The scouts arrived later, and Huo Bao asked Huo Bao, who was fast-footed, to pass the message from the mule cart, and said to others: "Hou Xiaoming also followed the leopard, look for an opportunity to get on the mule cart, change someone, and leave two people to follow the mule cart, and the others went to inquire who is the one who is in charge of Quyang County now, and when did the tax collection at the door start?"

Everyone responded and dispersed.

Huo Bao and Shui Jin were still following the mule cart.

The mule cart has not changed its direction, but it is still on the direction of the business and sales street.

The grain shops and grocery shops in the county are all concentrated there.

The two young and strong people who seem to be dressed in ordinary people always stick behind the mule cart.

Huo Bao carefully walked around the two men and turned to the front before making a fake move that came out of the road next to him. He seemed to be almost hit by a mule cart, pulling the reins of the driver, whispering.

No one noticed, Hou Xiaoming rushed into the carriage, and a person got out of the carriage, and hid in the fork in the road beside him.

After the two of them finished exchanging, Huo Bao put down the reins of the driver and left cursing.

"What the hell is going on?" Shui Jin asked in a low voice.

"Either the grain shop is not open, or the grain shop is a 'thief'." Huo Bao said.

After saying this, the group arrived at the shopping and sales street.

Compared with last month, this trading street is becoming more and more depressed, and there are only a few shops opening the entire street.

There are fewer pedestrians when opening the shop.

The food was spread out and the door was open, and only a guy was sweeping the floor at the door, and there were no guests.

The mule cart was parked at the door, and the mate stepped forward and gestured and said something.

Huo Bao also got together, and the mate happened to say, "The county government issued a notice that he would not allow him to sell grain privately. He had to go to the yamen to register before he could buy grain. The guest officials would better register at the yamen first. If there was a note from the yamen, we could only sell grain here."

The driver of the car said impatiently: "Is it so long-winded to buy food? What kind of yamen can I enter?"

The guy said with a bitter face: "This is the rule set by the county magistrate, who dares not listen?"

Huo Bao asked curiously, "Why is the bun shop opposite not open? There is also the braised pork shop and the sauce duck shop are not open, so where can I go to rest and fill my stomach?"

"It was closed at the beginning of the month. Now the food is expensive. Everyone can't drink porridge. Where can I have free money to eat buns and meat?" The guy sighed and hesitated and said, "The inns in the city are all closed... The guy really has no place to join me, so he just went to Sifang Inn on the back street to see... The whole county town is the only one that is still waiting for guests..."

"Thank you, brother!" Huo Bao took the mate's hand with sincerity on his face.

The guy blinked.

Huo Bao whispered: "I'll ask my brother, isn't that Sifang Inn... the county magistrate's relatives opened it?"

The guy did not answer immediately, but compared Huo Bao with his thumb, and then whispered: "It's the business of the county magistrate, Mr. Taishan."

Huo Bao nodded, thanked again, didn't look at the mule cart, and went to the back street.

The "male servant" who drove the mule cart was whispering and reluctantly drove to the yamen in the other direction.

Behind the mule cart were the two young and strong men following from the city gate, and behind the young and strong men were two inconspicuous scouts.

After a while, Huo Bao chased after him.

"Uncle Bao, this is obviously a trap. What if the Great Sage and the others really get caught in it?"

"If you don't get stuck in, how can you find out the news?" Huo Bao said: "The Great Sage is good at skill and careful. He has learned the escape technique before, so don't worry."

"Great Sage" is Hou Xiaoming's nickname, which Huo Bao personally gave to him.

Just like Bao and Dai read the West Chamber together fifty years later, there is also a story about Journey to the West in this world.

The Scouts were not old and became familiar with each other. They were also close to each other with nicknames.

However, Hou Xiaoming suffered a loss in his surname, and some people began to call him "monkey". What kind of chief is he? Tunchang has risen all the way. Such a nickname is detrimental to the majesty. Huo Bao personally named the name "Da Sheng" instead, and it was called Kai.

Huo Bao was relieved, but Shui Jin was even more worried: "Xiaobao, you can't just focus on the child soldiers. The third son and the others have never learned the escape technique."

"Brother Shui Don't worry, as long as they are obedient, they will not be in danger of their lives." Huo Bao said.

Shui Jin frowned, how can he feel at ease?

Sifang Inn was right in front of me. Huo Bao was worried that they would accidentally reveal their traces, so he whispered: "Quyang County is not right. At the gate of the city, there are only people entering the city, not those who leave the city... There is something wrong, the yamen that serves food and accommodation; and the Sifang Inn in front of me is the relative of the county magistrate, not the county magistrate or the county magistrate... If I expected it, the county magistrate is the county magistrate now..."

"They are strengthening the men and expanding their troops?" Huo Bao reacted first.

"Expanding the army? Isn't it because there is no food? Then what's the expansion? The emperor is not short of hungry soldiers!" Shui Jin only felt that it was unreasonable.

"There is only one family in the city that has opened its doors, and there is no grain to sell. The county's grain storage should be collected into the hands of the county magistrate. If you ask about other news slowly, you will just think that you were passing by and staying in a hotel to rest, let alone other things." Huo Bao said at the end and explained.

Quyang County was "recovered" at the end of last month, and there were no fewer than a few hundred troops to fight the White-Shirted Army.

I just don’t know when the county lieutenant started to “expand” the army and how much it expanded.

Huo Bao and Shui Jin both quieted down and followed Huo Bao into the inn.

The inn gate was open, and it was empty inside, with only two small chirpings behind the counter.

"Are the shopkeeper here?" Huo Bao approached the counter and asked.

A little head stretched out from behind the counter. It was a girl with a double bun. She was in her teens and had agile eyebrows and eyes. She tilted her head and said, "Do you stay in a hotel? You can make 250 cents a room for meals, but don't make 100 cents a meal."

Huo Bao's sideburns are already sweating, not because he is tired, but because he is hungry.

"Make a meal and come to two rooms." Huo Bao took out two pieces of silver from his purse: "I will hand it over for three days first."

The girl answered with a smile, took the key from behind the counter, took the three of them into a room upstairs, and took another key and said, "This is the key next door. Do you go there now, or eat before going there?"

"Let's have a meal after dinner." Huo Bao took the key.

The girl answered and went out.

"Strange? Why is such a big inn, just a little girl?" Shui Jin said in confusion.

"They are covered with fine cotton clothes and the shoes under their feet are satin-like. Unlike the servants, they may be the family of the boss." Huo Bao's eyes were sharp.

Huo Bao's feeling is not very good either.

The inn shopkeeper and the guy may leave for a while, but what about the guests? They are not allowed to meet them.

The gate of Quyang County is wide open, only entering and not leaving. Today, Huo Bao and his party can get "instructions" to settle down, and there should be others who will get "instructions" to settle down.

Where did these people go?

After about a quarter of an hour, the little girl returned. This time she followed a group of men, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, hands and feet, and was holding a large food plate with three bowls of porridge, three steamed buns, and a plate of dried radish pickles.

"Now our inn has done its best to make a thousand dollars in rice, so we can only do this." The girl was a little embarrassed and turned her fingers.

"It's already unexpected." Huo Bao said sincerely.

Before, he heard that when he made rice, he just thought it was a bowl of porridge, but it turned out to be thick porridge and steamed buns. What else can I pick on?

According to the current price of food, this meal is worth dozens of dollars.

Seeing that they were not picky and were in a good mood, the little girl said, "Little Brother, use it slowly" and took the guy out.

Huo Bao closed the door and untied the backpack.

Apart from the two purple gold maces, the remaining two large bags are all food, one pack of jerky and one pack of fried noodles, which add up to a total of more than ten pounds.

After eating porridge, steamed buns, jerky meat, fried noodles, and several pounds of food, Huo Bao put down his chopsticks and worried about the food in front of him.

These foods can only be supplemented for two or three meals. If there is no supply, they will not be able to stay in the county town for much time.

*

In the northeast corner of the county, Hou Xiaoming and others, who were "robbed" of mule carts and copper coins, were beaten and pulled here with their hands tied up.

Along the way, there were no ordinary people, but county soldiers equipped with spears and swords guarding them.

After passing one alley after another, we came to a vast land.

When he saw the dense people in front of him, Hou Xiaoming felt his hair stand up and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

God, how many people are there!?
Chapter completed!