My eunuch godfather

Chapter 9 Old City of Mozhou

The next day, Zhang Kun, along with ten skilled fighters including Xu Xin and Wei Sengteng, and twenty servants of Chen Jizong, set off westward.

In addition to the thirty-two riding horses, there were six spare riding horses and twelve pack horses, allowing the caravan to travel more than 60 li a day.

After a day's journey, we stopped at Liuhepu, between Jinghai and Baoding, to spend the night.

This Baoding is not the Baoding of Baoding Prefecture. It was originally Baoding Military Command during the Northern Song Dynasty and is located in Xinzhen Town, Wen'an County in later times.

Liuhepu was a courier station responsible for delivering official documents.

The soldiers ran back and forth between the various posts, day and night, at a speed of over 300 li per day.

Courier stations were often located on trade routes and, like post stations, easily developed into markets. For example, Liuhepu developed into Liuhe Town during the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, the caravan had no shortage of food and lodging, as Liuhepu had plenty of restaurants and inns.

"Gentlemen, there are many bandits and spies in this kind of place."

Before entering the restaurant, Wei Sengteng gave instructions to the members of the cavalry:

"Don't be fooled by our numbers and strength; some of our members are daring and desperate thieves who prey on the wealthy!"

As early as Fengxin Water Station, Wei Sengteng asked Zhang Kun to provide funds to purchase a large amount of dry rations.

Like the soldiers of a fleet, they divided their skilled men and servants into two groups, taking turns wearing armor, while those in armor only ate dry rations.

"If there are really such blind fools, I'll slaughter them all, cut off their heads, and ask the foreman to report my achievement!"

The guards and officers were surnamed Zhao. They had once refused to accept prisoners in Xuanfu Town and had patrolled the border many times.

He was somewhat disdainful of Wei Sengteng, but out of respect for Zhang Kun, he didn't show it.

"Brothers, you've worked hard."

Zhang Kun smiled and said to his skilled fighters and servants, "Once we enter Baoding City tomorrow, I'll treat you all to a feast!"

"Thank you, Supervisor!"

The restaurants in Liuhepu are far inferior to those along the canal; they don't serve braised or stir-fried dishes, only stewed beef.

The beef comes from old, diseased oxen; it's thin and tough, and very cheap.

Zhang Kun didn't eat that, so he asked the restaurant to fry some eggs with the lard he brought and cook a bowl of noodles he brought with him.

The seasoning, including fine salt and ground pepper, is also included.

They chose a small inn as their lodging, booked all the rooms, threw a string of cash at each of the other guests, and forcibly kicked them out.

Nothing happened that night, nor the next day, and the caravan arrived in Baoding City without incident.

For the next leg of the journey, the caravan would need to stay overnight in the old town of Mozhou, between Baoding and Renqiu.

The old town of Mozhou is much more prosperous than Liuhepu, and it is home to the world-famous Mozhou Grand Temple.

At its peak, the temple fair in April each year could attract tens of thousands of participants.

However, this place is equally dangerous, even more dangerous, because the old city of Mozhou is adjacent to Wuguan Lake, which is connected to Baiyang Lake.

Today, the old city of Mozhou is also filled with a large number of disaster victims, including many desperate criminals.

"It's a temple fair now, so let's not go inside. The farther away we are, the better."

Wei Sengteng instructed everyone:

"The incense offerings in this area are mostly of poor quality, and the temple fairs are full of shady characters like 'wind horse swallows and sparrows' and 'clothes and melons'."

The wind represents a gang, the horse represents a lone wolf, the swallow represents a honey trap, and the sparrow represents setting a trap; the latter is often used as a disguise.

Jin is for fortune tellers and face readers, Pi is for medicine sellers, Li is for various entertainers, and Gua is for peddlers.

"Everyone, do as Old Wei says: stay away from crowds!"

Zhang Kun took over the conversation and said to everyone in a deep voice:

"If anything happens, don't waste words with them, just draw your knife!"

There are no officials around here, so we have to act like bandits!

In fact, Renqiu County had a patrol station in the old city of Mozhou, but it only had twenty or thirty archers, which was not enough to keep order.

Now, as the number of disaster victims gathers, the patrolmen have already taken refuge in Renqiu City, and the archers have scattered in a panic.

......

"Big container, a batch of high-quality goods has arrived from Jinghai."

A young man, wearing a headscarf and a scholar's robe, reporting to the middle-aged man kneeling in front of him mending his shoes:

"Thirty-two men and forty-five horses, half of whom were clad in iron and were very fat."

"Half of it is made of iron! It's so hard, aren't you afraid it will break your teeth?"

The middle-aged shoemaker took out a shoe last and shook his head at the young scholar, saying:

"Weren't the ones we had our eyes on enough? Young people shouldn't be too greedy."

"How much of a meal can you get from selling roof tiles from a tavern?"

The young scholar continued to persuade the middle-aged shoemaker:

"Besides, seeking wealth through weddings is bad for one's karma, so it's better to do this batch of goods instead."

"So what if half of it is pierced with iron? Just give it some medicine and knock it out."

"You still think about 'yin de' (a concept in Chinese folklore)?"

The middle-aged shoemaker couldn't help but scoff, "With all the business I've done over the years, I'd at least have to go to the screaming hell."

"For the sake of our children and grandchildren,"

The young scholar stood up, tossed down a few copper coins, and said, "How about we go to a temple and have our fortunes told?"

"No, that doesn't count."

The middle-aged shoemaker grabbed an awl from the ground, sharpened it a few times with a coarse stone, and said in a deep voice:

"Whatever we say we'll eat, that's the rule!"

......

The next morning.

A commotion broke out outside the inn, and a servant rushed in, urgently speaking to Zhang Kun who was eating breakfast:

"Brother Kun, something's happened!"

It turns out that another servant went to the morning market to buy cloth shoes and was the victim of a staged accident.

As I passed by the pharmacy, the fortune teller at the door suddenly stopped me, spouting nonsense about a dark mark on one's forehead indicating that one had been tainted by something unclean.

The medicine seller came out and said he had "divine water" that could ward off disasters and misfortunes.

He pulled out a porcelain bottle and forced it into the servant's hand.

It's likely that the bottle was smeared with lard or something, because the servants couldn't hold it and the porcelain bottle shattered on the ground.

The medicine seller immediately started shouting, praising the miraculous water and demanding five taels of silver in compensation.

Several of his accomplices rushed over, grabbed the servant's arms, and wouldn't let him leave.

Is it really that simple and straightforward?

Zhang Kun was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly realized: In this day and age, there are no surveillance cameras, and there are no officials in this place, so there is no need to be meticulous.

"spread!"

Zhao Qiguan, accompanied by two servants, used the scabbards of his swords to drive away the crowd of onlookers.

Passersby, seeing that they were all fully armored, quickly retreated, leaving only the medicine seller and the hooligans still shouting.

"This was bestowed by the Medicine King!" "Pay up!" "You're not leaving without paying!"

bass!

Remembering Zhang Kun's instructions, Zhao Qiguan drew his sword and shouted at the medicine sellers and thugs:

"If you know what's good for you, release him! How dare you deceive the officials? Are you looking for death?!"

"What, are you going to kill someone in the street? In broad daylight, under the clear sky, is there no law?!"

The medicine seller ripped open his shirt, patted his chest, and shouted at Zhao Qiguan:

"Kill me if you dare!"

Zhao Qiguan hesitated, feeling it wasn't worth killing someone in the street.

Seeing this, the drug sellers and hawkers became even more aggressive, and many bold passersby gathered around to watch the spectacle.

These days, government officials have a bad reputation; most of them side with the medicine sellers, cheering them on.

"Tsk,"

Zhang Kun, who was not far away, shook his head, told Xu Xin to bring over the saddlebags, and asked the skilled fighters and servants:

"Who can throw things with good aim?"

One of the skilled fighters volunteered, and Zhang Kun took out a simple incendiary bomb made by Wei Sengteng from the saddlebag:

The small earthenware jar for holding lamp oil was filled only halfway with oil, and then an opening was drilled in the wooden stopper to insert a fuse.

Zhang Kun handed the fuel canister to the skilled hand and instructed him:

"You stand over there and wait for my signal. Watch me raise my hand, light the fuse, and throw it into that bastard's pharmacy!"

He then instructed the others, "When the time comes, shout 'Fire!' and kick those thieves down."

After giving the instructions, he led the group forward, pushed through the crowd, and said to the medicine seller:

"I am the commander of the Shandong transport army, and I heard that my subordinates have damaged your sacred water?"

"Yes, sir!"

The medicine seller immediately knelt before Zhang Kun, kowtowing several times and weeping as he pleaded:

"The fortune teller said his forehead was dark, so I kindly gave him some holy water to ward off disasters, but he deliberately threw it on the ground!"

A few coins are nothing, but I'm worried about angering the Medicine King and attracting..."

"stop!"

Zhang Kun interrupted the medicine seller, pointing to the servants who had been captured by La Hu and said:

"Bring him closer, I want to question him."

The medicine seller hesitated for a moment, then turned around and gestured to the bandits to bring their servants closer.

"If you deliberately break the sacred water, the Medicine King will surely unleash divine fire to burn you!"

Zhang Kun pointed at the servant's nose and said sternly, then looked at the medicine seller, raised his finger to the sky and said:

"If you are lying, the Medicine King will burn you!"

Upon seeing the gesture, the servant, skilled in throwing, immediately lit the fuse with a tinderbox and hurled the oil can at the pharmacy!

boom!

The fuel canister smashed against the entrance of the pharmacy and immediately burst into flames!

"Fire has broken out!"

The skilled fighters and servants immediately shouted, with one clever one improvising, "The Medicine King has descended with divine fire!"

The passersby were in chaos. Zhang Kun kicked the medicine seller to the ground, and several thugs were also taken down by the skilled fighters and servants.

After rescuing the captured servants, Zhang Kun and Zhao Qiguan led the group and quickly retreated towards the inn.

Upon entering the inn, Wei Sengteng stood in the lobby with a person's hands bound behind their back, his foot planted on top of them, and said:

"Brother Kun, a thief sneaked in to steal something, but I caught him!"