Tang Qi Tan

Chapter 168 Wild Rain (4200 words)
As a thoroughfare between the two capitals, almost all the places along the way are densely populated.Only when you travel westward and come to the Hangu Ancient Road, at the junction of Shanzhou and Guozhou, do you suddenly have the feeling of being in the wilderness.

I saw high mountains and deep gorge on one side, cliffs and magnificent horses, and ancient trees and dense forests, apes singing and birds flying.On the other side is a blue and yellow river rushing like a thread; from the river beach, platform and loess plateau on the opposite bank, large areas of peeled sand and mud are constantly washed down.The occasional boats and boats have also become extremely small.

But at the same time, the crowds encountered on the road also began to become sparse; especially after passing the Taolinsai ruins in the Warring States Period, after walking for two or three hours, it may not be possible to meet a meeting of business travelers and pedestrians; At this time, a downpour suddenly came.

Although it was hot in early summer, the sudden cold and rainy weather caused the temperature difference to easily make people sick.Therefore, at the intersection that crosses a large wild peach grove ahead, a wild shop encountered seems to be the first choice for Jiang Tian and others to take shelter from the rain.

Since it is a wild store in the wilderness, it is naturally not as formal and complete as the official posthouse; it looks like a large yard in a forest clearing from a distance.It's just that the outer soil wall used to prevent the intrusion of wild animals has already been mottled and peeled off with potholes and gaps.

And inside the wall, a two-story building with civil structure and a few simple sheds made of bamboo and wood can be seen vaguely; under the washing of the rain, the pebbled ground soon became It was slippery and muddy, and gathered into temporary streams.

In the shed, more than a dozen horses of various colors and donkeys and mules for transportation have already been tied up; two carriages, one large and one small, are also parked.Seeing the arrival of foreign guests, the guy who was waiting in the shed hurriedly ran over with an umbrella and stepped on the water, and greeted loudly regardless of getting wet.

Therefore, after stopping the carriages and horses, Jiang Tian and his party also stepped into the wild store building, and what they felt was a hot wind mixed with smoke, human voice and sweat; there were several tables of various people sitting in the vestibule of the lobby, And between the non-stop calls, the table was full of wine and food.

But in the back half of the empty lobby, there are many small rooms separated by a row of curtains and straw mats covered with grease and suspicious stains.And in these narrow rooms specially designed for pedestrians to rest, there is only room for a bamboo couch that can be used to lie down, and a short case on top of it.

But at this moment, it seems that most of these small rooms are used by people.Some of them had put down the curtain early and were sleeping soundly amidst the noise, snoring without hindrance; some were lying on the bamboo couch with their luggage in the single room where the curtain was opened, and were chewing happily.

There are also some who seem to be companions on the road, or friends who are new and old acquaintances, chatting in low voices in adjacent compartments; The donkey, looking at the book with the light coming in from the back wall.

But among all kinds of people, the most striking ones are the few men in black sitting in the corner.The color of their clothes seems to be similar to that of the original prison, but there are subtle differences in the decorations; and there is a person with a black hood faintly clustered between them.

This man had obvious shackles on his hands and feet, and was wearing a gray coarse cloth robe that didn't fit very well. His exposed limbs appeared thin and shriveled; however, the eyes of these gentlemen crossing the line never left this man for a moment. On the body, always maintain a frightening vigilance.

After seeing Murong Wu and others who followed Jiang Tian in.A little surprised, between the eyes, he briefly confirmed the information of his suspected colleague; then he turned his attention back to the prisoner they were imprisoning.After Jiang Tian took his seat, Murong Wu whispered in his ear:
"Recorder, I'm afraid these are not Wufang Tiqi under the Ministry of Criminal Justice, but belong to the (Northern) Xuanwu team that specializes in escorting prohibited and serious offenders."

(The earliest theory of riding horses originated from the knights wearing red uniforms. It is generally called the entourage of noble officials. See "Book of the Later Han·Haiguanzhi IV": "One person who holds Jinwu wins two thousand stones... one person is better than a thousand stones. Tiqi 200 people.")
According to his introduction in a few words, this is one of the legacy left by the senior traverser.That is, as a supplement to the traditional judicial system of criminal names after the expansion of the territory of the Tang Dynasty.The Ministry of Punishment at the end of the Six Departments has the power to issue rewards for criminals.

After all, after the country is vast and the people are martial arts, there will inevitably be some security problems and even crimes.And due to various reasons, they failed to be effectively apprehended; even in some chaotic and despicable places where the power of the government is beyond the reach, they formed a gathering place for outlaws.

At this time, it is the turn of those vigorous non-governmental organizations and people from the rivers and lakes that are officially registered or exist with tacit approval, to start to exert their subjective initiative and really come in handy.Because in addition to the amount of rewards posted, the other party's own life and death will not take up system resources.

Later on, it simply turned into various rankings published regularly, and began to absorb a large number of private resources and local government forces to participate in it.Originally, the Ministry of Punishment, which could only interrogate people below the seventh rank, also formally has the authority to supervise and guide officials in various prefectures and counties.

The establishment of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, which is directly under Wufang Tiqi, was born out of this growing need.The five tyrants have different responsibilities and emphases according to their positions.For example, the Xuanwu team with black body cards and pass (passes) is responsible for the escort and delivery of all kinds of felons.

And when Murong Wu had finished what he had said here, the waiter, wearing a white towel, came up to him with a wink, and while bowing and saying hello, he wiped the case vigorously and said, "The guest is well." Do you want some soup and rice? There are ready-made steamed buns (steamed buns) in the humble place, black noodles, brown noodles, yellow noodles, and white noodles, as well as stuffing such as cabbage heart, dried mushrooms, bacon, and mutton..."

"If the guests want to eat, there are also carved hummus and shredded yams, steamed rice with chicken head rice, as well as thick boiled wheat porridge and chestnut rice porridge... If the guest's mouth is dry, you can first have a cup of our oil soup The hot and spicy soup, one mouthful will make your lips and teeth salivate, and two mouthfuls will warm your body; if customers want to change their tastes, we also have leek leaf water biscuits (noodles) and Tangzhongluowan (dumplings)..."

"If the guests want to taste something fresh, there are also live water fish raised in tanks, ready-made lambs, live geese, chickens, self-grown vines, cress, and freshly picked dogwood and beans. Big pot The Sanjiao fish head, live mutton, and roasted goose with beans are quite appetizing and refreshing...By the way, we also have freshly brewed sweet potato wine and Sangu Hunjang, would you like a piece of it?"

Of course, to be able to make a living on such a thoroughfare, even a wild store needs some means and skills; therefore, except that the price may be a little more expensive.I'm not afraid of any black shop that kills people and sells goods.Otherwise, the government and army would have been alarmed several times.

Therefore, Jiang Tian ordered a chicken soup (minced chicken stewed eggs), a large portion of thinly sliced ​​stewed lamb, a pot of [-] palm-sized cabbage and steamed cakes stuffed with dried mushrooms; Using the boiling hot water provided by the store and the ground tea powder bag, I made a large pot of amber strong tea soup.

Then, pour the hot chicken soup, the fish sauce and sweet sauce that comes with it, and stir well.Then split the stuffing of the hot steamed cake in half, fill it with the mixed chicken soup and add the stewed mutton; eat the smooth and sweet chicken soup and the mellow old stewed gravy in your mouth, which is wonderful alternately taste.

As long as you take a few big mouthfuls of Meimei, and then drink it down with the bitter and sweet tea soup, you will immediately feel extra refreshing and warm, and you will feel refreshed and refreshed immediately.Therefore, in order to plan for the next journey; Jiang Tian asked someone to weigh ten catties of braised mutton and twenty long oven cakes baked on the stove.

Then, Li Huan told the shopkeeper to boil the bamboo pipes to bring in the mountain spring water; to refill everyone's water bladders and the bottles on the car; while Zhang Wusheng went out to feed the horses with fresh bean feed and hay.At this time, I called the waiter of the tray to come over; I finally settled the food money for a small half (340 Wen).

Although, in the posthouses and private hotels in the cities along the way, it is enough to book a yard and a whole day's board and lodging.But it is really nothing on the road where there is no village in front and no shop in back.In fact.Leaning in the corner of the lobby of this wild shop, you can bring your own dry biscuits and get free hot water, and there are not many barefoot men in short clothes who are shaking from eating.

Those who have a little money in their pockets can buy a bowl of miso soup with five subs, sprinkle some free chopped green onion and water celery, dip it in the cheapest big black-faced steamed cake, and use chopsticks without using both hands or grabbing it. A drink is a lunch.If the conditions are slightly better, order a bowl of Shuiyinbing (wide noodles) or soup balls (dumplings), and you can eat them loudly.

There are also people who are reluctant to ask for more expensive food, but buy a pot of relatively cheap muddy wine; then they take out a handful of roasted beans from their sleeve pockets, and they bite into the wine with a crisp sound.There are also people who manage the store to buy a large plate of boiled groundnuts, paired with better bean and potato wine, and drink it with a grin.

There are also merchants or scholars who seem to have a lot of money on hand. They ordered a bucket of wheat rice from the steamer, and then bought a bowl of Zouyoutang (stewed vegetables with lard residue) or Fenglatang (cornel sauerkraut and bacon minced soup). ), directly poured on the yellow-brown wheat germ, and stirred into a staple food with a strong taste; then buy a jug of filtered light wine to eat.

And the guests with better conditions will also order two bowls of yellow and easy-to-digest chestnut rice porridge, paired with a piece of latin or mutton steamed cake, and then some such as a quarter of white-cut, hand-torn boiled goose , or a piece of dry fried blood sausage with meat; the mouth is full of oil, but it is only a cost of one hundred and eighty yuan.

Therefore, Jiang Tian and others, who spent more than 300 yuan, were actually the customers who spent the most at this time.At this time, the rain outside was still dripping, showing no signs of stopping.Through the bamboo panes.The mountains and forests in the distance are still blurred in the rain,
Therefore, Jiang Tian and others continued to sit in a well-ventilated seat by the door and windows.Drinking the remaining tea soup, and slowly waiting for digestion with the salted melon, vinegared ginger and wine-soaked dried radish provided by the store.While listening to the din of various people in the lobby, they chatted quietly.

"Actually, in this hall, there are probably four people who are worth paying attention to." Murong Wu, who was full of food and drink, let go of his reserve a little bit, looked around and whispered: "First of all, the first one from the left behind the hall. The man in the five tents, although he is wearing a traveling uniform, judging by the sack and pouch at his waist, he is probably not an official who is on the way to his post; but his rank is relatively low, so he doesn't even have a retinue."

"Secondly, it's the guest on the back floor of the hall leaning against the railing; his walking pace and posture are likely to be from the army; but judging by his arm and grasping habits, I'm afraid he is not a good shooter "It's just that he leans on the railing to occupy a high place, but what is he waiting for and guarding against?"

"Then, there is the merchant at the sixth table in front of the left side of the door. You can see that he is dressed like a merchant, but his hands are thick and jointed, more like a person who often exerts strength; the companions at the same table are intentional or unintentional. I touched the space under my waist a few times, and it looks more like a guy with good use and manipulation."

"Finally, it's the one who looks like a traveling scholar..." When Murong Wu said this, there was an obvious neighing of his mount, as well as the heavy kicking and running sound that pierced through the rain.It also attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, which was still in a calm atmosphere.

Then, there was a gust of wind howling, and a figure in a hurry broke into the lobby suddenly;In the end, it crashed dully into the counter where the waiters gathered, making a loud crash.

Then Jiang Tian, ​​who was near the door, also smelled a very obvious bloody smell in his seat, and couldn't help frowning in secret.Then I saw the person rushing straight to the counter, he was a general wearing a military hat, two armor on his upper body, and a thick horizontal knife across his waist.

It's just that his iron-leaf-skinned upper body armor has been torn apart by some kind of thing, and the wounds oozing blood inside are faintly exposed.And he was also half-supporting and half-carrying a companion who seemed to be bleeding profusely; on the way he rushed over, the rain mixed with blood dragged a long path.

"Save people, save people!" I saw him yelling hoarsely to the inside and outside of the counter: "If you have any means, just take them out, or it will be too late." Following his yelling, the outside rushed in again. Several sergeants, also all wounded, with messy and broken armor, came.

I saw them sweeping away all obstacles with all their might, and recommended the seriously injured companion who had passed out to be placed flat on a relatively open counter; the blood was still dripping down. ; but the owner of the wild shop who was found out by the general school, said with a bitter face:

"General, general, please forgive me. The small shop is only engaged in cooking and food business, so why does it have any means of first aid for the injured!"

At this time, among the guests who were startled in the compartments behind the hall, but each kept silent.Suddenly someone came out and said: "Don't worry, this captain. I'm Xia Xingong, who was born in the third rank of Xin Chief. He is going to be a lieutenant in Gao'an (now Yichun, Jiangxi) in Hongzhou. He happened to bring some wound medicine. Maybe can help."

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(End of this chapter)