1. The horse thief of Acacia Pavilion

Empty smoke, running water, cloud

Knife fast, horse disease,

remless

In August of the third year of the Qingli calendar, there was a severe drought in Guanzhong, which caused a disaster overnight. The water of the Yellow River was almost exhausted, and the Shaanxi Road suffered serious damage, especially in Jingzhaofu, Shangzhou and Guazhou.

Seeing that late autumn is approaching, the rain is still far away, and the dead crops can't be saved in any way.

What about the people?

It is impossible to drill wells to save themselves. People don't drink enough water and there is no extra water to water the land.

Waiting for the rescue of the imperial court, the three-year deficit of the border war, the court has no ability to help those disaster victims at all. If it is difficult for the Song Dynasty, it will go bankrupt.

Then borrow usury. So what if you borrow it? Life is not as good as death, and you can't pay it back for the rest of your life.

It seems unrealistic to call on the whole country to donate money and grain to help the disaster area. At least His Majesty Renzong did not expect that the people of the three divisions would not be so noble, and Lv Xiangye did not have the leisure to donate money to raise food and was impeached.

Then wait for international assistance. Remember, remember that the Song Dynasty was the most developed country at that time. The surrounding small countries were too busy to give to such a powerful neighbor. I can't wait for it to break up as soon as possible.

Survival or destruction, survival and destruction are another problem at this time.

If the crops are dead, if there is no hope for a bumper harvest, if the famine comes, and if the people are forced to the verge of bankruptcy and death, will the riots brewing deep in the mountains be far away?

Shaanxi Road, a shade official road leading to Guzhou.

In the distance, there is a group of people walking towards the foot of Acacia Mountain. Seeing that the costume is a carrier from Shaanxi County, Jiang Huai, who is famous for his cleanliness. Look at the spotless official uniform, the fat horse, and the bright carriage, and you will know it's him.

Behind Jiang Huai, he followed the thirty soldiers who crossed the knife, under the banner of Shaanxi Road, and wore the round-neck green cloth shorts of the soldiers' walkers. Everyone raised their eyebrows and looked full of wine and food.

"Little guys, go quickly. After crossing the Acacia Mountain, it's the boundary of the State House. Hurry up and hand it over so that we can go swimming in the candle water. Drive!"

After saying that, Jiang Huai ran first, and his high-willed look was like the champion in high school.

Acacia Mountain, Acacia Pavilion

In the acacia pavilion, sit on the jade man

Jade man paints without blowing

It provokes passers-by to watch frequently

The foot of the mountain suddenly became lively. Some sold melons, some looked at the appearance, some were on the road, some led the sheep, and those who sold Guzhou's specialty Chengni inkstone. Of course, the most eye-catching of them was the jade man painting in the Acacia Pavilion, nicknamed the woman of Sanmei.

Zhang Hai shook the big fan, sat behind the watermelon stall, and winking at the old man who looked at the opposite side of the road.

The old man hurriedly picked up his family to eat and got up to the middle of the road. After only a few steps, he accidentally fell down and then dropped the copper money on the ground. He was pitifully lying in the dust and picking it up one by one. Jiang Huai's horse arrived and saw the old man.

Jiang Huai gently squeed the reins, and the fat horse stopped his footsteps steadily.

"Huh... good horse, I didn't scare you." Jiang Huai patted the horse's head gently, and the fat horse raised his front hoof and stepped on the ground.

Suddenly, Jiang Huai changed his face and pointed to the old man with his hand: "Oh, old man, get out of here. I have something important to do. If you delay Grandpa's trip, I will go to the government office to eat the board."

Jiang Huai's voice was very loud, at least everyone around him heard it, because they all calmed down and looked at the unlucky old man, but the old man seemed to be deaf and didn't hear Jiang Huai's words at all.

"Oh, you're deaf. Didn't you hear what I said?" Jiang Huai raised his whip and shouted again.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang Hai, who sold melons, quickly picked up a big watermelon and walked forward and bowed to Jiang Huai.

"Sir, thank you for your hard work. Eat a melon and calm down. Don't be like this fortune-taver. People in the countryside don't know etiquette. Please forgive me."

Jiang Huai heard that the melon seller in front of him said that the old man who was lying on the road to pick up things was deaf, and his anger suddenly subsided. Then he saw that the big round watermelon was even more moved with his index finger. After nodding his head, he changed his mouth and said, "Looking on your face, I will forgive him. Don't take it as an example."

A moment later, Zhang Hai led Jiang Huai to the watermelon stall, let him into the pergola, then set up the table and stool, and quickly cut a big watermelon.

When Jiang Huai smelled the fresh juice, he looked back and saw that the motorcade was still behind him. He turned around and began to enjoy the cold summer.

After a piece of watermelon, Jiang Huai praised, "What a good melon, a good melon!"

"If it's delicious, please try more pieces, and please take more care of me in the future!" Zhang Hai said excitedly.

"No problem, don't worry." Jiang Huai bit fiercely again and immediately asked, "I said that the foot of the mountain used to be very desolate. When I passed by this place a while ago, I couldn't even see a ghost. How can it be so lively today?"

"Cough" Zhang Hai fanned Jiang Huai with a fan and said, "Your excellency, you don't know that there has been a long drought and no rain, and the bankers are dead. The people in the nearby villages have fled to the capital. The rest of the people come out to make a living. It's important to make a living."

"Well, yes, that's right." Jiang Huai ate another mouthful of melon and did not doubt the identity of these people on the roadside at all. Even the big and three thick firewood sellers did not attract his attention.

After a piece of incense, three carriages came to the bottom of Acacia Mountain, accompanied by thirty guards with knives. When they saw Jiang Huai eating melons under the pergola, they all stopped. One of them ran into the pergola happily and hugged his fist: "Your Excellency, brothers are also tired. Why don't you rest here for a while!"

Jiang Huai looked back at the soldier and said with a smile, "You have a lot of ideas. Well, just take a break. You have to go on the road quickly after I finish eating the melon."

"Yes, yes, what adults say they will do"

In a blink of an eye, the team of 30 people scattered around with a hula. Some squeezed into the pergola to eat melons, some ran to the gazebo to cool down, and some ran to the woods to relieve their hands. Smartly squatted on the roadside to buy a piece of inkstone to enter the city and sold it to the pawnshop for some money. In short, these 30 people had their own plans and rested. For a long time.

After eating more than ten watermelons, my stomach has been too full for a long time. Jiang Huai is the same. He is lying leisurely on a grass and closing his eyes to refresh himself.

Suddenly, there was a pig-like scream in his ear. He suddenly woke up and didn't wait to see it clearly. Something in front of him shook, and a figure fell down, just fell beside him and ploped.

"What kind of person?"

Take a closer look, it was one of his soldiers, who died and vomited blood.

This sudden blow suddenly scared Jiang Huai to jump up from the ground and was about to climb the pavilion on one side to temporarily avoid.

A dark shadow flashed over his head, and the sword flashed.

Jiang Huai exclaimed, reached out and touched it. A sharp pain came from his shoulder, and blood gushed like a spring.

"Damn it, who sneaked on me?"

As soon as he turned around, there was another sword light. This time, Jiang Huai was stabbed into a cold heart, and his blood kept gushing out of his mouth.

"You, you, you are so cruel!"

Before Jiang Huai died, he saw who killed him. The woman, the woman sitting in the gazebo, was painting. No wonder people said that it was the most poisonous woman's heart. Today, he saw it.

"Die, dog officer"

The third sister kicked Jiang Huai to the ground and then ran to the next target.

"Kill, don't run one"

The third sister flew forward, suddenly waved the dagger in her hand, and stabbed an unlucky ghost who ran to the edge of the forest under the sword.

At this time, Zhang Hai waved a big stick and bowed left and right, shooting the five soldiers who besieged him one by one, which was incredibly fast.

Besides, the old man seems to be blind, but in fact he can see it more clearly than normal people.

With a raised dry hand, several deadly copper money darts roared at the panicked people around. The bodyguard died on the spot before he took seven steps, and the seven holes bled to death.

At the same time, those who sell vegetables, sell flowers, rest, and watch the bustle picked up the guy and fought with the thirty people present.

In an instant, these more than 30 people, including the driver, were made dumplings, and none of them escaped from the foot of Acacia Mountain.

The autumn wind rises and the sunset is fragrant grass.

After Zhang Hai and others quickly solved the more than 30 officers and soldiers, they quickly gathered around the three carriages. The third sister jumped into the car, waved the dagger in her hand, cut off the rope, and then tore the seal and opened the box.

"What is this?" Zhang Hai and others opened their eyes wide and wondered what was so strange.

"Water and fire sticks?" The old man who pretended to be a fortune teller asked, in fact, his name was Guo Mashan, and he was the leader of this group of strong people.

"No" Zhang Hai, who sells melons, replied.

"What is that?" Guo Mishan grabbed one and looked at it. "It's so strange"

At this moment, the wooden boxes on the other two carriages were also opened.

The third sister exclaimed, "My God, come and have a look. It's copper, Huang Chengcheng's copper. How much is it worth?"

As soon as Guo Mioshan heard that Sanmei shouted that there was brass in the second car, he quickly ran over and separated the crowd. Looking at this, he saw a small bamboo shoot-like copper block in the wooden box, like green jade fingers. He carefully held it in the palm of his hand, opened his mouth and bit it, and suddenly laughed.

"Old man, why are you laughing?" The third sister asked him.

"I laugh at the faintness of the imperial court. What's wrong with shipping? What's wrong with transporting copper? Gaozhou doesn't make money."

"What the hell, if we get this copper, we can exchange a lot of things elsewhere," Sanmei said.

At this time, the people around the third carriage suddenly shouted, "I said, I said, everyone, look, what is this? It's like a heavenly book. Let's burn it."

When Guo Mioshan heard someone say that he had found the book, he quickly ran over and shouted, "Don't mess with me. The book is valuable."

After a gust of wind blew, the strongmen walked on their way home.

Guo Mioshan sat cross-legged in the third carriage and looked at the strange book. Although the content was the same, it told Guo Mioshan one thing, that is, the stick-like things in the car were actually called muskets.

Those yellow copper pimples are actually the guns in the musket, also known as bullets. What's more amazing is that the book actually records the use of the musket and the disassembly and maintenance methods.

It also introduces a simple marching method and combat method of the musketeers.

When Guo Mishan finished reading those books, the carriage had already driven into a valley, and the mottled sunlight fell from the grass leaves, which was very warm and quiet.

He closed his eyes and thought quietly. He said to himself: No wonder the book in the box is called the Instructions for the Musket. That's what it means.

The next day, Li Nangong, the governor of Quzhou, was furious and scolded the inspector Wang Ziyuan.

"Buncle, what do you eat? Why didn't you find the trace of the thief? Do you know how important the things lost this time are?"

Wang Ziyuan stood under the hall and couldn't help wiping his cold sweat. When Li Nangong finished scolding, he replied, "Big, my lord, that group of people came and went without a trace. After killing people, they fled. My subordinates really didn't find the news."

"Rice bucket, what is escape? I don't think you are careful to pursue it. Listen to me. Now I will give you a three-day deadline. If you don't find out the whereabouts of this batch of muskets within three days, I will dismiss you and investigate it."

In the same year, on August 8, east of Guizhou, 20 miles along the Luoshui River.

Luoyang businessman Chu's businessman transported goods to Jingzhaofu, passed through the Guzhou area, and stayed at the big pond at night.

Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, a group of people in black surrounded the riverside where his caravan landed. The fire flashed in the night, and the sound of firecrackers came. His ship was immediately hit by a bullet and caught fire. When he ran out of the cabin, the guards had almost been killed. Chu jumped out and cried and reported the matter to Changshui County, Changshui. The county magistrate did not dare to neglect to report directly to Henan Prefecture.

On the 10th, 50 miles northwest of Yiyang County, under the Jinbao Mountain.

A group of Tubo merchants' leather goods were robbed, and only three people narrowly escaped.

On the 13th, 15 miles north of Fuchang County, at the foot of Xiong'er Mountain in Changshui River.

The granary of Liujiazhuang was robbed, and the banker guarding Zhuangzi was nowhere to go.

On the 16th, on the official road from Mianchi County, Henan Province to Shaanxi County, Guzhou.

Hundreds of hungry people rushed out of the grass on the roadside and instantly captured a convoy of Huashigang in Henan Prefecture. The government guard lost 61 people, 20 muskets were lost, and the guns were not counted.

In the following days, robberies and killings occurred on roads east of Guzhou and west of Henan Prefecture every three or five days, and more and more people participated. Lushi County at the foot of Black Bear Mountain was besieged by this group of thieves at night. Fortunately, it was found in time, and the thieves did not succeed.