Liao Sanniang finished packing, pointed to a high, open field by the road, waved to Old Feng, and said, "Uncle Feng, bring that thief to the high slope and give us an eye."
After saying that, he climbed up and hid behind a large rock covered with grass.
Lao Feng and a gangster dragged the big man up the slope. Several people hid behind the rocks. Lao Feng grabbed the man's neck hard, pushed him to the ground, and said viciously: "If you know anything about this, you scoundrel , I will clearly point out the hiding place of your companion, and I will spare your life. My master has a pair of divine eyes, so don't try to trick me. If you dare to talk nonsense, I have many ways, but I want them all. When it lands on you, you will know that I am the Five Saints and the King of Hell in this world."
The big man held his blood-stained crotch, trembling with pain. He had been frightened out of his soul by Old Feng, and he did not dare to cry out. He just made a bitter face, lay down next to the stone with Liao Sanniang and Old Feng, and peeled off the crotch. In the grass, you poke your head out from among the branches and leaves.
The man pointed to the road in front of the corner and said: "Because there is a fork in the road, my companion went back and forth to report. When he finally left, I heard him say that my leader was ambushing on that road to rob the gentlemen, but he didn't know Which section of the road is it hidden in? I will tell you the truth and I will never dare to hide it from the master."
Liao Sanniang was lying aside and listening carefully. Then she asked from the side: "Where are you coming from?"
The man replied: "I'm going in the same direction as the gentlemen, but I'm just one step ahead. Xiaodi usually doesn't commit crimes around here. This time, he was stupid and offended the gentlemen."
Liao Sanniang nodded and asked: "Do you usually take the big road or the small road? Is this road very densely traveled?"
The man said: "This is not certain. Dozens of people walking together with swords and guns are really eye-catching. But if they travel separately, it is difficult to mobilize and gather them together. It will always be late and nothing can be done. When there is no one on the road, they will take the main road. When there are a lot of people, they avoid the small roads, and when they encounter a few people, they rob them. This road is not a commercial road, and sometimes there is no customer for several days."
Liao Sanniang nodded and expressed her full understanding of this situation. For deserters and bandits from the Ming Dynasty who had little sense of organization and sense of time, the almost non-existent military discipline made it difficult for them to regroup in time once they were disbanded. People may leave and never come back.
Liao Sanniang asked a few more questions and wrote them down on her personal notepad with the tip of a pencil. Seeing that the man couldn't say anything else, she nodded and signaled Old Feng to take the man away.
After the others retreated, Liao Sanniang set up a pergola and carefully observed the forest area where the enemy was ambushing, already thinking about it.
The forest on both sides of this road is uneven, which is only suitable for hiding, but not for traveling. In order to ensure the speed of travel, the thieves try to take as many official roads as possible and less on the wild areas.
If you approach from the main road, the enemy is hidden and we are clear, and if you rush forward hastily, you are likely to be exposed. The enemy is in front of you, which is like throwing a sheep into a tiger.
Liao Sanniang made a plan in her mind, preparing to go into the jungle at the bend of the road. With the cover of vegetation, she could make a roundabout approach from the side and behind to covertly meet the enemy.
The Capital Station has been conducting "surveying" and drawing maps in and around the capital for many years. Although it cannot be said to be very detailed, a simplified map of most areas inside and outside the city is available. Important landmarks such as hills, roads, villages, temples, rivers, wells, and large tombs are all clearly marked. It brings great convenience to their tracking in the wild.
After deciding on the starting location and route, Liao Sanniang casually drew a few strokes on the map to assist her memory.
Liao Sanniang came down from the high slope, found Liu Chang and Zhao Liangjian, and told them: "Senior Brother Zhao, as soon as I go and have a cigarette, you will set off, escort the car slowly, go to the middle of the road, wait for the carriage and horses, and shout loudly, As discussed previously.”
Zhao Liangjian nodded in agreement and warned: "Sister, if you have no bottom in your heart or can't find the culprit, you should retreat. Don't take risks lightly."
Liao Sanniang said with a smile: "Of course, I am not a young person who has just debuted. I will take advantage of the situation. Those who are good at fighting are not ashamed to leave. If I keep Qingshan here, how can I do such a grudge and show off my strength?"
Liu Chang said little. He just cupped his fists and said, "Be careful."
After several people decided on the plan, Liao Sanniang took Xiao Bazi and went down the road.
The two of them followed the road to a bend in the road. This section of road had not been repaired for a long time. The road was filled with potholes and the tracks were messy, including ruts, hoofprints, and footprints.
Liao Sanniang walked forward slowly under the shoulder of the road, her eyes constantly switching between the ground and the road ahead.
Suddenly Liao Sanniang stopped and squatted down.
Xiao Bazi, who was a few steps behind, saw Liao Sanniang stop and immediately squatted down, clasping the slingshot in his hand and looking around cautiously.
The traces on the road were intricate and many were incomplete, but the mess in the middle of the road immediately attracted Liao Sanniang's attention.
The traces were mixed together and disorganized, and only some scattered lines could be vaguely discerned.
Liao Sanniang leaned down and identified a relatively complete half arc in the mess. She compared it with her hands and concluded that it was half a footprint of a bad hemp shoe.
Although there is only half an arc trace, it is very clear. The wind and sand in the north are strong. If time passes, the footprints will become blurred or covered by wind and sand. Such clear footprints will not last more than half a day.
The footprints were cut off in the middle from a horizontal trace, which was the footprints of another person. The footprints of multiple people overlapped, stepped on, and intertwined with each other, making it difficult to preserve the complete footprints. This complex trace of walking showed that this group of people not only had no formation, and probably lingered briefly here.
This road is rarely traveled by people, and there are fewer groups of people. A gang of thirty people will inevitably leave traces behind. There will be more clues on the way, but it is impossible to trace back now.
Liao Sanniang's eyes moved to the shoulder of the road ahead, where the traces were divided left and right, one thicker and the other thinner.
Liao Sanniang suddenly thought that the thief might be watching beside her at this moment. Thinking of this, her body suddenly became stiff, and even her blood seemed to freeze instantly. But she immediately changed her mind. If the enemy set an ambush here, they would not allow her to investigate calmly. They were just trying to scare herself. She breathed a sigh of relief and her body softened again, but under the sudden loosening and tightening, her forehead had already A thick layer of cold sweat broke out.
Liao Sanniang's heart beat violently several times. She took several deep breaths and finally calmed down her turbulent emotions.
Liao Sanniang calmed down and followed the path with fewer footprints. Looking from the tip of her toes, she saw that those people got off the shoulder of the road and entered the bushes. Normal pedestrians would obviously not abandon the road.
Liao Sanniang stretched out her fingers to pick up a handful of soil on the road shoulder and rubbed it between her fingertips. The soil was soft and slightly moist, which would keep the traces longer.
Liao Sanniang speculated that more traces would be found under the road shoulder, and sure enough, a clear and complete footprint was found not far away.
She found a branch nearby as a reference, compared the length of the footprints, and then cut off the excess part to obtain a more accurate length of the footprints. Using this branch, you can use it to measure when you encounter vague and incomplete footprints to determine whether they are the same person's footprints. You can also use this as a basis to estimate the person's stride length and walking distance.
She used the first knuckle of her index finger as a mark and measured it. The footprint was approximately 8 inches, and one inch is 3.2 centimeters. The length of the footprint was multiplied by 6.8 to roughly calculate the person's height. The person was approximately 1.74 meters tall, which is the height of an average person. The limited medieval society can be said to be a strong man.
This method of measurement may not be very precise, but it is sufficient for a temporary estimate.
The so-called eight-foot and nine-foot men were mostly exaggerations by the ancients and cannot be used as actual reference.
Judging from the footprints, this person's feet are widely spread out, indicating that he is an external figure. The forefoot and back heels of the footprints are even and steady. The footprints are clear where the feet are. The rising and landing of the feet are very neat, indicating that this person has strong legs and feet. The widest part of the footprints of both feet is more than two feet. The long stride indicates that he is a young man with strong physique.
Going further, the vegetation increases, and more and more traces are left along the road, including trampled weeds, grass stems broken while walking, small stones trampled over by people, and more and more footprints of different people. Further forward, there are dead branches that were cut off by swords when the road was opened. The stubble of the broken stems is very fresh, indicating that it was not long ago.
Liao Sanniang frowned. There was no order in the way. These people were too rough.
Judging from the number and type of footprints, there were at least seven or eight people in this group, which is roughly consistent with the number of people confessed by the captured man.
All footprints point forward.
At this time, Liao Sanniang had initially determined that she was the group of thieves.
Liao Sanniang stopped. She was a little puzzled. Why did the thief enter the forest early at the bend of the road?
After thinking for a moment, she suddenly remembered that she met a group of government officials on the road. She wondered if it was external pressure that forced these path-cutting thieves to hide in advance.
Liao Sanniang immediately shook her head to get rid of the unnecessary worries. She didn't need to know the reason. No matter what the reason was, it was a good thing for her, as it reduced her time to search for enemies.
Liao Sanniang immediately changed her previous roundabout strategy and changed it to follow the clues at hand, but this suddenly increased the possibility of her encountering the enemy, and she had to be more careful.
Liao Sanniang turned around and whispered a few words to Xiao Bazi, and they opened a distance of three steps.
Liao Sanniang's body is hunched over. Her steps are very light. When walking, her heels touch the ground first, and then the soles of her feet are pressed gently. This way, the sound of walking is quieter than the whole sole of her feet stepping on the ground. She is more stable than toes landing first. The light and gentle movements make her feel more relaxed. She looks like a sensitive tanuki,
Liao Sanniang's combat uniform is a tight-fitting style, which can reduce scratches. The texture is cotton. Although the fabric is not durable, it is soft enough to fit the body and has good stretchability. It will not make a lot of noise after being soaked in water. It is not like the canvas hunting jackets sold in Lingao. Although it is strong and wear-resistant, it will not move when it gets wet. It will make a clicking sound, which is not conducive to hiding.
Liao Sanniang never uses any cosmetics when she goes on a mission. The wind will spread the strong smell to every corner downwind. Although sweat and body odor are unavoidable, to minimize the artificial smell, she needs to integrate into nature as much as possible and transform when necessary. An invisible ghost.
(End of chapter)
