The group of people came out of the grass, walked back to the trail, and headed towards Qifeng together. Although the clothes were of different colors, they were not very distinguishable under the moonlight, and there was nothing strange about them in other people's minds. Only Mr. Guo whispered to Zhang Ye: "We must rest before dawn." Zhang Ye nodded knowingly: This group of people will be discovered on the road, they are definitely spies; but if they leave separately, no one knows what will happen. Strange things, maybe someone will be eaten by a wolf, or killed by a real night walker - in fact, just look at Uncle Tang and his party, and you can know the difference in level between retainers, warriors and real knights.
Under the leadership of Uncle Tang and others, after nearly two hours of hurried walking, the group finally arrived at the second resting place when the rooster crowed for the first time. It was still a patch of weeds with a small ditch. In the distance, a Residential houses are everywhere.
After a short rest, everyone agreed that Guo Zhongjin would lead Guo and Zhang Xian into the countryside to look for Guanyi and inquire about the situation inside the Guanyi. Uncle Tang was there to take care of them from a distance; the others rested where they were. Zheng Anping released some of the soldiers, agreed on the message code and shift order, and then fell asleep with the others.
Guo's uncle and nephew were dressed casually, while Zhang Yue was naturally dressed as a scholar. When the three of them walked on the country road, they looked like one master and two servants. There was a short brown man dozens of feet away, holding a stick in his hand. He was probably a homeless man rushing to work.
The winter night is quite long. Although the roosters are crowing all the time, most of the waning moon still hangs in the sky, and jackdaws occasionally fly by. People in the countryside are still half asleep and half awake.
Mr. Guo whispered: "There is no hint of war here, it is peaceful and stable."
Zhang Ye, who was walking in front, did not look back, but whispered: "Sir, can you tell the people of Qin to go through this?"
Mr. Guo said: "It's not just that. The journey we took along the way was exactly the same as what the Qin soldiers passed. The ruts and cow and horse dung can prove it."
Guo Zhongjin said: "The Qin people are very peaceful when they enter the city. If there are cocks crowing and dogs barking, how can we not know about it!"
Seeing the countryside approaching, Zhang Nou deliberately slowed down his pace. Sure enough, the door of a house opened at the entrance of the road. Zhang He quickly walked a few steps forward and saluted: "Father, you are polite!"
The man looked up and saw that he was dressed as a scholar, so he stepped aside and said, "Common people dare not accept the courtesy of the master. What do you want to ask the master?"
Zhang He said: "We were traveling a long way when we heard that soldiers were passing by. We didn't dare to move quickly, so we disturbed my father."
The man said: "Did you talk about the war? It is true, it is true."
Zhang Noi asked: "Are there any soldiers in the village?"
The man said: "The soldiers just passed by the road and did not stop. They have already left."
Zhang He asked: "What country's soldiers and horses are they?"
The man said: "I heard the Taoist villagers talk, and it seems that they are the soldiers of a good lord. The soldiers are like their generals, and they are really good soldiers."
Zhang Ye asked: "Who is the good prince?"
The man said: "I have heard about it from the countrymen, but the common people really don't know it. But they know that his soldiers passed by suddenly, and no one in the neighboring villages was harmed. It is rare for the soldiers to pass by without any disaster. He is called a good prince, but he really doesn't do it. Pass."
Zhang Yue knew in his heart that "Good Marquis" was a mistake for "Rang Marquis", but the village elders accepted the truth and believed that the soldiers passing through the border without harm were actually the best of good deeds. They did not clarify it anymore and still asked: "Good Marquis" What country are you from?"
The village elder said: "The villagers didn't say anything, but the common people didn't know."
Zhang Ye asked again: "How are the soldiers dressed?"
The village elder said: "It is different from the soldiers of Han and Wei... they seem to be well-dressed."
Zhang Ye pointed to Er Guo beside him and said, "What are these two people like?"
The village elder said: "The soldiers did not enter the house, but the common people just looked through the cracks in the door and did not know the details."
Zhang Noi asked: "What do you mean by what he said?"
The old man said: "It's not easy! After several hours in the army, no one said anything, so I don't know what they said."
Zhang He asked: "Who in the village is working in the army?"
The village elder said: "There are village elders who have done this, but we common people should not know about it."
Zhang He asked: "Is there any cost for conscripting the army?"
The old man said: "It's unknown. - May I ask where the young master is from?"
Zhang He said: "I came from the state of Zheng and wanted to visit friends in Qifeng. When I traveled to Huayang, I heard that there were soldiers passing by, so I didn't dare to make any mistakes. I came at night to find out the truth. I hope my father can tell the truth."
The old man from the village said: "Want to unblock the seal?... I heard that a certain person in front of you wants to unblock the grain today. Young master, you can go and consult with him."
Zhang Ye said: "The army is in Qifeng, why are they going to sell grain?"
The old man from the village said: "Young master, I don't know. In Kaijun City, there are ten miles and eight villages. Anyone who has surplus grain will sell it for a good price. - Young people don't know sorrow. Even if they have ten thousand gold, it's hard to pay for a bucket of rice. It's not an ordinary thing. , I don’t know the way.”
Zhang Ye said: "Father said it is true! How much is the value of the unsealed grain? It can actually make all the neighbors go to Jia."
The old man from the village said: "I heard that the Taoist stone costs fifty or sixty cents, which is twice as much as pounding grain. This autumn's harvest is rich, but the grain is quite cheap. Now I can get a good price, so I go to all the towns."
Zhang Ye said: "The soldiers passed by without looting, but instead offered a generous price. This is a true righteous soldier."
The old man from the village said: "You know how to deal with troubles. Volunteer soldiers? How much can you get if you plunder the village with your troops? Now if you pay a good price and gather them from all over, you will get a lot, but the village will be poor. But there is a fire and water emergency. What's wrong with yellow things! I look at this town, but it's become chaotic over the years."
Zhang Noi said: "I heard that there is a library in the village. May I ask where I can stay?"
The old man from the village said: "The tavern building is already there. It is still several miles away. I don't know where it is. I just follow this path. If you want to keep the tavern building, you will naturally bring a lot of money with you. In times of military chaos, the number of the tavern is small and you are afraid of harm. Be careful. Be careful!"
Zhang Xuan asked in shock: "What do you mean? My father said that if there is no military disaster in the village, I would rather have bandits?"
The old man from the village said: "We are inherently bandits, so why do we engage in military affairs?"
Zhang Noi said: "I wish my father could tell me the details so that I can warn others."
The old man from the village said: "There is a man named Zeng Ji in my hometown. He is brave in sword fighting and a chivalrous person. Heroes from all over the world have returned to him. There is too much gold nearby, so he may harm others."
Zhang He asked anxiously: "When?"
The old man from the village said: "But in the past day or two, I saw him wandering around in a shop, surrounded by people, drinking and eating a lot, so I got to know him."
Zhang Noi said: "Have you heard of any banditry?"
The old man said: "I haven't heard anything."
Zhang He said: "Father, why should he be a bandit? Would you rather live without a life?"
The old man said: "With such a nature, how can he survive? But because of his bravery."
Zhang Ye said: "If there is no life left, how can this person rely on him?"
The old man from the village said: "Wandering around, I would rather have a stable place. But I am just a mediocre person. If you are good at selling food in the countryside, if you dare to use it as a guard, you can get enough food for several days."
Zhang Nou's heart moved and he asked, "Are there many outsiders in the village?"
The old man from the village said: "There were chivalrous people in Zeng Ji, and many chivalrous people came and returned."
Zhang Ye said: "There are three pigs, can you get them and smell them?"
Seeing Zhang Ye say the word "豕三", the expressions of Guo's uncle and nephew changed, and they didn't know what he meant.
The old man from the village said: "Three pigs? I seem to have vaguely heard of it, but I don't know. It's like a pig butcher. In my hometown, I tend to despise young pigs, or butcher dogs' ears. The three pigs are definitely not here, and they mostly live in the city. Daliang, Qifeng, Huayang Wait for the city, dare to slaughter pig ears."
Zhang Noi asked: "Do you have much contact with Zeng San?"
The old man from the village said: "Zeng Ji traveled far and wide and made friends with everyone. How could he know all the people he met? But the pig butcher is also a chivalrous person, so it is natural for him to make friends with him!"
Zhang He asked: "Where is Zeng Ji living now? - My father said that there are few people in the world and we are weak, so we might be able to form a group for support."
