The compass needle pointing to Funiu Mountain in the south is a very strange answer.
Very very strange.
Because according to conventional thinking, the safest, most convenient, and most natural place for Han Shixiong to escape from Taolinyi was definitely Tongguan, where his uncle Han Yingong was stationed.
Tongguan is just a dozen miles west of Taolinyi. Not only is it convenient to get there, it is also the old tribe of the Han family, and Han Yingong has always been recognized as a violent person. If he really hides inside, Han Yingong will After accepting it, it was your turn, Bai Yousi, to be intercepted and intercepted by the military masters in different levels. They even formed a military formation with true energy attributes to fire crossbows over a large area, and then self-destructed the inner elixir.
In fact, this is why everyone regards this trip as a daunting journey.
Of course, there is also a possibility that after Han Yingong or others rescued Han Shixiong, in order to avoid suspicion, they immediately sent the people to the West Capital behind him or to the Hedong area across the river to escape... The former is the foundation of the Guanlong clan, and the general There are relatives and friends who are not afraid of death and are willing to protect others; the latter needless to say. After crossing the river, there is a geographical dividing line, which means that they have escaped from the most core area of the imperial court and can run in all directions.
Even if people go to Dongdu, it is possible to have a dark night under the lamp, and Dongdu is also convenient for hiding people.
In short, according to previous speculations, as long as Han Shixiong deliberately escaped and there was a way to catch him, he should have run in the other three directions. There is no reason why he was still in Funiu Mountain after being confused for several days.
"Is your compass accurate?" After a moment, Bai Yousi made the most reasonable question.
"Never made a mistake." Under the light, Zhang Xing answered seriously. "But there must be other explanations for this trip. It can't be as simple as going into the mountains and bringing people back..."
"I understand!" Bai You thought for a moment, then carefully held the sword in his hand and asked. "Why do you still use a compass at home?"
"Because I don't want to frame others for my own purposes, I let my half-brother-in-law go." Zhang Xing said expressionlessly. "But I was greatly favored by the inspection and had to repay it, so I did it."
Bai Yousi was slightly startled and hesitated to speak, but after hesitating for a long time, he could only nod calmly: "Don't let your compass be seen by other people in the patrol team, otherwise it will bring trouble to those people...I will give it to you tomorrow." You take cover and we search the mountain together!"
Zhang Xing nodded in response.
There was no words that night. Early the next morning, Bai Yousi suddenly gathered everyone and issued an order to search the mountain... This move naturally caused some turmoil. Hu Yan, Qian Tang and other backbones of the old Chen Yousi expressed their confusion, because now, in their hearts, In fact, I already had a vague idea of how to solve the problem, especially since the two people caught last night were clearly a breakthrough and they actually disappeared.
In addition, mountain searching is a technical job, and Funiu Mountain itself is also part of the Xiaoshan Mountains and covers a vast area, so mountain searching itself is very difficult.
But Bai Yousi was determined to do so, and everyone was helpless.
At the end of the day, it's still the same sentence... Everyone's trip seems to be official business, but in essence it is still a private plan for the Bai family. The real owner has made up his mind, so what about them?
Taolinyi has sufficient supplies, and there are also some Jinwu Guards sergeants and Ministry of Punishment officials who had escorted Han Shixiong before, so they can be used together... So they made a plan that day and asked Hu Yan to take charge of Taolinyi. He was dispatched in the middle, and also dealt with official correspondence; immediately, Bai Yousi led a team of elites, not many, six or seven people, including Zhang Xing, Qin Bao, and Li Qingchen, who dispersed forward; Qian Tang then led a large team of backup , followed closely from behind... The three teams each prepared their supplies and headed into the mountains.
On the surface, it was naturally to take advantage of Bai Yousi's high mobility to pass information back and forth and contact everyone; in fact, it was just to take the opportunity for Zhang Xing to activate the compass and quickly lead him to the target.
Sure enough, after two days in the mountain and using the compass three times, the scope was greatly reduced. Shang Xia gradually realized that this was not a mountain search as imagined, but a purposeful pursuit, because everyone was obviously heading towards the Funiu Mountains. We went to the specific core area around the main peak.
This place is on the border between Hongnong County and Henan County to which Dongdu belongs.
As the third day came, Zhang Xing used the compass again. The mountain search team, led by Bai Yousi, entered a mountain road northwest of the main peak of Funiu Mountain. Then they quickly discovered a large number of traces and doubts. There is no need for Zhang Xing to activate the Laoshizi artifact in his hand.
Even the possible dangers of this trip are clearly revealed.
"There is a den of thieves in the mountains."
Bai Yousi clearly informed and explained to Zhang Xing with an expression of disbelief. "Qin Bao found an abandoned village. There were traces of many people spending the night there recently. Then I followed the traces in the village and found a road leading to a valley. I saw a den of thieves in the distance. The kind with a big banner with the word "righteousness"... The location of the thieves' den is exactly the same as your compass points, just northwest of the main peak of Funiu Mountain."
"The person raised by Han Yingong?" Zhang Xing, who had worked hard all afternoon and was covered in dodder juice and green cocklebur, had this as his first reaction. "It is convenient for him to do things that are not convenient for him to do in Tongguan? It also happens to be that his nephew is hidden here? Otherwise, on Tongguan Road, the key point between the east and west capitals, where would the bandits come from?"
However, as soon as Zhang Xing finished speaking, he shook his head again: "It's still wrong, this location is a bit far..."
"It's not like that. Although the distance is far, the place is right. It is between Hongnong and Henan County. Once there is a change, you can go out of Dongdu or Tongguan, you can also turn to Hongnong, or even go to Go south to Nanyang." Bai Yousi had another idea. "And if this is the case, it also echoes your compass. There may be real military masters hidden in the bandits' nest, which is dangerous enough for you... But it doesn't matter. They are definitely no match for me in the chaos in the valley. I will go first. Go in and figure out the situation, go to the deserted village with Qin Bao and the others, and then wait until the Qiantang brigade arrives, and then follow with the others."
Having been tricked by the compass so many times, Zhang Xing didn't think things would go so smoothly, but that didn't stop him from nodding hurriedly, because in terms of the current information, Bai Yousi's assignment was undoubtedly the most reasonable.
Make the most correct judgment and choice based on the known information, use the existing conditions to do your best, and finally make the final decision without pulling your hips. If it still doesn't work, then love whoever you want.
In this way, after Bai Yousi left, Zhang Xing did not hesitate. Instead, he directly followed the whistle and Bai Yousi's instructions before walking, took up his true energy and headed towards the deserted village, and quickly met Qin who was waiting here. Bao and the other two people meet up.
Then he began to sit on the ground and prick the cockleburs and other types of plants on his body, and waited calmly for the large army led by Qian Tang.
"Brother Zhang."
Qin Bao, who came up to him, tacitly agreed not to mention what happened that night, but started a new topic. "There is something weird in this village."
"What?"
Zhang Xing looked around and saw a deserted village exposed at the foot of the mountain, with collapsed doors and silence. He was also curious. "Is there some old corpse soaking in the well?"
Of course, Qin Bao didn't understand the other party's joke, and just shook his head seriously: "How could it be? The corpse was soaked in the well, surrounded by wild beasts and flies. It would not be long before it was melted... I mean, this deserted village looks like it has been destroyed. Abandoned, but not completely abandoned.”
Zhang Xing balled up the cockleburs he picked and threw them out. He stood up and looked around. He felt something was strange, but he didn't react for a while. He could only look at Qin Bao again - he was in another world. When I was young, I did help with farm work for a short time, but when it comes to serious rural life in this world, Qin Bao must have more experience.
"Although some houses are dilapidated, they are actually quite clean inside." Qin Bao responded seriously. "The more obvious thing is that I just climbed up the mountain ridge over there to take a look. There are crops hidden in the mountain col behind, and they are well taken care of."
"I understand what you mean." Zhang Xing nodded, then suddenly realized. "You mean, the people in this village...the people in this village went to the bandits' den? Or those bandits evolved from the people in the surrounding villages. Otherwise, how could they have the thought to plant crops nearby?"
"right."
"In this case...it's hard to say." Zhang Xing thought thoughtfully. "what are you thinking?"
"I think if this is the case, at least the combat power in the bandits' nest is not as strong as we imagined. At most, it is just a few elites working with more local villagers." Qin Bao answered seriously.
"That's the truth." Zhang Xing nodded, but suddenly asked again. "So, do you think the villagers abandoned the village voluntarily or were they forced?"
Qin Bao was startled for a moment and immediately answered: "It's possible...it could be coercion by gangsters, or it could be that one's own family went up the mountain. And sometimes, it's hard to tell whether it's initiative or coercion. People are always in the most difficult situation." of."
"Yes, I understand this." Zhang Xing nodded. "But I'm still a little dizzy. Why exactly? This is Taolinyi, Tongguan, the key point of the Eastern Capital and the Western Capital. In the hinterland of the imperial court... we actually want to abandon the village? Is the tax very heavy?"
"Over there in the East, taxation cannot be said to be serious, but it cannot be said to be light either." Qin Bao responded sincerely. "Overall, it is still very tight, but after all, our place is the hometown of Dong Qi, and it is possible that the court is deliberately strict... But here, just like what you said, Brother Zhang, it is the heart and foundation of the court. The late emperor even often reduced taxes during his time, so I think it was corvee... Third brother, think about it, the conquest of Dongyi was the most exhausting thing in Hebei and our eastern border. What about the corvee in the Eastern Capital? When the Eastern Capital was built, every month Where did the millions of servants come from? Nowadays, Ziwei Palace and Xiyuan, as well as so many government offices, require a large number of servants every month."
Zhang Xing was startled for a moment, and something seemed to clear his mind, but at this time he could only nod.
Because, while he was talking, Qian Tang had already appeared in the field of vision with a large army. Based on the concern of the inspector, he was afraid that he would organize an attack soon.
PS: Thank you Mr. Xue Yue Xia for your silver alliance, ┭┮﹏┭┮I’m very grateful...and everyone will continue to have a happy new year.
