Chapter 541 Everything will be fine
After leaving the military camp, Zhao Shen went straight back to the inn where he was staying.
Shen Qin waited anxiously in the room. Seeing him come back, he breathed a sigh of relief: "You are finally back."
Seeing that it was already dawn, Zhao Shen went out wearing night clothes. Once the sun rose, not only could he hide in the military camp, but he would also be extremely conspicuous in the town.
Zhao Shen changed his clothes and came out to ask, "How's Jingzhe doing?"
Shen Qin frowned and said, "I was just about to tell you this. There really is something wrong with that bandit group. They disappeared after Jingzhe went in. It seems that the protection inside is no worse than the Shenwu Army's barracks. By the way, did the prince find General Wei? What's going on with the Shenwu Army?"
Zhao Shen told Wei Zheng's story while brewing tea, and finally said: "The military token of the Shenwu Army is now in the hands of the bandit leader. We will set out to find him after daybreak."
Shen Qin hesitated a little: "Can we trust General Wei's words? Should we check it out?"
If this is a trap, then they would be walking into a trap by going to the bandit camp.
Zhao Shen pondered, "Those people couldn't have known I would be here and arranged such a scene in advance. Most importantly, we don't have time."
The next time Fang Yi mentioned would not be too far away. Before that, he had to get the military token and control the Shenwu Army. Otherwise, who knew what the other party would do?
Shen Qin trusted Zhao Shen's judgment and stopped trying to persuade him. He simply said, "I'll go with you this time. You don't know how much I've been worried about you and Jingzhe all night. I'm so restless."
Zhao Shen smiled and said, "Okay, then you come with me. But before that, send a few people to look for General Wei's daughter and see if they can rescue her."
Wei Zheng was afraid of ruining the plan, so he didn't dare to save his daughter first, but it was impossible for him not to be worried about his daughter's life or death.
I don’t know how Fang Yi will treat his wife, so it’s better to rescue her as soon as possible.
Jingzhe took the order and told people to do things.
Zhao Shen dozed off in the room for a while, and when he came back, he was already awake.
The two of them headed straight for where the bandits were. Along the way, Shen Qin surveyed the surrounding terrain and couldn't help but sigh, "This place is not only strategically located, but also easy to defend and difficult to attack. It's also very well hidden. It's truly a natural den of bandits. This bandit leader has a great eye."
Zhao Shen thought to himself that a bandit leader with outstanding military skills must be no simple person.
As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they discovered an ambush.
Relying on their advanced martial arts skills, the two men jumped directly onto the branch of a towering tree. From their high vantage point, they could see the ambushers clearly.
Those people seemed to have been prepared and were about to shoot arrows at the two men. Zhao Shen said, "I am here to find the boss on the orders of General Wei."
The people below looked at each other in confusion, but ultimately did not take any further action.
One of them turned around and ran back to pass on the message.
Soon a middle-aged man came out. He looked to be in his thirties, with a full beard, a rough face, and strong muscles all over his body. He was definitely a martial artist.
He squinted his eyes and looked at Zhao Shen who was still standing on the treetop.
In the eyes of an expert, one can tell at a glance whether one’s kung fu is good or not.
For example, where Zhao Shen is standing at this moment, he dares to say that there are few people in the world who can stand there as steadily as Zhao Shen.
"I wonder who you are?"
He asked tentatively.
Zhao Shen waved his hand and threw the token given by Wei Zheng accurately into the man's hand: "It doesn't matter who I am. General Wei said that there is something important left in the hands of the boss and asked me to retrieve it."
Chen Shao reached out to catch the thing he threw over, looked at it carefully for a while, and then said, "Please go back to the village and talk."
Shen Qin looked at Zhao Shen with some worry. Once they entered the village, their lives would be in the hands of the enemy.
Zhao Shen gave him a reassuring look, jumped down from the treetop, and said to Chen Shao, "Thank you for your help."
Shen Qin knew Zhao Shen's habits. He knew that Zhao Shen would not completely trust General Wei, whom he had only met once.
If you dare to come here now, you must have something to rely on.
He felt relieved and followed Zhao Shen into the mountain stronghold.
The further up the mountain Zhao Shen went, the more he felt that Chen Shao was truly a talented person.
The layout of this mountain stronghold has brought the power of the terrain to its extreme.
When we arrived at the place where Chen Shao and others lived, we saw a completely different scene. There were several idle courtyards and scattered cultivated fields. They were bare at the moment, but one could imagine how vibrant they were in spring and summer.
This place doesn't look like a bandit stronghold, but more like a hidden village.
Seeing his eyes wandering over the farmland, Chen Shao said with a smile, "Actually, we're just bandits in name only. We rarely rob houses. When we have nothing to do, we do some farm work and cultivate the land. With such a big mountain, it's not a problem to feed a few people."
Shen Qin was just about to ask, since you can do farming and hunting, there are so many things, why do you have to be a bandit?
But then Zhao Shen asked, "I remember that the taxes aren't that heavy these days?"
Shen Qin immediately understood that ordinary people had to pay taxes for farming, but bandits did not have to.
Chen Shao smiled and said, "The imperial court's regulations are not heavy, but you may not know that the taxes ordinary people actually have to pay may be several times higher than the imperial court's regulations. The exact amount depends on the local officials. If you encounter a timid but conscientious official, it's not so bad, but such officials are rare."
He had started to roam the streets at a very young age, and he could tell at a glance that the man in front of him was a playboy who was ignorant of the sufferings of the world.
But he didn't mind. People who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths naturally didn't know what kind of life those who worked in the fields lived.
At least he's willing to understand, which is good.
Zhao Shen has done a lot of things outside over the years, but he doesn't like to drag things out, so he usually goes straight to the goal, so he has almost never dealt directly with the ordinary people at the bottom.
However, he immediately understood what Chen Shao said. Someone had to execute the court's orders. In this process, officials and clerks exploited the people at every level, and the common people naturally could not bear the burden.
The previous emperor was not a wise ruler, and there were no capable ministers in the court at that time, so the situation was actually quite corrupt.
In the past few years since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has spent a lot of energy just to rectify the court. How could he have the time to take care of the people?
Not to mention that there was also a King Yong who was stirring up trouble in secret.
Zhao Shen was silent for a long time, and finally said firmly: "Everything will be fine."
Chen Shao smiled noncommittally, "Let's get through this first. The general hasn't sent any news in a while, has something happened?"
The tone seemed to be questioning, but the words were actually affirmative.
Zhao Shen stared at him: "Since you guessed it, why don't you go and take a look?"
Chen Shao touched his nose and said, "With my status, how could I dare to go to the Shenwu Army to inquire about the news? Do you think I am dying too slowly?"
Zhao Shen didn't believe him. "General Wei can entrust you with such an important thing, which shows how much he values you. You can build such a stronghold under the nose of the Shenwu Army, which shows your extraordinary ability."
No matter from which perspective, this person should not be unaware of Wei Zheng's situation.
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