Chapter 23 Talisman
Chapter 23 Talisman
In the mountains outside the city.
Thousands of people, including men, women, young and old, gathered in this desolate place. There were no buildings such as wooden houses in sight, and the living conditions were extremely simple. However, compared to the massacres that happened all the time in Yangzhou city, it was a blessing to be able to survive.
The old man in the straw raincoat and hat was quite indifferent to someone's arrival. The main task required survival for ten days, but there was no restriction on the location. General Liu, who was closest to the mountain, was a relative of the current Taibao. He was abandoned by friendly forces in the battle of Jiangbei and finally joined the Qing Army.
At present, the two sides have reached a secret agreement. General Liu will turn a blind eye to the citizens in the mountains. The condition is that after the massacre, all young and strong men must join the army and try their best to win over the surviving men in the city.
The old man in the straw raincoat and hat paid a great price to fight for this hard-won stability. Sheltering the survivors can also slightly improve the mission evaluation.
Jiang He said his intention, "I'm going to look for the snow on Cangshan Mountain."
The old man in straw raincoat and hat frowned and said firmly: "Mo Ke, this secret passage concerns the lives of thousands of people. If you go back, you will increase the risk. It involves the interests of the main mission. I will never give in."
"Put your business aside for now. I smell business."
Not far away, Cangshan Fuxue came over wearing a six-cake headgear. She specialized in talismans. Usually, when someone came to visit her, the purpose was self-evident. If the two of them fought, regardless of the outcome, her business would definitely be ruined.
Jiang He turned around and said, "I plan to buy all the stocks of the talisman you gave to Chu Fuqiang before."
Cangshan Fuxue crossed his arms and said cheerfully, "You are talking about the yellow paper tower talisman, which can protect oneself. The quality of each one is ordinary. It takes a lot of my time and energy. One is fifty game coins. The price is fixed. Don't think it is expensive. After the task is over, go out and ask around. I am the most fair in business negotiations."
Jiang He weighed his game currency reserves and asked, "How many yellow paper tower talismans do you have left?"
Cangshan Fuxue raised two fingers, "Twenty."
"Not enough money."
Cangshan Mountain covered with snow: "..."
Brother, what are you still hesitating about?
Jiang He took out a cinnabar mirror and said, "I can exchange it for a rare item."
Cangshan Fuxue looked at the prop information and said disappointedly: "I might as well buy a truckload of pinhole cameras with this. You are from the northwest, right? Please be more diligent and go hunting in the mountains."
Jiang He thought for a moment and said, "Your talisman requires wild beasts as materials."
Cangshan Fuxue shrugged and replied, "To be precise, it's animal skins. Since you mentioned hunting, you should be able to guess that ordinary animal skins will not work. There is a crucial spiritual difference between wild beasts and domesticated livestock, so when the time comes, don't use defective products to fool people. Two intact animal skins in exchange for a yellow paper pagoda scroll. Your mirror can be mortgaged to me, and you can take it back after the payment is made."
The old man in the straw hat interrupted, "If Mo Ke dies in Yangzhou City, you will lose a lot of money. One game coin can be exchanged for 10,000 yuan from the Order Bureau. The underground price is 20% to 30% higher, and there are not many people who want to exchange. If you let him go back now, you may not be able to recover the cost."
Cangshan Fuxue was shocked, "Old senior, don't be ridiculous. Even a pig can get away with twenty tower talismans."
"But we can't stop those who are seeking death."
The old man in straw raincoat and hat took out his fishing rod and looked at someone coldly, "I saw this when I was not that old. This is the look when you are so hungry that you want to kill someone."
Jiang He picked up the mirror and looked at himself. Apart from the disguise of gentleman's lenses, there was no other change.
"The evil talk deceives the public."
The coir raincoat man: "..."
Okay, okay (palms)
The atmosphere gradually became tense. Not revealing the location of this place was the bottom line of the old man in the straw raincoat and hat, and Cangshan Fuxue was also hesitant. The business of twenty yellow paper talismans was not small, and she was not rich enough to throw it away.
After a while, Jiang He said, "After I leave, I will not take this secret passage when I return to the city. As for the talisman transaction, I will raise the price to two and a half beast skins for one talisman."
Upon hearing this, Cangshan Fuxue threw out twenty yellow paper tower talismans. The old man in the straw hat had no choice but to put away his fishing rod and turn around to leave. He was unwilling to easily fight for life and death, not to mention that the other party had already made concessions. Jiang He gave the cinnabar mirror, and both parties added each other as friends in the origin game. This function was hung on the panel and only had a contact effect.
……
Yangzhou City fell on the fifth night.
Under the wanton massacre of the Qing soldiers, the local casualties have already exceeded 100,000.
Looking down from the top of the mountain, the military tents on the plain below stretched for ten miles, with over ten thousand people scattered all over the mountains. After five days of waiting, these surrendered troops were ready to move, and the lifting of martial law meant that they would be able to enter Yangzhou City and have a good meal soon.
Jiang He held up a torch that had just been extinguished, closed his eyes and prepared himself mentally, then took off his monocle and repeatedly pressed it against his face. The sizzling sound of burning flesh and blood suddenly rang out, and he couldn't help but burst out with a strength of up to 8 points, almost crushing the wooden handle of the torch in his hand.
This kind of surface burn can be healed with a small healing potion, but the pain of the burning flames is real. Veins bulged on someone's forehead and his face looked as hideous as a ghost.
“…The will to persevere… Damn… It hurts!”
There was no one around, Jiang He wanted to roll on the ground, but his long-standing inertia made him stand there silently and endure the burning pain. He knew very well when he was young that if he showed the slightest sign of weakness, he would lose his small house, his fishing boat, and even his personal freedom. A piece of meat that was not prickly at all could most easily trigger the original sin. Even if you look around, it is not uncommon to see a whole family being eaten up, and the underground world of Anping Island is even more dangerous for ordinary people.
After a full quarter of an hour, Jiang He continued to walk, re-lit the torch, and went straight down the mountain to the military camp.
"Stop whoever comes!"
The officer guarding the camp gate raised his rifle and shouted, and the other soldiers became alert upon seeing this.
The guy who was walking over was wearing armor, and his face was covered with burn scars. He looked like a fierce man. Before the Qing soldiers entered the pass, secretly possessing armor in the Central Plains was equivalent to treason, a capital crime.
Jiang He calmly picked up the military badge and said, "I am Li Tongfeng, the deputy general of Wuzhou. I was stationed in the west of Yangzhou. Your general Li Tongyan is my elder brother. Go and report it quickly."
The officer at the camp gate looked suspicious. If he was really the general's blood brother, it would be strange for him to appear here at this time.
The officer gave a look to the soldier next to him, who immediately ran into the barracks.
Half a quarter of an hour later, a majestic general wearing half armor walked out, followed by a dozen personal soldiers on both sides.
The general looked solemn and shouted, "Where did this villain come from? The general has received the news of General Li's death three days ago. Capture him!"
Two bodyguards stepped forward, and one of them raised his leg and kicked, sending one of them flying several meters away.
"Let me see my brother."
Jiang He spoke in a cold tone, his heart was calm. As long as he carried the identity and military badge of Li Tongfeng, it was almost inevitable that he would meet the general Li Tongyan. After all, except the general himself, no one else could completely deny his identity. Li Tongfeng's body was buried in the mountain of corpses in the west of the city, and his head had been smashed to pieces.
The officers and soldiers were silent, but they all stood up straight again and put away their weapons.
"you……"
The general felt it was a difficult situation. He was 70% sure that this guy was an imposter, but he had no say in whether it was true or not. In any case, any attempt to stop him would plant a thorn in the general's heart, because Li Tongfeng's body had not been found yet.
In the eyes of the general, if he dared to stop this guy, he would be stopping the real Li Tongfeng, and the reply to be reported to the central army tent was self-evident.
"Humph, you are cheating. I will take you to death."
The general snorted coldly. If the other party's identity certificate was fake, he would be in trouble, so he was in a very bad mood.
(End of this chapter)