Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 618 Incident
Only three days had passed since [Red-bearded Dragon] and Fei Bao left the fleet, and all the goods in Hangzhou were properly arranged. Fang Tianding sent more than ten warehouse clerks to deliver the goods to Li Jun's ship. After the ship was loaded, Li Jun ordered the ship to set sail.

[The Water-Dividing Rhino] Zhu Xiaoba and [The Diving Kun] Yu Gui each took a knife-fishing boat to lead the way. The fleet left Hangzhou in a mighty manner and entered the sea along the Qiantang River.

In the middle of the fleet, on a Hai Gu ship, Li Jun and Shi Quan were standing on the bow. Seeing that they had been away from Hangzhou for an hour, Shi Quan said, "Brother, it seems that Fei Bao and his men will not come. Brother, you should go to the cabin and rest."

Li Jun also sighed after hearing this and said, "It's a pity that I didn't recruit these people for my husband."

After saying that, he was about to return to the cabin.

After walking three or five steps, Shi Quan called out, "Brother, Yu Gui ahead is waving a flag signal, someone is blocking the road."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Quan shouted again: "They are friends, not enemies. Could it be Brother Fei Bao and others?"

Li Jun was overjoyed when he heard this. He asked people to signal with flags, asking the fleet to slow down while notifying Yu Gui to send the people to board the boat.

Soon, Yu Gui led more than ten large and small fishing boats to approach. Li Jun saw Fei Bao and others and laughed, "God has granted my wish. As expected, I have to wait until my brothers come."

As he said this, he ordered people to send Fei Bao and the other three, along with their families and belongings, to different ships. Li Jun prepared a banquet to entertain Fei Bao and the other three.

During the meal, Fei Bao said, "Firstly, we admire your reputation, and secondly, we share the same sense of loyalty as you. We will go back home, pack up our belongings, and rush to the front to wait for you, brother."

Without further ado, the fleet hoisted sails and set sail straight for Ju County.

As for the area of ​​Cangzhou, ever since Chai Jin came back from Liangshan, he started selling off his land and houses, and loaded all his gold, silver and other valuables onto carts, which were then sent to Qingzhou for temporary storage. With the Liangshan flag and soldiers guarding them, no one dared to provoke them on the road.

As for Li Shiqun, the governor of Cangzhou, he wanted to make things difficult for Chai Jin at first, but when he saw that Chai Jin had raised the banner of Liangshan and was protected by 3,000 soldiers led by Yang Zhi, the "Green-faced Beast", and Chen Da, the "Jumping Tiger", he gave up the idea.

Nowadays, in the Hebei and Shandong areas, everyone knows that Liangshan is the most domineering. If you accidentally provoke Liangshan, you have to be careful of war.

Especially when they later heard that Zhao Zhen killed General Gao's brother Gao Lian in front of the angel, they dared not act rashly.

I just hope that Chai Jin can sell his land and houses and leave Cangzhou as soon as possible.

Perhaps it was because things went too smoothly. The sale of the land and houses also went smoothly, and Yang Zhi was asked to escort all the valuables to Qingzhou. Only Chen Da and 500 people were left to guard the manor.

Such a big commotion in Cangzhou had already attracted the attention of those who were interested. Unfortunately, with the Liangshan soldiers guarding them, they could not find an easy place to start, so nothing happened.

After more than a month of hard work, Chai Jin could not help but become careless as he saw that all the land and houses were about to be sold. After the last three shops in the city were sold, Chai Jin sent these ten or so shopkeepers and their assistants to Qingzhou with the proceeds from the sale of the shops to wait for him.

After Chai Jin dealt with the last two farms, he went to Qingzhou to meet up.

It is said that there was a military commander in Cangzhou named Lei Ying, who was also a member of Gao Qiu's clan. Seeing Chai Jin's momentum, although he wanted to embarrass Chai Jin and curry favor with Gao Qiu, he did not dare to act. He only asked his cousin Zeng Hai, the Peach Blossom Boy, to keep an eye on him.

On this day, after hearing Zeng Hai's messenger coming to deliver the message, he could not help but have an idea. He ordered Zeng Hai and his men to rob the goods on the road. Although he could not tell anyone about it, he could secretly write a letter to the general to claim credit.

Speaking of Zeng Hai, you may not know him.

This fellow was not some other person, but the disciple of Jiang Zhong, the "Jiang Menshen" of Mengzhou's Happy Forest.

Ever since Wu Song caused trouble in Happy Forest and killed Jiang Menshen and Zhang Dujian's family, the monkeys scatter like monkeys when the tree falls. Zeng Hai and other disciples of Jiang Zhong lost their backing and could no longer stay in Mengzhou. They had to disperse and seek their own livelihoods.

Zeng Hai heard that his cousin Lei Ying was the military commander in Cangzhou, so he recruited Jiang Xin and Zhou Qing, the two best disciples under Jiang Menshen, to come to Cangzhou together. Relying on Lei Ying, he opened a restaurant in the city to make a living.

Unfortunately, this guy was not a businessman. Apart from Lei Ying's share, what he got was just a few melons and dates. Zeng Hai could not help but have evil thoughts. Together with Jiang Xin and Zhou Qing, they built a dozen thatched houses beside the official road and opened a hotel. They waited for merchants to pass by. If they saw something they liked, they would give them some knockout drugs. They cut the big pieces of good meat into yellow beef and sold them. They used the small pieces of meat as stuffing for steamed buns.

The dozen or so people who had inquired about the situation set out on their journey and asked the hotel to be prepared. They blocked a road in front of the hotel and waited for a few people to stay in the hotel before taking action.

The shopkeeper Chai Wentao and his entourage of more than ten people were escorting the carriage and heading to Qingzhou. Since their families had been sent to Qingzhou, and Master Chai had given them resettlement expenses, a small number of the shopkeepers and employees of the Chai family had moved their families out of Cangzhou, while more than half of the farmers were willing to move to Qingzhou.

After all, Cangzhou borders Liao in the north, and although it has been peaceful for a long time since the Treaty of Chanyuan, the villagers still follow the martial spirit, fearing that war will break out again one day. When they heard that Chai Jin had to pay money and move to Jingdong Road, countless people responded. After all, who doesn't want to live in a stable place? If the land had not been sold first, I'm afraid even the land price would have been discounted. For this reason, many people who bought Chai Jin's land and houses secretly cursed Chai Jin for being a bad son.

Zeng's hotel is located in Hongyepo, 40 miles outside the city. Although the place is not strategic, there are no villages nearby. In the woods, a wine shop stands high up to sell some muddy wine. Because the price is cheap, many farmers from villages three or five miles away come to buy wine.

Although this fellow secretly set up a murder workshop, he never attacked the people nearby. Firstly, they were all poor farmers with little money, and secondly, he wanted to have a good reputation. He also let go of lone guests who had no money. As time went by, people who often walked by knew about this village tavern, and many pedestrians and merchants came here to drink and rest.

There was nothing to do during the day, but if they met a guest with money, they would kill him at night and rob him of his money. Zeng Hai stayed in the city most of the time. If he heard that a fat sheep was going to pass by here, he would report it quickly. Jiang Xin and Zhou Qing would then have people block the road with trees and stones. They would use words to trick people into staying overnight, and then knock them unconscious and kill them at night.

This set of practices is familiar.

Zeng Hai was naturally jealous of the Chai family's shops, and he also bought two of them with the money he got from murder. The last few people who inquired had no escort, and he thought that the three shops plus the furniture and goods inside would be worth five or seven hundred strings of gold and silver. Even without Lei Ying's explanation, Zeng Hai was tempted.

As Zeng Hai expected, when the Chai family's troop saw that the official road was blocked, Jiang Xin and a few servants disguised as farmers were clearing it up. When they saw this troop, the people who were waiting for a ride stopped by the store to rest.

Zeng Hai secretly took a peek and felt secretly happy.

In addition to the two farmers from the surrounding villages drinking with a plate of beans, there was another guest passing by. The owner was in his thirties, dressed like a scholar, and there were five people in the family with four male and female servants, none of whom seemed to have martial arts skills. This group of people only ordered some snacks and dishes, but brought their own drinks.

Sitting on a large seat in the middle of the store are the Chai family's team of fifteen shopkeepers and their assistants.

Zeng Hai secretly put the knockout drug into the wine, but because the store didn't want any alcohol, he didn't dare to use a full amount. He only mixed a little into the muddy wine so that the Chai family wouldn't wake up at night. As for the scholar's family, they were far away from the Chai family at night, so they would have no problem fighting, and even if they were discovered, they could deal with it.

After eating and drinking, the shopkeeper Chai Wentao asked, "Sir, when will the road ahead be open?" The shopkeeper Zhou Qing heard this and said with a smile, "Sir, I don't know. After turning around Hongye Slope, a group of robbers recently came to the front. These rocks and trees on the official road were left by this group of people. Maybe there is a bull ahead who wants to rob, so he blocked the official road in advance. The time is written on it, and it will be unobstructed tomorrow."

After hearing this, Chai Wentao asked in surprise, "Why haven't I heard of thieves here when I was in the city? If there are thieves, how dare you open your door and sell wine?"

Zhou Qing said, "Sir, you don't know, this group of bandits are not ordinary people. I heard that the king of the mountain came from the west. He was originally a brave general in the government army. Although he has become a bandit, he does not harm innocent people. When he encounters merchants passing by, he will not kill them. He will let them pass after leaving some money for passage. For this reason, we are not afraid of him."

"Sir, please go quietly tomorrow. Don't make a fuss. Nothing will happen."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the scholar on another seat say, "Are you here to build the eyes of the mountain?"

Zhou Qing heard this and shook his head, "Sir, please stop joking. If this gets out, I'll be in trouble. We're just trying to earn some hard-earned money here, so how dare we collude with him? If you don't believe me, just leave my place and don't stay here."

"Although he didn't kill anyone, he is still a bandit. Why didn't you report to the authorities?" asked the scholar.

"Report to the authorities? Who dares? Not to mention whether the government is willing to send troops to suppress the bandits, no one who reports to the authorities will have a good ending. If the government troops come, I'm afraid we won't even be able to keep our little wealth." Zhou Qing sneered.

The other two farmers said, "What the shopkeeper said is right. These soldiers are more ruthless than the bandits. Besides, this shop has been open for a long time, but the bandits on the mountain have only appeared recently. We all know Shopkeeper Zhou and Shopkeeper Jiang."

On this side, Chai Wentao could not help but murmur, thinking: I am carrying 700 strings of gold and silver. If I am robbed by bandits, I will have a hard time explaining to the master. It is better to return to the city and travel with the master. In this way, the master will also think I am appropriate.

At that moment, he didn't even bother to eat, and said to the waiters, "Boss, let me tell you the money."

Zhou Qing said, "Sir, I'll see you tomorrow when you leave."

"Who wants to live here? We want to go back to the city." After saying that, Chai Wentao took the money, urged the waiter to get up, and insisted on going back to the city despite everyone's complaints.

When the scholar saw this, he hurriedly exchanged the money and followed Chai Wentao and his group back.

In the room, Zeng Hai saw this and cursed inwardly.

Someone called Jiang Xin back, and the three of them sat together. Jiang Xin asked, "But what went wrong?"

Zeng Hai said: "It was because my senior brother mentioned that a group of bandits had just arrived on the mountain that this guy changed his expression."

"It seems that this guy has brought a lot of wealth." Zhou Qing said.

The three of them looked at each other, and Jiang Xin said, "If this guy runs back to the city, he will definitely join forces with Master Chai. Then, we won't have the chance to attack him. How about..."

Chai Wentao and his group left the hotel in a hurry and headed for Cangzhou City. After walking three or two miles, they felt hot and the drug took effect, and the drinking partners became drowsy.

At first, Chai Wentao teased his waiter for drinking too much, but when he saw more and more people fainting, he became anxious. Chai Wentao thought it was just the strong liquor, and never thought that they were drugged.

Looking back, he saw the neighboring scholar driving two carriages towards him. Chai Wentao called out to him, and the scholar listened and told his servants to stop the carriages.

When Chai Wentao saw him, he hurried forward and asked, "Are you going back to Cangzhou? Do you want a companion?"

The scholar heard this and said, "We are going back to Cangzhou. Now that a group of thieves have come to the mountain, we need to gather fifty or seventy people to get through safely."

Chai Wentao said, "I am the shopkeeper of the household of [Little Tornado] Chai Jin. My master is also going to Qingzhou, and we are just following him. Now that things are not peaceful, we will turn back and go with him. Why don't you stay with us? My master is a man of integrity and will not refuse."

The scholar said, "That would be great." Seeing Chai Wentao and his group of people getting on the carriage to rest from time to time, the scholar asked, "Manager Chai, are they going to take turns to travel?"

Chai Wentao scolded, "These guys are usually quite attentive, but today they drank too much after seeing the bland and muddy wine brewed by the wine village."

The scholar was surprised when he heard this and said, "I saw that your guys only drank a few bowls of wine, how could this happen? I'm afraid they were drugged?"

Chai Wentao was shocked when he heard this. He pulled a man out of the car and shook him hard: "Zhu San, you usually have the best alcohol tolerance. Why are you drunk today?"

Zhu Sanqiang opened his eyes and said to Chai Wentao, "Boss, this little bit of wine is useless. Maybe you are tired from the journey. That's why you feel sleepy."

After asking a few more people, all of them said the same thing. Chai Wentao naturally realized that something was wrong. He urged everyone to drive faster and reminded them, "We have entered a black shop today. You all should be alert and hurry up. Don't let anyone catch up and kill you."

Zhu San said: "Boss, I am really in a difficult situation."

Chai Wentao shouted, "Those who don't want to die, cheer up."

The scholar at the side saw this and reminded him, "Manager Chai, I heard that he was drugged. Pouring cold water on his head may sober him up a bit."

After hearing this, Chai Wentao went to his side to get a water bag and poured it over Zhu San's head. Zhu San shuddered and regained consciousness.

Seeing that this method was effective, Chai Wentao asked all the unconscious people to pour cold water on their heads.

Seeing that everyone had woken up, Chai Wentao breathed a sigh of relief. The scholar said, "It seems that this is indeed a shady shop. It must be the bandits in the mountains who set up this place."

Chai Wentao gnashed his teeth and said, "Thanks to the official for reminding me, otherwise I'm afraid this guy would chase me and kill me. When I get back to the city, I'll find the official and settle the score with him."

After hearing this, the scholar looked up at the sky and said to Chai Wentao with a worried look on his face: "Boss Chai, I'm afraid this guy will definitely come tonight."

(End of this chapter)