Start with the humble bridegroom

Chapter 360

Horses cannot run continuously.

So after about twenty miles away from the market, Zhang Zhe and his team found a place with aquatic plants to rest for a while.

This is a small puddle, and a piece of green and yellow weeds beside the puddle.

These horses were obviously starving too. It only took them a short time to eat up the semi-hay area of ​​several acres, and the water level in the small puddle was also reduced by half.

Zhang Zhe frowned a little. He hoped that the drought in the grassland would not spread to Yunshang County, otherwise he would be worried to death this winter.According to the household register of the imperial court, there are about 2 county residents in Yunshang County, most of whom are descendants of slaves who fled south from the grasslands to the Central Plains.It might be difficult for these people to get through this winter safely.

Everyone set off again. Obviously, Tamer hadn't discovered Zhang Zhe's trick at the moment, so they didn't chase after him.More than a hundred people walked forward for more than ten miles, and finally entered the range of the ancient road.

The ancient road is actually a dirt road that has been in disrepair for a long time, and most of the sections have been damaged due to collapse or weathering.More than a hundred people and two hundred horses could only advance along the wasteland beside the road.

"This place is already under the rule of the Patriarch!" Xie Lun pointed to the wilderness in front of him and said to everyone, "I heard someone say that the ancient road should belong to Wuxiang County."

Yunshang County governs one county and two counties, two of which are Zhaoding County and Wuxiang County.

"Then how soon can we get to the county?" Zhang Sanqi cheered up when he heard this.

However, Gao Deshu gave a wry smile: "At least ten days, as many as a few months, and it may even never arrive. Don't underestimate this county. It is at least six hundred miles from east to west, comparable to a road in the Central Plains. It’s just that the population is too small. From the ancient road, it takes [-] miles of wasteland and [-] miles of yellow sand to reach Wuxiang County. From ancient times to the present, I don’t know how many people have thrown their lives in this wasteland and sand sea. .”

Seeing Zhang Sanqi's mouth opened wide in shock, Zhang Zhe chuckled.

"After you see Zhaoding County, don't be surprised. That is Guangzhi County, the number one place in the world." Zhang Zhe took the lead in riding his horse. The reputation of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains is something that the court does not want to give up. In fact, the princes in the court have long regarded Yunshang County as tasteless."

Zhang Sanqi answered immediately, he heard Zhang Zhe said this.

"Do you know what tasteless ribs mean? That means it's tasteless to eat, and it's a pity to throw away!"

It happened that Zhang Sanqi's horse stepped on a huge piece of mud with one hoof, and the dry and cracked mud instantly turned into dust and scattered, bringing up a cloud of dust.

Zhang Sanqi covered his mouth and nose and said, "It's strange, since passing through Qishan County, the heavy snow has disappeared without a trace. How long has it been since there was no rain or snow here?"

Hearing Zhang Sanqi talking to himself, Zhang Zhe became more worried about the situation in Yunshang County, and he suddenly looked back.I don't know where the fifth and sixth uncle's convoy is?

But then Zhang Zhe gave up his delusion, Zhang Wuliu's convoy would arrive in Yunshang County, and it would be after the beginning of spring at the earliest.Hundreds of carts of grain, not to mention the slow speed, Zhang Wuliu's convoy would never have been able to cross the Yellow River years ago due to the government's inspection along the way and the heavy snow in Dazheng.

"There are chariots and horses ahead~!" Ganxiu Pegasus, who was leading the people exploring the way ahead, ran back, "A team of chariots and horses is coming towards us, there is a big cart, and there are hundreds of people walking on their legs .”

From the other side of the ancient road?That can only come from Yunshang County!
"Go! Go and see."

Hundreds of people and more than two hundred riders brought a cloud of smoke and dust, and drove quickly to the front.

The convoy over there saw the smoke and dust of the cavalry in the distance, and immediately panicked. Someone wanted to escape from the convoy, but was slashed to death by the guard with a knife.

"Now that the Hu people have negotiated peace with Da Zheng, we will not be intercepted and killed on the ancient road. If there are slaves who dare to take the opportunity to escape, be careful, this person will end!"

A man in charge yelled loudly at the entire convoy for a while, then walked towards Zhang Zhe, turning his head three times at a step, shaking his calves.

Zhang Zhe's cavalry has stopped 200 meters away from the convoy.

The scimitars hanging from the waists of hundreds of soldiers made the opposite convoy fall into silence.

"Greetings to the master~!"

The steward of the team knelt down ten steps before Zhang Zhema.

"What is your name, my lord? This is the newly appointed prefect of Yunshang County, Mr. Zhang!" Xie Lun looked coldly at the lying corpse in the distance, "How dare you kill someone in front of my lord? How courageous~!"

When the steward heard that the young man was the newly-appointed prefect of Yunshang County, he immediately broke into a profuse sweat.

"No, no, this person is a servant of my family, and he dared to escape privately, so he was put to death as a warning!"

"You said he was your family's servant, so he is your family's servant?" Gao Deshu put his hand on the handle of the knife.

The person in charge scrambled back a few steps, knocking his head on the mud floor continuously, looking embarrassed.The most important people in the convoy were all sitting on several large carts. Seeing that Zhang Zhe was about to question the crime, they no longer cared about covering it up, and got down a few people who seemed to be pampered.

"The Li family of Yunshang County looked east and met the prefect!"

"Shangguan's quilt in Yunshang County, I have seen the prefect!"

"Yunshang County Luo's public election, I have met the prefect!"

Seeing these three people bowing slightly to him, Zhang Zhe looked at the clothes they were wearing.

"They are all from Yunshang County," Zhang Zhe sneered in his heart. He had never heard that there would be a family in Yunshang County, and they were all descendants of escaped slaves in the north. "I don't know if they all hold any positions in the county?"

Li Dongwang smiled: "We are just gentry in the county, and we don't attach importance to being an official."

Zhang Zhe still smiled: "Since he is a gentry, he must have the fame of the imperial court. Dare to ask for advice?"

This question stopped the three of them.

Na Luo Gongju's face darkened: "The imperial court has ignored Yunshang for decades, but told me to wait where to go to test my fame?"

"Bold~!" Zhang Sanqi yelled, "With no fame, how dare you not kneel when you see the eunuch~!? Who are you going to bow to?"

Gao Deshu directly pulled out the knife and pointed at the three of them with the tip of the knife.

"The whole place on the cloud is full of escapees from the north, but where did some nobles come out?"

Seeing that the Patriarch suffered a disadvantage, the twenty or so nurses in the convoy drew their weapons and rushed forward.

But only the sound of the bowstring was heard, and the leader screamed and fell to the ground, but Xie Lun took the time to put away the bow and arrow.The hundred soldiers behind Zhang Zhe put their hands on the handle of the knife.

"Forgive me, the prefect! I will know my mistake!" Seeing that the situation was not good, the three hurriedly knelt down.

Only Luo Gongju was still cursing secretly when he knelt on the ground.

In the past ten years, when have their families suffered such grievances in Yunshang County?
"Brother Luo, don't lose your composure," Shangguan Qin gently pulled Luo Gongju, and persuaded in a low voice, "We are almost at Qinguan, if you offend this prefect, you and I may never be able to enter the Central Plains!"

Luo Gongju had no choice but to admit defeat when he heard the words, thinking: In the future, he must be more careful. After entering the customs, he can't be as arbitrary as his family in Yunshang County. , It's not easy to catch.

Several people kowtowed to Zhang Zhe, but Zhang Zhe didn't call out.

"Why did your family come east?"

"Responding to your lord's words," Li Dongwang replied seemingly respectfully, "I waited for several families to hear that the ancient way has been opened, the ancestors in the family have not returned to their homeland for hundreds of years, and the juniors have never seen the ancestral land of the Central Plains. So I abandoned my family. Ye, risked his life and crossed the vast sea for three hundred miles, intending to return to the Central Plains."

"Hey," Zhang Sanqi gave a strange laugh, "You have no official documents and no fame, but you dare to move across provinces. Do you really think that my Dazheng law is a dead letter?"

"My lord, please be kind!" Shangguan quilt burst into tears as soon as he said it, "the little people are really nostalgic for their homeland, and besides, there is no government in Yunshang County, but where do we go to get some official documents? There were more than 600 people when the little people set off. A little hometown love, but hundreds of people have lost their lives in the desert. I also ask the prefect to be merciful and let me wait to return to the east!"

There was another smile on Zhang Zhe's face.

"In this way, there is indeed a reason for the incident. It turns out that Yunshang County has no official office to deal with affairs these years? But I don't know, there is no official office, but where did you slaves prepare the documents?"

The three of them looked at each other for a moment, the origin of these slaves was nothing more than voluntary or forced robbery, Yunshang County has never had any official documents to say.But they also knew that once they entered the Qin Pass, the government would deny all the slave-servant contracts that had not been registered in the Seven Kingdoms government.

Probably because of the flat terrain here, no one dared to speak out, so Zhang Zhe's words spread to the convoy, and the servants of the three families were all in a commotion.

The guards who had just retreated were about to stop drinking, but they heard the sound of the horse's hooves becoming noisy. The prefect's "hundred cavalry" seemed a little impatient.

The guards looked at each other, and each took a few steps back.It's hard to get out of the vast sea alive, who wants to fight with the officers and soldiers?

"My lord~!" The three hurriedly wanted to talk to Zhang Zhe, but were stopped by Zhang Zhe's prefect.

"I'm not an unreasonable person. Maybe most of the slaves in your family were sold into your house voluntarily. But if I don't meet you, it's fine. But since I have met, this place is still under the jurisdiction of this county." Now, I have to ask one more question. Hurry up, come here!"

Zhang Zhe called Ganxiu and gave him some instructions in a low voice.

Ganxiu nodded and rode to the front of the convoy, yelling at the people in the convoy.

"Listen up, servants of the three families! The eunuch has an order. If anyone feels doubts about their own contract of prostitution, they can go back to Yunshang County with the eunuch to discuss it. If not, then go east with the three families~ !"

When the servants and servants first heard that the prefect was going to be their master, eight out of ten were moved, but when they heard that they had to cross the vast sea again, they all lowered their heads.

In the end, only an old man and a half-grown child stood up, preferring to leave the convoy of the three families even if they passed Hanhai again.

After getting Zhang Zhe's permission, the convoy hurried eastward.Even the corpses of the servant who was hacked to death and the bodyguard shot by Xie Lun were also taken away.

"My lord!" Gao Deshu suddenly said, "Is there something wrong with these people?"

Xie Lun was startled, and said without hesitation: "Why didn't I see something wrong? These people look like us Central Plains people, and the weapons in their hands are all made of iron pieces. Maybe they are spies of barbarians. Go to Qinguan as an internal response?"

"Lao Gao didn't mean that," Zhang Zhe looked at the leaving convoy, his tone became so cold that it was scary, "How many days have you seen that more than half of the people died in the sand sea, and all of them had rosy faces after walking out of the sand sea? The two people who died just now were supported by empty horses."

The faces of Xie Lun and others changed drastically immediately. No wonder they didn't bury the two corpses everywhere, but dragged them away.

Zhang Sanqi rode up to the old and the young who chose to stay, and shouted sharply: "Be honest, why did you two stay?"

The half-grown boy opened his eyes wide, staring at Zhang Sanqi not to be outdone.

"That's because we are the only two who have never eaten people! Even if they return to Yunshang County alive, they will be killed by your adults!"

"Then how did you get out of the vast sea alive?" Gao Deshu's horse approached the old man, and the knife was placed directly on his neck, "Don't lie, be careful that Gao's knife will not eat lies."

The old man chuckled, and took out small pieces from his sleeves and belt, which turned out to be the corpses of some lizards and scorpions, obviously showing signs of being swallowed.

The half-grown boy untied his leggings, and half of the dried lizard meat was also hidden inside.

"My lord, please give me an order to let someone kill these beasts!" Geng Liang drew out his two-handed sword, and the chestnut horse sitting on the seat was also infected by the master's Xing, and became a little excited.

"No need!" Zhang Zhe watched the convoy heading east gradually disappear from his field of vision.

"Why?" Everyone was puzzled.

"If you, Tamer, openly attacked and killed Dazheng's prefect at this time, if the news spread, do you think Xingkong Khan would have killed Tamer's entire family?"

"Patriarch, will General Hu really come to take revenge?"

"General Hu's men are all members of a tribe. If I can bear to be teased like this, it won't be long before Tamer will lose control of this thousand-man team."

Zhang Zhe smiled: "I'm sure he will attack and kill us at night. It's probably because I was in the market just now, and I found out that people from the fourth part of the wilderness were banned from participating in the exchange by Tamer. Opening a market on the land of the fourth part of the wilderness , but they don’t give Sibu people any soup to drink. The relationship between them is self-evident. Killing us, and then throwing the blame on Sibu’s head, what a perfect plan. Anyway, Sibu often raids on this ancient road The merchants and officials of the Central Plains who were killed have long been famous."

"In this way, Tamer, who is following along, will never let anyone he meets along the way!" Zhang Sanqi said excitedly to the drummer.

"Patriarch, do you have a way to deal with Tamer?"

Zhang Zhe smiled: "If he comes during the day, there will be some troubles. If he really comes at night, he won't be able to sleep well for half a year."

"My lord!" the old man suddenly said, "These horses of yours are almost out of shape from hunger, even after tonight, you must find a place to take care of these horses, otherwise these horses will not be able to last for half a day if they enter the vast sea! "

Zhang Zhe glanced at the old man with interest.

"You know how to raise a horse? What's its name?"

"Back to the adults, the villain has no name, only a nickname called Horseman. Just because the villain lived in the stables after birth, sometimes when they went to look for the villain at night, they could always find me under the crotch of the horse."

"Why are you sleeping under the crotch of the horse? Don't they step on you?" Geng Liang laughed, thinking that the old man was talking nonsense.

"Back to the uncle, they are better than humans, and they never step on the small ones!"

"Grandpa Kuzi, you're telling the truth. Who in Yunshang County doesn't know that Grandpa Kuzi is good at raising horses?" the half-baby yelled.

(End of this chapter)