No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 350 Rushing into the night
The weather is not suitable for traveling these days.

During the rainy season in Jiangnan Province, the air is humid and hot, with occasional rain and sometimes cloudy weather.

It was like a wet towel that was twisted to the extreme but still wet with sweat, draped on the back.

However, with the seal of Khufu, the emperor’s personal envoy, and the saint’s handwriting that he carried close to his body,

Cai Qin and other garrison troops returning north had a smooth journey, and with the bonus of ships and other means of transportation, they could hurry even in rainy days.

Although as they get closer and closer to Hongzhou and Jiangzhou, they still have to face checkpoints guarded by strict soldiers.

After the night when Cai Qin asked him a strange question.

Khufu, who was restless, began to give up drinking.

It is no longer an attempt to use this thing to get close to the garrison generals and gain favor.

He began to stay awake day and night.

It was also on the afternoon of the third day after seeing the strange young man in a felt hat in the middle of the night that Khufu met the Captain Du whom Cai Qin mentioned.

This is a young man with an average appearance and a strong build. His skin is tanned and has wheat-colored skin. He really looks like a military attaché of the border army.

Wearing a felt hat, he is quite low-key.

The current situation was already sensitive, and Cai Qin and other garrison soldiers returning from the north were already the object of attention from all parties. Khufu was naturally curious about the so-called Captain Du who returned from the army halfway.

It's just that Lieutenant Du was somewhat similar to Captain Su from Zhechong Prefecture in Jiangzhou. He was dull and dull, and Hu Fu didn't find much opportunity to talk to him.

It seems that they found that Khufu had begun to drink alcohol. Cai Qin and other generals stopped calling him when they drank at night.

Khufu didn't think anything was wrong at first, but gradually he realized that Cai Qin and others were discussing the matter and no longer called him.

Although they still treated him with great respect and respect, they no longer consulted him on issues such as where and how long the garrison would be stationed on the way back to the north. Instead, they made their own decisions and only sent someone to report afterwards.

Khufu was naturally dissatisfied and negotiated several times, but he was always put off by the excuse that the military needed professional generals and the envoy to rest in peace.

Later, Cai Qin and others would come to him only when they needed to clear customs documents or come forward to overcome difficulties faced by local officials.

However, these are not what worries Khufu the most.

What made him a little angry was that in recent days, he found that there were more weapons, armors and other items in the garrison team.

The garrison team that had been disarmed in Tanzhou Prefecture gradually re-armed.

On this day, looking at the sporadic appearance of self-defeating soldiers with knives and leather armor in the team camp, Khufu looked dissatisfied and found Cai Qin and other generals at the front of the team:

"General Cai, what's going on with all these swords and armor? Didn't you promise me and the court to put down your weapons and return home lightly?"

Cai Qin exchanged glances with his companions around him, then turned around and said:

"The Lieutenant General has misunderstood. This matter has nothing to do with the general and other officers. It is the armor carried privately by the brothers. The brothers have no ill intentions."

After a pause, he added:
"Some of them were kept privately before, and some were purchased randomly with their own money along the way..."

Khufu panted and glared: "It's a good thing and it's a private possession. What's the point of buying soldiers and armor?"

Cai Qin showed no sign of guilt on his face, but explained very patiently:

"The Lieutenant-General has not been in the military camp for a long time, so he doesn't know the details. Well, the swords and armors are the old men who eat with the soldiers. Most of them are brought to the army by themselves as military households.

"Some of them are family heirlooms, so naturally they are regarded as treasures. We had turned in a lot of them in Tanzhou Prefecture before.
"But there are some brothers who feel sorry for their family property and have hidden one or two items. That's normal. It's not easy for everyone right now. I hope you will forgive me."

Khufu calmed down and asked again in a low voice:

"What's the matter with buying something halfway? How can there be a channel to purchase and build something that is controlled by the imperial court?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Qin and the generals looked at Khufu with strange eyes, and tried to ask:
"Your Majesty, there should be few from the south."

"What does it have to do with the fact that Zajia spends less time in the south?"

Cai Qin patiently explained:

"The south is no better than the north. It has been at peace for a long time and the controls are not as strict.

"In some remote places where banditry is serious, the government encourages people to use weapons to defend themselves. Even in remote areas where two villages compete for water sources, they can even beat people to the head with weapons and cause bloodshed."

After a pause, he laughed and said:
"Anyway, there are a lot of weapons hidden among the people in the south. In the town we just passed by, I saw some hunters selling powerful bows privately. At first glance, they exceeded the number of bow power stones strictly controlled by the imperial court."

"This……"

Khufu was shocked. He was a northerner and he really didn’t know much about the customs and customs in Jiangnan and Lingnan.

Don’t you think that men from the North are skilled in bows and horses, brave and aggressive, and shouldn’t the South be a place where people live in small bridges and flowing water?

Cai Qin looked at his face that kept changing in just a few breaths, opened his hands, and sighed:
"Please rest assured, Lieutenant-General, it's just that some brothers are not sensible. The general and the captains will never do such a thing knowingly or deliberately, nor hide the armor secretly."

Khufu saw Cai Qin in front of him, opening his hand and motioning for him to check.

Behind Cai Qin, the generals including Du Xiaowei and Su Xiaowei were also dressed in round-neck soap uniforms, without armor or swords.

"No, it can't be like this."

Khufu frowned and said sternly: "All the weapons and armor on the soldiers must be confiscated."

A school captain looked embarrassed:
"The envoy is accommodating. Brothers have something to hide and haven't committed any crimes. It's not easy for us to say anything."

Khufu shook his head: "No, this was agreed upon in Tanzhou Mansion, how can it be changed?"

The air was silent for a while. Khufu suddenly raised his head when he saw the silent Cai Qin:
"When we were in Tanzhou Prefecture, Mr. Hu didn't seem to say that there would be strict guards along the way, just like guarding against thieves.

"Master Hu, may I ask, has anyone ever treated an unarmed returnee like this?"

Khufu wanted to speak, but Cai Qin seemed to be cold-hearted, and his voice became colder and asked:
"Master Hu, I would like to ask the princes of the imperial court and the local governors whether they are really pardoning and letting go, or are they worried about some accidents, fearing that the soldiers will be scattered on the road and causing trouble, so they sent adults here as a delaying strategy."

Khufu suddenly choked.

In full view of everyone, he gritted his teeth and said:
"General Cai definitely misunderstood. The saints and princes had no such intention. The soldiers guarding the pass along the way were just the opinions of the local Tsoer officials, and they had no intention to target the soldiers.

"Let me ask... let me ask you, if there is really any conspiracy, are the Za family fools? If I follow you all the time, I am standing under a dangerous wall."

Suddenly a captain came from behind and replied in a muffled voice:
"The officers and men had no intention of harming the place, nor did they have any evil intentions. Wearing heavy armor was just for self-protection. It is human nature.
"Let me ask you, what kind of hero can remain calm forever with his bare hands but being watched by strict security guards every day as if he were on guard against thieves?"

Khufu discovered that the person who made the sound was the newly arrived Captain Du.

"Yes, that's right."

"Brother Du is right."

Cai Qin and other generals responded in support.

Shut up Khufu;

Fall into silence.

After a while, the team moved on.

The garrison soldiers who secretly hid their armor were punished.

Khufu forgot how he returned in a daze later.

He only remembered that under the pressure of Cai Qin and others' increasingly cold expressions, he had no choice but to nod.

However, he soon felt the backlash of this insignificant nod.

In the team, more and more self-protection garrison troops were rearmed and visible to the naked eye.

Sure enough, once this hole is loosened, it will only get bigger and bigger.

Khufu became anxious.

That day and night, the garrison team was stationed on the outskirts of a state city.

As usual, I received military supplies and envoys' condolences from the government of this state, but they were tacitly refused to enter the city. Except for the envoy, no one else was allowed to enter the city.

The two sides maintain a certain tacit understanding of distance that cannot be broken. This is also the norm between the garrison soldiers returning to the north and the local states and counties along the way.

In a certain tent in the temporary military camp, a tall figure of a bearded eunuch was walking around.

Khufu frowned and wandered in the tent for a while, then turned to look outside the tent and toward the dimly lit state city in the distance.

"No, there's something wrong with the atmosphere. We need to report it to the court..."

Khufu muttered to himself, and the next moment, he turned around to collect the identity documents and the seal of the emperor's personal envoy. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the waist knife gifted by Ouyang Lianghan hanging on the shelf. He took it off and pinned it to his waist.

He was about to go out to find his accompanying subordinates.

"Where are you going, Mr. Hu?"

There was a group of people in the shadows not far from the door.

"General Cai?" Khufu stuttered a little: "You, why are you here? You don't want to drink... What are you doing here?"

As soon as he walked out of the tent, he bumped into Cai Qin and his group of generals.

"You can drink wine at any time. We all just had a small discussion. I have something to ask Mr. Hu. I hope it won't disturb Mr. Hu's sleep."

Cai Qin paused for a moment, as if he had discovered something, and asked:
"Where are you going, Mr. Hu, in the middle of the night?"

Khufu felt a little relieved when he realized that they were also walking towards his tent and happened to meet them instead of waiting for him at the door like ghosts for a long time.

He concealed his panic and guilt, and said still confidently: "The Za family also has something they want to discuss with General Cai."

"What's the point of wearing a sword?"

Captain Du asked again in a dull voice. "This... I'm used to it, haha."

Khufu took off his sword and said with a smile.

Cai Qin moved his eyes away from the waist knife, looked at him, and stretched out his hand:

"Master Hu will speak first."

Khufu answered without squinting:
"I just have some suggestions for the route back to the north. Don't worry. If General Cai has something important, you can talk about it first."

"it is good."

Cai Qin was not polite and nodded.

There were no lights in the tent behind Khufu, and most of Cai Qin and his generals were standing in the darkness where the halos of the nearest torches could not shine.

As a result, Khufu could not clearly see the faces of Cai Qin and others for a while, and could only hear the calm voice of the leader elected by the Guizhou mutiny garrison:
"The general has put together a petition, Mr. Hu, please take a look."

"What... what kind of petition?"

"It's like this. We're almost in Hongzhou. I'm timid about going home. There are some rumors circulating among the brothers below."

Cai Qin said without stopping:

"The generals are worried that something will happen if this continues. We discussed it tonight and compiled some small requests. I hope Lord Hu can report it to the court on his behalf."

"This……"

Khu Fu nervously took the paper handed over by Cai Qin silently.

In front of all the generals, he quickly walked to the torch not far away, lowered his head and got closer.

If you look carefully, there are roughly two statements written on the paper:
First, the three Zhechong prefectures in Jiangzhou and Hongzhou were required to be dismissed from their posts, namely the Zhechong Captain, the Coach Envoy, and the Zhechong Changshi. These three generals, who directly caused the delay in guarding the border, were hated by the garrison soldiers.

Second, the soldiers who returned to the north were required to build a separate Zhechong mansion and form one general in total to maintain their independence.

After reading it, Khufu was frightened.

He raised his head to speak, but he met the cold eyes of a group of warriors in the darkness ahead.

"……it is good."

He swallowed back his words, forced a smile and nodded, agreeing that this was simply impossible.

"The Zajia family will send a letter to the generals tomorrow to convey it."

"Then there is Lord Laohu."

Cai Qin seemed to be nodding.

Behind him, a captain said stiffly:
"Please write it immediately. I will help you send it to the city now. The official post will send it out tomorrow."

Khufu stiffened slightly and nodded obediently, "Okay."

Under the supervision of Cai Qin and others, he wrote out a document according to the application form, sealed it with a seal, and submitted it bravely.

The school captain took the documents and left, entering the city overnight.

Hu Fu, who was vaguely surrounded by Cai Qin and others and pretended to be calm, at a certain moment, glanced at the dimly lit state city in the distance.

It's so close, yet so difficult to get past...

Khufu's petition was submitted, but he could not leave.

After a short rest, the garrison soldiers returning from the north left this small state and continued on the road towards Hong and Jiangzhou, the gateway to the southeast.

However, the marching route of the garrison troops returning from the north became slightly different.

Khufu discovered that one day, the large army turned into the deep mountains and old forests, away from the Yanbing Pass, as if they were taking a long detour.

He didn't know exactly where he was going.

Khufu had asked Cai Qin and others, but after submitting the petition and turning into a strange street, the generals' attitude towards him became visibly cold.

When I asked, I returned home as usual and couldn't find out anything specific.

Khufu couldn't help but recall that it was smooth sailing when he led the garrison soldiers out of Tanzhou Prefecture.

He began to reflect on, or review, when did Cai Qin and others change their attitudes.

It seems to be the night when "Captain Du" returned to the team and Cai Qin asked weird questions while chatting.

Khufu fell silent.

At the moment, he is vaguely being held hostage and can only accompany him.

This day, late at night.

The military camp in the valley suddenly became noisy.

Khufu, who was sleeping in his clothes, suddenly opened his eyes.

This time, he was no longer frightened. He listened carefully and saw that the soldiers outside were gathering quickly.

"This, what is this going to do!"

Khufu stared and looked around, wanting to get out of bed and run away.

But at this moment, a group of garrison soldiers ran towards his tent outside, and the footsteps were getting closer and closer.

"It's over." Khufu, who had just lifted off the quilt, cried in his heart.

But unexpectedly, the next moment, the footsteps suddenly stopped, and the group of garrison soldiers seemed to stop at the door, leaving only the heavy breathing of the soldiers.

While sweating profusely, Khufu saw the curtain opened and a person walked in from the outside.

"you……"

Taking a closer look, it was Captain Su who he had never spoken to before.

He walked in alone, without any garrison behind him.

Su Qian raised his right hand without drawing the sword.

Khufu was stunned for only a moment, then shut up immediately.

Su Qian tilted his head, and Khufu's eyes widened, and he nodded quickly. As if to give a clear hint, he quickly got out of bed, stuck out his butt and got under the bed.

hid.

Su Qian went out again.

Khufu, who was lying under the bed, vaguely saw Su Qian re-entering the house, followed by a group of garrison soldiers, who conducted a rough search of the tent.

Except he didn't check the position of the bed where Su Qian was standing.

"The man has run away. Chase him."

It sounded like Su Qian's voice.

The soldiers of the third regiment kept their eyes straight, nodded obediently, and went out to chase the people.

Su Qian watched.

Khufu came out timidly and said tremblingly: "General Su, tonight this is..."

Su Qian glanced at Khufu, who was only wearing thin pajamas, but without answering, took him out and bypassed the guards.

The two came to a river, and Su Qian finally spoke.

"Don't look back."

The sound was as hoarse as the soles of shoes rubbing against stones.

Khufu nodded hastily.

After taking a few steps, he was stopped by a hand. Khufu lowered his head and saw that Su Qian handed over a familiar waist knife.

He should have taken it when he searched the tent just now.

Khufu suddenly thought.

He silently took the life-saving waist knife and wore it on his waist.

"Thank you, General." He whispered.

Khufu floated across the river and ran in a hurry at night.

Su Qian watched the tall eunuch, whose beard fell off due to soaking in water, scurry away, then suddenly turned around and returned to the military camp.

He returned to the tent.

The captain of the Third Regiment of Zhechong Prefecture in Jiangzhou bent down to pick up the envoy's seal and the saint's handwriting that Khufu had forgotten in his haste, and silently followed the road opposite to the direction in which Khufu fled, returning to the bustling center of the military camp. Meeting point...

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　　------

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(End of this chapter)