Moreover, because the medical books and ancient prescriptions were lost, the direct descendants of the Luo family all died in the Japanese siege. The remaining members of the Luo family only knew some herbs and made a living by collecting and processing medicinal materials.
Because of the unique methods of processing medicinal materials left by the Luo family, the medicinal materials processed by the Yanchi Brigade are quite famous in the medical field.
So a few years ago, that high-ranking official trusted the recommendation of the doctor who treated him and bought that batch of medicinal herbs at a high price.
Unexpectedly, the medicinal herbs he had placed so much hope in almost cost him his life.
Later, as the investigation continued, countless people were implicated, but the truth was never found.
Finally, everyone realized that the problem might be with the medicinal herbs from the Yanchi production team.
There were also faint rumors that the direct descendants of the Luo family had not died at all, but were coerced by the Japanese into handing over all their medical books and ancient prescriptions to the Japanese.
They devised a method to modify some of the methods for processing medicinal materials and ancient prescriptions found in medical books.
However, the secret was leaked, which enraged the Japanese, who then slaughtered all of Luo's direct descendants.
As a result, no one could distinguish between the altered medical books and the original ones.
Ordinary medicinal herbs were readily available to the surviving offshoots of the Luo family through word of mouth, but the herbs required by that leader were extremely precious and required unique processing methods.
There was an ignorant and fearless member of the Luo family who was blinded by the high price of the medicinal herbs.
He actually processed the medicinal herbs according to the instructions in that medical book, the authenticity of which was questionable.
Then, something went wrong.
An extra step in processing the medicinal materials altered their properties, leading to a worsening of the leader's condition.
Later, after the investigation reached the Yanchi Brigade, the Luo family realized they had committed a terrible crime and fled into the deep mountains, disappearing without a trace.
That's why the unwritten rule mentioned above came about: no longer purchasing medicinal materials processed by the Yanchi Brigade. That was not only the intention of the top leader, but also a warning from the medical community to the Yanchi Brigade.
They were warned that they had lost their original intentions as healers and pharmacists for the sake of money.
However, the path of the Iwaike Brigade was not completely cut off. This warning lasted for five years. If the Iwaike Brigade remembered this lesson and corrected its mistakes after five years, it could regain its qualifications.
It has now been four years since the Yanchi Brigade was banned.
This was the first time Gu Zhiyuan had heard of this news, and even Director Zhang was hearing it for the first time.
He was transferred to Hongxing Commune as director two years ago, and he didn't know that there was such a story behind the fact that Yanchi Brigade had been eating relief grain.
After explaining the origins of Yanchi Brigade, Comrade Lao Liu then talked about the terrain and population composition.
There must have been something special about why Imperial Physician Luo chose this place to settle down.
Strictly speaking, Yanchi Brigade is located in a terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Their residences are concentrated on the mountainside, with farmland below.
There is only one mountain road leading to the brigade. Two huge rocks guard the entrance to the brigade, and there is only a narrow path in the middle that allows two people to pass each other.
Because the Yanchi Brigade has been warned in recent years and can only eat relief grain, it is difficult for the young men in the brigade to get married.
Neither the villagers in the nearby villages dared to marry the girls from Yanchi Brigade, for fear of being implicated.
In the 1964 census, the population of Yanchi Brigade was over two hundred, including more than eighty adult men, more than sixty women, more than fifty elderly people, and the rest were children under the age of sixteen.
About ten years have passed, and the population should not be much different from that in 1964.
In Yanchi Brigade, regardless of gender, as soon as they could walk, they would follow the adults into the mountains to run around, learn to gather herbs and hunt, and everyone knew one or two moves, making them more physically capable than other brigades.
Because they know how to hunt, they have homemade hunting rifles and knives, and they know how to set traps...
The more detailed Comrade Liu's explanation, the uglier Director Zhang's expression became.
Is there a hunting rifle? A hunting knife? A trap?
Director Zhang suddenly felt that those fifty-odd militiamen seemed a bit few.
Li Jianguo also became worried. After hearing what Comrade Lao Liu said, Yanchi Brigade felt like a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.
Only Gu Zhiyuan remained calm. After asking Comrade Lao Liu a few more questions, he turned to look at Director Zhang.
Li Jianguo also looked at Director Zhang.
Director Zhang, under immense pressure: "What are you all doing looking at me like that?"
Gu Zhiyuan asked, "Director Zhang, what are your arrangements?"
What else could Director Zhang do? He pinched his brow and said, "Let's try persuasion first, then force! Let the head of security do some ideological work with them! If we can get them to come out and surrender themselves, that'll be fine. But if they're stubborn..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his cold expression said it all.
After these words were spoken, there was silence in the driver's cab.
All you could hear was the howling wind outside and the shouts and curses from the passengers in the back of the carriage as they were jostled around...
The driver drove in silence, when suddenly Gu Zhiyuan spoke up: "Stop the car!"
Without a second thought, I slammed on the brakes, and the car came to an immediate stop.
Suddenly, the car braked sharply, catching everyone off guard. They almost hit the windshield, and the passengers in the back of the car were filled with curses and swears.
Before anyone could react, Gu Zhiyuan had already opened the car door and jumped out.
Only then did everyone notice that several trembling figures were crouching to the right of the car headlights.
Upon seeing Gu Zhiyuan, several people went to greet him. Who else could it be but Wang Laowu leading the group?
The group of people surrounded Gu Zhiyuan and whispered something to each other. Gu Zhiyuan took out two banknotes from his pocket and waved them in front of them. The group smiled, whispered something to each other again, and then reached out to take the money.
Gu Zhiyuan took a step back, asked a few more questions, and then handed the money to the group of people.
Only after watching those people disappear into the darkness did Gu Zhiyuan turn around.
He quickly got into the car and slammed the door shut: "Drive."
The driver instinctively stepped on the gas, and another round of cursing erupted from the back of the truck.
Gu Zhiyuan then whispered, "Wang Laowu went back to Wangqiao Brigade to inquire. Someone saw a man named Luo Hanlian from Yanchi Brigade, leading several people from Yanchi Brigade, hurriedly chasing after A Ning and Cao Yang."
"Some people were planning to go up the mountain this afternoon to dig up some Artemisia capillaris and Artemisia argyi. They were stopped by the people from Yanchi Brigade just as they were about to go up the mountain. They said that they had been hunting in the mountains today and had set up a lot of traps. They were afraid that they might accidentally hurt him, so they asked him to go up the mountain in a couple of days."
Director Zhang's face turned completely gloomy.
Old Liu, standing to the side, silently muttered twice: "Luo Hanlian, Luo Hanlian, Luo Hanqin..."
His eyes suddenly lit up: "I remember now, the person who risked everything to process medicinal herbs for profit was named Luo Hanqin. Later, it is said that he fled into the deep mountains out of fear and was never seen again! He had a younger brother named Luo Hanlian! They were a branch of the remaining Luo family. Luo Hanlian learned hunting, while Luo Hanqin learned to process medicinal herbs..."
Gu Zhiyuan's breath hitched, he clenched his fists, and urged the driver, "Faster!"
The driver silently floored the accelerator.
Gu Zhiyuan closed his eyes, a feeling of fear rising in his heart for the first time. Was that girl, Aning, now in Luo Hanlian's hands? Was she in danger? If anything happened to her, he would never forgive Luo Hanlian and her gang!
Li Jianguo, standing beside him, sensed the anger and murderous intent emanating from Gu Zhiyuan, which, though suppressed, was still leaking out. His mouth tasted bitter, and he silently prayed, "I hope nothing bad happens to Xiaoyan."
At this moment, in a deep cave on the mountain, Xu Ningyan, whom everyone was worried about, was surrounded by five or six people, all unconscious.
She stepped on Luo Hanlian's head, grinning maliciously as she gestured with the dagger in her hand, "Guess where I'll make the first cut?"
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