After this incident, Yan Liqiang and his companions became much more careful on the road.
It was not that he was afraid, but there were female relatives such as Concubine Rong in the team, and Yan Liqiang did not want to cause trouble. The team was on the road for almost an hour and nothing happened. But after an hour, Yan Liqiang saw a checkpoint on the official road several miles ahead. When he saw the checkpoint, Yan Liqiang frowned suddenly.
That checkpoint was not a strong pass, but more like a sentry post set between two small hills. There were countless such sentries in every state and county of the Han Empire. In normal times, the role of these sentries was to check passing caravans and merchants and collect customs duties. Occasionally, these sentries also had the role of arresting bandits. In some special times, these sentries became checkpoints for local governments to control important traffic routes, and a large number of soldiers would be sent to garrison near these sentries to be ready for emergencies.
The checkpoint ahead was now in the final situation. From a distance, Yan Liqiang saw layers of barricades outside the checkpoint. On the hillsides and roadsides on both sides of the checkpoint, fences and arrow towers were also repaired. A large number of soldiers, at least more than two thousand soldiers, a full battalion, gathered on both sides of the checkpoint, sitting on the hillside and taking a rest.
Of course, what made Yan Liqiang frown was not these, but that he had seen the young lieutenant who had just left on horseback was lying on a rocking chair in an arrow tower behind the checkpoint, rocking. The rocking chair was facing the direction of the official road. The young lieutenant was carefree, eating fruit while looking at this side. Just as Yan Liqiang was looking at the checkpoint, the young lieutenant had already seen Yan Liqiang and his team, and then stood up from the recliner, pointed to Yan Liqiang's side with an officer beside him, and said a few words. Then the officer also looked in Yan Liqiang's direction, and then quickly went down the arrow tower. Within a few seconds, the soldiers who were originally gathered lazily on the hillsides on both sides of the checkpoint stood up all of a sudden, began to line up, and took a posture of being ready for battle.
With Yan Liqiang's extraordinary eyesight, even from such a distance, he could clearly see the young captain's face and the subtle expressions on his face. However, at this distance, the young captain could only see Yan Liqiang and his team.
Looking at the lip movements of the captain and the officer beside him, Yan Liqiang naturally pieced together the content of their conversation in his mind.
"Ah, they are coming, quickly tell the people below to get ready!" This was said by the young captain. When he said this, his face was full of excitement and his eyes were shining, as if he was waiting for Yan Liqiang and the others to bump into him.
"Don't worry, sir. They will definitely not escape from your control this time. The capital area is in such chaos now. I heard that even the imperial court is finished. Who are they trying to fool with the Imperial Mabu Division? Who knows whether it's true or not? Now in Luquan County, you have the final say. Of course we have to check it carefully, hehehe..." This was the officer's answer. The officer had a flattering smile on his face when he spoke. He didn't look like an officer at all, but a house slave.
"Don't waste time, go..."
"yes… "
Looking at the arrow tower behind the pass, there is a flag flying with a big word "Zhou" on it.
Yan Liqiang gently pulled the reins, and Caiyun Shuiyue slowed down all of a sudden. As Caiyun Zhuiyue slowed down, the entire team slowed down. Yan Liqiang turned around and called Liu Xitong who was in the middle of the team. Liu Xitong immediately rushed to Yan Liqiang, "Sir, what's the matter?"
"Do you know the surname of the Luquan County Magistrate?"
Liu Xitong frowned, thought for a moment, and scratched his head. "The governor of Luquan County is named Zhou. I think his name is Zhou Shouren or Zhou Shouyi. I can't remember it!"
"It's rare that you can still remember the name of a county magistrate so far away from the capital!" Yan Liqiang said approvingly.
Liu Xitong smiled awkwardly, "Thank you for the compliment, sir. It's just that when Eunuch Liu celebrated his birthday, I helped him count the guest gift list and vaguely saw this name on it, so I have some impression of it!"
"Let's get everyone ready!" Yan Liqiang's voice also became serious. "The young captain we met before, if I guess correctly, should be the young master of Luquan County. He is at the checkpoint ahead, and should be waiting for us..."
Liu Xitong naturally also saw the checkpoint several miles ahead, but with Liu Xitong's eyesight, he only saw a checkpoint on the road ahead, and it seemed like there were some people. As for more details, he couldn't see clearly.
Liu Xitong did not dare to doubt Yan Liqiang's words. Although he did not know how Yan Liqiang knew that the young captain they met before was in the checkpoint ahead and was the son of the prefect of Luquan County, he had already developed absolute trust in Yan Liqiang over the past few days. Upon hearing Yan Liqiang's instructions, Liu Xitong immediately turned his horse around and passed on Yan Liqiang's words. The nerves of the entire team were suddenly tense.
Yan Liqiang also turned his horse around and came to the four-wheeled carriage where Concubine Rong and several others were riding. He reminded them personally, "Your Majesty, in a while, when you are in the carriage, lower the curtains and the iron plate behind the air vents inside, so that arrows cannot shoot in. Try not to get close to the air vents, and don't get off the carriage no matter what happens!"
"Ah, Lord Yan, is there any trouble ahead?" Concubine Rong looked at Yan Liqiang in surprise.
"It's hard to say!" Yan Liqiang shook his head. "I'll try not to use force, but if there's no other way, I'll just have to resort to force!" After saying that, Yan Liqiang looked at Elder Liu who was sitting next to the driver. "Elder Liu, the safety of this car is now in your hands!"
Elder Liu narrowed his eyes and glanced at the checkpoint ahead. He didn't say much, but just nodded silently.
"Lord Yan, please be more careful..." Concubine Rong looked at Yan Liqiang with affectionate eyes and gave him one more word of advice.
"Don't worry, Madam!"
After reminding Concubine Rong, Yan Liqiang reminded Concubine Duan and the others about the carriage they were sitting in.
Concubine Rui's beautiful almond-shaped eyes appeared from the narrow window. She looked at Yan Liqiang with a somewhat special look, and then nodded.
When the team was ready, Yan Liqiang rode Caiyun Zhuiyue back to the front of the team. He looked at the busy checkpoint ahead, touched the meteorite spear on the saddle, and his eyes gradually became cold and fierce...
During the Incident in Imperial Capital, countless high-ranking officials of the imperial court died in front of Yan Liqiang, but Yan Liqiang didn't even blink an eye, let alone a small county magistrate and the domineering son of the county magistrate in Luquan County.
A few minutes later, the convoy slowly arrived at the checkpoint. A pile of barricades blocked the front of the convoy. Behind the barricades and on the hillsides on both sides were teams of soldiers who were eyeing them covetously. The county magistrate's son, surrounded by a group of soldiers, stood in front of the checkpoint, raised his head and looked at Yan Liqiang riding on the rhino horse, and Liu Xitong next to Yan Liqiang, with a sneer and complacency on his face.
"Someone get off your horse and be inspected!"
The county magistrate's son did not say anything. Instead, the lackey officer beside him yelled at Yan Liqiang and the others, raised his hand, and asked them to stop.
Yan Liqiang did not speak, but just looked at the county governor calmly. Liu Xitong beside him took out his identity token, showed it, and said in a deep voice, "We are the people of the Imperial Horse and Infantry Division. We have been ordered to leave the capital to carry out important tasks. No checkpoints can stop us. Please remove the barricades on the road and let us pass..."
"The troops of the Imperial Horse and Infantry Division are going to pass through Luquan County, but we haven't received any notification!" The officer just glanced at the identity badge in Liu Xitong's hand, then turned his eyes away, shook his head, and had a mocking look on his face, "If you want to pass this checkpoint, everyone must dismount and be inspected!"
"What a joke!" Liu Xitong was furious. "The Imperial Horse Guards are your Majesty's personal troops. We are on an important mission and we need to travel all over the Han Empire. Why should we report to anyone? Get out of the way! If you delay our journey, I'll chop your head off!"
Seeing Liu Xitong's anger, the lackey officer felt a little uneasy, but when he looked at the soldiers around him and on both sides of the checkpoint, especially the look in Zhou Gongzi's eyes, he suddenly became bolder. He puffed out his chest and said loudly, "The capital is in chaos now, and the White Lotus bandits are causing chaos everywhere. Who knows whether your identity as the imperial horse and infantry officer is true or false? We are here to check suspicious people and White Lotus bandits going to and from Luquan County. No one is exempt. We now suspect that there are contraband in your vehicles, and your identities are also somewhat suspicious. All of you must leave your vehicles and accept our inspection!"
"Do you know the consequences of doing this?" Liu Xitong said coldly.
“Hahaha, what consequences? In Luquan County, we are the biggest consequences!” The lackey officer’s face turned cold. He winked, and the soldiers on both sides of the pass simultaneously approached Yan Liqiang and his team. The long spears and long hairs on the back mountain were all aimed at Yan Liqiang and his team. The soldiers on the nearby arrow towers opened their bows and crossbows at once, aiming at Liu Xitong and Yan Liqiang. The lackey officer sneered and said arrogantly, “I’ll count to three. If you still don’t dismount and dare to resist inspection, don’t blame us for being rude. Since you don’t want to take our face, then you don’t need this face anymore…”
After saying this, the lackey officer saw that Yan Liqiang and his men still had no reaction and everyone was still riding on their horses. The corners of his eyes twitched twice, and he gritted his teeth and counted out a number, "One..."
At this moment, Yan Liqiang suddenly spoke up. He looked at the young captain with a calm face and said, "Mr. Zhou, have you ever thought about the consequences of your actions for you and your father?"
The expression of Mr. Zhou changed instantly, as if he didn't expect Yan Liqiang to call out his name. His heart skipped a beat, but in the blink of an eye, thinking of the appearance of Concubine Rong and the others, his heart was like a fire burning. After turning over various thoughts in his mind, Mr. Zhou's expression became even more ferocious, "Since you know who I am, why don't you get off your horse and accept inspection? In this Luquan County, what I do is the law of nature and the king's law. Don't pretend in front of me. I won't accept it. If you are obedient, then everything will be fine. If you dare to rebel, hum hum..." After speaking, Mr. Zhou glanced at the lackey officer beside him and winked. The lackey officer shouted again, "Second..."
"Two..." As soon as the word fell, Yan Liqiang, who was riding on the horse, suddenly moved. No one could see Yan Liqiang's movements clearly. Yan Liqiang moved like a mad dragon. Amid the uproar of the soldiers around the checkpoint and the falling of a circle of figures, Yan Liqiang had already stood next to that Master Zhou, with one hand already clasped around the pale-faced Master Zhou's neck...
Looking at Mr. Zhou in front of him, Yan Liqiang sighed, his eyes full of contempt, "You are so lustful that you dare to touch the people of the Imperial Mabu Division. What else would you not dare to do? How could someone like you become a Tiger Captain and wear a military uniform? Seeing a county governor like you, I really understand why the White Lotus Sect can incite so many people to rebel. With someone like you around, if the common people don't rebel, won't they be oppressed and enslaved by you forever, and live like cows and horses forever, without dignity..."
(End of this chapter)