Like an old acquaintance
Chapter 2: Seemingly familiar
"The royal army has won a great victory! General Wang of Beiping has returned victorious after strangling the Nanzhao rebels!"
There were several children who went into the crowd of people and shouted the good news. Those who were paying attention to the war in the southwest were overjoyed when they heard this, and they grabbed the beggars nearby to ask about the authenticity of the news.
Yi Huan rode his horse slowly beside the Xing Family Escort Agency team. He took a glimpse from a high place and vaguely saw a cavalryman with red flags on his waist, galloping from the battlefield, leaving behind the victory report and then hurried to the next town.
The armed soldiers standing at the gate quickly put away their swords, jumped on their horses, and ran straight towards the inner city.
Without thinking too much, one can imagine a soldier's horse galloping in the air, and the wooden box in his chest contains the victory of the entire Peking Army's hard-fought battle in April, and carries the care and gratitude of the soldiers who marched south to the people of their hometown.
Yi Huan tied her black hair tightly, held her back high and smiled faintly, and her face showed awe and respect for the soldiers who defended their country.
"Brother, when I become a Long March warrior, I will go to the front lines to kill the barbarians just like you and these soldiers!"
He Fu was a soldier in the 13th year of Mingzhen, and was assigned to the Zhechou Mansion. He was heavily in debt after two years of guarding the border. The farmland at home was abandoned and brought in little income. The family was poor, and the dark and purple faces of his younger brother and parents made him sad every time he looked at them.
Young men who have not yet reached adulthood always have ambitions and enthusiasm in their hearts. He Xuxu put his arm around his brother He Han's shoulders, smiled from above on his narrow, yellow and black face, and said something encouraging to help him get back on his feet.
The team was full of young and strong friends. He San had become familiar with He E and asked the smiling young man questions until his ears turned red.
After leaving the outer city of Yizhou, head straight southeast.
A team of about a hundred people walked side by side around twelve two-horse carriages. The Xing family's escort leader Ant was walking in the front. His dirty black half-length robe could not cover the man's hunched back and tilted neck. His eyes were as small as yellow beans, and his eyebrows were long and thin. He squinted his eyes and shook his head, looking sloppy.
The next day, when they arrived at Tongguan Mountain, the experienced escorts slowed down in front of a low green hill. Xing Ant raised his hand to stop the horse, and the entire team stood still.
The sharp reflection of the wide barrier swords could be seen through the green plants. The escorts were on full alert, looking around solemnly.
Xing Ant waved his hand again, and the whole team shouted in unison: "Close it, close us——"
The spring breeze, which was not yet penetrating the bones, blew the tender leaves silently. All I could hear were my own breathing and the occasional sneeze from the horse.
Before a cup of tea was finished, voices echoed from both sides of the narrow mountain road: "He Wu——"
Even though I have given you a heads-up, there is no absolute guarantee.
He Fei was the leader on the right, Sun Ji was the leader on the left, and the other escorts all drew their swords and scanned the area as they walked slowly.
We traveled eastward into Zizhou, and the journey was much smoother because the porter had passed this route in advance.
From the towering mountain road, one could see curls of smoke rising from the fires burning in the city walls ahead. He E saw the escort leader Xing waving and immediately rode forward, "Escort leader."
"Ah'e, cross Sirong Mountain and arrive at Tongshan County twenty miles west. Take Ah Huan and the other two into the city to quickly buy supplies, and then continue your journey tonight."
The tall and strong man bowed respectfully and said, "Yes."
When they reached the Sirong Mountain Road, Xing Ant led the group and shouted, "He Wu——"
The dark green hills left a very wide road, and the local purple soil was everywhere. In the middle of the road stood a bunch of newly cut thorns with new buds sprouting.
It means someone is blocking the road.
Xing Ant gave everyone a calming gesture, clasped his hands together and asked loudly, "Which side is this hero? Please speak clearly."
A broad knife chopped off a branch and flew into the air. A short and fat man stepped out first, looking around with a burning gaze, and finally fell on the Xing Ant.
The man shook his sleeves pretentiously, his tone not confrontational: "So it's Chief Xing Biao who's going on this trip."
"Ha." Xing Ant laughed out loud, holding the horsewhip in his left hand, he bowed and said in greeting, "I've heard a lot about Wan'er from Sirong Mountain. He really lives up to his reputation. Thank you for your hard work, Second In Commander, and thank you all brothers for your hard work."
"Look at this five-foot-tall dart flag, how majestic! Look at these young men all over the mountain, charging straight at us. The word 'punishment' is a good word—"
The second in command smacked his lips, his drooping eyes shining with brilliance staring straight at the food supplies in the cavalry.
Xing Ant dismounted with a smile, clasped his hands together, and stepped forward. He leaned in close and said, "I know what Second Chief meant. The Chief left some food for us brothers to eat first, and I'll have a bite later."
The underworld has its own rules. In the territory of the mountain stronghold, even if you are a bandit family, if you want to pass through smoothly, you can only accept the loss if the other party raises the price.
There was some bribe money already prepared in his sleeve pocket. Xing Ant grabbed the second-in-command's wrist with one hand and pushed him over, smiling without any airs.
"At home in the Sun and Moon Palace, we stand shoulder to shoulder outside. If we keep our eyes open and don't break the plate, we can still have some small fish and shrimp, right?"
The second-in-command's stern face suddenly smiled. He spread open the flat cloth bag with his index fingers, glanced at it to estimate the approximate amount, and the smile at the corner of his eyes deepened.
The Xing family is worthy of being the leading escort agency in Jiannan Road, and their casual "passes" are so impressive.
"The escort leader is very thoughtful. Please wait for a moment if there are any obstacles on the road. Please come to the Xing family's high-ranking officials. Xiao Zhima, send a few brothers to..."
"Second Master! Second Master, Big Brother has something to tell you."
A few breaths after he finished speaking, a young man came running up from the hillside. Under the cold gaze of the second-in-command, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, and waited two steps away with his shoulders hunched, panting hard to suppress his dry throat.
The second in command put on a mask and tilted his head to the side and said, "Wait a moment, Escort Captain."
"Second Master, please do as you please."
Xing Ant couldn't hear what they were talking about, but his instinct as a bodyguard told him that this young man had chosen this moment to come, which was definitely not a good thing. He took a few steps back in a normal manner and warned, "There might be some changes, so be careful when you go."
Sun He and the other two also nodded seriously, always on guard and ready to take action.
"What's up?"
The young man was used to bending over to answer, and whispered, "Second Master, Big Brother said that fat pigs are like arched gates. The most important thing now is that we can't let the brothers go hungry. After this order is over, let the brothers drink something good."
"But the Xing family is definitely not unknown. Big brother, have you ever thought about how you would deal with yourself if you offended the Xing family?"
"Brother also said that the Xing family is not the only one that dominates Yizhou."
The second in command said nothing with his hands in his pockets, his scrutinizing gaze coinciding with the scene before he ordered the arrest.
The young man had not experienced much, and his round eyes moved around, not daring to meet the man's gaze. His arms trembled back and forth, and his whole body was shaking.
"What else did Big Brother say?"
The young man was nervous and quickly relayed the message from the headmaster: "Big Brother has also asked the third headmaster to bring a hundred or so brothers to assist you. He told you two not to worry and that it would be best if no one was left behind."
The second in command's face seemed to be moved. He was thinking about the movements of the major escort agencies and bandit dens in Zizhou and Yizhou. A fierce look flashed in his dark eyes. He motioned for his men to come over and ordered, "Pass the order down. Look at my eyes and clear out the people."
"Okay."
The second-in-command put on a smile, turned around, stepped aside, bowed, and shouted loudly: "Captain Xing, thank you for waiting. The wheels have been cleared, and you can continue the escort!"
"Thank you for your hard work, brothers!"
When the escort team reached the center of the ambush, the third brother, leading a hundred people, was almost there on the mountainside. The second in command stood firmly behind and shouted, "Kill them all!"
"My lords, start the show! Turn the wheels and unite." The leader of the escort team reined in his horse and turned around. He pulled the whip at his waist with his left hand and gave orders calmly. The iron whip whistled and the tail of the whip went straight to the throat of the person in front of him. When it returned, a whistling sound, which was first ethereal and then muffled, was heard in the air.
Sun Ji followed suit, drawing his sword and gathering in the middle, cursing, "These sons of bitches!"
"Brothers, show your chariots and chariots to the brothers from Sirong Mountain and have a fight!"
After he finished shouting, Xing Ant's hands kept moving. He rushed out with his right hand, and his whole posture seemed to have changed.
The escorts were all screened and retained after actual combat. The dozens of minions brought by the second in command could only hold them back for a moment, but the leader of Tongzhai was well prepared. When the third in command and others arrived, the situation of the battle changed subtly.
"Plum!"
"Leader! Li Zi's back is injured." Liu Zhan, who was closest to Li Yi, rushed to support him, reporting to the leader while waving his sword.
Xing Ant risked his life to cut off half of the Third Incommand's arm. He was targeted by more than a dozen people in turn and was temporarily restrained. "Retreat to the surrounding area and protect the two of them."
"elder brother!"
Yi Huan was closest to He E. Seeing the young man carrying the injured He E, he quickly pulled away and asked, "Brother E, can you hold on?"
"Yeah... nothing."
Yi Huan used his knife with both hands to kick out the person who was approaching him, then took He Chen and said quickly, "He San, I'll stop your brother's bleeding. You just hold on for a while."
"Don't worry, Sister Huan!"
The dagger in his sleeve cut the corner of He E's robe into strips, and Yi Huan quickly bandaged the wound on He E's right leg tightly to prevent excessive blood loss.
"Boss! Brother A-fong's right leg is injured."
Xing Ant swung his whip, snapping the neck of the man in front of him. He then gave the usual order, "Liu Zhan, lead Li Yi; Yi Huan, lead He E, break through the encirclement. They will meet up on their return journey after recovering from their injuries."
"yes!"
The bodyguards beside the four men tried their best to clear a path to protect their retreat.
Li He and the other man were both wounded and bleeding. If they left together, they would definitely become a big target. Liu Zhan still had enough strength to carry the unconscious man. He said to the two men, "Take care. See you at the escort office."
"Take care." Yi Huan nodded, and immediately ran to the other side carrying He E.
The insignificant bandits were no match for the patient escort. Xing Ant watched the remaining dozens of people flee in panic, put away the whip and stood by the horse, without ordering a pursuit.
"Count the grain, goods, and horses. Sun Ji, He Fei... Sun Ji, Zhou Yan, count the number of people. Pass through as soon as possible."
The escort team advanced in an orderly manner, with precautions in place. On the flat slope on the west side of the mountainside, the man on the majestic horse watched the whole process. The defeated bandits were on their way and the escort team was not interested in the matter. He stared at the two figures, one tall and one short, supporting each other on the east side with deep eyes, sometimes raising his lips in realization, sometimes annoyed by the close distance between them.
Peng Zuoyang was half thinking back to the melee just now. As the second female escort in the escort team, Yi Huan's slashing movements were agile. Although her strength was weak, her body was flexible and had an advantage in close combat.
Looking at her face, there is a contrast. Anyone looking at that round face would find it hard to imagine how she could protect herself among swords.
The chubby face coincided with the face of the girl in the red sedan chair that he saw when he was twelve years old. The two rare and unfamiliar faces were surprisingly well-matched.
It’s you, the Zhang family’s child bride.
Peng Zuoyang raised his voice and hummed, then drove his horse towards Yi Huan.
After leaving the territory of Sirong Mountain, there is still a mountain to the east.
Yi Huan hid the unconscious He E in a shallow cave to avoid making a fire and attracting others. He cut some Emei stone fir nearby to stop bleeding, wrapped it with a fir leaf, and chopped the branches back and forth with a horizontal knife in his right hand.
"who!"
The man and the horse were hiding behind the branches a few dozen steps apart. Peng Zuoyan did not expect that she could be so vigilant while leading people to escape. After hearing her shout for the second time, he stepped out.
His gaze was fixed on the hem of her clothes, which was soaked in blood. He stared at the bloodstain and asked, "Are you hurt?"
"Who are you!"
Facing her wary gaze, Peng Zuoyang answered frankly, "I was a soldier who fought in the Nanzhao Campaign. I got separated from the main group on the way back. Here are my credentials."
Taking the half copper fish talisman handed to him by the man, Yi Huan recited: "Peng, Zuo, Dang?"
"It's me. I'm lost in the mountains. Are you injured? I need to go out and rejoin the team. Can you lead me out of the mountains? I can pay you."
Peng Zuoyuan took a step forward holding the reins. His purse embroidered with gold thread was bulging with money. He spoke slowly and gently, as if he was raised in a wealthy family and looked like a piece of jade.
Unlike most soldiers with scorched and tough skin, the man had broad eyebrows and clear eyes, which seemed inconsistent with his tall, strong and powerful body.
Yi Huan's eyes fell on the quiet black horse he was leading, and he secretly thought in his heart that with this horse, He Fei could save his energy and get to the city's Chinese medicine clinic for treatment earlier. Although the man was a stranger, he couldn't care whether he was really lost or not.
"I can take you to the city. In return, I'll use your horse for the journey."
Peng Zuoyan curled his lips happily and agreed, "No problem."
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