Chapter 776 Marquis Pingxi's Residence, Xue Fanli

The banner of Marquis Pingxi had been raised; beneath Zhennan Pass, the army gathered.

Although the formal war had not yet begun, the dark clouds of war already loomed over this area. The large-scale movements on the Jindong side could not be hidden from the Chu people’s eyes.

Therefore, the prelude to the slaughter was first opened in the mountains south and west of Zhennan Pass. Scouts, sentries, and spies from both sides had already begun a life-and-death struggle in this long and vast area.

…

"Hoo…"

Guo Dong took a big gulp of water, wiped his mouth, then bent down slightly, his eyes fixed on the forest ahead, his expression slightly wrinkled. He put down his water bag and squatted down.

Behind him were five or six men dressed as hunters, all his subordinates.

"Captain Guo, what's wrong?" an old soldier asked curiously.

Guo Dong looked at the old soldier nicknamed Pi Si, licked his lips, and said, "There's a baleful aura ahead!"

"…" Pi Si.

Seriously, if Captain Guo said there were sounds ahead, or traces of a bonfire, or bloodstains, or etcetera, etcetera, Pi Si wouldn't find it strange. But he had to say something about a baleful aura!

Damn it, were they here to fight a war or to catch demons?

Seeing Pi Si's expression, Guo Dong, the captain, was not displeased. His position as captain was personally bestowed by Marquis Pingxi, as the "Grave Robbing Captain."

In the past, he had risen from a civilian laborer to an auxiliary soldier to a regular soldier, step by step, from one battle to another. But his current official position was based on his merit in digging up the ancestral graves of Chu nobles, and was recognized by Marquis Pingxi as a representative figure.

To put it bluntly, his skill was not in fighting on the battlefield, but in tomb raiding.

Of course, secretly calling it tomb raiding, but openly, it was called "taking from the people and using it for the people."

How unfortunate it was that the wealth hidden deep underground was kept in darkness. It would be better to excavate it and give it to the Marquis's residence, which would then convert it into food for students at the academy, medicinal materials for the clinic, and pensions for the model households.

Having crawled out of piles of dead bodies on the battlefield, he had taken life and death lightly and really had no taboos.

After the war against Chu ended, Guo Dong did not idle. First, he brought his mother from Yandi and his paralyzed brother, and also brought the woman who was betrothed to him, married her, and settled down. No matter what kind of captain he was, it was an official position personally bestowed by the Marquis, and his prestige was considerable.

But Guo Dong was not immersed in the beauty of a harmonious little life. He did not have the ability and brains of his good brother Xu An, but after all, he had once raised a large shield and attacked a city with him. Although he had always dreamed of a wife, children, and a warm bed, he was not so unambitious after all.

Therefore, after the end of the Chu campaign, he took the initiative to submit a note, hoping to continue to use his expertise to contribute to the Marquis's residence.

The note was transferred several times, and finally landed on the desk of Master Bei of the Marquis's residence.

Master Bei made a comment, encouraging Guo Dong to do well and be bold, but to be careful.

The division of Jin into three was the result of the big fish eating the small fish, and the small fish eating the shrimp. In fact, there were many vassals in Jin, and each city and land was equivalent to a small principality.

The ancestral tombs of the Situ family were naturally not easy to move, after all, the Prince's Mansion was still there, and they had to leave them a bit of face. In the words of a blind man who reported to Marquis Zheng while eating breakfast, there was no need to make the Prince's Mansion and Puyi feel the same way.

But the ancient tombs and mausoleums in other parts of Jindong were not so lucky.

After several major battles, the Situ family themselves had withered and huddled tremblingly in the corner of the Prince's Mansion. Other families and vassals had long been displaced by the war, and some had even lost contact.

No one was watching over the ancestral graves and ancient tombs, and some people did not even know where they were.

Guo Dong really took on this responsibility, helping "them" find their ancestors, and then letting their "ancestors" breathe.

The spoils of tomb raiding were all passed through the Marquis's residence first, and then his rewards were issued from the Marquis's residence. He was doing dirty work, but his hands and feet were always clean.

Perhaps it was unintentional, but Guo Dong might really have a talent for this. In the past year or so, although he had not created any rules such as "do not touch gold when the rooster crows and the lamp goes out," he had developed a good nose.

He did not understand feng shui, and he could not read geography, but sometimes he would stand there, and sniff with his nose, like a dog smelling bones, and he could feel something.

At this moment, he had a feeling.

Looking at the terrain ahead, and the slopes on both sides, there should be a depression.

Pi Si didn't care, and even thought he was talking nonsense. Guo Dong wasn't angry. In fact, he was transferred from the military register. He had a group of subordinates when he was digging tombs before, but that group of subordinates was not under his jurisdiction. Although he was the leader, everyone regarded him as their superior;

But Guo Dong's own "relationship" was still in Jin Suke's town in Zhennan Pass.

In later generations, it would be like you have been working as a business person in a foreign country, but your unit is in a very far place, and you have even forgotten it yourself.

Then, the Marquis's residence held a general mobilization.

Jin Suke's town was the elite, second only to the one personally led by Liang Cheng. Therefore, many people were transferred. According to the military register, Guo Dong also received a notice.

As a result, Captain Guo, who was still digging graves, felt a little confused and reported to Zhennan Pass again, returning to the team.

The Marquis was going to fight a war,

So he would go to the battlefield,

There was nothing to say. Guo Dong himself was open-minded. After all, his family lived in Fengxin City, and their lives were taken care of by the Marquis's residence. There was nothing to worry about.

But the embarrassing thing happened here. As a military captain, you reported alone?

How many troops should you have under your command?

Well, there really wasn't one.

Because the brothers who used to dig graves with him were not his strict subordinates. Master Bei had also given instructions to make things easier for him, and gathered a group of "capable people" for him. It was impossible to bring those people with him.

But when it came to distribution, the superior in charge of this matter was also in a dilemma.

It was impossible to turn a captain around and stuff him into someone else's unit as a common soldier, right?

In the end, Guo Dong's good brother, Xu An, who was now Jin Suke's personal guard, came forward to help, picking out two old soldiers and assigning a few new soldiers so that Guo Dong could lead them as a scout team.

Although the fighting between scouts was extremely fierce, it also depended on the area and the opponent. Guo Dong's team was obviously not in the hottest area. Their main task was to catch spies and informers, and the danger was not high.

Therefore, Pi Si, an old soldier, plus these new subordinates who were not very familiar with each other, did not respect this "Captain" very much.

However, at this moment, the mound in front was suddenly lifted from below.

Two people emerged from inside.

"Oh, great Ah Ming, I didn't lie to you, did I? This kind of wine is the real delicacy."

Kahir said, holding a wineskin.

Ah Ming remained noncommittal. He also had a bulging wineskin in his hand.

Underneath was a tomb. The tomb was not large in scale, and the tomb owner was not very rich or noble during his lifetime. But there were many good wines among the burial objects in the tomb, equivalent to being submerged inside.

It could only be said that when facing good wine, the two thirsty vampires could really find anything.

However, they were not here to drink wine.

The war had not yet officially begun, so Ah Ming did not have to stay by his master's side all the time. Coincidentally, he was bored and annoyed, and since San'er didn't come this time, Ah Ming simply took over Xue San's business, and took Kahir to try his luck in this forest, to see if he could hunt the other party's scouts, just to treat himself.

As a result, they did not find the Chu scouts, but the two found a broken wine jar outside this small tomb. The two went in and returned full of wine, and the rest was still preserved there, waiting to be dug out after the war.

After coming out,

The two drank from the wineskins, sip by sip, enjoying this comfort.

After seeing Ah Ming and the two of them appear, Pi Si's eyes straightened. While putting away his contempt, he surrounded Ah Ming and the two of them under the leadership of his captain.

Ah Ming also noticed the approach of these people, but he was still drinking wine and did not launch an attack in advance.

After all, it was already absurd enough for him to come out to drink wine today. If he accidentally wiped out his own scouts, it would be too unreasonable. At least, he had to confirm whose they were.

"Oh, these terrible hunter outfits, they are really stupid." Kahir also noticed it, but he didn't move if Ah Ming didn't move, and took a sip with his head up. "I really love this oriental wine, and Western winemakers should be kicked in the ass hard with my sharp boots in a line!"

Fortunately, the accident did not happen, and even the questioning and counter-questioning process was not needed;

Because Guo Dong recognized Ah Ming.

During the war against Chu, Guo Dong had seen the Marquis several times on the battlefield, once when he ate the watermelon handed down by the Marquis, and once when he was granted the title by the Marquis. And this man in front of him was standing behind the Marquis.

"Greetings… milord."

People who were close to the Marquis's residence would know to call him "Sir." Obviously, Guo Dong was far from that level.

Pi Si and others were stunned for a moment, and immediately realized and followed suit.

Ah Ming had not yet spoken,

Kahir spoke first:

"That's great, you can help us go down and carry the wine out. After the war starts, this wine can be used to treat wounds. It was hard for us to find it, so we have to transport it carefully."

Ah Ming hesitated for a moment, and did not reprimand Kahir for his presumptuousness.

Guo Dong nodded and said, "This subordinate obeys."

"Well, don't worry about going down, there are no hidden weapons or dark creatures."

"Dark…" Guo Dong understood what the old man was talking about.

Next,

Guo Dong's team began to transport wine jars from the underground tomb.

One jar after another, Kahir watched very carefully, and from time to time told them to be careful, these wines were very precious for treating the wounded.

In fact, there has always been a tradition in the army of using strong alcohol to treat wounds to reduce pus, and the army under the Marquis's residence has military doctors personally trained and formulated procedures by Si Niang, especially in the disinfection area.

The perfume workshop under the Marquis's residence does not hesitate to reduce perfume production to prioritize making enough alcohol to supply the battlefield.

After all, silver is dead, but people are alive. Enough living people can grab more silver.

Pi Si and the others were not dissatisfied with doing these things, because when they first went down to the tomb, Guo Dong said that the milord was someone from the Marquis's side.

It was not flattery, nor did they want to get anything, but now Marquis Pingxi was the new "god" for these soldiers, and people who could stand by the god's side were naturally divine.

While transporting, Kahir was supervising,

Ah Ming chose a place far away, leaning against a tree, wrapped in some dead leaves, not dozing off, but emptying himself.

There is a saying that my heart is at peace is my home. For Ah Ming, wherever he wants to be, it is a coffin.

At this moment, five figures appeared in the southwest direction of the tomb.

The leader was wearing a raincoat and a hat, and the people behind him were wearing Yan army-style armor.

"Who are you, what are you doing!"

The other party asked first.

Guo Dong happened to be carrying a wine jar out with Pi Si. He put down the wine jar and patted the dust off his body.

Pi Si's eyes narrowed, and when a gaze swept over, the robes dressed as hunters behind him immediately shut up, so they didn't take the initiative to say hello.

In fact, Pi Si's expression and winks were very obvious, but from another point of view, it looked like a genuine tomb robber caught red-handed by the government, flustered and embarrassed.

Kahir sniffed, he smelled a fragrance, very light and elegant.

The old vampire fled from the West to the East. Although he had all kinds of problems, there was no denying his rich life experience.

Guo Dong stepped forward and said, "Milords, there is war and chaos, and this brother is just trying to make a living."

As he said that, he took out some broken silver from his pocket,

"The depression is shallow, and there is nothing of value, just some jars of wine, and I am worried about how to transport them back."

It's not that Guo Dong suddenly became enlightened,

In fact,

He still maintained his true colors, and did not see the strangeness of this team of "robes."

The reason why he did not reveal his identity was because he stood in the "Ah Ming" 's point of view.

What kind of carrying wine to treat the wounded?

Guo Dong didn't believe it.

Obviously, he was greedy, so this matter should not be publicized.

Guo Dong was just concealing the truth for the superior with the "worldly wisdom" he could understand.

However, because of his tomb robbing in the past year, the jargon was so fluent that it could not be more fluent. In addition, Pi Si and his group went in and out of the tomb for a while, and after the original hunter's costume was soiled, it really had the taste of a groundhog.

Therefore, by mistake, the "robes" on the opposite side believed that this was a group of tomb robbers.

The Zhennan Pass line, especially in the mountains on its west side, which is where Marquis Zheng carried the princess out back then, had extremely complex personnel.

The displaced people of Jin and Chu were afraid to go back because of their circumstances, and they were unwilling to go to the other side to live under someone else's roof, so they set up sheds in these mountains.

Neither the Marquis's residence nor the Chu people had the energy to clean up this area. At least, it was impossible to have any spare strength before the front battlefield was divided into victory and defeat.

In fact, the group of "robes" dressed as Yan soldiers would not have thought that the Yan scouts were not doing their jobs properly, but were robbing tombs and transporting wine here.

This is simply against common sense!

It was a coincidence, a real coincidence.

Ah Ming was still lying there, his body almost covered with dead leaves. When he lay there, he was faster than an old monk entering meditation, like a corpse, and he had no temperature on his body. If he didn't move, even a master would hardly be able to find him.

Kahir curled up his body, silently chanting some things he couldn't understand. When the "Yan soldiers" approached, he sensed the threat.

Obviously, these four soldiers were all masters, not necessarily how high their realm was, but they would definitely kill people, and they had definitely killed many people.

The man in the raincoat should be the leader.

The man in the raincoat took off his hat, looked at Guo Dong, smiled, and said:

"You only dug up wine?"

"Yes, the tomb owner should be a drunkard, maybe he died from drinking."

The man in the raincoat didn't even look at the broken silver in Guo Dong's hand. He bent down, reached out, and slapped the mud seal open.

Kahir's heart was dripping blood, it was opened like that, what a waste, what a waste, he and Lord Ah Ming were only willing to open a jar and pour it into the wineskin.

The taste of the wine spread around, and the flavor would go down.

The man in the raincoat lowered his head,

Sniffed at the mouth of the jar,

Said:

"It's actually peach blossom wine, interesting."

The rouge of Xia Hang is stained with the brush of Jing;

The fine wine of Wuchuan opens the ink of Hengzhou.

Peach blossom wine is a specialty of Wuchuan. The land of Qian produces talented people, beauties, poetry, and fine wine, all of which are the best in Zhuxia.

Well, except for the fact that the Qian army is weak, it seems that everything else is fine.

"Those who can hide peach blossom wine as burial objects will never be ordinary people."

Guo Dong scratched his head and said, "Milord, you are talented, but this humble one really doesn't understand at all. Milord, why don't you…"

"Leave the wine and get lost."

"Hey, hey, hey…"

Guo Dong was a little embarrassed, couldn't he take the wine away?

The man in the raincoat said, "What, are you still not satisfied? Then don't blame me for arresting you as Chu spies and taking you back to the army for rewards."

"No, milord, that…"

Guo Dong gritted his teeth,

Planning to say it directly, it would be fine if he didn't involve that lord, he would bear the responsibility himself.

"May I ask your name and which army are you under?"

As soon as the question was asked in the army,

The four armored "Yan soldiers" immediately stepped forward at the same time and held their knives;

The man in the raincoat turned the hat in his hand,

As if he had thought of something interesting again, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth,

Said:

"I, Zheng Fanli, under Marquis Pingxi's command."

"…" Kahir.

Kahir opened his mouth and said:

"Oh, heavens, may I ask, which Fanli are you? Because there are rumors in the Jianghu that Marquis Pingxi has a blind Fanli, a female Fanli, and a blood Fanli."

"Blood Fanli?" The man in the raincoat chuckled, "I should be Blood Fanli."

Because he was not blind, nor was he a woman.

Kahir opened his mouth and exclaimed, "Oh, heavens."

At this time, Guo Dong understood that there was a problem with the identity of these "robes." It was no problem if he didn't recognize them, but how could the lord by the side of the big figure by the side of the Marquis not recognize them?

Guo Dong immediately shouted:

"Come, take them down…"

"Bang!"

Guo Dong was kicked away by the man in the raincoat,

Ah Ming got up,

Moved forward, reached out, and hugged Guo Dong's waist, put him down, Guo Dong spat out a mouthful of blood, and struggled to get up.

Ah Ming said:

"Marquis Pingxi's Residence, Xue Fanli."

The man in the raincoat nodded,

Said;

"Da Chu, Nian Yao."