The three pirates were working hard to dig the side wall. As for the soil they dug out, they naturally threw it into the well water below. Although this would cause the well water to rise and there was a danger of flooding the side wall, the height of the well water would also slowly decrease. The height of the well water was determined by the water level of the underground water. It had nothing to do with how much debris was put in the well water. Throwing a large amount of soil would only cause the well water to rise temporarily, but it would quickly decrease and return to its previous level. There was no need to worry about the water level being too high and flooding the side wall.
There were also three pirates at the mouth of the well. They were paying attention to the situation below. As long as the pirates below needed help, the people above would immediately provide timely help.
There were also two pirates observing the movements outside. As long as they heard footsteps nearby, they would be extremely nervous. Their palms holding their daggers were sweating. If the bailiffs really found them at this moment, they would definitely fight to the death. At most, they would risk their lives. It was wishful thinking for them to be captured without a fight.
These pirates were all desperate people. As long as they were forced into a corner, they would do anything in desperation. Dragging someone down with them at the last minute was their life creed.
Perhaps it was to save their lives, but the three pirates below worked very hard to dig the side wall. Very quickly, they dug out a side wall that could accommodate one person. After digging, they could squat inside. This way, when they continued to dig, they did not need to exert strength under their feet. Naturally, the speed of digging would greatly increase.
When they first dug the side wall, the hole was relatively narrow. After digging to a certain depth, the hole could be wider. The deeper they dug, the wider the hole could be. However, they could not dig too wide. Otherwise, the possibility of a collapse would greatly increase. The wider the hole, the higher the possibility of a collapse.
When the hole was wide enough for two people to squat, the pirates below shouted for the pirates above to bring digging tools and dig together. This way, the speed of digging could be doubled.
After the six pirates went down, there were only three people left above. Two pirates stood guard at the door while the pirate leader waited anxiously at the mouth of the well.
At this moment, the pirate leader saw hope. However, in order to ensure that the bailiffs did not suspect this place, they had to create the illusion that no one had lived here for a long time. If the bailiffs felt that someone had lived here for a long time, then it would arouse suspicion and they would conduct a more detailed search. They might even search the well, and the chances of them being exposed would be higher.
Thinking of this, the pirate leader checked back and forth between the two courtyards, disguising all areas that might arouse suspicion. He even sprinkled dry soil over the places he touched, as though they were natural dust.
Of course, the most important thing was to bring all the gold, silver, and valuables to the mouth of the well. Later, they would also have to send all of it into the side hole of the well. Otherwise, if the soldiers found out, not only would they be suspicious of this place, but the money would also be gone. Then, their loss would be great, and this trip would be in vain.
Three side holes had to be dug down the well, and each hole had to be big enough to accommodate four to five people. Although each hole only needed to accommodate three people, the gold and silver still needed to occupy a certain amount of space. Therefore, it was natural to dig a bigger hole.
"Boss, the bailiffs have already found the house next door. What should we do? They'll be here soon. "
One of the pirates ran to the side of the pirate leader and said nervously.
The pirate leader was also very nervous. After thinking for a while, he said, "Go out and lock the big door, then climb over the wall. Be careful, don't be discovered by the patrolling soldiers."
"Okay, I got it."
The pirates quietly went over to prepare. The reason why they had to lock it from the outside was that if they locked it from the inside, it would seem that there was someone inside. If they locked it from the outside, it would mean that there was no one living in the house. The pirate leader had not thought of this point before, but now he thought of it.
"How's the digging going down there? The bailiffs are coming."
The pirate leader asked nervously.
The six pirates below stuck their heads out and said, "Boss, it's almost done. Each hole can accommodate three people. That's enough."
The pirate leader said happily, "Good, now prepare to take the gold and silver and hide them in each hole."
After saying that, he asked the pirates at the door to come over and help. They carried a few bags of copper and gold and silver down the well and hid them in the three holes that had just been dug. Then, the three people above carefully checked the surroundings and wiped away all traces of human activity. They even threw the two ladders that they had just bought into the well. Anyway, the ladders were buoyant and would definitely not sink to the bottom of the well. Then, all the pirates went down the well to hide, hoping to avoid this disaster.
Just as they hid in the well, the bailiffs had already arrived. Seeing that the door was locked, the bailiffs hesitated for a moment and prepared to leave to search the next house.
"What's going on?"
The county lieutenant suddenly came. Seeing the bailiffs walk to a house and leave after taking a look, he immediately asked about the situation.
"Lieutenant, this house's door is locked. There's definitely no one inside."
The county lieutenant said angrily, "So what if it's locked? Does it mean that there's no one inside? Break down the door and search carefully. "
When the bailiffs heard this, they pulled out their weapons and cut down the door lock. Then, they kicked the door open.
The county lieutenant and the group of bailiffs all walked into the yard and began to search. They did not miss a single corner.
The water bandits who were hiding by the side of the well listened to the movements in the courtyard. They were very nervous. They were very worried that they had accidentally left traces behind. If the soldiers found traces of them, it would be terrible.
Therefore, every pirate hiding below carefully held their breaths, not daring to make the slightest sound.
"Lieutenant, we've searched inside and out. There's no one at all. The table in the house is covered in dust. It's obvious that no one has lived here for a long time. Let's go to the next house!"
One of the bailiffs said.
The county lieutenant did not see any problems. He only felt that the smell in the house was not right. A house that had not been inhabited for a long time should not have such a smell. However, the surrounding items were covered in dust. It looked as if no one had lived here for a long time.
"Okay, let's go to the next house."
The county lieutenant frowned. He led a group of bailiffs to the next house to search. Before he left, he closed the door behind him.
They had finally escaped a calamity. The water bandits all heaved a sigh of relief. However, now was not the time to relax. The bailiffs had only left temporarily. It was hard to say if they would return. Therefore, they still did not dare to go out. In addition, after they came down, their feet were covered in a lot of mud. If they went out now, they would be in trouble when the soldiers came again.
In order not to expose themselves, the pirates did not dare to leave the well. They had to at least wait until the sky turned dark before coming out. Then, they would use the cover of the night to quietly escape the city.
The humidity in the well was very high. The soil that had just been dug out from the side wall was also wet. It was very annoying to stay in such an environment. It was really cold and uncomfortable. The air quality was also not good and the light was very dim. In short, it was very torturous. In order not to be discovered by the soldiers, they could only endure it no matter how torturous it was.
"Boss, why don't we just keep digging until we reach the outside of the city walls? This way, we can even save the use of ladders."
"Keep digging until we reach the outside of the city. Sure! Then you can try digging and see how long it will take to reach the outside of the city. "
"From here to the outside of the city, it's at least 300 meters. Calculate how many days it will take you to reach it. The deeper you dig, the more suffocating it will be. How can it be so easy to dig?"
"I'm so hungry! If we are trapped here for too long, even if we are not caught by the soldiers, we will starve to death. "
"We have to go out tonight."
"It's inconvenient to bring the copper coins with us. Why don't we leave the copper coins here temporarily and bring a small amount of valuables with us?"
The water bandits discussed in a lively manner in the well.
The bailiffs outside were even more lively. They were really carefully searching from house to house. They did not miss a single corner and checked all the places that could be checked.
The efficiency of 20 groups of bailiffs checking at the same time was very high. There were only so many houses in the county. With so many bailiffs checking together, they naturally finished checking all the places very quickly. Even the empty temples and shops were checked.
"County Lieutenant, we didn't find anything."
"County Lieutenant, we didn't find anything either."
"Nothing at all."
"The water bandits are not on our side."
The reports of the twenty groups of bailiffs were very consistent. None of them had found anything. Furthermore, the county had already been searched. Even the wealthy families had been searched. Yet, nothing was found. Could it be that the pirates had evaporated into thin air? How could that be possible?
The county lieutenant was very angry that they could not find the water bandits. He immediately ordered all the bailiffs to search again. They had to carefully search all the suspicious places. If they found that there were water bandits in the area that the bailiffs were in charge of and they did not find anything, they would be severely punished and would not be let off lightly.
Although the bailiffs were dissatisfied and had a lot of complaints about the county lieutenant, they still had to carry out the orders. They could only go back and continue searching. They searched the places that they had searched before again, especially the places that they had doubts about. They had to search even more to ensure that they did not miss a single corner.
The county lieutenant was depressed. He returned to the county office. He wanted to go to the county office to take a look and see if there were any suspicious people in the large group of people gathered there.
Seeing that the county lieutenant had returned, the county magistrate quickly ran over and asked, "How was it? Did you find anything?"
The county lieutenant shook his head and said, "We searched everywhere but found no trace of the water bandits. I've already asked the bailiffs to search again. How's the situation here? Did you find anything? "
The county magistrate sighed and shook his head. "No, not a single bit. However, there were some unexpected gains. We caught a lot of thieves and a few tomb robbers, but we didn't find any water bandits."
The county lieutenant sighed. "What should we do? It's not a good idea to keep it sealed. It's fine for a short period of time, but if it's sealed for a long time, the losses will be too great. Many people will starve."
The county magistrate stared and said, "What else can we do? Hurry up and search!"
The county lieutenant nodded and hurried to supervise the bailiffs to do their best to search for the water bandits.
"Xipu County is only so big. How can you not even find a water bandit? I really doubt your ability!"
Ang Lee opened his mouth and said.
Hearing this, the county magistrate was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. For a high-ranking official like Ang Lee, every word he said carried a lot of weight. If Ang Lee really reported his incompetence, his position as county magistrate would be over. There would be no chance for him to be promoted in this life.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. I'll continue to send more people to capture all the water bandits and do a good job."
The county magistrate said in a trembling voice.
Then he immediately went to the county lieutenant and asked him to send a few people to continue to recruit the previous people. The number of bailiffs was increased by another 100 people and then a more detailed search was carried out.
"County Magistrate, it's not enough to rely on manpower. We have to be ruthless. Otherwise, some people won't take it seriously. If all the people in the county join in the search, it will be much easier."
The county lieutenant said.
"You still want to be ruthless! Do you think it's not ruthless enough? "
The county magistrate asked.
The county magistrate nodded and said, "Indeed, it's not ruthless enough. At the very least, we should tell all the citizens that if they find pirates in their residences, all the men will be exiled as slaves, and all the women will be sent to the brothels of the officials. Even if it's an empty residence or a shop, as long as it's their property, it will be a crime if they find pirates. This will force everyone to do their best to search every nook and cranny of their home, even if it's a mouse hole. This is a punishment, but there will also be rewards. As long as they can provide clues, they will be rewarded. If they find pirates hiding in their homes, and take the initiative to report to the officials, they will be rewarded with gold."
Now that Assistant Minister Li is already unhappy, if we still can't find the pirates, then we can forget about continuing. Let's do it like this. That's right, divide the bailiffs into forty groups and increase the frequency of the search. Inform the people from house to house that for those who have multiple properties, they are allowed to leave their homes and search for their own properties. Give them a special pass and they can bring a few servants with them to roam the streets and alleys. We must be quick. I don't believe that a few pirates can disappear into thin air. "
It was obvious that the county magistrate was going all out. In order to find the water bandits hiding in the county as soon as possible, he was willing to pay any price. After all, protecting his position was the most important thing. Ang Lee was waiting for him in the county yamen.
Working hard to find the water bandits was only one aspect. In order to win Ang Lee's favor, the county magistrate also brought the county's best chef and ingredients to the county yamen. He made a very sumptuous lunch for Ang Lee and personally accompanied him.
Ang Lee was very satisfied with the delicacies provided by the county magistrate. He felt that the food was very delicious.
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