Chapter 798

According to the Daibun Geographical Record, Yunzhou stretched for sixty thousand miles and was rich in products such as mulberry, porcelain, herbs and so on. Before Wuzong Emperor rose in revolt, Yunzhou was one of the top five states in Daibun in terms of affluence.

The official road was long and winding towards the horizon. There were black fields on both sides and mountains in the distance.

The sun had just risen not long ago. The air was still cold from last night. A group of more than a hundred people slowly moved forward on the official road.

The sound of hooves was mixed with the sound of wheels.

"In the first year of Yuanjing, Yunzhou had a population of five million. After that, the Yellow Book was made every ten years and the population gradually decreased. In the 30th year of Yuanjing, Yunzhou had a population of more than three and a half million. Now it is the 36th year of Yuanjing. In another four years, it will be the year of the Yellow Book. I wonder how many people are left in Yunzhou. "

Inspector Zhang opened the curtains and said with a sigh.

The population decreased by 1.5 million in 30 years. It was very scary. The real population decrease would be even more than this. Because Yunzhou's land was fertile, there was no need to worry about famine as long as there were no natural disasters.

In other words, as long as they reproduced normally for 30 years, the population could increase steadily.

… From five million to three and a half million, it was not a simple subtraction. The actual population decrease would at least double … Xu Qi'an cursed, "What the hell is this place."

Inspector Zhang looked at him and continued, "Half of the population loss was due to the heavy taxes. They abandoned their fields and became refugees. They went to the cities to make a living or became bandits. These people were not recorded in the Yellow Book.

"Then there was the serious problem of bandits. They burned, killed and looted. Sometimes, bandits would go down the mountains and rob people to replenish their labor force. Of course, bandits were not recorded in the Yellow Book. "

Xu Qi 'an looked into the distance silently. As he listened to Inspector Zhang's words, he was analyzing the situation in his heart.

… In the first year of Yuanjing, there were five million people. In the 10th year of Yuanjing, the population was still decreasing. In the 30th year of Yuanjing, there were no more than 1.5 million people. The population was really higher … Yunzhou's population took a sharp turn in the past twenty years. It was almost the beginning of the Yuanjing Emperor's cultivation …

Was it because the Daibun Emperor was obsessed with cultivation that the Witchcraft Cult felt that there was an opportunity? The Witchcraft Cult had been planning for more than twenty years. They would never make a small fuss. Therefore, Daibun and the Witchcraft Cult would have a war.

As he thought about it, he tilted his head and almost fell asleep.

"You don't seem to be in a good mental state." Inspector Zhang examined him closely and frowned, "What's wrong?"

The Inspector remembered that Xu Qi 'an had been behaving himself all the way and did not linger in the Musical House, so he should not be so exhausted.

Xu Qi 'an turned his head and smiled bitterly at the inspector. "Nothing much, I just became a master of time management."

This was his eighth day of sleepless nights. His brain was throbbing with pain, and his blood vessels felt like they were about to burst. When he was eating this morning, he even had a slight hallucination that Xu Lingyin was stealing his meat buns.

It was the eighth day of his sleepless life. His brain was aching and his blood vessels were about to burst. When he was having breakfast this morning, he even had a slight hallucination that Xu Lingyin was robbing his meat buns.

"There are two more days. After these two days, I should be able to reach the Spiritual Cultivation Realm. I can't let myself fall asleep. Otherwise, all my efforts will be in vain … Why do I feel that my heart is beating so hard … "

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath. He took off the waterskin and poured it on his head to stimulate his body and cheer up.

…

A caravan of three hundred people was trekking on the official road. Flat carriages were pulling the goods. Under the tarpaulin, there were silk, tea, porcelain, and rouge and powder produced in Yunzhou.

There were also some specialties of Yunzhou, such as snake saliva inkstone and yellow crystal.

The owner of the caravan was a fierce-looking man named Zhao Long. In his early years, he was also a famous hero in Yunzhou Jianghu. He had connections with both the legal and illegal forces.

Tired of living on the edge of a knife's edge, he relied on the reputation he had gained in his early years and his connections to start a merchant caravan business.

He could always manage the villages along the way and leave Yunzhou safely. He distributed the goods to various places and made a lot of money.

After a long time, many businessmen were willing to spend a lot of money to join Zhao Long's caravan in exchange for safety.

Zhao Long's caravan had evolved into a half-merchant and half-escort business.

Yang Yingying was one of the people hiding under this big tree. However, she left Yunzhou as an independent person. She spent twenty taels of silver to ask for the protection of the caravan.

After all, a weak woman like her could not leave Yunzhou alone. She might be kidnapped by bandits on the official road one day and become the wife of a bandit.

With her beauty, she was more than qualified to be the wife of a bandit.

Yang Yingying was originally a woman from Yunzhou's Musical House. When she was young, she was also a top courtesan. Later, she was fortunate to meet a good man who bought her freedom. Then, she was raised in the yard and became his mistress.

This year, she was over thirty, but her beauty did not decrease. Instead, her figure became more plump, which added to the charm of a mature woman. She had a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes. When she looked at people, her eyes were full of tears.

Riding on the back of the horse, Yang Yingying noticed the hot eyes of the escorts around her. She could not help but tighten her cloak and lower her head.

At first glance, it seemed that her hands were protecting her plump breasts to avoid being desecrated by the eyes of some men. In fact, she was protecting an object in her arms.

It was this object that forced her to leave Yunzhou.

An escort looked at Yang Yingying's back with saliva dripping from his mouth. Riding on the back of the horse, the silk skirt clung to her body. The outline of her tight buttocks was really attractive.

The strong escort squeezed the horse's belly and caught up with Yang Yingying. He grinned and said, "Beauty, play with me tonight. All the money I earn on this trip will be yours. It's ten taels of silver. "

Yang Yingying turned a deaf ear to him. She did not respond or refuse. She pretended that he did not exist.

The escort said a few more words. Seeing that the beauty ignored him, he walked away while cursing.

Several escorts who were familiar with him laughed and ridiculed him. But there was disappointment in everyone's eyes. This woman was stubborn, so they did not stand a chance.

A few escorts who had killed people on their hands had a flash of ruthlessness in their eyes. If it were not for Boss Zhao, this kind of beautiful woman who traveled alone would have been devoured by others long ago.

Zhao Long, who was at the front of the caravan, raised his hand and made a gesture. The escorts immediately drew their weapons as if they were facing a great enemy. However, it was an unwritten rule that only half of the saber was unsheathed.

Everyone in Jianghu wanted money. Unless there was a huge disparity in strength, they would not fight to the death. What's more, Boss Zhao always had some influence in the underworld. Otherwise, he would not be in this kind of business.

Seventy to eighty people jumped out of the dense forest on both sides of the path. Their weapons were bright and shiny. More than twenty riders appeared from the fork in the road. They were all strong men and strong horses.

Zhao Long was a little puzzled. He walked this path several times every year. He knew very well which roads needed to be bribed and which mountains needed to be bribed.

When did such a group of fierce bandits appear in this forest … Zhao Long pressed his hand down and signaled his escorts to calm down. He urged his horse forward for a short distance and said in a clear voice,

"I am Zhao Long. Friends, which gang did you join before …"

As he got closer, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. This group of fierce bandits had military crossbows hanging from their waists and standard long sabers in their hands. These were all military equipment.

Zhao Long had heard that some big strongholds did not lack military supplies. They had military sabers, military crossbows, and even firearms. But those were all top bandit strongholds and should not appear here.

…

"Ning Yan, you look like a sick man who has been emptied by a woman." Song Tingfeng and Xu Qi 'an advanced side by side and took the opportunity to ridicule him.

Xu Qi 'an glanced at him and said lightly, "I have a friend who asked me if I have a pill for Celestial Commissioner to strengthen the kidney."

Song Tingfeng's smile froze.

"That friend of mine is Zhu Guangxiao. Guangxiao, you have a fiancee. Why do you work so hard?" Song Tingfeng put the blame on Zhu Guangxiao.

Zhu Guangxiao glanced at him without saying a word. He felt unreconciled and retorted, "I have tender feelings for the fairer sex. Your table manners are too ugly. Every morning, the girls who sleep with you can't get out of bed.

"You don't know how to control yourself. That's a waste of your body."

Warrior had a strong physique and was full of energy. But even Bull Demon King would run out of qi and blood if he plowed from late night to early morning every day.

"I'm good at it." Song Tingfeng was not convinced. He smiled proudly and said, "Only the girls of Musical House can cooperate with me, although they are also tired of fighting."

"Tingfeng …"

Hearing Xu Qi 'an calling him, Song Tingfeng turned his head and looked at him. "What?"

"It's not that you are good, but that they can tolerate your insignificance."

"Get out of here."

While laughing and cursing, Jiang Lvzhong, who led the team, said in a deep voice, "There is a smell of blood ahead. Everyone, get ready."

"Clang …" The sound of blades being unsheathed came in unison. The Stalwart Tiger Guards and the night watchmen drew out their sabers and took off their crossbows at the same time.

"Charge!" Jiang Lvzhong squeezed the horse's belly and rushed out.

The inspection team instantly entered a marching state. Their speed was extremely fast, and their movements were orderly.

After marching for ten minutes, a dense forest appeared in front of them. The wind brought a strong smell of blood.

The moment they entered the forest, sharp arrows were shot from both sides, attacking the night watchmen and the Stalwart Tiger Guards who were running wildly.

Jiang Lvzhong raised his hand and pressed down. The rain of arrows hit the invisible wall of Qi and fell down powerlessly.

He waved his hand and said, "Stalwart Tiger Guards, enter the forest and kill the enemy."

As he spoke, Jiang Lvzhong looked ahead. There were hundreds of corpses lying on the official road, and blood stained the ground. The horses were killed, and the goods carried by this caravan were scattered on the ground.

He immediately analyzed the situation … because he had smelled the smell of blood in advance and ordered the team to attack, it was too late for the Road Cutting Bandits to retreat when they heard the sound of hooves, so they set up an ambush in the forest.

The sounds of fierce fighting came from the dense forest. The Stalwart Tiger Guards were one of the five guards of the capital. Although they were not as brave and good at fighting as the imperial army, they were far better than the local army.

There was not much difference in the number of people on both sides. Arrows and blades intertwined, and the fight went back and forth.

Jiang Lvzhong was stunned, a little surprised. He turned to look at Xu Qi 'an. "Ning Yan, have you killed anyone before?"

"I killed one, and seriously injured another." Xu Qi 'an looked at the caravan's corpses on the ground and casually reported the results.

Jiang Lvzhong sneered. "A brat who hasn't even grown his hair yet."

The night watchmen roared with laughter.

Except for Xu Qi 'an, a rookie who had joined the night watchmen less than two months ago, the others were all experienced warriors who killed without blinking.

Jiang Lvzhong pointed at the forest and said, "Go and practice. Kill at least ten."

Xu Qi 'an withdrew his gaze and slowly exhaled. "Okay!"