Perhaps it is because of rising prices that there is widespread public dissatisfaction in the Jiangnan area, and it seems that God has also brought a response.
In the past few days, the spring breeze has been blowing in the evenings in Jiangnan, and the entire sky has been shrouded in dark clouds, making it look particularly dark.
It really lives up to the saying that when the night is dark and the wind is high, it is a murderous night!
As the mother river of Huating County, Wusong River flows slowly, and the sound of gurgling water is particularly clear in the silent night.
A hidden mountain col next to the Wusong River, far away from the county seat and rarely visited by humans, is usually a paradise for insects, birds and beasts.
But in this dark mountain forest, there are two black shadows crawling.
"Old Zhang, there's not even a ghost here at night, and we've been asked to divide several groups of people on guard duty, both openly and secretly. Do you think Young Master Wang is too careful?"
Perhaps to embolden him, one of the black figures asked softly in an anxious voice.
Another group of black figures stopped and said, "Oh, what can we do? Don't say any more, let's just obey orders!"
Hearing the response, the person who had just spoken was obviously much bolder, but he did not shut up. Instead, he asked again: "Lao Zhang, how come you think the Wang family is so capable that they actually transported all the supplies to this country?"
Come here, there is a shortage of supplies in the city now, why not sell them?"
After pondering for a moment, the man named Lao Zhang sighed softly: "Isn't it just for money? If there are too many supplies, how can we sell them for money? These items are all supplies that various families lied about and were stolen by pirates, in order to increase the price.
"
Hearing this, another person seemed a little aggrieved: "Today, there was news from home that you can't buy anything in the city. Even if there is something for sale, the price is several times what it was before. It's really difficult. These Jiangnan lords are too big."
It’s disgusting, you disregard the lives of ordinary people like us for your own interests, you really deserve to die.”
After saying that, the anger on his face was not concealed.
As soon as these words came out, the man named Lao Zhang turned pale with fright. In the dark night, you could see a trace of panic on his face.
The man named Lao Zhang quickly scolded: "Hush, Xiao Li, how can you say such a thing? Do you want to die? We are just servants, don't drag me down."
Xiao Li held his mouth indifferently and said: "Just complain a few words. The reason why I sold myself to the Wang family is because my family has no money. Do you know, the money I earned from selling myself a few days ago was just enough to buy tens of
A pound of brown rice, how can this make my family live? Besides, it’s just a chat between us, and it won’t spread, so we just treat it as passing time in the evening.”
The man named Lao Zhang did not refute, but looked helpless after hearing this: "Yes, prices have risen so much now that I have no money to buy anything at home. It is said that the reason why prices have risen so fast is
Because these gentlemen in Jiangnan want to drive the new governor back to Guanzhong."
"So that's it. I heard that the Grand Governor is a dog officer who kills good people and prefers to eat human brains. Do you think it's true?" Xiao Li looked very interested.
Lao Zhang paused and said: "I don't know whether the new governor likes to eat human brains, but there is no such thing as killing good people and taking credit. You just came here and you don't know. There are many people familiar with the Wang family some time ago.
All their faces are gone. It is said that those people were all taken away to participate in the battle of Yuntai Mountain."
"Ah? It turns out that the rumor that the Governor was besieged and trapped in Yuntai Mountain is true. Then the Wang family is too bold, right?" Xiao Li was surprised.
Lao Zhang nodded affirmatively: "Of course it's true. If it weren't for the fact that many people from the Wang family died in the battle of Yuntai Mountain, we wouldn't have recruited new people this time. We don't have to worry about these things. We should take care of ourselves. If the price
If this keeps rising, everyone in my family will die. Alas, if that happens, I won’t have any hope of living!”
For a moment, both of them fell into silence, obviously worried about the fate of themselves and their families.
But they are all servants at the lowest level, and their fate is to sigh deeply.
After a long time, Xiao Li said hesitantly: "Old Zhang, I heard that the new governor has issued a new decree. No matter who he is, as long as he is willing to work hard, he can have a house to live in and a salary. You can
Is it true? Is there really such a good thing in the world?"
Lao Zhang sighed softly: "I have heard about it too, but unfortunately I dare not go. I am afraid that my family will be retaliated by the Wang family. What's more, these Jiangnan masters are the local emperors here, and they may not be able to fight with this governor."
Xiao Li was silent, but it could be seen from his shining eyes that he seemed to have made some decision.
While Xiao Li and Lao Zhang were whispering, they did not notice that the forest seemed to come to life, and groups of black shadows kept approaching them.
When the two of them realized that their mouths had been covered, a cold sharp weapon was pressed against their necks.
Just when they thought they were about to die, they heard a deep voice coming from their ears.
"If you don't want to die, don't scream, otherwise your blood will be spilled on the spot."
After saying that, the visitor released Lao Zhang's mouth and asked softly: "How many people are there on the mountain? How many guards are there? Are there any code words..."
Lao Zhang was afraid that he would be slow to answer and moved his head, so he quickly said: "There are about two hundred people on the mountain. When the master arranged the watch, there were three people in total. We are the outermost ones, and there are two more people on duty inside. There are no code words given tonight.
Bandit, I have said everything, but you can’t kill me!”
Bandit?
Xi Junmai was a little confused.
He really didn't expect that one day he would be considered a bandit.
When I thought about it again, I felt it was natural.
Originally, Yang Fan asked them to pretend to be bandits and intercept the road.
Xi Junmai had been conducting secret inspections for several days before he found the place where these Jiangnan nobles had hidden their supplies.
I originally wanted to storm up the mountain, but after hearing the conversation between the two, I decided to spare their lives.
After all, these people like Xi Junmai also come from the lower class, so they naturally know the misery and helplessness of the people at the lower class.
Knowing the situation, Xi Junmai ordered: "Knock them unconscious and let's kill them..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Li quickly whispered: "General, I am willing to help you lead the way..."
Xi Junmai glanced at the young man in surprise and asked sharply: "Do you know who we are?"
Xiao Li gritted his teeth and explained with some trepidation: "This is just a guess. General, please don't blame me."
"Oh, tell me about it!" Xi Junmai asked with interest.
Xiao Li took a few deep breaths to stabilize himself: "I can tell from your words and deeds. If you are an ordinary bandit leader, in order to achieve your goal, you will not leave anyone alive at all. Since your goal
Being on the mountain means that they are here for the supplies in the mountains. The people in the city dare not and cannot take advantage of these supplies. The only one who dares to confront Mr. Jiangnan is the newly arrived Governor. Therefore, I would venture to guess
The general serves under the governor."
Xi Junmai grinned, showing his big white teeth, and said with a smile: "You are not bad, are you interested in joining us?"
In Xi Junmai's opinion, this young man is a little smart and if he is properly cultivated, he should have good potential.
Xiao Li was overjoyed and immediately knelt down and said: "Little Li Ergou, I am willing to serve the general."
Xi Junmai patted him on the shoulder and said with a solemn expression: "Remember, we are serving the Grand Governor. Let's go... lead the way from the front and we will fight."
"promise!"
With that said, Li Ergou took the lead and ran towards the mountain.
With Li Ergou as an undercover agent, Xi Junbuy and his party arrived at the mountain smoothly.
Xi Junmai planned to capture the thief first and capture the king first.
According to Li Ergou, it was Wang Huai, the eldest son of the Wang family, who was in charge of affairs on the mountain.
When Wang Huai opened his eyes, a steel knife was pressed against his neck, and his face turned pale with fright.
However, Wang Huai had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, and he quickly identified Xi Jun as the leader.
Looking at Xi Junmai, Wang Huai shouted sternly: "Who are you? Do you know who I am? Let me go quickly. I can forget the blame. Otherwise, your life will be worse than death."
Seeing that Wang Huai still couldn't understand the situation, Xi Junmai's face was as dark as water, and he snorted with disdain: "Don't bark here, how dare you ask grandpa's name? Grandpa is here to rob, and I don't have time to stay with you.
This is nonsense, hurry up and gather everyone here."
Xi Junmai didn't pay any attention to this group of rabble.
It's not easy to catch all these people in vain, but gathering them together will make it easier to do it.
What's more, I still lack a lot of people to develop Huating County as the governor. If I can persuade some people to surrender, I can also get some labor.
Hearing this, Wang Huai was very angry, but he did not dare to act rashly. He just glared at Xi Junmai with a cold look in his eyes.
This guy is so arrogant!
However, Wang Huai was extremely happy in his heart.
In his opinion, as long as his guards arrive, these people will definitely be captured.
Soon, the more than two hundred guards on the mountain were called up sleepily.
When I saw Wang Huai being controlled, I realized something big had happened.
At this time, Wang Huai felt quite confident and said, "I wonder what your purpose is in holding me hostage? We can talk about anything."
Xi Junmai was too lazy to pay attention to him. Instead, he turned to ask Li Ergou beside him: "Is everyone here here?"
"As far as I know, everyone should be here." Li Ergou nodded.
I don't know whether it was because Li Ergou betrayed him or because Xi Jun bought and ignored him. Wang Huai's face turned red with anger and he said angrily: "What do you want?"
Xi Junmai then turned to Wang Huai and said calmly: "Since we are all here, I will not waste any time. If any of you don't want to die, just put down your weapons and surrender. In addition, I want all the supplies on the mountain!"
Wang Huai laughed angrily when he heard this.
How could anyone dare to be so arrogant in this three-acre area of Huating County?
What's more, didn't the other party see that more than two hundred of their guards had surrounded them?
Although there are dozens of men in black, they are several times more numerous than the others.
Wang Huai scolded arrogantly: "Who do you think you are? Haha, if you just took me away without knowing it, I would still be afraid of you. Now that there are so many of us, you still want to threaten me, silly
It’s up to you.”
Xi Junmai was too lazy to talk nonsense to this idiot and waved his hand to his men.
These special forces were like tigers entering a flock of sheep, knocking the Wang family members to the ground in just a few moments.
Wang Huai was dumbfounded!
Is my bodyguard so weak?
He never thought it was because these special forces were too strong!
Under the inducement of Xi Jun to buy power, more than half of the Wang family's servants chose to surrender.
As for those who were die-hard loyalists to the Wang family, Xi Junmai was not polite, and their heads were rolling in for a while.
However, what makes Xi Junmai happy is that there are too many materials and money on the mountain.
The supplies alone can definitely ensure that 100,000 people can eat for several months.
And all the money earned by the Wang family these days is concentrated here, which is absolutely an astronomical amount.
Looking at the mountains of copper coins, Xi Junmai felt even more hatred towards the Wang family who were working for him. Many of these coins were the hard-earned money of the common people!
At first, he was a little blushing about his "bandit" behavior, but now Xi Junmai feels that banditry is really a good profession.
Of course, what Xi Junmai didn't know was that it was impossible for the Wang family alone to have so much money.
The money here is the money earned by the Wang family and all the aristocratic families, but the Wang family was hit by him before they had time to distribute it.
That night, Xi Junmai was very busy, loading hundreds of ships with supplies and money.
When Xi Junmai secretly returned to Huating County with the loot, the morning light was already shining.
After hearing Xi Junmai's report, Yang Fan couldn't help but sigh, robbery is indeed the fastest way to make money.
If all the Jiangnan gentry were wiped out, he would definitely be sure to build Huating County into a more prosperous city than Chang'an.
Of course, Yang Fan only dared to think about it!
Once this is done, Jiangnan will definitely fall into chaos.
Looking at the slightly tired Xi Junmai, Yang Fan said with a smile: "With these supplies, we can solve the urgent need of the people in Huating County. Junmai deserves the most credit! I will keep your contribution in mind, and we will meet together next time."
I report to Your Majesty that you will be promoted to a higher rank and will shine brightly on your family!"
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief!" Xi Junmai thanked him excitedly without being polite.
Even though they come from a lower class background, who doesn’t want to stand out and shine?
Yang Fan smiled and waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, you deserve this. Now that the material problem has been solved, let's go visit our big benefactor together. Do you dare to buy it?"
"My father-in-law has your destiny, how dare you disobey..."
Ha ha……
The two looked at each other and smiled, really wanting to see the Wang family's expressions when they knew their things had been robbed!
****
Huating County, Wangfu, the house is brightly lit at this time.
In the main hall, the floor is covered with a thick wool knitted carpet with complex patterns and bright colors, which blocks the humidity from the south of the Yangtze River.
At this time, Wang Bowen, the head of the Wang family, was sitting on the couch, with an old face with a gloomy expression and drooped eyelids that seemed to be sleeping.
Although Wang Bowen is over fifty years old, his long beard is neatly trimmed. He is wearing a blue brocade robe with a jade pendant hanging around his waist, giving him a rich look.
This is not because Wang Bowen doesn't have enough sleep, but because he is waiting for news about his eldest son.
According to the agreement, at the end of every day, Wang Huai, the eldest son, would send someone to report on the situation there.
But it was already three o'clock in the morning, but no one came to report. This made Wang Bowen's eyelids keep twitching, always feeling like something was going to happen.
Suddenly, a burst of footsteps approached from far away.
"Father, the eldest brother hasn't sent any news yet. Could it be Yang Fan... Do you want to send someone over to take a look? There are incomes and materials from many aristocratic families there. If something goes wrong, our family will be in big trouble.
Got it!"
The youngest son Wang Chuan spoke carefully, paying attention to his father's face as he spoke, for fear that he might accidentally offend Wang Bowen.
Although Wang Bowen looks elegant, he does things in an arbitrary manner. Few people dare to disobey him. Everyone in the Wang family is afraid of him.
Before Wang Bowen could speak, the second-in-command, Wang Hai, who was sitting next to him, sneered with disapproval on his face.
"Third brother, you are too timid and unreasonable. In my opinion, it must have been delayed on the road. As for Yang Fan, he is busy suppressing bandits and appeasing the people during this period. How can he find time to cause trouble for us?
"
Wang Hai's appearance is similar to Wang Bowen's, but he is taller and has an unruly air.
Being choked by Wang Hai, Wang Chuan was a little annoyed and said displeasedly: "Because Yang Fan was forced into a desperate situation by us, we must be more careful to prevent him from jumping over the wall in a hurry. If he discovers where we hide the supplies, there is no guarantee that he will take risks.
"
Wang Hai snorted and said disdainfully: "Jiangnan is not Chang'an. Even if Yang Fan discovered the place where we hide our supplies, would he really dare to do it? The things there belong not only to our Wang family, but also to most of the Jiangnan nobles."
, even if you give Yang Fan nine courages, you won’t dare to grab it openly.”
Wang Chuan was about to refute, but was interrupted by a cold snort.
Wang Bowen raised his eyelids and stared at Wang Hai with his eyes: "I asked you to learn more knowledge and use your brain, but you only know how to wield swords and guns all day long. It's really incompetent!"
"Be careful and you won't make a big mistake. What Chuan'er said makes sense. Send someone to take a look right away. As for Yang Fan, although he doesn't dare to steal our things blatantly, once he discovers that we lied about missing goods, we even deliberately used it to
If you raise the price, there is no guarantee that the other party will jump to the wall."
"How dare you underestimate Yang Fan? Have you forgotten how many people in our family have died in Yuntai Mountain? Have you forgotten the outcome of the Fan and Lin families?"
Although Wang Bowen looked very elegant, his tone was sharp, and by the end of the sentence, his voice was stern.
Hearing this, Wang Chuan on the side was also frightened and sweat appeared on his forehead.
Wang Hai, who was scolded, huddled up with his burly body and looked trembling. He quickly knelt down and shouted: "Father, I know I am wrong, but I feel that Yang Fan has nothing to do now, and he must rely on us Jiangnan nobles to survive."
There is no room for improvement, so I feel a little complacent and forget about it.”
Wang Bowen shouted sternly: "How can Yang Fan be so easy to deal with such a short-sighted thing? If he were an ordinary person, he would have given in to us Jiangnan nobles long ago when faced with such a situation. Look at Huating County, although there is widespread resentment among the people because of the skyrocketing prices.
But there was no turbulence at all, which shows Yang Fan’s control."
Wang Hai was very afraid of his father and wanted to defend himself a few more words, but when he saw Wang Bowen's appearance, he could only swallow the rest of his words.
Wang Chuan on the side seized the opportunity and asked: "Father, do you need to send someone over immediately to take a look, and find a place to move the supplies. There are too many supplies, and it is too risky to put them in one place. Once they are lost,
It’s really not worth the loss!”
Wang Bowen pondered for a moment and said: "It's feasible, you can send someone over to take a look, and at the same time find a few safe places to distribute the supplies. In addition, calculate the profits as soon as possible and send them to various aristocratic families to prevent long nights and dreams!"
After saying that, Wang Bowen closed his eyes again.
Although he didn't believe that Yang Fan really dared to rob, Wang Bowen decided not to take the risk.
Dividing your money and hiding your supplies is the safest way.
"No!" Wang Chuan shouted outside the door: "Here comes someone!"
Immediately a servant bowed and walked in.
Wang Chuan waved his hand and said: "Go and call Manager Wang..."
"promise!"
Before he finished speaking, he heard the hall door being pushed open with a "bang".
Wang Hai was furious. He stood up and kicked the person who ran in. He cursed: "Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated? Do you believe that I will kill you if you disturb your father?"
The man was kicked over by Wang Hai and ignored him at all. He got up and knelt on the ground with a bang. He shouted in panic: "Master, it's not good. You should go out and take a look. Governor Yang Fan is here."
In front of our house, he said he had something important to see."
The father and son were suddenly stunned.
Wang Bowen stood up with a roar and asked in surprise: "What did you say? Yang Fan wants to see you?"