Zhang Jue, Zheng Anping and their entourage sent the people of Guanyi back to Guanyi. A group of old, weak, women and children from Guanyi gathered to greet them ten miles away, and the sound of wailing could be heard everywhere. Zhang Yue saw that the situation was not good, so he hurriedly and quietly drove away with a few people.

Zheng Anping and the other four were left at the Changcheng Station to observe what was going on in Guanyi. Zhang Ye and Cao Bao hurried back to Daliang, apparently to discuss further actions with Lord Xinling. Zheng Anping and the others observed for three hours, but only saw Guanyi.

When the man returned to the city, he went out to collect firewood, but nothing happened.

It was Zheng Anping's turn to go to the city again. After he finished, he went up to the city tower. Xiao Si was putting his hands on his ears and listening attentively. Zheng Anping hit him and said, "Can you smell the fruit?"

Xiaosi turned around and saw Zheng Anping, and whispered: "Shh~! Someone is out of the city!"

Zheng Anping asked quietly: "Where to go?"

Xiaosi pointed with his hand and said: "Go south!"

Zheng Anping looked along Xiaosi's hand. The sky was dark, and the distant scenery was shrouded in confusion. But when he looked closely, it seemed that there was a figure walking slowly on the horizon.

Zheng Anping said: "I am on duty according to the order. You come back, there is porridge in the cauldron, sip it quickly."

Xiaosi put down his hands, rubbed them together, and said, "It's already four pairs."

Zheng Anping was surprised and said: "Four pairs?" He pointed with his hand and asked: "Are there two people over there?"

Xiao Si said: "But you only saw one person?"

Zheng Anping said: "I don't care what you said, I don't even see one person. How about two people!"

Xiaosi said: "If you don't hear it, what's the use of watching it?"

Zheng Anping said: "I may gain something, but I don't know!"

Xiaosi rubbed his hands and went to town.

Zheng Anping squeezed his hands into a slit and put them in front of his eyes. Starting from the small town, he moved southward inch by inch. Sure enough, he clearly spotted a moving black shadow on the horizon. He stared at the black shadow for half a minute.

, and finally discovered that the black shadows that appeared at different times were indeed two people. Zheng Anping began to admire Xiao Si a little, because he could actually hear that they were two people from such a long distance with his ears.

Zheng Anping used this method to move inch by inch along the horizon to both ends, but found nothing new. He put down his hand and rested his eyes. The soldier on duty next to him came over to talk and said, "Doctor, are you looking for the small town?"

Zheng Anping suddenly felt that he might be able to get some useful information by chatting with the soldiers who often patrolled the city, so he asked: "Brother, do you also visit the small town?"

The soldier said: "As soon as you climb the city, you will see wasteland everywhere, but there are only a few people walking in the small town."

Zheng Anping said: "I see that there are few people in the city who have a lot of land, what do they do for a living?"

The soldier said: "How to get rich by doing business, not by relying on land!"

Zheng Anping asked: "Why do you do business?"

The soldier said: "This city extends from Daliang in the east, to Luoyang in the west, to Zheng in the south, and across the river is Handan. It is the only city in the world. If you don't want to be rich, how can you get it?"

Zheng Anping asked: "Brother, are you also in business?"

The soldier said: "I have heard about it many times in the long house, and I admire it very much. But it is difficult to travel."

Zheng Anping said: "Is it true that when I am doing business in my long house, I go to a small town?"

The soldier said: "Why don't we go? Merchants from all over the world gather together, and they all rely on it for business."

Zheng Anping said: "It's a time of war and it's difficult for merchants to do business!"

The soldier said: "No. If the city is not closed and the merchants are not resting, it is not possible to take a break due to war. I heard that in recent days, merchants are setting up more grain ships... I don't know where they want to go."

As the conversation progressed, the sky became darker and darker, and Zheng Anping gave up all hope of finding anyone five miles away. The small town crawled darkly in the dark night, as if it was asleep, and there was no movement at all.

Suddenly, the soldier said: "Someone is coming!"

Zheng Anping said: "The sky is very dark and there is no moonlight. How do you know?"

The soldier said: "Master, it is easy to see under the moonlight, but I don't know how easy it is on a moonless night. What is it? On a moonless night, it is not only difficult for my eyes to see, but also for pedestrians. Therefore, it is impossible to do it without raising a fire. But between raising the fire

, what is hidden will be exposed."

Zheng Anping looked at the sky again, and even the horizon was lost. He had no idea where the sky ended and where the earth began. A little light looked very eye-catching in the dark night. Although it was small, it was like the stars in the sky, with no escape.

shape.

Zheng Anping once again held the slit with his hands, put it in front of his eyes, and looked in that direction. With the reference between his fingers, he could vaguely tell that the fire was coming from nearby. Zheng Anping was very excited and said: "Brother's eyesight

, it’s also extraordinary!”

The soldier said: "I have been watching him for many nights, so I have gained the ear. I am not the only one, all my brothers can observe it."

Zheng Anping said: "But if I have some insights, I would like my brother to teach me."

The soldier said: "The doctor wants to see the small town, but others also want to see it?"

Zheng Anping said: "Brother, do you think there is something different about the small town?"

The soldier said: "I haven't seen it yet."

Zheng Anping said: "If there are no differences in the small town, if you see any differences, brother, you can report them to each other to clear up the night."

The soldier really pointed out several details that Zheng Anping had not noticed, such as rabbits hiding in the withered grass, night owls lying on the trees... In the dim night, a series of killings were staged silently.

Although they were talking, Zheng Anping did not give up the small fire for a moment, and he could not ignore it, because during the chat, the light became brighter and brighter - although it was only a small bright spot.

Brother Su came to take over. Zheng Anping pointed out the bright spot to Brother Su. Brother Su said that he saw it. Brother Su said that it was already night time and he asked Zheng Anping to make a festival charm, otherwise everyone would not be able to leave the post house at night, let alone talk about it.

He was no longer on duty. Zheng Anping agreed and introduced Brother Su to the soldier. He introduced Brother Su: "This brother is very talented and has extraordinary eyesight." The soldier said: "It's just too much work!"

After Zheng Anping went down to the city, he came to the guard house and applied for the talisman for the night march. The city gate guard complimented: "Who dares to ask if you have the uniform of a soldier?" Zheng Anping said with a smile: "Just in case something unexpected happens."

After leaving the guardhouse and returning to the post house, although they met several people on patrol on the road, they saw the soldiers' uniforms and passed by them without asking. Brother Quan and Xiaosi were busy spreading straw mats early and put on their clothes.

Lie down. Zheng Anping came in. He couldn't see anything in the darkness, so he went to the kitchen and lit a torch. Only then did he find his own place. The straw-baled torch went out after a short time. Zheng Anping put the

He put the festival talisman on the table and said, "The street has been cleared. You must hold the festival talisman when you leave the post office, and you can pass." The two men agreed.

Zheng Anping lay down, and the dog brother said: "Brother, where do you see him?"

Zheng Anping said: "I didn't see anything. But I saw the people my fourth brother saw leaving the city, and then I saw people coming with fires. They must go to the city."

Brother Dog said: "A person who walks at night will not commit adultery?"

Zheng Anping said: "Even if you commit adultery, what can you do? But you have an eye for observation."

Brother Dog said: "Mr. Zhang asked me to wait for the secret sentry, but there was nothing unusual in the middle of the night..."

Zheng Anping said: "This is the middle of the night, and there is still the middle of the night. How can I guarantee that nothing will happen? Don't be careless!"

Brother Dog said: "That noble man holds his fur against the fire, eats meat and drinks wine. He is the only one who has won me. He is braved by the wind and cold, and can't sleep at night!"

Zheng Anping said: "That noble man, even though he held his fur against the fire, ate meat and drank wine, he could not get a single sleep. He must have spent the whole night plotting, scheming, and planning... How can he be like us, but he was the lowest value, that is, he slept in a high position.

"

Xiaosi sneered and said: "How can you lie down high when you have nothing but a pillow?"

Zheng Anping said: "Lying on your arms, how can you lie down without height?" Everyone laughed.

Zheng Anping was lying on the mat with his arms pillowed on his head. Although he was chatting and laughing with his companions, he felt a lot of ups and downs in his heart. The soldier's words gave Zheng Anping a revelation. If a small town with a small area is not armed,

The city is short and the ditch is shallow, but it can still gather merchants from all over. If a big city is built with the name of Lord Xinling and has thousands of soldiers, wouldn't it be no worse than Tao? The only fly in the ointment is that there is only a ditch here.

However, it would be even more perfect if it could sail a large boat like Jishui.

"I must consult with you, sir, to decide on your strategy!" Zheng Anping thought to himself. Although the brothers around him can live and die together, they are obviously not business materials, but they can be used where they are useful.

.

He thought about the slave again. Lord Xinling granted him a marriage, but he didn't know what to do with it. His house in Donghongli was built according to the standards of the common people, without a platform or steps. Now there are five nobles,

As a sergeant, Yili could raise the base of the house to a height of two feet and set up three steps. But when he thought about how much soil and work it would take to build a two-foot-high foundation, he gave up. But

It would be a pity to marry a bride but not have a new house...

Xiaonu and she had had skin-to-skin contact, but her child seemed to be difficult to get along with... Mr. Xinling said that the child was very talented and needed to be trained well. How should he be trained? When he grows up, just send him to Xiangxu.

If you want to deal with people in a small town, especially if you want to do business with people in the city, can Xiaonu help? If Xiaonu can help, then...

Still have to find a way to tidy up the house...

Zheng Anping was thinking wildly and gradually fell asleep.

The two shift changes at night woke him up. He vaguely greeted those who were working and those who were leaving get off work, and then fell asleep again. When he woke up, it was already dawn. He took Xiaosi back, and he no longer was on duty. At the inn, I put together what I saw and heard at night. In a simple sentence, there was nothing unusual. The spark went out by itself. I don’t know where the man went in the end. Everyone guessed that he must have stayed in the city. The people who went out in the city didn’t know where they went. Whether they came back overnight or stayed outside overnight, I didn’t know. Even Xiao Si, who had a good ear, didn’t hear any special information. Zheng Anping decided to report the information he knew to Zhang Jue.

But the one who came here today was not Zhang Jue, but Mr. Jin. He and Cao Bao took a car and rushed to the post house before dawn. It can be seen that they set off from Daliang very early - maybe even to open the city gate.

.

The four of them invited the two gentlemen into the post house, went to the kitchen to get millet, salt and other supplies, and started making breakfast.

Mr. Jin introduced that the main task of coming today is to inspect the terrain of Guanyi in order to plan the boundaries of the country. He asked four people to help and bring two cars. There are also some practical things on the car, which should be drawing atlases.

purpose.
Chapter completed!