The county magistrate of Xipu County was a middle-aged man in his forties, but he was not old. He was very capable and had an amazing memory. As long as he met someone, he could remember it in his mind. He could remember every street, every shop, and the name of the shopkeeper in Xipu County clearly. If he did not have this ability, he would have been a county magistrate for nothing.
After a few questions, the magistrate's face was filled with astonishment. He would never have dreamed that the usually honest and loyal merchant would actually be the leader of the pirates. Because of his astonishment, the magistrate asked a few more times. After receiving a completely positive answer, the magistrate could only sigh that his vision wasn't sharp enough. He actually failed to discover the hidden venomous snake beside him. His overflowing confidence took quite a hit.
"Why? Do you know this Shopkeeper Liu?"
Chen Long asked when he saw the county magistrate's look of disbelief.
The county magistrate nodded and said, "In a small county like this, there's no shopkeeper that I don't know. This Shopkeeper Liu looks rather honest. He has been doing business in Xipu County for more than a decade and has never done anything out of line. For him to be the leader of the pirates, this is truly …"
The county magistrate could not believe that Shopkeeper Liu was actually the leader of the pirates. However, he had no choice but to believe it. After knowing each other for more than ten years, he actually made a mistake. It was too eye-catching.
"Where is his residence? What are we waiting for? "
Chen Long asked anxiously. He was anxious to catch the leader of the pirates.
The county magistrate naturally understood and nodded. "Commandant Chen, let's talk as we walk."
After speaking, he led more than thirty bailiffs to the leader's residence. As he walked, he sent his bailiffs to different locations. It was obvious that the leader of the pirates had more than one property and residence. In order to take down all of them in one go, he had to split up his troops.
According to the county magistrate, Shopkeeper Liu had three shops, which were located in three different locations in the county. He had more than twenty employees and six warehouses, but they were relatively concentrated, mainly in two areas. As for the five residences, they were located in different areas of the county.
In short, Shopkeeper Liu had quite a lot of properties. In order to take control of all of them in one go, Chen Long also allocated twenty soldiers to the bailiffs to solve the problem of the bailiffs not having enough manpower.
Because Shopkeeper Liu had too many properties, he had to split up his troops too much. The county magistrate only had two bailiffs with him while the rest were sent out. Chen Long only had ten Dragon Martial Army soldiers with him, but these people were enough to deal with the pirates.
They were currently rushing to one of Shopkeeper Liu's residences. Along the way, they would pass by a shop and take a look.
At this time, the leader of the pirates, Shopkeeper Liu, and his eight brothers had also entered the city. Furthermore, they had entered the city before Chen Long. Shopkeeper Liu was naturally busy moving his assets and had sent a few of his brothers to keep watch in the county. If they discovered that something was wrong, they would immediately notify everyone to evacuate.
Chen Long was escorting four captives and was naturally discovered by the pirates on the lookout. Seeing that his brothers had been captured and betrayed, the pirates on the lookout were furious. However, now was not the time to think about this. They had to evacuate as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the city gates closed, they would be trapped in the city.
The leader of the pirates was leading a few of his brothers to a shop. Seeing that the boss had returned, the workers naturally came over to greet him.
"Pack up all of the cash in the shop and do it immediately."
The leader of the pirates ordered.
"Shopkeeper, what are you doing? It takes time to clear the accounts."
The leader of the pirates said impatiently, "There's no time. Do it now. Don't waste a moment and don't ask why."
Although he could not be sure that his brothers had betrayed him, it was never wrong to take precautions. If he was really betrayed by his brothers, then he would be in trouble.
Seeing that the shopkeeper's attitude was firm and that there were four burly men behind him, the workers did not dare to refute and hurriedly went into the shop to prepare the cash.
The leader of the pirates only had three shops and each shop had a lot of cash. The cash was mainly copper coins and there were also some gold pancakes, but not a lot.
"Shopkeeper, there are too many copper coins. It's hard to reconcile the accounts."
The accountant said.
The leader of the pirates said impatiently, "There's no need to reconcile the accounts. I believe you."
Clearly, in order to move the money as quickly as possible, the leader of the pirates did not care about small matters like reconciling the accounts. The only thing that mattered was to move the money as quickly as possible. Everything else was a small matter.
"The showcases are all here. There's only this much. This is the account book. Please take a look."
The accountant said.
The leader of the pirates took a look and could not help but feel worried. There were only five gold pancakes and the rest were all copper coins. There were a lot of them and he estimated that there were at least three hundred pounds.
Although there were four burly men behind him, carrying three hundred pounds of copper coins would not be a problem. However, he still had two other shops and some assets at home. If the other two shops were the same, then he would not be able to carry them.
"Why are there so many copper coins? Can't they be exchanged for gold pancakes?"
The leader of the pirates said angrily.
The accountant was confused and said suspiciously, "Shopkeeper, hasn't it always been like this? What's going on? "
The leader of the pirates looked at his brothers behind him and said, "Carry them all away."
"Boss, boss."
At this moment, the pirates who were on the lookout outside hurriedly ran over.
"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The leader of the pirates asked.
"Boss, the soldiers and bailiffs are here. They're also holding our brothers. There's only three hundred steps left. Let's go!"
The pirate on the lookout hurriedly said.
When the leader of the pirates heard this, he was so frightened that he could not speak. After being stunned for a moment, he said, "Don't just stand there. Carry the money and go."
At this critical moment, the leader of the pirates was still unwilling to part with the money in his hands. It was as if in the eyes of the leader of the pirates, money was the most important thing. Other than money, nothing else was important. Even the lives of his brothers were not important.
The soldiers and bailiffs were almost here, but he still wanted his brothers to carry the money and escape. This was too miserly. The pirates seemed to be quite willing. They were also greedy for money.
"Shopkeeper, this is?"
The accountant and the customers near the shop were all stunned. They did not understand what was happening.
"Don't speak nonsense later. Otherwise, be careful of your entire family."
When the leader of the pirates left, he revealed a ferocious expression. He was no longer the cultured and refined merchant he usually was. Instead, he looked more like a bandit who would kill and rob.
The six of them jogged away. As the copper coins were too heavy, the four burly men were exhausted. However, for the sake of the money, they had to persevere no matter how tired they were. It was impossible for them to throw the money away.
"The four of you leave the city first. You come home with me?"
The leader of the pirates said.
"Boss, the soldiers are already here. Why go home?"
The pirate who was on the lookout said anxiously.
"There are still treasures at home. They are worth much more than this money. We cannot let the soldiers take advantage of them."
The leader of the pirates said.
"Boss, boss."
At this moment, another three pirates ran over.
"Boss, the soldiers and bailiffs are in groups of three to five. Why are they in such a hurry?"
One of the pirates said.
The leader of the pirates said with a bitter smile, "They want to take all of my property in one fell swoop! The four of you leave quickly. The four of you follow me back. You must snatch the treasures at home. We cannot let the soldiers take advantage of them. "
With that, the four pirates carrying the copper coins continued to flee towards the city gates. The remaining four followed the leader of the pirates to his home.
Although there were three residences, only one of them was the main residence. The other two were purchased as investments. No one lived in them and they were empty. The treasures of the leader of the pirates were all in this residential residence.
In the pirate leader's house, other than having many valuable treasures, there was also his own family. Although he had no children, he still had three wives. His first wife had passed away long ago, and these three wives were all his concubines. Each of them was quite beautiful, and if it wasn't for the fact that something had happened to him, he definitely wouldn't bear to let these pirates know that he had such beautiful wives.
When Chen Long and the county lieutenant passed by the pirate leader's shop, the workers in the shop and the onlookers nearby had yet to disperse. Seeing the soldiers and bailiffs, they were even more unwilling to leave. They knew that there would definitely be news. As long as they stayed, they would definitely be able to see the news they wanted to see.
"Has Shopkeeper Liu returned?"
The county lieutenant looked at the accountant who was still in shock and asked.
The accountant paused for a moment before saying, "He just left. He also took fifty strings of coins and five pieces of gold."
Seeing this, Chen Long exchanged glances with the county lieutenant and quickly said, "Immediately close all the city gates so that the pirates have nowhere to escape."
The county lieutenant also felt that this made sense. Thus, he handed his horse and Chen Long's horse to two bailiffs and told them to immediately close the city gates. They would first go to the two closest city gates and then sound the gong to release smoke. This way, when the bailiffs at the other two city gates saw this, they would immediately close the city gates and prevent anyone from entering or leaving the city.
After sending out the last two bailiffs, the county lieutenant had become a general without an army. However, with Chen Long and ten Dragon Martial Army soldiers beside him, he was not afraid of the pirates' threat. This was the county city, his territory. What was there to be afraid of?
The two of them and the ten Dragon Martial Army soldiers quickly rushed to the pirate leader's residence. The county lieutenant knew a thing or two about the pirate leader's residence. Regardless of whether the pirate was hiding in his home or not, they would definitely find something if they searched his home. A merchant's home would definitely have many valuable items. They would definitely not lose money if they searched, and there was nothing wrong with taking some of the treasures along the way.
The pirate leader and his four brothers quickly arrived at the pirate leader's residence. The door was wide open, and there were seven or eight servants and three concubines inside. There were more than ten people in total. The courtyard had three entrances and was relatively large. At least in Xipu County, this was considered a very good courtyard.
The layout and decorations inside were also very good. With one look, one could tell that this was a well-off family. If this was in the future, only a rich family could hire seven or eight servants. The salary of one servant was already high enough, let alone seven or eight people. However, in the Tang dynasty, the wages of servants were very low. It was so low that it was inhumane. The salary of seven or eight servants was not much.
"Alang is back!"
A servant guarding the door greeted.
The pirate leader did not have time to respond to the servant. He looked at his brothers behind him and said, "You two stay here and keep watch. You two follow me in."
In order to prevent the soldiers from chasing after them, the pirate leader naturally had to keep watch at the door. One stood at the door, and the other at the intersection of the alley. This way, he could ensure that nothing went wrong.
The pirate leader's belongings were hidden in the last courtyard, which was his own residence. The three concubines were also hidden in the last courtyard.
"My husband is back! This is the first time you've brought a man to the backyard. Is it a new servant you bought? "
The three women immediately surrounded him.
The pirate leader was in a very bad mood at the moment. He sent the three women away with a single word. He was a little conflicted about whether or not to bring the three women with him. After thinking about it, he felt that it was better not to bring them along. Women were very troublesome, especially those who indulged in pleasure. It was fine to keep them at home, but if he brought them to hide in the mountains, they would definitely throw a tantrum. That would be a huge burden and burden. Moreover, he knew very well what kind of people his pirate brothers were. It was so lonely in the mountains. It would be strange if they could endure it.
If they did, he would definitely be turned green. Taking the money and leaving as soon as possible was the most important thing for the pirate leader to consider. As for where he kept his valuables and valuables, only he knew best.
The pirate leader had accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years. There were quite a lot of gold, silver, and other valuables. All of these valuable items were kept in his room. Even the concubines who lived with him every day didn't know that he had hidden so many treasures in his house.
"Great! There are so many treasures at home, and we don't even know about it. "
"What are you doing taking out all these treasures?"
The three concubines barged in. Seeing so many valuables, their eyes were filled with greed.
At this moment, the other two pirates who were on the lookout hurriedly ran in.
"Boss, it's bad! The soldiers have already caught up. They will be here soon. Let's run! "
One of the pirates said.
The pirate leader stuffed the valuables into his bag and said, "Brothers, take one each and leave through the back door. Let's go."
When the pirates heard this, they all took a large bag of valuables and prepared to leave.
"We can't leave. Husband, what is going on? What are we going to do? If you leave, what are we going to do?"
The three concubines blocked the way.
"Out of the way. Scram."
The pirate leader kicked one of them down fiercely. Then, he led the other four pirates and fled quickly, slipping away from the back door.
They had just slipped out of the back door when Chen Long and the county magistrate arrived at his residence.
"Is Shopkeeper Liu back?"
The county magistrate asked.
The servant guarding the door was shocked. He said, "He just came back. He's in the backyard."
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