In an unknown small village fifteen miles north of Yangzhou, two hunters told Wang Chao, Ma Han and others exactly what they saw that night.
"That night, Brother Wang and I went out at the second watch to check the traps to see if we had harvested anything. We first went to the hillside in the north, and then planned to go around to the south of Shugang Mountain and the hillside on both sides of the official road.
There were also more than a dozen traps set in the bushes and grass. After we visited the northern hillside, it was almost midnight, but the two of us did not feel tired, because that day we caught four wild animals in the northern slopes alone, which was considered a great success.
Great harvest.”
"When we were walking south around the wasteland, suddenly the fifth brother Wang pointed to the official road to the south and said: Brother Li, it seems that there is an army marching on the official road. I took a look, and sure enough, there was a long dragon with torches in the mountain pass. Zhenghao
As they walked out in great force, it looked like there were hundreds of people."
Dynasty and Mahan looked at each other, and Dynasty asked: "What happened next?"
Li Hu said: "Brother Wang and I originally didn't want to go to the official road to join in the fun. If we were really officers and soldiers, it would be better not to offend them. But the two of us really couldn't bear the trap in the south. The temperature was quite warm that night, and there was a lot of harvest in the north.
What's more, the southern slopes are where there are many hares and deer, and we might be able to catch seven or eight of them. So the two of us walked along the mountain path.
He slowly approached the official road, wanting to wait for the officers and soldiers to pass by before going in to search; but when he got closer, he saw that those people were not officers and soldiers, but ordinary people. The strange thing was that these people were all driving big carts, and the cars were slowly moving.
There were piles of hemp bags piled up, and they looked very heavy. It was difficult for the animals to pull them, and the people were pushing and pulling them beside the car, looking impatient."
Chao Chao said: "Can you see clearly what's on the car?"
Li Hu shook his head and said: "We can't see clearly. We don't dare to get close. We can only look at it from a distance. The torch is very bright, so we really can't see clearly."
Wang Chao took a sip of wine and said, "Brother Li, please continue."
Li Hu said: "Brothers Wang and I thought that there was an accident in the city and the people fled overnight, but it didn't look like it after a closer look. They must have dragged their children with them, and they were all young and strong men."
, who was also carrying a big bag of belongings; the two of us didn’t think much about it, so we just settled in
In the grass, I wanted to wait until the team passed by; sure enough, about half an hour later, the group of people walked out of the official road and headed north one after another. Wang Wu and I then went in and searched all the traps on both sides of the official road.
I was really lucky that day, and I actually caught seven more wild animals."
Wang Chao was a little disappointed and said, "Is this all you saw?"
Li Hu smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I haven't finished talking yet. Come on, come on, have a drink and eat some rabbit meat. The night is still long, so let's talk slowly."
Ma Han said loudly: "I tell you two, don't show off. We are all anxious to death. My young master is so anxious that he can't sleep at night."
Li Hu hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, let's talk about it; Wang Wu and I had just packed up and were going home to have a good sleep. Suddenly we heard something moving in the north. We hid on the hillside and took a look. It turned out that it was the group of people who had left and returned.
; The same team, the same carriages and horses, but all the sacks on the carriages were unloaded, leaving only empty carriages; the group of people went straight to Yangzhou City
In the direction, it looked like we had to load things; anyway, Wang Wu and I had nothing to do and were a little curious, so we stayed on the hillside and waited for a while, trying to see where this group of people was sneaking around.
What are you doing? Sure enough, within an hour, the group came back again, and this time the cart was full of sacks again."
Wang Chao murmured to himself: "My guess is indeed correct, this group of people moved out of the city like this."
Li Hu asked: "What ants move?"
Chao Chao hurriedly said: "You continue to talk, it will do no good for you to know these things."
Li Hu slapped his thigh and said, "What Mr. Cha said is true. The fifth brother Wang also said the same thing at the time. It's just that I was too curious. Ignoring his objections, I secretly followed the convoy northward for about five miles.
There is a ruined temple called Lanruo Temple there. According to people, Lanruo Temple is often haunted, so we don’t dare to go to that ruined temple on weekdays. However, this group of people actually parked their carriages and horses in the courtyard of Lanruo Temple to unload them with great fanfare.
I got off the car and put on the sacks, piled them randomly in the yard, then turned around and ran towards Yangzhou City."
"My fifth brother Wang and I were so frightened at that time that we thought it was the fox fairies and wild ghosts in Lanruo Temple who were causing trouble. We organized little monsters and goblins to steal people's things in Yangzhou City in the middle of the night. The old people said that fox fairies and ghosts like to be sneaky the most.
This time I saw it with my own eyes."
Ma Han said: "What ghosts and foxes are there? Those are just humans. Look at you two cowards."
Li Hu blushed and said: "Of course we were scared to death in that environment, but we also had some selfish motives. The old people said that fox fairies and ghosts usually steal gold and silver jewelry, and they are also greedy for money. Me and
The fifth brother, Wang, got dirty and wanted to take a risk and sneak in and carry a bag back while the group was leaving. If it were really gold and silver, wouldn't everyone have to worry about food and clothing from now on? It was also forced by life, but actually
I just did it in a daze."
Chao Chao laughed loudly and said: "What a good man, you dare to even think about ghosts and monsters. You two are definitely not cowards, but rather men."
Li Hu and Wang Wu giggled; Wang Chao said: "Did you steal it?"
Wang Wu said angrily: "Forget it, I almost lost my life. Brother Li and I climbed over the wall and went in. Unexpectedly, there were dozens of people guarding it. We were discovered as soon as we touched the edge of the sack pile.
In the panic, Brother Li stabbed the sack with a hatchet and reached out to grab a handful. The two of us started running wildly. Fortunately, we were familiar with the terrain. Those people were obviously not familiar with the terrain, so they were surrounded by our brother.
Then he shook it off."
Chao Chao asked Li Hu: "What treasures did you catch?"
Li Hu said awkwardly: "When I bought it, I thought it was gold sands and gold, but when I got home, I saw a lot of rice. It was really a joy for nothing."
Chao Chao nodded and said: "That's right, it's not the rice that really has ghosts."
Li Hu said: "Could it be that the rice transported by these people is the same batch that Su Qingtian is tracking down?"
Chao Chao said: "Nine times out of ten, this is the grain hoarded by profiteers in the city. The imperial court strictly ordered them to hand over the grain and sell it to the official warehouse to tide over this winter's famine. However, these people not only refused to hand over the grain for the sake of profit, but
, Instead, they hid it in various ways. Seeing that the government was searching intensively, they wanted to transport the grain out of the city and hide it. As soon as my family left, they began to sell it at a high price again. "
Li Hu suddenly said: "I see, no wonder he is so sneaky."
Chao Chao asked: "What happened next? Did you stop watching after you returned home?"
Li Hu said: "We were scared to death. How dare we go there again? However, we could see the movement on the official road from a distance at the entrance of the village. The group of people were busy until almost dawn, transporting food all night. This should be
How much?"
Chao Chao said: "More than 1.8 million stones are enough for us Yangzhou people to survive until next summer's harvest."
Li Hu clicked his tongue and said, "No wonder the famine is so serious. These thieves hid all the food."
Wang Chao stretched out his hand, took out the bag of copper coins and threw it on the table. "Thank you two eldest brothers for providing such important clues. This is half of the reward. You can take it first. After we find the food, my young master will definitely receive a heavy reward."
Li Hu pretended to decline and said: "How dare you do this..."
Chao Chao said: "You deserve it. This is what you deserve. Take An An Shengsheng to buy some rice, noodles and meat to spend the New Year with your wife and children at home. Don't say what you said just now, lest the remnants of those profiteers know that they will come."
Looking for provocation.”
Lihu and Wang thanked him for their five thousand kindnesses and rewarded them with money. Wang Chao stood up and said, "With that, my two brothers will take their leave."
Li Hu hurriedly asked: "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
Chao Chao said: "Without further delay, we must quickly go to the ruined Lanruo Temple you mentioned. If the food is still there, everything will be fine."
Li Hu hesitated and said: "Going there so late? You are not familiar with the place..."
Chao Chao said: "Didn't you say it's by the official road? Five miles north from here?"
Wang Wu interjected: "In this case, we brothers should lead the way for you. The temple is not right next to the official road. It is said to be haunted and the trouble is fierce. How can there be trouble if it is next to the official road? It's just that
There is just a main road leading to the temple from the official road."
Li Hu also said: "Yes, yes, my brother should lead the way."
Wang Chao said: "How can this be done? Why bother the two of you again?"
Li Hu said seriously: "You sent me and Su Qingtian to work hard for me and other common people. What does it mean for me and other common people to help me? Besides, you also gave rewards and took people's money. How can you not repay them?
Wait, I went to get a lantern to light up the road."
Wang Chao smiled and said, "That's fine, thank you very much."
Li Hu found a dusty wind lantern from nowhere, carefully took out a candle from the cabinet and lit it inside. He picked up the wind lantern and led Wang Chao Mahan out of the village and slowly headed north.