end song

Chapter 34 Absconding

The atmosphere in the outpost was oppressive.

The kerosene on the torch dripped on the ground, Wu Tian strode over and extinguished the drop of kerosene with one foot.

"It's all right, I searched everything, and there is no one in the backyard."

After Wu Tian reported, he couldn't help cursing angrily.

"Damn, these birds..."

Qiao Ju was very calm, with his hands behind his back, scanning the outpost.

Eighteen soldiers squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands, all of them were under Hong Deyi's command, which had already been confirmed.

Qiao Ju didn't interrogate them immediately, but observed first.

In this way, if you have your own judgment in your heart, you will not be distracted by other people's confessions.

"Tell me, what's going on?" Qiao Ju finally spoke, pointing to a soldier, "You talk first."

"Yes, Tiling here is the adopted son of a Mongolian nobleman named 'Tuo Tuo'. He was very enthusiastic and invited the centurion to drink with him. After drinking, they went to relieve their hands together. When they came back, the centurion let We're drinking here and saying he's taking sentries out to hunt fugitives...that's what it is."

As soon as Qiao Ju heard it, he understood that it was that Tuotuo who hijacked Hong Deyi.

He glanced at him, pointed at another person, and said, "Tell me, is there anything else you want to add?"

"The centurion and Tuotuo chatted very speculatively. They were called brothers, and they crossed their shoulders when they left."

Qiao Ju picked up a chopstick, put his hand on Wu Tian's shoulder, and the chopstick touched Wu Tian's back.If it was a dagger, one stab could go into the heart.

"Is that right?"

"Yes."

"How long have they been gone?"

"It's been more than half an hour."

Qiao Ju sighed, and asked again: "There are eighteen people left here, and there are six personal guards beside Centurion Hong?"

"It seems to be, I remember everything very clearly."

"How many fugitives are there?"

"There are more than a dozen people in total, we really didn't pay attention."

Qiao Ju thought for a while, and ordered Wu Tian to go out and continue the search.

He himself sat down, took out a pen and paper, and said, "Think carefully, what are the characteristics of those people."

"That Tuotuo is very young and handsome. With his hair loose like this, he looks like an ordinary person. I have never seen such... a person."

The soldier waved his hand and gestured, as if he didn't know how to describe it.

"Free and easy?" Qiao Ju used one word.

"Yes, yes, everything is true."

Qiao Ju took notes, and gradually sketched out the image of a person in his mind, muttering to himself: "Tuotuo..."

There was a lot of careful questioning, and suddenly there was a commotion outside.

Qiao Ju put down his pen and walked outside.

At this time, the sky is about to brighten, and a layer of light is blooming in the distant sky.He rode his horse to the vicinity of the sound, and heard someone shouting in front of him.

"Don't let him run away! Run after him!"

"Chase……"

The sound of hoofbeats was rapid, as if the nearby soldiers had found the Song people and were chasing them.

"It's all right, six corpses were found!"

Qiao Ju hurried into the woods, only to see Hong Deyi's six personal guards lying under the tree.

When I touched it, the body was already cold.

Qiao Ju then asked Wu Tian, ​​"Did you send soldiers to stop the escaped man?"

Wu Tian replied: "Yes."

Qiao Ju closed his eyes, shook his head, and said, "Then they have completely escaped from our encirclement."

The sky brightened quickly, and there were shouts in the distance again.

"Caught one!"

"Keep chasing!"

"It seems to be an empty horse? The front seems to be an empty horse..."

After a while, a soldier tied a man to Qiao Ju.

"who are you?"

The man opened his mouth, but there was only a cry of "Wow".

Qiao Ju pinched his face and looked carefully at his mouth.

"The tongue was cut, the wound was fresh, the bleeding was stopped, there is a very powerful doctor among the fugitives... Are you literate?"

The dumb man shook his head.

Qiao Ju picked up a stone, a hemp rope, and a rag from the ground.

"They blindfolded you and gave you a stone. You broke the rope after grinding for half an hour and broke free. When you saw six corpses surrounding you, you were terrified. Then you saw a horse. You got on the horse and ran away. ,yes?"

The dumb man nodded frantically and kept pointing at the back of his neck.

Qiao Ju went over to take a look, and saw that the Zhang family's logo was branded on the back, and the Mongolian captives branded on the front.

"Zhang Rongzhi's people?"

The dumb man nodded again.

Qiao Ju sighed regretfully, turned around and left, and said flatly: "Your master is dead, you can't survive."

Wu Tian understood, and with a wave of his hand, a soldier stepped forward and wiped the dumb man's neck with a knife...

~~
On this day, Qiao Ju was busy until evening.

"It's all right. The guard at the west gate of Xiacai City said that Hong Deyi led fifteen sentries into the city just after dawn and when the city gate opened."

"Search carefully, but don't disturb the people."

"Yes……"

"It's all right. I found it. They booked five rooms at the Wanghuai Inn in the city, but when I arrived, I only found the clothes of these sentinels. They changed their clothes, so it may be difficult to search for them. In addition, I found Hong Deyi." , In the firewood room of the inn, they chopped off the head and placed it in front of this thing."

Qiao Ju took a look and saw that it was a piece of firewood, on which was written "Sacrifice to my twelve brothers" in rough and bold handwriting.

He was silent, and his face became more and more serious.

"It's all right, the clue... seems to be broken?"

"Then look for clues." Qiao Ju said: "Take control of the Huaihe River, don't let them escape back to the Song Dynasty, and force them to continue going north. I will catch them in the north."

"Do you know where they're going?"

"The reason why they took that official road is probably going to Yingzhou, which is one of the few prefectural cities in Henan that are not guarded by the Zhang family."

"But Yingzhou is so big..."

"It doesn't matter." Qiao Ju said: "In this way, you will block all the official roads in Shouzhou for ten days. I will go back to Bozhou first, transfer people to Yingzhou to deploy, and catch a turtle in an urn..."

~~
Xia Cai outside the city.

A group of 15 fugitives had already dressed up as civilians, divided into three groups, and found three villages and towns to rest.

Li Xia, Han Chengxu, Han Qiaoer, Liu Jinsuo, and Bai Mao entered Guiji Town as a group of five.

Liu Jinsuo and Bai Mao were careless, so they rested in the Earth Temple at the entrance of the town, while Li Xia took the grandparents of the Han family to find a private house for the night.

After settling down, Li Xia and Han Chengxu lay down and asked, "Does Mr. Han know Hao Jing?"

Han Chengxu said: "I heard that he was born in Lingchuan and was born in the Hao family in Taiyuan. The Hao family lived together for generations. They were Confucianists and professors in the village. They were a prominent family in the county, but they did not serve in the Jin Dynasty. Uncle Xi became famous. At that time, I had already returned to the Great Song Dynasty, just because I paid more attention to the things in my hometown, and knew that he was very famous, and he was a great Confucianist in the world."

Li Xia asked again: "Qiao Ju is the apprentice he taught, is he very powerful?"

"In this troubled world, those who can become famous must have real skills..."

Han Chengxu said, his voice gradually lowered.

Li Xia turned his head and took a look, and saw that the old man had fallen asleep while talking.

That's right, the old man couldn't bear it after staying up all night and running around all day.

"Go to sleep, I want to get a good night's sleep too." Li Xia whispered to himself.

Han Qiaoer lay down beside his bed and asked softly, "Brother Li, can I untie your hair for you?"

"it is good."

"It's not dark yet, don't you tell a story today?"

"Sleepy."

Only Han Qiaoer slept soundly last night. Of course she was not sleepy, so she sat obediently by the bed, untied his two braids, and gently smoothed his hair.

Afterwards, she didn't lie down on her little bed, but just lay there watching Li Xia and Han Chengxu, and felt that it was good to have her grandfather and brother Li living here together.

~~
Gongzhuang five miles away.

"Brother, if you let those chicken-crowing dogs steal away, they won't take the opportunity to escape, right?" Liu Chun asked Nie Zhongyou.

Nie Zhongyou was in his thirties, and after two days and one night, he was so sleepy that he sat there half asleep, hearing the words and not talking.

He has always been impolite, and he doesn't answer others at all times, and he doesn't know if he is asleep at this time.

After hearing this, Lin Zi pointed at Liu Chun and the other two imperial guards, and sneered, "It's not the three of you, who insisted on arguing at a time like last night and disgraced our imperial guards, who would like to be with you."

Except for Liu Chun, the other two are called Wang Shun and Wang Bao, they are a pair of cousins, they bowed their heads when they heard this.

Liu Chundao: "It's my choice, it has nothing to do with them. If it weren't for those Dali people, we wouldn't be in this situation. Even now, I still say the same thing, and the man will never change his mouth."

"I can get you." Lin Zi snorted coldly and said, "Even though it's such a thing, you can't say it, understand?"

As he spoke, he took off his pants and applied medicine to the wound on his leg.

Liu Chun took the medicine in his hand and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, I'll come."

Lin Zi sighed, and said: "Actually, I also feel the same way. I feel bad for losing twelve brothers because of some foreigners, but what should I do? This is a major event, and if you say it, you will miss the major event. Then shut up, don't be like a mother-in-law, jabbering."

Liu Chun glanced at Nie Zhongyou and said, "Got it."

Lin Zi thought for a while and asked Nie Zhongyou: "Brother, Liu Jinsuo is a rough man. If one of them is not caught, Li Xia and the others won't escape, right? How about I go to Guiji Town?"

"His father is in my hands, and he cannot escape."

"Brother, you are confused, his father is not in our hands."

"He thought his father was in my hands."

Lin Zi said: "I don't think so? He is so smart, he didn't realize that his father is not in our hands? What do you think?"

Liu Chun, Wang Shun, and Wang Bao nodded one after another.

"He must have seen it."

Nie Zhongyou didn't speak again.

Lin Zi broke his mouth and said endlessly: "So many people have died, it is hard to guarantee that they will not be afraid. The white-haired mouse is in our hands, so it will not run away. But it would be a pity if Li Xia ran away." .”

Nie Zhong shook his head and nodded suddenly.

He raised his head, as if he was awake, and murmured: "Sleep, if Li Xia is still there tomorrow, I'll talk to him..."

(End of this chapter)