A simple four-course dish, although not full of color and flavor, is the most delicious for those who are hungry on the road.

However, before eating, Xiao Rui directly threw a piece of broken silver to the tavern guy, and the guy thanked him for his kindness and immediately became courteous.

"There's something I want to ask you, the answer satisfies me, see? The money is yours too. Xiao Rui put down a broken silver on the table again.

The guy nodded and asked, "Guest officer, please speak, but as long as I know, I will never hide it, this money is a spiritual treasure that can make the little ghost let go." ”

Xiao Rui asked: "I heard that there is a group of bandits outside Qiuyang County, who are engaged in cutting the path?" Your county order contacted the local solidarity soldiers, and many times of encirclement and suppression failed to exterminate them? ”

"Guest officer, are you from out of town?" The guy hesitated and asked.

Xiao Rui smiled: "Yes, what's wrong, isn't it convenient to say?" We're passing through here, and we're worried about not bumping into it. ”

The man said: "There is such a group of bandits, robbing passing traders and pedestrians on the official road, and even capturing rich merchants to extort money, causing the people to complain and mourn, but they hide in the dense forest west of the county seat, and for some other reasons, they cannot be encircled and suppressed for a long time. ”

Xiao Rui's chopsticks paused for picking up vegetables, and he and Zhuge Liuying glanced at each other, it seems that this bandit thing is still boring.

"What are the other reasons?" Xiao Rui asked.

The man sneered, "I am of humble status, how do I know the secret of it." ”

Xiao Rui took out another piece of broken silver and put it on the table.

The man still hesitated.

Xiao Rui didn't say a word, put another piece of broken silver, and then said: "If you don't say anything more, I'll ask other people, I believe others will tell me." ”

The man hurriedly scraped away the broken silver with his hands, and said in a low voice: "Three guest officers, it's not that the villain doesn't say it, but I'm afraid that if I say it wrong, I'm afraid that if I say it, I'll only go to your ears." ”

Speaking of this, the guy said in a low voice: "People in the county have rumors that there are people behind the bandits who cut the path, and it is the lord of the county who supports them, if this is the case, who do you say can exterminate the bandits?" Yes, three distinguished guests. ”

"Indeed, that will definitely not be extinguished." Xiao Rui squinted his eyes and asked again, "But I heard which master is backing it?" ”

"I really don't know." The guy saw Xiao Rui shaking the silver again, but he still waved his hand and said: "The villain wants the silver, but he can't slander it indiscriminately, I really don't know." ”

Xiao Rui threw the silver to him, knowing that he really didn't know.

The guy stepped back with a thousand thanks, and the three of them chatted in detail.

"If there are really yamen people who support and report the news, this gang of bandits will indeed have nothing to fear, and if we want to exterminate them, we need to plan well." Xiao Rui said with a smile: "Even, you have to pull out the big cancer of the Yamen." ”

Zhuge Liuying said angrily: "If you dare to go along with the court with the court, damn it." Xiao Rui, you have a lot of ghost ideas, what do you say we should do first? ”

Xiao Rui gave him a roll of his eyes, what is a lot of ghost ideas, are we very familiar with each other? We haven't taken a shower together, do you know me that well?

"Check tomorrow to see if you can find the person behind the bandits, it's best to find out, and if you can't find out, you will destroy the bandits." Xiao Rui said: "Let's take a shot, we should be able to destroy a small bandit gang, from their mouths, we should be able to ask who is behind the scenes." ”

"No problem, I'll take the lead for you." Zhuge Liuying is full of confidence.

After eating, the three of them found an inn to rest.

The next day, the three of them wandered around the county town and inquired about the details of the yamen and the bandits, but as the tavern guy said yesterday, it was just a rumor, and no one dared to say that it was a master of the yamen who colluded with the bandits. As for whether this rumor is true, it remains to be confirmed.

What Xiao Rui didn't expect was that the county magistrate, county magistrate, lord Bo, and county lieutenant of Qiuyang County were not in harmony, heh, the small county seat was a small place, and the county magistrate couldn't control it, and he was blind in his identity. However, when I learned that the county order was about to be sixty years old and was about to become a minister, there was a reason why I had more than enough heart and not enough strength.

Emperor Xia stipulated that civil officials should be sixty officials, and military attachés could be postponed to sixty-five, and if there was reuse, they would be used separately.

The mastermind behind the bandits can't be found, but the gangs in Qiuyang County know when they ask.

According to the promotion system of the Great Xia Kingdom, in a middle county like Qiuyang County, as long as the county commander retires, as long as he does not encounter the major events of the imperial examination to supplement fresh officials, as long as it is operated, it is basically the promotion of the county or the main officer.

Xiao Rui and Zhuge Liuying's investigation was fruitless, so they did not delay, and went out of the city in the afternoon to find the bandits' den.

To the west of Qiuyang County is an undulating mountain range, about a dozen miles in range, although the mountains are not as steep as in the north, and are mostly dirt mountains, but the vegetation is luxuriant, which is very suitable for hiding. The official road happened to pass through the mountain range, which provided convenience for the bandits to cut the path.

Xiao Rui, Zhuge Liuying, and Wu Zhanfa came to the periphery of the mountain range, and there were two ways in front of them, one was to enter the mountain to search, although the mountain range was not large, it was still very difficult to find the bandits' dens.

The second is to wait for the rabbit, listen to the people of Qiuyang County, this official road connects the north and south, is the only official road, so there are more merchants, so the frequency of bandits cutting the path is very frequent, almost three or five days will do a trip.

Nowadays, many vendors unite and hire guards to dare to cross the aisle. Even so, there are still many passers-by who are not familiar with the situation here and are caught and extorted for money.

The last time bandits cut the trail was about three days ago.

So Xiao Rui speculated that the bandits wouldn't be able to wait long this time, so Xiao Rui was ready to wait for the rabbit.

Sure enough, the next day near noon, a group of people slowly entered the official road, and when they walked to the center of the mountain range, in the dense forest path outside the official road, more than a dozen bandits suddenly burst out and directly stopped the line.

Xiao Rui and Zhuge Liuying hid in the shadows, naturally witnessing everything.

More than a dozen bandits, all young men, led by a one-eyed middle-aged man, wearing a green undershirt and a beard, were dragging the passengers from the carriage and making them kneel on the ground.

The group was a traveler, apparently visiting relatives, an old couple with a young girl, an old servant driving the carriage, and a middle-aged coachman carrying the luggage carriage, a total of five people.

Five men knelt on the ground and pleaded, three bandits watched them, and the others rummaged through the trunks of the carriage.

"Your Highness, except for the one-eyed middle-aged man who is a first-class martial artist, the other bandits are ordinary people who are familiar with some martial arts." Wu Zhanfa had a high vision and said to Xiao Rui.

Zhuge Liuying said: "I'm not wrong, the highest is only one grade, which is the most suitable for you to practice swords, and there is no compassion for killing them." Shall we do it now, or shall we go back to their lair with them? ”

Xiao Rui was about to speak, but he was annoyed when he saw that the group of bandits didn't seem to have found gold and silver, and the one-eyed middle-aged man even carried a knife and walked towards the traveler who was kneeling on the ground.