Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3655: The shadow of the flag is falling, and the sound of firewood is conveying the news

Maybe the next ghost will be mine.

I am Le Jin.

Before, I sneaked into the city disguised as a firewood seller, and saw General Xiahou standing in front of the second-floor window from afar.

drink.

I really didn't expect it to be like this.

When Xiahou Dun and I looked at each other, I still couldn't believe it.

Xiahou Dun could actually drink in the city without any harm? !

I will never admit my mistake!

Before coming to Anyi, I had imagined a lot...

I even thought that Xiahou Dun would be tied up and imprisoned in a cage like a monkey for public display.

But I never expected that this guy could be so free and easy!

Maybe it’s not like I’m free and easy…

Because I also found some cavalry soldiers not far from Xiahou Dun, some of them were visible sentries and some were hidden sentries.

This may be to monitor Xiahou Dun, or perhaps to protect Xiahou Dun.

Or both?
The Prime Minister's secret order felt hot in my arms.

What is hot is not the silk, but the meaning hidden beneath the ink.

If he cannot be saved, let him be loyal voluntarily.

Of course, it's possible that I misunderstood...

But I know that if he dies, Xiahou will be angry with me; if I save him, I will follow in Cao Xiu's footsteps.

Although I haven't read many books, I know that in China, the most common weapons are not the enemies' swords and guns, but the arrows shot by their own people during internal strife.

And the higher one stands, the easier it is for him to become the target of other people's hidden arrows...

I didn't know the situation, so I left first, but Xiahou Dun clearly saw me but didn't expose me.

There were no cavalry soldiers conducting arrests inside or outside the city.

This may be a good thing or a bad thing.

After living like a wild man outside the city for more than ten days, I decided that I must see Xiahou Dun again.

……

……

Le Jin looked up at the city gate of Anyi County, wrapped his dusty linen short coat tightly around him, and blended in with the crowd entering the city.

The heavy bundle of firewood on his back made him look shorter and stockier, and he was inconspicuous among the group of real peddlers and hawkers.

He had dressed up as a scholar before and sneaked into a tavern to drink, but he really didn't fit in as a scholar. If he hadn't been alert and changed his clothes into a scholar's attire in an alley halfway through the journey, he would have been followed all the way to his hiding place!

Therefore, he can no longer hang out in a tavern...

Now that he has changed into a laborer, it looks much more natural.

The previous times he sneaked into the city, as well as this time, the soldiers guarding the city walls and the city gates scanned Le Jin several times and did not find anything wrong.

Because Le Jin was originally from the military, the wind, frost, rain and dew left marks on his face and body that were completely different from those of the children of the aristocracy. If you didn't pull open his clothes and look at the scars on his body, he would actually be no different from those hard-working people.

Le Jin lowered his head, walked slowly and quietly into the fortified city of Hedong County amidst the sour smell of firewood and sweat.

Anyi County, including Hedong, is loose on the outside but tight on the inside.

The reason for being relaxed on the outside is that Hedong does not need a tense atmosphere or a depressing environment nowadays, but needs to restore the production and living order more and faster. If every day there are either soldiers coming and going or spies being arrested, the people will naturally become nervous and unable to live a normal life.

Moreover, the key question is, who can guarantee that the petty official will not "arrest the wrong person"?
When arresting people across counties, is it possible to arrest the wrong people?

But will you admit your mistake if you catch someone wrongly?
Admitting a mistake means that the people know that violent organizations are just violent organizations and cannot represent justice. They have nothing to do with loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. It will also lead to doubts from the people during the next arrest.

So I will never admit my mistake even if I am beaten to death.

However, this approach of not admitting mistakes will undoubtedly encourage the arrogance of those petty officials who "work in a simple and rough manner."

At worst, I can just apologize!

Therefore, for the sake of stability, Xun Chen in Anyi, Hedong, naturally would not choose a high-profile approach of arresting people here and there. Instead, he would reduce arrests as much as possible and put economic recovery and agricultural and industrial production in the open.

This also meets the needs of the people in Hedong.

It will also give people like Le Jin some opportunities...

The Han Dynasty still couldn't implement a face recognition system. For example, the apps in later generations that require face recognition for everything collected a large amount of face data, and could pretend to be someone else when necessary. After all, all the actions of the original guy left traces in the big data, and even the number of times he masturbated every day could be retrieved from the logs of his mobile phone or computer. After all, ordinary people don't know who has been given the camera permissions of their mobile phones and computers when they are doing certain activities.

It is not difficult to sneak into the city because Anyi County needs a lot of supplies.

For example, the firewood that Le Jin picked.

However, it is difficult to stay in the city for a long time, especially if you want to stay in the city at night. Not only do you need a household registration certificate, but you also need a pass.

Similar to the letter of introduction at a certain stage in later generations.

You can walk on the street without a letter of introduction as long as you don't encounter any inspections, but don't expect to find a place to stay or even eat.

If Le Jin really just wanted to buy firewood, then he wouldn't need any pass. Most woodcutters would sell firewood in exchange for some daily necessities, and then leave the town and return to life in the mountains.

But Le Jin couldn't sell the firewood so quickly, otherwise it would seem out of place for him to walk around the city.

Le Jin’s choice was to increase the price of firewood.

The hustle and bustle of the city was overwhelming, as if the bloodbath not long ago had become flying dust on the streets.

The shouts of peddlers were mixed with laughter.

Le Jin followed the crowd and walked towards the lively places in the city, but his mood did not become cheerful because of the surrounding atmosphere.

These days, he kept dreaming about Cao Xiu.

Cao Xiu's face, which had frozen all his reluctance and astonishment, seemed to have crawled out of a nightmare, lingering before his eyes. This highly anticipated general of the Cao clan had once shed his hot blood under the cold walls of Anyi, trying to tear open a gap and rescue the imprisoned General Xiahou.

The results of it?
What did you get in return?
In Le Jin's dream, Cao Xiu was shot down again and again, and he and his followers were shot like hedgehogs, lying in a pool of blood.

Cao Xiu's empty eyes after his death seemed to be staring at Le Jin, like a silent alarm bell.

Le Jin walked through the streets with a hunched back, and the bundles of firewood swayed gently with his footsteps.

He had to go to the market ahead.

The tavern where I last saw Xiahou Dun.

This would certainly be dangerous, but since his last appearance, Anyi City has not sent out soldiers to carry out large-scale arrests, which means that at least Xiahou Dun did not betray him.

It could also be a case of playing the long game to catch a big fish.

Who knows, you always have to give it a try...

After turning the corner, Le Jin looked up and saw the tavern.

……

……

Maybe I shouldn't continue living.

My name is Xiahou Dun.

The night in Anyi is so thick that it cannot be dissolved.

Every night, I continue to sink into nightmares.

Even in the daytime, I still can't really tell whether I'm in a nightmare or not.

The dead and the lost opportunities are always on my mind.

It was fine during the day, but at night, I curled up on the bed, listening to the cold wind screaming through the cracks in the window sill. I closed my eyes, but found it difficult to fall asleep.

My ears captured every suspicious sound around me, even the time signal from the distant bell, the heavy footsteps of patrolling soldiers outside the courtyard, and the rustling sound of armor plates rubbing against each other, all of which were like a huge cage that trapped me tightly.

Although I can move, no matter where I go, I am in a cage.

Inside the house, it’s ten steps from the bed to the door.

It is forty-two steps from the house to the gate.

The courtyard wall is three meters high.

After leaving the yard and passing the street corner, it is two hundred and forty steps.

From the street corner to the tavern is the farthest distance I can go in this cage...

Until, I saw Le Jin.

Is he here to save me?

still is……

In the dark night, I tossed and turned.

Maybe it should be more "decent"?
In this cage, there is sometimes meat to eat, and there is also a small knife for cutting meat.

Maybe I can put this knife into my own throat?
If you are quicker, more accurate and more ruthless, you can end the pain and your own suffering.

But, I have endured for such a long time. If I give up now and end my life, then wouldn’t all the pain I suffered before be wasted?
What was the meaning of enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens before?
No, I want to see Le Jin again, and I can't be discovered by these hussars who are watching me...

……

……

Everyone can see the visible cage, but the invisible cell surrounds Xiahou Dun.

This was his cage in Anyi. Xiahou Dun stood in front of the window on the second floor of the tavern, his eyes seemingly casually sweeping across the bustling market below, but in fact his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

The scope of his invisible cage extended all the way to this point.

This window is his only way to spy on the outside world and transmit information.

He knew that the table facing the door downstairs in the tavern must be occupied by cavalry soldiers, one facing the stairs and the other facing the lobby door.

He also knew that on the watchtower at the intersection, there were soldiers who would keep an eye on this place for a long time, watching every person who entered or walked out of the tavern.

This is on the surface...

Because he also knew that among the crowds flowing around him, there were people from the Information Bureau hiding.

These people from the Wensi Department disguised themselves as ordinary people and wandered around the taverns.

Xiahou Dun even suspected that the vendor selling baskets opposite the wine shop was someone in disguise who was spying on him, because the vendor was not focused on selling but staring at him from time to time, especially when he showed his face on the second floor of the wine shop...

His every move was guided by invisible threads.

He couldn't escape on his own...

Foreign aid is necessary.

The figure of the firewood seller that day - Le Jin, was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, causing ripples in his heart.

Hope and despair are intertwined, life and death are entangled.

Xiahou Dun hoped that someone would come to rescue him, but he was also afraid that someone would come to rescue him.

He must see Le Jin, but not in public, and certainly not in a position to be noticed by the surveillance personnel.

Opportunities need to be created.

He noticed that the flags in the tavern were changed every day, some new, some old, some hung up, some taken down, which was normal.

But can subtle changes convey information?
Xiahou Dun's eyes fell on the largest wine flag at the entrance of the tavern.

In addition to the main flag, a small flag is sometimes hung at the top of the flagpole as decoration or identification.

banner……

Xiahou Dun suddenly had an idea.

However, this idea is not safe.

Xiahou Dun was not sure that Le Jin could understand what he meant, but he had no other choice.

He felt the wooden board under the table, but there were no new marks.

He even secretly lifted the mat under his butt to check, but there was no paper or letter...

It's natural when you think about it.

Although Xiahou Dun often came here to drink, the wine shop was not just for him. With so many people coming and going, if Le Jin left something on the table or under the mat, it might be...

So the only way to convey the message is in person.

Then, on this day, Xiahou Dun waited for Le Jin to appear again.

When Xiahou Dun walked to the window again, he seemed to be leaning lazily against the window frame, but his eyes instantly caught sight of the familiar figure.

Le Jin was still dressed as a firewood dealer, carrying a huge bundle of firewood that almost crushed him. He wandered at the street corner, his eyes sweeping across the tavern intentionally or unintentionally.

Xiahou Dun's heart suddenly sank, and then he forced himself to calm down.

He couldn't show any sign of being different.

He picked up the wine glass that had already gone cold on the table and brought it to his lips slowly.

At the moment when he raised his head to drink, his left hand hung down by his side, using the wide sleeves to cover the view of the peddler selling baskets, and then he gestured three times quickly and clearly in the direction of Le Jin downstairs in a very covert manner...

He pointed at himself, at the ground below him, and at the small flag hanging under the wine sign at the door of the tavern.

When he put down the wine glass, he was still the indifferent prisoner who drank to drown his sorrows.

His gaze didn't even linger on Le Jin for a moment, as if he was just casually scanning the street scene.

He was not sure whether Le Jin could see clearly, nor was he sure whether Le Jin could understand what he meant...

He just kept his eyes on the small flag under the wine sign.

That flag is a "hint" he will give to Le Jin.

A slightly faded black triangular flag with a white border fluttered in the wind.

The tavern would occasionally change some flags. In addition to this flag, there were also red and blue flags, most of which were random combinations.

Today, it just so happens that it is this black flag with white edges.

Xiahou Dun seemed to have seen Le Jin raise his head and look at the flag...

Suddenly, Xiahou Dun saw someone walking straight towards Le Jin out of the corner of his eye!

……

……

Le Jin was carrying firewood on his back, with his back hunched.

This will make his figure look more wretched and not as strong and sturdy.

He couldn't stay on this street for too long.

Even if he pretended to be tired, panting and shouting on the way, the high price and long stay would attract the attention of the cavalry surveillance personnel in the dark.

He mingled in the crowd, his eyes fixed on the window on the second floor of the tavern.

When his eyes met Xiahou Dun's, Le Jin's heart couldn't help but tighten.

What do you mean?
When Le Jin saw the extremely brief but extremely clear gesture under Xiahou Dun's sleeves while drinking, he almost held his breath.

Yourself?

Xiahou?

And then below?
No, underground?
what is this else?
The lobby?
The third direction is in the air...

No, it's the flag?
still is……

Suddenly, Le Jin felt someone approaching him!
The muscles in Le Jin's arms under his robe suddenly tensed up!

But in the next moment, he controlled himself, still staring at the wine sign of the tavern with a dull look, trying his best to keep his eyes on it...

"Hey, that man!"

Someone shouted beside Le Jin.

Le Jin was half-seriously shocked, "Huh?!"

"What are you looking at?"

The man stared at Le Jin's face and asked.

"I'm looking at the wine... Who are you?" Le Jin asked in a disgruntled tone.

The man smiled and changed the subject, "You want twenty cents for this firewood? Why?"

"My firewood is good!" Le Jin patted the firewood, "Good! Look! It's all dry! And there's so much of it!"

The man looked Le Jin up and down, then looked at the firewood, and pulled out a piece of firewood, but his eyes were not fixed on the firewood he pulled out, but seemed to see through the bundle of firewood to see what was hidden inside. "Others only sell it for seven or eight cents... You are more than double the price... No matter how good the firewood is, it can't be sold at this price..."

Le Jin suddenly realized that his price was too high, which aroused suspicion. In a hurry, he saw the wine shop, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, "This... do you know, how much does it cost to drink a bowl of wine here?"

The man followed Le Jin's gaze and looked back at the wine shop, revealing a somewhat surprised look, "You want to drink here?"

"This wine smells so good..." Le Jin deliberately narrowed his eyes and raised his nose to smell it.

"Ah, ahahaha, hahaha!" The man obviously relaxed and put the firewood back in. "Don't think about it. This is a place where noble people come... This wine shop is expensive. A bowl of wine costs at least ten coins! You can't even drink two bowls with this load of firewood! Sell your firewood well! Sell it at a fair price so that you can go home earlier... By the way, where is your home?"

Le Jin's heart sank, "On the mountain to the west...what happened?"

"Oh, it's okay." The man seemed to be completely relieved. He waved his hand and walked back, saying, "I'll tell you a place... After you sell the firewood, go out of the city gate and head east. There is a mound less than two miles away. The wine there is cheaper! Although it's not as good as here... but it's three cents a bowl, and you can get dried tofu for free! Isn't it more economical than this?! Okay, okay, go sell the firewood quickly, don't stand here blocking the way!"

Le Jin was thankful that he was in the west. Otherwise, if he had come from the east, he would have passed by and would have known about the small wine stand in the east...

Le Jin knew that if he continued to stay there he would arouse suspicion, so he could only carry the firewood, not daring to look up at the second floor, and staggered forward.

The man who was interrogating Le Jin walked a few steps and suddenly turned around. He saw Le Jin walking away with firewood on his shoulder. He stared at him for a while, and seeing that Le Jin did not turn around and did not make any special moves, he raised his head to glance at the second floor of the tavern, then gestured to the side.

Another man came out of the alley and followed Le Jin.

Above the restaurant, the small black triangular flag on the flagpole fluttered in the wind like a beacon of hope.

After a while, Xiahou Dun, who was in the tavern, came downstairs and left the tavern, followed by his "guards".

The man stood up and went back to the tavern. He searched the seat where Xiahou Dun had sat, checked the window sill, looked at the leftovers of soup left by Xiahou Dun on the table, lifted the mat and took a look. Seeing nothing unusual, he signaled the waiter to clean up and then went downstairs.

After a while, the people who had been following Le Jin came back to report that the firewood seller had lowered the price, sold the firewood, and went to the east gate...

"Hmm..." The man nodded, "It's okay..."

"Do you want to report it?" the person following him asked.

The man thought about it and shook his head, "Forget it, there's nothing unusual... This wine is indeed very fragrant..."

Every time Xiahou Dun came, he would follow him. When he smelled the aroma of wine, he would want to have a sip.

"Indeed, I heard that they all come from Guanzhong... a jar is very expensive..."

"Another jar? It would be great if I could drink a few bowls..."

"That's, that's...."

"Alright, let's go to the next level..."

(End of this chapter)