"Isn't Sister Ren in Qinling Han County? How did you run to Yueyang! Yue Guanchao thought that he could still go to Xijing to change his way, but now that he heard that Ren Peacock had arrived in Yueyang City, there was a slight doubt on his face.

"I know what you're thinking? You want to go to Xijing and make another appointment with Tang Dayang, right? Song Siyuan knew too well the thoughts of this vulgar and reckless man, and when she came back, she turned around in Xijing, and she was drunk and dizzy for a long time before she got up from the hotel.

"That's, I and the Dayang brothers cherish each other, I don't know when I will see you again when I go back to the Northeast, then I must have a good time, this time I really won't go to Xijing?" Yue Guanchao still wanted to rescue again, Song Siyuan glanced at the telegram, took a sip of coffee, and said quirkily: "Sister Ren said, Qinling is too far and it is not easy to change routes, Yueyang has a railway from Jianghan, which is more convenient for us to divert." Yue Guanchao took the translation of the telegram, looked at the names of the places they were going to, the junction of Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou, Huayuan County, and Tudong Town in Hunan Province.

…… Hunan Province, Dongting Lake, Yueyang City floating light and gold, still shadows are sinking, morning and sunset, and the weather is thousands.

On the east side of Dongting Lake is located Yueyang City, the white wall of the ancient city dwellings is like a lakeside shell, surrounded by a broken and damaged city wall, there are many lanes, canals, arch bridges, the eaves of the dwellings along the river are warped, most of them are hanging feet through the building, if you go to the city, it becomes a horse head gable.

When they arrived in Yueyang City, it was already the end of February and the beginning of March, in the bright spring, the old trees of the ancient city sprouted and the vines grew wildly, and countless houses were gradually surrounded by green velvet, and the ancient city had already woken up in early spring.

Farther away in Dongting Lake, Hongge giant ships, thousands of ships sailing back and forth, near the wharf there are countless ships, sailboats, and even hand-cranked boats moored, on the edge of the vast lake, the isolated island in the water stands the white fish minaret, like steel needles and bamboo shoots, piercing the blue sky.

The ancient city of Yueyang is close to Dongting Lake, it is naturally an excellent port, there are countless inland river ships to circulate and unload here, and flow into the river from here, the common people on the wharf are mostly in tattered clothes, carrying sacks that are taller than people, like ants holding sesame seeds, difficult to walk alone.

Yueyang Railway Station is located outside the city, and when they got out of the platform, they had already seen Ren Peacock standing on stilted teahouses on the opposite street waiting for them.

This time, Ren Peacock did not wear a veil again, and naturally led them over generously: "Sister, I can wait until you guys." ”

"Sister Ren, why are you waiting for us in Yueyang, you just go home and wait for us, we can find the past ourselves." Before Yue Guanchao's words fell, Ren Peacock had already pursed his mouth, and he looked at him with a mocking look: "Out of Yueyang City is the real bloody Xiangxi, don't you say touch into my house, you will be killed by the mountain bandits in less than two miles away, if you come alone, I don't bother to care about your turtle son, I am afraid that my sister will be wronged." These words made a few people laugh, and the fatigue of the journey gradually dissipated, and the three of them followed Ren Peacock into the ancient city, and took a rickshaw to the stilted inn by the lake and river.

As soon as they heard the local dialect, the innkeeper took them to open two guest rooms near the lake, and the bamboo poles were supported by the flower windows, which showed the scenery of Yueyang Tower, the lake and the mountains.

After the boss left, Song Siyuan asked: "Sister Ren, there are a lot of bandits in Xiangdi?" ”

"My sister, not just more but as many as a cow's hair, especially at the junction of Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou, every household is a bandit!" Ren Peacock paused and continued to introduce: "Last time I mentioned to you in Qinling, the situation of bandits in Qinling Han County is as good as that at the junction of Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou. ”

"There are several important official roads in Qinling, the government can collect tax money from the official roads, and is still willing to maintain law and order, the junction of Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou is full of steep wild mountains, ravines and ravines, and they are all Gu people cave people gathering places, the rural people are fierce, rampant and aggressive, heavy temperament light life and death, and like to see unevenness on the road, even the ten-year-old doll has a knife pinned to his waist, and when he sees injustice, he will see blood at the knife's edge, and he will not die or accept it."

"The government doesn't care?" Song Siyuan was quite surprised, even children are so tough and untamable, and adults are afraid that they are even more tricky.

"Tube? What's the matter? Ren Peacock lowered his voice: "The border between Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou, Taohua County in Guizhou Province, Xiu'an County in Sichuan and Shu, and Huayuan County in Hunan Province, these places can not collect taxes, but also have to put money in them to maintain law and order. "Speaking of Xiangxi.

In addition to chasing corpses, cave girls, and Gu arts, there is another feature that cannot be erased, that is, the poor soldiers and bandits in Xiangxi!

Since ancient times, these places have belonged to the far land of the southwest, far away from the core power of the Central Plains, and most of them are the Gu people, cave people, mountain people, and native people living in the southwest region.

From ancient times to the present, as long as the Central Plains Dynasty collects high taxes in Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou, it must be accompanied by chaos in the southwest, if the tax is not collected, it will be more difficult to manage, simply send the officials to serve as the governor of the provincial provincial government, and the local arch guards with heavy troops, whatever they toss, to the Zhu Ming Dynasty, it is just extended down to the state and county, as for the county below, it is still the imperial power does not go to the countryside and depends on the autonomy of the Tusi squire.