Situ Lei is a legend, even if he counts the successive defeats in the Snow Customs in his later years, which made the savages enter the customs, it still can't completely deny the excitement of his life.

And the emergence of legends always needs stepping stones, and also, always needs to be foiled.

Situ Lei's place of origin is in Zhennanguan.

This concubine, who was not valued at first, relied on successive victories against the Chu people in Zhennan Pass, and accumulated rich military merits and prestige, so that he was able to return to Yingdu to fight with his two brothers in the temple struggle.

Zhennan Pass corresponds to Shanggu County of the Chu people, here, it is also the battlefield where the Chu people and the Situ family have clashed several times, because of the frequent wars, the population of Shanggu County and all walks of life are not developed, and many places can even be said to be extremely desolate.

It's not just that the Jin people come in to capture them, but when the Chu army goes out, they will also frequently recruit local people to serve the army.

Originally, when the Chu people took Zhennanguan and entered the Jin Dynasty all the way, the people of Shanggu County cried with joy, thinking that they finally did not have to suffer from the war, and as border people, they could also enjoy the treatment of the people in the hinterland.

Who knew that the news of the defeat on the front line came, and the Yan people, who were defeated in the early stage, suddenly defeated the savages, and captured Yupan City.

The Yanchu War was about to break out, and this atmosphere completely shook the confidence and enthusiasm of the people of Shanggu County for their future life.

The most obvious point is that

In this inn that opened next to the post road, the boss was listlessly tapping on the abacus, and the man was leaning on it and napping.

It's not that there are no guests in the inn, but the guests in the inn are also in this mood.

The imperial court ordered the requisition of grain to support the army at the front.

In order to save trouble and save costs, the method of exchanging salt for grain was adopted, which meant that the merchants of Chu State were encouraged to purchase grain from all over the country and then organize transportation over, and after you arrived at the border gate, you handed over the grain to the imperial court and gave you salt introduction, which was equivalent to giving you a certain share of the qualification to sell salt.

This naturally attracted a lot of merchants to organize caravans to transport grain, but when everyone worked hard to pull the grain over, the court suddenly changed its hexagram, and the salt that was originally said to be good fell by nearly forty percent at once, and at the same time, the remaining sixty percent had to be filled with other things.

Good guys, in this way, after these businessmen have removed the cost, they have actually become a net loss!

The reason for this is that Chu State nominally monopolizes salt and iron, but in fact, the big nobles in various places actually have the right to self-develop salt and iron in their fiefs, and some can even mint money privately.

The Chu court had just recovered from the rebellion, and the treasury was already empty after some internal strife, and the Hubu Mi Shangshu wanted to use this method to reduce the pressure of the imperial court on the frontline support, but the salt allocated by the household department was nominally the salt field of the imperial court, but in fact, most of it was within the fiefdom of the great nobles.

At this time, the nobles stopped doing it, and immediately began to make noise, and under pressure, the household department had to revise the strategy.

The big nobles felt that they could "destroy their families and relieve difficulties" for the country, and they recognized half of it, which was already extremely conscientious and loyal to the monarch, and also gave face to the court and the regent;

Under the mediation of the household department, he managed to keep half of the salt introduction, which can be regarded as continuing the matter and maintaining the dignity of the imperial court;

As for whether these businessmen who are responsible for transporting grain make money or lose money, it is not what the big men are concerned about.

Loss, it is definitely a loss, but you really have no place to reason, the court order changes overnight, and you need to ask for your consent?

At the same time, if you don't sell it, it's hard to have to transport these grains back, and the loss will be even greater!

And in this inn, the people sitting now are basically merchants who transported grain in the past, and the big guys are very depressed.

"Are you used to eating this meal?"

Sitting in the corner, a man asked the handsome guy sitting next to him.

"It's okay, I'm not so squeamish, I won't eat the wowotou you sent before?"

Rice, which is a kind of existence between stir-fried vegetables and steamed rice, is not hot yet, it should be steamed in a big pot and bowls early.

The rice was also covered with a layer of sauce, which killed a person.

Asked if there was anything else to eat, the shopkeeper said no, and said with a smile that their owner was ready to close the inn in another ten days, and even the cook had already been opened, and the reason why the shopkeeper stayed here was because he and the owner were fellow villagers and had to go back together.

Therefore, the inn now only provides this kind of food and tea, and even the wine is gone, because the food is expensive, and the price of the wine shop has also risen, and the shopkeeper is worried that he will not be able to sell it later.

fortunately

The princess is really not squeamish;

All the way from Zhou County, first hired people to go, and then followed the other grain merchant Jia team, all the way to talk about eating and sleeping, but it was also a tiring ride, and the princess did not complain.

Every night before going to bed, I remember to give Uncle Zheng a foot wash to help him wash his feet.

The princess eats slowly,

Looking up at Uncle Zheng,

Asked:

"Why don't you eat it?"

"I can't get used to it."

"........." princess.

At this moment,

The princess is really puzzled, who is the princess between herself and him?

After eating, it was dark outside, so Uncle Zheng took the princess upstairs.

Because the inn is about to close and the owner is preparing to evacuate, there is no bedding in the guest room, so you have to bring your own, and as for the room money, it is symbolically charged a little bit.

After laying out the cover, Zheng Fan took out the tin box, took out a cigarette, and put it in front of his nose.

"You can smoke if you want."

The princess knew it was tobacco.

Uncle Zheng shook his head and said, "It will leave a smell on the body." ”

"You're so cautious."

"It's not so that we can go back safely."

"Yes, my uncle."

"Tomorrow morning, I'll find someone to deliver the grain and grass we brought, and then we'll go into the mountains."

Zhennan Pass is the throat from Jin to Chu, but it does not mean that you can't pass through Zhennan Pass at all.

passed, it can still be passed, but the road is difficult to walk, and it is not suitable for soldiers and horses to pass at all.

"Yes."

The princess obediently lay down and began to rest.

Uncle Zheng also lay down and closed his eyes.

Because there is no other demon king around except the demon pill, so many things have to be considered and arranged by Zheng Fan himself, the identity of this grain merchant Jia was arranged by the Fan family before, but on the way to the east, Uncle Zheng did not contact the Fan family again.

As soon as they came, the further east they went, the influence of the Fan family began to decrease; Second, Uncle Zheng doesn't trust anyone now.

At this time, the princess, who had her eyes closed, spoke: "It is said that there are many wild beasts in the mountains, and there are also groups of thieves. ”

"It's not a big problem." Uncle Zheng said.

This self-confidence is still there, no matter what, he is also a six-rank martial artist.

"Hmm."

The princess really began to rest, and her breathing became even.

Uncle Zheng also put aside other thoughts in his mind and fell asleep.

…

Early the next morning, Zheng Fan got up, found a businessman who was also on the road, delivered his own grain, and settled the account with Lifu who came all the way from Zhou County, and let them return.

Subsequently, Uncle Zheng took the princess from here directly to the north and not to the east, and entered the mountain.

Occasionally resting halfway, most of the time he was still in a hurry, and it was not until night that Uncle Zheng found a cave to camp.

The green python swam over, opened its mouth, and dropped a large piece of venison leg.

A few days ago, Zheng Fan and the princess were traveling on the road, and the green python followed from a distance in the forest, and when it was able to enter the mountain, it could be revealed, but it really didn't like Zheng Fan, so after dropping the venison, it turned around and wandered away.

Uncle Zheng lit the fire, and after the venison was simply processed, he began to grill it.

The princess examines the soles of her feet;

"Bubbly?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Well, sort of."

Zheng Fan took out a needle, roasted it on the fire, handed it to the princess, and said, "Be careful yourself." ”

The princess took the needle, and couldn't help complaining:

"You should be going slower today."

The princess is a golden branch and jade leaf, the first time she enters the mountain, the mountain road is not easy to walk, and it takes a process of adaptation, but Zheng Fan pulled her today, and she walked very quickly and urgently.

"I don't want to make any extraneous branches, didn't the grain and grass we brought along the way to hide people's ears and eyes be handed over to our peers today?"

"yes, what's wrong?"

"I delivered some money, but I can't ...... it"

"Not really, right?"

"In these years, those who dare to do business, where did you come from, do you still think that you are a simple and simple people?"

"It's like it wouldn't be like this in your Yan Kingdom."

"It's all like this, it's all like this, I made a fortune earlier by robbing people like this."

"I didn't expect Uncle Hirano to have this kind of family history?"

"Actually, it's always been like this, but it sounds like I used to rob some of the landlords and rich people of the dock fort, and I felt that I was losing my share, but in fact, I was robbing it later, but it became a big hero by robbing a country and grabbing a royal family."

"Seems to be the truth."

"The venison is done, wash your hands, and eat."

Then

The green python went and returned, opened its mouth, and a human head fell off.

The princess stared, but she was not frightened to cry out.

Uncle Zheng stepped forward while nibbling on venison and flipped over the head with his foot;

"It's actually the owner of that inn, it seems that he knows that I have money on me, and wants to make another windfall before I go home."

The princess ate the venison and said, "Then he is really close enough, we are all in such a hurry today, and we can still keep up." ”

"Well, so, I'm going to have to check it out and let your snake lead the way."

"Xiaoqing, lead the way." The princess ordered.

"Xiaoqing?"

On weekdays, Uncle Zheng calls "your snake", but he really doesn't know the name of this snake.

"What's wrong?" The princess wondered, "Is there a problem with the name?" ”

"Is there a white snake again?"

"I haven't seen it."

"Then you can ask about it later."

The green python led the way, and soon found two corpses in a low-lying area.

"You take the crossbow, I'll go down and have a look."

The crossbow was exchanged by Uncle Zheng in the middle of the way, although it is said that the Chu State is controlled by salt and iron, but because the big nobles have greater autonomy in the fiefdom, many nobles sell weapons for profit.

This kind of crossbow is an imitation of the military system, although it is worse than the regular crossbow, but it is enough, there was a merchant who transported grain together in a place to buy it for self-defense, and he specially asked around, purchased some more good bargaining, and Uncle Zheng also received one.

Zheng Fan took out his knife and slipped down through the gap, and was surprised to find that there were blades and bows and arrows next to the two corpses.

A headless corpse should belong to the innkeeper, and the other corpse still has a head, which is the shopkeeper.

Uncle Zheng silently put the bow on his shoulder, and at the same time stretched out his hand to grope the innkeeper for a while, which was subconsciously used to it, killing someone without searching his body, he always felt that he lacked a sense of ritual.

outcome

Touching and touching,

Uncle Zheng took out a token.

By the moonlight, the token could be vaguely seen with the mark of the fire phoenix.

Uncle Zheng shook his head helplessly, he could only say that he was too unlucky, and when he walked to ninety-nine steps in one hundred steps, he actually ran into the hidden pile of the phoenix's nest.

Since marching all the way, it can be found that the Chu people are trying their best to surround and intercept the soldiers and horses in the direction of Mengshan and Qishan, and there is basically no pursuit on the east road.

Uncle Zheng thought that he could go back safely and securely this time, but it turned out to be a wave again.

I can only hope that the innkeeper just felt that he was a little suspicious about cutting food temporarily, so he chased after his subordinates and didn't send a message to the phoenix nest waiter behind.

"Hey, tell your big snake to come down and see if you can eat them all, a porridge and a meal are not easy to come by, how can they be wasted."

"It's full, it can't eat, and if it's strong, it can't go up to sleep."

"Then you come down, and we'll dispose of their corpses together."

The princess came down, and then Uncle Zheng dug a pit, and she dragged the corpse and threw it inside.

After everything was taken care of, Uncle Zheng crossed his waist and gasped.

In winter, the soil freezes hard, and digging a pit is really tiring, and it is not easy to dig with a knife.

"When I go back, I have to talk to someone about bone water or something, and I don't have to be so tired next time I destroy the corpse."

"Bone-melting?"

"Well, Lord Wei used it."

"Who is Lord Wei?"

"A viscount of our Yan Kingdom has married dozens of wives."

"Then you can't learn from him."

"Huh."

"I can't write the name of the edict." The princess smiled and quipped.

get

At the beginning, Uncle Zheng brought the words of "a shock to the tiger's body", but now it has directly become a stalk for the princess to joke back.

"Let's go further and find a place to rest."

Here, I can't stay for the time being, I have to stay away.

The princess did not complain and followed Uncle Zheng on the starry night.

"Uncle, I found that you are very life-sparing, are you like this on the battlefield?"

"The victorious generals on the battlefield all have one thing in common, do you know what it is?"

"Strategic?"

"It's not."

"Strong in martial arts?"

"Not really."

"What's that?"

"Didn't die in battle."

"........." princess.

"When a person dies, there is nothing."

"If you are so desperate, why do you want to come to see me in the other garden?"

"Because I'm willing to die for you."

"I know it's a lie, but it sounds like it's quite useful."

"It's good if you're happy, okay, I'll carry you."

Uncle Zheng bent down,

The princess obediently got on Uncle Zheng's back.

"Am I heavy?"

"It's not light."

"You said you like fat and pure, you can't dislike me."

"When a man says fat, he means that the flesh grows in the right place; When I say it is pure, I mean that it looks good without makeup. ”

"Crooked."

"It makes sense."

In the woods in the middle of the night,

Uncle Zheng continued to march with the princess on his back,

The green python also seemed to have a premonition of some crisis, and began to run around from time to time, as if escorting.

In the middle of the night,

Although Uncle Zheng was already sweating, he still had no intention of stopping, because he instinctively wanted to stay away from the place where the two phoenix nest attendants died.

"Help, help, help..............."

Ahead, shouts were heard.

Uncle Zheng was stunned for a moment, and the princess said, "I heard a voice." ”

"I'm not deaf."

Because this is a canyon location, it is impossible to bypass it, which is equivalent to going back, so Uncle Zheng still decided to continue walking.

finally

There was a burning bonfire ahead, and a woman was struggling from a tree next to it, her clothes were tattered and her hair was scattered.

Then

The woman found Zheng Fan and the others, and hurriedly called for help:

"Hero, help, save the little girl; The little woman's family was met by bandits, they killed my husband and my in-laws, tied me here, please save me, save me, save me........."

The woman looked anxious. After seeing Zheng Fan, it was like seeing a savior, and he struggled and shouted more energetically.

Uncle Zheng looked at the bonfire,

Look at the woman hanging from the tree again,

Listen to the woman's cry for help again,

Sighed:

"Cliché."

"Buzz!"

Uncle Zheng had a crossbow arrow shot out of his head.

"Poof!"

The woman hanging from the tree was hit by an arrow, her head bowed, and she died.

Uncle Zheng sincerely admired:

"Yes."

The princess on her back put away her crossbow and said:

"I wanted to shoot the rope so that I could let her down, but I didn't expect it to be crooked."

"Pretty."

Uncle Zheng reached out and touched the princess on his back, and squeezed his hands hard in the position of lifting,

Road:

"No explanation, well done."

After that,

Uncle Zheng planned to continue on his journey, completely ignoring what happened to this woman's appearance here.

The woman was tied, her hands and feet and her head hung low, and her body swayed slightly under the tree.

The wind in the canyon was a little strong, and there was a slight echo, like a low whistle.

however

When Uncle Zheng just passed under the tree with the princess on his back,

The woman who had been killed by the princess's previous arrow,

But suddenly he raised his head slowly,

looked at Uncle Zheng and the princess diagonally below,

The mouth is cracked,

The tongue poked out in a very exaggerated way,

In an extremely suppressed and hoarse voice, he asked:

"Why...... Why don't you save me? ”

——————

I was overdrawn a few days ago, and today I am a little sluggish, so I will change it, and I will try to write more tomorrow.

(End of chapter)