C53 (1/2)
Chapter 53 - Taiping Road Robbery
The amount of precious metals in the Qing Dynasty was about 35 grams, and 10 thousand taels was about 350 kilograms. Right now, a total of 700 kilograms of precious metals had been stolen by someone, and that was something Xiao Letian could not understand.
”Are you saying that a masked man suddenly rushed out of a forest on the Taiping Road and subdued all of you with a bowl of tea? Then, you put the silver taels into two wooden boxes and carried them away? ” Xiao Letian asked this with a guilty conscience, it was a fifteen man silver transport team, they could be subdued just like that?
In the forest on the west side of the Taiping Road, a group of people were kneeling down. In the middle of the group were the fifteen soldiers who had lost their silver taels. Under Xiao Letian's questioning, these dozens of men all looked like they wanted to find a hole and hide in it.
Currently, the two furnaces on the roof were in a state where they were extremely short of silver, the forging of the silver coins had almost stopped, Fan Lian had no choice but to use his contacts in Beijing to begin using the treasures in the Liu-Li Factory's treasury.
As the capital, the Beijing had always been the main dumping ground for the cultural relic market. No matter if it was buying a few things to rush into one's own house or exchanging them for a few things to go around to the higher officials' back door, good treasures were never to be bought.
No matter what pearl jade treasure, antique calligraphy, or gold and silver porcelain you are, as long as it is real, you don't have to worry about silver. In addition, Manager Fan Lian's network was wide, there were many friends in the Liu-Li Factory, thus the treasures that the Taibai Top brought would usually be sold for a high price.
Xiao Letian did not sell the treasures for pleasure, he did it for the sake of the silver cauldron in the Taibai Top. Therefore, he had to trade the treasures in the Beijing for real silver, not silver notes. But when he accumulated more silver, transportation would become a problem. Ten thousand taels of silver would be 350 kilograms, and one hundred thousand taels would be three and a half tons. Such a large amount of money was simply too eye-catching.
Therefore, the Taibai Top had set up a team of five fifteen people to transport silver. Each team would transport about twenty-two thousand silver taels at once, and each of them would carry an average of about fifty kilograms of weight.
Ever since the establishment of the silver team, they had successfully sent over 80,000 taels of silver to the village without a single incident. However, no one had expected such a bizarre robbery to happen today.
”Advisor, our death sentence …” The leader of the military men knocked his head against the ground and sobbed, ”The Taiping Road has always been our resting place. But today, just as we were about to take off our bags to drink some water, a person suddenly flew out from the direction of the forest …”
”We didn't see wrong, it was just a person flying out. I've never seen such a powerful movement technique in my life before. He rushed into the group like a gust of wind, and before I could pull the blade out, I fell to the ground …”
At that moment, a small soldier at the end of the line said, ”I was standing at the very end of the line, I clearly saw the whole process. At that time, a small soldier at the very end of the line said,” I was standing at the very end of the line, I clearly saw the whole process.
”I... ”I was the last one. I thought I was going to get beaten up as well. I had already taken out my knife. Even if I was the only one left, I would still fight him to the death …” At this moment, the petite man suddenly said in a very shameful tone, ”But he didn't attack me, he only knocked my weapon away with his scabbard, his subordinate was unable to control it with his scabbard …”
The little soldier seemed ashamed that he didn't faint with the others. ”I'm sorry, Advisor, I'm sorry...” The man in black packed all the silver into two large boxes, and then carried one on his shoulder into the woods. ”But before he left, he left me a message …”
At this time, the soldier was a little hesitant. Xiao Letian looked into his eyes and said: ”Speak!” ”The little guy didn't dare disobey.” The black-clothed man said that if Xiao Letian wanted this silver, he would have to let him go into the forest alone.
Xiao Letian didn't say anything and urged his horse forward into the forest. However, Sima Yun and the other soldiers kept him on the reins and didn't let him in.
”No, absolutely not. Prince has given a death order, no matter what danger, Mr. Xiao must not come near. Xiao Hexin and Wang Huaiyuan have already brought their people in, so you can just wait for the news, Sir. ”If you force your way in, we'll die here …”
Xiao Letian was so anxious that he started to sweat profusely. No matter how he tried to pull, he could not break out of the human circle, and in the end, he could not even dismount from the horse. The group of soldiers hugged his leg without letting go, and angrily Xiao Letian whipped them a few times.
”Bastard, let go of all of you!” Don't you understand this? The robber wasn't asking for money at all, he wanted to see me. He wanted to use silver taels to lure me out. [You bunch of bastards have been looking at me to death everyday. That is why this man came up with such a plan …] ”Out of the way, all of you, get out of the way …”
The soldiers would rather endure being whipped than to let go of Xiao Letian's hand. They quickly surrounded Xiao Letian, forming a lump in the middle that made the blue and white horses cry out loudly.
Just as the scene was in a mess, a loud laughter came out from the forest: ”Hahaha, is Alone overseas Xiao Letian that brave? You don't even dare meet anyone? To tell you the truth, Xiao Hexin and Wang Huaiyuan's lives are in my hands, if you want to save them, come in by yourself … ”
”It's Xiang Shaolong! Northern Dragon Lord Xiang Shaolong... ”You bastards, quickly let go of me. I'm in no danger. Since he released me last time, he has no ill intentions towards me …” Xiao Letian used all his might to push his horse forward, and with a whip strike, he finally opened a hole in the road.
Big Clear Flower's horse trotted towards the sparse forest, followed by a group of soldiers chasing after him.
Taiping Road was a typical place where the mountains met the plains. To the east was the endless North China Plains, while to the west were the hills. In the distance, the Taihang Mountains could be seen as well.
The forest grew denser and denser, and after ten minutes, Xiao Letian finally saw a living person. A dejected soldier was tied to a tree trunk.