Chapter 171：

Shao Gong was unable to resist the decision of her sister, so the group of horses hurriedly got off the official road before it was dark and no one was around. He stepped on the hard ground with his feet low, and found a hidden corner to set up camp before dark. That night everyone dared not make a fire, so they had to feed their hunger with spring water and dry food. Fortunately, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold at this time, even if there was no bonfire, it would not be difficult to resist the cold. A felt blanket was enough for the night.

The Shao Shang asked the guards to keep watch in shifts, and ordered the maids to dye spices to drive away mosquitoes, rats, ants, and so on until dawn. In the dark night, Shao Gong looked at his sister's calm orders, and suddenly said, "Did Huo Budo teach you all of these?" - Mrs. Xiao definitely didn't teach you, and Dad Cheng didn't have the time to teach, so the only thing left was that people.

Shao Shang froze and didn't look back: "...Can't I learn it by myself?"

The night wind whistled softly across the open field, quiet and cold. Except for the guards on duty, everyone has rested, and Shao Shang, who has no sleepiness, sits alone in front of the tent, hugging his knees. Around - she suddenly thought of 'he'.

When the army was outside, when the night was quiet, did he ever look up at the sky outside the tent like this?

The cold night in Mobei was dripping into ice, how did he survive, but he had enough clothes to keep out the cold. When he left in a hurry, I don't know if she brought him the gloves and knee pads, but most of them were I didn't bring it, otherwise he wouldn't have frostbite on the back of his hand...

Shao Shang didn't sleep all night, and when the first light blue appeared in the sky, he immediately asked two scouts from Qingqi to inquire about the news, and at the same time ordered people to cook rice in a pot, so that everyone could eat a hot meal . The rice was cooked and the soup was hot, and when Shao Gong stretched out from the tent, he saw that his sister didn't even bother to eat the rice, and was focusing on a map to check it repeatedly.

Soon, the two light riders rushed back, and she hurriedly asked about the situation.

One of the slightly younger Qingqi was out of breath, and the other Su Se replied: "Reporting to the young lady, that canyon road is really not right. Let's go to the wine shop to find out, old man. The shopkeeper said that there were no merchants heading south yesterday. Who knew that after we left, a group of people came to visit relatives in the south. So we immediately chased after them. No trace is seen."

At this time, the younger knight took a deep breath: "The old shopkeeper of the wine shop clearly said that there are more than 20 people and four or five cars in that family. We passed through the gorge at the same time, how could it disappear out of thin air when we were halfway there. So we went back and searched, and we found that there was a faint trace of blood on one of the gorges, but it was covered with yellow sand. We walked forward for a while. , I found that the soil at the foot of the mountain seemed to be newly excavated, so I dug it up and took a look - the young lady, there are actually many corpses...!"

Shao Gong almost overturned the porridge bowl in his hand: "Is there such a thing?!"

"Could it be for money?" Shaoshang asked.

The older knight said: "It doesn't look like it, although I only glanced at it, but I saw a few women still have silver bracelets on their wrists, um... a baby in swaddling. The golden anklet is still there." He couldn't bear to speak the last words.

Shao Shang's expression became cold, Shao Gong shook the bamboo chopsticks and asked, "Maybe it's revenge?"

"It's not like, everyone's heads are there." The young knight said.

Shao Shang nodded - the standard process of revenge in the time, always cut off the head to comfort someone or something. He Zhaojun did this in the past. There will be no time to cut the head.

"It is neither for money nor for vengeance, it seems that there is no other plan." She said coldly.

Shao Gong put down the bowls and chopsticks, and said anxiously: "Curly, it seems that there is indeed a group of gangsters outside, but I don't know who is coming, let's hurry back to Mrs. Qu."

Shao Shang pondered for a moment, and then asked the two knights: "In your opinion, how many people are in this group."

Shao Gong's heart skipped a beat, and she had a premonition that her sister was going to make trouble again.

Estimating the number of enemies is the scout's skill, the older knight said: "Judging from the masked fighting marks, the number is about two hundred. Four or five hundred." Generally, one-third of the troops will be left behind, at most half.

Shao Shang agreed: "Yes, I also think that it is at most five or six hundred, no more. The prefects of the prefectures and counties under Liang Zhoumu's rule will not be so negligent that they put in nearly a thousand thieves and don't know it. "Especially in such a current situation, the prefects are afraid that something will happen under their rule, so they must double their control over weapons and armaments.

The young palace was listening to the clouds and mists, watching her sister summon the four chiefs of the guards and the other two Chengfu family members to the tent, and so on.

"...I just hope this move won't be too big." She pressed both hands on the map and sighed deeply.

A leader clasped his fists and said: "Young lady, don't worry, those who kill innocent people will die, not to mention the order of the lady, our brothers see it on weekdays and want to intervene!"

The rest of the people responded and walked away.

After the people left, Shao Gong suddenly got up and roared, "What are you going to do?!"

Shao Shang's eyes didn't leave the map: "I want to do things for heaven."

"Stop it!"

Shao Shang looked at his brother: "I asked people to pretend to go to the Chakou liquor store to buy food and drink, and there were rumors - it is known that a passerby was killed on the gorge road last night. Fortunately, I was unwell yesterday afternoon. , set up camp in the nearby wilderness to rest, and then escaped the disaster. Now, out of fear, I have decided to return to the original road and go to the nearest prefect of Anguo County to take shelter. On the way back, except for the lush valley that I passed by before, there is nothing else. But in the resting place, because of my poor health and slow travel, I had to buy a lot of things."

"You want to lure snakes? You are crazy, people are planning badly, we can't hide in time, you have to catch up! You are so bold, wait for me to tell my parents, look They don't beat you!" Shao Gong's forehead throbbed violently, "You've done something wrong again! When you should be bold, you hesitate to step by step, and when you should be careful, you fight and demolish bridges recklessly. I really don't know which life you have been repaired for!"

After losing his temper, he softly persuaded: "Why are you doing this, maybe people aren't coming for you at all."

Shao Shang's eyes were calm: "If it wasn't for me, there would be no movement when I heard the wind I let out. If it really came at me... Hmph, once I return to the prefect's office Even with Madam Qu, they will not dare to pursue, so they have to stop me before I go back."

"That's not right! When we go back, won't we catch these **** slowly!"

"When we go back, of course they can't catch me, and I can't catch them - I still don't know where these people come from, how to catch them?!" Shaoshang's voice was stern , "Those innocent people died because of me, they can't die in vain!"

Shao Gong was silent.

Shao Shang found a small wooden box from the luggage, and put his hands at least in front of the palace: "Here are the pie stickers that my mother gave me before I left, and the thousands of dollars that my sister gave me. A letter from Jiayin, asking the third brother to lead a few guards to the Anguo county seat on horseback. The governor of Anguo county has been a good friend of Uncle Wan for many years. ."

She saw the disapproval of her brother's face, and smiled: "The situation is unstable now, if an ordinary guard sends a letter to ask for help, the prefect of the county is afraid that someone will move the tiger away from the mountain, and maybe he will hesitate, so he has to get the third brother. You can't go there in person. It takes three hours to get from here to the administrative center, and it takes at least two hours for the prefect of the county to send troops to the bottom of the valley."

"The third brother knows my temper. He has been a stubborn **** since he was a child, and there is no cure. Now that I have made up my mind, the third brother is useless. Maybe I can get there before I meet my opponent."

Shao Gong looked at the beautiful face that was five or six points similar to himself, for a long time, he felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart, and sighed: "You must wait for me to come back!"

Watching the four fast horses raise the dust, Cheng Shaogong and the three guards galloped away, and Shaoshang immediately began to act.

First send a group of people to the gorge to exhume the corpses, and at the same time leave the luggage and the unarmed maids and maids in place, the rest carry weapons and the things prepared by the young merchants in advance, light and fast The horse hurried on the road and bought straw and wooden boards from the farmhouse along the way. When the sun reached three poles, everyone finally arrived at the lush valley.

It is said to be a valley. In fact, there are only a gentle hillside on the east and west sides. There is a road for three or four vehicles to run parallel to each other in the north and south. Follow the excavated shallow ditch to the farmland canal outside.

The young merchants immediately dispatched people, one group of people buried the pot to make rice, one group of people worked at the place designated by the young merchants, and one group of people built a 'special' simple thatched pavilion in the middle of the valley. After everything was arranged, everyone sat down and had a full lunch. At this time, someone finally asked—"Young lady, who am I going to beat?"

Lao Tzu quit'.

Especially this time, the young merchants are either following the old part of Cheng Shi who has followed Cheng Shi for many years, or the elites she has trained meticulously. Strictly speaking, Shaoshang lets them fight wherever they want, and it doesn't matter if they lose their heads.

However, it's better to boost morale... At this time, the men who were sent to exhume the corpses came back, and brought back the corpses of those people who died in vain in four or five flatbed trucks.

The young merchants gathered people, stood on a high place, and said in a high voice: "This trip, I thought it was calm, delicious and delicious, and after the declaration of the Queen Mother's wishes, I will I can go to Jingyang and Yang to see the sister-in-law of Wu Nong Water Village..."

The crowd laughed.

"Now, it seems that this good thing will be delayed." Shaoshang emphasized, "Someone wants to kill me! Am I going to kill me!"

"Of course not!" the crowd shouted.

Not for me, but for them!"

All eyes salvo.

Shao Shang took out a bamboo slip and said solemnly: "This is a family letter found from the corpse. They were originally from Jingzhou, and later branched out to settle in Yuzhou. The ancestors were going to celebrate their 80th birthday, and their uncle's daughter was about to get married. They were so affectionate, they went out to visit relatives and drank the birthday wine together. Who knows that the world has no eyes, but the whole family was killed. Everyone sees it. Look…"

Even the younger ones shed tears when they saw the bodies of little girls and young children on the wooden cart.

"They are both raised by their parents, and they all have close relatives. Just because a group of beasts deserved to be struck by the sky and thunder, now the happy event has turned into a mourning. When the news spreads, their family will be so grief-stricken …”

This time even the veterans looked solemn, and the others cried or gritted their teeth, shouting—

"Kill these beasts!"

"It's not as good as killing these beasts!"

"Never let them go!"…

Fu Deng stood behind Shaoshang, wiping tears and thinking: My mother really has a good eye. When I was in the country house, I could see at a glance that the little girl is very good.

The shrunk version of the pre-war mobilization ended, Shaoshang sat alone in the pavilion, and the rest waited quietly according to the arrangement.

In three moments, the shadow of the sun slanted westward, and the sound of horses’ hooves came from the channel south of the bottom of the valley. The heavy vibrations hit the eardrums of everyone through the air and soil. Immediately issued an order secretly.

There are probably five or six hundred people in Taniguchi.

Shao Shang rode on the horse and said loudly: "The old man is here, why don't you show up to see him?"

The masked riding team separated from the middle, and a riding girl accompanied by four maids slowly rode out from the crowd. She saw this person next to Shaoshang, and smiled contemptuously, with an elegant posture He took off the veil and handed it to the maid on the side: "I heard your intentions, and I came here to meet you. Why don't you come forward to meet you, Master Shao Shang?"

Shao Shang saw the familiar face and smiled slightly: "I vaguely guessed it was you, but I didn't dare to confirm it."

Luo Jitong slowly stroked the whip in his hand: "Why don't you dare to confirm?"

"I have too many enemies to identify."

Luo Jitong smiled softly: "How can you, a little girl, have many enemies, is it that you are too unbearable?"

"There's no way, who is the woman who secretly covets Huo Buxuan to fill the mountains and fill the sea."

Luo Jitong's face sank: "At this time, you still dare to speak your mind! When I peel you and dig your heart, I want to see what Huo Busu's face looks like!"

"Speaking of words..." Shao Shang suddenly changed his tone and said with a sense of disappointment, "I've known you for so many years, six years ago you pretended to be a virtuous woman from a book, six years ago After that, you can't wait to eat me. To be honest, you and I have never had a good talk."

She pointed behind her with a horsewhip, "I don't know if Sister Jitong is willing to cook wine and talk to me."

The maid beside Luo Jitong immediately said: "Young lady, beware of deceit, it's better to end this matter as soon as possible." Luo Jitong didn't take it seriously and smiled: "Cheng Shaoshang, don't think I am I don't know that you have sent people to Anguo County to ask for help, but they won't arrive until evening at the latest. With just your troops, I can kill you all within half an hour."

Shao Shang's brows were fixed: "Since you have the chance to win, why not talk."

Luo Jitong nodded in agreement, so he waved his hand to let the men and horses behind him follow, and Shao Shang signaled the men and horses behind him to step back, so that the men and horses on both sides occupy half of the valley.

Shao Shang dismounted, stretched out his hand to welcome guests: "This is the pavilion I just built, Lady Luo, don't dislike it." Then, according to the etiquette of host and guest, he sat straight to the north seat.

Luo Jitong saw that this pavilion was transparent on all sides and could not ambush anyone, so he walked in and sat opposite Shao Shang.

There is a small pottery stove on the table.

Shaoshang scooped two scoops of wine and poured them into two amphora, then pushed the two cups in front of Luo Jitong and let her choose first. Luo Jitong glanced at her, stretched out his hand to the cup on the right, hesitated, and took the cup on the left.

Drinking a cup, Luo Jitong said with emotion: "This is what you brewed yourself, it is more fragrant than the rice wine from the big workshop in the palace. In fact, His Majesty loves to drink the wine you brewed, but he did not boast. you."

"I know that because brewing requires a lot of polished rice, Your Majesty is afraid that it will lead to extravagant and wasteful habits. In fact, soon after you leave, I will be able to use brown rice and corn to make good wine." Shao Shang took a sip.

Luo Jitong looked around, although this pavilion is simple, but the structure is exquisite. The feet are flat wooden boards, covered with thick dry straw, four long pillars are erected with several strings of straw wind chimes, and a thin permeable fine woven silk cloth is stretched on the top of the head, which not only avoids direct sunlight, but also Make the pavilion bright and bright.

Although it was early autumn at this time, Luo Jitong was still a little hot when he was riding a horse. Fragrance, she couldn't help sighing: "You used to be like this, obviously the rules and etiquette are messed up, but there are many wonderful ideas in small places, especially enjoyment, no one is more enlightened."

Shao Shang wanted to delay the time as much as possible, so he pretended not to care: "You tell me where I should learn and where I shouldn't, and the niece says that I am profitable every day."

Luo Jitong looked at both sides of the Maoting, the slopes were gentle, and there was no way to place rolling stones or other ambushes, and then looked at the mere sixty or seventy people in front of him, and said lightly: "You don't need to think about procrastination, If I talk to you for at most half an hour, you will inevitably die today."

Shao Shang said calmly, "If I didn't intend to wait for you, you might not be able to sit and say this. I waited for you, but just wanted to ask you, are you losing your mind? You dare to do such crazy things involving the family! Behind you are the soldiers of the Luo family and the Jianghu tourists recruited with a lot of money. In order to kill me, you unscrupulously slaughtered the people, and you also intend to destroy the corpses and traces, no matter if I die If you don't die, my three brothers will always spread the word, don't you care about your father, brother and family..."

"Stop bluffing, one, your third brother may not know it's me, and two, he has no evidence." Luo Jitong is sensitive and not a generalist, "After I killed you , and then head to Jingzhou from the south. Jingzhou has a vast hinterland, and when I wash my hands and feet, I say that I am in the south to relax, who can insist that I killed you?!"

Shao Shang was silent for a moment: "It seems that I underestimated you... Does Huo Budo know your ability?"

Luo Jitong's expression changed, and his eyes seemed to be filled with fog: "...he is five years older than me, and he just left the palace when I entered the palace. Yue only came to Changqiu Palace to visit the Empress once or twice. At that time, I would hide behind the curtain and peek at him secretly. Over the years, I saw him so many times, but I didn't even say a word."

"You can find it and talk to you by yourself. It's going to be difficult to wait for Huo Budo to talk to you." Shao Shang rarely said a fair word.

Luo Jitong: "He turns a blind eye to all women, and I am not the only one. So I am curious, how did you meet him? Why you, why not me."

Shao Shang opened his mouth, and said, "...You may not believe it. Except for the divorce six years ago, most of the relationships between me and him cannot be decided by me."

Luo Jitong's tone was dry: "Yes, he is such a person, he looks gentle and kind, but he is actually stubborn. It is useless for anyone to like him, he has to like him himself. When I counted on it, I made up my mind not to pay attention to him, but... but it's easier said than done..."

"He was born so graceful and beautiful, he acted slowly and spoke slowly. He was attentive when he looked at you, and he was polite when he spoke. Never." - So gentle, so cold.

The sentimental crush of her girlhood.

"He is a dream I have had since I was a child. He is as far away as the morning light on the top of the mountain and the Yaotai on the sea. It is beautiful but out of reach. I can't wait hopelessly. …”

She glanced at Shaoshang, with a sad expression, "Who would have woken up from a dream one day. I remember that early that morning, Zhai Li said to me with a smile, 'Eleven Lang is going to marry a woman, it is himself I’m really thankful for the person I liked’—I don’t even know how I got here all day, like a walking corpse.

Speaking of this, Luo Jitong's eyes suddenly burned with fire, and his resentment was fierce: "If a dream is always a dream, and no one can touch it, I will forget it, but then I I know, it turns out that dreams can come true, and Shirou will like women! But why you, why not me?!"

Rao Shaoshang was bold, and when he met Luo Jitong's frantic eyes, he couldn't help but lean back.

Luo Jitong stared at Shaoshang: "The first time I saw you, Your Majesty decided to marry you and Zisheng, and the second time I saw you, he pulled you into His Majesty's seat. Family banquet. I entered the palace earlier than you, was taller than you, and was smarter and more virtuous than you, but I could only serve by the queen's side, serve dishes and wine, and I was not qualified to be on an equal footing with the princes and princesses!"

Shao Shang felt that his opponent was a little excited, and slowly moved the seat back.

"At that time, the East Sea King already had a concubine, the Huai'an King's husband and wife were in love, the third prince and the fourth prince were from Yue Niangniang's side, the fifth prince... hum, not to mention... the rest of the princes are still young. At the Sun Palace banquet, I kept peeking at you, I thought, how can I sit upright at His Majesty's banquet, instead of bowing like a palace maid - and then I saw Mr. Huo. Well, things are back to where they were. , the way out is still in him." Luo Jitong's eyes shone with a strange light, greedy and cruel.

"So, you and the Fifth Princess framed me together?" Shaoshang said coldly.

Luo Jitong glanced at her: "The fifth princess has to marry into the Yue family, I have no hope."

"I said how did you get married to the Northwest earlier at that time? It turned out to be because you were afraid of what would happen. It was ridiculous that I really took you as a friend and was reluctant to part with you." Shaoshang said bitterly,

I think, is it because God has mercy on me and finally gave me a way out!"

"Well, God has mercy on you, so you turned around and killed your husband?" Shaoshang sneered.

Luo Jitong's eyes were cold: "Anyway, he's always going to die. That sick seedling has been like a living zombie for more than ten years. I let him live a happy life for several months before he died, and he was considered dead. No regrets."

"Death with no regrets? Is this what Jia Qilang said?" Shao Shang was incredulous, "It's okay if you have no guilt, and you are still righteous?! I heard that Jia Qilang's parents treated you like Daughter, you also went to Huo Budo to propose marriage for you, aren't you half touched?"

"They treat me well, firstly because I serve them comfortably, and secondly because of the reputation of the Jia family. Now in the northwest Zhucheng, who doesn't say that the Jia family has a noble family style, and the elders are honest and kind Good, the little girls are looking forward to marrying in."

"You really are a great talent!" Shao Shang smirked, "You can talk about such evil things without changing your face!"

"I didn't seduce men!" Shaoshang got angry and stood up from the table.

"Huh, you naturally refuse to admit it, but you can tell yourself, why do those men look at a vulgar and shallow woman like you!"

Shao Shang almost spat out a mouthful of old blood—if only she knew!

"Have you said enough!" She fought back her anger, "It's up to me to say enough!"

Luo Jitong snorted coldly.

Shao Shang took a deep breath: "You said it righteously, as if you know Huo Budo best in the world! Well, I'll ask you now, you killed innocent people yesterday, if Huo Budo knows What will you say?"

Luo Jitong's face twitched, and he said firmly: "Those who make big things are not careful."

"What a big deal to kill me!"

Shaoshang clapped the table with both hands: "What kind of person is Huo Budo, you just said the table, I'll tell you - he will drag the hole in order not to delay the farming season. His shoulders galloped back and forth for hundreds of miles to kill thieves! In order not to trample on the seedlings of the people, even if he was so tired that he would fall off his horse, he insisted on detouring and marching! He never let go of the family banquets of the emperors of fame, fortune, and wealth that you were thinking of. In my eyes! As long as Haihe and Yanqing have no disturbance in the government, he will be happy to let his horse go to Nanshan, the vast sea and the snowy mountains, and the world with swords! A **** like you who is insatiable and greedy for his mediocre pursuits and kills innocents indiscriminately, you deserve to mention him too?!"

She finished speaking in one breath—to go to the horse to delay the time, fight, fight, whoever is afraid of not succeeding!

Luo Jitong's face turned blue and black, pointed at her and said sharply: "You, how dare you..."

Shao Shang stood up proudly and looked at her coldly: "Finally, I will tell you two things."

"First, no matter how many troops you have defeated the enemy, never fight in a place that has been pre-placed by others."

"Second, everything I will teach you next is taught by Huo Buxiao!"

Not waiting for Luo Jitong to let the maid beside him draw his sword, Shao Shang shouted loudly: "Do it!"

Fu Deng, who was standing outside the pavilion, raised something in his hand, and the thatched pavilion where the two women were sitting instantly burst into flames.