In the Shangshu Mansion.
Butler Xu Bo knocked on the study door.
There was a sound at the door. Uncle Xu pushed the door open and said, "Master, someone wants to see you."
Zhang Shi raised his head in confusion.
At this hour, there are still people asking to see you.
"who is it?"
Uncle Xu unconsciously whispered: "He is the prince's man."
King Wu... I haven't seen him for a while. Why did he find someone to inform him inexplicably?
Zhang Shi frowned: "Please come in."
Not long after, a middle-aged man in black clothes walked in.
He bowed respectfully, held the letter in both hands and said, "Master Zhang, the prince has asked me to deliver a letter to you."
"Who are you? Why don't you talk to the prince face to face when something happens, and why do you still send someone to deliver a message?"
"I'm the Prince's Guard Qian Hu, Jiang Hu."
Zhang Shi took the envelope tremblingly and looked at Jiang Hu in surprise.
The Prince's Guard... Before the vassal reduction, the local vassal king still had some reservations.
But this guard has been canceled long ago!
The King of Wu actually secretly hid this private army?
Zhang Shi quickly opened the envelope and read it carefully, sweating uncontrollably as he looked at it.
Haiyuan City was exposed...The prince went there in person?
Zhang Shi folded the letter and said anxiously: "Besides this letter, what else did the prince say? Will the prince come back?"
Jiang Hu said: "Your Majesty asked you to keep yourself useful. I have brought the message to you. Mr. Zhang, just say goodbye!"
After saying that, Jiang Hu turned and left.
Uncle Xu cautiously came over and asked, "Sir, why didn't King Wu take his guards with him when he left?"
Zhang Shi lit the letter directly with an oil lamp and looked at the ashes flying, thoughtfully.
"Well... you go down first."
.........
Jiang Hu left Shangshu Mansion and ran straight to a mansion not far from the Wang Mansion.
There were many people in black costumes guarding the mansion, which looked particularly strict.
He walked through the hall directly into the study room in the backyard, and called a few people along the way.
This study room is decorated differently, and there is a table in the room.
On the desktop is a map that looks like a certain county.
As soon as he entered the room, Jiang Hu went straight to the point: "Everyone, the prince has gone far enough."
"Within three days, we will capture Taoyuan County and seize Gongde Wuliang, and then set off from Jiangling Port. By then, the prince should be ready to receive us at another port."
Someone asked: "Qianhu, what is this immeasurable merit? Why does the prince pay so much attention to it?"
Jiang Hu looked at the map and said: "I don't know. I just heard from the prince that it is a magical object that can split mountains and crack rocks! This object is the most important thing to the prince. He goes to capture Fang Zhengyi. If he fails, it will all depend on us. Be prepared and make sure nothing goes wrong!”
Jiang Hu pointed at the map: "We only have 2,000 people. We will send 200 people in disguise to enter Taoyuan County the next day and seize the city gate."
"The rest are hiding in the woods two miles away. When the time comes, we will go directly into the city to kill them!"
"The total number of guards and arrests in a county will not exceed five hundred, and they are all mediocre. You each lead a soldier and horse, and two teams go to guard the city gate and don't let anyone out. The rest are divided to search separately. The merits are immeasurable. , kill them if they block the road, we must fight quickly!"
"That's roughly it. I have sent Xiao Liu out to investigate the situation in Taoyuan County at noon. He should be able to return tomorrow and make detailed arrangements then."
Everyone began to take turns pointing at the map to discuss plans to avoid unexpected situations.
Suddenly, a panicked figure broke in and stood panting in front of Jiang Hu.
Jiang Hu was shocked: "Xiao Liu! Why are you back so soon? Are you done with the investigation?"
Xiaoliu gasped hard and said after a while: "I...I...I didn't pass the toll booth..."
"What!? Toll station?" Jiang Hu was dumbfounded. There was no such thing on the map given by the prince.
"Ah! Toll booths! The land that enters Taoyuan County is full of fucking toll booths! I didn't bring enough money, and I can't get through after two stops..." Xiao Liu looked sad.
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Everyone practices in the Zhuangzi outside the city on weekdays, and rarely has the opportunity to come out. This kind of thing has never been heard of.
Isn't this fucking robbery?
Jiang Hu was furious: "Are you a fool?! Can't you take a detour?"
Xiaoliu was extremely aggrieved: "I want to go around! But there are people patrolling the places that are easier to walk! Unless you go through the mountain, you have to go through the toll station!"
"What the hell! I thought there was a toll station and it was gone after I passed it, but I walked three hundred feet and another one came! Their toll station looks like a tea stall. They are obviously officers and soldiers, wearing linen outside. Clothes! Isn’t this just a hooliganism!!!”
"Also, the horse was tired from walking, and there was someone selling fodder on the roadside, so I didn't think much about it. Who knew that a piece of fodder costs two coins! And they said this is some bullshit greenhouse grass. Isn't this life-threatening? I passed it. After two stops, I only had 20 coins left on me, and they surrounded me if I didn’t pay.”
Jiang Hu slammed the table and said angrily: "Fucking thugs! Why didn't you kill them?"
"They all have knives..."
"Then did you give the money in the end?" someone asked hurriedly.
Xiaoliu cried: "I really have no money. They detained my horse and gave me some money, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to get out of the toll station. I ran back..."
“You’re charged to go in and you’re still charged to come out!!!”
"yes...."
"..."
"Qianhu, we encountered a real robber, what should we do?"
Jiang Hu held his chest and breathed hard for a few times, feeling a little at a loss.
Things are different from what I imagined. Have all robbers become regular now?
"Qianhu... what should we do? We can't go over the mountain, right? It would be too time-consuming, and the brothers can't stand it!"
"In my opinion, we might as well rush in, knock down their bird toll booth, and then quickly attack Taoyuan County!"
Xiao Liu quickly stopped and said: "No! Absolutely not!"
"There is a toll booth every three hundred feet. If you lift the first one, the people behind will go back and report the news. And we don't know how many toll booths there are behind. When the city gate is closed, we will do everything. No!"
"What should I do with Qianhu?!"
Jiang Hu's face was solemn. He didn't expect that a small county town could be in such big trouble! This kind of situation is unheard of, and it’s not even in the military books...
Jiang Hu blushed and said hesitantly: "Everyone... let's raise some money and go to the toll station first..."
"Qianhu, aren't we going to rob?!"
"Shut up! Xiao Liu, how much does it cost for one person at the toll station?"
Xiao Liu painfully recalled: "One tael for a person, two taels for a horse..."
A total of four thousand taels including people and horses... At this moment, Jiang Hu's eyes were full of confusion.
When the prince left, it seemed that he didn't leave any money for him except travel expenses... There wasn't enough money.
Xiao Liu's weak voice came: "How about we sell the horse..."
...
