The salt merchant was puzzled at first.
After staring into Shen Tang's eyes for a few moments, he, a seasoned businessman, immediately understood what he meant. He hesitated for a moment, as he was unsure of the identities of Shen Tang and the others. If he answered this question incorrectly, his life would end early.
Shen Tang was sharp-eyed and saw through his difficulties.
He said, "Just tell me what you want to say. I won't punish you for your answer. I'll keep you safe."
The salt merchant asked anxiously, "From the accent of this gentleman, he doesn't sound like a man from Shiwu. Do you want to..."
Shen Tang smiled and said, "No need to ask more questions."
The salt merchant immediately knew what was happening and chose to shut up.
After sifting the answer in his stomach again and again, he spoke cautiously: "In reply to the Lord, based on my experience doing business in Shiwu for so many years, most of them are shameless and are very good at changing their ways. But they also have one advantage, they are loyal to whoever feeds them and will stick to whoever gives them benefits. If used properly, they can be a sharp weapon, so be careful when using them."
Shen Tang's expression became more playful.
Xu Quan frowned and said, "Whoever gives me milk is my mother?"
The salt merchant saw that the beautiful lady had a somewhat unfriendly tone, so he immediately changed his tone and said, "Money is everything!"
Xu Quan: “…”
Shen Tang burst out laughing.
He felt that this salt merchant was indeed a smuggler who had been rich for many years. He was indeed eloquent and had a good ability to read people's minds. However, this man also lived up to his evaluation of Shiwu, so he had to be careful when using him.
Xu Quan turned around and said angrily, "My lord, this man is so slick and smooth-talking that you can tell at a glance that he is not a good citizen."
The next sentence should be "drag him out and slaughter him."
The salt merchant turned pale, not expecting that he would be killed just by being clever. He was so scared that he kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Please spare my life, generals. I have no intention of offending you..."
Seeing that his forehead was about to be left with a red mark, Shen Tang spoke out to stop his self-harming behavior and comforted him, "We are not bloodthirsty people. We do have an important matter to do. Once the identity is revealed, we must kill to silence the witness. I think you are also an old businessman who has traveled all over the country. You should know when to be smart and when to play dumb."
The salt merchant quickly said, "I know, I know. I know."
Shen Tang stated his purpose.
He said coldly: "If the military strength in the valley is really so weak, I will send someone to go back with you to negotiate with those refugees. If this succeeds, you will have a good time in the future. If not, you and the more than a thousand people alive in the valley will be killed!"
Xu Quan got the job when he heard that.
Looking at Shen Tang eagerly: "Lord~~~"
With a feminine appearance, even if he did it unintentionally, he still spoke in a coquettish tone. Coupled with those charming eyes, he was like a puppy with its tail shaking like a propeller. Shen Tang, a beauty lover, could not resist and was defeated step by step.
Little did he know that when these thoughts came out, Gu Chi's eyes showed a bit of fear, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak for a long time.
He looked at his master who was holding his forehead with a slight headache and said, "Forget it, forget it. I'll leave this matter to you. But to be safe, you should send two hundred elite soldiers to go together. Pay attention to safety, and if there is anything wrong, fire arrows to warn."
Xu Quan blinked.
I didn't expect it to be so easy to snatch.
Don't you want to leave Bai Su a chance to practice
Although he had doubts in his heart, he had no reason to refuse the military merit since he had obtained it. He immediately selected two hundred elite soldiers, prepared to go, and escorted the salt dealer to the valley. Shen Tang was still worried, so he asked Jiang Sheng to go with him.
Gu Chi remained silent.
This configuration is enough to easily defeat only a few hundred so-called "elite" refugees, even if the number was doubled.
It's really like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken.
Xu Quan's ability to act was unquestionable, and he did what he said. Relying on his previous experience in suppressing bandits, he easily destroyed the simple sentry tower high in the valley and stormed in with force. However, this group of refugees had been entrenched here for a long time, and they had set up some traps, but they were no match for the two hundred elite soldiers in armor who formed a formation and charged under Xu Quan's leadership.
Even more brittle than paper.
Jiang Sheng would just take care of the occasional sneak attack, and then just do nothing for the rest. In just a quarter of an hour, he reached the enemy's lair and captured a group of young and strong men. The rest were either the elderly, the weak, women and children, or young men who were pale and skinny and had no strength.
Each of them held a simple weapon in their hands.
Calling it a weapon is a bit of an exaggeration.
It's just a pile of polished, sharp stones.
Not even any decent knives.
Xu Quan rode on a warhorse wearing a full set of horse armor, looking majestic. A heavy suit of armor wrapped around his body, and although his body lines could not be seen, he was thinner than the other soldiers in armor, and looked like a woman.
"Is everyone here?"
The difficulty was too low and Xu Quan found it meaningless.
But don’t waste the military merit that comes for free.
Not long after, the soldiers caught several guys who were trying to escape and threw them on the ground: "Captain, everyone is here." Xu Quan did not reply, but glanced at the shivering salt merchant.
The salt merchant said, "All, all are here."
Xu Quan waved his hand.
"Take the leader away, and keep the rest under guard, waiting for the master's decision. Don't worry, if you obey, not only will your lives be safe, but you will also be able to have enough food to eat. Isn't that much better than squatting in the valley, eating grass and peeling tree bark?"
When I came in, I saw something boiling in a crude stone pot with yellow juice. At first glance, it looked like corn paste. But after a closer look, I realized it was ground tree bark, which was boiled in the pot and used as porridge.
This thing is hard to digest but it can fill you up.
For refugees who were short of food and clothing in the cold winter, this was a good choice. Xu Quan saw this and felt emotional - it seemed that refugees all over the world were in the same desperate situation. They ate tree bark, wild grass, and mud...
The only difference is that when the refugees of Shiwu are forced into a corner, they will pick up their weapons to kill and plunder, and if it is not enough, they will continue to rob. However, when the common people of the inland countries are reduced to this situation, they still hope to get through this difficult time and find an acre of land to live and farm to support their families.
With the identification of the salt merchant, the person in charge was caught.
About ten people were tied up.
Xu Quan was about to go home when he caught a glimpse of a strange color. He subconsciously looked for it and realized that it was not ore, but a person's hair. He was curious, and the salt merchant was also a sharp-eyed person. He rushed into the crowd like a dog and pulled the target out. He flattered Xu Quan and nodded and bowed.
Xu Quan ignored his flattery.
He received the order and said, "Take off the cloth on his head."
The salt merchant ignored the young slave's fierce warning and pulled off the cloth, revealing a head of hair that glowed with a mysterious purple light in the sun. The salt merchant said, "This is a slave that I found interesting while traveling on the road, so I bought it..."
The young slaves were more than just good-looking.
This different colored hair is even more precious and rare.
The salt merchant bought it at a high price because he was planning to make a profit from the rare commodity. After all, who wouldn't want such an unusual hair color
When he was attacked and captured by refugees, young slaves were also taken in and made to do hard labor in the valley every day.
Despite the wind and sun, the boy's appearance was not damaged, but instead he looked more determined and captivating.
The salt merchant believed that Xu Quan was attracted by her pretty face.
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