Chapter 1514 - 1509: Unexpected Incident
Mu Shuangshuang thought of the young man she liked; he too had a spine of iron.
As long as it was his responsibility, no matter what, he would see it done!
"All right, leave this to me. I’ll definitely get them out safely! It’s just, with this much cargo, how can you handle it all by yourself?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.
This was indeed a problem; each wagon of goods needed at least one person to drive it.
With Zhao Erbiao’s strength alone, there was no way to make it happen.
"How many wagons in this shipment?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.
"Twelve! All winter cotton-padded clothes, not that heavy actually!" Zhao Erbiao said.
Mu Shuangshuang narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment. "Let’s hire people temporarily. We’re leaving Xing City, but there’ll always be people going to Xing City. Give them some money and they get a free carriage ride. This kind of thing, where you get a bargain and benefits on top, plenty of folks will be willing to do it!"
"Is it safe?" Zhao Erbiao asked.
"Safe, as long as we cooperate and put on a show," Mu Shuangshuang said.
"How do we act it out?" Zhao Erbiao grew interested.
"Make those people think that escort masters from our escort agency are following behind them, protecting the goods!
That way, anyone who wants to lay hands on our cargo will have to think twice about whether they can handle the consequences!"
After hearing Mu Shuangshuang’s proposal, Zhao Erbiao burst into loud laughter.
The baijiu he swallowed no longer tasted bitter.
The two of them discussed a simple plan. After breakfast, Zhao Erbiao gathered all the escort masters and the young boys who helped move goods.
As for Mu Shuangshuang, she stayed in the restaurant, looking for men heading to Xing City.
Anyone who looked decent and had no wickedness in his eyes, she hired.
According to the plan, for this trip they recruited twelve sturdy men. One run, two hundred wen per person.
It paid more than doing hard labor for other people, plus food and lodging were included, and it was on their way anyway.
Once Mu Shuangshuang had settled everything on her side, Zhao Erbiao had also more or less finished talking things through with the escort masters from the escort agency—
"I know you brothers don’t want me going off to take risks alone! But don’t forget, everyone who came out this time are the elite escort masters of Zhenyuan Escort Agency!
If you all come along and something happens, who’ll carry the banner of Zhenyuan Escort Agency? Who will uphold the name of Zhenyuan Escort Agency?
What’s more, this trip of mine may not even run into trouble! A single person is a small target; once I hide, nobody will even know I’m there."
Zhao Erbiao laid out the feelings and the reasoning.
The escort masters of Zhenyuan Escort Agency were finally persuaded.
But in their hearts they were still uneasy.
"Chief Zhao, no matter what, you must keep yourself alive. We still want you to take us to Xing City again!"
"Yeah, Chief Zhao, we still want to camp out in the wind and dew with you, experience life together!"
A few escort masters who were close to Zhao Erbiao said this.
Zhao Erbiao was deeply moved.
"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come back alive! Later, just do as I told you and put on a good show!
Also, on the way back this time, Da Niu will be leading you. In everything, you must listen to him, understand?
And there’s another man, a woman, and two children—friends of Da Niu’s relatives—you need to bring them back to the county with you!
Along the way, help them as much as you can! Under no circumstances are you to be rude to them, understood?"
The man, the woman, and the two children Zhao Erbiao mentioned were Cheng Dagang, Wang Guilan, Cheng Ying, and Cheng Le!
Mu Shuangshuang would go on her own, cross-dressed as a woman; they would travel with the escort masters. Their safety was absolutely guaranteed.
Everything proceeded according to plan!
After putting the temporary hires through a round of training, Mu Shuangshuang had them climb onto the wagons and haul the goods.
As for the people of Zhenyuan Escort Agency, they pretended to be busy packing up their belongings.
They walked a ways with Zhao Erbiao. Once they saw Zhao Erbiao’s convoy, Mu Shuangshuang was just about to leave.
In the distance, a man in black on a black horse was galloping toward the escort masters of the escort agency.
In a flash he swept past.
Just then, Cheng Dagang yelled, "Shu... Da Niu, that’s Wang Yan—he’s one of the Xing Family Army!"
Once Mu Shuangshuang heard this, there was no way she could stay calm.
She swung herself onto a horse, slapped its back hard, and the animal shot forward like an arrow in Wang Yan’s direction.
Cheng Dagang chased after her as well.
They chased for half an hour before finally catching up to Wang Yan on a slope.
Seeing Cheng Dagang, Wang Yan was so shocked he tumbled off his horse.
As soon as he landed, he rushed over to Cheng Dagang and said, "Old man, it’s not... not good, something big has happened!"
"What’s wrong? Slow down and tell us!" Cheng Dagang tried to steady Wang Yan’s emotions.
Mu Shuangshuang also took the tea water off her saddle and handed it to Wang Yan.
"Drink. What exactly happened? Did something happen in Xing City?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.
"And this is..." Wang Yan didn’t recognize the disguised Mu Shuangshuang, so he hesitated.
"It’s Shuangshuang! She’s cross-dressed as a man!" Cheng Dagang said.
Mu Shuangshuang softly coughed a few times, then stopped imitating a man’s way of speaking.
"Brother Wang Yan, it really is me, Shuangshuang! Hurry and tell us what’s going on!"
"Beichen sent me! He... he told me to tell you, Feng is in danger!"
"What?" Mu Shuangshuang froze.
"After you left, Feng and Beichen went to Wen Nantian’s General Mansion and returned to the camp.
At first everything was fine. Then after Wen Nantian talked with Fengzi, he ordered Fengzi to go scout the enemy.
He even assigned him a Vanguard squad of a hundred men! Beichen wanted to join but was rejected!
Beichen said that those hundred men in the Vanguard squad were all strong laborers conscripted from various places, and some had already started thinking of running away!
On top of that, as soon as they went out, they ran into an ambush by the Wei Kingdom’s main forces. Feng has already been driven back to Feeding Horse Slope. Now he either fights his way out or... or goes into Ghost Forest!"
After Wang Yan finished, he tipped his head back and gulped down another mouthful of water.
Feeding Horse Slope and Ghost Forest—these two places, whether in the hearts of people from Xing City or those from Ye City, were no good places at all.
Feeding Horse Slope aside, that was a desert belt. Whether man or horse, it was very easy to lose one’s life there.
Back then Xing Ningtian and Da Wei’s War General Battle Technique had fought a decisive battle at Feeding Horse Slope.
The result was heavy losses on both sides, with many killed and wounded.
And then there was Ghost Forest behind it; rumor had it that no one who went in ever came out.
On her two trips to Ye City, Mu Shuangshuang had always taken a detour; she absolutely never passed by Feeding Horse Slope or Ghost Forest.
Right now, Mu Shuangshuang’s heart was pounding in her throat.
A hundred-man Vanguard squad, and not elite soldiers at that—once such troops ran into an ambush, wouldn’t the odds be heavily against them?
Feng...
Mu Shuangshuang climbed back onto her horse. Before she raised her whip, she said to Cheng Dagang, "Elder Cheng, I’m leaving those people in your care. I’m going to find Feng!
Once you reach the county, find a carriage for Wang Guilan’s family and send them to Chengfeng Restaurant for me. I’ll be back!"
As she finished the last sentence, Mu Shuangshuang snapped her whip. The horse shot off like the wind and in no time her figure had vanished...