Gou Chengxuan stood in front of the Ziming Building on Weifu Street that had been looted. Thinking that her family was ruined and her future was ruined, an inexplicable sadness and anger filled her heart. The nameless evil fire had no way to vent, so Gou Chengxuan could only pick up a broken brick on the side of the road, smash it against the sealed door, gritted his teeth and roared: "Shameless thief, I curse you all to die miserably!"
"Master, why are you like this?" Gou Chengxuan did not expect that there would be someone in the deep streets and alleys next to him. The sudden sound frightened him so much that he thought it was a bandit chasing after him, and he almost knelt down and begged for mercy. After taking a closer look, Gou Chengxuan realized that the speaker was a wandering Taoist priest with gray beard and hair. The Taoist priest used the pretense of "cutting it straight through the iron mouth" and sat on the roadside. There was a Taoist boy standing behind him, and he looked like a master from this world.
"Who are you?" Gou Chengxuan saw that the other party did not look like a thief, so he had the courage to ask.
"A fortune teller can eliminate misfortunes by reading fortune tellers." The Taoist smiled slightly, flicked his fly whisk, pointed at the cover, and said, "I am a poor Taoist traveling around the world, and happened to pass by a precious land. We are destined to meet each other today. Why don't you come and make a fortune, sir?"
"I don't have any money." Gou Chengxuan tightened her robe tightly to ensure that the life-saving money hidden in her arms was still there.
"I won't take any money." The Taoist still had an unpredictable smile, "I'm sorry for talking too much, but I'm afraid the young master may have been raped by a sycophant and his fortune-telling has been harmed, so he's in trouble, right?"
Gou Chengxuan's curiosity was aroused when the other party mentioned the sore spot. He walked up to him doubtfully and asked, "Why did the Taoist Master teach me?"
"Wealth and wealth, future and marriage, if you want to ask me anything, just give me a word." The Taoist said, flattening the scroll, and the Taoist boy respectfully handed over the pen and ink.
Gou Chengxuan gave a bitter smile, thinking that if the thief Kun was not eliminated, what future would he have? After thinking about it for a while, he wrote the word "thief": "Just ask how long the thief Kun will be rampant?"
"Sir, this is a strange question." The Taoist pointed at the word "thief" and shook his head to disassemble it. "Based on this word, Kun thief is probably not easy to deal with. The word "thief" comes from "bei" and "rong". "Bei" means wealth, and "Rong" means "rong". In military warfare, if you have these two things, you can dominate one side. This time the imperial court used troops, firstly, it did not cut off its money and food, and secondly, it did not defeat its military front. It seems that those thieves are afraid that they will occupy Qiongzhou for a long time."
"Can't I, the Ming Dynasty, do nothing to help these bandits?" Gou Chengxuan sighed sadly, and continued to ask, "Can the Taoist master figure out my future?"
"Sir, lend me your hand to take a look."
Gou Chengxuan stretched out his hand, but did not want to be grabbed tightly by the Taoist. He was startled and wanted to break free. Unexpectedly, he seemed to be caught in an iron vise and couldn't break free for a while. Gou Chengxuan did not dare to say anything, so she had to beg for mercy in a low voice: "Taoist priest, why are you doing this? If you want money, I still have a few coins here to give you... Wow... If you don't let go, I'm going to call someone!"
However, the Taoist not only did not let go, but said with a smile: "Sir, do you have a grudge against that thief? You might as well let Pindao and you break it up."
The Taoist's words hit the mark, and Gou Chengxuan couldn't help but feel excited. However, Gou Chengxuan was also the one who escaped from death several times. How could he easily reveal his life experience? Even though he was in a hurry, he just laughed and said: "Why did the Taoist Master say this?" and tried to deal with it.
"Mr. Guan's calligraphy and gold hooks and iron paintings are indispensable for ten years of hard work. Looking at his cloth robe, although it is made of high-quality new material, it has many stains and damage. I think these days must be quite embarrassing. Mr. Cai just now said again It is not difficult to guess the whole story of smashing the old nest of the Kun thieves with bricks and stones." The Taoist paused deliberately, and after he had whetted his appetite, he lowered his voice and teased, "Sir, do you know that many defeated soldiers have fled from Qiongzhou in recent days? , there is still a red hanging at the gate of the governor's office. Anyone who escapes privately and refuses to return to the camp will be treated as a spy."
Gou Chengxuan was so told that he broke out in cold sweat, and said tremblingly: "You...what do you want to do!"
"Hahaha, sir, don't panic, the poor Taoist will not look down on those few taels of silver." The Taoist suddenly stopped smiling and asked with a sharp look, "Let me ask you, are you defeated in front of the battle?"
"So what if it is, so what if it's not!" Gou Chengxuan was shocked. He was not an ordinary soldier, but a staff member on the roster. Now that the whole army crossing the sea was destroyed, he fled back alone and did not report to the governor's office for investigation. It would be no good if he was caught.
It wouldn't matter if he was a local in Guangzhou or an old member of the official army. He was an out-and-out "outsider" plus a "newcomer". He had no background or backing, and he still had a "bandit's nest" household registration. If you really want to report for duty, wouldn't you be a good "spy"? There is no chance that someone will "borrow your head".
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel terrified - the thief was certainly hateful, but the official's cruelty was even more frightening. In the past few months during the journey, he had fully experienced it.
Thinking of this, he said in a trembling voice: "Master Taoist, good man, please let me go. As long as I know something, tell me everything you know..."
"That being the case, I have something that I don't understand. I hope you can tell me the truth." The Taoist pointed south and asked, "How did He Zhentai lose this time?"
Gou Chengxuan's wrist hurt, but he didn't dare to hide it. He shook it out like a peacock: "The thieves' muskets are so sharp that the cavalry can't get close, and they were pushed back after several charges. The artillery is even more terrifying. One shot can destroy dozens of people." Here, He Zhentai's Hongyi cannon is no match at all..."
After listening to the narration, the Taoist's face became more and more gloomy, and he asked for details before letting go of his hand. Gou Chengxuan felt like he was being pardoned. He saw the opportunity and jumped out. Before the Taoist could recover, he had already disappeared. Gou Chengxuan waited until he reached Chaqi and found a secluded alley to stop. Then he quickly took off his cloth robe, dirty face and dressed up like a flower.
He didn't dare to stay in the city anymore, so he quickly went to find a deserted place outside the city and hid it!
When Liu Zhen saw that he had disappeared without a trace, he didn't care. He whispered a few words of concern to the Taoist boy.
It is not easy for this person to escape from the Qiongzhou rebel army. Not only does he have a deep hatred for the Kun thieves in his speech, but he is also familiar with Kun's love. This is exactly the talent that the master wants to use. It doesn't matter if he runs away now. There is no one in Guangzhou who can't be found as long as he finds the right way.
As for finding such a way, it is not difficult for people like them from the Northern Division.
The summer heat in October in the South has not subsided. Even if the three-way drum is beaten, it is still sweltering and oppressive. After setting up a hanging stall all day, Liu Wei was about to pack up and go back to the hotel, when suddenly a voice of greeting came from his ears.
"Liu Mutou! Oh, it's really you!"
Liu Zheng looked back and saw a tall, lean man waving to him at the corner of the street.
"You are...Huang Laoliu! Why do I meet you here!"
This Huang Laoliu used to be a supervisor of officials in the capital, and he had some friendship with the Liu brothers. Although they were not particularly familiar with each other, they still had a certain affection for each other. After not seeing each other for many years, they reunited in a foreign land. They both became interested and went to a wine shop to reminisce about the past. After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food. Speaking of the current situation, it turns out that Huang Laoliu also lost his job last year. Fortunately, he has a big brother here, so he came to Guangzhou to make a living.
Reunited after a long absence, the two of them talked about the secrets of the capital city and the bandits in the South China Sea. Here Liu Wei was still lamenting the sharpness of Kun Thief's firearms, but over there Huang Laoliu had a look of disdain on his face. I don’t know whether it was because he was drunk or because he was deliberately talking big. Huang Laoliu clapped his chest and shouted: "I think you and my brother have so much ability, but some thugs ruined their jobs. You are so damn useless. Look at that gang. You are a piece of trash, you can’t even do anything to a few thieves, and you won’t be afraid of people laughing at you if you say it.”
"Brother Huang's words are wrong. That Kun thief has sharp firearms. It is said that he can't even use the Hongyi cannon!"
"Hehe, Brother Liu is scared out of his wits by those useless words. I think the firearms of the Kun thieves are also common." When Huang Laoliu said this, he deliberately came over to lower his voice and said mysteriously, "Brother, I But I’ve seen the real guy!”
"What the hell?"
Huang Laoliu looked proud, "Since I am my brother, I am not afraid to talk to you and listen. Although Kun Thief is powerful, he is still a human being when he is alone. This Kun Thief firearm, brother has one."
"Is this true?"
"That's still fake. Now, brother, I'm looking for buyers for those muskets." Huang Laoliu said with a smile.
Liu Wei was overjoyed when he heard this, and said to himself that it was really effortless to find it after trying hard to find anywhere. He had been searching for these months, but he didn't expect that there was a ready-made deal. How could he miss such a good thing: "Brother Huang is so kind. Means! I wonder if this Kun thief’s sharp weapon can open my brother’s eyes?”
"Well..." Huang Laoliu rubbed his hands and scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, "I have the things in my hands, but what we are doing is not an ordinary business after all. If you expose it to the wind, you may lose your wealth."
Liu Wei heard the truth of the words, and quickly took out a piece of silver from his arms and took a picture: "Brother, what other buyers are you looking for? As long as it is genuine, the price is negotiable!"
"Brother Liu is so talented!" Huang Laoliu stared at the money with his eyes shining, and he was sober from drinking. "Brother Liu, do you have a way to get rich?"
"Haha, to tell you the truth, since I lost my job in the Zhenfu Division, brother, I have found a talented employer. This new employer has a high position and a kind man, but he is unique in this thief's artifact. Don't tell me how good you are. Even if there is a cannon, we can use it as a weapon."
"It's easy to talk about. I'll rely on Brother Liu to take care of me from now on." Huang Laoliu was about to come to get the money, but Liu Wei shrank back:
"It is the rule of the world not to burn incense until you see the real Buddha." After saying this, he threw a bunch of copper coins out and said, "Just keep this money for running errands. After the work is completed, there will be another reward."
Huang Laoliu smiled and said: "Understood! Don't worry, you won't make any mistakes! Brothers don't care about money or anything else. If there is any opportunity to be an errand, I hope that the elder brother will take care of the younger brother!"
"Easy to say."
Huang Laoliu put the copper coins in his arms, suddenly frowned and said, "To be honest with Brother Liu, this gun is just outside the city. It would have been convenient a few days ago, but now the Kun thieves are causing harm at the mouth of the Pearl River, and the city gates are tightly guarded." There are a lot of goods, and all passing goods must be inspected. Bird guns must be delivered outside the city."
(End of chapter)
