Chapter 376 Volume C: Second Sister You
The journey back to the capital from Ganzhou is not a short distance, more than four thousand miles, and it would take more than a month to get there at the fastest speed.
Feng Ziying estimated that if she rode horses all the way, leaving early and staying overnight, she could probably walk two hundred miles a day. If she walked faster and there were no unexpected mistakes, it would probably take about twenty days to get there, but that would be too hard. .
If you take a carriage, it will be slow. It is estimated that it is almost a hundred miles in one day. It will take you nine months to reach the capital.
Of course, for Feng You and others, it is normal to walk at least more than two hundred miles a day.
However, it was not only Feng Ziying who returned this time, but also a censor from the Metropolitan Procuratorate, several officials from the Ministry of War, and several family members of Chai Yang. They all wanted to return to Beijing to pay for their respective yamen and families. With a letter.
If a group of escorting soldiers are included, it will be a team of seventy or eighty people, and there is no fear of various banditry accidents that may be encountered along the way.
Such a large team can only take the official road, also known as the post road, which has the best road conditions, and there are resting places along the route, which is convenient for rest and replenishment, and is more secure in terms of public security.
Besides, we are not afraid of these rogue bandits, but one more thing is worse than one less thing. The section from Ganzhou to Yulin has just ended after the chaos, so it is inevitable that some deserters who have slipped through the net and some bandits who have taken advantage of the situation will cause trouble. Still cleaning up.
This is why a cavalry team of fifty people was specially sent to **** the group. Even Chai Ke, Yang He and Feng Tang were not worried about the security situation in their jurisdiction.
The group of people were basically on horseback, but they also brought a few carriages with them. The censor and several staff members would definitely not be able to endure such a long ride, and they could also take a proper rest.
In addition, there are also things that Feng Tang, Chai Ke and Yang He each sent home, which can also be loaded into one or two cars.
It is also customary to bring back some valuable or not valuable things, such as skins, medicinal materials, etc., when you go out.
For example, my father gave me twenty or thirty pieces of sand fox skin, deer skin, suede skin, and dozens of tan sheepskin and yellow sheepskin. He said that these kind of tanned sheepskins can be used for beds, chairs and stools. The mat can also be used by the servants to wrap themselves in cotton robes to keep out the cold in winter, and the effect is quite good.
There are also some medicinal materials such as wolfberry, musk, deer antlers and inkstones and other specialties, bits and pieces, but not many.
Just the medicinal materials on this cart, in modern times, would probably make dozens of heads fall off. Feng Ziying estimates that the musk from forest musk deer and the antler from red deer were contributed by at least hundreds of forest musk deer and red deer. In this era, that is the natural source of livelihood for local hunters.
It is said that the court is difficult, but for the officials, it is not like that.
Feng Ziying didn't know what the cart of things that Chai Ke and Yang He brought back to Beijing contained and how much it was worth, but her father couldn't buy the cart of things without tens of thousands of taels of silver.
It’s no wonder that military generals want to fight. From this war, all aspects can be benefited.
Along the way from Ningxia to Gansu, how many wealthy gentry and businessmen who were related to the rebels were exterminated?
There are some local gentry and merchants who have nothing to do with each other but don't have many followers. When they encounter ruthless people like He Renlong, they can accuse you of anything and they will shout that you should not be punished every day. The earth and earth are not working well, and if you can send them away with money, it’s all Amitabha.
Therefore, for the local gentry, local peace is the most important thing. If civil unrest breaks out, even if it can be quelled, being beaten by soldiers is almost as good as being beaten by bandits.
Even if my father is in Datong or Yulin, he will turn a blind eye when encountering such a thing. If you don't let the soldiers below take the opportunity to make some extra money, why should they work for you?
As long as it doesn’t go too far and doesn’t cause trouble, you can only turn a blind eye.
The group left Ganzhou east and headed straight to Liangzhou Wei along the post road.
This section of the road is the most important post road in the entire Gansu town. The road is in good condition, and because this important road has a lot of troops and horses, it is relatively quiet. Once you have passed it, the Liangzhou guards can separate.
One road can go from Sishui Fort to Xiaosong Mountain, cross Huangyangchuan and enter the jurisdiction of Yulin Town via Jingtai, and the other can continue to the southeast through Zhuanglangwei, pass Lanzhouwei and then exit eastward.
The same is true for Feng Ziying and his party. From Gulangsuo, they went south along the Inner Great Wall and passed Zhenqiangbao, Wushengyi and Kushuiwanyi to reach Lanzhou Acropolis.
"The front is Bitter Water Bay Post. I'm afraid I can only stay here for one night tonight." Feng You rode his horse in a circle from the front before returning, and said casually: "It seems that there is still a bit of chaos here, and Bitter Water Bay Fort is under martial law. No, non-government personnel are not allowed to enter, and a group of businessmen are still crying and begging for mercy."
"What's wrong?" Feng Ziying was startled and subconsciously touched the narrow-edged knife at her waist.
"It is said that a group of thieves looted Minhe County and came here." Feng You said nonchalantly: "There are too few troops stationed here in Bushui Bay. We are worried about being infiltrated by thieves and spies, so we are not willing to let ordinary merchants and travelers into the post. .”
Minhe County is under the jurisdiction of Nianbo Station of Gansu Town. It is also a guard station on the southeast side of Gansu Town and is adjacent to Guyuan Town in the south.
“Thieves and bandits?” Feng Ziying asked in confusion: “Where do these thieves and bandits come from?”
"Brother Keng, do you think it will be over once the rebels are wiped out? This situation will continue for at least more than a year. There will be no shortage of deserters, rebels and local scoundrels, large and small, anywhere. Take advantage of this opportunity. Now the government is basically paralyzed, and the army only cares about big cities and important post roads, and cannot take care of other places, so naturally it can take advantage of the cracks."
Feng You is obviously accustomed to such situations. Whether in Yulin Town or Datong Town, such situations are not uncommon. Even a small-scale mutiny can cause social chaos in the surrounding areas for a long time, let alone Talk about such a big rebellion.
“Don’t worry, Brother Keng, these thieves are not fools. They all have insiders who are familiar with the local situation. They will not touch the cavalry in the army like us at all.”
"I remember that You Shigong and the others should be stationed on this front line. I'm afraid such a chaotic situation is inappropriate, right?" Feng Ziying saw the chaos outside the gate of Bishuiwan Fort from a distance, and glanced at the people stretching out from the carriage over there. The one who came forward was the censor named Zhang.
Feng You naturally understood Feng Ziying's worries, and shook his head with a smile: "Brother Keng, these censors are also sensible. Now the soldiers from the Second Town of Gansu and Ningxia are all our Yulin soldiers. He followed Mr. Yang out to get the qualifications." It's too late to like this one, so how can we find fault with our Yulin soldiers? Such trivial matters will not be taken seriously at all."
As expected, the censor named Zhang just took one look and shrank back.
This is the first stop for crossing the Yellow River from Lanzhou Wei, and it is also the most important throat of the post road. The geographical location is very important. Business travelers traveling south, north, east, and west all gather here, and the Bushuiwan Fort is not large in size. It's small, and seems to be the size of a market town.
Feng Ziying and others came from the north. They saw a large group of people, horses and vehicles coming from a distance. The ordinary merchants and travelers around them quickly got out of the way. However, the soldiers on the wall of the fort were all on guard with their bows and arrows ready.
Soon soldiers came out to conduct an investigation. The group had official documents, and they were all accompanied by the Yulin Town Army. The Yulin Town Army was also stationed here, so naturally they could enter the city without any hindrance.
There are urns set up at the north and south gates of Bitter Water Bay Fort, which also shows the vigilance against Tatar invasion on this line.
I saw two carriages on the side of the fort gate being interrogated by several sergeants. Some boxes and cages had been rummaged out, and they were all colorful women's clothing.
"You young man is so ignorant. Under the orders of my general, these thieves have looted Minhe County and are coming this way. How do I know that you are not a spy?" A guy who probably looked like a small flag was gushing. He kept shouting.
"Master Jun, our family is going to the capital to visit relatives, and we don't have much property. You have been checking over and over for a long time. Don't know what else to check?" The voice was familiar. Feng Ziying subconsciously turned her head and saw the husband of the You family pressing down. Argue with the other person in anger.
"Hmph, we have only checked one car. Where is that car?" Xiao Qi saw that it was veteran Youzi. He straddled the shaft of the car with one foot and put one hand on the knife at his waist. "I'm afraid it's a prohibited item. Are they all hidden in this car?"
"Master Jun, this is my mother and sister. They are both women. Where can I hide any prohibited items?" People have to bow their heads under the eaves. If you don't comply in this situation, I can really get you killed. A bandit hat.
When he opened the car curtain, he saw only two women sitting in the car with nothing else. The middle-aged woman was quite bachelor. After getting off, she called the military master, while the other young woman was wearing a curtain hat. Hiding his appearance, he felt blessed after getting off the car, but said nothing.
"Take off the hat!" Seeing that there was nothing else in the car, Xiaoqi was a little disappointed and couldn't find any suitable reason, so he said casually.
“Back to the military master, my sister has not left the cabinet yet, so I’m afraid it will be inconvenient…”
"It's so inconvenient! Bandits are rampant and the military situation is serious. Even if the official lady comes, you have to get it for me!" Xiao Qi was immediately annoyed, and his face suddenly twisted, and he said harshly.
At this time of year, ordinary women rarely travel far, and even if they do, it is always due to some hesitation or special reasons. How can such ordinary people tolerate disobeying their own orders during this special period?
(End of this chapter)