Dugong

Chapter 137 Barbarian Raid
Iron Bone Pass.

Located a hundred miles north of Shuofang County in Xuanfu, it is a vital passage from the Central Plains to the northern frontier.

Legend has it that the city walls of the pass are stained with the blood of too many soldiers and barbarians, and become crimson and foul-smelling every new moon.

This day.

A procession of more than a dozen caravans arrived outside Tiegu Pass, with small flags bearing the words "Fuwei" displayed on them.

The leader, Liu, was familiar with the soldiers on duty and greeted them with a smile.

"Captain Niu, it's been a long time."

"It hasn't been that long; I only saw him about six months ago."

Captain Niu sniffed, smelling a salty odor, and a hint of envy flashed in his eyes: "Is it salt again this time?"

"Ironware is being inspected too strictly; from now on, we can only sell salt."

Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), took out a silver note and stuffed it into Niu's hand: "It's not easy being on duty in this hot weather. Take this and buy some wine for the brothers."

Captain Niu accepted the gift without hesitation, then reminded him, "Old Liu, be careful once you leave the pass; things haven't been peaceful lately."

Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), asked, "Is there some banditry causing trouble?"

Captain Niu glanced around and whispered, "It's said that some barbarian tribes are secretly raiding, and they're ruthless, so there are rarely any survivors."

Chief镖头 Liu asked, "Isn't Your Highness going to do something about it?"

Captain Niu grinned and said, "That's just how barbarians are, how can you control them?"

Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), remained silent. He was a veteran of the Zhenbei Army, who followed the Zhenbei King in sweeping across the northern frontier and charged into the Golden Wolf King's tent with his sword.

Many comrades died under the barbarian swords during that time, but unexpectedly they became family in the blink of an eye.

Today, there are many barbarian soldiers in the Zhenbei Army and many barbarian officials in the Protectorate. The fierce battles of the past seem like a joke now.

Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), found it hard to accept and made an excuse to leave the army.

"Thank you for reminding us, Captain Niu. These mere barbarians can't scare us. If we really encounter them, it's hard to say who will live and who will die!"

Captain Niu knew that Liu the镖头 was not exaggerating; the fierce soldiers who survived from the vanguard camp had at least a dozen barbarian heads under their command.

After a few words of conversation, the caravan left the pass and continued its journey north.

In the past, the Iron Bone Pass had strict checks, and it was difficult to smuggle goods across the border without a powerful background. However, since the Golden Wolf King's camp was destroyed, the border has become an inner pass, and the checks have become less strict.

Moreover, most of the men under the Fuwei Escort Agency were retired veterans of the Zhenbei Army, and they had many comrades-in-arms relationships in the army, so they could travel freely without any obstacles.

As you head north from Tiegu Pass, the vegetation along the official road grows increasingly shorter.

From the mountains and forests to the shrubs and then to the grasslands, all that met the eye was boundless green, which gradually dissipated the resentment in Liu's heart.

"Perhaps the prince has his reasons!"

In Liu Biao Tou's mind, the prince must be a good person, and even if he had any bad points, they were due to the corruption of officials.

Sunset.

Having found a sheltered spot, Chief Liu instructed his men to scout the area and arrange for sentries, both overt and covert, for the night.

They set up camp, lit a fire, and cooked.

After waiting until the meat was thoroughly cooked but the caravan still hadn't returned, Chief Escort Liu's face darkened. He circled the caravan and drew his gleaming broadsword.

"Which gang are you from? Show your face and let's compare our numbers!"

He shouted a few times, but only heard the wind howling across the grassland and received no response. His bodyguards looked puzzled.

"Uncle Liu, are you overthinking this?"

Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), said in a deep voice, "The vigilance we've developed through countless battles has never made a mistake."

Just then, a string of gibberish came from afar.

"Barbarian language?"

Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), said loudly, "Friend, stop pretending. The barbarians may be bad, but they're a bit dim-witted. They always swarm and rob right in front of you!"

"So that's another way of saying it."

"Master Xiong, you've been operating in Shuofang County for so many years, how come you didn't know this?"

"I have never dealt with barbarians, but Chief Sha has roamed the wilderness and has some understanding of dealing with barbarians..."

Two figures walked over from a distance, chatting idly to themselves, completely ignoring Liu the镖头 and his group.

"Xiong Rui of the Shuofeng Hall, Sha Hai of the Black Sand Gang!"

Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), immediately recognized the identities of the men: two well-known martial arts masters from the Northern Frontier, one ruthless and vicious, the other a former thief.

"What advice do you two have for us, esteemed heroes?" "Kill for money!"

Sha Hai drew a long sword from his back; it had a thick back and a wide blade, and several gold rings jingled as he swung it.

"Chief Sha is mistaken."

Xiong Rui snapped open his folding fan, which was painted with various beauties: "We are eliminating a scourge for the country. This scoundrel is selling smuggled salt and should be executed according to the law!"

Sha Hai said disdainfully, "Could it be that Chief Xiong returned the salt coupons?"

"Two different things, two different things."

As Xiong Rui spoke, he waved a folding fan, and dressed in white, he looked like a middle-aged scholar, if one didn't look at the sky full of poisonous needles shooting out.

Liu, the bodyguard, never imagined that a renowned martial arts master would resort to such underhanded tactics as sneak attacks and hidden weapons.

I accidentally got hit by two sticks, and I felt dizzy and fell down, unable to get up again.

The fierce soldiers who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood did not die under the barbarian swords, but instead died at the hands of their own kind.

Upon seeing this, the fellow bodyguards' faces contorted in rage.

"Old Liu..."

At the same time, Sha Hai ran a few steps, leaped several feet, and landed in the caravan. His broadsword spun, and the golden rings jingled.

In a short time, the bodyguards were all killed or wounded.

Realizing the situation was dire, the bodyguards abandoned their caravan and scattered, only to be killed one by one by Xiong Rui, who was skilled in light footwork and hidden weapons.

A northerly wind swept by, carrying the stench of blood, which attracted several vultures to circle around.

Xiong Rui glanced at the gruesome corpses, closed his folding fan, and said, "I'll trouble Chief Sha to dig a hole and bury them."

Sha Hai asked in confusion, "Why bother with this?"

"After all, he was a veteran who had rendered meritorious service to the country. We each served our own masters, so we can kill him. We can't just leave his body to rot in the wilderness and become food for birds and beasts."

"That makes sense, so why should we be the ones doing the physical labor?"

"How about we trouble Chief Sha to take these truckloads of salt back?"

"I just love digging holes!"

……

When news of the robbery of the caravan reached the capital, the culprits were not caught, and it was speculated that it was most likely a barbarian raid.

Anyway, if someone dies on the grasslands, it's considered an act of barbarism.

Shortly after receiving the news, Manager Tian of Rongkang Trading Company arrived at the door with his constables, demanding compensation from the escort agency.

Chief镖师 Zhang said with a smile, "Manager Tian, ​​don't worry, I will compensate you with no less than one tael of silver."

"We can't price it at the price of cloth!"

Manager Tian said urgently, "Among those bolts of cloth are several rare and precious antiques, worth a fortune. You have to compensate me."

Chief镖头 Zhang frowned and said, "You hid antiques in the cloth, items that weren't included in the shipment, so why should we pay for them?"

Manager Tian sneered, "You're allowed to hoard salt, but we're not allowed to hoard antiques?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you scoundrel?"

"Whether it's true or false, the authorities will find out by investigating!"

Before Chief Escort Zhang could speak, the constables beside him surrounded him, saying that they had received a report from the people that the Fuwei Escort Agency was selling smuggled salt.

This is a capital offense, and it must not be confessed under any circumstances.

Under normal circumstances, Chief Escort Zhang would slip some silver to the constables to send them away, and then negotiate privately with Manager Tian.

Unfortunately, the yamen runners are going to arrest people today and conduct a thorough search.

There was smuggled salt in the back courtyard that had not yet been transported out. Chief镖头 Zhang gave a signal, and several镖师 stepped forward to stop them while others went to hide the smuggled salt.

In the midst of the pushing and shoving, for some unknown reason, one of the constables was suddenly stabbed.

Blood gushed from his chest and abdomen, and half of his intestines spilled out. He collapsed to the ground and howled a few times before quickly losing his breath.

"Smuggling salt, killing government officials, the Fuwei Escort Agency has rebelled!"

With a shout, Soaphead drew his ox-tail knife and slashed at the bodyguard.

These bodyguards were mostly fierce soldiers who had crawled out of piles of corpses, so they were not afraid of fighting. They immediately drew their swords and fought with the yamen runners.

Manager Tian had already slipped away, crouching low and sticking out his buttocks, to rush off to the Bureau of Investigation and Reporting.

(End of this chapter)