There was a swarm of people outside the gate of Taipu Temple in Chuzhou. There were shouts of hawking and negotiating prices and the cries of prisoners everywhere. Taipu Temple was seriously damaged and a large number of prisoners were imprisoned, so Li Juesi did not return for the time being. The area around the gate was already covered with fleas.
The most lively place in the market, people from all camps come here to trade, and there are everything from people to goods to horses.
The materials that 200,000 rogue bandits have looted thousands of miles away are all here. Not only are the various battalions trading, but the merchants with a keen sense of smell in Chuzhou are also following the trend, and the prices are rising.
The stall of the Anqing garrison camp is on the right side of the gate. Since it uses cash for transactions, it has become the most popular trading party in the past two days. The stall of the garrison camp is full of people, almost blocking the traffic on the street. There are more than ten
The soldiers maintained order and prevented the crowd from overwhelming the hut. Mr. Hou in the middle was sweating profusely and kept bargaining with the people who came to trade.
"Sir, are you here to sell horses?" A Guardsman soldier squeezed into the crowd and whispered to Mr. Hou.
Mr. Hou wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, "What horse?"
The soldier lowered his voice, "That man said it was a war horse!"
"Let him lead the way to see the horses first."
"Sir, follow me." The soldier squeezed out. Mr. Hou handed the stall to his subordinates, called Chen Rulie, and took three soldiers to squeeze out of the crowd. After coming out, the air was fresher, and the surroundings were filled with stalls.
The cries of the captives.
The soldier found the horse seller across the street, and the two parties did not delay too much, because the war horse trade was military equipment, and most of the black market involved selling one's own horses, which was not allowed by any battalion, and it was a relatively sensitive transaction.
Mr. Hou and others followed and walked towards an alley opposite Taipu Temple.
From time to time, there were corpses separated from their heads along the road. The roadside was crowded with captured rogue prisoners of war. Those who could be traded here were considered young and strong. Helpers from each battalion were guarding them with swords and sticks. If anyone cried, there would be helpers.
They went up and beat them randomly. There were no shacks for these prisoners to stay in. Both men and women were locked up and detained in these streets. They were given a meal of gruel every day and had to eat, drink and defecate in this narrow space. There was heavy feces and urine in the streets.
smell.
These people were like livestock. When Mr. Hou and others passed by, the bandits were frightened and hid in the corners. Mr. Hou did not stop. This area had been traded and the skilled people had been picked out, so just be careful.
He was used to seeing the feces on the ground. If he had seen such a scene before, people would have felt a little sympathy. But after his family left and he saw the miserable scenes of the invaders along the way, he was already very tired.
Compassion is hard to come by again.
There was such chaos all the way, and we finally stopped when we reached the river. Along the bank were squatting groups of bandit prisoners, but from time to time they were dressed as men and women, mostly women, children, old and weak, and they were huddled together on the ground.
, and sure enough, there were seven or eight horses tied up in the area covered by trees at the back.
This place is relatively quiet, and it is the place where war horses are traded. Several officers and soldiers from other battalions are the sellers. They carefully looked behind them to make sure no one was following them, and then asked Mr. Hou and others to look at the horses.
Chen Rulie looked at the horse carefully, and checked the brand and saddle on the horse. Then he came back and whispered to Mr. Hou, "It's the horse from Lei Shisheng's camp."
Mr. Hou was not surprised either. He had seen many strange things in the past few days, and the abduction and trafficking of his own army and horses no longer surprised him.
"Is it a war horse?"
"Five of them are in good condition, the other two are a bit older and can only be used for another year at most when bought back, and one is a pack horse."
Mr. Hou had confidence in his mind and turned around to negotiate the price with a few officers and soldiers. But before he spoke, he took another look at the group of prisoners on the ground and walked to the corner to avoid the prisoners.
Chen Rulie also followed. He knew what Mr. Hou meant. The officers, soldiers and helpers of the various battalions who sold horses included both those selling the horses of the bandits and some selling their own horses. It was hard to say what their future plans were. This place is close to the south of the Yangtze River. For the north,
For the sergeants, it is a good opportunity to leave the army here and reach the safety of Jiangnan soon. However, some people are just exchanging money. If they want to return to the army, they will not let the news of selling horses leak out, and they may be killed.
If you take out prisoners who know better, you can save a lot of lives if you avoid them a little.
A few officers and soldiers didn't care, but the big man at the head laughed and said, "There's no need to avoid this gentleman. You can lead the horse away later, and they will still see it."
Chen Rulie and Mr. Hou looked at each other, and it seemed to be the same reason. That is to say, several officers and soldiers had already planned to kill people. If it were a peaceful season, a murder case would be a major event that would alarm the government. However, in the nearest Chuzhou, even a hundred corpses were not found.
Take another look.
Mr. Hou asked several officers and soldiers, "What price do you want to sell it for?"
"One hundred taels is one horse, and eight horses are eight hundred taels."
Mr. Hou said calmly, "Comrades who came to us must have heard of the reputation of the garrison camp. The first is that the price is reasonable and the amount of silver is sufficient. We want to buy a horse, but we have almost bought it in the past few days.
, if you guys really want to do business, don't ask for high prices. Let's all agree on a fair price. There are three horses here that are over seven years old, and one is a pack horse. Let's count them one by one."
Several officers and soldiers saw Mr. Hou's appearance and knew that he was an expert and that he was accompanied by several strong soldiers. The intimidation method might not work. After a few exchanged glances, they lowered their prices to Mr. Hou in a low voice.
Chen Rulie didn't go over to listen. He knew the approximate price. Silk and cotton here in Chuzhou were not valuable. Most of the battalions were guest soldiers, and most of them were eager to sell them for cash. Except for war horses, the price of war horses of the right age ranged from fifty to eighty.
Between two and two, it is twice that of the northern border towns, and the best ones have sold for one hundred taels.
His eyes moved around the group of prisoners on the ground. They were all disheveled and their faces were covered with filthy mud. It was difficult to tell whether they were male or female. Only from their body shape could it be seen that they were all relatively thin. Many of them had hairy hair.
The gray ones are definitely not part of the fighting bandits. Most of them are family members who live together. They are relatively unpopular among the prisoners. They may even be used to cover the horses on the road. They all have their heads buried. Occasionally, some people look up and peek.
Seeing Chen Rulie's eyes, he lowered his head hurriedly.
Mr. Hou's voice came from behind. They had already negotiated a price, totaling three hundred and ninety taels. Chen Rulie was actually a little envious. Each of the four officers and soldiers here could get nearly a hundred taels of silver. These people must have resold other supplies. If
When deserters go to Jiangnan, they can live a good life, but this group of people will probably not survive.
"Send it to Baijiaqiao and pay the money."
The leading strong man turned his head and looked at Chen Rulie coldly, "What we are talking about here is that the money and goods here are clear. I went to Baijiaqiao. They are all soldiers and horses of your garrison. If I don't give you money, I can't do anything to you."
Chen Rulie did not back down and said, "You are bringing the army and horses of Vice General Lei. What if you encounter Huguang soldiers on the way and force us to steal the horses?"
The strong man was stunned. What Chen Rulie said was true. They were also sneaky when they brought the horses over.
An officer and soldier beside him briefly discussed with him in a low voice. The big man turned back to Chen Rulie and said, "To tell you the truth, I don't dare to lead the horse to Baijiaqiao, but Vice General Lei went to Yedu Bridge today and will not come back before dark."
, you won’t meet them on the road. You can bring your own horses, and we’ll give you another forty taels of silver to pay at the gate of Taipu Temple. If you still don’t want them, we’ll sell them to people from Chuzhou.”
"Give me your people so that I can block the road."
The big man frowned, but before he could say anything, Mr. Hou had already said, "What are these people going to do for? Pang Pang understands clearly. Only those who are useful will be taken to the camp."
Chen Rulie was still about to argue, but Mr. Hou shook his head slightly at him, indicating that he should not affect the horse buying event.
"Then sir, I'll ask if there are any available."
The leading man said, "If you want someone, I will give you forty taels of silver."
Mr. Hou looked at Chen Rulie for a moment, then sighed and said, "I'm here to see if I can choose something suitable."
When the prisoners on the ground heard this, they suddenly raised their heads, shouted and kowtowed to Mr. Hou.
Several officers and soldiers carried waist knives and struck them randomly with their scabbards, finally suppressing the chaos.
Mr. Hou walked over one by one in front of everyone, "Tell me where you were from before and what you did for a living."
"The little old man is a farmer."
"The villain can raise pigs, sheep, and silkworms."
"The servants know how to weave cloth."
"The villain can scratch the paint off trees"
"The younger one can make copperware."
Mr. Hou stopped and pointed at the two people, "The ones who scrape the paint and beat the copper come out."
The two people kowtowed quickly and ran out. Mr. Hou asked a few technical questions in a low voice, confirmed that the two had relevant work experience, and asked them to wait behind him. The two cried silently behind Mr. Hou. They were here
He was already close to despair, with only two possible outcomes: freezing to death and starving to death, but now he suddenly found a way to survive.
Mr. Hou continued to walk, and someone dragged his trouser legs anxiously, forcing Chen Rulie and others to punch and kick him in order to continue the selection.
When he walked up to an old man, the gray-haired old man said, "I know how to raise horses, but I can take care of these eight horses on the road."
Mr. Hou stopped and said, "How much water do you think military horses need every day, how much fodder and beans they need, and how they are raised on a daily basis?"
"Prepare twenty kilograms of water every day, use an unknown amount of water to brush the horses once a day, give six or seven kilograms of wheat with some dry fodder, give one or two kilograms of beans for long distances, and give half a kilogram of salt every day, which is needed for wild grass.
I’ve seen it, don’t eat platycodon and the like. The first thing to do is to take care of your hooves. Wash and clean them frequently. The four hooves need to be flat. If they are not flat, the horse will be hurt..."
Mr. Hou looked back at Chen Rulie, who nodded.
"Where did the thieves camp in the past?"
"Eight Lao... help the management team raise horses and mules in the Eight Thieves Camp."
Mr. Hou stared at him for a moment. The old man's face was wrinkled and he looked a little sad.
"Go and wait."
The old man bowed slightly and walked slowly to the back.
Mr. Hou continued to walk around and everyone heard it again. This group of people was indeed mostly old, weak, sick and disabled, and most of them came from rural areas. The type of technical work that Pang Yu needed was relatively small, so in the end he only picked these three.
Seeing that the selection was over, the crowd suddenly became restless. People around him rushed over and grabbed Mr. Hou's clothes to beg. Several officers and soldiers were eager to trade and couldn't get it open after several slaps. The leading man began to slash and kill him with his knife.
After two screams, the crowd suddenly dispersed, but there was still one hand firmly grasping Mr. Hou's trouser leg.
Mr. Hou looked down and saw a thin young man. He was very skinny and had a cut on his arm, and blood was dripping down.
"My name is Yang Guangdi. I can also raise livestock and farm and carry water. I can do whatever the master tells me to do. Please accept my mother and me."
A woman was crying on the ground next to her, but was unable to crawl over. She seemed to be ill. The big man raised the knife towards the thin arm. The young man had no intention of letting go, and only stared at Mr. Hou.
.
Mr. Hou shook his head and wanted to pull his leg away.
"Please grandpa, please save my mother, grandpa."
Mr. Hou suddenly stopped when he heard this. He was stunned for a moment and then raised his hand to stop the big man next to him who was about to swing a knife.
He stopped where he was, looking into those longing eyes.
After a while, Mr. Hou asked in a low voice, "Can you ride a horse?"
The young man shook his head, "No."
Chen Rulie's heart jumped into his throat, and he winked at the young man, but the young man did not look at him.
Mr. Hou bowed his body and asked, "I want to ask you one last time, do you know how to ride a mule?"
The young man opened his mouth, stared at Mr. Hou, and suddenly his eyes flashed, "Yes!"