He Lingchuan analyzed: "The top priority now is to find out whether the improvement of the second prince's condition is due to Ming Dengzhan."
There are not many pedestrians on the road.
Not to mention Blade Port and Yangshan Islands, even compared to the Longchuan Trade Road, the number of passengers on this official road was really small. They only saw a dozen teams along the way.
Halfway through the journey, everyone passed a three-way intersection. There was a road sign on the right side of the road with an arrow drawn on it, which read:
Xuncheng.
Xuncheng is the capital of the state of Fan.
Jin Bai didn't even look at the street sign and kept walking straight ahead.
Dong Rui asked curiously: "What does that street sign mean?"
Isn't the function of road signs just to guide the way? Why does the sign indicate that going to the right is the direction of Xuncheng, but Jin Bai and others continue to go straight?
"It's fake." Jin Bo then pointed to the road sign and said, "Didn't you find it? This sign is brand new."
Indeed, although the wood of the road sign is old, the words on it are new, and the chipped wood has not been blown away by the strong wind at the intersection.
"The last time we took this road, we hired a local guide." Jin Bai explained, "There are several gangs of bandits around this trade road. They often take down the road signs on the official road and put up fake ones at the intersections.
The sign misleads pedestrians and teams to deviate from the official road."
Once foreign travelers are deceived and enter unknown mountain roads, what good consequences will there be?
"Doesn't the Kingdom of Fan care about it? This can be regarded as the main road of the Kingdom of Fan, right?"
It is incredible that such chaos should occur on the official road from the capital to the port.
Although the Longchuan trade route in Panlong World was robbed by water bandits in the past, it was a very long journey and it happened to be right next to Longchuan. The geographical conditions were complicated, which gave rise to the problems that plagued Xiqiao and Yuheng City.
However, the length of the trade route in Wei State was only a few dozen miles, and there were actually several groups of bandits!
He Lingchuan wanted to know, if the density is so high, wouldn't the robbery work be involved? Can the bandits eat on the road?
"This trade road is the only way from many inland countries to the sea. Business travelers and goods from nearby countries have to go here if they want to go overseas. The country of Wei has made a lot of tax money from this road, and it is said that it usually sends
The army patrols back and forth to maintain public order." Jin Bo pointed to the winding mountain road that had just appeared on the side of the road. "They don't care about small roads like this. If someone complains, it's just because you don't have a good eye. Who told you not to take the main road."
He Lingchuan pondered: "No wonder the products here are shipped at ridiculously high prices."
The Kingdom of Ya prohibits the export of ore to the Yangshan Islands, and the latter can only find alternative channels. Apart from the Kingdom of Mou, the best ore comes from the Golden Gold Plains, which is easy to purify and has few impurities.
However, the price of ore in the Flash Gold Plains is more than 50% more expensive than that in Yaguo. This is without accidental superposition. If there is a mountain closure, a coup, or even Julu Port being blocked and closed, the ore price will fluctuate.
Now He Lingchuan understands why the mines here are so expensive.
The cost is high and the uncertainty is high.
If places like the Gold Flash Plains weren't eager to sell ore for money, and labor was cheap, the price of ore would have gone up.
Jin Bo nodded: "So large caravans will definitely find guides and escorts to accompany them."
And this part of the cost will eventually be reflected in the price of the product.
Dong Rui chuckled: "There are official patrols, why are you still acting like this?"
"The country of Hong has also been unlucky in recent years. It has fought many wars at home and abroad, and encountered a locust plague in the past two years. I heard from the guide that King Hong has implemented two new policies since he came to power, but the people's livelihood has not improved, but has deteriorated.
The officials enriched their own pockets. In anger, King Wei went on a killing spree and executed many officials."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! It’s not that the country doesn’t want to take care of it, it’s that it can’t be taken care of well.
A gust of wind blew, and the ghost ape on Dong Rui's shoulder suddenly straightened up, sniffed hard for a few times, then jumped onto a nearby branch and swung away.
Dong Rui and He Lingchuan stopped and waited for it.
About ten breaths later, the ghost ape swung back again and chirped a few times in Dong Rui's ear.
Only Dong Rui and Ling Guang can understand this monkey language.
Dong Rui translated: "It said that deep in the dense forest on the roadside, about fifty feet away, there are more than a dozen corpses exposed in the wild, all of which have rotted. There are also a few wild dogs eating there."
Everyone did not go in and continued on their way. Jin Bai said: "That's the result of taking the wrong road. The people I hired said that some local guides charge very low prices, but they are actually colluding with the bandits and deliberately pointing the wrong way to the business travelers. In this way, the mountain
After the bandits rob, they will also share a piece of the pie."
"The people who hire these gangsters are all small businessmen with little money and a small number of people. They are exactly what bandits want."
"Even some inns on the roadside are shady shops. They give drugs to the guests and loot them, or kidnap women and children to sell them for money. Therefore, it is best to go straight to the destination without being beaten or staying in the inn."
As He Lingchuan listened, he thought of the Kite Kingdom.
Back then, he followed He Chunhua's army from Blackwater City to Dunyu, and he saw countless human sufferings along the way.
Bandits, black shops, refugees, deserted villages, everything is available.
It is said that poverty breeds unruly people, and poverty breeds evil intentions. It seems to be the same everywhere.
The bandits here dared to kill people directly on the roadside of Guandaozhu. Back then, the fierce bandits and defeated bandits in Xianling Village also chased He Chunhua's regular army of several hundred people through dozens of miles of mountain roads.
In comparison, although the territory of Bailie and Qing was small, it was much richer and more peaceful.
While everyone was talking, someone in Maolin on the roadside suddenly shouted "Help" in a childish voice.
Then a short figure rushed onto the road and stopped in front of everyone.
He Lingchuan and others had long heard the sound of trampling branches, and deliberately controlled their mounts. Otherwise, if this man blocked the horse recklessly, he might be trampled by the horse's hooves!
When I looked again, I saw a boy of four or five years old. He had two patches on his coarse cloth jacket, but his appearance was serious. His face was covered with blood marks scratched by branches, and there was a large bruise on his forehead. The blood was flowing down his face.
The cheeks flowed down.
"Help!" He Lingchuan's horse gave way, and he came up to pounce on the horse's hooves again, "Save my parents!"
He Lingchuan patted the horse's neck to calm it down, and asked the boy, "Where are your parents?"
"They want to arrest me!" The tears and blood on his face were mixed together, and the boy pointed behind him, "They have arrested my parents!"
There was a rustle in the forest, and there seemed to be footsteps again, but no one came out.
He Lingchuan glanced at the sound, raised his wrist, and went out with a whoosh of arrows in his sleeves.
The next moment, a scream sounded in the forest.
The ghost ape on Dong Rui's shoulder immediately jumped into the forest.
After only three to five breaths, a man was thrown out and rolled twice on the ground, just under He Lingchuan's horse.
I think this man chased the child to the side of the road. Seeing that He Lingchuan and others were so tall, they didn't dare to come out.
He had a short arrow stuck in his leg socket, and it was uncomfortable to stand up. He Lingchuan took out the Tenglong Spear and pressed it against his throat, so he didn't dare to move.
He Lingchuan asked him: "Where are this child's parents?"
The man pointed carefully deep into the forest: "That, over there."
"Still alive?"
"Stay alive!" the robbers said quickly, "we didn't hurt them!"
Lingguang on horseback interjected: "Why are you chasing this kid?"
The robber hesitated and was speechless.
Jin Bo crossed his arms and said, "I think I want to take away the baby and sell it for money."
He Lingchuan asked again: "How many of you are there?"
"Fifty……"
Before he finished speaking, the tip of the gun swung and pierced a hole in his shoulder. The robber shouted: "Sixteen, there are sixteen of us in total!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was shot through the throat, moving forward and then out.
He Lingchuan shook off the dead man from his gun and said to Jin Bai lightly: "Everyone, wait a moment, I'll be back as soon as I can."
This cloud-turning wizard is very good at marksmanship. Jin Bo picked up the boy and put him in front of the saddle, and nodded: "Okay."
He Lingchuan and Dong Rui galloped into the forest and arrived at the scene of the incident within seven or eighty feet.
This is a gentle slope, not far from the main road, but the woods are too dense, so the call for help cannot be heard.
The victims were a small group of traders, seven men and one woman. The men were tied to the ground, and the women were pushed to the ground and tortured. She was probably the boy's mother.
The other robber was already unbuckling his belt.
To be continued...