On this continent, even the natives of Java are not willing to come, so where can we get sharp weapons? Obviously this is what those people left behind.
"Continue." With initial traces, Han Du waved his hand and continued to move forward.
When they came to a hillside, Jiang Ming stood in front and pointed to a river in the distance at the foot of the hillside, and said to Handu: "There is a pig dragon here. Most of the general's men were broken here. It is also Because these pigs and dragons blocked the road, the traces of those people were lost."
Han Du raised his eyes and looked towards the river. The water surface was calm and calm. He didn't even see a ghost. He couldn't help but look back at Jiang Ming and asked, "Where is it?"
Jiang Ming didn't see anything, and suddenly his face became a little confused. He quickly waved his hand to summon his subordinates, and asked sternly: "Where is the pig dragon you mentioned? Where is it? Isn't it because you are afraid and don't dare to pursue it? , just made up an excuse to excuse it, right?"
The visitor was a school lieutenant. Seeing Jiang Ming ask him this question, he immediately felt humiliated and said with a red face: "Uncle, when have my subordinates ever been afraid?"
He turned around and raised his hand to point towards the river, "These pig dragons are completely different from those of our Ming Dynasty. Not only are they big and ferocious, but they are also very clever. They are all hiding under the water, and we are watching them here. It’s not possible. It was because of this that we took it lightly and lost several brothers.”
Jiang Ming patted his shoulder to comfort him a few times and said, "This is my virtue. I speak without restraint. Don't take it to your heart."
After that, he turned to look at Han Du and asked tentatively: "Master Hou?"
Han Du pondered for a while and then ordered neatly: "For those who are coming, form a shield formation to defend, get closer, and greet them with Thunder Thunder first."
The two teams of soldiers quickly gathered at the front, took off their steel shields with their backhands, connected them with each other, and slowly stepped forward. When he stood at a distance where he could throw Zhentian Lei into the river, even at this time, there was still no movement in the river, as if there was really nothing.
However, the navy soldiers didn't care. Since Han Du ordered to greet them with Thunder Thunder first, they would greet them with Thunder Thunder.
There was a loud hissing sound, and wisps of light blue gunpowder smoke emerged from the fuse.
Huh~huh~huh~
More than a dozen sky-shaking thunders crossed a distance of about ten feet and fell into the water by the river.
Boom~Boom~Boom~
Balls of fire flashed, accompanied by a scream of wild beasts, and a large pool of river water was dyed red.
"Damn it! It's really hidden in the water." Han Du sounded a little angry, waving his hands and shouting: "Keep blowing up, don't stop. I want to see if I can blow them up."
The river water mixed with mud rolled up, and the riverside turned into turbidity in an instant. Zhu Polong jumped onto the shore like crazy and was about to rush towards the crowd.
But under Han Du's order, at this moment, more thunderbolts came to Zhu Po's head. Explosions at close range are extremely destructive. Even with the rough skin and thick flesh of Zhupolong, it is difficult to withstand the damage of the shock wave. Several of them were bleeding from the mouth and nose due to the shock, and even two of them, which were seriously injured, fell limply to the ground, motionless.
Such a big Zhupo Dragon instantly frightened the soldiers, and then a steady stream of sky-shaking thunder was thrown towards the Zhupo Dragon.
After several consecutive attacks, all the pig dragons lay limply on the ground, and none of them could survive.
Jiang Ming quickly waved people to come forward to check, and waited until it was safe before taking Han Du forward.
Han Du looked at the large and small pig dragons lying dead on the ground, there were more than a dozen. However, some of them are big and small. The big one is more than one foot long from head to tail, while the small one is only five or six feet long. This is obviously a family, but now that they have been served in one pot, the whole family has become neat and tidy.
"Come here, pull out all the skins for me. Also, don't waste the meat. Cut it off and eat it when you find a chance. These are good things." Han Du looked at the somewhat damaged crocodile skin, his eyes shining. .
Fang Xiaoru was a little confused about what Han Du was happy about, and asked in confusion: "What are you doing with the skin?"
"This... I can't explain it to you. Anyway, it's just useful." Why did Han Du tell Fang Xiaoru that he couldn't say that he was going to use it to make bags, right?
Jiang Ming did whatever Han Du said, and he was busy directing his hands to separate the skin and meat of these pig dragons. Suddenly a soldier ran up to him holding a handful of soil and said excitedly: "Uncle, please look, what is this?"
As soon as Jiang Ming's eyes fell on the soil held by the soldier's hands, he saw a shining spot of light. This light spot is very small, probably about the same as the tip of a needle, or even smaller. But its flashing yellow light is so alluring and eye-catching.
Without the soldier saying anything else, Jiang Ming carefully stretched out his fingers, pinched the light in his hand, and then ran towards Han Du without turning his head.
"Master Marquis, please look." Jiang Ming's excitement was no different from that of the soldier just now, and the light in his eyes was even stronger.
Han Du saw the tiny light spot on the belly of Jiang Ming's finger at a glance, and quickly took it off Jiang Ming's finger.
"Gold." Han Du smiled and nodded, saying with great certainty.
Although the purity may not be high, it is definitely gold.
"Go, dig some soil from the river, dig as deep as possible, and have a look." Han Du ordered Jiang Ming without hesitation.
"I have the order." Jiang Ming also turned around happily and called the soldiers to dig soil in the river. Based on his understanding of the Marquis, as long as he could eat meat, the Marquis had never forgotten the soldiers under his command, and even a soldier had to take a sip of soup. If there is really gold sand in the river here, you will really make a fortune.
As soon as they heard that there was gold in the river, everyone became excited. However, the military order was like a mountain. Since the Marquis did not ask them to go down to the river to dig soil, they naturally did not dare to disobey the order. I could only stand on the shore and look at the two groups of soldiers splashing in the river with envy.
A large amount of soil from the river bottom was dug up. The other two teams worked in pairs, using the steel shield as a basin. They put the excavated soil in the shield, carefully put it into the water, and slowly swung the soil out. A little bit of sediment remains in the steel shield.
Then gather the sediment together and continue to clean it out bit by bit at a slower and more careful speed.
At the end, a handful of golden sand is left.
Gold!
Everyone had the ultimate smile on their faces.
"This is really a treasure place. After walking for only a short time, we can encounter a river that produces golden sand." Fang Xiaoru couldn't help but sigh.
Gold is indeed the most attractive thing in the world, and even a well-informed scholar like Fang Xiaoru is not exempt from it.
However, Fang Xiaoru was surprised to find that Han Du looked at Jin Zi without the slightest greed, but instead fell into deep thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Han Du's behavior was so strange and alien that Fang Xiaoru had to ask curiously.
Han Du glanced at the gold again, turned to Fang Xiaoru and smiled: "Do you think those people discovered the gold here?"
Fang Xiaoru didn't know why Han Du asked this. He lowered his head and frowned for a moment, then raised his head and replied: "There shouldn't be, right? If they knew there was gold here, would they give up here? Although there are many pigs and dragons, it shouldn't be possible. Holding back thousands of people.”
Han Du smiled noncommittally, looked up towards the upper reaches of the river, and said with deep meaning: "That's not necessarily true. Maybe they discovered the gold here, but they wanted more, so they gave up here."
"Whether it is yes or not, just go and take a look." Han Du said to himself, and immediately said to Jiang Ming and Zhang Chao: "Everyone, go up the river."
The army moved towards the upper reaches of the river, some with regret on their faces and some with joy in their hearts.
Sure enough, after walking less than ten miles, I found a gold mine that had obviously been dug by someone. The densely packed potholes on the mountain are so deep that it is difficult to see the bottom, showing how many people once gathered here to mine and smelt gold.
"Master Marquis, I'm afraid this is where the gold mine is. I've never seen those mines before, and those people may have left without even finishing digging." Jiang Ming said excitedly.
Han Du remained silent and looked at Zhang Chao.
Zhang Chao took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Master Hou, I have seen the place where the fire was burned. Judging from the remaining ashes, these people have not been away for more than two months at most."
"Two months? Are you sure?" Han Du's voice changed and he confirmed with Zhang Chao again.
Zhang Chao nodded solemnly and said: "The end will be determined."
"Two months..." Han Du murmured subconsciously, then shook his head and said with a chuckle: "People really die for money and birds die for food. These people really want money rather than their lives. How dare they be here?" Staying so long.”
Jiang Ming's face suddenly turned ugly. He quickly clasped his fists and knelt down on one knee towards Han Du, saying, "It's the general's fault. If the general had sent people here again, they would have been caught earlier."
Those people left just two months ago, which means they have been here for more than two years. If Jiang Ming had not continued to send people to investigate because he was not afraid of losses, he would have found these people.
Unfortunately, there are no what-ifs in the world.
Han Du waved his hand and said, "This is none of your business. You didn't expect those people to dare to stay here."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for your kindness." Seeing that Han Du had no intention of pursuing the matter, Jiang Ming breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
At this time, Fang Xiaoru wandered up to Han Du, raised his head and gestured towards the gold mine, and said: "Facing this gold mountain, are you going to stay and dig for gold? Or continue to pursue?"
"What? You want to test me?" Han Du suddenly turned around and smiled at Fang Xiaoru.
Fang Xiaoru didn't answer, just looked at Han Du with a smile on his face.
"Hmph!" A voice burst out of Han Du's nasal cavity and said: "Children make choices, I want it all. I want this gold mine, and I want the lives of those people. But no one can move this gold mine here. If you don’t leave, those people left with the finished gold. Instead of wasting time and effort digging here, it’s better to just go grab it from them.”
Han Du didn't hesitate for a moment and continued to say to Jiang Ming: "I'll leave the gold digging to you later. Of course, you should share some of the benefits with everyone. It's up to you to catch birds from across the mountain."
"Now, let me chase everyone and steal their gold!"
"Ouch~~"
Money and silk really move people's hearts!
If it weren't for Han Du's words, then maybe everyone would be less interested in continuing the pursuit. After all, a thousand birds in the forest is worse than a bird in hand. The gold mine in front of you is real. If you dig it out and pan for it, you can get the gold you dream of.
But Han Du's words woke everyone up. The gold here will not escape. On the contrary, those people are running away with the gold. How long will it take if we don’t chase them now?
Following the vague traces, Han Du and others soon discovered a gathering place. The wood is deeply embedded in the soil, and the wall made of a row of logs is more than a foot high. Unless there are siege equipment, ordinary beasts will not be able to enter.
Wooden houses are lined up in rows, occupying a huge open space, and there is even a building with a special style.
When Han Du saw this building, he immediately felt at ease. The style of this building is exactly the same as the ancestral hall that Han Du once saw on Yaeyama Island, but it is much smaller.
It seems that these people really like to build ancestral halls. They will build ancestral halls even when they are still on the run and have settled down a little. Are ancestral halls really so important?
... Han Du couldn't help but shook his head and thought.
Suddenly, a realization flashed in Han Du's mind. "No, this ancestral hall may not be a simple ancestral hall, but may be a manifestation of the power of those in power. Otherwise, how could they spare no effort to repair it even when they were running for their lives?"
Since the ancestral hall is so important, Han Du naturally thought more deeply: "Are these people all organized in the form of a family? Only in this way can the ancestral hall become so important."
Han Du quickly walked into the ancestral hall to check, and sure enough, the entire ancestral hall was moved empty, just like the one on Yaeyama Island, nothing was left.
Han Du felt a little pity. If he knew who these people were worshiping, he might be able to dig out the people hiding in the Ming Dynasty.
Han Du was in a low mood and a little frustrated.
Fang Xiaoru didn't feel anything at all. After looking inside and outside, he stood next to Han Du and asked doubtfully: "It's strange. There are so many houses. Apparently many people lived here. But why? But they didn’t see the fields where food was grown, so don’t they have anything to eat or drink?”
Since these people have only been away for about two months, the cultivated fields can be seen at a glance and cannot be hidden at all. But what surprised Fang Xiaoru was that he looked at it front and back, but he didn't see any land that had been cultivated.
"Maybe they don't need to grow food at all." Han Du thought of something and answered Fang Xiaoru's question.
Fang Xiaoru looked at Han Du strangely and asked, "If you don't grow food? What will they eat?"
"Eat meat." Han Du glanced at Fang Xiaoru with great certainty, "If they don't eat food, they won't starve to death even if they eat meat."
Fang Xiaoru looked at Han Du speechlessly. He wanted to scold Han Du, "Why don't you eat minced meat?" However, he suppressed his thoughts and asked hesitantly: "There is no food, where can they get meat?"
Han Du raised his hand and pointed towards the vast world, and said helplessly: "This ghost place has abundant rain, lush vegetation, and bison and wild sheep all over the ground. Those people only need to organize their manpower and go hunting to get the cattle." Why do they need to grow food when they can’t finish the sheep?”
Yes, how troublesome is it to grow food? You need to loosen the soil, fertilize, water, and wait carefully for a year before you can harvest one or two stones. How easy is hunting? Get some mechanisms out, find a herd of cattle and sheep to surround you, it will only take a day or two at most, and you will get enough meat to last for several months. After such a comparison, who would grow food?
Another question is, those people are on the run, who knows if they have seeds in their hands? Without seeds, growing food would be even more impossible.
"You can eat endless amounts of meat just by hunting. Is there such a place in the world?" Fang Xiaoru and Ben Handu's words gave a look of shock and disbelief.
Han Du turned to look at him and said, "Isn't that what you are seeing?"
"But we came all the way, why didn't we see any trace of cattle or sheep?" Fang Xiaoru asked again.
Han Du's expression calmed down slightly, he hummed twice, and said with a sneer: "Perhaps all the cattle and sheep around here have been eaten by those people. This may be the reason why they had to move away."
That makes sense... Fang Xiaoru nodded secretly in his heart.
After all, there is a gold mine nearby. If it weren't for the lack of food, no one would leave easily. Only when there is no food will food be more important than gold.
Jiang Ming and Zhang Chao quickly rummaged through the entire village with their men, but found nothing of value. As for gold, not even a hair was seen.
"Master Hou, there are signs of someone leaving in the north." Zhang Chao said quickly as soon as he arrived in front of Han Du.
Han Du's face suddenly turned cold and he asked sharply: "Going north? Are you sure?"
Zhang Chao nodded solemnly.
Han Du didn't hesitate anymore and immediately ordered: "Chase, keep chasing."
Of course we have to chase, the gold has been taken away by these people! The thought of someone taking away such a large amount of gold made everyone feel hot in their hearts and they chased after him without hesitation.
Chasing, chasing until eternity, I will get my gold back!
Next, more and clearer traces are revealed.
Perhaps because those people had no time to deal with it, at one place, Han Du and others saw the skeletons of many cattle and sheep, roughly hundreds of them. The flesh had been cut away, leaving only the pale skeleton.
Seeing that the target was right in front of them, everyone was even more excited.
But the further north Han Du walked, the uglier his face became.
Sure enough, everyone's expressions turned bad after seeing a clean felled giant tree.
Judging from the shape of the remaining trees, you can tell how tall these trees are. Cutting down such trees would obviously not be used for burning firewood, and even if they were burned, they would not be completely burned.
Then there is only one purpose, shipbuilding!
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