That night, Qin Dong just discussed with many of his disciples and decided to take advantage of the next day's hard labor in Huangshigang. This time, Qin Dong and others will start at the bottom of a small hill on Huangshigang. Liu Yimao and a group of people first dug out a huge boulder on the hill and propped it up with iron drills. Qin Dong sent his brother Shun Maohu from another house to make bait and attract Chao Gai. Shun Maohu did not participate in the action that day, and he was not on the same page as Qin Dong, so it was most suitable for him to do it. After Shun Maohu led Chao Gai to the foot of the hill, Liu Yimao could suddenly He pried the iron drill and crushed Chao Gai to death with a rapidly falling boulder. If something unexpected happened, such as Chao Gaifu being lucky and escaping the disaster, then the rest would be left to Qin Dong himself. He would do it at night At that time, I had already used various channels to spread the word, and used money to bribe the remaining prisoners in the prison of the felons. There were about seventy or eighty people. They would join forces to ambush in the hillside tomorrow. Next, if Chao Gai is not dead, then they will attack Chao Gai with pickaxes and hammers together. This time we have many people and weapons, so I don’t believe that we can’t kill Chao Gai.
Qin Dong had planned all this, and had a bet with his brothers. He took one last look at Chao Gai, who was reading with a lamp over there, and with a contemptuous glance, he climbed onto the haystack and fell asleep. .
After a while, the night gradually deepened. Qin Dong's men went to bed early one after another in order to prepare for the next day's attack, and the entire prison became quieter and quieter.
Chao Gai rubbed his right eyelid that had been dancing all night, thinking that maybe he was sleepy, so he put down the book, stood up and walked to the fence near the corridor, looked up at the bright moon that was mostly blocked by the eaves, and then raised his eyes. Intentionally or unintentionally, he looked at the silent cells around him. All this seemed to be nothing, but Chao Gai suddenly felt that something was not right. Chao Gai thought that he had been in this prison for a long time, and his yin energy was too strong. However, when he saw a person in a stall on the opposite side who was also standing on the edge of the fence at the moment, he saw Chao Gai and couldn't help but smile contemptuously at him, then turned and left. There was something very strange in Chao Gai's eyes, and there was an indescribable feeling that made him feel that the whole prison had become more and more gloomy, as if there was a terrible secret plaguing him, as if there was something earth-shattering, and only he One is kept in the dark.
Chao Gai thought about this and thought about it, but he still couldn't think of what would happen to him. He patted his forehead, trying to expel this suspicious hallucination from his brain, and just At this moment, a prisoner stood in the cell on the other side and looked at Chao Gai. However, what shone in these eyes was not contempt, but a look of confusion and confusion.
Chao Gai carefully looked at this prisoner who seemed to have no hidden agenda. He was wearing a thin prison uniform with tattered cuffs, which vaguely revealed the strong muscle lines inside. This man was not big. , but his body is very strong, and the man's resolute aura can be seen under the light black skin. He has a square face with compact facial features, and his hair is tied back in a messy way. He looks a bit like a thunder god.
When the man saw Chao Gai looking at him, he opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say it. His bearlike appearance was incompatible with his huge body.
Chao Gai looked at the man who was trying to say something. He seemed to have something to say to him, but it was difficult to say it. And now in this prison, it is very boring to be alone. It is naturally a good thing to pass the time by chatting with more than one person. It was a pleasure, so Chao Gai spoke first: "Friends on the road, do you need any help?"
When the man saw that Chao Gai spoke first, he lost his shyness, thought for a moment, and said slowly: "It's okay...it's okay. I can't sleep. I want to find someone to talk to. I think you're like this People..."
Chao Gai saw that the man was very interested in him, so he smiled and said: "Why am I..."
The man didn't say anything at first, but just nodded, and then continued: "You are a mysterious person, and you have such a personality. No matter how you look at it, you are...different, different..."
Chao Gai laughed even more after hearing this comment. The man spoke in a confused way, like an idiot talking in his dreams or drunken babble. Chao Gai further asked: "Why is it different?"
The man stopped talking, just looked at Chao Gai, and suddenly said: "Tomorrow, will you go to Huangshigang to knock stones like us?"
"I'm going to knock stones at Huangshigang, maybe. I don't know how to arrange it, so I'll probably go there too,"
The man said "Oh", lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked at Chao Gai with a dull look in his eyes. He really looked like a fool. The man said: "No wonder you can't sleep either."
When Chao Gai listened, it seemed that there was something in his words, as if he was hinting at something, as if here was a wire that could unravel his uneasy confusion of the day, and in that person's heart, he must also know the hidden dangers that he had never heard of, so , Chao Gai seized the opportunity and asked: "So, it's the same for you who can't sleep. Then can you tell me why you are so worried about tomorrow? Is there anything bad?"
The man nodded, his expression became serious, and said: "Yes, I will go to Huangshigang tomorrow. It will be really hard... Whether I can come back alive is a mystery."
"Suffering is just a matter of effort. How can it be so serious?" Chao Gai looked at the man closely, as if his eyes could pry the answer directly from the man's mouth.
The man nodded dully again, and began to tell with a dull expression: "In the past, when I went to Huangshigang, it was common to get injured. Some of the injuries were so serious that they died on the spot, and some went back to prison to recuperate for a few days. In the end, There are also people who cannot bear the pain and later die."
"Could it be...that there is something fishy on this Huangshi Gang?" Chao Gai was a little surprised after hearing this, and he also felt a little wary.
"Mao Ni... I don't know what you are referring to. What I know is that the most terrifying thing is the soldiers and servants of the government. Looking at your fair and clean appearance, you have not suffered anything at all. Let me tell you, Breaking rocks is not a labor-saving job. You first use a pickaxe or something to break open the surface rocks, then use a hammer to break open the iron ore, and then use a drill to pry out the ore. For larger ones, use a sledgehammer. After they were scattered, they were carried on poles to the place designated by the government." The man paused for a moment, sighed deeply and continued: "These are all heavy tasks, which consume your physical strength very quickly. You can't work continuously for an hour. All the energy in the body will be drained away. Not to mention that there will be accidents and dangers, the officers and soldiers will not let anyone have a moment of leisure. They will be beaten and scolded in the lightest way, beaten severely in the worst case, even if they are injured by the guards. You still have to work. After a day of working like this, you’ll be lucky enough not to die from exhaustion... And as for those who are injured, alas, even the lucky ones won’t be able to survive.”
"I didn't expect labor reform to be so hard. No wonder you are so depressed that you can't sleep peacefully. Alas, it's all those officials who don't know what to do with the iron ore. They are just suffering for all of you," Chao Gai said now. It’s strange that those who pity these prisoners, even though they are prisoners, suffer such inhuman crimes.
When the man saw Chao Gai saying such intimate words, he couldn't help showing a look of honesty on his face. The man smiled bitterly and said: "I heard that the government is in urgent need of iron ore to make a large number of weapons. ...A group of heroes from some mountain over there in Huazhou have made trouble, and the war in the imperial court is tense...By the way, have you heard anything outside?"
Chao Gaijing seemed to have remembered it when he said this. There was indeed such a thing that caused a sensation in the world recently. Now that the man mentioned it, he continued on with this common topic and said: "I have indeed heard that Well, when the hero started, I heard that there were only four people. The leader was a hero named Shi Jin, who was nicknamed Jiuwenlong. Later, within a few days, he defeated Shaohua Mountain and captured Huayin County. The imperial court sent Hua The garrison of the state went to encircle and suppress them, but in the end they were killed by those heroes and returned home. I heard that all the generals of the imperial court were dead, and no one survived."
"Oh, I didn't expect this group of people to be so powerful." After hearing this, the man suddenly wiped away the melancholy in his heart, his eyes were dazzled, his head squeezed the prison bars, and he leaned towards Chao Gai.
Chao Gai also became energetic when he said this, and he said energetically: "It's very powerful. Not to mention that Huayin County is now occupied. According to the latest news, even the surrounding Guanxi Town has been captured. Everyone They all surrendered to him willingly,”
"With such a great prestige, I don't know who this Shi Jin is. When we arrived here, I immediately picked up my head and followed him without saying a word," the man said with a twinkling luster in his eyes, as if he was here again. It was another him. As if confirming his own thoughts, the man nodded and continued: "No wonder the court is anxious, haha,"
Chao Gai saw that the man finally showed a smile. He was also infected by the emotion of the only "friend" in the prison, and he smiled heartily. Chao Gai wanted to say, "Life is so short in this world." Years and months, I need to live vigorously for a few years, so that I can live up to the body given by my parents." However, before the words came to his mouth, Chao Gai paused, because after all, this is a prison, on the territory of the government. Not even a word of rebellion can be said.
A person who hadn't spoken to each other for a long time and a person who had been isolated from the outside world for a long time were together. It was really a "fire". The conversation was very enjoyable. The person was listening intently, and Chao Gai was also talking enthusiastically. The two of them talked with great enthusiasm. At that moment, suddenly a low and violent shout rang out from the side: "Damn it, it's not over yet, noisy! Noisy! Noisy! I won't let anyone sleep!"
Chao Gai looked back and saw that it was Liu Yimao who was kneeling down to beg for mercy yesterday. At this moment, Liu Yimao was pointing at that person, looking furious...