Chapter 601 Zhao Duan: This official took the trouble to manage the subordinates for Prince Jing
Chapter 601 Zhao Duan: I'm taking the trouble to help Prince Jing manage his subordinates
"I?"
Huang Xiaorou was stunned for a moment, twisted her wrist a little uncertainly, and tapped the tip of her nose with her finger.
Only after Zhao Duan nodded again to express his affirmativeness did he walk over reluctantly.
It was almost noon at this time, and the caravan gradually stopped in the mountains and began to make a fire and cook.
Zhao Duan got off the carriage and sat down on a rolling log that was lying on the ground. A waiter in the caravan was responsible for preparing the meal.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted again, and Yuxiu, who was dressed in ordinary women's clothes, pulled the sleepy Jin Jian out of the carriage.
"What do you want from me, sir?"
Huang Xiaorou asked. As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Yu Xiu cautiously, her eyes full of envy.
As a female escort, although she is not ugly, her manners and dress are rather androgynous. She is a rough female warrior. She is naturally irresistible to the female Taoist nun whose every move carries an ethereal and otherworldly temperament.
Zhao Duan was wearing the "Jiuyi" mask and had already changed his appearance, dressing up as a rich young man.
He smiled and lifted the hem of his robe, sat on the log, looked toward the winter forest in the distance, and asked:
"How far is it from here to Baishi Bridge?"
Baishiqiao is a checkpoint west of Huting. According to intelligence, a rebel army is stationed there. It is not a key defensive point, but it is an important route in and out of Huting.
This time when Zhao Du'an went to Huting, he did not bring any soldiers with him. He traveled with a small group of people and hid in a caravan arranged by King Huai'an.
No one in the caravan knew their identities, only that they were a young man who was accompanying the caravan on a business trip to Huting.
Before arriving, Zhao Duan had secretly contacted the imperial army in Huting through his shadow guards and agreed to meet them at Baishiqiao.
"Oh, let's wait until we finish our meal before setting off. It will only take about half an hour." Huang Xiaorou explained.
Then, the female escort rolled her eyes and asked curiously:
"What on earth are you going to do at the lake pavilion?"
She had been holding this question in her mind all the way.
Zhao Duan smiled, pointed at a coffin on the carriage in the convoy with a teasing tone, and said:
"Go collect the bodies."
I guess so... A look of pride flashed across Huang Xiaorou's eyes.
She had noticed the fine coffin a long time ago. Considering that Hu Ting was on the front line, she suspected that the elder of the young man in front of her had died on the front line, so she would rather risk the war and go to the front line to collect the bodies.
But Huang Xiaorou didn’t understand why this noble young man could still smile and bring his family with him to collect the bodies.
"Well, I have something to say to you."
Huang Xiaorou frowned:
"There is a war going on in Huting. Although it is winter and there is no fighting, the checkpoints around are very strict.
Baishi Bridge is in the hands of Jiancheng's army. When you cross the bridge later, they will check you. Remember not to talk nonsense and smile too much, otherwise we won't be able to protect you."
After a pause, she glanced at the jade sleeves and the golden tablet, gritted her teeth and said:
"I don't understand why you brought any female relatives with you."
Zhao Duan held the branch in his hand and thought this female escort was interesting. He asked knowingly:
"Aren't you the escort? Aren't you responsible for protecting us?"
Huang Xiaorou glared angrily:
"They are soldiers! People should not fight against officials, don't you know?"
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"A group of rebels plotting treason and rebellion are bandits, not officials."
"Hey you!"
Huang Xiaorou widened her eyes, almost jumped up, and said angrily:
"You can think about this in your mind, but how can you say it out loud? Don't drag everyone down with you! This is the front line, not your home!"
She gritted her teeth and had already categorized Zhao Duan as that kind of stupid "naive" nobleman.
In her past escort experiences, she had also escorted some heirs from wealthy families, many of whom were arrogant and stupid to the point of being disgusting.
If it was a normal time, he could just endure it, but now he is going to the front line. If this guy does something stupid, it will really cause everyone to lose their heads!
With this in mind, Huang Xiaorou patiently told Zhao Duan and others about the dangers on the front line again and again, and told them to shut up when passing the checkpoint in the future and not to say a word, as if she was worried about him as if he were a three-year-old child.
Seeing this scene, the corners of the woman's mouth slightly raised under her jade sleeve veil who was also sitting on the log.
I felt a rare sense of joy along the way.
Zhao Duan listened with a smile, nodded frequently, and asked for advice humbly, which finally made Huang Xiaorou feel a little relieved.
After the female escort left, the caravan servants handed over the hot pancakes and food, which Zhao Duan, Yuxiu and Jin Jian shared.
The waiter took another portion and walked to the carriage, placing it outside the curtain.
When I turned around, I saw a hand reaching out from behind the curtain and dragging the food into the car.
Jiyue Old Society is scary...
In the dead of winter, the forest was bleak, with white snow covering the withered yellow leaves, leaving behind a series of unknown footprints.
"Once we cross the Baishi Bridge, we will reach Huting County. We can rest then."
Zhao Duan tore open the hot burrito in his hand, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it.
Yuxiu also ate slowly and leisurely, with a calm expression:
"We will only deal with people from the Shenlong Temple."
"I know. The Taoist has stressed this ten thousand times." Zhao Duan was helpless. He blinked and tried to test:
"Then if someone bumps into Qingshan..."
"It has nothing to do with us." Yuxiu said lightly:
"It's normal for Qingshan Wufu to join any force after he came down from the mountain. This is different from Shenlong Temple breaking the rules."
Okay... Zhao Duan sighed in disappointment.
The bad thing about the priests of the Tianshi Mansion is that they are too principled. Zhang Yan is a cultivator of the Way of Heaven, so he needs to follow the Way of Heaven, and his disciples follow suit...
Jin Jian, who was forcing himself to be alert, was chewing on a bacon pie with both hands like a little hamster. Hearing this, he suddenly tilted his head and thought for a moment, staring at Zhao Duan and said:
"You have to pay more!"
Dealing with Qingshan is not the duty of the Tianshi Mansion, but it is not a bad rule. One thing is one thing, and the priest can take action in his personal capacity.
Zhao Duan was overjoyed: "No problem, no problem..."
She held her forehead with her sleeves and sighed softly.
……
After the meal, the caravan continued on its journey.
The long team walked along the snow-covered official road for about half an hour, and a wide stone bridge appeared in front of them.
There are rebels stationed next to the stone bridge.
Behind the stone bridge, there is a group of buildings. There stands a city gate tower similar to a "bunker", with the flag of the Jianchengdao rebels flying on it. Further behind it is a small town called "Bai Shi Town".
The town is not big. It has been a place where merchants from surrounding villages have survived and developed for hundreds of years. However, nowadays, there are few civilians. The whole Baishi Town has become a "military town" with a solemn atmosphere. "Stop! Accept the inspection!"
At the bridgehead, the leading rebel officer saw the convoy approaching and shouted loudly.
He immediately led a team of fully armored soldiers and came over aggressively.
Huang Xiaorou was stunned for a moment and muttered in a low voice:
"Why is the checkpoint so much stricter than the last time I came?"
"General, this is an approved caravan. Look, this is our travel pass." The escort leader, Old Man Huang, stepped forward with a smile and took out the travel pass issued by the Jiancheng Army with familiarity.
"Let everyone get off the bus and be questioned!"
The officer glanced at him, said expressionlessly, and then waved his hand:
"Search every car carefully to see if there is any contraband!"
"Yes!"
A large group of rebels wrapped in cotton-padded clothes and armor rushed forward like wolves and tigers, picking up their spears and stabbing violently at the goods under the tarpaulin on the car!
"Crash..."
Food flowed out of the holes like water, but he didn't care and made a few more holes.
Some people even jumped onto the car and used the tip of their guns to pick up the cargo one by one.
This made Old Man Huang and other escorts' eyelids twitch wildly. The intensity of the inspection was so intense, as if they were afraid of a mosquito flying into the pavilion.
"Dad, something's wrong...why are you checking so strictly?" Huang Xiaorou whispered.
The escort leader, Old Man Huang, shook his head and said in a low voice:
"Let them investigate, don't resist."
At this moment, a group of rebels came to the carriage where Zhao Duan was.
Zhao Duan, Yuxiu and Jin Jian had already gotten off the car, looking like good citizens.
When several soldiers saw the two women, their eyes lit up slightly, but they seemed to be bound by military discipline and did not do anything else. They just looked at them a few more times. However, one soldier lifted the curtain of the carriage with a spear, his face changed, and he scolded:
"There's a woman in the car!"
Not far away, the officer strode over, sneering expressionlessly:
"Pull it out! If you hide, there might be problems."
A soldier thrust his gun towards the car, but was suddenly caught by a hand.
Zhao Duan smiled and stopped him:
"I haven't gotten off the car because I've been shy since I was a child. Please don't misunderstand me, sirs."
Seeing that he dared to stop him, the officer raised his eyebrows, stared at him coldly, and sneered:
"Shy?! I want to see how she is shy. Haha, are you some spies passing through? I think your origins are suspicious. Who are you? What are you doing going east?"
Zhao Duan was about to speak.
Huang Xiaorou suddenly ran over and interrupted him:
"They are from the caravan, doing business."
The escort leader, Old Huangtou, also came over with a smile on his face, standing between the two of them, nodding his head:
"Yes, they are from the caravan. There is no doubt about it. They are all honest people. They can't be spies. How can spies be so conspicuous?"
As he spoke, a heavy bag of silver slipped out from his sleeve and he handed it to the officer in a familiar and subtle manner.
The so-called bodyguards were not the ones who fought and killed each other as described in vernacular novels. Instead, most of the time they relied on negotiations and paid tolls to the bandits along the way to provide protection.
After all, the bandits were not willing to risk their lives in a fight with the escorts, so it was the norm to release the prisoners for a small amount of money.
Some officers and soldiers at the checkpoints along the way are no different from bandits, extorting money and demanding bribes.
However, this time, the officer's face was icy. He took the silver bag, weighed it, and then said coldly:
"You actually want to use money to get away with it. This seems to be even more problematic."
At this time, a rebel soldier jumped onto a carriage with a rifle in hand and shouted:
"Boss, there's a big coffin here!"
When the officer heard this, he looked over and saw the soldiers lifting the rainproof cloth. Sure enough, he saw a huge coffin tied with ropes.
His eyes became sharper and he said coldly:
"Doing business? I haven't seen a single coffin being sold to the front line in this truckload of goods. Open the shop for me! See what's hidden inside!"
"Wait a minute."
At this time, Zhao Duan suddenly spoke again, with a faint smile on his face, as if he was not afraid at all when facing this group of ferocious rebels.
"There's nothing in this coffin, you can't open it," he said calmly.
In an instant, many eyes turned towards him, all with expressions of astonishment.
Huang Xiaorou widened her eyes even more, she wanted to stamp her feet, and cursed "idiot" in her heart!
Despite all my repeated warnings, something still went wrong.
It was just an empty coffin. She had seen it when she was loading the goods. It was indeed just an empty coffin. She was not afraid of being checked. But this stupid young man insisted on causing trouble at this time. I am afraid that everyone would suffer together.
As expected, the officer stared at him intently, his eyes becoming fierce:
"What did you say?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"There's nothing in this coffin. You can't open it. It would be bad if you damage it."
At this moment, the rebels looked at each other, feeling absurd in their hearts, and thought that this man was so stupid that he was cute.
Where did this nerd come from? A young nobleman who has not experienced much of the world?
If it were normal years, a group of soldiers would not dare to provoke others rashly, but what time is it now?
Where is this place?
No matter who you are, if you dare to obstruct the inspection, it is undoubtedly an act of seeking death.
"Good, very good." The officer laughed in anger, his face turned completely cold, and he waved his hand:
"No need to open the coffin. Come, tie up these people and take them back for a thorough interrogation!"
The escort master Lao Huang was very anxious:
"General, is this possible? We have a pass, everything is in compliance..."
The officer swung his hand and hit him:
"Prince Jing has ordered a strict investigation of people crossing the border. The western line of the Huai River is now occupied by the pseudo-emperor's court. It is possible that those crossing the border are spies. Anyone who dares to stop them will be charged as a spy! Kill them without mercy!"
Old man Huang endured the slap and didn't dare to fight back.
The group of bodyguards seemed to be drenched in ice water and became motionless.
Huang Xiaorou was so anxious that her eyes turned red. She stared at Zhao Duan fiercely. The thing she was most worried about had happened. How could they, a group of bodyguards, dare to fight against the rebels?
Once Zhao Duan and his men were abducted and interrogated by the rebels, the result would be predictable. Even if they had no problems, they could still be framed and dealt with. As for the three female relatives, once they entered the military camp, their tragic ending would be predictable.
Even the entire caravan would be implicated.
Just when everyone's heart sank to the bottom and they felt chilled to the bone.
The officer's slap did not succeed, but stopped suddenly in mid-air.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and held the officer's arm in the air, preventing him from falling!
Zhao Duan stretched out his hand and lightly pinched the other person. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he said seriously:
"Xu Wen doesn't know how to discipline his soldiers, so I will take the trouble to manage them for him."
"You...who are you..."
The officer's eyes widened. He tried to struggle, but was horrified to find that his arms seemed to be restrained by iron and he could not move at all no matter how hard he struggled.
But the next second, Zhao Duan had lost his patience. A golden light flew out from his sleeves and instantly passed over the officer's neck.
Golden Crow Flying Knife!
(End of this chapter)