The leader of the Horse Gang and his two brothers, namely Skinny Monkey and One-eyed Man, were discussing how to leave Mount Qiwu quietly and go to the next base that they had decided on.
They chose Hutu Mountain in Hedong as their next base. The reason for this choice was that Hutu Mountain's geographical location was good enough.
This large mountain could provide a good hiding place for the Horse Gang. In addition, Hutu Mountain was relatively close to Jinyang, the capital of Hedong Province. Jinyang was a very important commercial center of the Tang Empire. Most of the Jinyang merchants had businesses in Jinyang. Therefore, if they took root here, it would be very convenient for them to rob caravans in the future.
There were five capital cities in the Tang Empire. In addition to the real capital Chang 'an, there were four that were also called capital cities. They were Luoyang in the East, Fengxiang in the West, Chengdu in the South, and Taiyuan in the North. Taiyuan was also called Jinyang and was once the core of the Jin Kingdom.
In the history of the Jin Kingdom, Duke Wen of Jin was undoubtedly the greatest monarch. When he was on the throne, the Jin Kingdom was at its strongest and once dominated the world, making all the countries in the world willingly submit to it.
There were always some capable and loyal ministers around a great monarch. Duke Wen of Jin's uncles, Hu Mao and Hu Yan, were such capable and loyal ministers. Their father, who was Duke Wen of Jin's grandfather, was also a rare loyal minister. The three of them gave great support to Duke Wen of Jin's great cause and were the most important helpers in Duke Wen of Jin's life.
As meritorious ministers, they were naturally rewarded. The Hutu family had a very high status in the Jin Kingdom. Their tomb was in the west of Jinyang, in a beautiful mountain. In order to recognize the contributions of the Hutu family, the mountain where they were buried was named Hutu Mountain, Hu Yan Mountain, or Hu Master Mountain. In short, this mountain represented the Hutu family. Hu Tu, Hu Mao, and Hu Yan were all buried here.
The three of them were like this mountain, standing near the capital of Jin Nation and guarding this great nation. Because of their contributions and reputation, the mountain had never been renamed in the future and had always been named after the three of them.
The elevation of this mountain was more than two thousand meters high. Moreover, it was surrounded by Xiaowen Mountains and Hidden Springs. If there was an encirclement, they could retreat to these mountains at any time. They could even set up nests in the mountains near Jinyang. This way, they wouldn't have to worry about a single nest being encircled. The bandits also understood the logic of a crafty rabbit having three burrows.
Since he had already decided to develop in the Hutu Mountain area east of the river, he had to make preparations as soon as possible. The more prepared he was, the less likely it would be for problems to arise.
The skinny monkey-like man's idea was completely different from the one-eyed man. The Horse Gang leader had not expressed his opinion all this time. He was also thinking about it. He did not want to hurt any of his brothers.
When it came to the decision to leave Qiwu Mountain and develop in the Fox Tusk Mountain region, everyone's opinions were unified. They were all willing to leave this place and develop in the Fox Tusk Mountain region. However, when it came to how to leave Qiwu Mountain and how much resources to bring, their opinions began to clash.
The skinny monkey-like man thought that they should pack light and throw away everything that could be thrown away. This way, they would be able to reach the east of the river as quickly as possible. The one-eyed man, on the other hand, felt that it would be too much of a pity to just give up on the hard-earned wealth. They should pack everything up and leave nothing behind.
Because of this, the two argued in front of the Horse Gang leader. No one could convince the other.
"One-eyed, the most important thing right now is to escape. Throw away all the useless pots and cans and buy more when we get to Hutu Mountain. There are many rich merchants in Jinyang, just rob a few of them. Why care about these things in front of us?"
The skinny monkey-like man was free and easy. He didn't like to do things slowly. He wanted to leave and reach Hutu Mountain to start a new chapter in his life.
"What do you know? These gold, silver, equipment, food, and dried meat are all things we have worked hard to accumulate for many years. How can we just give them up? It's true that not being in charge is more expensive than firewood and rice. "
The one-eyed man retorted.
Their views were different because they were responsible for different things. The skinny monkey-like man had always been in charge of robbing. Since the one-eyed man's eyes were injured during his first robbery and he became one-eyed, he had never robbed again. He was mainly in charge of logistics. How much meat and rice were there in the den, how much could hundreds of people eat in a day, and how long could the surplus last for his brothers? These were all things he needed to consider. Over time, he had formed this kind of character. He always felt that wasting was a very shameful thing and was unwilling to give up the wealth he had obtained, even if it was just a bag of rice.
"You're being pedantic. The soldiers are closing in step by step. If we're too slow and are caught, we won't be able to keep our lives. What's the use of these worldly possessions? The most important thing is to stay alive."
The skinny monkey-like man angrily retorted.
"If we don't bring enough rations along the way, what will we do if we run out of rations midway? Even if the rations are barely enough to reach Fox Tusk Mountain, how will we be able to gather enough rations in a short period of time after we reach Fox Tusk Mountain? Once we run out of rations, our brothers will starve."
The one-eyed man persisted.
"If we run out of food, we'll rob. We'll be able to grab a lot along the way. There will also be prey in the mountains. If we really can't, we'll kill a few horses to satisfy our hunger.
The skinny monkey-like man persisted.
"Okay, I won't talk nonsense with you. I can't outtalk you. In short, my men must take enough food and treasure. We won't leave anything behind for the soldiers."
The one-eyed man still insisted on his point of view.
The Horse Gang leader finally spoke. He looked at his two brothers and said, "Brothers, let's stop arguing. This time, we have more people and a bigger target. We can break up and go to Hedong separately. Since the skinny monkey-like man doesn't want to take more things, we'll take the middle road lightly. If the one-eyed man doesn't want to give up food, we can contact the caravan in Summer State City and swagger to Hedong on the official road. I'll take some of my brothers and take the north road. The three of us will meet at Hutu Mountain on Hedong and start a new life."
The skinny monkey-like man and the one-eyed man looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They felt that this plan was very good and satisfied the different requirements of the two. Moreover, splitting up would also reduce the target to a certain extent and make it difficult for the soldiers to find them.
"Big brother, we'll be interrogated if we take the official road. Can the one-eyed man really get through? If we're caught, we'll be in trouble. "
The skinny monkey-like man suddenly cared about the one-eyed man.
The Horse Gang leader thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry about that. Our men in Summer State City will also evacuate with us. Their identities are clean and they can provide us with enough carriages. As for the identities of our brothers, as long as we pay a little money, someone will do it for us. We'll be fine."
The skinny monkey-like man thought for a moment and said, "Big brother, what about the weapons? If we go with the caravan and take so many weapons with us, we can tell at first glance that we're not merchants. Even the guards don't have such weapons."
The one-eyed man said, "We won't take these messy weapons. We'll disguise ourselves as merchants and set off. Each of our brothers just needs to prepare a long wooden pole. It should be fine to take a few bows and arrows in case we encounter wolves on the official road."
"Okay, in that case, when do we set off? I can't wait."
The skinny monkey-like man said.
The Horse Gang leader thought for a moment and said, "Brother, you don't have to be so anxious! We need to be at least two or three days in advance! Especially on the official road, it's impossible to set off without at least two days and two nights of preparation. "
These words were not false at all. There were many things to prepare on the official road. Under the best circumstances, it would take two or three days to prepare. If things didn't go well, it wouldn't be strange for them to prepare for one or two weeks. After all, the Horse Gang merchants in the city had to find a way to transfer carriages and deal with their properties in the city. In addition, they had to deal with the Horse Gang in the mountains and deal with their properties in the city. In addition, they had to deal with legal identities for the Horse Gang in the mountains and apply for travel permits and so on.
It would be a miracle if they could complete this series of procedures in two days. In particular, dealing with properties was the most troublesome. It wasn't something that could be sold immediately if you wanted to. Moreover, if others saw that you were in a hurry to sell your properties, they would offer a very low price, leaving you with no choice.
It wasn't an easy task to deal with the Horse Gang's legal identities. Moreover, it was to deal with so many people at once. If they didn't give enough benefits, which official would dare to do so?
The commercial development of the Summer Province was not bad, but it was not easy to collect a large number of carriages in a short period of time. Moreover, with the gradual popularization of trains, carriages were generally used for short distances. Very few of them were used for long distances, and from the Summer Province to the vicinity of Jinyang on the east side of the river, it was already considered a long distance. There weren't many people who were willing to travel such a long distance, so it was not easy to find enough carriages and coachmen.
No matter how many difficulties and obstacles there were, the moment he decided to take the official road, the Horse Gang leader had already thrown caution to the wind. No matter what, he had to smoothly transport his family's belongings to Hutu Mountain on the east side of the river and start a new life.
Many roads into the mountain had been blocked by the army. The coming and going vehicles and pedestrians had to be strictly interrogated. However, there was no writing on the Horse Gang's face. Very few Horse Gang members had already obtained legal identities. Therefore, most of the time, the interrogation was futile. The deterrent effect was greater.
The Horse Gang leader sent these Horse Gang members who could see the light to cross the blockade line and personally deliver the message. Although he also had carrier pigeons, the siege of the army was too strong. The last fiasco was caused by a pigeon being shot down by the army. This time, he didn't believe in pigeons. He trusted his own men more. It should be more reliable to send someone to deliver the order.
The Horse Gang member responsible for delivering the order jumped two loads of firewood and disguised himself as a woodcutter selling charcoal. He successfully passed through the blockade line set by the army and entered Summer Province City. He immediately contacted the relevant Horse Gang in Summer Province City.
In a secret room of a rice shop, a Horse Gang member who looked like a merchant was frowning and pacing. There were several people who looked like waiters beside him. Naturally, they were all Horse Gang members. The Horse Gang member responsible for delivering the message was also inside.
"The leader's request is too high. How can it be completed in two days? It's simply impossible. It may not be completed in five or six days. Time is too tight."
The rice shop owner said helplessly.
"The leader also has his difficulties. There are soldiers everywhere in the mountains. The later we leave, the higher the possibility of being discovered. Therefore, the earlier we leave, the better. No matter how tight the time is, we have to think of a way."
"Got it. I'll arrange it as soon as possible. I'll do my best."
The rice shop owner said.
"Be quick. I'll go back first."
The Horse Gang member who delivered the order left after saying that.
"Shopkeeper, the leader is forcing us to our deaths! How can it be possible to prepare a hundred carriages in two days? And there are so many shops. They can't be sold just like that. Someone needs to take over! "
A waiter said.
The shopkeeper smiled bitterly and said, "A hundred carriages and selling the shops aren't that difficult. As long as you pay more, the carriages can be solved. If you sell the shops at a low price, they can be sold quickly. The worst thing is that you have to deal with more than a hundred people's legal identities. To deal with more than a hundred people at once, isn't this nonsense? Even if you pay a lot of money, you might not be able to do it. At this critical juncture, who would dare to deal with so many for us at once? "
Obviously, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem. Whether it was the carriages or selling the shops, they were all problems with money and could be easily solved. But to deal with so many Horse Gang legal identities was not something that could be solved with money. At this critical juncture where most of the Horse Gang were wiped out, who would dare to deal with so many legal identities at once?
However, since it was a task given by the leader, he had to give it a try. If he didn't try, how would he know if he couldn't do it?
The shopkeeper was thinking about how to find an excuse to fool the relevant officials so that both sides would have a way out. There was also the problem of money. How much should he pay? This was also something that he had to consider carefully.
The shopkeeper immediately began to make arrangements. He sent most of his subordinates to look for carriages, while the rest went to find buyers and prepare to sell the businesses that he had operated for many years. As for dealing with the identity, he could only do it himself. This was something that no one could help him with.
"Changing from a merchant to a merchant and recruiting more than a hundred waiter at once. You're really something! You've really thought about it. You want to be a merchant. "
The official in charge of dealing with the relevant identities asked.
"I've thought about it. It's easier to make a fortune as a merchant. It's better to be a merchant."
The shopkeeper said.
"You've thought about it. Recruiting more than a hundred people at once? What are their identities? What proof do they have? "
The official asked.
The shopkeeper quickly said, "There are all kinds of people. We don't lack people from all walks of life. If they had proof, we wouldn't have bothered you. How much do you think it will cost?"
"This … This is not all about money. My authority is limited. I have to ask my superior. You go back and wait!"
The official said.
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