Li Jinglong told Xia Xun that he would set off on his own day in five days. He would take five thousand officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp with him, and officials from all walks of life would entertain him and stop and go. Although Hangzhou was not far from Jinling, he still had to delay.
In a short time, it seems that Xia Xun can get at least half a month. If he wants to avoid Li Jinglong giving him little shoes to wear, he has to find some practical and useful information within this half month.
However, he did not get any useful information from Li Jinglong. Jin Yiwei currently does not have many publicly active secret agents outside of Yingtian, and no one specializes in spying on the pirates. This information is not necessary for the current Jin Yiwei.
So he couldn't borrow Jin Yiwei's strength.
It is not appropriate to ask the local officials. If the information obtained by the local officials is really valuable, the court will not need to send a duke to specialize in suppressing bandits. What's more, even the officers and soldiers of the guard station have pirates' eyes and ears.
How could it not be possible? He was afraid that as soon as he came to the door, someone would know about it, so Xia Xun couldn't take this risk.
In this way, he has to rely on himself, but he is not familiar with the place, how should he start? The only way is the market, and how reliable is the information obtained from the market?
In order to obtain first-hand information, Xia Xun went directly to Haining County and Yanguan Town, the closest town to the Qiantang River, without passing through Hangzhou.
Haining County was Haining Prefecture in the Yuan Dynasty. In the second year of Hongwu, it was demoted to Haining County and placed under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou Prefecture. There was the Patrol Division of Shidun Town in the southeast of the county and the Patrol Division of Zheshan Town in the northwest of the county. In the third year of Hongwu, Haining was established here.
In the 20th year of the Wei Dynasty, the Haining Guards Qianhu Station was established in Hongwu. Logically speaking, there are two inspection departments to maintain local security, and there is also an officer and soldier from the Qianhu Station to take charge of coastal defense. This place should be extremely peaceful, but because it is close to the sea
, so pirates often land ashore. According to the information Jingli obtained, Ling Potian and a group of pirates appeared here.
Xia Xun originally thought that such an uneven place must be very poor, but when he arrived here, he found that it was extremely prosperous. All kinds of fish, shrimps, crabs, clams and other seafood, as well as various Chinese and foreign products, were displayed on the streets.
Stalls are selling, pedestrians are everywhere, merchants gather, restaurants, tea shops, brothels and singing houses are all available. Just like the old Shanghai in the 1930s, there is a kind of prosperity in the chaotic atmosphere.
Xia Xun wandered on the street for a while, and two people gradually came into his sight. These two people were walking in front of him. One was in his early thirties, with handsome features, a slender waist and long back, long hands and long legs, and there was a sense of humor in his behavior.
He is strong and vigorous, and his fierceness is clearly evident when he looks around. The other one is more than ten years older than him, with a beard, a tall and burly figure, a reddish nose on the tip of his nose, and a face full of flesh, and is very fierce.
Xia Xun noticed them because of their skin color and their feet. Both of them were barefoot, with their trouser legs rolled up and clothes tied around their waists, exposing their broad shoulders and strong chests. Their skin was dark,
There are faint lines like copper coins, like rusty bronze.
Xia Xun once lived by the water with Hu Jiuliu for a year. He knew that this kind of skin color, also commonly known as rust, is caused by living on the water all year round, often going in and out of rivers, and not cleaning it with clean water in time, and is exposed to the sun.
A kind of scar formed.
Also, their bare feet have long toes and are spread out like goose webs. They land silently and grip the ground very firmly. Only sailors who stand barefoot on the deck all year round have such a sign.
Xia Xun thought. Since these two people had been living on the water all year round, they might have some knowledge about pirates. He immediately followed them.
The two of them were very familiar with Yanguan Town. They walked away chatting and laughing, turned into a bluestone alley, and soon appeared next to a river. The river was long and slightly turbid, and there were green grass in the water.
On one side is a river bank built with stones. On both sides of the river bank there is a wooden promenade hanging out of the water. There is an earthy yellow fence near the water. On the other side are inns, taverns, and shops selling daily groceries.
.
There are people going in and out of the shop, and there are people sitting and chatting under the fence. Whether they are sitting or walking, their demeanor and pace are extremely leisurely. The pace of life here is obviously much slower than that of the imperial capital like Yingtian Mansion.
Standing here, your pace will slow down unconsciously, and even if you have something on your mind, your mood will not be so impatient. Compared with the hustle and bustle of the busy city, this is the rhythm that a seaside town should have.
Xia Xun watched them walk into an old hotel, and then walked in as well.
Dried tofu, duck breast..., the two big men randomly ordered a few side dishes to go with wine, asked someone to warm a pot of wine, and sat down at the window. Xia Xun also ordered a few random things and listened to them.
Chat to find an excuse to socialize with them.
The shop was very quiet. Xia Xun noticed that there was another table of customers in the shop. Sitting at the table directly opposite was a potbellied woman in her thirties, and next to her was an old man in his fifties. The two of them looked a little bit different.
They looked alike, like a father and daughter. They ordered a few light side dishes and were talking softly. Next to them stood two children, who looked like they were servants in the family.
Xia Xun withdrew his attention and listened to the chat between the two big men. He only listened to them talk about how much money they could make from these shipments of goods, and what girls in Lichun Courtyard in the east of the town were so coquettish. They laughed while talking, enjoying themselves.
He was so happy that Xia Xun couldn't talk about the topic at all, and couldn't help but feel anxious secretly.
At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps outside, and someone was running towards me, because the corridor suspended over the water was paved with wooden boards. When they ran, they made a thumping sound that could be heard from a long distance. A man in his early twenties,
A muscular man with bare shoulders and bare feet appeared at the door, panting: "Brother, the officers and soldiers are here!"
Xia Xun's heart moved. He looked up and saw the burly forty-year-old man standing up suddenly. Xia Xun thought to himself: "Could this person be some kind of boss? Are they pirates?"
But in the blink of an eye, he saw another man in his thirties, and Xia Xun immediately changed his view. This person should be the boss. He was still sitting there steadily raising his glass to drink. When the man outside came to report the news, his wine glass
He just raised it to his mouth, and after listening to the man's report, he didn't panic. He drank the glass of wine slowly, wiped his mouth, and then calmly asked: "How many people are there? Are they sure to come to us?"
of?"
The man at the door said hurriedly: "About ten people, led by a small flag, came here. I think someone recognized the big brother and secretly reported it to the officers and soldiers."
The shopkeeper was doing the accounting. When he heard these words, he raised his head in surprise, holding a brush in his hand, looking at a loss. The drinkers at the table next to him were also a little surprised and stood up to leave, but the big man who reported the news
He was standing at the door. The shop was not big, and the front of the small hotel near the river in the south of the Yangtze River was also very small. Once a person stood there, no one could get out. They knew these people were pirates, how could they dare to come forward?
urge.
The man at the door said anxiously: "Brother, let's leave quickly!"
The middle-aged man raised a glass and poured wine. The wine was as thin as a thread and poured into the glass steadily without any confusion. He smiled calmly and said: "Don't worry, my sister is trading. Since someone has recognized us, let's delay for a moment longer."
, Attract more people to come here, then Amei’s place will be safe.”
He glanced at the panic-stricken old man and woman, and said with a smile: "You guys step aside, I promise Hu will just drink and leave without harming innocent lives. Lao Lei, why are you panicking? Sit down and wait for them
Come!"
Xia Xun felt excited in his heart. He couldn't find any place despite his iron shoes. It took no effort to get there. He didn't expect that these people were pirates. Help the officers and soldiers to take down these pirates? No way! It is said that there are large and small pirates in the East China Sea, both openly and secretly.
There are at least hundreds of pirate gangs. What if they are just a small so-called gang that keeps silent, or they don't know the news about Ling Potian at all. Wouldn't it be a small gain to expose their identity?
Help them fight off the officers and soldiers, and make up an identity to infiltrate their ranks? It won't work. It's too nonsense to sneak into the gang so easily. Even if they really believe it, what if they ask me to submit a certificate of surrender? Or maybe they will take me
If they were carried to the sea, and it would take a year and a half before they could go ashore with them, wouldn't it mean that the cucumbers and vegetables were all getting cold?
During this moment, Xia Xun had several thoughts running through his mind, all of which he felt were inappropriate. While hesitating, a group of officers and soldiers arrived with thunderous footsteps. One of the primary school principals saw a group of officers and soldiers sitting upright through the window.
Xu Hu immediately pointed to him and said: "That's him!"
The flag officer immediately waved his hand and shouted majestically: "Take him down!"
The officers and soldiers immediately rushed over with swords and guns, and the pregnant woman retreated in panic. The old man said urgently: "Don't hurt my daughter." He protected the woman and retreated to the corner.
Xu Hu called with a smile: "Old Lei, it's up to you!"
The big man surnamed Lei suddenly stood up, and the stool under his butt was already in his hands. He shouted loudly: "Open!"
There was a loud click, and a very strong stool was broken into two pieces by him like rotten wood. The big man surnamed Lei held a piece of the stool in each hand, roared, and rolled it out like a black whirlwind.
The corridor was extremely narrow, and the soldiers were crowded together, making it difficult for them to move. There were also some wielders of spears, which were even more obstructive. The big black man held two stools in his hands and shouted like thunder, beating them all the way, like wind and clouds.
Many soldiers had no chance to take action and were pushed into the river by their own people who hurriedly retreated.
Those who could barely parry a few moves couldn't help but the two stools surnamed Lei were dancing like windmills, and they were knocked around
The waves were really breaking, and people were in distress all over the place. The big man who reported the news picked up a gun and was eager to try it, but he didn't even have a chance to help.
Xia Xun couldn't help but be secretly surprised when he saw this scene. This big man named Lei has some brute strength. This place is so narrow that he can't use his body skills. Even if I take action, I'm afraid I won't be able to gain any advantage. Look at the man sitting calmly and upright.
Xu Hu, I don’t know how good his kung fu is, I’m afraid I won’t be able to defeat him easily. As soon as he thought of this, Xia Xun calmed down, pretended to be a panicked diner, and retreated to a corner...