Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 612 Chase
Chen Rong didn't understand Tang Xing's meaning, but since the two had spent a long time together, he trusted Tang Xing's decision. So he turned around and ordered the old soldiers to get up.

Soon everyone harnessed the mules, loaded the goods onto the carts, and headed towards the official road.

“And Yao Daning,” Chen Rong suddenly remembered. “Quick, go to the village and call him.”

Upon hearing Yao Daning's name, Tang Xing frowned, and after a moment, he picked up his wooden gun and walked towards the "bandit." Chen Rong immediately followed.

"What are you..."

Just as Chen Ronggang finished speaking, Tang Xing exerted force and thrust the wooden spear straight into the man's chest.

Chen Rong was completely stunned. What happened to Tang Xing? He woke up like this after just one night's sleep, as if he were possessed.

"Wasn't he supposed to be kept for interrogation?" Chen Rong finally asked.

“There’s no need to interrogate him, he won’t talk,” Tang Xing said, pulling out his wooden gun without even glancing at the man. “If you fall into someone else’s hands, would you betray Madam?”

Chen Rong immediately shook his head.

So there's no point in keeping these people around. Besides, he's already figured things out from this person, and that's enough.

Tang Xingdao said, "They are government soldiers, and even if they are not now, they have served in military camps before." But he was more inclined to believe that this person was currently in some government office or camp.

Chen Rong hadn't considered that: "Just because of this?"

Tang Xing nodded: "Do you know why Madam sent us to travel the trade route?"

After hearing this, Chen Rong stopped asking questions.

Trade routes are difficult to navigate. Even with the most thorough preparations, accidents can still happen along the way. If hard work alone could secure a trade route, Madam Xie wouldn't need to send them; she could simply continue using the Yang family's caravan.

However, the lady specially arranged for Tang Xing to travel from Bianjing to Daming Prefecture and to lead the caravan with him. Not only that, she also arranged jobs for the families of the caravan members in advance so that they would have no worries.

The old lady once told Tang Xing that when selecting people to join the caravan, they didn't have to be as clean-handed as the people selected by the village association. That's why Chen Rong chose a few refugees from the mountains to join.

When the refugees were in the mountains, they sold smuggled salt to survive, which was against the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty. However, as long as they were not investigated by the court, they would not pursue the matter. Of course, people who commit crimes like this could not be employed.

Why use these people? Because... some things are destined to be unsolvable by conventional methods.

Tang Xing's keen insight and his and the refugees' courage to take any chances at any time may determine whether they can successfully navigate this trade route.

"Get the wooden guns and sharp weapons ready," Chen Rong ordered.

Tang Xing didn't have time to explain the current situation to Chen Rong in detail, but he felt that last night's massacre was a trap.

If those "bandits" were actually government soldiers, then it would be difficult for them to explain themselves once they came out to deal with the situation. Looting villages, killing villagers, and clashing with government soldiers—all these crimes could fall on their shoulders.

Even though so many villagers witnessed yesterday's events, if they are all killed, who will testify on their behalf? But they can't take all the villagers with them.

There were too many elderly, weak, women and children left in that village; they couldn't possibly protect them all.

After much thought, Tang Xing realized there was only one way: they had to leave immediately. Only if they left could the villagers be safe.

It's very simple. They wait for the imperial troops to arrive, and the villagers will watch as the imperial people take them away. If they resist, the soldiers will definitely attack them, and the villagers will witness a frame-up. In that case, how can they survive?

They left first, and if the officers and soldiers wanted to take action, they would have to track them down. If something happened then, no one would know. The officers and soldiers could just make up whatever they wanted, without having to start a massacre.

Of course, he couldn't be sure that would be the outcome. If those people really wanted to kill someone, there was nothing he could do, but the villagers were still much safer than being with them.

It's also possible that he was overly suspicious, in which case he would at most have the soldiers chase him a few more steps.

Tang Xingdao said, "If the officials arrive here before noon, there's probably a problem. Conversely, the later they arrive, the less we need to panic."

The procedures in government offices are always complicated. You have to go through the clerks before you can see the officials. By the time you leave and come back, it will take at least until the afternoon.

But if someone had sent word last night, and then mobilized troops, they could have arrived very quickly.

Chen Rong nodded, then immediately realized, "What will we do with those 'bandits' left in the village after we leave?"

Tang Xingdao said, "Take them away and kill them on the way. When the court asks, just say they were trying to escape."

Leaving them alive is not a good thing. If the bandits manage to escape, they will definitely retaliate, and they will first target the unarmed villagers.

“We also need to choose someone to secretly go back and deliver the message,” Tang Xing said. “Regardless of whether we can get away successfully, we will inevitably get into trouble. We’ll have to ask Madam and Husband to come up with a solution.”

As for these goods, we certainly won't encounter any local granaries along the way, so we can only carry them with us for now. If we come across a suitable place along the way, we can hide some of them in the mountains.

However, they don't have much time left, and whether they can accomplish these things remains to be seen.

When the group arrived at the village, they breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing no government troops; at least they still had a chance to escape. They took the "bandit" with them, called Yao Daning, and set off.

Tang Xing didn't make this decision lightly. If he could get closer to Zhao Zhongliang, he could get help from the militia. Even if he had to hide in the mountains first, he would try his best to buy some time.

It's so far from Bianjing, waiting for Madam to send someone to help seems... very difficult, but he has to try, he can't just give up.

The caravan had only been traveling for half an hour when Tang Xing heard the sound of horses' hooves. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately looked at Chen Rong: "It seems that my guess was right."

"From now on, we have to run for our lives and try our best not to be caught by those people."

……

Xia Dalang looked at Zheng Wenhuan: "They left the village?"

Zheng Wenhuan nodded: "We originally agreed to return to the camp to rest and wait for the officials to finish their questioning before leaving. But for some reason, I suddenly changed my mind."

They planted spies in the village, and as soon as the caravan left, the spies immediately relayed the news.

"They also took all our people away."

Zheng Wenhuan was naturally referring to those who had been apprehended last night.

Xia Dalang's face was grim: "Why haven't the troops arrived yet? Didn't we send someone to deliver the message last night?"

“It’s not that easy,” Zheng Wenhuan said. “If we’re going to frame them for arson and massacre, we need to use trustworthy people.” People don’t just grow out of the ground.

Xia Dalang looked dissatisfied, but he could only endure it. He had lost his official position and could not use his own people. Now he could only rely on his master and follow their arrangements.

Xia Dalang said, "The rest of you, go and stop the caravan now, and hold them off until reinforcements arrive."

(End of this chapter)