The water in the canal is floating and the sand boats are shaking.
After the tragedy of the Tongyuan Canal, troops stationed at the canal dredging site were recruited and the situation was stabilized in just a few days.
After a brief discussion between the Henan Prefecture and the Luoyang Water Supervisor, the fee for dredging the river was raised to 400 yuan per day, which was paid once a day as usual. As a result, many poor people in the city and in the countryside could not resist the temptation of money and the persuasion of Li Zheng.
They came to Tongyuan Canal one after another. They relied on their strength to exchange some money to supplement their livelihood.
During this period, there were also people who drowned in the canal due to lack of water. Fortunately, the irrepressible Chief Meng Qu was able to comfort them and gave the orphans and widows a lot of money, and the matter was quickly suppressed.
Moreover, under the supervision of the supervisors who recruited troops for the camp, even if there were still desperate Jianghu rangers mixed in, they did not dare to form gangs and deliberately cause trouble. So in just a few days, the dredging work progressed rapidly and has been successfully advanced to Yucaifang.
Duan. As for the valuable antiquities unearthed from the canal, they were naturally collected by the camp soldiers and found in merchants or pawn shops to exchange them for money and use them as military supplies for autumn defense.
The cavalry and archery team fought seven battles. After returning to the camp that day, due to the well-organized command, there were fewer casualties in recruitment, so they were exempted from military action. They still took over the recruitment of cavalry archers and stationed them in Yucaifang to be responsible for supervision.
Civil servants go to work to frighten those who cause trouble.
Every day he rode back and forth on the bank of the canal. When he met Taoist fellows from Shangqingguan who were pretending to be husbandmen, he just pretended to turn a blind eye. In order to avoid the plans of the camp commander Shu Yao, the king of Xiping County, Li Changyuan from Baiyi Mountain and others, from being exposed.
Occasionally, when you take a break from your busy schedule, you can go back to your home in Tongtuofang a few miles away, visit your parents, wife and children, and enjoy the happiness of a family. It is really a pleasure!
In the afternoon of that day, Fang Qidou, Qiu Chu'an, Zhao Sandao, Cheng Si'er, and Wu Xiangnan from the "Seven Heroes of Luozhong" were sitting around in a tent on the bank of the canal, eating boring wine and reminiscing.
Feng Zhe, the sixth "Wandering Snake Spear", gnashed his teeth and cursed the "Canglong Qisu", the atmosphere was sad and gloomy.
Normally at this time, the knowledgeable soldiers would obediently guard the surroundings of the tents. Not only did they not dare to go in and disturb them, but the subordinates of the River Canal Department and the civilians who dug sand every day also had to stay out of the tents to avoid being caught in the tents.
A few of them held him down and gave him a beating.
At this moment, a sudden burst of noise came into the tent. Zhao Sandao, who was pushing cups and changing cups, could not help but frown and shouted: "Straight mother-in-law! Who is making a noise outside?!"
A soldier hurriedly bit the bullet, got into the tent, clasped his fists and bowed: "Come on, captain! It's the group of civilians who came down from Mang Mountain. They said something had happened to their families and they were clamoring to go back. The brothers drew their bows.
Dao, if they stop them, they will look for the Fang team to judge..."
Zhao Sandao became angry and was about to scold his mother, but Fang Qidou waved his hand to stop him: "Who are the leaders? Bring them here to talk!"
The soldier agreed and walked away. Not long after, he escorted two civilians into the tent. When the numbers were opposite, they were stunned for a moment. However, Fang Qidou reacted first and lowered his face and said: "How dare you be unruly to the people! How dare you!
If there is any unprovoked trouble in the canal where I am watching, pull them out first and give each of them fifty military sticks before we talk!"
The two peasants, who were both bachelors, knelt down after making two "puff, plop" sounds, wailing: "We have been attacked by wolves in our village and all the sheep have been lost! Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong
Go back... Wuwu! Maybe we can get some mutton back from the wolf's den..."
Qiu Chuan knew that there was something fishy about what the two of them said, so he asked hurriedly and calmly: "What are your names? Which village do you live in?"
A taller man cried: "My name is Cui Yunfeng, and his name is Shang Qingguan. We are both mountain residents of Yangliu Villa in Mangshan... Wuwu! Life in the village is miserable! We all hope that these sheep will be sold.
I only had money to pay for the mediocrity of the official family... It's great, it's all gone at once! Woo hoo hoo..."
The civilian husband named "Shang Qingguan" was slightly short in stature, but very strong. He just kowtowed and cried, unable to say a word.
Fang Qidou raised his eyebrows, but he already understood something in his heart. These two people are none other than Zhuo Songtao, the Ming Lingzi of Shangqingguan, and the folk husbands dressed as Huang Shuo, the Yulingzi. They have been peaceful recently.
They were digging sand from the canal and dredging the canal. If it had not been for a reason, they would never have taken the lead in causing trouble in such a big way. I heard them shouting from "Cuiyun Peak" and "Shangqingguan", and said that Yangliu Villa had lost its sheep.
I immediately remembered that Junior Brother Yang whose nickname was Chong Lingzi, wasn't he a member of Yangliu Villa?
As soon as I thought about this, my heart sank slightly: Could it be that something unexpected happened to Junior Brother Yang? He provoked all the brothers from Shangqingguan to seek revenge for him? They all say that "a chivalrous man breaks the law with force." If this is true, I am afraid that the bad guys in the city who bully the weak and fear the strong will
The guards may not be able to stop this group of Taoist priests who are skilled in martial arts.
Fang Qidou changed his mind and said in a good voice: "Brothers, don't be anxious. If there is such a change in the village, how can the people in our camp sit idly by and ignore it? Second brother! You can recruit some soldiers to protect these mountain people."
Go back to the mountain. If you encounter a pack of wolves, just kill them and skin them!"
When Qiu Chu'an heard this, he hurriedly clasped his fists in response, then turned around and went to call for troops.
Seeing that Fang Qidou had indeed guessed the hint, Zhuo Songtao and Huang Shuo stopped crying immediately, and withdrew from the tent with great gratitude. Immediately, together with their brothers and sisters waiting on the bank of the canal, they led Qiu Chu
An and other soldiers were recruited, and all the way out of Yucaifang, they headed southwest.
More than a dozen civilians were "escorted" by seven or eight soldiers with bows and swords on their backs, but it was not a strange thing in Luoyang City. The officials and civilians they saw along the way just thought they were recruited to perform miscellaneous services.
The civilian husband glanced at it and ignored it.
A group of people walked through the city in a swaggering way. They first went to Linfang and headed west along the north bank of Luoshui River. When they reached Xinzhong Bridge, they turned to the south bank and continued westward. In less than half an hour, they arrived at the Weiwang Pond.
One of the "civilians" walked out first. Although he was also dressed in brown and linen robes, he was not covered in dirt like the others. He was Sun Hunian, the boss of the "Four Beasts of Mang Mountain".
Sun Hunian saw from a distance an old Taoist priest standing under a willow tree. He quickly took three steps and then two steps, rushed to the front, bowed his hands and said: "Master of the temple! All the disciples in the temple have been brought here, listen to you.
Distribute!"
Qiu Chu'an had seen this old Taoist several times, and he also stepped forward and clasped his fists: "Junior, I have met Master Gongsun! I have been ordered by the commander of the square team to protect everyone here to avoid suspicion. If the Master has no other instructions, we will go back and give orders.
Already."
Gongsun Xuantong had turned around, flicked his fly whisk, and nodded with a smile: "The square team is just worried! There is no need to bother the campers with this matter. I have my own arrangements. If the military master has other important matters, just do it yourself."
That’s it.”
After saying that, he bowed his hands in a formal manner.
After he and other Taoist priests saw off the soldiers, Gongsun Xuantong immediately said with a solemn expression: "Today afternoon, Chong Lingzi was here and had a fight with the Shanling Guards. The Shanling Guards kidnapped Linji Guanyue Xizi.
As a bait, he lured Chong Lingzi away, and then the two of them disappeared together. Now the members of the Beggar Gang are also scattered among Jingshan, Quanshan, Gong'an and other shops, secretly looking for him.
Disciples of Shangqing Temple, listen to the order! I now order you two to form a team and go south from Wei Wangchi to search for traces of fighting in the shops. If you encounter merchants wandering the streets, you can also make inquiries, and do not alert the bad guys.
Guards and mail guards. If you find any clues, notify the people nearby immediately, and be sure to follow Chong Lingzi's path and find out clearly first. Regardless of the outcome, return to Linji Temple before the curfew."
"Disciple accepts the order!"
The Taoist priests in the Shangqing audience bowed their hands and immediately dispersed like a flock of birds.
In Luxinfang, with scattered double eaves and white walls, there are several aristocratic families living there.
Among them, the one most talked about by the people of Luoyang is the Cui family of Qinghe, one of the "Five Surnames and Seven Sects" of the Sheng Dynasty.
There are five courtyards in Cui Mansion. Let’s not leave aside the main entrance of the south entrance. There are eight red lacquer pillars supporting the eaves and brackets on the top of the mountain. The foundation stones, steps and platform bases are all made of granite, which is pure and elegant.
It does not lose its heaviness. It is more majestic than the main halls of many ordinary homes.
Qian Er woke up early that day and had nothing to do. He slept in the shabby room all night. He lazily opened the side door and yawned as he came out of the house. A ray of sunlight slanted down, imprinting on his left cheek, which was full of warmth.
The feeling of comfort.
On normal days, there will always be people carrying snacks passing by the door. The high-pitched shouting always cheers people up.
There is a basket in front of the load, which contains biscuits, steamed cakes, millet cakes and other food. They are all wrapped in thick linen cloth. When they are taken out, they are still a little hot. There is also a basket in the back, but there is a pottery cauldron in it.
Sometimes the pottery cauldron is filled with buns, sometimes millet, and sometimes soup cakes. The outside of the pottery pot is also wrapped in thick linen cloth. Even in the coldest month of winter, steaming snacks can still be scooped out.
However, today, it seems much quieter in front of Cui Mansion.
After Qian Er finished yawning, he looked carefully and saw a bit of broken silver in his hand falling to the ground. He immediately stayed on the spot.
Looking around, I saw a large group of beggars sitting under the front steps. A cursory glance revealed that there were more than a hundred of them. The beggar at the head had a scab on his head, and he looked familiar!
He held a pottery bowl in one hand, which was full of holes, and a wooden stick in the other hand, which was as thick as a child's arm.
When the beggar with dysentery saw Qian Er open the door, Tao Bo immediately came up to him and grinned, showing his yellow teeth: "Good man, you have done well! Please give me some leftovers! The price of rice in the city has skyrocketed recently, and you can't get food anywhere."
, brothers have been hungry for several days!"
Before the beggar with dysentery finished speaking, several skinny beggars also gathered around him: "Good man, do well! You will never forget your great kindness. In the next life, you will be reborn as a horse or cow, carrying good people on their backs so that you can become a prince! Every time
In the year of disaster, the rich will eat well! There are grains in the warehouses of the rich. When the weather is good in the coming year, it is not too late to become a cow or a horse..."
Qian Er felt irritated and wanted to scold him. But when he saw the group of beggars swarming up, he felt panicked and his scalp was numb. He couldn't help but screamed, turned around and went back to the house, and tied the red lacquer door tightly.
The beggar with dysentery outside the door couldn't help but say no to the money, so he was rejected by the group of beggars. He immediately became furious. With a mouthful of thick phlegm, he aimed at the door knocker and spat: "Bah! It's unkind to be rich!"
Seeing this, other beggars also came forward, coughing and spitting.
"puff!"
"spit!"
"Ouch!"
“Cough—bah!”
"..."
In less than a minute of tea, the front door of Cui Mansion was already in a mess. The door, pillars, steps, steps, etc. were all covered with lumps of yellow and sticky phlegm, gathering together in one place, it was really smelly.
The group of beggars were shouting vigorously when they suddenly saw the door of Cui Mansion suddenly opened. A few warriors carrying knives and swords, with dragon and tiger strides, leading dozens of domestic servants holding guns and clubs to guard the courtyard, rushed out of the door with great momentum.
The dysentery-headed beggar's eyes darkened: "Horse Palm Bowl, Hu Palm Bowl, Wang Palm Bowl... Follow me to take the lead! Six bags, five bags of disciples line up! The rest of the disciples are behind!"
The beggars responded in unison, quickly stuffed the bowls and bowls in their arms, each holding a stick, and formed a formation to surround everyone in the Cui Mansion. It was about to turn into a huge armed fight.
"Everyone stop it!"
A loud shout came from the gate of the mansion, and an old man who looked like a butler separated from everyone in Cui Mansion and stood in front of the group of beggars. It was Cui Da, the steward of Cui Mansion. He glanced at the group of beggars, and then fixed his gaze on Yan.
The beggar with dysentery cupped his fists and said in a cold voice,
"May I ask what your surname is? Why did you come to my Cui Mansion to provoke?!"
The scabies-headed beggar chuckled, but he also clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your praise! The humble name Niu San is not worth mentioning. I heard that a new fat sheep was caught in my house, so I brought this group of begging brothers over to beg for some sheep.
Eat offal. But the gatekeeper in your house is so ignorant! How can he actually drive us away?"
Cui Da saw that Niu Sanyi had a lazy look on his face, but when he spoke, he meant something, and his expression became more and more gloomy: "My Cui family has not killed cattle or sheep recently, so I'm afraid you may have heard some rumors. I advise you to hurry up.