Yingzhou is located in the north of the great river, just surrounded by countless mountains and rivers. To the east is the rich and prosperous land in the south of the Yangtze River. Looking to the northwest, it is the capital of Kyoto, the center of Qing Kingdom. This state is far from the two most prosperous places in Qing Kingdom. The location is not far away, and it is just at the junction of the Weihe River and the Dajiang River. Although the high mountains on both sides of the river have brought a lot of inconvenience to the traffic, the river is on the side, and the traffic center is, logically speaking, should be crowded with merchants. Busy, people's livelihood is happy.
It's just that the Yingzhou city looks a bit dilapidated today. It's not that the scenery is bleak and the houses are old. It's just that the faces of pedestrians walking on the street are dull and lifeless, and the vendors shouting on the street can't cheer up. , the fruit... seems to have been cooled and wilted.
Even the pier outside the city was not very lively. Most of the ships going up and down along the Qingguo River chose to berth at the pier downstream, and abandoned this place. There were only a few boats parked here and there. It seems that one of the large ships that is probably new is particularly conspicuous.
The reason why Yingzhou has become what it is today is a strange thing. Last year, the river flooded and broke the dams upstream. The yellow waves flooded the fields. The weather was cold and there was no major epidemic, but such traumatic tossing made the whole of Yingzhou look lifeless.
The second strange official, this Zhizhou of Yingzhou was a disciple of the Son of Heaven back then, but he didn't have the slightest blessing of the Son of Heaven. Repairing the river can't even maintain general law and order, only knowing about extortionate miscellaneous taxes. And it has always been rumored that this Lord Zhizhou has something to do with the bandits in the mountains across the river. With such a herdsman in a state, the people's livelihood will naturally wither, business travelers sneak in, and it is too late for serious businessmen to hide, so who dares to stay in the city.
Three strange thieves, the people of Yingzhou are tough, and they have a glorious tradition of fighting against the government with a hoe since ancient times. Now that there is such a ghost official, more and more poor people go down the river and up the mountain.
However, since this year, the situation seems to have changed a lot. First of all, the governor of Yingzhou was invited to drink tea by the inspection divisions stationed in the city of the Overwatch Council. Just when the people of Yingzhou were overjoyed, thinking that the magistrate was finally about to collapse, the magistrate was sent back respectfully by the Overwatch Council. And just when people were disappointed that Yingzhou was still going to decline like this, the Zhizhou died!
People from Kyoto checked for a long time before confirming that Zhizhou's death had nothing to do with any conspiracy, but just died of illness.
On the day Zhizhou died, the people of Yingzhou City silently lit countless strings of firecrackers. Naturally, no one dared to say that it was to celebrate the death of the plague god, but people who did not know the inside story thought that the people of Yingzhou chose to marry collectively on this day.
Another change is that the bandits in the mountains across the river seem to be much more honest. The largest cottage seems to have been bloodbathed within a day, and the bandits were torn apart. It is rumored that a great figure in the Jianghu has come from the south of the Yangtze River and is trying to subdue these forces.
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The people in Yingzhou were not happy for a long time, they only thought that they passed a new year ahead of schedule.
Because Zhizhou is dead, next year the court will send another Zhizhou, and the bandits collapse, and there will be a large number of bandits again soon. The lives of ordinary people are still so difficult, and there will be no qualitative changes.
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In a warehouse next to the pier, a dozen coolies were gathering together to discuss something. Even if the pier was light, chatting in broad daylight was not the professional attitude that coolies should have. Their expressions seemed to reveal their other identities.
Surrounded in the middle was a woman, about twenty years old, with good features, not a beauty, but there was such a ruthlessness in her eyes, when she opened her mouth, all the men around her stopped obediently. Mouth, it seems to be a leader.
"I found out, it's a tea merchant who came from Kyoto."
"Sister Guan, they have guards on board." A coolie reminded.
The person called Sister Guan is a well-known bandit leader near Yingzhou. She has not been in Yingzhou for a long time, but she has gathered a large number of powerful bandit leaders. It is said that there are big bandits behind her. background.
Sister Guan sneered and said, "It's just businessmen, what's the big deal? Besides, you've stepped on it a bit, so I don't need to tell you how heavy the boxes in the back room are?"
The words were plain, but when the box was mentioned, the eyes of the coolies began to become hot. Walking on the rivers and lakes, genuine bandits look at the dust from the wheels to judge the weight of the goods in the car and thus judge the value. The bandits near Yingzhou should actually be classified as first-class water pirates. They are best at judging what is on board from the depth of the ship's draft.
Yesterday, a large ship suddenly stopped on the pier. The hull of the ship was probably new. Judging by the thickness of the moss on the sideboard of the ship, people who have been on the pier all year round know that this ship has not been launched for a long time. Nowadays, this kind of big boat is rarely seen in Yingzhou. For bandits, this is a rare big fat sheep. When the people on the boat got off the boat to buy food and clear water, someone had already inquired about the things on the boat. clearly.
What made these bandits wonder was, since they were merchants collecting tea, how could they have put such a heavy load on the back of the ship? So much so that the draft of this ship is obviously very different from the usual ships. This question was finally answered after a cook who acted as an eyeliner boarded the ship. There was a box in the heavily guarded wing room at the rear of the ship. Looking at the load-bearing condition of the ship planks and the slight scratches on the iron key of the box, The thieves were extremely sharp-eyed and found that the box was full of silver!
"No one would bring so much money to the south of the Yangtze River to collect tea."
In fact, Sister Guan still has some doubts in her heart, but since the young master wants to subdue the bandits near Yingzhou, he has to make a few big deals so that the sweaty thieves around him can smell some scents, and what the young master will do after the spring begins Things really need money, otherwise I wouldn't have gone around so hastily to rob the ship.
A famous bandit also felt that something was wrong, and said: "The draft is deep, and there is no cargo on board... Maybe the bottom deck is pressing down on river rocks, and the third sister-in-law didn't see clearly."
Sister Guan shook her head and said, "It's not a sea-going ship. What do you need ballast stones for? I just find it strange that the merchants on that big ship...why bring so much cash."
"Current money is better." A bandit said with a strange smile, "I don't dare to take the bank notes after I robbed them." These words immediately got a response from the accomplices, who laughed in unison, and the laughter was full of greed .
Sister Guan frowned and said, "The question is... which merchants still carry cash now? Don't they worry about safety?"
The thieves looked at Sister Guan, thinking that this leader is fierce and ruthless, and he is very accurate in picking targets. Taking advantage of the opportunity when no one knows the state, he led the brothers to do a few big cases, but... sometimes... It's a bit too careful, safety issues, I should ask that stupid tea merchant, what do the brothers do
Sister Guan waved her hand and called over to the third sister-in-law who was in charge of inquiring about the news. The third sister-in-law had a dark and thin face, and said flatteringly: "Don't worry, there are only a dozen guards in total, one maid and one child. The master is a fragile young man. I don’t know how to hide it at all, presumably it’s the second-generation ancestor of a wealthy family in Beijing who was driven to the south of the Yangtze River by the elders to hone his skills.”
Bringing a maid, presumably the young businessman couldn't stand being lonely at night. Sister Guan sneered and felt a little relieved, if the tea merchant was really a caring person, he wouldn't be wandering the river with a woman, maybe he was really a useless second-generation ancestor who thought that shiny silver was better than silver bills It's more comfortable to smash.
As for the dozen or so guards, they are not in her eyes. The dozen or so brothers under her are all gangsters with several lives in their hands. She believes that if they board the boat at night, those guards will die or jump into the river. Two paths can be chosen.
The thieves around her looked at each other, and suddenly laughed very lewdly, and said, "Sister Guan, it's over at night... reward us with that maid."
Sister Guan blinked her eyes, revealing a hint of contempt: "Look at how promising you are! As long as you get the money, other things are naturally up to you."
After a pause, she laughed, her laughter was extremely cold and evil: "Keep your hands and feet clean, don't leave anyone alive, and pull the boat to Erhutan and burn it afterwards."
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The night outside Yingzhou City was very quiet. The moon above the Xiongling Mountains on the other side of the river coldly shone on the rushing river, seeming to calm down the roar of the river a lot. There were a few boats moored alone on the pier. It was past midnight, and it was the time when people were sleeping soundly. The lights on the boats were turned off early, and the merchants had already fallen asleep.
Under the light of the moonlight, more than a dozen black shadows touched the shore silently, dived into the river, and only took out hooks and ropes from the largest boat after swimming. Empty hands, he climbed onto the boat along the rope, like countless apes that have been drenched in water, with extremely agile skills.
In just a short while, these bandits who attacked at night had already touched the big ship and disappeared into the darkness.
With a cold knife in her mouth, Sister Guan went up to the second floor in silence, and under the cover of the shadow of the cabin, she went directly to the rear. Everyone in the warehouse had a clear discussion and knew the layout of the ship very well. A box full of silver is just behind the cabin.
In the darkness behind her, there was a faint sound of puffing, followed by someone falling on the deck with a soft sound. She frowned, thinking that these little bastards didn't know how to be careful in their actions. If all the guards were alarmed at the same time, although they were not afraid, they would always be troublesome.
When I came outside the wing room, I was surprised to find no guards. At this time, there were several muffled hums from the ship in the night. Sister Guan knew that her subordinates were gradually invading the middle cabin. As soon as the tip of the knife was pressed hard, the door of the compartment was opened softly, and in the next moment, a box was touched in the darkness.
With the faint afterglow coming from the window in front, Sister Guan saw the size of the box clearly, and couldn't help but gasped. The third sister-in-law didn't make it clear, but only said that judging from the size and weight of the box, it was estimated to be thousands of taels... But Guan My sister touched the box in disbelief, estimating the size... Oh my god, how much money does it take to fill such a big box!
She suddenly felt a little scared. The person who can carry so much silver with him, even if he is the second generation ancestor, is probably the richest second generation ancestor in Kyoto. Young Master, I can't bear it.
Don't kill that second ancestor! This was the first thought that came to Sister Guan's mind, but she immediately realized that the deal was done, so she couldn't help but hesitate, and with so much money, it was enough to do too many things.
She carefully took out the tools, and it took her half a day to open the box.
A piece of silver light immediately filled the entire cabin!
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Sister Guan stared dumbfounded at the box in front of her, her face full of shock and disbelief!
Even though she is a person who lives on the edge of a knife and is used to seeing bloody silver, she is still dazzled and fascinated by the neatly stacked silver ingots in the box tonight. In her usual cold eyes, she began to Revealed the meaning of greed.
But she immediately came to her senses, no matter how bright the moonlight is and how beautiful the silver is, it is impossible for her to emit such a seductive light!
She suddenly looked back, only to see a middle-aged man with a sullen face, holding a white light in one hand and a surprisingly long simple knife in the other, looking at herself coldly.
Tiger Guardian Gundam, following Fan Xian's instructions, had given Sister Guan enough time to appreciate the silver, and slashed down very slowly.
Miss Guan raised her knife.
However, that blunt long knife, like an unstoppable flood, broke down the defense and heart defense of this Dajiang female bandit in an instant, making her look at her right hand in pain while feeling terrified. After being cut off, blood gushed out with severe pain!
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The middle cabin of the boat was lit up, and Sister Guan, who was dragged into the house, had disheveled hair and a chaotic mood. All the bandits who followed her into the boat were easily disarmed and stunned. Throwing them neatly on the deck, several swordsmen from the six divisions who were on duty all night in black, stood guard in all directions as if nothing had happened.
She raised her head, looked at the handsome young man with a tired and irritable face on the grand master's chair through her hair, for some reason, she felt a shudder in her heart. Who is it that lives on this boat? To be able to use so many masters as guards, and the person who used the sword before seemed to be a generation of masters of swordsmanship—at this time, she naturally understood that the young second-generation ancestor that the third sister-in-law was talking about must not be an ordinary tea merchant.
"Guan Meimei?" The young man on the chair took a look and broke his hand, yawned like a ruthless female bandit, and asked with interest.
The young man was naturally Fan Xian. He stopped the boat in Yingzhou to deal with Hong Zhu's incident, but he didn't expect to provoke some short-sighted thieves, but he could tell at a glance that the woman in front of him was The portrait of the wanted female thief in the file of the Overwatch Council couldn't help being amused, thinking that he just hadn't figured out how to speak up about the Jiangnan incident, so one of them came to his door.