Chapter 52
Taoyu’s heart tightened when he heard from outside the carriage that there were bandits. He poked his head out a bit to see what the caravan’s plan was. The group was a bit flustered by the man’s words. Not to mention that there had been previous bandit unrest within Tongzhou, and they were all venturing out for the first time, inexperienced and naturally panicked.
“Why don’t we hurry the livestock along, and try to get through Longwei Slope in one go.”
“Yes, the sooner we get there, the sooner we pass. That way, everyone can be more at ease.”
Ge Liang didn’t answer. He tugged at his horse and asked Huo Shu, “Brother Huo, should we speed up?”
“No need, just proceed at the original pace.”
Ge Liang was very reassured by Huo Shu’s decision. Since he said so, there must be a reason. Seeing this, he said, “Listen to Brother Huo, let’s go like this.”
Ge Liang believed in Huo Shu, but the people from Hongli Village didn’t have as much trust in him. They had heard Tian Fu mention a couple of things this morning, and they already had some minor opinions. At this critical juncture, seeing Huo Shu calmly say to proceed as usual, as if he didn’t take the matter seriously at all. If something happened and they had to return to the village, it would have taken them three to five days to travel out and back, and while being laughed at by the villagers would be nothing, they could still catch up with spring plowing. But if they were delayed and couldn’t pass, and encountered bandits in the middle, that would be a matter of life and death.
“Brother Huo is truly steady. Even after receiving news that Longwei Slope is difficult to navigate, he remains so composed. I wonder if it’s his caution and disbelief of outsiders’ words, or if he’s afraid that accelerating the journey will cause his ailing husband to be jolted.”
“But my wife’s health is one thing, our lives are also lives.”
Ge Liang immediately reprimanded, “Tian Fu!”
“Since everyone is too embarrassed to speak, I will be the one to speak. I am not afraid of offending anyone!”
“If we were to unexpectedly encounter bandits, I, Tian Fu, would accept it. But now, why shouldn’t we avoid a risk that can be avoided!”
Tian Fu slurred, “If it weren’t for slowing down the carriage speed for my wife, what else could it be?”
“We are all poor farmers. We are willing to leave our homes to do business and earn some money, not to escort a couple on a scenic tour.”
Ji Wenliang’s anger flared up when he heard what the people from Hongli Village said, “What do you mean by that!”
Taoyu also heard what was being said outside. He frowned and quickly stopped Ji Wenliang. It would be even worse if they started arguing. But at this moment, anything he said would be inappropriate. He looked at Huo Shu, “I’m really fine. Why don’t we speed up and get going?”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
With that, Huo Shu urged his horse forward and said coldly to Tian Fu, “If you resent me for bringing my husband along, you can leave now as we haven’t left Tongzhou Prefecture yet.”
“If you are panicked by the few words of the person just now and doubt my decision, I will tell you why we are proceeding as usual.”
“Longwei Slope is high and the path is steep. After the rain, the mountain road will inevitably be muddy. Donkeys are not horses; they move slowly and have less endurance. If you exhaust your donkeys on this flat and easy official road, will they still have the strength to climb uphill? If a donkey becomes stubborn, can you guarantee you can pull it?”
Tian Fu opened his mouth but was rendered speechless by Huo Shu’s question. He didn’t interact much with Huo Shu and knew he was a man of few words. This was the first time he had spoken so much to him. After a moment of stunned silence, he didn’t dare to retort, but he grumbled in his heart, “He’s just too impatient. He gets angry at the slightest thing. Brother Huo has traveled this road when he went south. Even if he has no experience, isn’t he better than you, who has never been here before?”
Ge Liang couldn’t help but reprimand him a couple of times. Huo Shu had put in a lot of effort for this trip. He negotiated and acquired the goods, and Ge Liang only trained a person or two and didn’t contribute much financially. In the end, he only trained people’s hands, but not their minds or tempers. Tian Fu was someone he had brought along, and causing trouble on the road like this really made him feel sorry for Huo Shu. Besides Huo Shu and himself, no one else had contributed financially to this trip.
To put it bluntly, they were hired to escort the goods, and the labor costs were calculated at the Tongzhou price for hired laborers per day. However, to make the hired personnel take responsibility proactively and not stand by when something happened, the rule was that after the goods were safely delivered to their destination and sold, the higher the selling price of the goods, the more everyone would receive. It was with this point that they were able to quickly recruit so many people at once. After all, the journey to the Northern Region was long and arduous, earning money with one’s life on the line. Without considerable profit, no one would dare to risk their lives.
Ge Liang also understood the worries in his subordinates’ hearts and found it difficult to be in the middle. “Brother Huo, don’t argue with him. He’s not bad-hearted, just blunt. When he gets anxious, he says anything without thinking.”
“I will discipline him properly later.”
Tian Fu felt even more displeased when Ge Liang bowed and pleaded with Huo Shu on his behalf. His face turned ashen, and he pursed his lips without further shouting.
Huo Shu said, “I will say it again. Those who want to leave can do so now as we haven’t left the border. If you want to leave after leaving Tongzhou, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Everyone in the caravan lowered their gaze slightly, not daring to look directly at Huo Shu. In the end, no one stepped forward to say they wanted to leave. Seeing this, Huo Shu didn’t dwell on the matter further and didn’t delay, and the team continued to move forward.
All along the way, the people in the caravan were exceptionally quiet, but when they saw people carrying goods and hurrying their livestock along, they couldn’t help but look a few more times. Their hearts were still a bit uncertain.
The weather today was clearer than yesterday, and there was even some sunshine near noon. The small carriage was stuffy, so Taoyu rolled up one of the curtains. He saw Huo Shu riding his horse alongside his carriage, occasionally glancing in his direction with the corner of his eye. Taoyu knew Huo Shu was worried about him and felt wronged by the argument they had just had. In fact, he was fine; he wasn’t injured or bumped. Where there were many people, there were many disputes. Just looking at their Ji family, arguments and scheming were commonplace. No day was smooth sailing. His body was not well, and people were risking their lives and fortunes on this trip. It was natural for them to have some opinions about him being a burden. To reassure Huo Shu, he ate a lot in the carriage and then took a nap. He needed to regain his energy to pass Longwei Slope.
“Hey, hey, if you need help, come here! We don’t have many people left. If you wait any longer to bid, you won’t find anyone else!”
“There’s no room for negotiation, sir. You should at least look at this place. That slope is one steep incline after another, and the road is muddy. Save your bargaining for the merchants in Lianping Prefecture. We are all hardworking, poor folk who rely on our labor.”
They saw a large, round stone as tall as a person by the roadside, with the words “Longgu Slope” carved on it. Huo Shu’s caravan had just reached the stone monument when they saw crowds of people at the foot of the slope, very lively. Those who didn’t know might have thought there was a small market ahead, with the sounds of bargaining rising and falling.
“Sir, we’ve reached the territory of Longwei Slope. Do you want to hire manpower to help you cross Longwei Slope?”
“We have strong livestock that can carry a lot of goods and take them across in one go.”
Before Huo Shu and the others could go forward to see what was happening, someone had already come up to them. “This slope is very steep. It rained yesterday, and the road is full of sticky mud. Many caravans that passed by have gotten stuck halfway.”
Ge Liang and Huo Shu exchanged a look, then Ge Liang asked, “Who are you people?”
“We are local farmers. We heard that there are caravans and travelers getting stuck here and unable to cross the slope, so we brought our livestock to help. It’s not easy for gentlemen to do business when they travel. It’s one thing if they are unfamiliar with the road and damage their goods, but more importantly, this area is not very peaceful. If it gets late, there will be bandits.”
“It’s not yet time for spring plowing, so we’re idle. We might as well come and help, contribute some manpower to earn some spare silver, and consider it accumulating merit and good fortune.”
The man dressed as a farmer spoke earnestly, as if he were truly kind. “Since it’s still early, let’s help you cross this slope. That will save you from setting up camp here and encountering bandits.”
Huo Shu directly asked, “How much will you charge?”
“Two taels of silver per donkey, and three taels per ox.”
Ge Liang couldn’t help but laugh when he heard the price. The people traveling with them were stunned. Helping to transport goods for two to three taels of silver each trip was simply price gouging. If they did this twice, they wouldn’t have to farm for half a year.
Ge Liang said, “We are just a small caravan with a small business. We can’t afford to hire your livestock. If we hire three to five heads of livestock, this business trip will be in vain.”
“It’s getting late. If we can’t cross this slope, and it gets dark, we won’t be able to see the road. Who knows if we’ll roll into a ditch or encounter bandits.”
The man’s plain and kind demeanor changed. He patted his sleeve and, with a shameless air, said, “Don’t hire our livestock, sir. Even if you think you know the terrain better than us, let me say this upfront: if your donkey or ox’s strength runs out halfway and they can’t move, hiring livestock later will not be at this price.”
With that, before Huo Shu and his group could say anything, the man arrogantly left. He had clearly calculated the habits of merchants traveling this route, as if they would definitely regret it and seek him out.
Huo Shu stopped the procession: “Change the cargo.”
“The mountain road is muddy and rugged. Unload all the goods from the carts and have the livestock carry them directly.”
Everyone quickly got out of the carts and acted according to Huo Shu’s instructions. Taoyu also got out of the carriage. To reduce the weight for the livestock, everyone got out and walked. The goods were loaded onto the livestock, and the group began to climb the slope.
Longwei Slope was not as steep as the locals said. However, after the rain, rocks and soil had rolled down, and the path had been trampled by pedestrians, carts, and livestock, resulting in a thick layer of sticky mud covering the road. With every step, it took a lot of effort to pull one’s feet out of the tightly adhered mud. This not-so-steep slope was made considerably more difficult to navigate because of this. Although livestock walked more steadily than humans, when walking with a load, their speed was extremely slow. Everyone carefully watched the livestock and the road, walking in a way that was truly heart-wrenching.
This was Taoyu’s first time walking on such a difficult road. Huo Shu held his hand tightly, almost guiding him with his strength. He lowered his head and looked at the muddy road, wondering if walking with his shoes off would make it easier to lift his steps, but he knew it would be even more slippery, so he didn’t dare to try. There were not a few fellow travelers, all trudging forward, their faces covered in dirt. Seeing a figure with a much smaller build appear on the road, they couldn’t help but look a few more times. Taoyu had been wrapped up quite thickly earlier, but walking uphill would inevitably make him warm, so he hadn’t worn his cloak. Others could see his face at a glance, and they were quite surprised to see such a fair-skinned and beautiful young man on such a road. Although their hearts were pounding as they passed, their gazes couldn’t help but drift in that direction.
Huo Shu furrowed his brow, suddenly grabbed Taoyu’s waist, and lifted him onto his back. Taoyu hadn’t had time to react to being carried so suddenly, but he instinctively hugged Huo Shu’s shoulders. He whispered, “What are you doing? I’m not tired, I can still walk!” Moreover, everyone was walking very slowly, and he didn’t seem like a burden.
Huo Shu didn’t answer, but raised his hand and pressed Taoyu’s head against his neck: “Don’t talk, be careful you don’t fall.”
“Move it, you stubborn donkey!”
“Believe it or not, I’ll whip you to death!”
The sound of the whip hitting flesh was particularly loud on the mountain path, and the donkey let out a muffled cry. Tian Fu and the others saw people on the road flicking their whips, leaving bloodstains on the donkeys in front of them. The smell of blood mixed with the smell of wet mud was particularly pungent. Halfway up the slope, the donkey was dragging four large boxes, and no matter how much the whip was lashed, it refused to move an inch. Instead, the person whipping the donkey jumped up in anger, “After crossing this slope, I’ll personally butcher you!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the donkey seemed to understand human language and suddenly bolted forward like a madman, causing a flurry of screams. “This donkey has gone mad! Everyone get out of the way!”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a “crash,” followed by continuous crashing sounds, and finally, a muffled thud and silence. “The donkey fell off the cliff!”
Hearing a shout, the man who had been whipping the donkey opened his mouth in shock and rushed forward. His steps were too hurried, and he slipped and fell. He didn’t care about the mud on his body and quickly stumbled to the edge of the cliff: “Oh my!”
The man slapped his thighs and jumped up and down at the edge of the cliff, cursing, “You damned, murderous donkey, my goods!”
Huo Shu and his group heard the commotion and all came to take a look. They saw that the donkey had already rolled to the bottom of the cliff. Although it wasn’t very high, with the goods on it, it had fallen and bumped, its bones were already broken, and it was dead. The boxes containing the goods were smashed to pieces, with herbs and utensils scattered everywhere.
“I told you this slope was difficult to navigate, but you insisted on saving a little money. You’ve lost more than you’ve gained by being stingy.”
A local person driving livestock passed by and made a sarcastic remark. It wasn’t that the locals at the foot of the slope were unreasonable. Along the way, many people found the price too expensive and didn’t hire local help. The livestock were particularly strenuous on such a road, and they became stubborn halfway up the slope and refused to move.
Tian Fu and the others witnessed this disaster with their own eyes and couldn’t help but take a deep breath and look at their livestock. Seeing that the donkey’s head was still steadily carrying the goods and showing no signs of laziness, they breathed a sigh of relief.
It took the group nearly two hours to safely cross Longwei Slope. When they reached the flat official road, the sky was already darkening. However, after traveling another ten li or so on the official road, they would reach the post station in Lianping Prefecture. There, soldiers were stationed, and foreign merchants had to pay customs duties to pass, and they could also rest there for the night. Because of this, they didn’t need to panic anymore. Even if it got dark, traveling with torches wouldn’t be too far.
Everyone’s anxious hearts finally settled. Unknowingly, they had broken out in a sweat, and the wind by the river felt quite cold. No one was idle. They first unloaded the goods from the livestock, allowing them to rest for a moment and eat some water and fodder, then reattached the carts, and traveling would be easier from then on.
Huo Shu first put Taoyu back into the carriage: “Change all your clothes, so you don’t catch a cold.” Taoyu had been carried by Huo Shu, so he hadn’t sweated much, but he had walked a bit earlier, and his feet were covered in mud and were now wet. Illness often starts from the feet. He obediently went into the carriage and changed his shoes and socks. Then, he tucked himself into the bedding. After everyone rested for a short while, they scraped the mud off their feet and the cartwheels and then hurried towards the post station.
On the way, they encountered other caravans carrying lanterns and torches. The caravan ahead saw that there were people behind them and clearly slowed down their speed. In this way, the two caravans traveling side by side would have brighter lights, making it easier to travel.
“Pah, these scumbags, making ill-gotten gains, aren’t they afraid of being struck by lightning.”
“May they die a terrible death. If I see them again, I’ll definitely call some skilled fighters to teach them a good lesson!”
Ge Liang saw the people in the parallel caravan cursing and asked, “What’s making you all so angry?”
“What else could it be, other than those scumbags at Longwei Slope who are price gouging.”
“May they be infertile and have black hearts. It’s a trap set entirely for merchants.”
Ge Liang raised his eyebrows: “What do you mean by that?”
“Did anyone on the road you came from tell you that Longwei Slope was slippery and difficult to navigate, or about mountain bandits? Did they urge you to hurry and get there quickly?”
Ge Liang and his group quickly replied, “Isn’t that right! A caravan carrying goods told us!”
“Heh, the one who told us was an old man with a limp who was hitching a ride. We all felt sorry for him and thought we’d let him ride for a bit. He told us a lot on the way.”
“We all took it as his kind advice and hurried our livestock, only to be manipulated and threatened into hiring locals to transport our goods.”
“We encountered other caravans on the road, and they had the same experience.”
Calming down, they suddenly realized that this was a trap set by them. As the caravan people spoke, they started cursing again: “It’s a shame that he went to such lengths and even hired people to act and fool merchants who wanted to pass Longwei Slope. With such abilities, why wouldn’t they do something better than earning this ill-gotten money.”
“What about the bandit story? Was that also fabricated to scare people?”
The caravan people sneered: “How can there be no bandits? If you stubbornly camped at Longwei Slope and waited for the livestock to rest enough to pass the next day, wouldn’t they disguise themselves in the middle of the night to steal people’s livestock and goods?”
“No matter how you look at it, they are the ones who profit! Pah, you sons of bitches!”
Huo Shu and his group were stunned. They were all honest men from the village. Although they had quarreled and argued with fellow villagers before, they had never seen such malicious planning. Hearing this, they couldn’t help but feel a chill of fear, not daring to imagine how much money they would have been swindled out of if Huo Shu hadn’t made the decision at that time. If they had initially thought that their livestock still had enough strength to cross the slope and had some recognition of Huo Shu’s decision, then knowing the truth now, they were completely impressed. For a moment, everyone fell into deep thought, and no one spoke again.
When the caravan arrived at the post station, it was already quite late. This was the first post station upon entering Lianping Prefecture. It was built large, and people coming from Longwei Slope almost always rested here for a night. There were many people resting, and the post station was large. Locals had built inns and eateries around the post station, making it look like a small town. Huo Shu found a reasonably priced inn to stay in. After sending Taoyu into the room, he called for hot water. He still had to go to the post station to pay customs duties and collect documents to pass directly tomorrow.
“Brother Huo, everyone is tired today. I’ve asked the kitchen to stir-fry a few dishes. We’ll eat together when you get back.”
Huo Shu acknowledged Ge Liang and strode away. Tian Fu and the others from Hongli Village sat together, watching Huo Shu leave with subtle expressions.
“Brother Ge, about today’s matter…” Tian Fu paused, then spoke with some difficulty, “I was reckless.”
Ge Liang took a sip of tea and raised his eyebrows when he heard this, chuckling: “You know now that you were reckless, but it’s useless to tell me this. You should apologize to the person you need to apologize to.”
Tian Fu rested one hand on the table, not immediately answering Ge Liang, and looked away uncomfortably. Ge Liang knew that he was too proud to admit his mistakes, and that was typical of young people. There were many such people in the military camp. However, he didn’t want to persuade him now. No matter how much he persuaded him, it was not as good as him discovering Huo Shu’s abilities himself. Now that he had recognized his mistake, it was also a form of tempering. Ge Liang then confided in his fellow villagers: “I know everyone has a barrier towards Brother Huo. He looks cold and stern, but he’s actually a warm-hearted person. If it weren’t for Brother Huo in the past, I might not have returned alive from the military camp.”
“Brother Huo is a capable person. In the Northern Region military camp, he was once a Baihu (Captain). He joined the army at fifteen and served on the border for ten years. It’s normal for him to be quiet and indifferent. It’s good fortune for everyone to be able to work with him. You don’t need to doubt his decisions and abilities. As long as you follow Brother Huo’s arrangements and work diligently, he will not treat you unfairly.”
“Today, everyone has witnessed the deceitfulness of human hearts and how outsiders are. We are traveling north and will encounter all sorts of people. If we ourselves are suspicious and don’t trust each other, won’t we easily fall into someone else’s trap?”
“Brother Huo has seen all sorts of people and ghosts on the battlefield in the military camp. Isn’t his worldly experience far greater than yours who only cultivate your fields in the village?”
The men from Hongli Village nodded gravely. No matter how many empty words were spoken, they were ultimately hollow. It was only after experiencing things that these principles became profound. “Don’t worry, from now on, we will be united and follow Huo Shu’s arrangements.”
Tian Fu saw that his fellow villagers had expressed their determination and sincerely agreed, “I won’t say another word. As long as it’s for everyone’s good, I have nothing to say.”
Taoyu, who was hiding by the counter, heard their conversation and his brow relaxed. He didn’t go forward to disturb them. He hugged the two toothbrushes he got from the counter and returned to his room. After all, Brother Huo was formidable. He knew that arguing with people was useless; only through experience could people realize things on their own.
