After gambling for a while, Cao Tongzhang was able to win or lose, basically neither making any money nor losing money, and he gradually felt helpless. He said to Cheng Qing and Sun Ping: "You two members, it's very uninteresting to gamble like this. How about four of us sharing a table? As long as the Tao members here can draw water, they can set up their own gambling tables."
Cheng Qing smiled and said, "Wouldn't that be giving money to Tao Yuan in vain?"
Cao Tongzhang said: "That's what casinos are like. People who set up gambling have many stakes, so how can they not make money?"
Cheng Qing looked Cao Tongzhang up and down, then looked at Sun Ping. After thinking about it, he nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, let's set up a table of our own. I wonder what Mr. Cao wants to bet on? To be honest, we brothers don't gamble often. It's too complicated to play."
Cao Tongzhang said: "That's it - throwing money is played by gamblers in the village. It's not suitable here. If you can't play complicated games, let's throw dice!"
Cheng Qing nodded slowly: "That's fine. Just follow Yuan Cao."
After saying that, he went to an empty table next to him with Sun Ping and Meng Xun. I told Mr. Tao to bring him the gambling equipment.
After three throws, Cao Tongzhang could no longer hold back. Say: "It's my turn!" He grabs the dice on the table, and in a flash, he replaces them with his own dice. Cheng Qing and Sun Ping on the opposite side pretended not to see them, but there was a sneer in the corner of their eyes.
After throwing three times in a row, Cao Tongzhang couldn't help but be overjoyed when he won three times in a row. His dice were filled with mercury. It could be said that the number was exactly what it was. How did others win over him?
Filling dice with mercury was a trick that only a gambler would have mastered in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But in this era, it was only a skill that a few gamblers knew, and they rarely missed. Cao Tongzhang looked at Cheng Qing and Sun Ping, two goats, and thought they were easy to capture.
When it came to the fourth hand, Cheng Qing grabbed Cao Tongzhang's hand and said: "What should we do if we point the numbers like this? Forget it, let's not guess the points, let's compare the numbers instead. Throw the dice, the big one wins, the small one loses. Clean and tidy!”
Cao Tongzhang said: "That's fine! I have to convince you today!"
Cheng Qing gestured to Sun Ping next to him and smiled.
Cao Tongzhang threw it first, thinking not to throw it too big to avoid suspicion from Cheng Qing and Sun Ping. He went down, threw two fours and a six, and said: "It's okay, it's not too small."
Sun Ping nodded repeatedly: "You're not too young——"
The dice in his hand were carelessly scattered on the table. When he stopped, it turned out to be a four, five, and six. He smiled and said, "What a lucky fate! I happen to be a little older than you!"
Meng Xun started with Sun Ping. He didn't know any tricks and just threw one, four or five.
Cheng Qing smiled. He held the dice in his hand, blew lightly, and threw them out. The dice stopped, but it was two, three, six.
Sun Ping won this round, which made Cao Tongzhang very upset.
The next few throws were either from Sun Ping or Cheng Qing. No matter how many points Cao Tongzhang threw, they were all bigger than him. The dice were his own, and his techniques had been practiced for a long time. Cao Tongzhang only thought that he was unlucky, and the more he lost, the more anxious he became. Meng Xun, on the other hand, saw the way out and knew he had met a master. It's just that he called the person here and he didn't dare to say anything. He was sitting there on pins and needles.
The snow is getting heavier and heavier, and the water is covered in white. Occasionally, a piece of white sail sailed by on the Luo River, the same color as the sky and the earth, and soon disappeared.
Several small boats slowly came from the shore and surrounded the painting boat. A general stood on the bow of the ship, like an iron tower.
A messenger came up and whispered: "General, I don't know if it's our luck, but this seems to be a gambling boat. I can see clearly from the side that since this morning, in addition to several wealthy people in the city, there are also dedicated gamblers. They're all on the boat. In such snowy weather, are they here to have a feast?"
Shen Zhou looked at Daxue and said in a loud voice: "What luck! Taking the Huainan Double Tigers and adding a gambling boat is a great contribution! How can such a gambling boat be possible without the cooperation of official people? Then We have found a few incompetent ones and we will make a great achievement today!"
After saying that, he turned around and looked at his boat. Said: "You will follow me on the boat in a moment, leaving five people in each boat. If there are cruel people, you can't escape them even by jumping into the water! Remember, our focus is on the Huainan Shuanghu, we must not let them Ran!"
Send someone to sing a promise and go back to give instructions.
Seeing that the deployment was completed, the boat swayed towards the painting boat.
When the people on the boat saw it, someone said angrily: "Who are you? You dare to harass us, you don't want to live anymore!"
Shen Zhou ignored him and only ordered the boat to row quickly. Seeing how close it was, he threw out the iron hook in his hand and caught the boat.
Pulling out the knife and holding it straight, Shen Zhou said loudly: "The Henan government is in charge. Anyone who has nothing to do with it needs to get out of the way! If anyone blocks it, shoot without mercy!"
After saying that, he asked the pawns around him to put the high ladder on the boat and use people to hold it up while he stepped up.
If Tao Yuan is doing this business, he must be in cahoots with people from Henan Prefecture. Although officials with too high a rank cannot get along with them, it is still necessary to make more friends with the smooth people among the police officers below and the patrol bosses. His casino often changes locations, and he knows the direction of inspections in advance so that the government cannot catch him.
Shen Zhou is the leader of the Xiang army in Henan Prefecture, and Tao Yuan does not know him outside. Today we were supposed to capture Cheng Qing and Sun Ping, but they accidentally discovered this painting boat.
After getting on the boat, Shen Zhouyi held out the knife in his hand and shouted loudly: "Stay aside if you are afraid of death! Grandpa is capturing the Huainan Tigers today, so stand aside if you don't care!"
Wait for the people below to come up and rush into the painting boat with them.
Of course there were thugs outside Mr. Tao, but they didn't dare to move because so many soldiers came up.
Shen Zhou glanced at the helpless Tao Yuanwai and snorted coldly. He walked up to Cheng Qing and Sun Ping, looked them up and down, and said, "We have been staring at you two for a few days, and you still dare to gamble? What else can you say if you fall into my hands today?"
Sun Ping said: "Why are you arresting me? We are both good citizens!"
Shen Zhou sneered and said, "Are you two good people? You buy and sell forbidden items from the imperial mausoleum casually. Are there such good people in the world as you?"
Cheng Qing sighed. Said: "Guardian, we are just trying to get advantage of Meng Xiaoguan's treasures. I really don't know what is forbidden in the imperial mausoleum!"
Shen Zhou said: "Stop talking nonsense, you will go to court and your own officials will punish you! Come, I will take these two away!"
Sun Ping looked around, his eyes darting around wildly. Cheng Qing saw it and shook his head slightly. It's snowy today, and the boat is in Luoshui again. It's a desperate situation. Shen Zhou had brought so many people with him, so he could only lower his head and think of a solution after he got out.
After tying up the two men, Shen Zhou turned to Master Tao and said, "Are you the master of this place?"
Tao Yuanwai did not panic, and said with cupped hands: "Back to the official, this boat does not belong to me, but to my nephew Tao Ting. I have nothing to do today, so I went to play on the boat."
Shen Zhou smiled and said: "That's okay. Take it back together and let the officials decide!"
After saying that, Shen Zhou said to Xiang Jun who was standing aside: "Take all the people on the boat back today! The boat is temporarily impounded, waiting for inspection by the officials. People often say that the rich in Luoyang City gather for gambling, and we have seen it today. .”
