Chapter 601 Zhao Duan: This official is taking the trouble to manage the subordinates for Prince Jing
"I?"
Huang Xiaorou was stunned for a moment, twisted her wrist a little uncertainly, and tapped the tip of her nose with her finger.
Only after Zhao Duan nodded again to express his affirmativeness did he reluctantly walk over.
It was almost noon at this time, and the caravan gradually stopped in the mountains and began to make a fire and cook.
Zhao Duan got off the carriage and sat down on a rolling log lying on the ground. A waiter in the caravan was responsible for preparing the meal.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted again, and Yuxiu, who was dressed in ordinary women's clothes, pulled the drowsy Jin Jian out of the carriage.
"What do you want from me, sir?"
Huang Xiaorou asked. As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Yuxiu cautiously, her eyes full of envy.
As a female escort, although she is not ugly, her manners and dress are rather androgynous. She is a rough female warrior and has no resistance to the female Taoist nun who has an ethereal and otherworldly temperament in every move.
Zhao Duan was wearing a "Jiuyi" mask and had already changed his appearance, dressing up as a rich young man.
He lifted the hem of his robe with a smile, sat on the log, looked out at the winter forest in the distance, and asked:
"How far is it from here to Baishi Bridge?"
Baishiqiao is a checkpoint west of Huting. According to intelligence, a rebel army is stationed there. It is not a key defensive point, but it is a major route in and out of Huting.
This time, Zhao Du'an went to Huting without any soldiers. He traveled with a small group and hid in a merchant caravan arranged by King Huai'an.
No one in the caravan knew their identities, they only knew that they were a young man who was accompanying them on a business trip to Huting.
Before arriving, Zhao Duan had secretly contacted the imperial army in Huting through his shadow guards and agreed to meet them at Baishiqiao.
"Oh, let's wait until we finish our meal before setting off. It will take about half an hour." Huang Xiaorou explained.
Then, the female escort rolled her eyes and asked curiously:
"What on earth are you going to do at the lake pavilion?"
She had been holding this question in her mind all the way.
Zhao Duan smiled and pointed at a coffin on a carriage in the convoy with a teasing tone, saying:
"Go collect the body."
I guess so... A look of pride flashed across Huang Xiaorou's eyes.
She had noticed the fine coffin a long time ago. Considering that Hu Ting was on the front line, she suspected that the elder of the young man in front of her had died on the front line, so she would rather risk the war and go to the front line to collect the body.
But Huang Xiaorou didn’t understand why this noble young man could still smile and bring his family with him when he went to collect the bodies.
"Well, I have something to say to you,"
Huang Xiaorou frowned:
"There's a war going on in Huting. Even though it's winter and there's no fighting going on, the checkpoints around here are very strict.
"The Baishi Bridge is in the hands of the Jiancheng Army. When you cross the bridge later, they will check you. Remember not to talk nonsense and smile too much, otherwise we won't be able to protect you."
After a pause, she glanced at the jade sleeves and the golden tablet, gritted her teeth and said:
"I don't understand why you brought any female relatives with you."
Zhao Duan held the branch in his hand and thought this female escort was interesting. He asked knowingly:
"Aren't you escorts? Aren't you responsible for protecting us?"
Huang Xiaorou glared angrily:
"They are soldiers! People shouldn't fight officials, right?"
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"A group of rebels plotting rebellion are bandits, not officials."
"Hey you!"
Huang Xiaorou widened her eyes, almost jumped up, and said angrily:
"You can think about this in your mind, but how can you say it out loud? Don't drag everyone down with you! This is the front line, not your home!"
She gritted her teeth and had already classified Zhao Duan as that kind of stupid "naive" nobleman.
In her past escort experience, she had also escorted some heirs of wealthy families, many of whom were arrogant and stupid to the point of being disgusting.
If it was a normal time, he could just endure it, but now he is going to the front line. If this person does something stupid, it will really cause everyone to lose their heads!
With this in mind, Huang Xiaorou patiently recounted the dangers of the front line again and again, and told Zhao Duan and others to keep their mouths shut when passing the checkpoint in the future, not to say a word, as if she was worried about him as if he were a three-year-old child.
Seeing this scene, the corners of the woman's mouth slightly raised under her jade sleeve veil who was sitting on the log next to her.
I felt a rare sense of joy along the way.
Zhao Duan listened with a smile, nodded frequently, and asked for advice humbly, which finally made Huang Xiaorou feel a little relieved.
After the female escort left, the caravan servant handed over the hot pancakes and food, which Zhao Duan, Yuxiu and Jinjian shared.
The waiter took another portion to the carriage and placed it outside the curtain.
When I turned around, I saw a hand reaching out from behind the curtain and dragging the food into the car.
Jiyue Old Society is scary...
In the dead of winter, the forest was bleak, with white snow covering the withered yellow leaves, leaving behind a series of unknown footprints.
"Once we cross the White Stone Bridge, we'll reach Huting County. We can rest then."
Zhao Duan tore open the hot burrito in his hand, put it in his mouth and chewed it.
Yuxiu also ate slowly and leisurely, with a calm expression:
"We will only deal with people from the Shenlong Temple."
"I know. The Taoist priest has emphasized this ten thousand times." Zhao Duan was helpless. He blinked and said tentatively:
"Then if someone runs into Qingshan..."
"It has nothing to do with us." Yuxiu said lightly:
"It's normal for Qingshan Wufu to join any force after he descends from the mountain. This is completely different from Shenlong Temple breaking the rules."
Okay... Zhao Duan sighed in disappointment.
The bad thing about the priests of the Tianshi Mansion is that they are too strict about rules and principles. Zhang Yan is a cultivator of the Heavenly Dao, so it's fine that he needs to follow the Heavenly Dao, but his disciples also follow his example...
Jin Jian, who was forcing himself to stay alert, was chewing on a bacon pancake with both hands like a little hamster. Upon hearing this, he suddenly tilted his head and thought for a moment, staring at Zhao Duan and said:
“You have to pay more!”
Dealing with Qingshan is not the duty of the Tianshi Mansion, but it is not a bad rule. One thing is one thing, and the priest can take action in his personal capacity.
Zhao Duan was overjoyed: "No problem, no problem..."
She held her forehead with her jade sleeves and sighed softly.
…
After the meal, the caravan continued on its journey.
The long team walked along the snow-covered official road for about half an hour, and a wide stone bridge appeared in front of them.
There are rebels stationed next to the stone bridge.
Behind the stone bridge, there is a group of buildings. A city gate tower similar to a "bunker" stands there, with the flag of the Jianchengdao rebels flying on it. Further behind it is a small town called "Bai Shi Town".
The town is not big. It is a place where merchants crossing the bridge along the way have relied on for survival and development for hundreds of years from the surrounding villages. But now, there are few people to be seen. The whole Baishi Town has become a "military town" exuding a solemn atmosphere.
"Stop! Subject to questioning!"
At the bridgehead, the leading rebel officer saw the convoy approaching and shouted loudly.
He immediately led a team of fully armored soldiers and came over aggressively.
Huang Xiaorou was stunned for a moment and muttered in a low voice:
"Why is the checkpoint so much stricter than the last time I came?"
"General, this is an approved caravan. Look, this is our travel permit." The escort leader, Old Man Huang, put on a smile and stepped forward, and familiarly took out the travel permit issued by the Jiancheng Army.
"Let everyone get off the bus and be questioned!"
The officer glanced at him, said expressionlessly, and then waved his hand:
"Search every car carefully for any contraband!"
"yes!"
A large group of rebels wrapped in cotton clothes and armor rushed forward like wolves and tigers, picked up the spears in their hands, and stabbed violently at the goods under the tarpaulin on the car!
“Clatter…”
Food flowed out of the holes like water, but he ignored them and poke a few more holes.
Some people even jumped onto the car and used the tip of their guns to pick up the goods one by one.
This made Old Man Huang and other escorts' eyelids twitch wildly. The intensity of the inspection was as if they were afraid that a mosquito would fly into the pavilion.
"Dad, something's wrong...why are you checking so strictly?" Huang Xiaorou whispered.
The escort leader, Old Man Huang, shook his head and said in a low voice:
"Let them investigate, don't resist."
At this moment, a group of rebels came to the carriage where Zhao Duan was.
Zhao Duan, Yuxiu and Jin Jian had already gotten off the car, looking like good citizens.
When several soldiers saw the two women, their eyes lit up slightly, but they seemed to be bound by military discipline and did not make any other moves. They just looked at them a few more times. However, one soldier lifted the curtain of the carriage with his spear, his face changed, and he scolded:
"There's a woman in the car!"
Not far away, the officer strode over with a cold smile on his face:
"Drag it out! Hiding and hiding, I'm afraid there will be problems."
A soldier thrust his gun towards the car, but was suddenly caught by a hand.
Zhao Duan smiled and stopped him:
"I haven't gotten off the car because I've been shy since I was little. Please don't misunderstand me, my dear officers."
Seeing that he dared to stop him, the officer raised his eyebrows, stared at him coldly, and sneered:
"Shy?! I want to see how she's so shy. Haha, are you some spies passing through? You all look suspicious to me. Tell me, who are you? What are you doing going east?"
Zhao Duan was about to speak.
Huang Xiaorou suddenly ran over and interrupted him:
"They are from a caravan, doing business."
The escort leader, Old Huangtou, also came over with a smile, standing between the two of them, nodding repeatedly:
"Yes, they are from the caravan. Absolutely no problem. They are all honest people. They can't be spies. How can a spy be so conspicuous?"
As he spoke, a heavy bag of silver slipped out of his sleeve and he handed it to the officer in a familiar and subtle manner.
The so-called bodyguards were not the ones who fought and killed as described in vernacular novels. Instead, most of the time they relied on negotiations and paid tolls to the bandits along the way to provide protection.
After all, the bandits were not willing to risk their lives fighting with the escorts, so it was the norm to release the people for a small amount of money.
Some officers and soldiers at the checkpoints along the way were no different from bandits, extorting money and taking bribes.
However, this time, the officer's face was icy cold. He took the silver bag, weighed it, and then said coldly:
"You're trying to get away with it with money. This seems to be even more problematic."
At this time, a rebel soldier jumped onto a carriage with a rifle in hand and shouted:
"Boss, there's a big coffin here!"
The officer looked over and saw the soldiers lifting the rainproof cloth, and indeed saw a huge coffin tied with ropes.
His eyes became sharper and he said coldly:
"Doing business? I haven't seen a single coffin being sold to the front line in this truckload of goods. Open the shop! Let's see what's hidden inside!"
"Wait a minute."
At this time, Zhao Duan suddenly spoke again, with a faint smile on his face, as if he had no fear at all in the face of this group of ferocious rebels.
"There's nothing in this coffin, you can't open it," he said calmly.
In an instant, many eyes turned towards him, all with expressions of astonishment.
Huang Xiaorou widened her eyes, almost wanting to stomp her feet, cursing "idiot" in her heart!
Despite all my repeated warnings, something still went wrong.
It was just an empty coffin. She had seen it when she was loading the goods. It was indeed just an empty coffin. She was not afraid of being checked. But this stupid young man insisted on making trouble at this time. I am afraid that everyone will suffer together.
As expected, the officer stared at him intently, his eyes becoming fierce.
"What did you say?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"There's nothing in this coffin. You can't open it. It would be bad if you damage it."
At this moment, the rebels looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling absurd in their hearts, thinking that this man was so stupid that he was adorable.
Where did this nerd come from? A naive nobleman?
In normal times, a group of soldiers would not dare to provoke others rashly, but what time is it now?
Where is this?
No matter who you are, if you dare to obstruct the inspection, you are undoubtedly seeking death.
"Good, very good." The officer laughed in anger, his face completely cold, and waved his hand:
"No need to open the coffins. Come, tie these people up and take them back for a thorough interrogation!"
The escort master, Old Huang, was very anxious:
"General, is this possible... We have a pass, everything is in accordance with..."
The officer swung his hand and hit him:
"Prince Jing has ordered a strict investigation of anyone crossing the border. The western section of the Huai River is now occupied by the Pseudo-Emperor's court. Anyone crossing the border could be a spy. Anyone who dares to stop us will be charged with espionage! Slay without mercy!"
Old man Huang endured the slap and didn't dare to fight back.
The group of bodyguards were as if they were drenched in ice water and became motionless.
Huang Xiaorou was so anxious that her eyes turned red. She stared at Zhao Duan fiercely. The thing she was most worried about had happened. How could they, a group of bodyguards, dare to fight against the rebels?
Once Zhao Duan and his men were abducted and interrogated by the rebels, the result would be predictable. Even if they had no fault, they could still be framed and dealt with. As for the three female relatives, once they entered the military camp, their tragic ending was predictable.
Even the entire caravan would be implicated.
Just when everyone's heart sank to the bottom and they felt chilled to the bone.
The officer's slap did not succeed, but stopped suddenly in mid-air.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and held the officer's arm in the air, preventing him from falling!
Zhao Duan reached out and lightly pinched the other person. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he said seriously:
"Xu Wen doesn't know how to manage his soldiers, so I'll take the trouble to manage it for him."
"You... who are you..."
The officer's eyes widened. He tried to struggle, but was horrified to find that his arms seemed to be bound by iron and he could not move at all no matter how hard he struggled.
But the next second, Zhao Duan had lost his patience. A golden light flew out from his sleeve and instantly passed over the officer's neck.
Golden Crow Flying Knife!
(End of this chapter)
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