Han official!

Chapter 108: Long
"Ba Ling Yuan? Nai Gong will definitely smash the heads of the three elders of the county with his own hands."

Wei Guang rode on Stanley, gripping the Jinwu in his hand, his face filled with anger: "How dare that old idiot kidnap my sister? Nai Gong will not let him off easily. I will use the Jinwu in my hand to smash the heads of the three elders of the county."

When the only son saw Doctor Du's head being chopped off with a knife, he was so scared that he collapsed to the ground. Before Guo Jie could ask him anything, he cried and told him everything he knew.

The three elders of the county who lived in Balingyuan brought a group of old men and women and deliberately sat slumped beside the road, coaxing Xijun to come and support them.

The old man and the old woman used poison arrows soaked in drugs to cut Xijun's delicate skin, knocking her unconscious even though she was kind enough to support them.

The State of Dai was located at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains. Doctor Du knew many local officials in the mountains, so he sold the delicate and tender Xijun from Chang'an to a poor mountain valley where no one knew about her.

The market price is expensive.

The mountain valley was very poor, and the village officials often called on the villagers to pool money to buy a woman. For the white and tender lady from Jing County, they often pooled a lot of millet.

Xijun became the shared wife of many villagers.

Guo Jie and his companions rode on Hexi horses and hurried to Balingyuan, heading for the village where the three elders of the county lived.

He dragged his only son who knew the way.

Let’s rush to Balingyuan together.

Mu Nu stayed behind to deal with Du Yicao's body, and also told Yi Zong, who brought people over, a word.

Guo Jie and others have already rushed to Balingyuan.

Shuqili.

"Ah."

Guo Jie was full of disdain: "These old guys took advantage of the kindness of the girl, kidnapped her, and sold her to a poor mountain valley. The three elders of the county are not worthy of living in Shuqili."

Boyi and Shuqi after the demise of Shang.

Do not eat Zhou millet.

The two were known for their innocence and chastity.

There was a Shuqi Temple in Shuqili earlier.

Later, people gradually gathered together to form a town.

That is, the countryside.

Guo Jie gripped his ring-handled sword tightly, looking at the winding loess slopes and gullies, his face gradually becoming heavy.

Balingyuan is located between the Chan and Ba Rivers. The loess slopes were eroded by rainwater, resulting in the emergence of a large number of small gullies, which gradually formed valleys and large gullies.

The typical Loess Plateau terrain is characterized by loess slopes covered with gullies and sparse Stipa splendens. Only willows and cattails grow near the small river at the bottom of the gully, and there is rarely a hint of green.

The winding roads and the continuous high slopes and gullies made it difficult for the soldiers of the government and temple to catch the bandits as long as they ran into the dense gullies to hide. Many bandits were hiding in Balingyuan.

I'm afraid that the three elders of the county are colluding with a large group of bandits.

Guo Jie could only move forward slowly on his Hexi horse. On both sides of the narrow dirt road, there was a steep loess slope on one side and a deep, dry and cracked ravine on the other side. If he was not careful, he would fall to the bottom of the ravine.

Even if you don't die from the fall, it will be difficult to rescue you, and you can only lie at the bottom of the ravine and wait to die.

The Balingyuan Road, which is full of gullies, is only a narrow path with a width of one car, barely wide enough for an open car.

The dense gullies and valleys cause frequent forks in the road.

The numerous forks in the road were a headache. If there was no one who knew the way to lead the way, Guo Jie and his party would soon get lost and starve to death in a remote valley.

After midnight (22:30-23:15), Guo Jie and his companions had only walked halfway and had to stop to rest and wait until dawn the next day to continue their journey to Shuqili.

The resting place happened to be a ravine with a gentle slope.

The military official took the materials officer to the river valley to fetch water, cut a few bundles of cattails with a ring-handled knife to make a fire, set up a copper pot, and started cooking. He boiled a pot of hot water and made some qiu to satisfy his hunger.

Paired with the mixed garlic I brought with me, it is a rare dish.

Qiu is fried rice noodles that can be eaten directly by mixing it with hot water.

At dawn the next day, Guo Jie and others walked out of the felt carpet and continued along the loess road. They finally arrived at Shuqili at noon (11:15-12:00).

A flat piece of land suddenly appeared on the loess slope with winding gullies. A square village was located in the middle of the flat land. The inner wall was built with cattail and red willow boards, and was about three zhang high, nearly seven meters in height.

There were millet fields all around. Guo Jie's arrival, riding a horse and holding a knife, immediately startled the little black dots.

The villagers, dressed in tattered jackets and trousers, straightened their bent backs, looked up, and clenched the plows and hoes in their hands.

Escape back to Shuqili at any time.

The villagers were worried that Guo Jie was a bandit who came to rob them.

"Bang bang——"

The five soldiers in the sentry shed knocked on the cauldron, and the heavy door slammed shut quickly.

A Tian Dian, wearing a fine linen robe, gripped his sword tightly and shouted, "Who are you? Why are you suddenly visiting Shuqili?"

Many residents have never left the village in their entire lives. Population mobility is extremely low, and it is rare to see a stranger face throughout the year.

Exiled criminals are easily caught unless they escape to the mountains.

Because there are very few unfamiliar faces in the village, as soon as they appear, they will be captured by the village officials, Tian Dian and five people from the town, and sent to the government temple to collect the reward.

It is impossible for a prisoner to live in the mountains for his entire life. He needs to eat salt. If he goes out to buy salt, he will be discovered by the villagers.

As Tian Dian's question was loudly uttered, several men holding ring-handled swords stood on full alert, ready to guard against the sudden rush of bandits towards the inner gate.

Guo Jie rode closer on his Hexi horse, threw the seal in his hand onto the inner wall, and said in a deep voice, "I am here on the orders of the county head to arrest an assistant official of the Runan County government. This person is bribed."

The officials of Runan County were not under the jurisdiction of the county chief.

The officials of Runan County’s county residence, which was established in Chang’an, were under the jurisdiction of the county head.

The assistant officials of the county residence bribed the officials in Chang'an.

The county chief has the right to arrest him.

Guo Jie covered his face with sackcloth, so his appearance could not be seen clearly, and the seal could not be fake.

It is the seal of the county chief.

Tian Dian saw Guo Jie and the others covering their faces with sackcloth and asked suspiciously, "The seal is indeed the seal of the county governor, but why are you covering your faces with sackcloth? You look so shameful."

Of course I can’t see anyone.

When Guo Jie, one of the three elders of the county, recognized them, he wrapped sackcloth around his face and only took it off after he found Wei Junru.

"I just don't want to be seen."

Guo Jie said in a deep voice, "The official the county clerk bribed was a Zhongdu official. I don't want to be retaliated against by him."

Zhongduguan was an official office in the capital, directly under the imperial court.

That is, Beijing officials.

Tian Dian's heart trembled, and he dared not ask any more questions. "Open the inner gate, and quickly call the local official to greet the superior official from the Chang'an County Palace. Don't neglect him."

Tian Dian hurried to the inner gate to greet him. He had a thick beard, wore a thin gauze jacket and trousers, and a red cap on his head, which was very eye-catching.

When the village official, who was in his fifties, heard that the superior official from the county government office was coming, he hurriedly put down his wine cup, straightened his black clothes, and also put on a striking red cap.

The village official and Tian Dian, along with several five men, greeted the official with fawning smiles. They allowed Guo Jie to ride his horse into Shuqi Village without tying his horse to the stone foundation at the gate.

Several of the Wu people also wore eye-catching red caps. Guo Jie and Wei Guang looked at each other.

My heart sank.

Not a hat.

It’s a red gauze head!
Guo Jie, surrounded by a group of people wearing red caps, walked into a remote village with blocked roads, with murderous intent. When he found Wei Junru and other women, he would kill them all and chop off the heads of these human traffickers.

Officials from Chang'an came to arrest people, which aroused the curiosity of the residents.

He had never left his hometown in his life, let alone met officials from Chang'an, he had never even met officials from Baling Town.

A villager wearing a tattered undergarment stood on the roadside, his face full of curiosity, and soon many villagers gathered to watch the fun.

Even the villagers who had gone out to farm and had not yet eaten, each holding a plow or hoe, gathered behind the sharp-armed timber officials.

It is currently noon (11:15-12:00). The nobles and powerful have four meals a day, and noon is the time for lunch.

The village clerk and Tian Dian accompanied Guo Jie to the residence of the three elders of the county.

Residents have two meals a day, breakfast in the morning and lunch in the afternoon.

There is no food at noon and we still have to do heavy farm work in the fields.

The officials from Chang'an came to arrest people, which was as novel as the music and dance comedy of comedians in the eyes of the locals, and attracted many locals to watch the fun.

Only in the northwest corner of Shuqi Village, a dozen villagers looked cautious and did not dare to go over. They looked at Guo Jie who was coming to arrest the assistant official from afar.

I hope Guo Jie will not search their homes.

Guo Jie rode a tall Hexi horse, seemingly looking straight ahead, but he was actually observing the situation in Shuqi Village and noticed the villagers in the northwest corner.

Not only did he not come over to watch the fun, he also looked wary.

It seems that Wei Junru and his other concubines were imprisoned in the homes of villagers in the northwest corner.

I just don’t know if it’s Xijun or Wei Junru.

Without knowing Wei Junru's whereabouts, they could not act rashly, for fear that the three elders of the county would take the risk of killing him directly, and then lie that they had not plundered or sold him, and that they had picked up Wei Junru's body and were preparing to bury it.

The village official walked in front, deliberately bypassing the northwest corner and came to the gate of the residence of the three elders of the county, a three-story house in the shape of a sun near the southwest wall.

The Sun-shaped houses are divided into two-story and three-story houses.

The door of the three-entry room in the shape of a sun is more imposing. The nobles and powerful people attached great importance to the main door, so they often built it tall and spacious, with a small double-eaved roof above the lintel, windows below, and a small door on each side of the main door.

The three elders of the county could not use the Hanque, so they built two stone pillars at the door. The pillars were based on Tianlu and Bixie, and there were curved brackets on the pillars.

There is an observation window next to the door.

The village official did not open the main gate, but instead opened a side gate and invited Guo Jie into the house. He said, "My father is entertaining an official from Baling in the guest room. The senior official should come in and enjoy the feast together. The junior official should immediately tell the servants to bring more food."

A mere clerk only opened the side door.

Wei Guang, who was full of anger, could no longer hold back and smashed the clerk's back with the Jinwu stick in his hand.

"Oh!"

After a heavy muffled thud, the clerk fell to the ground, almost suffocating. He rolled his eyes and lay on the ground twitching constantly.

"you!"

Tian Dian was furious and drew the ring-handled sword from his waist. The five men behind him also drew theirs and glared at Wei Guang: "Brother, you have already said that you will be treated to a feast. Why did you suddenly hurt people? Even if it is a high-ranking official from Chang'an, you cannot hit people without reason. We must give Shu Qili an explanation today. Otherwise, no one can leave without permission and wait for the interrogation of the Ba Ling Wei."

"Ah."

Guo Jie said coldly, "I am an assistant to the county governor. How dare you open only the side door? Isn't that disrespectful? Or do you look down on the county governor?"

A loud shout.

Tian Dian's angry expression disappeared and turned into a smirk.

"this."

Tian Dian hurriedly explained, "The main gate was just painted with tung oil lacquer a few days ago, so I can only open the side door. Please forgive me, sir. I will go in and open the main gate from the inside immediately."

Wei Guang was anxious and couldn't wait to find Wei Junru's whereabouts and kill all the looters.

He hit the clerk with a stick, and his anger subsided a little, and he stopped doing anything rash like hitting others.

As the middle door opened, Guo Jie entered the house and saw the scene inside the yard.

His eyes suddenly narrowed.

Hundreds of county soldiers wearing red-ribboned armor and holding spears at their sides knelt around the large cauldron in the yard, holding earthenware bowls in their hands and eating duck soup lively.

There were ten large cauldrons in the yard, bubbling with steam.

Each large pot contained a duck soup made from a mixture of duck and corn.

The three elders of the county had broken legs and could not come out to greet them.

Under the corridor at the door of the guest room, there stood a tall man wearing red fish-scale armor. He saw Guo Jie walking along the corridor.

He bowed and said, "I am the chief of Baling. I wonder what position you hold in the county government."

Zhuan Chang was a county official in Baling.

In the "Zhangjiashan Han Tomb Bamboo Slips·Zoupanshu" (Book of Memorials and Appeals), in the "Huaiyang Shou" section, Xinqi County Magistrate Xin ordered the bandit Peng Changcang to kill Shi Wu, who was in prison.

The king's rank is one hundred and twenty stones.

Guo Jie understood clearly that the hundreds of armored county soldiers were the soldiers brought by the commander. It seemed that the looting and selling of Xijun in Chang'an involved more officials than just Du Yicao and the three elders of the county.

There is also the military officer Peng Chang who is beside Ba Ling Ling.

just
I don’t know if Ba Ling Ling is involved.

Guo Jie casually replied, "I am a military officer on leave from the county governor's residence. I came here to apprehend a fugitive from the Ru'nan County government. He fled in the direction of Shuqili and suddenly disappeared, so I came here to take a quick look."

Patrol?

The head of the army felt nervous. The hundreds of concubines in Shuqi were hiding in the northwest corner and in the houses of the three elders of the county. They were not handed over to the traveling merchants in the hands of Du Yicao.

The military officer from the county government's chief official's temple brought the material officer to search everywhere. If they found the concubines hiding in the northwest corner, they would have no choice but to poison all the concubines.

He lied that Xijun was from Shuqili and was suffering from febrile disease.

Those pretty young ladies with delicate skin and tender flesh were all worth golden hair. They were captured and sold to the mountain towns in the Dai Kingdom area in exchange for a lot of money.

Not wanting to be discovered, the commander spoke cautiously, "I haven't found any escaped officials from the county residence. Furthermore, they are prisoners and won't rush to the countryside. They're probably hiding in a nearby ravine. If you want to arrest them, you can't waste time searching the nearby ravines."

"Little brat!"

Wei Guang suddenly shouted, "The superiors went through so much trouble to chase us all the way to Baling, from Chang'an all the way to Shuqili, and now they're leaving without even having a bite to eat. How can this be the way to treat a guest?"

He pointed the Jinwu in his hand at the long nose and cursed, "You are not the county elder, so don't meddle in other people's business here, or I will smash your head!"

The chief was initially furious.

When he saw clearly that the weapon in Wei Guang's hand was Jinwu.

Peng Chang was shocked again.

Could it be that the county official really fled to Shuqili?
Even the lieutenant's cavalry came to arrest people.

(End of this chapter)