Yi Haoran followed the sound and found that the person speaking was a middle-aged man, probably in his early fifties. Although he looked like a scholar, he had a dark complexion and rough skin, and he was a weather-beaten man.
This person was not a relative of Qiuchan's family, but a retainer sent by a wealthy distant relative to "deliver silk". According to Qiu Chan, this relative is one of the richest people in the local area, but he has lived in a village in the countryside all year round. Nowadays, there is a war and chaos outside, and he dare not leave the village easily for fear of being cheated by "Big Sky Er".
"Who is this……"
"My surname is Xun, and my only name is the word "li". Although the scholar spoke Mandarin, his accent was quite strange. It was not the Cantonese Mandarin accent that locals often have.
Yi Haoran made a bow: "I have admired you for a long time, I have admired you for a long time."
This was just a polite remark, but unexpectedly a bitter smile suddenly appeared on Xun Li's face.
This kind of look can only be seen on the faces of people who have experienced vicissitudes of life and have been displaced. Yi Haoran's heart moved, this Xunli is no ordinary person!
Xun Li seemed to know what he was thinking, and suddenly smiled at him.
It's a smile that reveals people's secrets, but it's not malicious.
Sure enough, Xun Li had already stepped forward and bowed solemnly: "I have long admired...Yi...Mr. Hao Ran's name..."
When he said "Yi", his voice was very low, like a whisper, but Yi Haoran heard it clearly. He was startled and blurted out: "What?"
"Sir, do you want everyone to know?" Xun Li whispered, "Please take a step to speak."
Yi Haoran was confused for a moment. Obviously, this Xunli knew who he was. However, judging from his expression, there didn't seem to be any malice. Then he walked quietly to the side.
He was nervously thinking that he had not been in Wuzhou for a long time and had rarely made friends with locals. Logically speaking, no one should know him at all. How could this client of a large local business know him?
Arriving at the courtyard, Xun Li whispered: "Is Mr. Yi okay?"
Yi Haoran whispered: "Who are you? Why do you know my name?"
Xun Li nodded slightly: "I am just a minor figure. Mr. Yi is more or less a figure in the Xiong Governor's family. I naturally recognize him."
"So, so are you..." Although Yi Haoran thought about it again and again, he couldn't remember that there was such a master among Xiong Wencan's shogunate or Wuzhou's civil and military officials - of course, he himself was not very familiar with these people. In particular, there were dozens of civil and military officials gathered in Wuzhou City at its peak, and there were at least more than a hundred masters and secretaries under them.
"It doesn't matter whether I am or not." Xun Li spoke calmly, "It's just that the funeral has been completed. What is Mr. Yi's next plan?"
"What else can I do now? I can only wait until the road is smoother and leave Wuzhou before worrying about it!" Yi Haoran did not dare to say that he would defect to Xiong Wencan and said vaguely.
"I see, it's impossible to go to Governor Xiong," Xun Li said. "He can no longer protect himself, and his generals and officials have long since separated from him. Even if Mr. Yi has the desire to serve the country, Governor Xiong is also powerless. "
These words were very straightforward. Obviously, the other party took a huge risk by daring to say these words to him in Wuzhou City, which was under the control of the Kun thieves. This not only showed his loyalty and trust, but also showed that the other party's trust I understand it very thoroughly. He nodded silently and asked:
"I guess Mr. Xun is here to show the students a clear path."
Xun Li took a deep look at him: "The bright road may not be clear, but it may be a dead end. Ever since the bandits climbed to Lingao, everyone who opposed them will inevitably die. Is Sir still willing to take this road?" ?”
"Let's go." Yi Haoran did not hesitate.
"Then I will tell you the truth," Xun Li glanced at the guests who were still drinking tea and chatting in the main hall, and whispered, "I am not a retainer - the retainer, my husband, has been killed by me. "
"Huh?!" Yi Haoran was immediately surprised again.
"Sir, please listen to me." Xun Li said, "To be honest, I am outside the city, and there are a hundred green forest brothers gathered together - they are all heroes who dare to fight and kill..."
Seeing the slight change in Yi Haoran's expression, he added: "Sir, please don't misunderstand me. I am not a member of the grassroots. Back then, I was a gentry in Lingao County. When the bandits landed in Lingao, I fought with them to the death. Unfortunately, I was defeated. My brother and nephew were all killed in the battle, and none of my family members were spared. Later, I joined the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. When He Zhen went to Lingao, I was his staff..."
It turns out that this Xunli is Gou Xunli, the second eldest brother of the Gou family. Since Gou Xunli failed in instigating bandits to attack Hongji in Vietnam, he has been wreaking havoc there in the following years, killing many people. Although they and Hu Lanyan formed a sizable team, they were beaten to pieces by the Australian "bandit suppressors", losing two and a half of their three stops. The remaining people don't want to fight with the Australians in Vietnam anymore. Someone fell into disgrace in Wuzhou in the past and proposed to go back to Wuzhou and become a bandit - at least Wuzhou is a traffic thoroughfare with many business travelers, and the things that can be robbed are much more than in North Vietnam.
Returning to Wuzhou, there was a fierce battle: Hu Lanyan "took the lead bravely", Gou Xunli "made clever plans", and the bandits "served their lives", and worked together to finally gain a foothold in the local area. Gou Xunli was eager to know the news about his son, and was not willing to live a life of being a bandit, so he quit Hu Lanyan and sneaked back to Macau to find Li Siya.
However, after several years of hard work, they could not touch even a hair of Kun Thief, and the information about Kun Thief was limited. Li Siya had lost interest in him. Apart from providing him with three meals and one night, she actually ignored him.
Gou Er stayed in Macau for more than a month and met Li Siya once. Knowing that he was of no use to this woman, he had no choice but to return to Guangzhou in despair to check the situation.
In the city of Guangzhou, not only was Guo Yi's arrogance as high as ever, but the thief Kun also built a big world directly outside the city. The Guangzhou officialdom not only turned a blind eye to the Kun thieves, but even flattered them. An "anti-kun fighter" like Gou Er, not to mention being reused by others, has almost become a "plague god" who is generally shunned by others and has become a lost dog.
What's even worse is that Gou Chengxuan, who originally followed He Zhen as a member of the returning group, is missing and has no whereabouts at all. There is no news about the Lai brothers. Gou Xunli relied on the little money he had left to inquire about news in various yamen in Guangzhou, but he didn't get any specific information. He only heard that his son left with He Zhen and never returned to Guangzhou. He thought he died in Hainan.
He cried profusely, feeling so sad that he had no choice but to make other plans. Unexpectedly, news came out that Guo Dongzhu was offering a hundred taels of silver for the heads of the Gou family and his son. Without the head, an arm and a leg would be worth fifty taels. Hu Lanyan was not forgotten either, and he got fifty taels of red.
At this time, all the heroes in Guangzhou city were red-eyed, and Guangzhou naturally couldn't wait any longer - this place has become a world of thieves. Qiongzhou Mansion cannot go back. I have no choice but to go back to Hu Lanyan's place and become a bandit.
Among the gangsters, he is the "master" and the arrogant brother. He is considered a "leader" level figure. The life in the village can be called "free", but compared to the "village sage" life in the past, it is far behind. He was in the wilderness among the barren mountains, lived in a simple house, ate rough food, and hung out with a group of vulgar mountain villagers all day long. Even the women he snatched to vent his anger were mostly crude. The family property was destroyed, the life or death of his son was uncertain, and he was living like this again... His fire for revenge not only did not weaken as he grew older, but instead grew stronger and stronger.
Unexpectedly, this opportunity actually came to me!
The bandits were the first to learn of the news that the Kun bandits had captured Wuzhou. For bandit gangs, it is an excellent opportunity to make a fortune when the army is crossing the border to fight, and the war is chaotic - like a hyena following a lion to eat carrion. Taking advantage of the collapse of the Ming army and the fall of Wuzhou, local gangsters made a fortune. Hu Lanyan and the others are no exception.
but. Although hyenas can take advantage of lions when looking for food, they cannot get too close to the lions, not to mention that the lions are still thieves! The gangsters with Hu Lanyan have suffered a lot from the Kun thieves, so they are very cautious.
The bandits all had informants in the city, and Gou Xunli knew a little bit about what happened after the bandits entered the city. He was driven by the flame of revenge, and he paid attention to the movements of Australians in the city. Wuzhou was in ruins, and the people in the city were unstable; the recent rebellion in Yaodong had caused the army of bandits to retreat hastily from Wuzhou, leaving only a small number of troops in Wuzhou city. Gou Er knew: the opportunity had come.
The bandits did not have much passion for loyalty and patriotism, but as a trophy, Wuzhou was a "fat meat" that countless local bandits could not even dream of. What's more, if they can really win the battle in Wuzhou and kill a few real and fake Kuns, the court will definitely give them a reward - for the bandits, "recruiting" to gain a good background and "glorify their ancestors" is also very attractive. Therefore, Gou Xunli persuaded Hu Lanyan and the entire gang without much effort.
But their gang only has more than a hundred people. Hu Lanyan and the others have all fought against the Australians and know how powerful they are. Even if there is only "Fake Kun" No. 100 in the city, they are no match for them if they set up a battle array; as for recruiting other gangsters to work together, Hu Lanyan suffered from this kind of "partnership" in Vietnam to build up his momentum. It is possible to attract the firepower of the Kun thieves, but it is impossible to ask them to use their own strength.
"We need to borrow help, but the 'gods' on the mountain are unreliable, so we still have to rely on the court!" Gou Xunli thought over and over again and said to Hu Lanyan.
"You mean, go find Xiong Wencan?" Hu Lanyan asked, blinking his scarred eyelids.
"We are alone, so we can't go to Xiong Wencan directly. We may not even be able to see him." Gou Xunli said, "Someone must recommend us!"
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 347
/sougou/
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