flstandardbreds Chapter 114 Overnight at the Inn
Chapter 114 Overnight at the Inn
The old soldier at the post station drank the strong liquor in one gulp and instantly felt a burning sensation inside his mouth, as if his throat was burning.
My mouth complained about the spiciness, but my stomach honestly accepted the warmth brought by the wine.
"You idiot, hurry up and leave! You're embarrassing yourself here."
"No! Lao Zhang, have another sip of wine. This, this wine is really hard to come by."
Zhang Cheng shook his head helplessly and poured the guy another big sip of wine. Unexpectedly, the guy snatched the skewers beside him and ran away in a panic.
"I have never seen such a shameless person!" He felt that he had lost face today.
"It's okay. It's rare for everyone to be happy, so just take it as a fun time." Zhao Sheng comforted.
"My Lord, I guessed right. You guys left here on purpose, didn't you?"
"Why does the postmaster say that?"
"To be honest, I have never seen a noble person rest here. Even if someone passes by here, they just change horses."
Zhao Sheng understood what Zhang Cheng meant and began to doubt their purpose of coming here.
"Does the postmaster think it's inappropriate for us to be here?"
"No, this is your business. We at the post station have the responsibility to receive you and protect your safety."
"Then let's talk about the bandits. The two groups that appeared recently, do you think they were done by the same group?"
When Zhang Cheng heard this, he looked up at Zhao Sheng.
Her clear eyes, without any weirdness, looked at him sincerely and seriously, obviously trying to show her goodwill to him.
"I can confirm that the bandits came down the mountain in two separate occasions. They were clearly a group, and they came with a purpose."
"Purpose?"
Zhao Sheng looked at Zhang Cheng, who nodded in affirmation.
"Can it be eliminated?"
Mr. Zhao asked.
Zhang Cheng: "I can only know by looking at your numbers and strength."
"With just the fifty of us, I intend to destroy this force even if it means traveling a thousand miles."
"I think the bandits showed up these two times just to harass and rob."
"Harrassment? Robbery? Didn't you expect anyone to be hurt?" Zhao Sheng was puzzled.
"I have this idea. I wonder if you have asked the staff?"
Zhang Cheng answered frankly that he didn't want to get involved.
"Do you think the bandits will come and attack our convoy tonight?"
"No." Zhang Cheng immediately answered Zhao Sheng's question with two words in a hasty tone.
"Do you know where these people come from?" Zhao Sheng asked.
"I, I don't know." Zhang Cheng did not admit it.
Zhao Sheng went over the recent events in his mind and claimed that he had not done anything excessive and would not offend any big family.
"Why rob?" Zhao Sheng thought to himself, and suddenly a bold idea popped up in his mind.
Discussions on planning and opening a transportation route have recently begun. The Fanyang Lu family plans to start from Yanzhou in the north and place it between Zhuozhou and Dingzhou County.
As mentioned earlier, the current Dingzhou County is next to Luancheng and is also the Zhengding County in later generations.
The Dingzhou of later generations is located in the present Dingzhou Camp.
Originally, Mr. Zhao was ready to agree to this matter, but he didn't expect that something unexpected would happen later and it would be related to this matter.
Of course, there is no evidence now, so it’s just speculation.
The nights are getting shorter now. It takes about half an hour to eat, and it is not completely dark yet, but the Big Dipper has already appeared in the sky.
After everyone chatted outside, the sky gradually lost its color.
The nights in the north are still a bit cold. There was a small quilt in the carriage, which Zhao Yongsheng took off the carriage and sent to Zhao Yongsheng's room.
"Who's on duty in the first half of the night?"
Zhao Sheng was curled up inside his cloak and seemed not to be asleep.
"Liang Dong will be in charge of the first half of the night, and I will be in charge of the second half."
Zhao Yongsheng said as he was covering Zhao Sheng with bedding.
"It's probably going to be a bit chilly in this valley in the middle of the night, so you should keep the blanket for yourself."
Zhao Yongsheng, who was sleeping in bed, said this. He was not surprised at all. Although his master cared about him, he also needed to be aware that he could not just accept good things.
It was indeed a little cold in the military town at night, but it was just a little bit cooler. For those of them who had survived many winters, this was really a trivial matter.
Have a safe night!
the next day.
After daybreak, the personal guards who were out searching reported that there was a force five miles to the north, hovering more than a mile away from the roadside.
"Yongsheng, what do you think about this issue?"
Zhao Sheng asked Zhao Yongsheng who was delivering the intelligence.
"Based on our observations of the surroundings of this group, it seems they are an independent band of bandits, and they are not targeting any particular caravan."
Zhao Yongsheng agreed with his analysis. After all, the appearance of this bandit group was purely accidental, and these people were all riding horses.
"There's one thing I don't understand. Are they here too early?"
Zhao Yongsheng pondered the question raised by Zhao Sheng for a while. When he saw Liang Dong preparing the horses for the journey, he suddenly felt envious of them. Once upon a time, he was also so carefree.
"You can't tell, right?" Zhao Sheng felt that Zhao Yongsheng couldn't answer, so he took the initiative to explain: "The bandits' stronghold must be far away from this road. They have to travel at least a hundred miles to get here."
Zhao Sheng consciously assumed a place, which was a hill near Yizhou, more than a hundred miles away.
"East?" Zhao Yongsheng pointed in the direction, his eyes full of desire, hoping to get Zhao Yongsheng's affirmation.
Zhao Sheng nodded and said, "Yes!"
"So this group of bandits didn't go back yesterday, but spent the night on this mountain."
"It's highly likely that this is different from what Zhang Cheng said yesterday about it being an accidental event."
"These guys don't want to go back unless they get some benefits."
Zhao Yongsheng finally understood the intentions of this group of people, and then said angrily.
"If you walk too much on the night road, you will encounter ghosts sooner or later. If you do too much evil, you will eventually perish!"
After Zhao Sheng finished speaking, he wiped the corner of his mouth, pinched his chin, and walked out of the room to see Zhang Cheng's people making breakfast.
The sun shone into the valley. It was already noon. Fifty people protected the carriage and headed towards Guangchang County.
Zhao Yongsheng, the driver, turned around and said to Zhao Sheng, "Could there be something wrong with the post station?"
"Maybe." Zhao Sheng answered lazily while sitting in the carriage.
"The staff at the post station are very diverse. In addition to retired veterans, there are also farmers from nearby villages who got in through connections."
"It seems that we have to take over the affairs of the post station, including..."
Zhao Sheng wanted to say something but stopped himself. He felt that it was inappropriate to say this in the carriage.
"Warrior, when you're done with what you're doing, please find some time to talk about this just between the two of us."
There was no follow-up, but Zhao Yongsheng had heard it many times and understood what the words implied.
"I see. I'll keep this in mind."
On a hilltop five miles away, a team of more than a hundred people was looking at the road in the distance. The leader had dark skin, well-defined muscles, and messy long hair hanging down on his thick beard.
He rode a small white warhorse, which had a rough and solid build, a heavy head, a short and thick neck, a deep and long chest, a straight back, a large belly, short and thick limbs, and solid hooves.
Anyone who knows the horse can tell at a glance that it is a Mongolian horse.
The foal was anxious at this time, and its hooves kept paddling the grass, as if it had an urge to run.
The bandits knew that their target was not far away...