The Winged Knights did not have any scouts, so there were only a few of them.
When they arrived at the village, they saw smoke rising from the kitchen chimneys. It was noon.
"The village is close to the capital, so the people in the village benefited." Zhang Jiuling guessed why the village had three meals.
Whenever the Li Family Zhuangzi made a move, the capital and the surrounding areas would benefit.
At the entrance of the village, they saw many chickens. Ropes of different lengths and colors were tied to the legs of the chickens.
They cooed and scratched the ground with their claws. No one knew whether they were eating worms or sand.
When the steward went to look for them, the village chief led a group of people to welcome them.
"It's really the Winged Knights. Quick, get grass and feed the horses. Everyone, bring out the good food."
When the village chief saw the Winged Knights, he excitedly ordered them.
The people who followed them out ran back to get the food.
The group of people entered the village and fed the horses first.
The villagers were almost done eating. The weather was hot, so they ate millet rice.
Some villagers ate pickled vegetables today, while others fried onions with eggs and brought it over.
"Mr. Zhang, the village is small and there's no good food. Just a bite." The village chief brought over a plate of pickled eggplants and said politely.
"Thank you, Mr. Tong." Zhang Jiuling knew that the village chief would not ask for money today. The village chief's surname was Tong, and his first name was Di.
He also knew that the village chief did not give him the food because he had lost his official position, but because of the Winged Knights.
The Winged Knights had a good reputation, and the people even further away knew about them.
The steward was on the other side looking for someone to buy a horse. There were three horses in the village. If he gave more money, the steward could buy another horse.
The squad leader Fang Guangzhang walked over. "Mr. Zhang, you will stay in the village today. Our brothers rushed all the way here last night, so now is not the best time."
"I'll listen to General Fang." Zhang Jiuling raised the other party's status and expressed that he had no objections.
The Winged Knights should be in good condition in case of danger.
There were 15 Winged Knights, so they ate quickly. Water and rice were easier to eat. They ate three bowls in a few mouthfuls.
Taking advantage of the dawn, they found a shady place, covered their faces, and slept.
The other five ate slowly. After eating, they began to stand guard.
When it was time for dinner, the five of them ate quickly and went to sleep after eating.
The others were divided into three shifts, taking turns to stand guard.
At daybreak, the group ate breakfast and continued on their journey. Sure enough, there was an additional horse.
It turned out that the horse that was pulling the carriage alone seemed to be very happy and snorted a few times.
"Village chief, there is a paper bag pressed down by a stone at the entrance of the ancestral hall." A villager noticed the situation when he passed by the ancestral hall.
He didn't dare to touch that thing. How could he disrespect the ancestral hall? He found Muramasa Tong Di.
The Muramasa brought people over. Sure enough, there was a fist-sized stone pressing down on a yellow paper bag.
He went into the ancestral hall to offer incense, and then came out to move the stone away. He picked up the paper bag and opened it. There were twenty one-hundred-dollar exchange vouchers inside.
There was also a letter written in pencil.
"Thank you for your hospitality. However, the Winged Knights will not take advantage of the common people. Therefore, they will leave two thousand yuan for us," the village chief read out.
"Good soldiers! They are the best soldiers of the Tang dynasty," an elder in the village said loudly, full of vigor.
Time flew by, and it was the last day of July.
With the protection of the Winged Knights, Zhang Jiuling's team did not need to calculate the time to rest and travel.
As long as the horses could rest, the people in the team did not care.
The team grew bigger, and there were more than forty people. They were all in a hurry. When they saw the Winged Knights, they quickened their pace and trotted after them.
The Winged Knights had no choice but to let them ride their horses. Those who did not know how to ride had to be taught.
They were all going to the south, and Zhang Jiuling was from the same prefecture.
They met more people on the short journey. They followed the Winged Knights and parted ways when they reached the destination.
"We're at Dayu Ridge again. This road is too difficult to travel. We can only take a long detour. Otherwise, the car won't be able to pass."
Zhang Jiuling looked at the Dayu Ridge in front of him with worry in his eyes.
If they wanted to take a shortcut, there was only one road. Everyone had to carry something on their backs.
"If there is a road that connects the villages on both sides, it will be less dangerous. Otherwise, there will be people robbing and killing."
Zhang Jiuling was even more worried. The common people in the team were also worried.
"Mr. Zhang, you are an official in the imperial court. You can tell His Majesty that if you take the lead, we are willing to build a good road for you."
Another person from Shao Prefecture's Qujiang County came over to say this to Zhang Jiuling.
Zhang Jiuling shook his head. "If it's just for us, it will be difficult to build a road. We need a reason. This … Canton City's Department of Transportation?"
He knew that if he wrote a letter saying that the road near his house was difficult to travel, the imperial court would not care.
If the road at his house was difficult to travel, would it be easy for others?
If it was related to business and goods needed to be transported, the imperial court might agree.
The common people had long wanted to build a road. Without a leader, they did not know how to do it.
The Winged Knights came over. He did not care if the road was good or not. With twenty Winged Knights around, what robbery? Who would rob who?
"Does Mr. Zhang want to build this road?" Fang Guangzhang looked at the Dayu Ridge and asked.
"This road is difficult. You can go back now. Jiuling thanks you for escorting me." Zhang Jiuling cupped his fists and bowed.
"We are not in a hurry to go back. Does Mr. Zhang want to build the road?" Fang Guangzhang asked again. At the same time, his hair stood on end. He was afraid.
He did not mention anything about money. When they left, Li Dongzhu said that the money was for Zhang Jiuling to build the road.
But today, they were at the Dayu Ridge. Was he really going to build a road? Li Dongzhu …
"Not only should we build a road here, we should also build a checkpoint." Zhang Jiuling admitted that he had an idea.
"Since that is the case, why don't Mr. Zhang lead the common people to build the road? The autumn harvest is coming. After the harvest, the common people will be free. "
Fang Guangzhang gave an idea. Should they build it or not?
"Without the imperial court's orders, we cannot touch the common people." Zhang Jiuling shook his head slightly.
"Can we do it with money?" Fang Guangzhang asked.
"Of course." Zhang Jiuling looked at Fang Guangzhang. He thought that if he had money, he would build it directly. But he did not have money.
"Do the locals recognize large-value exchange coupons?" Fang Guangzhang had another question.
They had used small-value exchange coupons on the way. There was no problem. This place was already south enough. The common people knew and accepted them.
"Yes, we are willing to take them. As long as they are from the Ba Shui Li Family Zhuangzi, we will take them." There was a merchant in the group.
Obviously, he had been to Chang 'an and knew about large-value exchange coupons.
"That is great. Mr. Zhang, please take a look." Fang Guangzhang looked at his two brothers.
The two of them each carried a bag and opened it. They directly poured the bundle of coupons on the ground.
The people who were following them looked hard. It was money. It was all money.
Zhang Jiuling picked up a bundle and saw the familiar pattern and the number 10 on it.
"This … how much money is this?" Zhang Jiuling's hands trembled. He had figured it out.
Why did the Winged Knights follow them all the way here and ask him if he wanted to build the road?
"Mr. Zhang, is 20,000 yuan enough to build a road?" Fang Guangzhang looked at the people around him.
Everyone consciously stepped back. 20,000 yuan was money that they could not earn in several lifetimes.
"Guanglu Doctor Li Yi paid for this?" Zhang Jiuling thought of the person behind this.
"His Majesty knows. When Mr. Zhang returns home, you can organize people to work and write a letter."
Fang Guangzhang did not directly answer and emphasized His Majesty.
Li Dongzhu said that all good things belong to His Majesty. Remember this.
"His Majesty's kindness is like a mountain and a father." Zhang Jiuling understood and shouted.
More than 40 common people also shouted: "His Majesty's kindness is like a mountain and a father."
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