Not long after Ang Lee came up, he saw a woodcutter enter the residence of the Lotus sisters. This was very unusual. Although buying firewood was the most common thing to do, he had already suspected the sisters. Now that he saw the woodcutter enter their residence in the dark, he naturally became more suspicious.
Burn? Wen Xiao? Say?
? W? W? W? .? R? A? N? W? E? N? A? com
In addition, the vegetation in Summer State City was not very good. Many woodcutters went to the Qiwu Mountain in the northwest to cut firewood. There was better quality firewood there, and the quantity was more abundant. Qiwu Mountain was where the Horse Gang's nest was located. If the Horse Gang sent a liaison into Summer State City, the woodcutter was obviously the most confusing profession. It was the most convenient for the Horse Gang.
"He's out. As expected, he's still going west. Hehe!"
Ang Lee quickly saw the woodcutter. At this moment, there was no firewood on the woodcutter's body. There was only a long wooden stick and a rope casually wrapped around the stick.
After the woodcutter left, Lotus closed the door.
"You guys continue to take turns to watch. Don't relax for a moment. If you're tired, sleep here."
Ang Lee ordered.
"Yes, your subordinate understands."
There were only two people on the roof at a time, and there were more than ten soldiers in charge of surveillance. Five shifts were not a problem at all. Only in this way could they ensure that the soldiers on the roof would have enough energy to monitor. If they fought a battle of exhaustion, it would be troublesome if the soldiers were tired and fell asleep on the roof.
Summer State City actually did not have any night curfew. However, because of the Horse Gang, the city gate was still closed at night. However, if the people in the city did not want to sleep, they could go to the streets casually. No one would say anything.
In addition, if the merchants and people in the city needed to leave the city at night, as long as they could provide a reliable identity or someone who could prove it, they could pass.
However, there weren't many merchants who chose to leave the city at night. There were almost none of them, and ordinary people wouldn't have anything important to do that they had to leave the city at night. Therefore, the gate wouldn't be opened easily. It was considered good if it could be opened once or twice a night.
The soldiers sent by Ang Lee quickly went near the west gate. Then, they found a reliable position and waited quietly. Not long after, the woodcutter carrying a round wooden stick walked near the west gate. It seemed that he was going to leave the city.
However, the soldier guarding the gate wasn't someone who was easy to talk to. Being on duty at night was already a difficult task. Even if he had to sit by the gate all night, it would still be very tiring. The gate wasn't like the door of an ordinary person's house. Opening and closing it once would consume a lot of energy. Naturally, the soldier guarding the gate wasn't willing to open and close the gate repeatedly.
"General, open the gate!"
The woodcutter walked to the city gate and saw a few guards gathered around a round table and chatting.
. com mor tuo mor.....
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. "The woodcutter requested again.
"What's wrong with you? Why do you always leave the city in the middle of the night?"
"That's right. I just took over the shift and I have to work."
"Fine, fine, fine. Do whatever you want. Open it yourself."
The soldiers were very impatient. They told the woodcutter to open the gate himself. After all, opening the gate was a more tiring job.
"Oh, okay."
The woodcutter did not dare to say anything. He went to open the gate himself.
Although the city gate was very heavy and it would take a lot of effort for one person to open it, it was still possible. Moreover, he was only one person, so he didn't need to open the entire city gate. He only needed to open a small gap for his body to pass through. It wouldn't take much effort.
The woodcutter's body was very sturdy. It was very easy for him to remove the crossbar and open the gate. After opening a small gap, he easily left the city. After leaving the city, he didn't forget to close the gate. He was very sensible.
Estimating that the woodcutter had walked a distance, the soldiers sent by Ang Lee walked over and prepared to open the gate themselves.
"Stop. What are you doing? Why do you look a little unfamiliar?"
"I have not seen you before."
"Who are you? Come and report to me. "
The soldiers were like bosses. After the woodcutter left, they did not even come over to lock the gate. They only knew how to chuckle.
"I have to leave the city for official business. I don't know when I will be back."
As he spoke, he took out the waist tag on his waist.
"Oh, it's a guard from the capital. You are a squad leader."
"It's my fault for not recognizing you. I will open the gate for you."
The soldiers guarding the gate saw that the other party was from the capital. Although his official position was not high, the soldiers from the capital had a higher status than them. Moreover, he was a minor official. They naturally had to be respectful.
"You are welcome. By the way, does the woodcutter often leave the city at night?"
The guard asked.
"That's right. This guy leaves the city at night. The time is not fixed. He only leaves the city at midnight at the latest. It's really annoying that a small woodcutter dares to cause trouble for us."
"Why? Is there a problem with this woodcutter? Do you need our help? "
The soldiers became enthusiastic. None of them sat down. All of them stood up.
The guard hurriedly said, "It's nothing. It's just that there are horse thieves in the Summer State. The higher-ups sent us to investigate. Coincidentally, we came here and saw the woodcutter leaving the city. So, we wanted to go out and take a look."
"Do you want a horse? We have two horses here. You can choose whichever one you like. "
The guard at the gate said politely.
"No need. It's inconvenient to have a horse. Let's not talk anymore. I should leave the city."
The guard estimated that the woodcutter had gone far enough. So, he prepared to leave the city. After all, if he followed closely behind, it would easily arouse the woodcutter's suspicion.
The guards at the gate used their strength to open the gate. After the guard left through the crack in the gate, they immediately asked them to close the gate.
At the west gate of Summer State City, there were not many guards at night. There were only ten people. Among them, there were four soldiers at the top of the city wall and six at the bottom. The soldiers at the top of the city wall took turns to look outside the city, while the soldiers at the bottom of the city wall were chatting and slacking off. They were all locals of Summer State City. Most of them got their positions through the back door.
For example, if a distant relative was an official in the Summer State, he could get in through the back door. The job of guarding the door was actually not a good job, but at least it was a job that could support him. Moreover, to be honest, it was really not too tiring. Compared to other hard labor jobs, it was much, much easier.
Those who were willing to do this job were basically lazy people with no future prospects. If they were a little more diligent, they wouldn't choose to be a gatekeeper. Therefore, it was understandable that these soldiers were unwilling to open the door.
After the guard walked out of the city gate, he looked around and could no longer see the woodcutter's figure. However, he was an excellent soldier who had undergone training. Just by the slight footprints left on the road, he was able to effectively track the woodcutter.
After carefully examining the traces on the road, the guard easily identified the direction in which the woodcutter left. Thus, he quickly followed him.
Because the roads out of the city were limited, as long as there were footprints at the head of the road, he could keep chasing. There was no need to look at the footprints bit by bit. Unless he encountered a fork in the road, he would need to carefully identify the footprints again.
Sure enough, after chasing for a while, the guard found a figure fifty steps ahead. From the round wooden stick on the figure's back, he could tell that it was the woodcutter who had just left the city gate. As long as he did not lose him, it would be fine. Therefore, the guard did not approach and always kept a certain distance from the woodcutter to ensure that he would not be discovered by the woodcutter.
This tailing took more than two hours. In order to prevent getting lost, he deliberately made some inconspicuous markings along the way. After all, it was the guard's first time entering Qiwu Mountain. If he did not make any markings, it would be easy to get lost. If he really got lost, it would be terrible.
The woodcutter kept walking in front and did not realize that he was being tailed. Along the way, he was humming from time to time, looking very pleased.
"You're back!"
Very quickly, three big men walked out from the forest. One look at their figures and you could tell that they were very tough.
"I'm back."
The woodcutter took out something from his pocket and handed it to one of the big men. Then, he turned and walked into the forest.
The guard did not see very clearly, but he felt that it was a money bag. Perhaps it was the money from selling firewood!
The person who took the money bag also turned and left, leaving only the two big men standing in the same place, whispering softly.
The guard didn't have the ability to split himself and didn't know who to follow. Furthermore, there were two strong men blocking the road. The two people who had left were not easy to follow. Under such circumstances, the guard could only give up on following them and quietly return to Summer State City. After following them all the way, he had gained quite a bit and could go back to report.
Near Dejing County, eighty miles northeast of Summer State City, there were ruins of the Great Wall of Qin. Although it was a little old, it was still worth a visit.
Ang Lee planned to take his wife to have a look and feel the grandeur of the Great Wall here.
However, before they set off, the guard came to report on the investigation last night. Ang Lee had to listen to the report before he could set off for Dejing County.
"Tell me! What's the situation like? Is there really a problem with that woodcutter? "
Ang Lee asked.
The guard hurriedly told Ang Lee everything he saw last night. Every small detail was reported very carefully.
"A woodcutter met three big men in the middle of the night and even gave them something. This is obviously a spy for the horse bandits! It's too suspicious. "
When Ang Lee heard this, he was almost certain that the woodcutter was a member of the horse bandits, and so were the He sisters. Those big men who appeared were definitely horse bandits.
After all, in the entire Summer State, he had never heard of bandits or other forces. Only horse bandits, who often appeared, disturbed the merchants and made them feel insecure.
"You've done well. Next, I'll give you ten people. You'll be responsible for following the woodcutter and those big men. You must pay attention to concealment and not leave any traces."
Ang Lee said.
"Yes, I understand."
The guard replied.
After everything was ready, Ang Lee and more than a hundred people took a carriage to Dejing County, eighty miles northeast of Summer State City, to visit the ruins of the Great Wall of Qin there.
Eighty miles seemed quite far, but in fact, it was not that far. They could reach it in two hours. They could set off in the morning and come back in the evening. It was very convenient.
The carriage first passed through the Wuding River and then went straight to Dejing County.
The Wuding River was the main river in the Summer Province. It was because of the Wuding River that the Summer Province could become a province. After all, humans lived by water. Without a water source, humans would not be able to survive. Only with a water source could humans survive.
In addition, the Wuding River was a tributary of the Yellow River. It was more than a thousand miles long and was a very large river. Its annual flow contributed a lot to the Yellow River. Without the Wuding River, the flow of the Yellow River would decrease a lot.
There were many tributaries in the Wuding River, such as the Yuxi River, the Lu River, the Dali River, the Yihe Ditch, and other tributaries. The flow of these tributaries was also not small.
However, since the ecological environment along the way was destroyed, the flow of the Wuding River was affected to a certain extent. The annual flow of the river decreased a lot. In addition, the people along the way would divert the river water to irrigate their own fields. As a result, the river water was even less.
As more and more people began to learn to farm, the ecology around the Wuding River was greatly damaged. Many of the originally flat lands had become crisscrossed with ravines. Looking from afar, it gave people a feeling of desolation.
In addition, with the destruction of the ecology by soil erosion, the rainfall around and upstream of the Wuding River showed a trend of decline. This further increased the water pressure in the Summer State. Not to mention supplying the needs of humans, even the vegetation in the wild had been dried up. Except for the oasis on both sides of the river, the rest of the place was filled with sand and dust from time to time, making people feel like they were walking into a desert.
When Ang Lee entered the Wuding River Bridge, he saw large patches of green plants on both sides of the river. They looked very pleasing to the eye. However, after only five miles of the bridge, the vegetation on the roadside began to decrease substantially. He could only see some drought-resistant poplars and unknown weeds. Other than that, the rest was sand and dust.
As he continued to move forward, the scene in front of him became even more shocking. Earlier, he could still see some drought-resistant plants, but now, he could only see poplar trunks that had withered for many years.
From the appearance of the poplar trunks, it was impossible to tell how long they had withered. After all, the poplar trunks had a special characteristic. They did not fall after a thousand years and did not rot after a thousand years. Therefore, even if he saw a withered poplar tree on the roadside, he could not tell how long it had withered.
A gentle breeze blew, raising clouds of smoke and dust. From the fields that leaked out from time to time, it could be seen that both sides of the road used to be farmlands cultivated by the people. However, due to the drought, these farmlands could no longer grow food crops. In desperation, the people could only give up this part of the land and let it turn into a desert.
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