Qin State, Xianyang
In the dead of night, the stars twinkle in the sky and the breeze blows on the streets of Xianyang.
However, unlike the bustle of people during the day, Xianyang City at night was as quiet as a dead city except for a few sounds of chickens and dogs.
Unlike Xinzheng, which is still bustling late at night, Qin State has a curfew at night.
"Zhou Li Qiu Guan Si Kou" once recorded the position of "Si Yushi", who "holds the hand of the night, divides the night with stars, and orders night officials to observe a night ban, to guard those who travel in the morning, those who travel during the night, and those who travel at night." This is This is the earliest record of curfew in Chinese history.
The original intention of the curfew was to allow people to adapt to the traditional Chinese farming lifestyle, "work at sunrise and rest at sunset."
However, later on, the rituals collapsed and the curfew system was not implemented in other countries, even during wars. Even during the period of King Wei Xiang, "the people of Wei State had so many people, so many chariots and horses, that they traveled continuously day and night."
But the Qin State was different. Since Shang Yang's reform, a curfew system had been implemented, prohibiting people from traveling at night. Violators would be arrested and sentenced to hard labor.
Traveling at night was prohibited, so people often had no choice but to stay at home. With nothing to do but work hard to contribute new people to Qin, they could only sleep peacefully.
Therefore, there will never be anyone on the streets of Xianyang City at night.
unless……
A burst of rapid horse hoofbeats broke the silence, coming from far and near!
Hearing the sound of horse hooves, people who had been sleeping were awakened one after another. From time to time, someone poked his head out to see which idiot not only violated the curfew but also dared to ride a horse late at night.
Suddenly, someone discovered that the rapid sound of horse hooves seemed to come from outside the city, and the sound of horse hooves became louder and louder. It was obviously not a noise that a horse could cause.
The old Qin people who had experience in joining the army grabbed all the weapons they could find at home, including swords, guns and spears. Some families without weapons picked up plows for plowing, pulled out the bolts of their doors, and brought butcher knives for butchering.
There were even a group of Qin soldiers who had returned home on leave, put on their armor, picked up their weapons, and took to the streets regardless of the curfew.
The sound of horse hooves on this scale was obviously coming from a cavalry team.
When I came to Xianyang City late at night, either the enemy was attacking the city or there was an emergency military situation, so the whole Xianyang City was made nervous by such movements.
After a while, I don't know what the people at the top of the city communicated with the cavalry outside the city. It seemed that someone came up from the hanging basket to communicate with the gatekeeper. Immediately, the city gate creaked and the heavy door slowly opened.
Someone pointed at the fire dragon rushing in the dark night and shouted loudly, attracting everyone's attention.
I saw a cavalry team, like a rolling dragon, speeding into Xianyang City.
"Military emergency on the front line, everyone get out of the way!"
One of the leading knights shouted and waved his hand, signaling everyone on the street to avoid it.
The only people who could walk on the street at this moment, except for the defenders of Xianyang, were the Qin soldiers who were on leave wearing armor and holding swords. Naturally, they knew that there was an urgent military situation on the front line and could not delay, so they retreated to both sides of the street in cooperation.
However, everyone is curious, what kind of emergency military situation would lead to marching in the middle of the night like this?
The cavalry team split into two teams at a crossroads. One team went straight to the Qin Palace, and the other went straight to Zhang Ji's mansion.
Zhang Ji, who was still fighting to the death with Yan Lingji and Tian Mi, was also alarmed by the sound of horse hooves stopped in front of the mansion. He quickly got up and put on his clothes to go out to check the situation.
Seeing Yan Lingji lying down to rest after eating, Tian Mi couldn't help complaining about the sound of horse hooves outside the door, but she still served Zhang Ji to get dressed.
Before Zhang Ji could put on his clothes, a rapid knock on the door reached his ears.
"Chief, there is an urgent secret report from the Luowang Chu Kingdom Branch!"
Zhang Ji frowned slightly, but it was not because he was disgusted with the killer who knocked on the door, but because of the seriousness of the matter.
No one in Luowang knows that Zhang Ji likes to run at night. Unless there is something urgent, there is no way to disturb Zhang Ji at this time.
Moreover, he could sense that the snare killer who knocked on the door was a top-notch master, but a killer with a high-level character did this kind of job of knocking on the door...
Holding the last coat in his hand, Zhang Ji pushed open the door and looked at the murderous killer wearing a red devil mask.
"Where is the secret report?"
The killer, whose face was full of exhaustion that could not be concealed, quickly took out a black scroll from his arms and handed it to Zhang Ji's hand.
"Black Dragon Scroll!"
This is the second time Zhang Ji has seen such a thing.
Last time, he got the Black Dragon Scroll from Jing Salamander and sent it back to Qin, but this time, as the leader of Luo Sheng, he received the Black Dragon Scroll.
Zhang Ji took out the Thousand Machine Copper Plate he carried with him, personally unlocked the six armor locks, took out the Black Dragon Volume, and converted and translated the encrypted text into normal language in his mind. His expression changed.
Before Zhang Ji could say anything, there was a muffled groan and a snore coming from the side.
This murderous snare killer and the guards who returned to Qin with him all rushed back from Shouchun, the capital of Chu, without changing people. This was truly a thousand miles away. From Shouchun to Xianyang, there were at least two steps on the way. More than 1,500 miles.
(It’s about a thousand kilometers from Shouchun to Xi’an, while one mile during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties was about 415 meters)
These murderous killers travel more than two hundred miles every day, traveling day and night. After passing through various inns along the way, I changed horses without changing people. After changing the horses, I took the dry food and water and left. I galloped for more than ten days without rest. Even the masters of the first-class realm could not support such an intensity of consumption. These people can come Getting in front of him was all supported by one breath.
But now that the Black Dragon Scroll was delivered to Zhang Ji's hands, and seeing the Black Dragon Scroll being untied in Zhang Ji's hands, all these killers with a trap of killing character fainted.
"Send people to the guest room to rest, and then ask a doctor to diagnose and treat them. Don't be stingy with money."
Zhang Ji gave instructions to Tide Tide, who came after him. Although Tide Tide and Frightened Salamander had the same status in the family, Zhang Ji's house was considered to be a big family. There must be a trustworthy and capable person in charge of the house. Income and expenditure, so this task fell on Chao Xiang, the head of the Chao family and the former Lady Mingzhu.
Of course, relying on Tide alone was naturally insufficient, so he brought along Madam Hu and Hu Meiren. The former had been in charge of some of Liu Yi's family fortune, and the latter was only inferior to Tide after all. "Beauties" naturally know how to handle these matters.
"Go away, Sir. We will take care of the house."
Chao Tide's expression was calm and her eyes were deep, as if she had turned back into the wise, calm, decisive and ruthless Chao Tide succubus. And there are still Jing Salamanders in the mansion, so no matter what happens in the mansion, Zhang Ji can safely leave it to them.
Nodding slightly to Tide and Frightened Salamander, Zhang Ji immediately took the horses pulled by the two Mohist god-killing swordsmen and galloped towards the Qin Palace with the deciphered Black Dragon Scroll.
(2107 words)
(End of chapter)
