Chapter 414: Thieves are rampant
In the next few days, news about this group of horse thieves kept coming, giving Jiang Anyi an ominous premonition.
Most horse thieves are composed of deserters, criminals, and robbers, and most of them are extremely difficult to restrain without discipline. The escorts at the Weiyuan Escort Agency said that this group of horse thieves come and go like the wind, have outstanding kung fu, and cooperate tacitly, and do not look like a mob.
There are rules for the industry. When horse thieves kill and rob people, they try to rob things without hurting them. Sometimes they even leave some property to the caravan to avoid cutting off the trade route and cutting off business. And this group of horse thieves took ruthless action, robbing all the goods and killing people, which gave Jiang Anyi the feeling that he wanted to cut off the trade between Huazhou and the Western Regions.
Huazhou's post-war reconstruction cannot be separated from trade, not to mention that the emperor promised to pay an additional 2 million taels of commercial tax and 800,000 taels of pass-through silver for Anxi Protectorate. If this group of horse thieves is not solved, Jiang Anyi will be unable to sleep or eat. The Gobi Desert is vast, and the whereabouts of horse thieves are uncertain, and the army will find it difficult to clear it.
Xinfei stayed at home these days, and Wang Zuoguo took people to Bingzhou to investigate the case of the loss of military equipment. He was afraid that Xinfei would steal the credit, so he cleverly asked her to stay in Huazhou. Xinfei was too lazy to compete for merit with him and was happy to spend more time with her husband. Speaking of which, he came to Huazhou with Jianglang, but most days of the couple were busy and they didn't have many days to get together.
When Dong'er gave birth to Jiang Chenzhi, Xinfei was secretly anxious. She was already twenty-six years old and most women were mothers of several children. This time she came to Huazhou with Jiang Anyi. Xinfei actually wanted to get pregnant earlier. Sitting in front of the window, Xinfei showed a longing smile. When she had a child, she would take care of her husband and children at home and no longer ask about Long Wei.
In the courtyard, Jiang Anyi walked around anxiously and discussed with Shi Qingjian for an afternoon, but did not come up with any good idea. After Mr. Shi finished his meal, he went back. Jiang Anyi walked around the courtyard alone to think about it. Xinfei put down the needle and thread in her hand, poured a bowl of herbal tea and gave it to Jiang Anyi, and said carefully: "Why do I take someone to explore the way this group of people come."
Drinking all the herbal tea in one breath, Jiang Anyi said: "This group of people is suspicious. Judging from the situation reported by Sima Hua, it is likely that it was the rebel party of the Yuantian Sect. Wang Zuoguo brought all his men to Bingzhou. You are alone and I am not at ease. I am stubborn and I cannot escape from it."
Xinfei smiled and said, "Before I met you, I would have taken Siyu and a few walk around the world. It's better than you, husband. Since Jiang Lang has no choice, I will run for you. If you are not at ease, let An Yong lead the guards to go with me."
On the way back to Wenjin County, the robbery killed four personal guards, but Jiang Anyi conquered the guards. When the returned personal guards talked about the situation on the battlefield, everyone felt that it was worth it to sell their lives for such a master. They were in the forefront of the war and gave the money to the rightful price. This life was sold at a good price.
Jiang Anyong equipped each guard with a horse, a steel knife, a long spear and a strong bow, and a fine scale armor. The surface of the thin scale armor is made of a steel blade, and the rope is hidden under the armor plate and is not easy to cut. The armor plate extends and overlaps, can be bent and adjusted, with strong mobility, with leather parts inside, resists blunt attacks, and the sharp spear is stabbed on it. The armor surface is hard and smooth, so that the pointed tip can be slipped through. It is the best among the standard armor of Dazheng No. 12 Middle School, as famous as Mingguang, Lock, and Shanwen armor. Only sixth-rank lieutenant or above are equipped. Most ordinary soldiers use leather armor and wooden armor.
A set of fine scale armor took several craftsmen to make it for half a year, and it was of great value. Jiang Anyi walked through Yang Xiangliang's path and bought 200 sets for the personal guards at a price of 100 taels per set. These personal guards rode tall horses every day, wearing fine scale armor, swaying across the market, attracting the attention of the people.
The guards went to the school to practice. Not only ordinary soldiers were jealous, but even Mei Hongmin was jealous. After this set of equipment, each person spent no less than 200 taels of silver. The equipment alone cost more than 30,000 taels of silver. The guards guarding the palace were not as good as those of them. All of these things were paid out of their own pockets. They were really rich.
The envious eyes created a sense of honor among the personal guards. Without Jiang Anyong's supervision, these people trained very hard, which made Mei Hongmin heartbroken. Why did these elite soldiers be picked by Jiang Anyi? If he had more than a hundred people, it would be great to charge and kill generals and seize the flag.
Many people are keen on the treatment of the guards and ask Jiang Anyong to join them. Jiang Anyong is a little moved, but Jiang Anyi said, "I would rather be short than bad, and I will talk about it later." He asked his younger brother to pay more attention to observation on weekdays, and remember the good seedlings in his heart, and wait for the next year.
Xinfei said that she would take her personal guards with her. Jiang Anyi was relieved. Although the personal guards were led by An Yong and Shi Tou, Jiang Anyi would take time to practice with his personal guards every ten thousand times. Jiang Anyi had participated in the Qiushou and met the elite soldiers of the Sixteen Guards. Compared with them, his personal guards were only stronger and not weak.
Occasionally, Jiang Anyi would compete with his personal guards to establish and consolidate his authority, and then drink with his personal guards to win over his relationship. An Yong said jealously that he was not as prestige as his elder brother when he was with his personal guards all day long.
This group of horse thieves strangled on Huazhou's neck like a rope. If they were not dealt with, they would suffocate to death. They trust Xinfei and Jiang Anyi unconditionally. When they were safe and secure, they would of course let go. The couple called An Yong and Shi Tou. The five of them discussed until midnight before they each rested.
The next day, Jiang Anyi came to Mei Hongmin's residence and asked to borrow a crossbow after deciphering his purpose. Mei Hongmin's head shook like a rattle and refused.
"At present, Long Guard is stepping up the investigation of the loss of military equipment. If I lent the crossbow to the adults privately, if there is anything wrong, I will not argue." The Beijing Central Committee's handling of Mei Hongmin has not yet arrived, and he is still responsible for the garrison.
Jiang Anyi had already understood Mei Hongmin's food like Jiang Anyi, so he offered a price directly: "The rental fee is for five taels of silver per frame, and a crossbow arrow with ten cents."
The court kept a close watch on the crossbows. Each crossbow has a number, which is centrally guarded by the quarantine officers, and is used during wartime and returned to the warehouse. If it is lost for no reason, it is subject to the law of the army. If the war damage is returned, the damaged crossbow will be returned to the Sima of the army. Of course, there are many ways to cheat, and losing in war is the most common method. The quarantine officers can use waste and damaged objects to assemble good objects. These strictly controlled ordnances can often be sold at a good price. Mei Hongmin has also done a business of selling ordnances.
The rent of five taels of silver is not low, Mei Hongmin was a little moved, not to mention that Jiang Anyi was used to kill horse thieves, and it should be borrowed for free. Thinking of the fine scale armor on Jiang Anyi's personal guard, Mei Hongmin was determined not to miss the opportunity to slaughter fat pigs, and blurted out: "Ten taels of silver, otherwise there will be no talks."
Mei Hongmin's eyes showed a greedy green light, like a hungry wolf. Jiang Anyi suppressed the unhappiness in his heart. For the sake of his wife's safety, he paid the money, wrote down a receipt, rented a hundred crossbows, bought three thousand crossbow arrows, and returned to the mansion with Mei Hongmin's proud smile.
Xinfei and An Yong and others dressed up as merchants heading to the Western Regions, driving more than 20 trucks with honey fruits on them. More than 100 personal guards were divided into three teams in front and back, and went out of the Jiyun Pass to the Western Regions Wei Cheguo. Xinfei had a secret guard's waist sign, which was naturally unobstructed in Huazhou.
Seeing Xinfei and the others away, Jiang Anyi counted the days and waited for the news.
Three days later, a visitor shifted Jiang Anyi's attention from the west to the east.
A fast horse ran into Huiye City at noon. The man on the horse's clothes were covered with brown blood. He rode on the horse and swayed to find out where the governor's mansion was. Under the guidance of the pedestrians, the man came to the front of the government office and saw the stone lion and the high-level yamen runners. The man rolled down from the horse, supported himself and sat up, and said to the yamen runners who were walking over: "Several messengers, please inform the governor Jiang, and say that someone in Xinqi, Dezhou asked for a visit."
Dezhou Xinqi is the hometown of governor Jiang. These yamen runners dare not neglect. Someone helped the man up and asked him to sit on the steps to rest. Seeing that the man had a chapped lips, he hurriedly found the cold water. The man finished drinking, and someone ran out of the room and said, "Mr. Jiang, please."
The yamen runners on both sides brought this man to the court, and Jiang Anyi stood in front of the hall to welcome him. People from Xinqi County, Dezhou were no longer a fellow villager, meeting old friends in a foreign land, and having a happy life. When the man came closer, Jiang Anyi was stunned and recognized that the man was the deputy general manager of Zhenwei Escort Agency to Xu Anhu. Last time he escorted perfume to Beijing, Jiang Anyi had dinner with him. Why did Xu Anhu be covered in blood and dirt? What happened? Could it be that something happened at home?
Jiang Anyi stepped forward to hold Xu Anhu's arm, helped him to the chair and sat down, and asked anxiously: "Xu Pao, are you injured? Do you want to invite a doctor to come and what's going on?"
Xu Anhu gasped for a while and said, "It's okay to have some skin injuries. Xu rushed from Changwu County, Qi Prefecture, and had not eaten anything and was a little weak."
Jiang Anyi hurriedly ordered someone to send some food. Xu Anhu took out a letter from his arms and said, "Sir, Xu followed Mr. Guo to the Huiye Mansion this time, but unexpectedly, he was robbed in Changwu County, Qi Prefecture. Mr. Guo was tied up by a horse. Xu rushed out of blood to report the message. This was the letter that Mr. Guo gave me before he was arrested, and asked me to be evidence."
After taking the letter, Jiang Anyi recognized that the envelope was written by Zhang Keji. Someone sent steamed buns and herbal tea, Xu Anyi swallowed it voraciously, Jiang Anyi tore open the letter of the family, and everything in the family was safe. Zhang Keji mainly talked about what Guo Huaili should pay attention to when he was in the Huiye Mansion during this trip. Jiang Anyi didn't have time to read it carefully, so he put the letter in his arms.
Xu Anhu stuffed three steamed buns and a few pieces of braised pork. He had food in his stomach and felt much more energetic. The doctor put the gold-chuang medicine on the wound on his back. Jiang Anyi then asked: "Xu Pao, please tell me what happened to Jiang."
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Guo Huaili brought 80 trucks of goods and more than 20 managers to the Huiye Mansion to gain a foothold. His wife and children did not accompany him on this trip, and he planned to come with Dong'er and the others in the spring next year. The goods were escorted by the Zhenwei Escort Agency as usual. Because of the relationship between the Jiang family, Yu family and Guo family, the Zhenwei Escort Agency quickly grew, from dozens of people to more than 300 people. He opened branch escort agencies in Renzhou, Fangzhou and the capital, recruited many good players, and also hired the Jiang family's entrustment and became a super escort agency in the Jiangnan area.
This time Guo Huaili is going to Huazhou to start a foundation. Wu Yingjie, the chief escort leader of Zhenyuan Escort Agency, feels that it is a good opportunity to strengthen the escort agency. Who doesn’t know that the best business in the world is Western Regions trade. If there is trade, there is an escort agency. If the Zhenyuan Escort Agency can take advantage of the power of Jiang governor Jiang to occupy a place in Huazhou, then the Zhenyuan Escort Agency will not only be the Jiangnan Red Enemy Agency, but may become a famous escort agency in Dazheng.
After internal discussions by the escort agency, he found Guo Huaili and decided that the deputy chief escort Xu Anhu would take 80 capable escorts to Huazhou. This time, he would not let Guo Huaili say a few words to the governor Jiang and support the Zhenwei escort agency to gain a foothold in Huazhou.
This is a win-win situation for Guo Huaili. Xu Anhu is the top expert of Zhenwei Escort Agency. He has been dealing with the Guo family for nearly ten years and has never lost the Escort and can trust it. From then on, he gained a foothold in Huazhou, and the Zhenwei Escort Agency escorts the goods with each other with confidence, and immediately patted his chest and agreed.
On August 20th, we set out from Dezhou to the northwest. There are two routes from Dezhou to Huazhou, one is Renzhou, Fangzhou, Louzhou, Bingzhou and then to Huazhou, and the other is Renzhou, Jiangzhou, Qizhou to Huazhou. The former road is safer, but it is even further away. The second road is nearly 300 miles, but there are many bandits along the way.
Xu Anhu thought that he would come and go on these two roads in the future, and he would inevitably have to deal with the heroes on the mountain. It would be better to take advantage of this visit along the road and make friends. So the escort team went to Renzhou, Jiangzhou, and Qizhou to Huazhou.
Along the way, Xu Anhu subdued many heroes with the demon-subduing pestle in his hand, and cleverly told him to send money to get in touch with him. The road was smooth sailing. Xu Anhu couldn't help but get in a bit of wine and boasted a few words when he was fighting in Changwu County. The speaker was unintentional and listened intentionally. The next day, the escort team went on the road and passed by Zhangluo Mountain at the junction of Changwu County and Yonghe County. The escort team was robbed.
"The robbers hid in the forest to shoot arrows. The caravans were walking on the mountain roads and had nowhere to hide. Many brothers were shot by arrows. Among those robbers, there was an archery master who shot the dart flag down the first arrow. Xu wanted to rush forward and fight desperately, but was tripped by the rope in the forest and injured his back." Xu Anhu's eyes were angrily opened, his fists were clenched, as if the robber was right in front of him and wanted to pounce on him and continue fighting.
"Fatty Guo was not injured, right?"
"Mr. Guo is fine. Seeing that many people in the escort agency were injured, Mr. Guo ordered everyone to surrender and asked the thieves to rob the goods. Mr. Guo Renyi and Xu are really ashamed."
"Then where is he now?" Jiang Anyi asked.
Xu Anhu sighed: "Those robbers heard that the goods were from the Guo family in Xinqi County. They asked if they were the Guo family who was in the perfume business with the Jiang family. I thought the thief had an old age with the adults, so I said yes. But the robbers tied up Mr. Guo and asked me to send me a letter and asked me to send you 100,000 taels of silver to redeem people. I settled the people and rushed to report the letter to the adults overnight, asking him to find a way to save Mr. Guo."
Chapter completed!