When Li An heard that his soldiers had found a tree hole, he immediately rushed to the area where the tree hole was located. Although he was not sure if this tree hole was a robber's hole for the gem mine, he estimated that it was close. Li An was at least 80% confident that this tree hole was a robber's hole for the gem mine. After all, they had searched the surrounding area for a mile. Other than finding a large amount of soil, they did not find any robber's hole. This was very abnormal. No matter how careful these guys were, they would not scatter the soil they dug out a few miles away. The robber's hole would be nearby, but it was hidden deeper.
"Assistant Minister Li, it's this robber's hole."
The soldier replied.
Ang Lee looked at the nearby ground and found that it was full of stones, but the stones were polished very brightly. This meant that these stones were often stepped on by people, which meant that people often walked around here. As such, this tree hole was even more suspicious. Who would walk around here for no reason? It was obvious that the person in charge of digging the hole often stepped on it when transporting the excavated soil.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and cut down the whole tree."
Ang Lee gave the order.
This was a rather thick willow tree. It was estimated that it had been growing for at least a hundred years. Otherwise, it would not be so big. This willow tree was at least five feet in diameter. It needed five or six people to circle around it. Although the trunk was very thick, the heart of the tree was empty. Therefore, there were not many branches and leaves on it. The main branches were broken, and only some thin branches were still tenaciously holding on. This willow tree was already in decline. It was estimated that it would wither in a few decades. At least, with the gradual expansion of the hole below, the remaining bark would not be able to support the huge body of the tree. It was only a matter of time before the willow tree collapsed.
Ang Lee ordered to cut down the willow tree for safety reasons. God knew when this willow tree would collapse. The hole was too small. If they wanted to expand the hole, they would have to continue to damage the bark. The more damage, the more the willow tree would not be able to bear the weight of the top, and the more dangerous it would be. Therefore, they had to cut down the willow tree directly in order to avoid danger to the greatest extent.
More than a dozen soldiers worked together and quickly cut down the entire willow tree. After a little cleaning, the robber's hole under the willow tree was exposed. This robber's hole was very narrow and could only accommodate one person. Because it was too dark below, it was impossible to see what was going on below.
"Should we hang a lamp down and take a look?"
In order to ensure safety, Ang Lee did not rush to send the soldiers down. Instead, he let the soldiers hang a lamp down to see what was going on below. Then, he could make the next decision.
As the oil lamp gradually moved down, Li An and the others could clearly see that this robber's hole was at least three feet deep. Although the hole was very small, the space below was relatively large. At the very least, it could accommodate three people standing at the bottom. There was clearly a side hole at the bottom of the hole, and this side hole was the robber's hole that led to the gem mine.
"Haha! It's really a robber's hole. I just don't know where they have dug to. Come on! Some of you go down and be careful. "
Ang Lee ordered with a smile.
Three soldiers of the Tang dynasty carefully reached the bottom of the vertical hole. Then, one of them took the flashlight prepared by Ang Lee and walked step by step to the hole on the side. The two soldiers behind him quietly followed.
Since the entrance of the cave was not very big, the oxygen in the cave was definitely not enough. Therefore, in order to prevent the soldiers from suffocating to death, Li An did not continue to send soldiers down. In addition, he also ordered the soldiers above to retreat and not block the entrance. They had to do their best to let as much air into the cave as possible to supply oxygen to the cave.
There was a lot of broken soil outside, which was enough to show that the robber's hole had been dug very far. The three soldiers would not come back for a while, so they could only wait patiently outside.
After about a quarter of an hour, a soldier came out of the hole. He first gasped for breath, then struggled to climb up.
"How is it?"
Ang Lee asked anxiously.
The soldier replied, "Assistant Minister Li, the robber's hole is very far away. There is a ventilation hole 300 steps away. It is relatively large and can accommodate 20 people. Three men are resting in it. There might be other people in the robber's hole. We were afraid of alerting them, so we didn't go in. The two of them are still monitoring."
Hearing this, Ang Lee ordered with a smile, "Four more soldiers go down and capture the three guys who are resting. In addition, isn't there a ventilation hole there? Expand the ventilation hole and dig directly to the ground."
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li."
The four soldiers entered the robber's hole again, ready to capture the three resting robbers and expand the ventilation hole where they were resting.
Soon, the three robbers were captured by the soldiers of the Tang dynasty. They quickly found the ventilation hole and then used the tools in the robbers' hands to widen it. Soon, they dug a slanted upward passage and met the soldiers on the ground.
"Assistant Minister Li, they dug through. There is indeed a ventilation hole 300 steps away. We found this ventilation hole a long time ago and thought it was a mouse hole. It turns out that it is the ventilation hole of the robber's hole. "
A junior official said.
Ang Lee waved his hand and asked the soldiers above to dig together. They cooperated with the soldiers inside and continued to expand the ventilation hole until one person could walk in directly.
More than a dozen soldiers worked together and soon expanded the ventilation hole further. As the ventilation hole continued to expand, a passage big enough for one person to enter was opened.
"Assistant Minister Li, we caught another one. There are two more people digging inside. This robber's hole is more than one mile long."
The soldier reported.
Ang Lee nodded and asked the soldiers to enter the hole and capture the last two soldiers. Then, he asked the rest of the soldiers to continue patrolling around and left a dozen soldiers to completely block the hole to prevent it from being used by people with bad intentions.
More than a dozen soldiers were covering the hole, while Ang Lee and Chen Long interrogated the six local people who dug the hole. These people looked local at first glance. Ang Lee was very interested in the people behind them.
"If you want to live, tell us the truth. Tell us! Who told you to dig the hole here? "
Chen Long asked.
"We are from the Fang family. It was the elder who told us to dig the hole here."
One of the diggers betrayed the elder of his family out of fear. The other five people did not dare to say anything. They had been discovered. Anything they said would be superfluous. Even if they denied it, it would be useless. After all, they were from the Fang family. The soldiers of the Tang dynasty did not know them, but someone in the Angi family must know them. Their identities could not be concealed.
"The Fang family is really bold. They dare to have ideas about the gem mine. Don't they know that the Tang dynasty has shares here? They are reckless."
Ang Lee said angrily.
The six diggers of the Fang family were so scared that they did not dare to speak. They had been very careful. They chose to dig the hole in the dense forest, which was four or five miles away from the hole. They never expected that the soldiers of the Tang dynasty would patrol so far away. The dry tree hole they chose was also very hidden. They thought that they would not be discovered, but unexpectedly, they were discovered. They were very depressed and did not know what fate was waiting for them.
"Well, there's no need to interrogate them. Put them in the road construction team! They have to do two jobs every day. In addition, send someone to the Fang family to ask what's going on and ask them to give an explanation. "
Ang Lee said lightly.
The Fang family was plotting to rob the gem mine. This matter could be big or small. It completely depended on Ang Lee's mood. At present, the labor force for road construction was very tight. Ang Lee did not intend to punish these guys. Weren't they very capable? Since they could dig such a good hole, they could certainly be competent at road construction. Moreover, they could do better than others. Letting them do two jobs could be regarded as a punishment. This would not only punish these people of the Fang family, but also increase the manpower for road construction in the Tang dynasty. It would naturally be a very positive promotion for road construction.
The moment the soldiers of the Tang dynasty discovered the Fang family's hole, the spies of the Fang family in the periphery also found it. They immediately returned to the family and told the Master of the Fang family the news.
"What? We've been discovered? What should we do? It's over, it's over. It's all over now."
Hearing the news, the elder in charge of the Fang family was so scared that he paced back and forth in the room.
The Master of the Fang family was also shocked. He did not personally give the order to the several disciples of the family just in case. In order to get himself out of trouble, he put all the blame on the elder in front of him. He originally thought that this backup plan might not be used, but judging from the current situation, he really had to use it.
"Sixth brother! I'm sorry. I didn't expect that the Tang dynasty would find the hole. I can only push you out to take the blame. "
The Master of the Fang family said helplessly.
Hearing the Master's words, the elder in charge of the hole suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He said with a bitter face, "Big brother, please don't say that. I'm a member of the family. It's my responsibility to sacrifice myself for the family. I'll take all the blame. I just hope that big brother can take good care of my son and daughter and don't let them suffer."
Although he did not know how he would be punished by the Tang dynasty, this elder was still willing to prepare for the worst. If the Tang dynasty wanted to execute him, he could only accept it. After all, stealing a gem mine owned by the Tang dynasty was not a trivial matter. It was going against the Tang dynasty, which had an extremely bad influence. They were also blinded by lard. They actually provoked the Tang dynasty for so many gems. Now, they were caught red-handed by the Tang dynasty.
"Sixth brother, you don't have to be too pessimistic. I'm willing to show enough sincerity to let the Tang dynasty deal with you lightly. I'm sure I can save your life. Our family still has a lot of wealth. I think we can save your life."
The Master of the Fang family said.
At this moment, the Master of the Fang family did not have enough confidence. He also did not know how the Tang dynasty would punish the Fang family. He was afraid that the six clansmen would not be able to survive.
"Big brother, don't say that. Hurry up and tie me up. Let's go and apologize together. Maybe the Tang dynasty will deal with us lightly."
The elder in charge of the hole said with a bitter face.
Before the Master of the Fang family could nod, a disciple of the family ran over.
"Master, the Tang dynasty sent people here."
"So fast."
The Master of the Fang family and the elder were startled, especially the Master of the Fang family. He was so scared that he sat down on the ground. The disciple next to him quickly helped him up.
"Big brother, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and tie me up. We can't waste any more time. "
The elder of the Fang family said.
The Master of the Fang family was very helpless. He nodded and said, "Come on, tie up my sixth brother."
Soon, the Master of the Fang family walked out of the gate with the tied elder to greet the officials of the Tang dynasty.
"Why don't you kneel down, beast?"
The Master of the Fang family pretended to scold him, but his sixth brother had already knelt down.
"Okay, stop acting. Assistant Minister Li wants to see you. Let's go!"
The officials of the Tang dynasty didn't want to waste time talking nonsense and said directly.
The Master of the Fang family hurriedly took his sixth brother to meet Ang Lee near the hole. Many elders and core disciples of the Fang family also passed by.
Soon, they arrived at Li An's location, which was the location of the burglar's hole.
At this time, the hole had been filled, but it couldn't be faked.
When the head of the Fang family saw that Li An had buried the robber's hole, but he didn't see the six core disciples of his family. He was immediately scared witless. In his opinion, the six core disciples of his family were most likely buried alive in the robber's hole. How could he not be scared witless?
"I deserve to die. It's all my fault. Master, you don't know."
The elder kneeling on the ground admitted his guilt.
"It's all my fault. I'm guilty. I'm willing to …"
The Master of the Fang family was generous enough to take out a large sum of money to atone for his crime.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "Okay, the ground is cold. Don't kneel. Get up! Isn't it just for the gemstones? Do more work. Come, help him up. "
One of the Great Tang soldiers lifted the Fang Clan Elder off the ground.
Li An said with a smile, "I've long known that many of your family's core disciples don't work. I didn't care at first, but these disciples are actually plotting against my Tang's gem mine, which makes me very angry. I let your family keep some disciples so that you can live a more decent life, but you don't cherish it. You can't blame me for this. From today onwards, your Fang family will provide another 100 laborers to go to the construction site to repair the road. Do a good job, and if you do a good job, this matter will be over. In addition, those six guys have already gone to the construction site. All six of them have to do double work, or they won't be given food."
The Master of the Fang family was relieved when he heard that the six disciples were not killed and were only going to work at the construction site. But then he frowned and pondered.
"The rest of the Fang family can't make up 100 people."
An elder of the Fang family behind him whispered.
The Master of the Fang family hurriedly turned around and scolded, "I'll go to the construction site with you. All the disciples of the family above the age of six must get on the horses and work 100 hours. No one is allowed to be lazy."
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