Li Mazi and Wang Shu saw Peng Lin lying motionless on the ground in a sack and no longer struggling. Fearing that he might be injured, they gave him another tentative kick.
Peng Lin moved his body. "Ask your county magistrate to tell me the route of the imperial guards escorting the grain and fodder. I'll do the job and report back to your county magistrate. After the job is done, I'll pay him back, and he'll be responsible for my safety."
Wang Shu was shocked when he heard this.
He really didn't expect that the owner behind Changlefang was actually the magistrate of Qingyuan County.
Wang Shu kicked him hard. "Don't say anything you shouldn't say! Our boss has already thought of an ambush location for you, Feiyingkou. The people escorting the imperial army's supplies will definitely pass through there. As long as you ambush above Feiyingkou and use the huge pile of rocks to intercept the imperial army's convoy, this will be a sure thing."
Then, Wang Shu explained in detail the foolproof frame-up and escape routes that they had planned for Peng Lin.
The more Peng Lin listened, the more frightened he became.
Finally, Wang Shu patted his head and said, "When the storm has passed and the people from the court have left, our boss will make you live a happier life than before."
Peng Lin listened to the footsteps of the people walking away before he dared to take down the sack.
After looking around and knowing where he was, he spat out a mouthful of blood, pouted, and then limped back.
In secret, Li Mazi followed him from a distance.
The next day, eight bodies were cremated in the back mountain. They had all died from the cold and most of them were elderly.
Li Fugui lived in the mountain village at night, busy every day preparing medicine and boiling it, and told everyone to boil everything they ate with boiling water. Men, women, young and old in the mountain village and the back mountain all wore face scarves, and the air was filled with the smell of burning atractylodes and mugwort.
Doctor Liu was originally a doctor in the mountain stronghold. He learned a lot from Li Fugui, who was a few years younger than him.
Most of the refugees who followed them first have recovered. Wan Jinlan selected more than 60 young and strong men from them to train physical fitness together with the previous group. She couldn't keep an eye on them all the time, so she picked a few skilled horse bandits to be coaches.
Wan Jinlan and Xiao Feng stood on the slope, watching the training of nearly a hundred people. Now, this group of people, except for the bravery of the horse bandits, can only be called a mob.
When Xiao Feng saw Zhang Baoquan's miraculous "archery skills", the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. It was obvious that his line of sight and the arrow were not on the same level, but he could miraculously hit the bull's eye.
Wan Jinlan said: "We still have too few people available. We need people who specialize in training soldiers."
The training now is to train physical fitness. These bandit instructors can teach people to fight with spears and swords. If they face elite soldiers, they will only be beaten and flee.
Xiao Feng said: "I do have a candidate in mind, but I don't know if he is still alive."
Wan Jinlan turned his head to look at him, pondered for a while, and then an idea flashed in his mind, "Although I don't know who you are talking about, but other than the criminal minister exiled to Liangzhou, I'm afraid there is no other person."
Xiao Feng smiled faintly, "Jin Lan's intelligence is very much to my liking."
Wan Jinlan snorted coldly, "I think you are daydreaming."
"You've handled so many cases for the Emperor. Those criminals were either beheaded or had their property confiscated and exiled. Even if you want others to work for us, it's impossible."
Even though he said this, Wan Jinlan still asked, "Who are you talking about?"
Xiao Feng: "Wei Xian, the son of the former Minister of War, was once the chief instructor of the Imperial Guards. He is skilled in battle formations and spears and clubs."
Wan Jinlan came from a family of generals and had a good understanding of the various positions in the army.
The title of instructor sounds nice, but in fact he is just a trainer, and his official position is not even as high as that of the captain stationed in Qingyuan County, because the instructor is only responsible for training soldiers and has no real military power.
As the two of them walked back, Wan Jinlan said, "If I remember correctly, you were the one who handled the case of the Minister of War's corruption."
Xiao Feng nodded. "Wei Xian is the illegitimate son of the Wei family. After his marriage, he separated from the family and established his own residence. To be more precise, he was kicked out by Madam Wei. Because of Madam Wei's actions, he has a reputation for being unfilial. He has been in the Imperial Guard for many years, but he has never been promoted to an instructor."
"Because of this, his wife and children were sentenced to exile, thus saving the lives of the entire family."
Wan Jinlan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. Since they were not mortal enemies, as long as the person was not dead and he could find him, he would have the opportunity to use him for his own benefit.
The passage in the back mountain had been dug high enough for men to pass through normally. Less than an incense stick of time after the two men returned to the village, Xia Feng came back.
The night before yesterday, Xia Feng finished his business and slept in the town with his brothers. The next day, he went to Hua County, the seat of Chiwu County, and purchased a batch of medicinal materials. After confirming that the Third Prince's troops had not yet arrived in Hua County, he left two brothers to guard the county and brought his men back to report the news.
After he finished two bowls of hot tea, the two of them looked at each other after listening to Xia Feng finish speaking.
The administration of officials in Liangzhou is really hard to describe.
A county magistrate actually opened a gambling house and a brothel in the town behind him.
"Boss, even though Li Mazi is following Peng Lin, we still have to keep an eye on Feiyingkou and help Peng Lin get things done."
Xiao Feng nodded, "I will personally take people to monitor this matter."
"I have something more important for you. Go find Yu Liang and have him hand over the task of recruiting refugees to the rest of Xiaping Village. You and Yu Liang, along with a few of his well-mannered brothers, will go to Xiliu Village, Yuanhua Town, Suyang County, Ganzhou. Find a man named Wei Xian. He has a wife named Bai and a son who's about ten years old."
After all, Yu Liang is a native of Liangzhou, so it is easier for him to do things.
Xia Feng asked: "If we find someone, do we need to bring them back?"
Xiao Feng nodded calmly, "Be more polite. If you refuse, there's no need to force it."
If he refused, he would go there in person after resolving the issue of military pay.
Two days passed in a flash, and the people who were keeping an eye on Hua County sent back news that Xiao Minghuan had led the imperial guards into Hua County. The prefect of Chiwu County personally hosted a banquet to entertain Xiao Minghuan and a group of imperial guards leaders.
Peng Lin secretly recruited more than 30 horse bandits in the past two days without the knowledge of Wu Dangjia. He was quite capable and no news of this had reached Wu Dangjia's ears.
Peng Lin was also smart. He recruited homeless bandits who all wanted to make a big buck and then leave.
Everything has been arranged at Feiyingkou, and now we just have to wait for the imperial carriages and supplies to appear.
On the evening of the second day, Li Mazi threw the paper ball onto the stone bed where Peng Lin slept.
After Peng Lin came back, he saw the words "Arrive at Feiyingkou at noon tomorrow" and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
Every day during these two days, he would receive some intelligence to make his looting plan more perfect.
He sneered in his heart, thinking of his brother-in-law's attitude towards him since his sister's death, and made up his mind to kill the man surnamed Wu this time.
After he gets the silver, he will not go to the county magistrate for help, and he will not pay back a single ounce of his gambling debts!
Xiao Minghuan and a group of imperial guards who were escorting military pay and rations rested for one night in Hua County. They set off again the next day and arrived at Qingyuan County in the afternoon. They were invited to a banquet by the county magistrate. After eating and drinking, they rested for another night.
All the way from Kyoto, the further west we go, the colder the weather becomes.
Xiao Minghuan was proud that Emperor Jian'an had chosen him as his subordinate and wanted to do a good job, but he didn't expect that a place like Liangzhou would be so "bitter and cold".
He came to Liangzhou not only to deliver military pay, but also to let the officials and people of Liangzhou know his title as the Third Prince Xiao Minghuan, to highlight his current status and win over the people.
Therefore, his supplies were delivered extremely slowly, and as long as there were officials in the place where he stayed to invite him to a banquet, he would definitely attend with pleasure.
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