The Legend of the Condor Heroes: I became one of the Five Great Masters by drawing cards

Chapter 22 The Imperial Envoy in Danger
Early the next morning, the delegation packed their luggage and continued on their journey.

The red lanterns outside the gate of the mansion had been taken down. Mr. Xu, the richest man, was so worried about the theft that he couldn't sleep at night. He got up early and stood in front of the door with a pair of dark circles under his eyes to see them off.

The young prince looked haggard, as if he was still hungover. He waved at him and climbed unsteadily into the carriage.

"Mr. Xu treated the guests very well. The young prince was very satisfied. Although he did not express his praise, he has already kept Mr. Xu in mind. He will surely have the opportunity to come in the future."

Before getting on the horse, Gu Ping'an deliberately winked at Xu Hong and whispered something.

"I would like to congratulate you in advance!"

"Thank you, Young Master Gu, for your advice!"

Xu Hong thought that he had boarded the big ship of Prince Zhao's Mansion, and he was immediately happy. His worries also eased a little. He quickly reached into his arms, took out two gold ingots and stuffed them into Gu Ping'an's hands.

"It's just a small gift, not a token of respect. I hope you can say a few good words for me in the future."

Gu Ping'an did not accept his money, but just nodded and smiled, then got on his horse and told everyone to set off.

Mr. Xu stood respectfully outside the door, watching the convoy go farther and farther away. He couldn't help but look moved and muttered to himself.

"This young man Gu is such a good man!"

The delegation left Juzhou City and continued southward.

This route requires passing through Shandong, entering Song territory from Chuzhou, and then going to Yangzhou via Taihu Lake.

Chuzhou was still a full five hundred miles away, so we had to stay in Haizhou for another night.

Between Ju and Hai states, sixty miles south of Ju state, there is a mountain near the official road. It is Moqi Mountain where the Red Turban Army hid.

Last night, after Yang Miaozhen met up with several other men in black, they rushed back to Moqi Mountain overnight and began preparing for today's big deal early in the morning.

However, such kidnapping and robbery cannot be arranged at your doorstep.

After walking for half a day, the carriage was bumpy and Yang Kang vomited several times. He drank some water and then felt a little better.

"Brother Gu, how long will it take us to get to Haizhou?" He couldn't bear it any longer, so he stuck his head out, his face pale and asked weakly.

Gu Pingan calculated the time: "We are moving quite fast today. We have already covered over a hundred miles in half a day. In another two hours at most, we should be there before sunset."

Hearing that it would take so long, Yang Kang sighed and shrank back.

Gu Ping'an smiled secretly in his heart. It was useless to ask. He was destined not to reach Haizhou today, but his little prince could go to Moqi Mountain as a guest.

The road was winding and tortuous, with dense forests on both sides, making it difficult for vehicles to pass. A blockage in the front and back would create a perfect ambush location.

He was thinking to himself when he vaguely saw a broken tree lying across the official road in front of him, blocking his way.

"The road is blocked?" The captain of the guards reined in his horse, wondering, "Why didn't the scouts report back?"

How could he know that the two Jin soldiers sent out to explore the way had been captured long ago and were now lying in some corner.

"Be careful, something seems amiss to me." Gu Ping'an didn't want to reveal his identity, so he pretended to give a warning.

The captain of the guards was able to reach this position, which showed that he had some intelligence and reacted quickly.

"Everyone beware!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a loud arrow flying through the air.

This sound was like a command, and the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the woods. In a blink of an eye, two teams of people were blocking the two ends, one in front and one behind.

The group of people were dressed in tattered clothes, like farmers, wearing coarse and tattered clothes. They were all riding horses and covering their faces with black scarves. "Oh no! They are bandits!" The captain of the guards was horrified. "Protect the imperial envoy!"

Gu Ping'an looked around the crowd and saw a woman riding a horse and holding a gun, mixed in with the bandits. It was Yang Miaozhen, whom he had met last night.

She was smart to use her identity as a bandit as a cover.

The name of Shandong bandits has existed since ancient times. This group of people is well organized and comes and goes like the wind. When they pick up weapons, they are bandits, and when they put down their weapons, they are civilians. The government wants to encircle and suppress them but can never find any trace of them.

In this way, even if the Jin people wanted to take revenge in the future, they would not be able to find the Red Turban Army.

"'The Imperial Envoy of the Jin Dynasty'? I didn't expect that we would catch such a big fish in this net!" The bald strong man holding a Xuanhua axe at the front of the crowd pretended to be surprised and laughed.

As a woman, Yang Miaozhen was too conspicuous, so she asked one of her subordinates to lead the team in her place to avoid exposing her identity as a Red Turban Army soldier.

There were more than a hundred robbers on this road, and it was hopeless to fight them head-on. The captain of the guards had no choice but to step forward and bow.

"My dear friends, we are passing by your precious place today and have no intention of intruding. We hope you will show some courtesy."

"Give me a favor?" Before he could finish, the burly man interrupted him loudly, "Give me a favor, but who will give me a favor?"

"Who else could it be? The old emperor of the Jin Dynasty!"

Someone in the crowd responded, making everyone laugh.

"You're joking, sir," the captain of the guards said with a smile, "I know the rules of the road and am willing to offer gold and silver as a bribe for passage."

"Oh? Money for passage?" the burly man asked with interest, carrying the axe on his shoulder. "How much treasure did you bring? Tell us!"

The whole group kept talking about "Master". The captain of the guards was angry but didn't dare to speak out. He pointed to a carriage and said, "If you can let the delegation leave, the 500 taels of silver on the carriage will be yours!"

"Five hundred taels? That's quite a bit." The burly man leaned forward slightly and smiled playfully, "But you, the dignified envoy of the Jin Kingdom, are only worth this little silver?"

The gangsters suddenly became noisy and seemed ready to attack at any moment.

"This little money is certainly not worth the attention of you gentlemen, but the delegation is in a hurry and can't bring much."

The captain of the guards wanted to rescue him and quickly added more.

"How about this hero please leave your name? Someone will surely offer a bigger thank you gift in the future!"

He had a good plan, thinking that as long as the other party revealed his name, it would be hard to say whether the gift would be gold, silver or weapons in the future.

"Don't ask people's names!" Gu Ping'an pretended to be shocked and shouted.

Every industry has its own rules. If you ask for someone's name when you are being robbed, it is equivalent to telling the other party that you will take revenge in the future.

This is what the green forest people fear most. The captain came from a military background and didn't understand the ins and outs of it. He thought he was so smart, but it just gave him an excuse to take action.

"You still dare to ask about my Wan'er?" The sturdy man laughed in anger, "Hand in hand, come on! Take his gourd off for me!"

He waved his big hand like a palm-leaf fan, and the "bandits" immediately rushed up with howls.

"Idiot!" Gu Ping'an cursed, and hurriedly called out to the guards, "Protect the young prince and fight your way out into the woods!"

There were only a dozen Jin soldiers accompanying the delegation, so they were no match for the hundreds of "bandits". They engaged in hand-to-hand combat in a hurry, and two of them were lying down in the blink of an eye.

Yang Kang and Mu Nianci also abandoned their carriages and rode on their horses.

The poor little prince was first hungover and then had been shaking for most of the day. He had great martial arts skills, but he couldn't even use half of them.

(End of this chapter)