Volume 1 Chushan Bandits Chapter 1: The Road is Slow in Tongbai Mountain
In the early spring of the fifth year of Tianxuan in Daiyue, the weather in Huaishang had not yet warmed up, and there was still a thin layer of snow in the mountains, valleys and jungles.
In the Tongbai Mountains, on the horse-drawn path from Guangzhou on the Huainan West Road to Tangzhou on the Jingxi South Road, a horse-drawn carriage was moving slowly.
"Grandpa, where are we?"
A delicate little hand, as slender as a green onion, opened the curtain from the inside of the car, and a young, fair and beautiful face appeared.
The road was rugged and steep. The girl's clear eyes looked across the dense forest. To the north, there was a wide river running through a shallow valley.
As the upper reaches of the Huai River, the river channel located between the wide gorges and shallow valleys of the Tongbai Mountains becomes wider and narrower as the terrain changes. In the turbulent water, piles of rocks and shoals are exposed from time to time.
Not to mention ships with deeper draft, even bamboo rafts and wooden rafts would be very dangerous to go downstream at this time of year; the girl then saw a fishing boat from afar, parked in a distant river branch with swirling water. The fisherman in a straw raincoat and a hat could not be seen clearly, but he was sitting on the bow fishing, looking indescribably leisurely.
Several ospreys seemed to be afraid of the cold weather and water. They stood on the bow with their heads held high, shaking their dark brown feathers.
The girl seemed only twelve or thirteen years old, but her features were already delicate and picturesque, and her face, as white as the first snow, was still childish, as if the warm sunshine of early spring already had some clear, bright and beautiful flavor.
The girl now had a confused look on her face.
They set out from Xinyang County at dawn. She sat in the carriage and had a good sleep in her wet nurse's arms. She just woke up at this time, with a dizzy head. Seeing that the weather was cloudy, she didn't know where she was.
The scholar in blue clothes, who was sitting at the front of the chariot with the driver and enjoying the scenery along the way, was over sixty years old, with a thin and clear face. He turned around and said to the girl:
"We still have thirteen or fourteen miles to go to Huaiyuan Town. From Huaiyuan Town to the west, the road is not easy to walk on. It's still more than 130 miles to Biyang County. We will stop in Huaiyuan Town and rest for a night before continuing on our journey."
Seeing her grandfather mention Huaiyuan Town, a place that sounded unfamiliar to her, she seemed to be filled with endless emotion, and seemed to be trying hard not to sigh. The girl asked in a curious voice, "Where is Huaiyuan Town? Has Grandpa walked this road before?"
"My husband has traveled all over the world, and has seen more than me, a wanderer. Of course, he has walked along this horse trail in Tongbai Mountain. And speaking of Huaiyuan Town on the horse trail, it has a great relationship with you, sir."
The driver turned around and smiled at the girl.
"What do you mean?" the girl asked curiously.
The driver laughed and said, "Tongbai Mountain is also known as Chu Mountain. Yu Gong said: 'The Huai River originates from it'. It stretches for 300 miles and stretches between Tang, Guang, Sui, and Ying states. The horse trail we are walking on now has existed since the Spring and Autumn Period. Starting from Guangzhou, passing through the shallow gorges and wide valleys in Tongbai Mountain, it will take two or three days to reach Tangzhou Biyang County. It is a shortcut connecting the east and the west on the south bank of the Huai River. However, this road is long and dangerous. In the years of peace, there were many bandits who robbed the road. In the past, merchants on the southwest road of the Huai River would rather go through Caiying and other places on the north side of the Huai River and go to Dengtang and other places in a big circle, rather than taking this short route. In the fourth year of Yongxi, when the prime minister had just taken up his post in the Jingxi Office of the Privy Council, he petitioned the court to build a patrol military camp at the junction of the Baijian River and the Huai River, and stationed more than a hundred elite soldiers to guard against bandits. This led to an increase in the number of merchants and travelers on this horse-riding road, and the market towns along the road also prospered. This Huaiyuan Town is right next to the newly built military camp in the fourth year of Yongxi, and it is also the junction of land and water in the Tongbai Mountains. Whenever there is any goods shipped out of the mountains from the surrounding villages and towns, most of them are traded there. It is also the largest grass market in the Tongbai Mountains in Biyang County, and the population is becoming more and more lush, and the bustle is no less than that of Xinyang County..."
"Really? Then we really need to have a good rest in Huaiyuan Town for two days!" the girl shouted excitedly.
The scholar in blue shirt hesitated, and the driver advised him: "Sir, just stay in Huaiyuan Town for two days. Old Lu can take some time to visit an old friend whom he hasn't seen for more than ten years."
"Haven't seen you for more than ten years? Are you also an old soldier of the Jingsheng Army?" asked the scholar in green.
"My old friend is called Xu Wuxuan. Sir, he used to be the judge of Jingsheng Army. Perhaps you have heard of this name!" said the driver.
The driver was slightly younger than the scholar in blue. His face under the bamboo hat was also haggard, with half of his temples gray. However, his eyes were sharp enough to see through people's hearts.
He held the whip in his right hand tucked into his sleeve, and controlled the horse with his left hand. The back of his hand and a small part of his wrist were exposed to the cold air, and there were several hideous scars on them.
Perhaps it was the unbearable memories from the dusty past that touched him, a layer of faint sadness covered the driver's skinny face covered with fine wrinkles; then his slightly hunched body suddenly straightened up, revealing a fierce aura of a man who was unwilling to be submissive.
The scholar in blue robes seemed not to notice the subtle change in the driver's expression. He looked at the vast mountains and forests in the distance with slightly cloudy eyes and said leisurely:
"I have served in the Jingsheng Army. Although not for long, I am still considered an old member of the Jingsheng Army. How could I not know Xu Wuxuan, the personal guard commander in front of Wang Xiaocheng's tent? I remember that he was not tall, but his arms were strong enough to catch a tiger. He was a well-known warrior in the Jingsheng Army! Why didn't he stay in the army later?"
"General Wang died in Jingzhou, and the court ceded Jingzhou and other places to the Dangxiang people. The morale of the Jingsheng Army was dispersed. The court was worried that the officers and soldiers of the Jingsheng Army would miss their old general, so they separated the original officers and soldiers and sent them to other places, and recruited new soldiers to fill the gap. It was at that time that Xu Wuxuan returned to his hometown on the Huai River. I didn't expect that more than ten years had passed since I saw him in Jingzhou."
The driver suddenly brightened up and said to the scholar in blue,
"I heard that the Xu family is a big family in Tongbai Mountain. Xu Wuxuan has always admired you when he was in the Jingsheng Army. If you stay in Huaiyuan for a few more days, Xu Wuxuan will definitely treat you warmly."
"I have already left the court with a criminal record, so how can I be so ignorant as to make friends with local nobles?" The scholar in blue clothes sighed, "I am grateful to you for escorting me all the way from Bianjing. It only takes one or two days to travel from Huaiyuan to Biyang. Since you want to meet friends on the Huai River, let's say goodbye now!"
"If you are in a hurry to travel, I will go see Xu Wuxuan when we return. It won't be too late after more than ten years without any news. Three to five days won't make a difference," the driver insisted. "Cai Ying is not a broad-minded person. The Imperial Censor Chen Huai and the Minister of War Zhang Kuo offended him and were demoted and exiled. They were both killed by bandits on the way..."
"There is no evidence for those things. The assassination is just a figment of the imagination. Brother Lu should not think too much about it," the scholar in blue said, not wanting the driver to have a bad impression of the officials in the court. "But it is a fact that people's livelihood is declining and there are more bandits in the mountains and fields than in previous years."
"Although there is no evidence that the deaths of Chen Huai and Zhang Kuo were caused by assassins sent by Cai Ying, Lu Xiong is worried if he does not send you to Biyang." The driver still felt that the deaths of Chen Huai, Zhang Kuo and others were related to Cai Ying, who was in charge of the Privy Council at that time. He secretly felt that Cai Ying might not let them go after they arrived in Biyang, so he advised, "You are not afraid of offending Cai Ying and other thieves, nor are you afraid of life and death, but you cannot help but care about Miss Xuan's safety."
"I am guilty, so I will not hinder Cai Ying and his men from doing what they want to do. There is nothing to worry about," the middle-aged man wanted to smile calmly, but he could not suppress the sadness in his heart. Finally, he could not help but sigh, "I am just worried that Cai Ying and his men will be greedy for merit and rashly attack the Khitans without sufficient preparation, leaving a big disaster that cannot be dealt with!"
"When this villain Cai Ting was in the Western Army, he flattered his superiors and bullied his subordinates, and he often stole other people's achievements and took credit for them. Your Excellency's opposition to his leading the army to attack Yan is understandable to me, Lu Xiong. However, the Chihu people rose up in the northern desert and repeatedly defeated the Khitan cavalry in Yinshan. This does show that the Khitans have become weak. The officials in the court all think that this is a good opportunity for our dynasty to recover the homeland of Yanyun from the Khitans. What do you think, Your Excellency?" asked the coachman.
The scholar in blue shirt said: "It is true that the Chihu people rose up between the north and south of Yinshan Mountain and defeated the Khitan cavalry repeatedly, which also made the Khitan people look less scary in the north. Therefore, many officials in the court advocated joining forces with the Chihu people to attack Northern Yan, seeing the advantage of driving the tiger to swallow the wolf. However, what happens after the evil tiger swallows the wolf? Our dynasty has to face an evil tiger directly in the north! The Khitan is in decline, and the nobles and officials are greedy for enjoyment and exploit the people. The army is also very corrupt. In comparison, the situation in our dynasty is better, but it is not without worries. You have been in the army for many years, and you have been to many military towns. But except for a few elite troops in the Western Army, how many soldiers do you think can fight in other imperial guards and the wing troops of various states? And for more than a hundred years, our dynasty has accumulated problems such as redundant personnel, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses. Have these been eradicated? I am not against taking this opportunity to recapture the old land of Yanyun. It is really the plan of Cai Ying and others, which is too hasty..."
The driver had experienced many ups and downs in his life. He knew the dangers of the world, but he didn't know much about military and national affairs.
He had always admired the character and noble qualities of the scholar in green. He was worried that the grandfather and grandson, along with a maid, would be in danger on their way to Tangzhou, so he followed and escorted them from afar. However, after hearing what the scholar in green said, he wanted to say a few words of comfort, but he didn't know where to start.
The scholar in blue shirt suddenly laughed at himself and said, "Alas, I am no longer in that position, so it is useless to think too much—"
The girl's parents died when she was young, and she grew up in her grandfather's arms. Although she was influenced by her grandfather, she was still young and didn't know much about military affairs. At this time, she laughed at her grandfather and said, "Maybe you are just worrying too much, and in the end you will be ridiculed by Cai Ying and others..."
"I hope so!" The scholar in green waved his hand, as if to dispel the endless troubles and worries in his heart.
"Husband, you and Miss Xuan get into the carriage!" the coachman said suddenly.
"What's wrong?" The scholar in blue shirt was surprised when he saw the driver reach under the shaft, take out the sword wrapped in cloth and place it beside him.
"There is someone on the cliff!" The driver raised his bamboo hat slightly and asked the scholar in green to look at a stone cliff in front.
The road they were traveling on at the moment was crossing a slope that was more than twenty feet higher than the Huai River that lay across the valley to the north. There was a gap on the ridge of the mountain more than a hundred steps in front of them, with rugged rock cliffs of seven or eight feet high rising into the air on both sides, like an eagle's beak blocking the road.
The driver had never been to Tongbai Mountain before, but he had heard his old friend Xu Wuxuan talk about the terrain near Huaiyuan Town in his early years in the army. Looking at the unique landforms of the slope and stone cliffs, he knew that this was the famous "Eagle's Mouth" at the east end of Huaiyuan Town?
Eagle's Mouth was extremely steep, with the cliff protruding quite a bit into the middle. The moss on the walls was slippery, and there was no place to climb or stand. The driver then discovered that there was a man standing on the cliff looking at him. How could he not be alert?
The man's face was not very clear, but I could vaguely see that there was something like a knife handle sticking out from his waist. The man was also extremely strong and was quite far away, giving people an indescribable feeling of oppression.
Just at this moment, the sound of galloping horses came from behind.
The sound of horse hooves seemed to trample on the driver's heart.
He turned his head and saw three fast horses out of the corner of his eye. On their backs were three bearded men who looked like hunters, but the driver had to be blind to think they were hunters.
The horse is a strong one selected from a hundred miles away, the bow is a carved lacquer-cut hard bow, and on the waist is a straight-backed broadsword that is more than four feet long. He really doesn't put any effort into pretending to be a hunter!
The worst-case scenario that was expected finally happened!
The driver sighed softly in his heart.
Faced with the pursuit and blockade of four powerful enemies in front and behind, and not knowing whether there were more assassins ambushing behind Yingzizui, he knew that there was little he could do, but he calmly loosened the reins and let the horse slowly drag the carriage forward.
He placed the long knife wrapped in a cloth across his knees. His hunched body straightened up slightly, and he suddenly raised his chest slightly like a hungry wolf hiding in the grass, waiting for the moment when the prey approaches and then pounces fiercely.
The scholar in blue had experienced countless ups and downs in his life. At this moment, his skinny hands were clenched tightly, and his veins were exposed, but apart from endless sadness in his heart, he had no intention of struggling.
He did not hide back in the carriage. He gently patted the driver's arm and said, "Wang Bing is useless as a criminal. If someone thinks I am still a hindrance, just ask them to take my life. Brother Lu is a martial arts expert. This place is close to Huaiyuan Town. They will not dare to bother with Brother Lu. Please send Xuan'er to Tangzhou..."
The scholar in blue shirt resolutely pushed his young granddaughter back into the carriage, pulled down the curtain, and stood up at the front of the carriage.
