Chapter 20 0020

Guan Baye thought over and over again before deciding to go straight to Dadukou. The legs start from the east coast and go down to the Hongze Lake in the southwest. Whether you take the east road or the west road, there is a journey of six to seven hundred miles.Whether you are walking in a gang or taking a one-way trip, buying and selling is not as convenient as ordinary businessmen. Sometimes you rely on your legs during the day and kick your feet at night, and sometimes your front is unstable.On the west road, there are always fifty or seventy clamps, large and small, except for those who have to make up their minds to push hard, and have to circle around it like a millstone.

Just because he met Judge Zhu Si in Wanjialou, and offended him with his face, Guan Baye decided to go to Dadukou instead of taking a detour; It's not easy to settle the account, it's easy to break into the den of thieves by taking a detour, if they attack secretly and ambushes in the dark, their own life and death matters are minor, and this group of brothers in the Liuhe Gang will inevitably be involved; if they go straight to Dadukou , although there are many checkpoints along the way, there are many people on the cards who are soldiers and braves that they have led. Behind them, there are also a lot of bitter tears. He should be clearer than anyone else, so as not to turn his face down and face each other with swords, and if some unreasonable animals deliberately torture them, it is not difficult to break through the checkpoint and pull out the card.I'm afraid that the trough set up by the government is rushing to cut the salt, and it will be annoying if you don't agree, but in comparison, it's easier to handle than meeting Judge Zhu Si.

The man is on a white horse, with a snowstorm on his back, his heart is heavy, and he doesn't know how many feelings are suppressed.Most of the people who have been through the rivers and lakes for a long time have a tough appearance. At first glance, it seems that those iron-cast wild men are indifferent, but in their bones, their pride and emotion are full of heaven and earth.Watching the heavy snowfall, Guan Baye has long forgotten his own hunger and cold. Countless past events have turned into pieces of snowflakes, floating in his eyes. Whether it is love or hate, joy or sorrow, it is all in the time behind After falling, all that is left is a tired body. ...The endless wild roads, the endless winds and frosts, heroes have been heroes, and chivalry have also been chivalrous. Then again, if there were not so many injustices in the world, there would be no need for heroes to shed blood and throw their heads ? !Throughout the ages, heroes and chivalry have been forced out by injustice in the world, and their false fame has spread everywhere, while there is only an empty sadness left in their hearts...Who would leave the dark old nest and roam the rivers and lakes all year round?Right and wrong, kindness and resentment, forming an endless chain that cannot be untied?Who wants to fight hand-to-hand with someone?Who wants to be favored and never forget?But unless you don't stand on the rivers and lakes road...

Half my life has been in the rivers and lakes, and there are many events that are as vivid as yesterday. Although I suppress myself again and again, I don’t go back, I don’t think about it anymore, but those events, those messy images and sounds, will always snake around in a moment of silence. Deep down. "I said, Ba Ye, you should have started a family long ago?!" Who said such a thing?Grandpa Zhen said it so sincerely. I, Guan Dongshan, am not an unsympathetic man, and I have long been tired of wandering the rivers and lakes. I am not a hero, but an ordinary person made of flesh and blood, with a conscience that jumps up and down.The daughter of the old prison guard Qin Zhen has not been found, the shackles imposed by the Beiyang government on the heads of the people have not been removed, the blood feud between the boss of Shuangqiang Luo and a group of old brothers of the Liuhe Gang has not been avenged, and Judge Zhu Si has kept this account on his own head , I have to risk my life to pick... Although I am tired of the rivers and lakes, I can't pick up my life of wandering in the rivers and lakes.

The snorting of a white horse and a piece of jade interrupted Guan Baye's thoughts, and he couldn't help but think of Wan Jia again.Maybe it's just the times that have changed?The unrighteous people in the Jianghu are getting more and more powerful. Mr. Wan Jinbiao is so loyal and brave, how much worry has he raised for the people in the Jianghu?How much did you worry about it?Baoye and Yeye are all gentle and benevolent people; just like that, Judge Zhu Si turned his thoughts to Wanjialou, Xu Siqianjiu, who was a bandit, was willing to partner with Zhu, they Apart from seeing money, what else can the eyes see? !

No matter how hard I tried, not to mention seven heads, even if I had seventy heads, I would not be able to exchange the nineteen lives of Baoye and Wanjialou!With the strength of Wanjialou's guns, if no one released the water in the dark, it would never have caused such a chaotic situation, and it would never have caused Master Bao to lose his life. ...a black mule with white crosses?The key is here.I remember that when I was leaving, I specially reminded Lord Ye to pay attention to such an animal and try to find some clues. There are many families in Wanjialou, and there is no guarantee that there will be no grievances between the families. This is something that outsiders can hardly get involved in.But according to my guess, there is something strange in that market town?Ever since the boss of Shuangqiang Luo of the Old Liuhe Gang was wiped out, I have had doubts that I can't understand! ...But let's put it away first, this is Zheng's Dawa, and it's time to make a transition before noon.

Baoye's steed is really a well-deserved steed, with its four hooves vacated, it hopped on the pine snow, smooth and light, and unconsciously, it had already left the salt team far behind.Although the dancing snowflakes often block the view, from the sand cuttings on both sides of the concave channel, it can be seen that this is the north bank of the Dadukou; there are three large ferry boats with square heads and flat bottoms in the Dadukou, and the ferrymen are all on the river mound. Villagers, these ferrymen usually don't stay at the ferry to wait for the transitional guests, but they all gather to gamble in the Fan's shop in Duikou.

Anyone who has been to the Grand Ferry of the Yanhe River, no one knows the Fanjiapu. This old shop of the Fan family, which has been open for many generations, is located on a high pile on the bank of the river. One side is covered by trees, and the other side is a walled sandy moat. Below the moat is the torrential river.Fanjiapu strangles Zhengjia Dawa to the north and Duhekou to the south. There is a road on the pile ridge and the salt market on the dam in the east, so it has become a place where all kinds of people from the rivers and lakes gather; It is a thatched hut with earthen walls, but it is also very spacious and clean. There are a total of about a hundred or so houses arranged in eight formations along a high pile, revealing layers of roof ridges, like a building holding its key points. Copycat.

Guan Baye took the reins in the wind and snow, and the white horse left the concave path leading to the ferry and walked obliquely to the winding uphill road; it was noon, and Guan Baye didn't intend to let the noise cart stay here, just because of this road. The wind and snow were fierce, and there were still more than 20 miles of deserted roads to walk after crossing the river. It was time to eat here. The horses swept across a row of snow-wearing forests, and before they reached the square in front of the shop, they saw a large group of people around the square, chattering and arguing about something.There were six or seven heavy salt carts with baskets parked there, and two anti-private soldiers bravely sealed the cart with their big guns. A tax officer at a checkpoint was wearing a leather cap askew, kicking one leg on the salt basket. superior.Four or five guys in leather robes with guns slung across their backs were chatting poorly.The old innkeeper of Fan's Shop held the long pipe stem, bowed to the east and bowed to the west, and acted as a peacemaker there, while a few miserable men pushing the salt cart stayed by the handle with bitter faces. , It's all a taste of being at the mercy of others.

"No matter how the men in your trough divide it, I have to sign the lot first and pay the salt tax." The tax official said: "My mother is not lucky today, and I will catch three in a row. Ten, lose six or seven oceans, this time is just right, I will pay one ocean for each car—to get back the bet.” "Master tax official, don't worry, Yuxing trough will pay you five yuan. The seven carts of salt will go back to the trough with me, and the gross salt will be taken to the trough. For every hundred catties, Yuxing will pay you three yuan... so that you don't have to travel a hundred more. In Lidi, when the car passes the Dadukou, it is quite a problem whether we can keep the salt.” The man with a handle wrapped around his trouser leg said, “Salt follow me, Yuxing Groove will pay your taxes, I don’t mean to you!”

"Old Cao, you are an overlord who is so hard-pressed to pinch people's noses!" said with a mouthful of gold teeth, "Yuxing is an official brand, and our old Zhenxing is not privately established?!—I Baojiazi costs six yuan, and the price is three yuan per hundred catties of gross salt. Come with me, even food and housing, Lao Zhenxing will take care of everything!" "Please...please...you, masters, hold your hands high!" A salt pusher begged, "In order not to cause you to quarrel with each other and hurt your peace, let us go through the transition. Please forgive me, the tax collector, and pay taxes for two or three cents per car." , let you make a small bet, meaning, we both know each other..." "That won't work!" The tax official kicked the salt basket with another leg: "This is not a small checkpoint. The tax is three to five cents a cart. They are as high as the sky and the emperor is far away. No one comes to settle the tax bill. Ten percent goes into the pocket; The ferry is close to the official salt bureau on the dam, and the inspector will come down for three days and five days to settle the accounts. How can you be unfilial? Reporting to the warehouse, I will not be busy in vain? So I said, we must take care of each other, at least this amount must be charged for each car..." He stretched out his hand and made a seven-character mark, indicating that at least seven corners of ocean tax must be paid . "Let's talk about the tax slowly, okay?" A man with a teapot in his hand and tucked into his robe smiled wickedly, pinched the tax official and said, "Lao Li, the salt cart doesn't have wings, so your bets can't fly away." Yes, why bother standing in the snow and fighting? Tell them to put their legs on the porch, and let's talk about going into the trough first." "Uncle Huai, it's none of your business, this batch of salt has returned to Yuxing!" Cao said, "I was the first to solicit this batch of business!" "Yuxing and Lao Zhenxing are evenly distributed!" Bao Jinya said, "Yuxing has three cars, and Lao Zhenxing has four cars. The sloppy buddy agreed." "Don't move your legs yet!" Uncle Huai said with a stern face, "I can't bear the sight of you fighting for business with sharp heads, like a pack of hungry dogs fighting for bones, yelling and yelling into a ball... these seven Che Yan returns to He Tai's slot!" "Hmph! You, Jiang Huai, don't rely on the old to sell the old!" Lao Cao said: "Everyone is messing around in the world, and the officers always have to come first and then come first. You take Hetai's job, and I take Yuxing's job. You want to smash it Lao Tzu's rice bowl?" Lao Cao put on a show, as if he was about to pull out the scorpion. Uncle Huai smiled calmly, holding the handle of the gun behind his back in one hand, and asked someone to pull the gun away without taking it off, and said with a wicked smile: "Boy, if you miss, you will know the place. With one hand, it's very tender!"