The sunset is as big as a copper bucket, and the afterglow is everywhere.

Zhang Meng, Shi A and Shan Zhong are all athletic people, and the inner wall in Buguangli is like flat ground to them.

When they arrived on the avenue, a column of halberd armor soldiers in the distance walked in unison, and the three of them hid in the dark alley in time, which could be avoided.

The situation is turbulent, and the martial law in the city of Luoyang is more than before, especially in Buguangli and Yongheli, where high-ranking officials and dignitaries live, there are soldiers and horses patrolling all the time. Zhang Meng and Shi A followed Shan Zhong to the south, and they were nearly exposed several times on the way, but fortunately, there was no danger.

The three of them hurried until they reached the edge of the canal in the middle of the city, and in front of them they could see the scene of blue tiles connecting to clouds and even houses, where the mansions of the three princes of Taiwei, Situ and Sikong were located.

The current Taiwei is Liu Yu, who is thousands of miles away from Youzhou, and the position of Situ is temporarily vacant, although Dong Zhuo is Sikong, he definitely does not live here at present, so the mansion of the third prince is basically empty, and the imperial court's precautions in the surrounding area are much smaller.

Shi A was sweating profusely, and exhaled: "Thief God, if you go this way to hide and hide, I'd rather run a few more miles back and forth to Beibi Mountain." As he walked, he looked around, "Shan Zhong, what are you taking me here for?" Could it be that he made a holy decree, Zhang Jun should be a lieutenant, and you and I will be Situ and Sikong? ”

Shan Zhong smiled and said: "Zhang Jun has the ability to be a captain, but I can't be a commonplace!" And he said, "We have to get out of the city from here." ”

Zhang Meng asked: "The closest city gate to here is the East Gate in the east, but the imperial court must have arranged heavy troops to guard it strictly, how can the three of us break out?" ”

Shan Zhong said: "How else can I say that I am of great use? Zhang Jun, if you want to go out of the city this time, you can't go by land, so you have to take the waterway. ”

"Waterway ......" Zhang Meng frowned and groaned, recalling what he had seen and heard in the present world, and then figured it out, "It turns out that you plan to go to the Yang Canal!" ”

The Yang Canal was called Jiuqu in ancient times, and according to legend, it was the water canal dug by the Duke of Zhou in the west of Luoyang.

In order to alleviate the difficulty of using water in Luoyang, this dynasty deliberately led a branch of the Luoshui in the south of the city into the Guyang Canal, and on this basis, it was widened and extended to the north, and was connected with the water and the Qianshui, and finally formed the west, north and east sides of the Luoyang City in the shape of "several", and then flowed to the east, and then rejoined the Luoshui in Yanshi County.

In addition to the main stream around the city, there are other tributaries such as Qianjin Canal and Wulong Canal that are vertically and horizontally distributed in the city, among them, there is a canal from the Yongmen in the west of the city through the city, directly to the Middle East Gate in the east of the city, and then flows into the main stream of the Yang Canal from the Middle East Gate, directly divides the whole city into two halves, so there are several water gates on the side of the Middle East Gate, in order to make the water of this canal flow out of the city.

Most of the water gates are located in dark and damp lows, overgrown with weeds, moss, and insects and rats on weekdays, even if many people who have lived in the city for a long time have not paid attention to it, let alone the imperial court sent special personnel to take care of it, and this canal is now at Zhang Meng's feet.

"The villain is not talented, and before falling into the grass, he specially did some work in this Luoyang City. Delivery out of the city, walk is the Yangqu Water Gate, hehe, walked more than ten times, never had a bad pool. Shan Zhong patted his chest proudly, "Zhang Jun rest assured, now that there is chaos in the city, the officers and soldiers only care about the main road, and this kind of side door cannot be taken care of." ”

Zhang Meng naturally knew that "reversing the goods" sounded good, but in fact, it must be a business without capital, since Shan Zhong dared to pin his head to the waistband of his trousers to do this business, he must be very confident in the safety of Watergate.

The three of them took advantage of the remnant sun to walk east along the canal bank until the night fell, and finally reached the vicinity of the East Gate.

As expected, up and down the East Gate, the road was full of obstacles such as horses and antlers, and the torches were burning and shaking, illuminating the garrison soldiers and horses.

The canal water is not deep, not over the lower abdomen, Shan Zhong touched the canal in advance, only the eyes and nose were exposed, the cat's waist was slow in the canal water, and after confirming that the water gate was unguarded, he learned to call the owl a few times, and Zhang Meng and Shi A also went into the water one after another.

The water gate is really not big, barely enough for one person to pass through, and when it passes, the smell of rot and filth suddenly comes to the face, and the smell is disgusting. This is because people nowadays will habitually use canal water, and even excrement, discarded debris and even dead corpses, etc., are all thrown into the water. In this way, it is self-evident what the water environment of the canal is, and the water gate is even more dirty. It is so dirty that ordinary people can't avoid it, let alone take the initiative to approach it.

Zhang Meng endured his nausea, and even took him out of the water gate, and his eyes suddenly opened up, when he swam into the main stream of the Yang Canal outside the city.

The fire above the wall of the Middle East Gate was reflected in the water, and the three of them did not dare to relax, and continued to swim forward, and after a long time, they slowly rose up and went ashore when they felt the light around them dim.

Zhang Meng stood on the shore and undressed and wrung out, and looked around, faintly seeing the silhouette of the shadowy house and the sparks, he should have arrived at the Lifang settlement outside Guo.

Shan Zhong breathed a long sigh of relief, stuck out his tongue and looked back: "I haven't done my old business for a long time, and it's quite smooth to return to my old business." ”

Zhang Meng smiled: "Credits you." Then remembering the encounter with Lu Bu a few days ago, his brows furrowed slightly, "This is outside Guo in the east of the city, and Biyong is in the southern suburbs of the city, so we have to go around in a big circle." Martial law is imposed in the city, and I am afraid that there is even more so outside the city. ”

Shi Ah echoed: "The streets and alleys outside the city are no more tortuous than those inside the city, if we walk over, it will take time and effort, not to mention, once the officers and soldiers on patrol are aware of it, it will be extremely difficult to escape." Alas, if there were horses, it would be much safer. ”

Shan Zhong pondered for a moment and said: "It is a private house nearby, this area is close to the city gate, and there are no walls in it, so it is better to try your luck." ”

Shi A sneered: "How can a gentleman do that shady deed? Apparently very dismissive of Shan Zhong's proposal.

Zhang Meng said: "Brother Shi, you are in a hurry. During the Warring States Period, Meng Weijun was trapped, but fortunately, the doorman was able to get out of it by stealing Qiu's gifts. Although it is not right, it does not affect his gentlemanly nature. ”

When Shi Ah heard this, he was silent, as if he had an understanding.

Zhang Meng continued: "Let's borrow other people's things first, and when we get things done, the things will be returned to the original owner, and then we will repay them." ”

Shi Ah nodded: "It's all up to you." ”

Luoyang Guowai is densely populated, the houses are like strange traffic, and the roads are very complicated, but fortunately, the three of them have lived in Luoyang for a long time, and they have been here many times, and they quickly figured out the direction.

Shan Zhong said: "This area is mostly a Chinese family, and there are few livestock and horses, and there are many rich people outside the west of the city and outside the south of the city. ”

Shi Ah shook his head and said: "It's too far, not to mention the recent military turmoil, many people have gone to other places with their families to avoid trouble." Let them have good horses and chariots, and hide themselves so that they will not be plundered. ”

Zhang Meng said: "I remember that there is an advocate here, and there are occasional dignitaries and dignitaries on weekdays, so you can go and see it." ”

Since the pre-Qin period, it mainly refers to men and women engaged in singing and dancing performances. In today's world, secular music is flourishing, from the royal family and eunuchs to the local tyrants and gentry, in order to help sing and dance, meet the needs of voice and color and show off their status, a large number of tricks and compare with each other. From the top to the bottom, there are also wild tricks and private tricks among the people, which promotes the trend of social luxury. There are a large number of palace officials, officials in various prefectures and counties, domestic officials of the noble gentry, and private officials who are scattered among the people.

The current Zhang Meng was originally a gentleman, eating, drinking and having fun, and he also knew the advocates inside and outside the city.

Shan Zhonghe smiled: "Zhang Jun still knows a lot, and he is ashamed!" ”

Zhang Meng smiled, but was a little embarrassed.

Ordinary people go to bed at night, and now the twilight is vast and everything is silent. Zhang Meng led the way in front, and found a place in a short time, and as far as the eye could see, there was only a little brightness in front of the black linen.

As I approached the light, I could hear laughter and laughter.

Shi A said unhappily: "The country is restless, the Son of Heaven is uneasy, and it is ridiculous that there is still leisure to have fun at such a time!" ”

This advocate is not big, just a small courtyard, there is a gauze lamp hanging at the door of the courtyard emitting a faint yellow light, and from time to time there is silk and bamboo music mixed with human talk and laughter from the courtyard.

Zhang Meng took Shi A and Shan Zhong along the courtyard wall to the backyard, pointed his finger, and said in a low voice: "This is the stable, which is usually used to house the horses or chariots of the guests. Tonight, we have good luck and have a guest at home. ”

Shan Zhong rubbed his hands and said, "Zhang Jun wait, I'll go in first and open the back door." As soon as the words fell, his movements were extremely agile, pulling, kicking, sideways, jumping, and neatly flipped into the backyard.

Soon, Shan Zhong opened the backyard door from the inside. Zhang Mengliu Shi'a was looking at the wind outside and went to check.

The backyard is not large, and the fences on the inside are all empty. The outside was littered with firewood and grass, and an ox cart was parked next to it.

This dynasty inherited the tradition since the pre-Qin period, riding in a carriage, red tape, and having to obey the appearance of riding a carriage, and must always maintain a gentlemanly demeanor, not do what you want. Unlike horse-drawn carriages, ox-carts are not so elaborate, surrounded by curtains, can sit and lie at will, and walk slowly and steadily, and the chambers are spacious enough to spread a few seats, which is more comfortable, so many powerful people now privately prefer to ride ox-carts rather than horse-drawn carriages.

With the faint light, Zhang Meng could still clearly see the exquisite carvings and splendid curtains of the ox carriage room in front of him, and secretly thought to himself: "Look at the shape of this ox cart is not bad, the owner should be a person with status, nine times out of ten he is an official in the court, and his status is not low." "Look up in the direction of the brightly lit front yard.

Unexpectedly, as far as the eye could see, there was a person standing under the shadow of the house.

"Oops!"

Zhang Meng's heart jumped, I am afraid that Shan Zhong took the car and did not step on it well.

The man was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses and immediately hurried. He slipped his belt in both hands and asked, "Who are you waiting for, what are you going to do?" At the same time, he shouted, "Someone! Someone! A thief took advantage of me to release his hand and wanted to do something wrong! ”

When the incident happened suddenly, Zhang Meng secretly screamed that it was not good, and hurriedly pushed Shan Zhong to climb onto the ox cart: "Go!" Then he stepped forward and approached the man.

"Come on!"

The man was startled and turned to run. The light was dim, and in a hurry, Zhang Meng only saw a big black mole on the other party's lips, and he didn't have time to distinguish his appearance, so he punched out in a hurry.

"Hmm......"

The man was hit in the back of the head and fell to the ground with a muffled grunt. At this time, Shan Zhong had already urged the ox cart and shouted: "Zhang Jun, get on the car!" ”

The situation was urgent, Zhang Meng had no time to think carefully, so he could only silently say "I'm sorry" to the person who fell to the ground, and then chased after him wildly, and climbed onto the ox cart that had galloped out of the yard.

Shan Zhong desperately slapped the cow's back, and the scolding behind Zhang Meng's head gradually became inaudible with the wind, and Shi A, who was dragged into the car by Zhang Meng, looked dazed, looking at the pitch-black hair behind the ox cart.

The ox cart galloped for a while, and the three of them confirmed that no one was chasing them, and gradually slowed down.

Zhang Meng thought back to the face with a big black mole on his lips: "Who is this person......

Shan Zhong had experience, avoided residential settlements, and took small roads off the wrong path, but did not meet patrolling officers and soldiers along the way.

The wheels were rolling and bumpy for a long time, and Shan Zhong suddenly reminded: "It's almost time to Hongchi." ”

Hongchi is a lake formed by the main stream of Yangqu to the east after going around the city, far and near are mostly mountains, forests and swamps, after Hongchi, it is outside the south of the city.

It was already completely dark, but the moon was bright, illuminating the ground with snow, and the eyes gradually adapted to the dark environment, and the vision was much clearer than in the evening.

The mountain breeze blows through the forest, as far as the eye can see, there are messy and disorderly small mounds, occasionally there are some large earth pits with black holes in the sky, and occasionally a few mounds are inserted in front of the wooden plaques and stone plaques, which are also horizontal and vertical, completely unstructured.

The mausoleums of the Han royal family are mostly in Beibi Mountain in the north of Luoyang City, and the eunuchs of Jingshi also choose to place cemeteries in the north in order to get close to the Son of Heaven. On the other hand, ordinary people are basically buried in the south, and this part of Hongchi is a famous mass grave.

From time to time there were sharp owl cries and short whisk cries in the deep forest, Shan Zhong was furious in his heart, grabbed the reins, and kept scolding the old scalper pulling the cart to move forward. After passing through a few large locust trees that shaded the sky, the already dim light sank even more suddenly, until the ox cart hurried through these towering trees, and the four fields were already shrouded in an even more gloomy gray curtain.

The three of them did not speak, and the surroundings became more and more quiet.

The ox cart traveled along the narrow path, and it didn't take long for the sound of gurgling water to be heard, and Zhang Meng said: "There must be a yang canal ahead, and the Hongchi is near." Turning to Shan Zhong, who looked nervous, he said, "Slow down the reins and go slowly." There is a wooden bridge crossing canal on the edge of Hongchi, so don't miss it. ”

Shan Zhong agreed, and Zhang Meng and Shi A jumped out of the car and followed the ox cart.

Not long after, the yang canal flowed in front of me, and the wooden bridge was also impressive.

The wooden bridge was narrow, and Zhang Meng was waiting to command Shan Zhong to drive the ox cart over, when a sudden whistling sound hit the wind. His mind flashed, and by instinct, he subconsciously tilted his head at the last moment.

At that time, he only heard the sound of "boom", and a few feathered arrows grazed his cheeks.

Shi A turned over and fell to the ground and shouted: "Zhang Jun be careful, there is an ambush!" ”

Zhang Meng fell backwards, hid behind the carriage to observe the situation, and then looked at Shan Zhong, who had already rolled off the wheels and pouted his ass and got under the carriage.

"What's going on? Could it be that you encountered patrolling officers and soldiers? ”

The situation suddenly changed and was unexpected, and Zhang Meng was puzzled. It is unreasonable that they have not even seen the person from the other side, and they have not even said a word before they are attacked.