"You said Gao Baima went north, not south?"
The yamen officer who was slow to respond to everything went into the city to pick up Yang Dingrui's family. The other one who was a little more courageous stayed where he was, watching the cart they were transporting the corpse, and chatting with Liu Chengzong.
Liu Chengzong was still interested in Gao Yingxiang's whereabouts, so he unsaddled Xiao Zhuanfeng, folded his arms and talked to the government officials.
"I remember it very clearly. People couldn't see the edge in the darkness. Walking north along Yanchuan, the soldiers guarding the gate fled in the wind. There is no mistake."
Go north.
Not too far north.
In my memory, Gao Yingxiang was a generous frontier horse dealer, smuggled goods and military horses, and knew the roads best.
Liu Chengzong also went to the west from Yuhe Fort and knew that Jingbian Fort, Longzhou City, Qingping Fort, Weiwu Fort and two impregnable side walls in the north of Ansai.
He was puzzled by Gao Yingxiang's move to the north, and tried to predict where Gao Yingxiang would move next in the possible direction.
In fact, Liu Chengzong knew that even if he could predict Gao Yingxiang's accurate movements, it would be useless, but he still couldn't help but want to make a judgment.
Just like a person falling into the water, he doesn’t know which straw is the life-saving straw next to him, but he still wants to hold on to it.
As if this would bring more possibilities for survival for everyone.
After the yamen officer told the whereabouts of Gao Yingxiang, Liu Chengzong, who was deep in thought, took the fried cake in his hand and tore it in half. He first wrapped one half with stained linen cloth, then stuffed the other half into his mouth and chewed it like a big hamster.
He looked like he hadn't eaten anything with oil or water in a long time. He was afraid that he would choke, so Liu Chengzong took off the water bag and handed it to him. The yamen servant took the water bag and drank two mouthfuls before thanking him.
After eating and drinking enough, the yamen servant looked around, panting as if he was tired from eating, and slowly slid down on the body of the cart full of corpses. He sat on the loess beside the car and closed his eyes to enjoy the meal for a while.
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps hitting the ground and heavy breathing not far from the official road, interrupting Liu Chengzong's meditation on Gao Yingxiang's whereabouts - out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone holding a sharp knife and a small baby on his shoulder, breathing heavily and walking quickly Come closer.
He was a man in his thirties, with an ordinary face and short stature. He was wrapped in a dirty, thick short coat. His original color was so gray that his original color could not be seen. However, his body was thick and thick under the clothes, and he looked like a practitioner.
I'm used to seeing skinny and famished victims. A man like this who is obviously bigger than others can easily make people feel dangerous.
Liu Chengzong didn't know what happened, but when he saw the figure stabbing his back from the corner of his eye, he immediately grabbed the handle of the knife and took half a step back to distance himself from the officer, his whole body tense.
As he got closer, the man knelt down on the official road and kowtowed.
The three bangs of his head stunned Liu Chengzong, and frightened the government officials to roll over and block him in front, exclaiming: "Guo Zashi, you are crazy, what kind of fool did you do in front of the government officials, I don't want to kill you!"
But the man ignored the panicked yamen servant, raised his head, his eyes were red, his words were impulsive and nervous, and he spoke very quickly.
"A handful of rice, I just want a handful of rice."
Liu Chengzong didn't say anything, nor did he draw his sword. He took his horse and took half a step back, looking at the Yamen servant with doubtful eyes.
He just heard the yamen officer call this person "Guo Zhashi". Zhashi is an adjective. Usually if parents don't name their children, it must be a nickname.
Since you know the nickname, you probably know the root of it.
The yamen servant was very generous. Although he was driving Guo Zashi away with his words, half of his body was blocking Liu Chengzong... Liu Chengzong did not think that the yamen servant was afraid that Guo Zashi would stab him to death.
The boning knife posed no threat to him, who was wearing a helmet and armor with a sharp blade hanging from his waist. It was more like preventing him from killing Guo Zashi.
"Guo Zashi, Lao Qi went to the city to do something for the general. The general agreed to give him pancakes, fried with scallion oil. Come quickly and kowtow to admit his mistake to the general."
After the yamen servant said this irritably, he quickly turned around and nodded to Liu Chengzong and said, "General, he is the pig butcher in Ansai City. There are no pigs in the city."
"The butcher?"
Liu Chengzong looked Guo Zashi up and down. His forearms were frighteningly strong, his whole body was like a door panel, and his cheeks were bulging.
The pig butcher is not a butcher in a butcher shop. Every village has this ancient profession, no matter how small the village is and how few people there are. Like the coffin maker, it is a more prestigious job.
Relatively speaking, it is the people in the village who are popular and have better living conditions. If anyone needs to kill a pig, they will find a pig butcher. The reward is usually some money, a meal, and the hoofs will be kept.
When meeting with neighbors to establish a written record, these craftsmen are usually invited to come over as witnesses.
In the past, four or five strong men had to hold down the big fat pigs before they could be killed. But now this profession has lost its meaning. People are so hungry that they cannot survive. The chickens in Black Dragon King Temple Mountain are so hungry that their eyes are open. Not open, let alone a pig.
It seemed that the pancake baked with green onion in the mouth of the Yamen attracted Guo Zashi. He held the kneeling child and looked at Liu Chengzong silently.
"I give you a piece of bread today, what will you do tomorrow?"
It's not that Liu Chengzong feels sorry for a piece of cake, he doesn't feel sorry for the cake, but he does not like Guo Zashi's attitude of armed begging, not to mention that he thinks it is meaningless.
Giving him a piece of cake is meaningless to Guo Zashi and Liu Chengzong.
What's the point?
Can a meal that is not full be called a favor? This is targeted poverty alleviation at best. After today, should the father and son starve to death or become robbers?
Individuals have personal experiences, but Liu Chengzong wanted to verify something.
Guo Zashi was not confused. His goal was very clear: "I only want one meal, and I will never bother the general."
At that moment, Liu Chengzong had many thoughts in his mind. He happened to see the government servant who had entered the city earlier pulling a cart. On the cart was a frightened woman and three boys and girls. He looked at the cart and asked: "You know how to drive a cart?" What?"
"Um?"
The pig butcher is not a fool. As a pig butcher, he actually has much more experience than many farmers. He didn't react at first, but then he quickly said: "Yes, I can do it with an ox cart and a horse carriage."
"Is there anyone else at home?"
"No, it's just my baby. He doesn't eat much. He can live with just a little."
"Drive the car for me, even if you eat twice a day, you may not be full. Do you want to do it?"
Guo Zhashi was so aggressive that he threw the knife on the ground. Not only did he kowtow himself, but he also took the baby with him. He only kowtowed three times and everyone was already crying and even wailing.
The crying came too suddenly, leaving Liu Chengzong at a loss.
No one wants to die, especially from starvation, so it’s understandable to kowtow a few times for the good fortune of living for an extra day or two.
But this is a man in his thirties, and no man in his thirties would cry like a baby because of a job like this, especially in front of strangers.
He said that this was his first time begging. Four generations of his ancestors had been killing pigs in Ansai City, and generations of children had inherited their father's business. He had never experienced anything like this.
There are no more pigs in Ansai City.
The sky collapsed and the earth collapsed, and the building collapsed, and he became the most useless person.
