Yi Haoran followed the voice and saw that the person speaking was a middle-aged man, probably in his early fifties. Although he looked like a scholar, he had a dark complexion and rough skin, and he was a weather-beaten man.
This person is not a relative of Qiu Chan's family, but a retainer sent by a wealthy distant relative to "deliver silk". According to Qiu Chan, this relative is a wealthy family in the local area, but he lives there all year round.
In a village in the countryside, people are afraid of leaving the village due to the war and chaos outside, for fear of being tricked by "Big Sky Er".
"Who is this……"
"My surname is Xun, and my only name is the word rite." Although the scholar spoke Mandarin, his accent was quite strange. It was not the Cantonese Mandarin accent that locals often have.
Yi Haoran made a bow: "I have admired you for a long time, I have admired you for a long time."
This was just a polite remark. Unexpectedly, a bitter smile suddenly appeared on Xun Li's face.
This kind of expression can only be seen on the faces of people who have experienced many vicissitudes of life and have been displaced. Yi Haoran's heart moved, this Xunli is no ordinary person!
Xun Li seemed to know what he was thinking, and suddenly smiled at him.
It's a smile that reveals people's secrets, but it's not malicious.
Sure enough, Xun Li had already stepped forward and bowed solemnly: "I have long admired...Yi...Mr. Hao Ran's name..."
When he said "Yi", his voice was very low, like a whisper, but Yi Haoran heard it clearly. He was startled and blurted out: "What?"
"Sir, do you want everyone to know?" Xun Li whispered, "Please take a step to speak."
Yi Haoran was confused for a moment. Obviously, this Xun Li knew who he was. However, judging from his expression, there seemed to be no malicious intent. He walked quietly to the side.
He was nervously thinking in his heart. He had not been in Wuzhou for a long time and had rarely made friends with locals. Logically speaking, no one should know him at all. How could this local client of a large local company know him?
Arriving at the courtyard, Xun Li whispered: "Is Mr. Yi okay?"
Yi Haoran whispered: "Who are you? Why do you know my name?"
Xun Li nodded slightly: "I am just a humble figure. Mr. Yi is more or less a figure in the Xiong Governor's family. Of course I recognize him."
"So, you too..." Although Yi Haoran thought about it again and again, he couldn't remember that there was such a master among Xiong Wencan's shogunate or the civil and military officials in Wuzhou - of course, he himself was not very familiar with these people. Especially.
At its peak, there were dozens of civil and military officials gathered in Wuzhou City, and there were at least one hundred people under their command.
"It doesn't matter whether I am or not." Xun Li spoke in a leisurely manner, "It's just that the funeral has been completed. What is Mr. Yi's next plan?"
"What else can I do now? I can only wait until the road is smoother and leave Wuzhou before worrying about it!" Yi Haoran did not dare to say that he would defect to Xiong Wencan and said vaguely.
"I see, Governor Xiong has nowhere to go," Xun Li said, "He is now in a state of insecurity, and his generals and officials have long since separated from him. Even though Mr. Yi has the desire to serve the country, Governor Xiong is powerless.
"
These words were very straightforward. Obviously, the other party took a huge risk by daring to say these words to him in Wuzhou City, which was under the control of the Kun thieves. This not only showed his loyalty and trust, but also showed that the other party had great trust in him.
He understood it very thoroughly. He nodded silently and asked:
"I guess Mr. Xun is here to show the students a clear path."
Xun Li took a deep look at him: "The clear road may not be clear, but it may be a dead end - ever since the bandits climbed to Lingao, everyone who opposed them will inevitably die. Is Sir still willing to take this road?"
?”
"Let's go." Yi Haoran did not hesitate.
"Then I will tell you the truth," Xun Li glanced at the guests who were still drinking tea and chatting in the main hall, and whispered, "I am not a retainer - the retainer, my husband, has been killed by me.
"
"Huh?!" Yi Haoran was immediately surprised again.
"Sir, please listen to me." Xun Li said, "To be honest, I am gathering a hundred green forest brothers outside the city - they are all heroes who dare to fight and kill..."
Seeing the slight change in Yi Haoran's expression, he added: "Sir, please don't misunderstand me. I am not a member of the grassroots. Back then, I was a gentry in Lingao County. When the bandits landed in Lingao, I fought to the death with them.
Unfortunately, I was defeated. My brother and nephew were all killed in the battle, and none of my family members were spared. Later, I joined the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. When He Zhen went to Lingao, I was his staff..."
It turned out that this Xunli was Gou Xunli, the second eldest son of the two Gou brothers. Since Gou Xunli failed to instigate bandits to attack Hongji in Vietnam, he went through a lot of troubles in the local area in the following years, killing many people. Although he and Hu Lanyan were friends
A large-scale team was formed, but it was beaten to pieces by the Australian "bandit suppressors". After three stops, two and a half of the troops were lost. The remaining people did not want to fight with the Australians in Vietnam anymore. Some people
In the past, when I was in Wuzhou, I proposed to go back to Wuzhou and become a bandit - at least Wuzhou is a traffic thoroughfare, with many business travelers, and there are many more things to rob than in North Vietnam.
Returning to Wuzhou, there was a fierce battle: Hu Lanyan "took the lead bravely", Gou Xunli "made a clever plan", and the bandits "worked hard" and worked together to finally gain a foothold in the local area. Gou Xunli was eager to know the news about his son, but he couldn't
He was willing to be a bandit for the rest of his life, so he quit Hu Lanyan and sneaked back to Macau to find Li Siya.
However, after several years of hard work, they could not touch even a hair of Kun Thief, and the information about Kun Thief was limited. Li Siya had lost interest in him. In addition to providing him with three meals and one night, she actually abandoned him.
Don't ask.
Gou Er stayed in Macau for more than a month and met Li Siya once. Knowing that he was of no use to this woman, he had no choice but to return to Guangzhou in despair to check the situation.
In the city of Guangzhou, not only was Guo Yi's arrogance as strong as before, but the Kun thieves also built a big world directly outside the city. The Guangzhou officialdom not only turned a blind eye to the Kun thieves, but even flattered them. "Anti-Kun thieves" like Gou Er were different.
It is said that it has been reused by others, and it has almost become a "plague god", generally shunned by people, and has become a bereaved dog.
What's even worse is that Gou Chengxuan, who originally followed He Zhen as a member of the returning team, is missing and has no whereabouts at all. There is no news about the Lai brothers. Gou Xunli relied on the little money he had left to inquire about news in various yamen in Guangzhou.
I didn't get any specific information. I just heard that my son left with He Zhen and never returned to Guangzhou. He probably died in Hainan.
He burst into tears and was so sad that he had to make other plans. Unexpectedly, news came out that Dongzhu Guo was offering a hundred taels of silver in red for the heads of the Gou family and his son. There was no head, but one arm and one arm.
The legs were also worth fifty taels. Hu Lanyan was not forgotten either, and hung red for fifty taels.
At this time, all the heroes in Guangzhou city were red-eyed, and Guangzhou naturally couldn't wait any longer - it had become a world of thieves. Qiongzhou Mansion couldn't go back, so they had no choice but to go back to Hu Lanyan's place and become a bandit.
Among the gangs, he has the status of "master" and a sly brother, and is regarded as a "leader" level figure. In the village, he can be called "carefree", but compared to the "village sage" in the past
"Life is too far behind. I live in a barren mountain and ridge, live in a simple house, eat rough food, hang out with a group of vulgar mountain villagers all day long, and even rob
Most of the women who vented their anger were crude and ugly. Their family business was destroyed, their son's life or death was uncertain, and he was living like this again... His fire for revenge not only did not weaken as he grew older, but instead grew stronger and stronger.
Unexpectedly, this opportunity actually came to me!
The bandits were the first to learn of the news that the Kun bandits had captured Wuzhou. For the bandit gangs, it was an excellent opportunity to make a fortune when the army was crossing the border to fight, and the war was in chaos - just like hyenas following a lion to eat carrion. Taking advantage of the bright light
When the army collapsed and Wuzhou fell, various local gangs made a fortune. Hu Lanyan and the others were no exception.
However, hyenas can take advantage of lions when looking for food, but they cannot get too close to lions, not to mention that the lion is a thief! The people in Hulanyan Gang have suffered a lot from thief, so they are very cautious.
.
The bandits have informants in the city, and Gou Xunli knows a little bit about what happened after the bandits entered the city. He was driven by the flame of revenge, and he paid attention to the movements of the Australians in the city. Wuzhou was in ruins, and the people in the city were unstable;
Recently, there was a rebellion in Yaodong, and the bandit army retreated hastily from Wuzhou. Only a few people were left in Wuzhou city. Gou Er knew that the opportunity had come.
The bandits don't have much passion for loyalty and patriotism, but Wuzhou, as a spoil of war, is a "fat meat" that countless local bandits can't even dream of. What's more, if they can really win the battle in Wuzhou, they can kill a few real Kun and fake Kun.
, the court will definitely give a reward - for the bandits, "recruiting" to gain a good background and "glorious ancestors" is also very attractive. Therefore, Gou Xunli did not spend much effort to convince Hu Lanyan and the entire bandit.
Partner.
But there are only more than a hundred gangsters in their gang. Hu Lanyan and the others have all fought against the Australians and know how powerful they are. Even if there are only "Fake Kun" No. 100 in the city, they will never be opponents in a full array; as for
It is possible to recruit other gangsters to work together. Hu Lanyan suffered from this kind of "partnership" in Vietnam. It is possible to build momentum and attract the firepower of the gangsters, but it is impossible to ask them to use their own strength.
"We need to borrow help, but the various 'gods' on the mountain are unreliable, so we still have to rely on the imperial court!" Gou Xunli thought over and over again and said to Hu Lanyan.
"You mean, go find Xiong Wencan?" Hu Lanyan blinked his scarred eyelids and asked.
"We are alone, so it's impossible to go to Xiong Wencan directly. We may not even be able to see him." Gou Xunli said, "There must be someone to recommend us!"——
Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 347