After crossing the fast-flowing ditch and passing through a hidden and inconspicuous opening in the wall, the eyes suddenly opened up and appeared in a rather broad passage.
Looking at the corridor wide enough for horse racing and the obvious signs of manual digging and reinforcement on the wall, the young Jinwu Fire Chief Zhang Wusheng was dumbfounded and couldn't help but murmured:
"This...this...this, could it be the origin of the mysterious soldiers from the Divine Mansion?"
Upon hearing the name "The Raiders of God's Mansion", everyone present showed some complicated expressions. Because this is an allusion that originated from an early period in Chang'an when Liang Gong was still alive. It is also an enduring source and material for re-creating stories among the people in later generations.
It was rumored that there were unscrupulous people in the court who took advantage of the Emperor Taixing to hunt east to recuperate. Suddenly, he launched an army to attack the residence of Liang Gong who stayed behind, and tried to rob the two palaces of the emperor and the emperor who lived in Nannei and Bei Nei. Because of the ferocity of the rebellion, the entire city of Chang'an fell almost instantly, and even the Liang Mansion was almost razed to the ground.
At this time, the martial arts students, the students of Beijing University, and the city/guan army who had disappeared in the turmoil suddenly appeared near the center where the rebels were entrenched, like divine soldiers descending from the sky, and attacked them in one fell swoop. Destroy and kill them. As a result, the various rebels in the city were leaderless and fell into panic and chaos.
Therefore, in the end, they were surrounded by the newly formed government soldiers summoned from the four fields of Gyeonggi Province; the rebels who initiated the rebellion had almost no place to escape; and there were countless well-dressed nobles and long-established families, so under the single-headed willow tree outside the Prison Temple, Thousands of people died and their homes were cut off. This story is also called "The Strange Soldiers of God's Mansion".
"Yes, some people had speculated at the beginning that these corridors and culverts were one of the old places where Liang Gong left underground soldiers to transport troops."
The informant Aguan wrote lightly: He was as familiar as if he had repeated it to the person countless times.
And in this high and wide corridor, after walking around a corner for only a dozen steps, a partitioned space similar to a warehouse was revealed, filled with all kinds of sundries. As the secret door with a heavy object on the partition opened, there was a wave of heat and noise.
The next moment appeared in front of them, which was a crowded and narrow underground street. On one side are densely packed and uneven shacks, huts and simple shops built against the walls with bamboo and wood frames, rags, straw and other random building materials; on the other side is the aisle strewn with sewage and garbage.
And on the so-called street walls, there are even ghostly symbols, painted with colorful words and layered paintings; as well as various large and small wooden signs and flags hung on them, it looks messy and decadent. It also has a beautiful and inexplicable meaning.
As the period continues to evaporate, the smoke and water mist that cannot be dispersed are mixed with all kinds of incense smells; the various scenes of people rubbing shoulders with each other and the flow of people look like the scenes in the city above the ground. There is not much difference in the open-air market.
The ubiquitous dim or bright lights, as well as the various lamps held in the hands of all kinds of tattered pedestrians, make people feel more unexpected at this moment. It was just an illusion that I had entered the backstreet of a night market.
Jiang Tian even saw that behind the curtains of some shacks, there were looming white arms and legs soliciting business, and charming faces covered with thick makeup. And a rough man in short clothes staggered out drunkenly, smelling of inferior makeup and alcohol, with his chest exposed;
In other cages, crowing chickens and dogs are stacked on a blackened chopping board. On the other hand, some shopkeepers kill chickens and fish, cut up the meat with quick hands and feet, and finally turn it into dishes that are cooked and fried on the stove next to the roaring fire, and are full of fishy flavor.
"Is it possible that everyone who enters the ghost market has to spend so much money?"
However, at this moment, Murong Wu suddenly stopped and asked:
"Not really, it's just that it's not a regular opening day; if officials want to enter the ghost market directly without attracting attention and save a lot of trouble, they have to make a special trip like this."
The informant Aguan also quickly explained:
"Then what happened to them?"
The frowning Jinwu team deputy Chen Wentai asked at the same time:
"Of course, most of them are poor people who cannot see the light of day for no other reason or because of unavoidable difficulties. Therefore, they can only gather in these dark and narrow underground channels to make a living. Therefore, they never see the light of day. It doesn’t matter whether it’s day or night, everyone is just like a ghost that hides during the day and comes out at night.”
The informant Aguan said sincerely:
"So, the ghost market has arrived?"
Jinwu Fire Chief Zhang Wusheng said impatiently:
"To be honest with you, this is naturally the location of the rumored ghost market (periphery), but it is not the ghost market (core) that Lang Jun expected."
The informant Aguan then laughed and said:
When Jiang Tian heard this, he nodded slightly with understanding. Obviously, there are a large number of escaped slaves, refugees, barbarians and other black households here, as well as desperadoes, wanted criminals, gang members, smuggling gangs, and stolen goods dens, which constitute the unique ecology and gray system of the underground world.
Therefore, the Jingzhao Prefecture and the two counties of Chang'an and Wannian in the past dynasties can certainly crack down on and ban these underground places again and again; but they cannot change the soil that breeds these people, and they are even less able to wipe them all out and resettle them; naturally, it will be a little while. After the limelight, there will be a resurgence. valley
So, under the guidance of the informant Aguan, Jiang Tian and his party continued to move forward; but at this time, as a senior spy, the marks left by Liu Niang were actually of little use. Because Jiang Tian saw with his own eyes that people were scribbling and splattering things on the wall all the time.
After passing through several intersections in a row, which were obviously connected by pipe networks, the crowded flow of people gradually became sparse, and the environment such as the floors and walls where sewage flowed across became clean and tidy. There was even a faint sound of silk and bamboo playing in the air; there was even an unknown song lingering in the air.
It's like seducing visitors from all directions in the pipe network; they all finally converge on a large and open underground space. The ground suddenly sank down, making the upper part appear more spacious; many pipe network outlets with gurgling water flowed into it at random heights.
Jiang Tian stood at one of the exits, looking at this scene with some amazement; it turned out to be a hollow similar to a ground sinking, and it looked like an ancient underground palace. The various buildings with bright lights on the four walls, along the winding and winding staircase, finally converged at the rather spacious bottom.
Jiang Tian originally thought that the so-called ghost market was not about sneaky groups of small and medium-sized people, wearing black clothes and long pockets, covering their heads and faces, wandering the streets, secretly conducting private transactions; or else, they were holding special tokens. Entering a certain building and conducting some kind of bidding activity with your head hidden?
But in fact, with the informant Aguan in front, he led the way down the stairs with great familiarity. At the stalls, vendors, and shops that were clearly built illegally along the way, people were constantly greeting, teasing, and yelling at him. In this way, we arrived at the bottom with "greetings" to the informant Aguan and female relatives within several generations.
Just looking at the place in front of them that resembled a small city or neighborhood, everyone couldn't help but feel a little surprised and strange.
"What do you think the ghost market is like?"
Then Aguan seemed to notice this change in mood, and immediately took the initiative to explain with a humble face:
"As for the original origin of the ghost market, it was just a place for people of all kinds who could not show their faces to the outside world to communicate with each other. As time went by, it was inevitable that there would be some sordidness and disputes. But later on, there were rules, and so there were The order just makes everyone's business easier."
Jiang Tian couldn't help but understand in his heart, if this place is all about no business, or it is a black shop that specializes in defrauding customers, then how can this kind of underground market be maintained for a long time? Since it has been able to survive successive attacks and has been tenaciously maintained until now, the basic market demand and supply chain should also have reached a dynamic balance that complements each other.
At this time, someone finally stood up to stop them, but they were several muscular men in gray shirts and blue crotch masks. Immediately, in front of some kind of voucher presented by the informant Aguan, he backed down again and politely handed over several lanterns with different colored patterns.
After entering the lower level, the real ghost market, the informant Aguan also seemed to be slowly letting go. He was always cautious and restrained, but he said in a respectful and exciting voice:
"To be honest, sir, this ghost market is said to have everything, and it's not without reason."
"The necessary clothing, food, housing and transportation, hotels, restaurants, and tea shops are naturally small and complete."
"Not to mention the things on the ground, most of them can be supplied here. Even if there are no things on the ground, you can still find them here."
"Of course, the price will be a little higher than what's on the market; if it's a unique and rare item, maybe the one with the highest price will get it?"
"Of course, most of them are fakers and deceivers. You must have a good trick or a way to distinguish authenticity. Otherwise, if you are deceived, you will be deceived and there will be no way to report it to the official."
At this point, he even made a self-righteous joke before continuing;
"I don't dare to hide it. Naturally, I have some business in this ghost market. If you don't mind it, you can go and have a look."
"The business in this ghost market is naturally divided into three, six or nine levels; the lowest among them are these peddlers. Selling fruits and refreshments is just a superficial way of making a living. In private, they also peddle some stolen goods on behalf of others. .”
"Secondly, there are those street stalls along the road. You need to pay some money to get a seat; the things they sell are the most miscellaneous and messy; they can be opened just by putting packages on the stall. There are also occasional thefts and fights between them."
"Those who can set up tents or push carts on the spot, and have to pay a little more than them, are not only engaged in the business of drinking wine, selling food, but also selling news and other miscellaneous things to customers."
"As for those who are able to occupy a space and build shops and buildings, they have some background and origins; their business is the same as on the ground; but the things they sell are much rarer. .”
"But no matter how you say it, gold, silver, wealth, silk, money, tickets, and coins are all used here. Treasures, pearls, jade, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques can also be sold here. It's just that there are different discounts and prices according to the timely market conditions."
"If there is something you really want, there are some quality shops and restaurants that can help you find it (offer a reward). As long as you can get the price, it will be enough to drive it away."
"Then tell me, what is the situation like for the owner who is in charge of this ghost market?"
Jiang Tian, who had been listening and smiling but silent, suddenly spoke;
