Village Chief Li replied dejectedly, "They're all gone."
Gu Xinran thought for a moment and said, "I suspect it was done by the people in this village. They are the only ones who are most familiar with the terrain.
It's not easy to quietly transport so many people and belongings. There might be a tunnel. Let's go and take a look at the scene first."
Master Qiu nodded in agreement. "This is a trap. Living in the house they've arranged for you will fall into their trap."
Everyone was furious. Village Chief Li stood up suddenly and slammed his palm on the table, "How vicious!"
Everyone was sympathizing with them yesterday, but now they are the ones who are miserable. It is even worse than what they said. They have lost both their money and their lives!
Although the four families living in the thatched huts were not robbed, they felt sad for the loss of the rabbit, not to mention that Qingshan Village is a whole.
A few people were left behind to look after the house and check the thatched hut, while the others headed towards the scene of the incident.
Gu Xinran couldn't believe it. The grief-stricken old man and child yesterday were acting. Their expressions and tones were so realistic. Could it be that there are still actor training classes in this era?
After walking a few steps, I heard loud crying in the distance!
Everyone either lost their father or their son, and the food and money they depended on for survival were gone. It was a tragic situation!
What to do? I have to get it back!
Otherwise, this escape from famine will have to become a hard mode at the maximum level.
Everyone had no time to comfort the sad villagers. They divided into two groups. Xiao Ba took the Gu siblings and the Zheng brothers, and Master Qiu took his two sons and the Zhang brothers to conduct a carpet search of the two houses.
Finally, we found the cellar of the woodshed, which was the entrance to the tunnel. Both houses were the same.
Everyone gathered together and prepared to go down to look for people. They tore rags, wrapped them around wooden sticks, and poured oil on them to make simple torches.
Gu Xinran pretended to go back to the thatched hut and brought out two bundles of ropes, a few candlesticks, and some candles to distribute to everyone.
The two teams acted separately. In the team that Gu Xinran was in, Xiao Ba, holding a torch in his left hand and a big knife in his right hand, was leading the way, and everyone followed closely behind.
The tunnel was very narrow, just enough for one person to pass through. There were many dragging marks on the ground, and occasionally a broken shoe could be seen.
Judging from the condition of the cave walls, it must have been dug not long ago. The soil is new and the excavation is very rough.
After walking about thirty meters, a fork appeared on the side, which should lead to another house.
Sure enough, the two teams reunited after a while.
We continued to move forward. After walking for another hundred meters, the passage began to slope upwards. We might have reached the exit. With such a short distance, we definitely hadn't left the village.
Xiao Ba slowed down, climbed up slowly, and came to the exit, which was still a cellar.
After climbing out, everyone found that this was the house closest to the village entrance, and it was a blue brick and tile house.
This is the first house you see when you enter the village. It is more than 100 meters away from the scene of the incident and at least 200 meters away from the thatched house. No wonder you didn't hear any noise.
Gu Xinran cursed in her heart, damn, this is really a shady village, they brought children to commit fraud and acted so realistically, the Oscars owe each of them a little golden man.
There was nothing valuable in the house, but there were many marks of carts being pushed in front of the door.
It is not easy to transport more than forty grown men and several thousand kilograms of grain.
Everyone followed the wheel tracks, but unfortunately, the tracks disappeared after they reached the official road.
There are many people walking on the official road and there are constant traffic, so it is impossible to investigate.
There was no other choice but to return to the village and consider the situation carefully.
Everyone sat down to analyze the situation, and Xiao Ba was the first to speak: "He must be alive. They're doing everything they can to capture strong laborers, so they should be of great use."
Master Qiu tapped the pipe in his hand and said, "Generally speaking, where a large number of young and strong men are needed is probably where there is heavy physical labor, or on the battlefield."
Brother Gu shook his head. "The imperial court will openly recruit soldiers for the battlefield. Will they be forced to work as laborers in illegal mines?"
Gu Xinran's eyes lit up. It was possible that what Brother Gu said was right. There just happened to be a black gold mine in Hong County!
Xiao Ba pondered for a moment, "But I haven't heard of any mines in Hong County."
The matter of the Third Prince is highly confidential. Xiao Ba did not participate in the operation and does not know the details.
Gu Xinran proposed an idea. "Let's go to the nearby villages and ask if there are any villagers who have experienced the same thing. We can share our experiences."
Village chief Li thought Gu Xinran’s idea was feasible.
Everyone divided into several teams and went to the surrounding villages to inquire about the situation.
Gu Xinran and Xiao Ba went together, while Brother Gu stayed in the village to comfort the villagers and protect his family.
The two men drove a mule cart eastward along the path beside the village, and soon they came across a small village.
A village with people!
The entrance to the village was blocked by several large trees. On one side sat two old men in their fifties, looking anxious and haggard. On the other side sat several half-grown children holding hoes with red eyes.
It looks so familiar, the scene is reproduced!
Gu Xinran, dressed in men's clothing, got out of the car and said, "Father, are there any young people missing in your village?"
The old man's eyes widened, and he looked at the two strangers in front of him in surprise, "Boy, how did you know?"
Tsk, same routine, same truth!
"Do you know the village over there? More than forty young and middle-aged people are missing from their village." Gu Xinran pointed in the direction they came from and asked the old man.
"How could they not know? We are from Shanghe Village and they are from Xiahe Village. We went to the county town together to fetch water last time."
Gu Xinran was puzzled. This didn't seem like a lie. This kind of lie would be exposed easily. There was no need for that.
She glanced at Xiao Ba, and the two of them whispered a few words.
Gu Xinran then asked: "Why don't you think of a way to bring him back?"
The old man sighed deeply and said, "I have been looking for him all the time. I received a letter two days ago. If you want him to come back, you must find someone who is equally strong to replace him.
Xiahe Village bought two refugees to try it out and actually got two in return.
In just over ten days, the healthy person turned into a skeleton.
My poor grandson, I don’t know what’s happening to him now, wuwu…”
As the old man spoke, he began to cry.
So that's how it is. That's why the old people and children in Xiahe Village expressed their true feelings yesterday, but their hearts were crooked.
When their own villagers were captured, they captured others to replace them. What a bunch of immoral people.
Gu Xinran continued to ask: "Why didn't you buy someone to replace them?"
The old man wiped his face and said with tears in his eyes, "I have no money and can't afford it. I can only let my children take turns to go. It's really a sin."
Xiao Ba interrupted, "Then what are they doing? How do they replace them?"
The child next to him shouted indignantly, "They forced my father to work in the mines. He only had two black-flour steamed buns a day. He was hungry, couldn't sleep well, worked non-stop every day, and was beaten.
My eldest brother has been bedridden since he came back to replace him. I miss him so much."
After saying that, he burst into tears.
Alas, the people in this village are quite honest and don’t take any crooked paths.
Gu Xinran took out a handful of malt candy from her sleeve pocket and handed it to the boy who was about ten years old.
"Thank you for telling us this. Don't be sad, little brother. Let's find a way to rescue them."
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