When the short sound of the horn was heard, the knights around the carriage immediately drew their swords in their hands, and took up their guard. A moment later, two short horns sounded from the distant forest. The two riders at the front immediately made a hand signal to each other and galloped into the forest.
When they left, Shen Mu and Yang Fan had just walked out of the carriage and the two had already galloped into the distance, leaving only a trail of dust behind them. Not long after, the two riders returned from the forest and stopped in front of Shen Mu's carriage. One of them loudly said: "Langjun, there are seven to eight corpses in the forest and two carriages. The corpses are still warm and the blood has yet to coagulate. They should have died not too long ago."
The other person replied: "We have checked the surroundings. There is no trace of anyone within a ten li radius. The murderer has already escaped far away."
Shen Mu raised his brows and said: "Let's go and take a look!"
He did not get off the carriage and the entire convoy rushed into the forest. Yang Fan carefully sized up the surrounding riders. Every one of them was a strong man and their mounts were also majestic. As they followed the carriage forward, they gradually formed groups of three and formed an offensive and defensive formation.
Because there was not much cover in the surroundings, Yang Fan could vaguely see a few figures in the distance. However, these vigilant riders turned a blind eye to them. It was obvious that they were the people secretly protecting Shen Mu. Due to this accident, their figures were slightly revealed.
Yang Fan could not help but say to Shen Mu: "The bodyguards under Brother Shen are all extraordinary. Although I do not know how good they are at fighting on the battlefield, as bodyguards, I think they are more competent than the imperial guards in the palace. "
Shen Mu smiled: "This is different. After all, the imperial court and the jianghu are two completely different places. The environment and people that the imperial court's bodyguards and the jianghu's warriors live in are completely different. If a hungry and cruel wolf is chained to the house as a watchdog, it will lose its wild nature after a long time. "
Speaking up to this point, Shen Mu suddenly felt something and smiled apologetically at Yang Fan: "My apologies, this brother's analogy is somewhat inappropriate."
Yang Fan did not feel offended. He only smiled and said, "Even so, I'm still amazed to personally witness Brother Shen's shrewdness and capability."
Shen Mu lightly nodded and said with deep emotion: "Of course. These aristocratic families have risen for thousands of years. No matter how the dynasty changes, they have always stood tall. Of course they have their outstanding points. The branches of aristocratic families are incomparably prosperous and spread throughout the imperial court and the common people. In the imperial court, there are generals and ministers for generations. In the imperial court, there are rich merchants and wealthy families. Regardless of the imperial court or the common people, their power is deep and their foundation is deep.
In addition to the descendants of the main branch of the aristocratic families, there were also many external forces that were allied or supported by these aristocratic families. They intertwined with each other and intertwined with each other. An empire can be easily destroyed, but it's very difficult for an aristocratic family. I dare say that even if the world were to undergo an earth-shattering change, the first to recover and rise would still be these aristocratic families with deep foundations. "
Shen Mu was startled and laughed involuntarily: "Yes, although I am also a descendant of an aristocratic family, as a side branch, I have been ostracized since young. Therefore, I unknowingly put myself out of the picture."
Shen Mu was startled and laughed involuntarily: "Yes, although I am also a descendant of an aristocratic family, as a side branch, I have been ostracized since young. Therefore, I unknowingly put myself out of the picture."
Yang Fan had heard him talk about the rough experiences he had in the past more than once and could not help but feel curious. However, he did not have the time to ask as they had already arrived at the edge of the forest.
The carriage stopped at the edge of the forest and did not go deep into the forest.
Yang Fan and Shen Mu alighted from the carriage and walked into the forest accompanied by the guards. Miss Qiqi could not bear the loneliness and also jumped out of the carriage. She picked up a piece of preserved fruit and excitedly wanted to join in the fun. In the end, she had just run a few steps when she saw a headless corpse lying on a bush. The neck was badly mutilated and had a slightly black color.
At first, they thought that it was because the blood had dried up. However, when they got closer, there was a buzzing sound from the cut of the neck and a swarm of flies flew up, revealing the bloody wound with the trachea and tendons tangled together.
Miss Qiqi screamed and danced a 'hula dance'. Then, with a 'wah', she vomited decisively.
This time, she did not need Shen Mu's advice and ran back to the carriage.
Shen Mu brushed his head and brushed the piece of preserved fruit that Miss Qiqi had thrown off and walked forward without a change in expression.
There were a total of seven corpses in the forest. They were dressed as small peddlers from the Western Region. There were two overturned carriages on the ground with many goods such as coarse cloth, pottery and iron pots. It was a messy scene.
The seven people had died in different ways. Some had been shot, some had been hacked, and some had been assassinated. Not far from where they had died, there were some puddles of blood, and there were traces of dragging. Then there was the messy sound of horse hooves. It seemed that the people who had killed them had also died, but their corpses had been carried away.
"It should be an ambush! They first set up an ambush in the forest and killed a few people before eliminating the survivors. The ground is very messy and the goods were not taken away. Even the weapons abandoned by the victims were not taken away. It seems that they must have noticed us attacking the frontlines and fled in a hurry. From this, I can deduce that there shouldn't be many people ambushing us. "
Shen Mu rubbed his chin and muttered. Yang Fan nodded his head. His gaze fell on a bloody saber that was still in the hand of one of the corpses. He then shifted his gaze to an old tree with a broken spear stuck in it.
Yang Fan's gaze turned solemn as he asked in a deep voice, "Have you searched the bodies of the corpses?"
A very calm looking middle-aged man nodded and said, "We've searched them, but there's nothing that can prove their identity. However, two of them are wearing Dark Armor under their robes. Look! "
The middle-aged man waved his hand and two corpses were carried in front of Yang Fan and Shen Mu. Their robes were untied and they were indeed wearing Dark Armor under their robes. Yang Fan identified them one by one and carefully looked at the other corpses. They all had Han faces but he did not recognize any of them. Yang Fan could not help but reveal a puzzled expression.
Shen Mu followed beside him. Observing his expression, he asked, "Why? You suspect that the corpses are from the Hundred Cavalry?"
Yang Fan shook his head and replied, "I do not recognize them. They are all unfamiliar faces. If they were from the Hundred Cavalry, I would recognize them. However … these corpses should be from the Imperial Court and were sent here on official business. "
Yang Fan took out half a spear handle from one of the corpses and pointed at the copper pattern on the handle. He told Shen Mu, "This is the special pattern of the spear used by the Imperial Guards. Also, this Dark Armor is specially made by the government. These two people must be the leaders, that's why they receive such treatment. "
Shen Mu asked, "You can determine their identity just based on their weapons?"
Yang Fan replied, "Armor, crossbows, spears, lances and armors are all prohibited for private ownership. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to rebellion. Only before the soldiers go out to battle can they be allocated equipment. Who among the commoners would possess these weapons? Moreover, they are specially registered by the Imperial Guards. Is this not enough to prove their identity? "
According to the regulations of the Imperial Court, armor, crossbows, lances, lances and armors are strictly prohibited for private ownership. Even soldiers are not allowed to equip them when they go out on private business. Yang Fan did not mention the Mo Dao that they used because it is not prohibited for private ownership. Although the Mo Dao is the most powerful of the four types of weapons made from the Tang dynasty, it is only in comparison to the other types of weapons.
The Mo Dao is only one of the many types of soldiers in the Tang dynasty. The opportunities for it to display its power on the battlefield are far inferior to the spears, lances and crossbows. Most of the time, the Mo Dao is used as an auxiliary weapon for individual infantry. Its formation effect is even worse than a dense formation of long spears. Therefore, it is not prohibited for private ownership.
If the deceased were all using knives and did not have anything on them that could prove their identity, Yang Fan would not be able to guess their identity. However, the long spears and the Dark Armor with the special patterns of the Imperial Guards revealed their true identity. Of course, ordinary people would not be able to notice these hidden characteristics. However, Yang Fan is a member of the Imperial Guards and naturally can see it at a glance.
After listening to Yang Fan's explanation, Shen Mu could not help but secretly speculate, "Since Yang Fan does not know these people, then they should not be from the Hundred Cavalry. Are these people Princess Taiping's men, Wu Chengsi's men, or Wu Sansi's men? Did they die from the secret infighting of other forces or were they attacked by small groups of horse bandits … "
Just as Shen Mu was thinking, a guard suddenly said, "Langjun, there is something here."
Hearing the voice, Yang Fan and Shen Mu looked over and saw the guard bending over and pulling something out from under a low bush. There was a pool of blood where he stood and beside it was a drag mark more than ten feet long. It seems that someone died here and was later dragged away on a horse.
The thing that the guard pulled out from the bush was a Suan Ni belt with seven-colored vertical stripes. Shen Mu took the belt, which was made from a mixture of cow and wool, and looked at it carefully. His eyes gradually narrowed and he said, "Although I do not know who the deceased is, I think … I already know the identity of the killer."
Yang Fan asked, "Who are they?"
Shen Mu did not answer and turned to the guard who found the Suan Ni belt and ordered, "Search carefully again. If there are no other clues, bury the dead on the spot." Finishing, he ordered another guard, "Inform Zhang Yi to personally escort me on my journey to the west. If there are any suspicious people along the way, it is better to kill wrongly than to let them go!"
Shen Mu has always given Yang Fan the impression that he does not care about anything. Only now does he faintly reveal a hint of coldness. The guard did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly complied. He turned around and left. It is unknown how he intends to inform Zhang Yi, who has not been seen yet.
After Shen Mu finished giving his orders, he turned to Yang Fan and changed into a spring breeze-like smile, saying, "Come, let's talk in the carriage."
The two of them returned to the carriage. Shen Mu gently stroked the soft and fine woolen belt. He turned to Yang Fan and said, "This material is different from the silk belt used by our Central Plains Han people, and also different from the leather belt used by other tribes. This is a woolen belt knitted by spinning and weaving, unique to the Tubo people."
Yang Fan's eyes flashed and he asked in astonishment, "This is still our territory. How can the Tubo people commit murder here?"
Shen Mu said, "That's right, this is our territory. But for some people in our dynasty, this place is dispensable. But in the eyes of the Tubo people, this is the foundation of their survival. So, the Tubo people pay more attention to this place than us and manage it better. Have you heard of the famous Tubo Gorge?"
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