, as if he could tell at a glance that he, a traveler, was a fake. Fortunately, this person was not the same as the Japanese and traitors in the city. Otherwise, Zhang Songling would probably be lying in the prison of Heishi Village.

As for what this person's true identity is, Zhang Songling has no time to dig into the bottom line. He has already wasted too much time in chasing the traitor Zhu Er. The companions of the secret service regiment are still waiting for him at an unknown location. He has to quickly end the itinerary outside the border to chase the team and kill the Japanese with the secret service brothers. No matter how corrupt the upper bureaucrats in this country are, the army as a whole has to wait on the battlefield, and he has to fulfill his responsibilities as a man. As Lao Gou once told him during his lifetime, "We can't control other people's affairs, but we can at least manage ourselves."

Thinking of the depression, he came to the south gate of Heishi Village again without knowing it. Several puppet soldiers who were responsible for checking the passing pedestrians saw that they were familiar faces. They waved their hands and didn't even search for them, so they let him in. After entering the small restaurant where they temporarily settled, Yu Laosi had already prepared dinner for him early and brought it up together with the bills for the past three days.

"I have to go out tomorrow." Zhang Songling loudly explained to Yu Laosi while picking vegetables in his mouth, "The goods will be kept in your store. Please help me take care of them. I can pay you the money in advance. Also, you can help me prepare fifty bean buns, and I will take them on the road to eat when I leave."

"Oh." Yu Laosi simply agreed, grabbed the bill, crossed out the original number, and rewrite another amount, "Do you want to buy a horse? I can help you find one. Just your black ensemble is probably not able to carry so much goods."

"I walked and let it only carry goods. This time I came to explore the way for my family, and I didn't bring the money to buy big animals." Zhang Songling thought for a while and was perfunctory. In fact, he didn't want to take the goods away at all, and of course there was no need to waste money to buy another mount.

"Oh." Yu Laosi nodded, and a hint of unconcealed disappointment appeared in his voice. In recent days, Zhang Songling, a "fat sheep", had scraped all his money and suddenly found that the extra money he had planned had become empty, and he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Zhang Songling did not notice the other party's emotional changes at all. After eating a few bites of the dishes, he seemed to ask another topic inadvertently, "Does anyone often go to the stone circle outside the city for a picnic?"

"Cooking." Yu Laosi blinked his eyes and thought for a while before he understood what the word "Cooking" in Zhang Songling's mouth meant. He immediately widened his eyes and asked in a lost voice: "You saw someone ignite the fire inside. Oh my God, you actually saw someone sacrificing the sky inside."

"Sacrifice to the sky." This time, it was Zhang Songling's turn to be stunned. He once guessed that an altar left by ancient ancestors in the Stone Circle, but he never expected that the big black man he met twice today actually offered sacrifices to the sky in the Stone Circle.

"Did you see what the person who sacrificed the sky looks like? What is the sacrifice he used?" Yu Laosi's face turned pale as snow, but his mouth kept asking like a cannon.

Zhang Songling was worried about this old guy who likes to take advantage of it. He shook his head and pretended to be unwilling to cause trouble. "I just found burned ashes when I went in and played. I thought someone had barbecued meat inside, but I didn't expect it to be a sacrifice."

"Is the gray old or fresh?" Yu Laosi's expression became more and more serious, and he grabbed Zhang Songling's arm and asked non-stop.

Zhang Songling grinned and looked innocent, "How can I tell me? If you always want to know, just ride over to see it tomorrow morning, wouldn't it be enough?"

"I won't ask for disaster for myself." Yu Laosi let go of Zhang Songling's arm and said angrily. Then he picked up the bill from the table for the second time. While changing the numbers on it, he whispered, "If you are not in a hurry, you'd better stay here for a few more days. We are still the same rule. I will pay you every three days. I will give you a 30% discount on the meal and accommodation money. Also, if tomorrow's affairs are not important, don't leave the city. Just stroll around the city. You haven't seen the Lama Temple in the city."

"What's wrong, Fourth Brother, what happened?" Zhang Songling could clearly feel the kindness in the other party's words, raised his head and looked into Yu Laosi's eyes with confusion.

"I can't explain clearly what's wrong." Yu Laosi refused to face Zhang Songling's eyes, turned his head to the side, and responded vainly, "Anyway, it's better not to leave the city these days."

"Look," Zhang Songling dragged his voice, staring at Yu Laosi like a curious baby, "If you don't leave the city, you have to give me a reason, otherwise I can't go back to my home, and I'll be wandering around the city all day long, and I won't have to cause trouble."

"When the yellow beard and the black beard were in fire, some people saw the fire in the stone circle in advance." Zhang Songling asked, but Yu Laosi had to remind him in a vague way, "Before the battle between the Yete and the four Wuliwute flags, Prince Dakexi also brought people to worship the sky in the stone circle. Even further away was when Gadameilin rebelled, the fire in the stone circle was said to have been lit for three days and three nights." (Note 1)

"Oh." Zhang Songling vaguely understood. It turned out that igniting a fire and offering sacrifices in the huge stone circle was to ask God to make a ruling on something that the government did not want to or could not control. Once God made a ruling, he would never stop and blood would flow into a river.

Even though he understood, he did not want to change his plan because of this. The black iron tower that sacrificed the sky in the stone circle in the evening was not like a person who liked to harm innocent people. This can be inferred from this person's behavior today that although this person put a lot of pressure on himself in the two encounters today, this person did not perform any threatening actions while gaining the upper hand. Especially for the second time, Zhang Songling remembered that he had only a rotten tree branch that he picked up temporarily. If the black iron tower wanted to kill someone to silence his mouth, he probably didn't even need to pull out a gun. Just relying on the Mongolian knife that was tied to his waist could solve the problem.

Ignoring Yu Laosi's heartfelt advice, the next morning, Zhang Songling left the city gate early. According to the situation he asked about from several "friends" of Yu Laosi, the traitor county magistrate Zhu Erji might go to the Yeteqi front banner of Wuqi to visit the Duke of the State and ambush his must-passing road in advance. The chance of success would be very high, and he could also "frame" the black iron tower that sacrificed in the stone circle last night. The probability of himself getting out safely afterwards was also greatly increased.

Because it was still early in the morning, pedestrians on the road became increasingly rare. Zhang Songling pretended to be enjoying the scenery and rode his horse slowly towards the south. Soon, he found a suitable opportunity to take out the cowhide bucket wrapped in guns and ammunition from the place buried yesterday.

The box cannon has a short range and is inserted at the waist for later use. The barrel and all parts of the 38-cap cover are wiped clean and oil are applied to ensure that it can perform the best performance at critical moments. The five bullets pressed into the bullet compartment are carefully selected, and the probability of silence is minimized. The bayonet that has not been used for a long time has been polished and inserted into the leggings. You can pull it out and kill the enemy with a squat.

It seemed as if he had returned to the eve of the sneak attack on the Japanese Walnut Orchard camp. Zhang Songling was preparing neatly and well-organizedly. His face, which had been sunburned into a bronze, emitted a different luster because of his concentration. At this moment, there was no tension or hatred in his eyes. There was only a tranquility like a well water. The wind could not blow, and there was no wave of rain. Even if the wildfires in autumn had burned the surface into ruins, the world in the well was still the same.

If the old commander Gou saw Zhang Songling at this moment, he would definitely secretly praise himself in his heart: How about it, is there anyone more vision than me? I picked him up from the pile of dead people. From the first day of meeting, I decided to use him as the seed of the secret service group to cultivate it. I have foresight, and with him and Xiao Shitou, I still have to worry about whether our twenty-six routes will be cut off from the inheritance of the torch?

"Haiyi, Hayiyi, Hayiyi, Hayiyi, Hayiyi, Yeyeyeyeye..." The early shepherd sang a song and drove the flock of sheep, passing by Zhang Songling's hiding place, but could not see the assassin under the grass, nor could he feel anything strange nearby. The long 38 gun and his master were completely integrated with the surrounding environment. Even the golden eagle of the grassland, known for its sharp eyes, could not find it twenty meters away. Although they would see a dark horse wandering alone on the grassland, they threw the mount on the grassland drinking dew, and found a dry place to continue to bask in the sun to make up for sleeping. This is the tradition of the drunkards and lazy ghosts among the Mongolians. No matter who sees it, they will not be fussy.

"Live pigs that are suffering from plague will sooner or later be slaughtered." A small group of travelers swearing and driving the animals southward, risking being robbed by bandits to Heishi Village. Didn't they expect that the profit would be slightly higher? Who would have thought that the new county magistrate was the owner of a mosquito's legs. With the support of Japanese consultants behind him, he actually increased the transaction tax to more than 30% of the total value of the goods. In this way, if you can keep your old capital, you will burn high incense when you go out to the frontier this time, and you don't have to think about any profit.

"Crack, creak, creak..." The ox carts that were pulling salt were lined up in a long line, moving between the grass sea at a very slow speed. The people who drove the carts, whether Mongolian, Han or other ethnic groups, were staggering with sad faces. The ox carts were walking slowly, and the distance between the salt ponds was far, and the people were getting tighter and tighter. Although lake salt was a necessity that everyone could not live without, they had no money in their hands, so they would naturally put less when cooking. The future of these men who made a living by helping people drive salt trucks was getting slim. No one knew how to live tomorrow's day, and they didn't have the heart to pay attention to the surrounding scenery.

...

Pedestrians of all kinds walked past Zhang Songling one after another. When the sun in the sky finally dried the dew on the grass tip, a crisp bell rang from the road in the distance. Four bodyguards with their chests were exposed, and the domineering bodyguards rode all the big red horses to protect a white horse. They walked over arrogantly. Following them was a squad of puppet troops, all carrying brand new 38 big guillotines on their backs, hiking to chase the horses while constantly opening their mouths and yawning.

"Little Bud King, please give me a little more energy. I didn't sleep last night, so I still handed over the whole night of public food." The bodyguard, who was directly behind the official, suddenly turned around and scolded the puppet army squad leader. The explicit swear words immediately caused a burst of knowing laughter. The other three bodyguards riding a red horse, the official, the white horse, and the puppet soldiers who were rushing on two legs, all opened their mouths and talked endlessly.

"Yes, Squad Leader Wang, you have to be careful."

"If you don't have to go to the Duke of Zhenguo, please ask the county magistrate to help you get some sheep whips to make up for it."

"Good idea, good idea, it's hard to find other things. There are some things for cattle and sheep. Who else wants it? Don't hide it, hurry up and tell me..."

He was so mocked by his boss and his colleagues that he blushed. The puppet army squad leader started and looked around and said to him, "I, when I got home yesterday, I was so drunk that I couldn't even move my fingers, so today, today I was not energetic, no, no..."

Suddenly, he stopped to defend himself, and looked straight at the grass in front of him. The puppet troops and bodyguards around him were startled and turned their heads in accordance with the gaze of Squad Leader Wang. When he found that there was only a dark horse that lowered his head and ate grass not far away, he suddenly woke up and shouted, "Good boy, I'm using this trick again. You think I'm scared, right?"

"Squad Leader Wang was scaring people. Last time he lost his bet and wanted to pay the debt, but it was just a matter of making a mistake, which made us search for a whole morning without even finding a rabbit."

"Yes, I can just shout a lie from the wolf, and it won't work next time."

"I, I just now..." The squad leader of the puppet army stomped his feet, and he defended himself with a white face. "I clearly saw something reflected in the grass just now. I really won't lie to you."

"Where are you? Where are you?" Everyone continued to cheer, and no one believed in Squad Leader Wang's character.

The puppet army squad leader rubbed his eyes a few times, but could not find the reflection just now. He guessed that he might have seen it, and he immediately smiled even more embarrassedly. He raised his hand and sweared loudly, "I don't lie to you, it's really not lying to you, I swear..."

"Go to yours." Everyone laughed and scolded, "You fucking swear, it's always easier than farting."

"If you see it, go find it yourself. Hurry up. Maybe it is the reflection of the treasure coming into existence. After you find it, you will make a fortune."

The only one who did not underestimate the character of the puppet army squad leader was the only one who himself. He quickly shrank his body behind the bodyguard and interrupted with a frown, "Stop making trouble, even the third brother, take a few people to check. Recently, I have been too close to Duke Zhenguo and offended many people."

"Oh." The bodyguard, who was called Lian Lao San, agreed to ride a horse and leave the main road. He did not believe the oath of the puppet army squad leader, but he could not violate the order of his employer. "Little Turtle King, come here and point me, where, in which direction."

"Then, that, it seems to be there, I, just now..." The puppet army squad leader ran to Lian Lao San's horse's head and stretched out to point at the grassland. Under the hot sun, the grassland was shimmering by the fumigation wind, and no abnormal colors could be seen at all. Soon, he himself was confused, lowered his head and added embarrassedly, "It's that side, I seemed to see it just now..."

"Go to your mother, I dare to spend the fun." The third bodyguard Lian Lao San raised his hand and slapped the puppet army squad leader hard. "Even county magistrate, you dare to cheat. I think you are tired of living."

"I, I really don't. I, I've read it wrong just now, County Magistrate Zhu, I really don't have the courage to lie to you." The squad leader of the puppet army immediately knelt down on his knees and kowtowed to the official who was riding a white horse. The other party was a wild wolf who ate people and did not spit bones. Once he held a grudge against him, it would not take long. The squad leader of the security team would have to become a prisoner of the security team. As for the specific charges, just install one. No one dared to offend the most popular county magistrate in the eyes of Japanese consultants because of such a small role.

"Get up, no matter whether you read it wrong just now, be careful, it's not a bad thing." The pseudo-county magistrate Zhu Chengbi frowned and ordered in a deep voice, "Three brothers, don't beat people at any time. He is also a squad leader. You can't lose face in front of your brothers."

"Oh." "Sir, I've taught you a lesson." The puppet army squad leader and the bodyguard third agreed to bow and set off to return to the team. The former turned his head unwillingly and suddenly found that a stick-shaped thing quietly came out where he had just scanned with his eyes.

"Be careful," the puppet army squad leader shouted, holding his head with his hands, squatting with his neck. The others on the road were frightened and evaded by their instincts. "Ping." A bullet flew over with gunfire, drilling through the small gap between the bodies of the two bodyguards, and hitting the forehead of the traitor Zhu Er.

"Table." Zhang Songling pulled the trigger again, knocked down a bodyguard who was pulling a gun from his waist down, and then quickly jumped from his hideout, rushed towards the frightened big dark horse in three steps, and snatched the saddle before the big dark horse spread its four hooves, and knocked it hard with both legs...

"Yes," the big dark horse let out a whine cry, jumped out more than ten feet away, and then exerted its force with four hooves and ran away like lightning. At this time, the remaining bodyguards and puppet soldiers recovered, picked up their long spears, and fired at the assassin lying on the saddle. Bullets flew past the big dark horse, knocking away countless grass tips, and completely breaking the tranquility between the blue waves.

"Table tennis, ping pong, ping pong..." "Table tennis, ping pong...." "Table tennis, ping pong...."

"Catch the assassin, the county magistrate was assassinated..." "Catch the assassin, catch the assassin..."

Amid the gunshots and shouts, Zhang Songling's back gradually disappeared, leaving only a few lines of blood beads, sparsely covered with the grass tips in the sun, bright red and dazzling.

Note 1: Gadamilin, a hero of the Mongolian uprising, was later suppressed by the troops of the Mongolian nobles colluded with Zhang Zuolin.
Chapter completed!