Chapter 3: Encountering Bandits
The Hengshan Mountains are located on the border of Bingzhou, bordering Pizhou. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info is the only way for Bingzhou to go to Pizhou. The mountains are densely planted. There are countless birds and beasts, and there are all kinds of rare medicinal materials. But its mountains are steep and swampy miasma. There are even some monsters infested. If you don't know the way, it's easy to get lost. Moreover, there are often bandits and horse thieves. It's a dangerous place.
However, there are exceptions. Although Yokoyama is a dangerous place, there are still people who are willing to take risks. Constantly shuttling between the mountains, going back and forth between Bingzhou and Pizhou. Reselling all kinds of goods in both places. Once you make a successful round trip, it is not impossible to get rich overnight. But more often than not, it's gone. Or die by robbers, or die by accidents. In short, walking in Yokoyama is a dangerous thing. But wealth is moving, and the greed of desire always attracts some people to come and go here one after another.
On this day, Hengshan Pass ushered in another team of people, a total of more than 100 people and 20 cars, loaded with all kinds of goods. Among them, there were more than 20 people holding various weapons and wearing short suits. At first glance, it is a practicing family. It was the convoy's escort. I saw them surround the carriage in the middle and form a guard.
More than twenty more people were scattered around the carriage, but they were the men and grooms of the convoy. As for the other nearly 50 people who followed the carriage, they were small traders and peddlers, and they wore very different costumes.
As for why so many people gathered together, it was because after all, it was too dangerous to be alone in such a dangerous place in Hengshan, so some scattered merchants often relied on following some relatively large convoy merchants, although they had to pay a protection fee to the convoy. But it's still worth it compared to your own life.
And the big merchants are willing to accept them, because they can charge a fee to the scattered merchants for protection, and second, if they do encounter robbers, they can share some of the pressure. After all, doing business in the Hengshan Mountains is an act of pinning your head to your waist, so these retail investors will more or less work hard to avoid danger, and they have no power to resist at all.
There was a young man in the procession, dressed in a cyan robe. Carry this one package. He wears a white cloth on his left sleeve, which is supposed to have a relative in the family who died not long ago. His face was full of tiredness from a long journey. But it was Lin Wanfeng.
That day, after saying goodbye to Li Dafu, Lin Wanfeng first went to his father's tomb to pay respects once before officially leaving Linshan Town, after all, it was a long way to go, and I don't know when I would be able to come back this time. After the worship, he rushed to Pizhou alone.
Although the road is non-stop, after all, there is still Bingzhou between Yizhou and Pizhou, where Linshan is located. Today, Lin Wanfeng has been away from Linshan Town for more than two months.
Looking up, the majestic mountains stand in front of you. The weather is already late autumn, and the autumn wind is bleak in the mountains. The leaves of many trees have turned yellow. But the cold pine and green bamboo are still verdant.
After walking for most of the day, the team was stretched by the rugged road around the mountain. From afar, it looks like a long snake dancing in the mountains. Although the midsummer has passed, the hot sun still shines on people's mouths. And Lin Wanfeng was still a child after all, barely following the crowd, although she didn't fall behind, she was already out of breath.
"Xiaolinzi, how is it. Do you still hold on?" an old man leaned over and asked with concern.
The old man was probably in his fifties and had gray hair. Looks kind and purposeful. Although he is old, his body still looks very healthy. A few days ago, I met Lin Wanfeng by chance in the town at the foot of the mountain. Since then, she has taken a lot of care of Lin Wanfeng.
"I'm okay, Grandpa Zhao. You don't have to worry about me. Lin Wanfeng replied after wiping the sweat on her face.
"Hehe, just hold on. Although the road to Hengshan is difficult to walk, you can get out in three days at most. On the other side of the mountain is Pizhou. When the time comes, you can find a place to rest. And there is no need to worry about robbers every day, as is the case now. The old man surnamed Zhao smiled and said.
"Grandpa Zhao, are there really robbers in this Hengshan?" Lin Wanfeng asked curiously.
"Hey" the old man sighed and said, "Not only yes, I have encountered it once"
"Ah, Grandpa Zhao has encountered it once." Lin Wanfeng said in surprise
"I think at the beginning, although my family was not rich. But life is also counted as a past. It wasn't until I saw that my neighbor who went to the next door ten years ago made a fortune because of running a business in Hengshan, and I couldn't help but think about it. At first, I was the only one running the business, after all, it was rumored that there were robbers in Hengshan outside. If something happens, I'll die as soon as I get an old bone. I don't know if it's luck or misfortune, but I didn't meet any robbers after a few trips. I thought that the Hengshan robbers might have been made up by someone to protect this financial route, but in fact, there were no Hengshan robbers at all. ”
"And then?"
Later, when I went again, I asked my son and daughter-in-law to foster the child who had just been born for more than a year at a relative's house, and went with me to run a business. Thinking that more people can bring a little more goods, you can earn a little more. But that time something happened. ”
As he said this, the old man's face suddenly showed a look of sadness and horror.
Then the old man continued: "I remember that day, we wanted to go back early because we couldn't worry about the children. I hit the road with a few retail investors who were also in a hurry to get on the road. As a result, we had just reached the halfway point when suddenly more than 20 people rushed out of the woods next to us, and without saying a word, they slashed at us. In the confusion, I was shot in the back of the head, and I didn't know anything when it was dark. By the time I woke up, it was already the middle of the night. Looking around in the moonlight, he found himself lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by stumps and severed arms. Everybody died, all died, and my son and daughter-in-law weren't spared. Only my old bones were spared. Since then, I haven't dared to run a business, but I pity my little grandson, who has no parents since he was a child. ”
After the old man finished speaking, his face was full of heaviness, and it was obvious that this past had been for the old man for a long time. But it still has not faded away in my heart, but has deepened under the effect of the years.
At this time, Lin Wanfeng asked suspiciously: "Then Grandpa Zhao, why did you come to run the business again this time?"
"Hey," the old man sighed again, "it's because a month ago, my little grandson suddenly became seriously ill for some reason. The doctor who invited him to prescribe a prescription, which must be made of precious medicinal materials. But the price of that flavor of medicinal herbs is that the old man can't afford it even if he goes bankrupt! In order to make up the money for the medicine, he has no choice but to run the business again. I just hope nothing happens this time. ”
But sometimes in the world, sometimes there is a fear of something. As soon as the words fell, I heard a wild laugh from the front of the team: "Hahaha, little guys, arrest them all." Those who dare to resist will be killed. ”
I saw a group of people rushing out of the woods on the side of the road, more than a hundred people, to say the least. In an instant, the team was encircled. I also saw one of them walk from behind the group and walk to the front of the group in a hurry. Looks like the leader of this group. The long face is full of horizontal meat, and a nine-ring knife is carried on the shoulder. It looks very fierce.
When the old man surnamed Zhao saw it, his face turned white. Some of the people around were also a little flustered, but Lin Wanfeng seemed calm. Because after all, it's the same as what I saw that night. The current formation is not so terrifying.
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