Chapter 105: One thousand taels of silver, only one head
Ma Liu was not originally called Ma Liu, his name only had the character Chao, and his full name was Ma Chao.
Xu Mu was shocked for a time.
It is said that I once lost in a gambling house and almost became a mother-in-law. In the end, I pressed a double six with my hand and shouted "six six six" in my mouth, which made me hoarse. I hit the winning price at the beginning, so I stopped, and the next day I went to Guanfang to change my name.
.
Extremely ordinary, he would follow an old official to extort money from people, or he would secretly bring it back to the old man in his family to drink after wooing the drunken fairy in Xujiazhuang.
He is neither an upright person nor a crooked person, such as Tian Song, the official in Wangzhou City.
Seeing three carriages approaching, Ma Liu, who was on duty, blocked the way and separated the other two officers and soldiers. The carriages roared past, and after a while, they left Tangjiang City through the east gate.
…
"Both of you, after we find out the news clearly, we can return to Tangjiang City."
"When traveling in the countryside, you are not allowed to use the knife unless you are in trouble. If you encounter someone who cannot escape, send someone to Changjia Town to leave a message."
Sitting on the carriage, Xu Mu spoke in a deep voice.
Heifu wanted to hire a boat, but he had not yet crossed the river and returned, so another more steady stickman was temporarily leading the team.
Chen Sheng and another stickman on the left and right sides each held their hands and fists, followed one direction, and then hurriedly dispersed.
Of the three carriages that were advancing abreast, only one was left, and it suddenly seemed lonely.
"Brother Mu, where are you going?"
Xu Mu remained silent. For the second time, he felt as desolate as a lost dog. In the huge Ji Dynasty, there seemed to be no place to settle down.
"If we go to Changyang otherwise, Lao Zhou will protect us."
"It's okay to go to Chengcheng. Isn't Li Xiaowan a lady from the official family?"
Xu Mu shook his head lightly.
It's not that he is stubborn, Xujiazhuang is not what he wants. In this dark world, he can only rely on himself after all.
Xu Mu thought about his way out.
God knows how long the matter of arresting young men will last. Coupled with the last-ditch attacks from the four major families, we have returned too early, and we might still be in trouble.
After half a stick of incense, Zhou Zun and Zhou Luo rode back from afar, and hurriedly caught up with the carriage.
"My boss, I'm glad I came out earlier. Tangjiang has locked up the city!"
…
Tangjiang City.
The stewards of the four major households gathered together, including Lu Zizhong, and they all changed glasses and toasted to the big man with stubble in front of them.
The bearded man's name is Xue Tong, and he is the captain of the sixth post of the inner city's national defense camp. This time he received an official document from the Ministry of War and came to Tangjiang City to recruit civilians.
It's said to be recruiting, but anyone with a discerning eye knows what it means.
If you squeeze the old oilcloth, you can still get half a ounce of oil out. What's more, this is a fat mess.
"Take only one end of a thousand taels of silver." Lu Zizhong flattered him and slowly pushed a silver box over.
Xue Tong's calloused palms calmly pressed the silver box.
"If an official kills someone, the crime will be increased to three levels."
"Lieutenant Xue captured the little boss. There must be a way. It is normal for someone to die on the border road of 2,000 miles. Or maybe he refused to accept the call, disobeyed the official, and was killed on the spot?"
Xue Tong smiled and held the silver box on his knees.
"It's rare for a small business owner to ask the four major households to pay such a large sum of money."
"The civilians in Tangjiang City, we will also help Captain Xue to gather 300 people. In this way, Captain Xue can go with peace of mind."
"If he is disobedient and refuses to submit to the call, he will be killed on the spot. If he accepts the fate of a civilian, he will not survive even though he is two thousand miles away."
"Left and right, it's the word death!" After Lu Zizhong uttered the last word, his face showed a slightly crazy look.
Xue Tong was satisfied with this business. Officials were in charge, but ordinary people could still make a fortune.
"If my guess is correct, the little thief probably has two to three thousand taels of silver notes on him. Moreover, I estimate that the little thief has no power and will probably run in the direction of Changjia Town."
Lu Zizhong stood up with his sleeves folded, smiled and bowed.
"This round, congratulations to Lieutenant Xue, for earning at least three thousand taels of silver."
Xue Tong's face became slightly distorted, but he quickly concealed it. After drinking the last glass of wine, he stood up, grabbed the knife, clenched his fists, and hurried out.
The rough and wide eyes are full of greed.
…
"Urge the horse!"
Far away from Tangjiang City, Xu Mu still did not dare to take it lightly. A carriage and two fierce horses, their hooves were flying for a while.
"Master, where are you going?"
"Go to Changjia Town first."
Although Changshiro is not a friend, he is very powerful and has business contacts. When the time comes, if there is any problem with Chen Sheng and Heifu, they can also go to deal with it.
Changjia Town was still at least a hundred miles away, and Xu Mu could only drive the carriage into a small road for fear of encountering officers and soldiers catching strong men.
Along the way, I also saw many men running away from trouble, all looking miserable. Among them, there were even elderly men who followed behind, their faces turning pale as they ran.
"Boss, that old man has a broken leg, so he won't be caught, right? He ran away so fast!"
Following Zhou Zun's voice, Xu Mu raised his head and looked up.
In the smoke and dust ahead, I found an old man with a broken leg holding a tree stick. His eyes were red, and he was using his hands and feet to stagger forward with difficulty.
After walking a few more steps, he suddenly fell to the ground and was covered in dust. The old man raised his head and howled at the God above him.
Even if he is a lame man, even if he is in his seventies, how can he know that those officials who are looking for strong men will not drag him to fill the gap.
In Toushihao Village at dusk, there were officials arresting people at night. The old man walked over the wall, and the old woman went out to watch.
…
Thinking of this poem, Xu Mu gritted his teeth coldly. In this dog-like world, there is no life and no death.
"Boss, officers and soldiers are coming!"
The old horse pulling the carriage was so frightened that it suddenly raised its front hooves, causing the whole carriage to shake.
At the intersection ahead, a dozen officers and soldiers rushed out with knives in hand and viciously pounced on a group of farmers and villagers.
The captain, the captain, raised his riding whip high and slashed the faces of three or two villagers. Then he leisurely got off his horse and searched each of them. Every time he found some broken silver, he would laugh happily.
"Brother Mu, I'm going to kill him!" Si Hu's eyes bulged.
Xu Mu gritted his teeth, looked around, and held the sword tightly in his hand. This life is full of ups and downs, who wants to be just a passerby!
"My boss, some heroes are here to take action!"
Xu Mu's face relaxed, and he raised his head in surprise. He found that at the intersection ahead, three or four knights jumped out of the woods, each waving their weapons and fighting with the officers and soldiers.
"The mountains and rivers are shrouded in mist and rain, and in ten years one sword will kill the dynasty!"
"Kill all the dog officers!"
The officer-in-charge captain turned around tremblingly, pulled out a long knife from the saddle mattress under the horse's belly, and led his men to kill the knights.
Killed in a group.
The villagers howled and ran around like a swarm of scurrying ants.
"Those heroes are going to win."
Xu Mu's face was tense, and the hand holding the long sword slightly loosened it.
"Si Hu, urge the horse!"
"Brother Mu, sit still!"
Si Hu raised the reins, and in the blink of an eye, the wheels of the chariot rolled through the smoke and hurried in the direction of his usual home town.