This was a dirty, smelly, and chaotic alley. When Yang Fan was still far away from the alley, he could already smell an unpleasant smell.
This smell was a mixture of all kinds of foul smells. It was impossible to accurately describe it, but one could feel that when this smell rushed into one's nose, it would immediately make one feel suffocated, and even breathing would become difficult.
However, it was this smelly alley that was actually bustling with people coming and going.
This was an alley in the commercial district of West City. At the entrance of the alley was a half-collapsed courtyard wall of a family. At the foot of the wall were a few beggars, half sitting and half sitting. Even though it was a scorching summer day, they were wrapped in leather robes that had lost all their fur and were now shiny. People walked around them, not even glancing at them. In front of them, there were only a few coins or half-eaten bread in the broken pots.
Walking into the alley, it became even more crowded. There was a drainage ditch on the side of the road. Rainwater and domestic water had accumulated in the ditch, and a layer of green fur had already grown on it. One could faintly see human and cow and horse feces being washed down, gently floating on the surface of the green fur.
This alley was a place where all kinds of fur, animal bones, and other grassland products were wholesale and retail. The fur and animal bones sold here were goods that had not been processed in any way. The fur had not been washed or tanned. The whole cowhide and sheepskin were hard and flat, all piled up together, emitting an unpleasant smell.
However, after these things were processed and sold to the Central Plains, they could be made dozens or even hundreds of times more profitable. Therefore, some rich merchants who traded in silk and satins did not mind the overwhelming stench here at all. They would personally come to see the goods, negotiate the price, and finally load the goods that they were satisfied with into their carriages before leaving excitedly.
As Yang Fan walked down the street, in order not to attract attention, he also bought a wolf skin mattress. Of course, with his current appearance, he would not buy an expensive wolf skin that was hunted in autumn or winter. Moreover, this wolf skin was not good in terms of color or workmanship. The wolf skin was still hard, and there were even a few damaged areas.
Yang Fan rolled up the wolf pelt and tucked it under his ribs. He continued to look around as he walked forward. After a while, he saw a sign with a black yak drawn on it. The yak was not big, but its horns were huge. The word "Li" was written on the two half-moon shaped horns.
Yang Fan knew that he had arrived at his destination. The front of this shop wasn't big, and there was a pile of yak hides of poor quality in front of the door. On the other side, there was a complete ox skull with two sharp and huge horns. Yang Fan paused for a moment at the door. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he immediately walked in.
There was only the shopkeeper and a young shop assistant in the shop. The shop wasn't big, and it was difficult for three or four people to even turn around after entering. There were only a few things sold in this shop. Some were placed outside, and most of the goods were in the backyard. The backyard was the spacious space, and all the shops here were like this.
Seeing that there were no customers in the shop, Yang Fan used the code that Xu Liang taught him when he left the capital to contact the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was in his early fifties, and his body was thin. His skinny face was full of wrinkles, and he had a sparse beard, which made him look like a big mouse. After using the code, the shopkeeper's eyes widened, and he said in surprise: "In your group, you are the only one who came out alive? You actually came out unscathed? "
Yang Fan was startled, and he said: "What do you mean? What happened to the other groups? "
The shopkeeper asked curiously: "Could it be that your group didn't encounter any bandits or Tibetan scouts?"
Only now did Yang Fan understand. He said: "I came alone, traveling with a large group, so I didn't encounter any accidents. But someone else has arrived? Did they encounter any trouble along the way? "
The shopkeeper pulled Yang Fan and said: "Come with me!"
The shopkeeper pulled Yang Fan to the back, and as they walked, he gave him a brief explanation of the situation. It turned out that the hundred cavalry guards who had set off from Luoyang, although they had disguised themselves as merchants or travelers, had all encountered different groups of people and different degrees of attacks along the way.
In the end, not a single group had been able to reach the Huangshui unscathed. Some of them had even been completely wiped out. Up until now, the shopkeeper had only received three groups of people. In total, there were only seven survivors, and all of them were injured. Including Yang Fan, there were only eight.
In other words, if no one else arrived, then of the fifty elites sent out by the hundred cavalry, only these eight people were left. The guards who had been attacked had thought that there were as many bandits as there were hairs on an ox in the Longyou area. It was only in the past two days that they had learned from the person in charge of contacting the local army that the people they had encountered might be bandits cutting the path, but most of them were probably Gorge scouts.
Only the Gorge Pass scouts, skilled in ambushes and fearless of death, in a situation where they were completely unprepared, could cause such great damage to these brave and skilled soldiers.
As Yang Fan listened to the shopkeeper's explanation, he hurriedly bypassed the mountain of stinking fur goods and turned to a row of simple houses in the backyard.
Zhang Xitong was slowly moving in front of a house with his walking stick when he suddenly saw the shopkeeper leading Yang Fan over. He immediately stopped and looked carefully. His hand loosened and the walking stick fell to the ground with a clang. Zhang Xitong looked like he had seen a ghost. "You … you are Yang Fan?"
Yang Fan saw that he was standing unsteadily on his own. He hurriedly stepped forward and picked up the walking stick to support his ribs. "Of course it's me. How did you … become like this?"
Zhang Xitong said in surprise, "You're alone, how come you're not injured at all? Didn't you meet a single Tibetan scout along the way? "
Yang Fan repeated what he had said to the shopkeeper to Zhang Xitong. Zhang Xitong wanted to cry but had no tears. "I didn't expect that you would escape a calamity by traveling west alone. Sigh, let's not talk about it. I, Zhang Xitong, have been on the battlefield before, and the number of foreigners who have died under my blade is at least a few dozen. I've never fought such a stupid battle, being ambushed for no reason! "
Zhang Xitong said angrily, "It's not that we are careless, but sometimes … there are travelers who lead camels, women and children with us. How can you be wary of them? Hey! I've been traveling with you for three days. A moment ago, I was singing to you around the bonfire with strong liquor in my hands, and the next moment, a knife came stabbing me. It's impossible to guard against it! "
Yang Fan patted his shoulder and said, "I've heard the general situation from the shopkeeper. Who else has arrived?"
Zhang Xitong pointed to the row of houses behind him and said, "They're all inside. Including me, there are only seven left alive. Most of them are injured. I don't know how long it will take for them to recover."
Yang Fan said, "I'll go take a look first!"
Yang Fan stepped into the room. Zhang Xitong leaned on his crutch and followed behind the shopkeeper.
The people who had already arrived were Huang Xuchang, Zhang Xitong, Zhang Qi, Tian Yan, and Wei Tongchuan. Most of them were injured. Among them, Tian Yan's injury was the most serious. He had been stabbed in the ribs. Because of the hot weather and the lack of timely treatment, he had fallen unconscious after arriving at the Huangshui River. He had gotten better in the past few days, but he was still unconscious most of the time.
Huang Xuchang's injuries were also not light. He had been injured twice. After escaping from the first attack, he was attacked a second time only three days later. They killed their way all the way to the Huangshui River. The draftsmen from the Ministry of Works they had been ordered to protect had also been killed on the way. Huang Xuchang was the captain and the person in charge of this mission. He had great responsibilities. These days, he had been angry and angry, and his mouth was full of blisters.
Yang Fan comforted him, "Captain Huang, don't blame yourself too much. You're a warrior who charges and breaks through enemy lines. You're not good at scouting. "
Huang Xuchang said dejectedly, "Don't comfort me! That's not a reason at all! Even those crude and barbaric Tibetans can be as cunning as foxes. Why can't we be good scouts? I was too careless! "
Yang Fan asked, "Did you inform the Heyuan Army to capture those scouts?"
The shopkeeper said, "That's too difficult! They usually mix in with all walks of life, just like the common people. How can we tell who is the real scout? There are many foreigners here, and there's no lack of good people among them. We can't capture them all, can we? Besides, not all the scouts in the Tongxia are Tibetans. "
Yang Fan said, "Of course we can't find all the scouts, but it's not completely useless. Just now, Captain Huang said that along the way, they killed many people who attacked them, including our brothers who were completely wiped out. I don't believe that the other side didn't suffer any casualties! Since those Tibetan scouts have legitimate identities, they must have an explanation for their sudden death, right? "
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, "You mean?"
Yang Fan said, "If they want to hide here for a long time, it's not possible for those who died to come up with an excuse to go out. It's also not easy to hide from the neighbors that they died of a sudden illness. The best excuse is that they met the horse thieves when they were out grazing. Also, they don't need anyone to ask, they will spread the news themselves, so …"
The shopkeeper continued, "So, as long as we investigate the recent deaths of the bandits in the various prefectures, counties and tribes in Longyou, we will be able to find the spies."
Yang Fan said, "That's right!"
Zhang Xitong said, leaning on his walking stick, "But there might be people who really died from bandits."
Yang Fan said, "I know, so … we still have to investigate! He would definitely be able to find some of them. These spies had to be found one by one. He couldn't just let them run wild in Longyou. I think it's because of this reason that they always try to snatch the corpses back. They don't want to expose a group of people just because of a corpse. But as long as they make a move, there will be casualties. This method can be used by the local authorities often. In the future, there will be fewer Tibetan scouts attacking our soldiers. "
Huang Xuchang slapped his forehead, "That's right! Why didn't I think of this! "
Huang Xuchang gave Yang Fan a thumbs up and sincerely said, "This is a really good idea! I've always looked down on you. After being tricked by others, and after today's matter, I've finally accepted my defeat! A good brain is really more useful than a good body of martial arts! "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Captain is too polite. I just thought of this idea by chance."
"It's just that," Huang Xuchang said, "Capturing the Tufan scouts is, in the end, of no help to our mission. Right now we have suffered heavy casualties, we are only left with these few people, and each one of them is wounded. His Majesty has placed high hopes on us, if this trip to the western region is fruitless, and we suffer heavy casualties, what would His Majesty think?"
Yang Fan thought for a while and said, "Captain's injuries are very serious. By the time you and your brothers recover and can move freely, I'm afraid it will take more than a month at the earliest. If we drag this out, it will be even harder to find information during autumn and winter. If Captain is trustworthy, then leave this mission to me! "
Huang Xuchang looked at Yang Fan in bewilderment and said, "You? Just you? "
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