Back Off, Let Me Come

"Bah - don't you - gulu gulu gulu -"

The man didn't finish his harsh words and was forced to choke on several mouthfuls of stream water.

Just when he thought he was certain to die this time, a force pulled his bun and pulled him out of the water. He coughed awkwardly, greedily breathing in precious air. In the next breath, two fingers pinched his neck accurately: "Last chance!"

The man was forced to look into those eyes filled with deathly silence.

Calm and unruffled, as if looking at a dead person.

The man's teeth were bumping up and down uncontrollably, feeling the contraction of his fingers and the approaching breath of death. He finally broke down and shouted: "I said it - I said it, I said it!"

Shen Tang patted his wet face: "That's right."

After saying that, he winked at his own man, and the nearest ranger understood. After a while, he dug out the hidden token from the location the man told him. It is said to be a token, but it is actually an official certificate.

Certificate of appointment of an official.

She played with the token and smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes, this thing is real."

"You also got the things, can I..." He could only place his hope of survival on the conscience of these gangsters.

But don’t think about it, you are all gangsters, how can you have a conscience?

"What are you doing standing still? Move away and kill him."

The hope in the man's eyes was completely extinguished, followed by overwhelming anger as he cursed: "Thief, don't keep your word!"

"Can you believe what a thief says?"

Raise your hand and mark [Stop Speech and Seize Sound], and the world will be pure.

No matter how hard the man struggled, he was still no match for the two young rangers on the left and right, being dragged away like a pig waiting to be slaughtered. After a while, bright red gurgling water flowed from the upper reaches to the lower reaches. Shen Tang stuffed Guan Ping into his arms, turned over and climbed onto the back of the mule.

"Now that we have the things, let's go take office!"

The corpses strewn all over the place were cleaned up, leaving only blood stains on the ground silently telling the story of the murder that happened not long ago. Shen Tang raised his arms and called out, and all the rangers responded one after another. When Shen Tang pressed for Guan Pian's whereabouts, these people had already taken off the clothes of the guards.

Xia Houyu and Gu De looked at each other.

They all see a bit of complexity in each other's eyes.

A few days ago, they were still discussing how to take root.

The cost is the lowest, but the risk is relatively high. If the local government has a tough temper, they can easily be dismissed as political achievements; the next best thing is to observe for a while and see what happens. Regarding the situation within the country, they must find a force to rely on, and their freedom will be limited to a certain extent. The advantage is that the environment is stable and the cost of living is guaranteed. They can develop themselves by parasitizing this force; the third suggestion is to enlist in the army, as there is unrest in the country. , it’s a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters!

If you're lucky, you can even find a place.

Unexpectedly, the Lord Admiral rejected all three suggestions.

[The moral bottom line of both of you is too high...] It’s not that Xia Houyu and his two suggestions are not good. In fact, all three paths can work. The problem is that Shen Tang doesn’t have the patience to take his time. [Good people do good things. , of course bad people do bad things. 】

Shen Tang doesn't think he is a good person.

That's the bad guy.

She sneered: "Since you are a bad person, if you want something, you can't follow the rules and earn it, just go and grab it." 】

Xia Houyu had to remind Shen Tang.

[Lord, we are short of manpower. 】

How can two to three hundred unorganized and undisciplined rangers attack a city and seize territory? King Qi's court has not completely collapsed, so it is easy to deal with them. If you want to truly take root, you must at least have a foundation of popular support. If he doesn't ask these common people to help him, at least he won't stab him in the back.

Otherwise, how to gain a foothold?

[Do you think I want you to attack counties and towns? 】

Xia Houyu was puzzled: [Isn’t it? 】

Why don't you grab this?

Shen Tang smiled and shook his head and said: [Sneak attacks on counties and towns, just with such a small number of people will kill people, of course I will not let everyone die. I mean, let's go rob the incoming one. He took away his official credentials, let's replace him! 】

Intercept the incoming official.

This is easier to operate than attacking counties and towns directly.

The phenomenon of selling one's official position and getting one's title is quite serious here in Qi State, so Shen Tang and the others only need to stay and guard the unlucky guy who takes office in a relatively remote place. The ranger has good information channels and is involved in all kinds of religions. It is not difficult to find a suitable target. Shen Tang picked an unlucky guy: [Just this guy, let’s go intercept and kill him! 】

Xiahou Yu thought: [This person is not suitable. 】

There are no barriers or dangers in the place where I take office.

He pointed at the other unfortunate guy.

The place where the unlucky man is about to take office is not bad. If he can hide his identity and replace it, he can save a lot of worry.

Gu De, however, was interested in another site.

The reasons are also convincing.

The transportation in this area is relatively convenient, and there are waterways within the territory. It is a big advantage for us to take root here and make a living.

Shen Tang's reasons are different from the two of them.

She said: [This man has committed crimes many times before King Qi. He bought an official position to avoid the limelight. To be cautious, he will keep a low profile after taking office and will not have much contact with his family. He's dead and no one will be looking for him anytime soon. 】

The others are all recommended, and one of them will always have connections and abilities. Perhaps there are family members, disciples and old officials in the clan who take up the position, so it is easy to be exposed if they replace them. The unlucky man Shen Tang chose was different. He was an abandoned son of the family, so he bought an official position and sent him to another place to avoid danger. From this analysis, the possibility of replacing him is much greater than that of others.

Three unlucky guys, each with their own merits.

Xiahou Yu and Gu De finally chose Shen Tang.

You can consider other things after you succeed.

After making a plan, the group planned to intercept and kill the group. The man took office with only a hundred guards and a concubine, and his wife and children were all left in the capital. They were quite vigilant and discovered the murderous intention in secret first.

Unfortunately, they were not strong enough.

"Master - found a living person!"

Before the mule took two steps, a subordinate dragged a figure over and threw the person in front of Shen Tang like throwing garbage. The man was in a messy dress and unkempt face. At first glance, he was thought to be a savage. Looking more carefully, the figure was clearly a woman. Shen Tang remembered that when he intercepted and killed just now, he did not see the concubine beside the man.

The woman also saw the guards' clothes draped on the unfamiliar face, and the familiar carriages and horses had changed owners, and her pretty face turned pale. How could she not understand that the group of people had been murdered? She was terrified, leaned back, and tried to retreat with both hands.

Xiahou Yu: "Are you going to kill her?"

Gu De: "Let's kill her."

If she lives to tell the outside world about this, the two or three hundred of them will be finished. But the master hasn't spoken yet.

The woman said in horror: "Don't kill me, please don't kill me, I'm innocent, please don't kill me!"

Shen Tang: "Innocence is useless."

It's only useful if it's valuable.

She was about to draw her sword to kill the woman.

The woman obviously knew that Shen Tang had the intention to kill her, and there was no way she could escape, so she made up her mind: "Let me live! As long as you promise not to kill me, I can help you! Otherwise, even if you take office, your identity will be exposed!"

Shen Tang tightened the reins and controlled the mule to stop.

Looking down at the woman: "Are you serious?"

The woman was so nervous that her heart was about to jump out of her throat, but she still pretended to be calm: "Yes! I can cover for you."

Shen Tang would not easily believe what the woman said.

If she wanted her to believe, the woman had to show evidence.

Seeing that Shen Tang's sword did not fall, the woman knew that she had made the right bet. She swallowed hard to relieve her dry and burning throat, and tried to keep her voice from trembling. As she told the story one by one, Shen Tang realized that there was actually a hidden plot in this.

The man she just killed was not the original owner of the official certificate.

"Then who is he?"

Woman: "He is Langzhu's classmate."

Not only a classmate, but also a classmate with whom he had a deep hatred.

Let's temporarily use A and B to replace the two.

The real owner of the official certificate is the second-generation ancestor A, who is greedy for flowers and wine, and is a real lecher. One day, classmate B fell in love with a woman who had fled. The woman sold herself to bury her father, and B was attracted by her appearance and wanted to buy her with money. But he didn't expect that when someone went back to get the money, the second-generation ancestor got there first and bought her. Not only that, he also humiliated B.

Classmate B already had a grudge, and now the resentment is even deeper.

The second-generation ancestor committed a crime, and his father and brothers at home were disappointed, so they bought him a small official and sent him out to avoid the limelight. Halfway through the journey, she was ambushed by classmate B and replaced by him quietly. Classmate B knew about the second-generation ancestor and had prepared a countermeasure.

Unexpectedly, another yellow bird appeared on the road.

The woman had no good feelings for both men. The first second-generation ancestor forced her to buy and sell. The wife at home had a fierce personality. She was intimidated on the first day of marriage, and she beat and scolded her and talked about her short-lived father, causing her to miscarry three times in a year and a half. The second one was also attracted to her color, but somehow, the other party accused her of being fickle and said that she was selling two women.

Obviously she did nothing.

The arm was no match for the thigh, she just wanted to live.

She thought she could live by committing herself to the other party, but who would have thought that he was also short-lived and died tragically in the hands of the bandits. She was at the mercy of others, and if she didn't want to die, she could only find a way to please these bandits.

Shen Tang cast her eyes on Xiahou Yu and the others.

"What do you think?"

Xiahou Yu shook his head: "She didn't lie."

"In that case, keep her."

Because Qi Yuanliang was not there, Shen Tang could not disguise herself as a man, so she asked Xiahou Yu, whose figure, temperament and age were similar to those of the second generation ancestor Jia, to do it. The woman had been a concubine of the second generation ancestor Jia for more than a year, and she knew him well.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, and the woman secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiahou Yu was puzzled: "Why didn't the master kill this person?"

The woman did not lie, but she did not tell the truth completely.

As a concubine of commoner origin, the help she could provide was very limited. At most, she could tell them the habits and interpersonal relationships of the original owner. Xiahou Yu and others also sent people to inquire about this part. Not to mention hiding the truth, they could fool them for a while.

It didn't matter whether the woman was kept or not.

Shen Tang said, "Maybe it's fate."

Xiahou Yu was puzzled: "Fate?"

Shen Tang smiled and said, "Her experience sounds like a fusion of "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Journey to the West". Her life story is indeed pitiful. Killing her will not affect the overall situation, and not killing her will not affect it either... What's the harm in keeping her alive? As long as she doesn't seek death."

"You can kill her or not, I usually choose not to kill her."

Xiahou Yu: "..."

If I remember correctly, the master has killed the most people on his way here, right? Shen Tang was unhappy with his look and muttered, "Hey, don't I still need a wig? You and Yourong, who can make it? The wigs on the market are not good."

The woman's hair is good.

The hair is shiny black, long, straight and thick.

It's just right to give some to myself.

The hair of the rangers she surrendered was either dry and frizzy or was in short supply, and Shen Tang looked down upon them. The only two people who could catch his eye were Xia Houyu and Gu De, who even said that their parents, who were affected by their body and hair, asked them to give their hair to them, but they refused!

Xia Houyu: "..."

This place is still three days away from the destination of taking office.

Three days is enough for a woman to weave a beautiful wig.

Shen Tang pulled his mind away from Zixu's perspective.

In the tent, she touched the thick black hair on her head and sighed in a low voice: "Why didn't we think of this way back then? Alas, if we could do this, I don't know how many detours we would avoid..."

Zixu's territory is much better than Wuyou's.

Although the territory is not large, the advantage is that there is no need to be exploited.

Yes, exploited.

The person who exploited Wuyou was Cui Zhi, the leader of the Cui clan.

As soon as she mentioned this matter, Shen Tang became furious!

You have always exploited others. When will it be others' turn to exploit you? Do you really think she is still the same Shen Youli who was in Heyin and whose neighbors were not easy to mess with? But unfortunately, in the area under Wuyou's rule, many farmlands belong to the Cui family!

Reclaiming wasteland requires people.

Farming also requires people.

If Cui refused to cooperate, his rule would almost come to a standstill.

"Cui Erlang?"

Cui Mi chuckled, as if he didn't know anything about the inside story: "I haven't seen you for a few days, sister Shen. How are you doing lately?"

"Very good, ready to give up."

Cui Mi was surprised: "Didn't Sister Shen just take office?"

"What are you going to do? You might as well go back and ask your good father what percentage of the rent he wants to collect from the tenants!" If a family like the Cui family were in the Kangguo territory, they would have killed their eighteenth generation ancestors with only their feet left. Neck, "Isn't it always 10% in the past?"

When she took office, she immediately raised the rent.

The common people under the rule knew at a glance that Cui wanted to punish her.

There was no trace of surprise on Cui Mi's face.

"Sister Shen is angry about this?"

Shen Wuyoutang asked back: "Otherwise? What else could be the reason? Since your father is sincere in forcing me to leave, that's fine. I just want to ask Cui Nujun if we can have a companion on the road together!"

Cui Mi stepped forward to stop her: "Sister Shen, I'm afraid she may have misunderstood."

"Misunderstanding, what misunderstanding can there be?"

"This is really not my father's intention."

"Isn't that what he meant?"

Cui Mi: "Wang Ting's intention."

There is a shortage of food in the royal court, and the officials proposed to increase taxes.

The taxes here in Qi State are different from those in other areas. The royal court will determine an average value based on the annual harvest, and the counties within the territory will pay taxes based on this average value, which is equal to all places. This move can ensure the interests of the treasury, but there are drawbacks - the cultivated area and output vary from region to region, and there are fertile lands and barren lands in Qi State. For example, in Wuyou, a place with many mountains and water but few fields, the per capita output is far lower than the average target line given by Wang Ting. In fact, it was not that serious at first, but as young people were overwhelmed and ran to other places, and the population loss intensified, the pressure became more and more serious.

This place has been in arrears with taxes to the royal court for three years.

|ω`)

How did the kids do in the college entrance examination?