Liu, Hengzhou, Shaquancheng.
Four knights appeared on the official road, with one leading the way and three following behind them, wandering towards the city.
Just after crossing the county line, we saw a post house set up on the roadside.
An official led several postmen and blocked the entrance to the road.
All four of them stopped.
The official saluted and asked, "Where are you passing?"
The leader was a young man who was not old but looked quite elegant. He looked at the knight on the side, and the attendant skillfully took out the pass, dismounted from the horse, and handed the pass to the official.
The clerk picked up the check boxes and began to compare them one by one.
The number of people and identities were compared.
"Chief Changping County, went to Sizhou to visit relatives"
"It turns out it was Wang Changshi who was offended."
The clerk smiled and returned what he had done to the other party, and asked again:
"Lu Ping."
The knight had no choice but to hand the road certificate to the other party again. The clerk checked the records left by the superior one by one, "Wang Changshi, you came here half a month after you left Pingshu. Where did you go in the meantime?"
"The weather was too hot, and I got sick on the road, so I couldn't walk for too long. I rested while walking, so I walked much slower."
"I see."
The clerk nodded, looked at the few knights again, then stamped the road voucher, handed it to the other party, saluted, and stood aside.
Several people set off again.
As they walked further on the road, the knights became angry.
"How cruel Liu Taozi is!"
"This is a cool method that even Shang Yang can't match!"
Wang Changshi frowned and whispered: "Don't be so loud. Just bear with it!"
The knights took a deep breath and turned red.
Wang Changshi looked forward and said without looking back: "How many times have I told you, no matter where you are, even if you are dreaming, never say these words out, who knows if anyone will hear them?"
"The lamp-lighting plan has been implemented to this day, but it has produced no results, all because of carelessness!"
"More than 800 people came here, how many people are left who can be used by us now?!"
Several knights lowered their heads.
Wang Changshi looked around again, changed his words, and continued: "This visit to relatives must be taken seriously."
"I remember that we have many relatives in Shaquan, at least twenty of them, but we have lost contact with them all. Start looking in the city first. Even if you find them, don't meet them directly. Report them to me first."
"only!!"
Everyone walked along the official road and finally arrived at the gate of the city. After another interrogation, they finally entered the city.
Shaquan is a small town.
The city walls are short and not many people can be seen on the roads.
As a group of them, they were quite conspicuous here, so Wang Changshi had no choice but to lead everyone to the nearest guesthouse.
After showing the residence, you can stay. The rooms in the guest house also have corresponding grades. The more money you pay, the better the room will be.
After everyone settled down and put away their things, Wang Changshi asked a few knights to go out to investigate.
During their trip to visit relatives, they were actually looking for the spies they sent. At least they wanted to know what the other party was like.
The knights searched the city for two days, and finally, a knight brought good news.
He met a merchant in the city who spoke with a Sizhou accent. When asked, he said that he had escaped from Sizhou with others not long ago and lived in Houjia Village outside the city.
Wang Changshi immediately left the city, asked several woodcutters along the way, and determined the location of Houjia Village before leading everyone there.
Liu Taozi's rule was simply hell for the thieves under Wei Xiaokuan's command.
The combination of many dedicated officials scattered throughout the country and the system and laws that are almost harsh makes thieves almost no way to survive.
Even if they asked for directions, they didn't dare to leave any traces.
Wang Changshi and others walked for two days and approached the Houjia Village. Then one of the knights went in to ask for water and check the whereabouts of those people.
The knight's fluent Sizhou accent immediately aroused the curiosity of many people in the village.
Of course, the people in the village were still very enthusiastic. When they learned that the other party was also from Sizhou, they invited them to their home to entertain them. After chatting for a long time, the knight finally felt sure that this was the place they were looking for!!
When the knight returned, his face was extremely excited.
They went all the way from Changping to Sizhou, but they found nothing along the way. When they got here, were they finally going to open up the situation?
At night, it was quiet inside and outside the village.
Wang Changshi led the knights on foot on the village path. They walked very carefully and did not make any noise.
The village at night is quiet and peaceful.
Occasionally, they could hear the barking of dogs, which made them afraid to move.
The sound of babies crying could be heard in some courtyards, and someone quickly began to coax the children and hum local songs.
They tiptoed outside a courtyard. Wang Changshi looked around and asked, "Are you sure this is here?"
"When I came during the day, I saw it clearly. That person was definitely Zhao Kunseng, exactly the same as the portrait you had there! I saw him walk in here with my own eyes!!"
Wang Changshi slowly took out the dagger from his arms, and several people followed suit.
Wang Changshi's face showed excitement, joy, and unspeakable anger.
"Later, block his mouth first and ask him not to wake others up. Then we will ask him about the situation. If this guy rebels, then kill him. This guy has the contact information of everyone in Hengzhou. He must not be left behind.
In the hands of the enemy!"
"only!!"
A few people didn't open the door, but came to the low wall on the south side, quickly jumped onto the wall, and quickly landed on the ground.
The three of them jumped into the courtyard and looked forward.
In the darkness, the courtyard was full of people.
It was estimated that there were more than twenty people.
Some of them were holding ropes, some were holding daggers, and some were holding sticks.
Zhao Kuseng was sitting on the stone steps at the door of the house. Under the darkness, his expression could not be seen clearly, but he stared at Wang Changshi and others fiercely.
Wang Changshi and others were about to run away immediately, but those strong men had already pounced on them. No one dared to shout, but during the fight, Wang Changshi and others were pinned to the ground and could not move.
Zhao Kuseng stood up slowly, walked in front of them, and then squatted down.
"The smell of the people around you is so strong, even if you are not close, I can smell it. I knew that such a day would come, such a day."
Zhao Kuseng's voice was a little deep.
Wang Changshi gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice: "Zhao Kunseng! The general treats you very well!! How dare you betray your trust?!"
Zhao Kuseng turned around and looked at his house, then looked at him again, "Prince, don't forget, I am originally from Qi."
"At the beginning, all my family members were harmed by barbarians, so I turned to Zhou and wanted to avenge my family members."
"It's good that you still remember!! Dazhou took you in at the beginning, but now you are ungrateful?!"
Zhao Kuseng's expression was complicated.
"Prince, please take a look at the border fortress."
"General Wei is really kind to us exiled Qi people, but what about the others? Just before arriving at the frontier fortress, one of our brothers was inexplicably killed on the way to Guizhen. The crime was that he did not pray in time to see this person.
What’s the difference between Qi and Qi?”
"But the frontier fortress is different. Under General Wei's rule, have you ever seen a noble Hu who dared to kill indiscriminately along the way?"
Wang Changshi's face turned red, "With such a harsh law, naturally no noble man dares to rebel, but do you know how much it costs to get here from Changping?!"
"I don't know that. I only know that here, people can survive."
"The government will really grant land, and those with skills can work as craftsmen, and the city will not collect taxes randomly. Although the officials are strong, they are at least willing to act in accordance with the law."
“Nonsense!!”
"You traitorous thieves! The general has been very kind to you! How dare you do this? Liu Taozi is really a villain. He bribed you with dozens of acres of cultivated land. It is really hateful and shameless. You are all with
That Liu Taozi is just as despicable."
Zhao Kuseng frowned suddenly, "That's enough!!"
His voice was a little loud, and a fire suddenly lit up in the room.
Zhao Kuseng motioned to everyone to escort these people to Shufan, while he went to comfort the people in the house.
Zhao Kuseng soon appeared in front of Wang Changshi and others again.
Wang Changshi continued to insult.
He felt that there would never be villains like Zhao Kunseng and others in the world.
When they were desperate, the general gave them a way to survive, but now they dare to betray the general like this!! Zhao Kuseng listened to his insults and said coldly: "General Wei took the initiative to send people to welcome us, take us in, give us food and drink
Yes, the purpose of training our skills is to use us to collect intelligence and help him deal with Qi."
"In the past many years, we have traveled around to collect information for General Wei and spread nursery rhymes. This can be regarded as fulfilling his orders."
"But General Wei is different!"
"He didn't give us meat to eat, and he didn't give us any money. He gave us forty acres of arable land, but he didn't ask for anything from us!"
"He doesn't want us to do anything for him."
"General Wei has been kind to us, but we have repaid him in return. General Wei has been kind to the world, how can we dare to deal with him?"
"You don't have to worry. I haven't told them anything or revealed any secrets. We just work here and be ordinary people."
Zhao Kuseng said and looked at Wang Changshi again, "You don't have to insult me ​​anymore."
"We won't kill you either."
"These few of you can't kill us. If you want to report it to the government, then go ahead. We don't care. There is no difference between Qi and Zhou. Evil people are in power, traitors are rampant, and the people are suffering. Only here.
, that’s where the true destiny lies!”
"You go back and inform General Wei."
"We can no longer continue to work for him. If he is unwilling to let us go, then we should inform the officials here of our identity."
"But no matter what, we will never be enemies with General Liu again."
Listening to Zhao Kunseng's words, Wang Changshi was dumbfounded.
He is different from people like Zhao Kuseng. He is from Zhou, pretending to be from Qi, and his background is not low.
Therefore, many times, he is unable to understand the thoughts of the people under his command.
Just like it is now.
He didn't know what Liu Taozi fed these people to make them look like this.
I think back then, these were all cold-blooded killers who killed without blinking an eye. They were killing people, sabotaging, and conducting secret investigations all over the territory of Qi. They were all good players in the army of thieves.
Why has it become like this in less than half a year after working under Liu Taozi?
Zhao Kuseng looked at the stunned Wang Changshi and smiled bitterly.
"You can't understand, can you?"
"Why?"
"General Wei rewards you with big fish and meat. Every time you make a contribution, you will be rewarded. He will never look down on you just because you are from Qi. Why would you betray such a general!!"
"My lord, when I was thirty years old, I lost my family and suffered humiliation that no one else could imagine. Since then, I have been dead and only wanted revenge."
"Who can avenge me?"
"Your enemy is Qi!!"
"No, my enemy is not Qi."
Zhao Kuseng lowered his head and looked at Wang Changshi.
"My enemies are people like the prince who ignore us untouchables. My family members died at the hands of people like you."
"Our lives are not worth mentioning in your eyes. If we can do something for you, we must be grateful."
"The only person who can avenge me and us is General Liu."
"I saw with my own eyes that those evil thieves who preyed on the common people were beheaded by his men and hung on the city wall."
"The county magistrate of Sizhou was arrested by General Liu because he levied taxes without permission and destroyed his family. He was frozen to death in the field. His bones are still tied up in the suburbs for the officials to see clearly."
"Under his rule, at least there will be no more people like me."
"Wang Changshi, please go back."
Zhao Kuseng waved his hand, and the strong men let go of their hands. Wang Changshi got up with difficulty, stared at Zhao Kuseng angrily, and gritted his teeth.
But the few knights around him were in a daze at the moment.
"If you let me go, you will definitely regret it."
"Qi is about to be destroyed. It's too late for you to regret it now. If you persist in your stubbornness, you will be the first to die when Qi is destroyed! By then, the world will be so big that there will be no room for you!"
Wang Changshi looked at the rest of the people and said, "And you. If you are willing to wake up, I can take you away."
Zhao Kuseng laughed again, with no fear in his eyes.
Wang Changshi waited for the others to speak. After waiting for a long time, no one spoke.
Wang Changshi turned around and left angrily.
Zhao Kuseng watched the other party climb over the wall and leave, then waved his hand, "Go back, be careful, don't go out alone."
The sky is dark and bright.
The little baby had already appeared in the yard, fetched water with difficulty, and started to light the fire again.
After a long time, Zhao Kuseng came out. Looking at the food cooked by the little guy, he laughed and ate very happily.
After the two of them had eaten, the little baby picked up the wooden box and followed Zhao Kunseng out the door.
“Trim your hair~~ Trim your beard~~”
"Fix your hair!! Trim your beard!!"
Zhao Kuseng's voice is hoarse and powerful, while the little doll's voice is clear and sharp.
Every time Zhao Kuseng shouts something, the little baby will shout the same sentence.
Two people, one large and one small, were walking on the path, shouting along the way.
They walked out of the village and walked towards the city, shouting along the way. Finally, when passing through a village, a man stopped them, asked the price, and then asked Zhao Kuseng to help trim his beard.
He was a young man with a light beard and a somewhat messy beard.
He just sat on the small chair, raised his head, and the little doll soaked the cloth in hot water and handed it to Zhao Kuseng, who gently wiped the other person's face.
"Are you planning to go to the county seat?"
"Yes, I have to report to the school tomorrow."
The younger generation looks a little shy.
"Okay, I'll give you some beard to make you look more mature."
"Okay, okay, very good! Just watch and practice."
Zhao Kunseng began to use the knife to trim his beard gently. The little boy stood aside and watched intently.
"Grandpa! You haven't repaired it yet!"
"I know"
"Grandma! Here! Here!"
The young man glanced at the doll aside and laughed, "Is this your grandson?"
"Yes, yes, the grandson I picked up~~"
Soon, the young man got up, and the little boy took out the bronze mirror for him to look at. The young man turned his face from side to side, his eyes lit up, and he raised his head a lot. He smiled and nodded, looking particularly satisfied.
"My father-in-law is so good at his craftsmanship! His hands are really stable and he can do the repairs quickly and well!"
"You have been skilled in holding a knife for thirty or forty years, right?"
Zhao Kunseng took the other person's money and replied kindly: "Yes, I have been shaving people's hair and faces for many years."
The young man thanked me again and left happily.
Zhao Kuseng continued walking on the road with the little baby.
"Did you see clearly just now?"
"You have to study hard. If one day I get too old and can't do it anymore, you will have to rely on this craft to make a living."
"See clearly!"
"Don't worry, Grandpa! When you get old, I will trim your beard!"
Zhao Kuseng bent over and squinted his eyes leisurely, while the little baby struggled to hold the wooden box and followed behind him.
The two of them walked on the country road, walking slowly towards the county seat in the distance.
The breeze blew, mixed with two shouts.
“Trim your hair~~ Trim your beard~~”
"Fix your hair!! Trim your beard!!"
ps: I'm too embarrassed to see anyone. The noise was so noisy that I specially asked an electrician to help me take a look. After the electrician came over, he turned on the switch and looked at the air conditioner. Later he thought it was the water pipe, then suspected the heating, and then
I thought it was a problem upstairs. After working for a long time and finding nothing, I was ready to contact the property management company. Finally, I found out that it was a mouse toy used by their cat. The toy was thrown under the desk and kept buzzing.
.I will never forget the expression and eyes the electrician looked at me at the end.
Chapter completed!