Along the steep and black smoke, they carefully climbed the Tiger Ridge. Li Ling and the others saw all the terrible scenes.

The grass and trees all over the mountain have long turned into ashes, attached to the soil and rocks that have also been burned and blackened, and are surrounded by black scents. In this black area, there are some darker objects lying on it, which are dozens or hundreds of corpses that have been burned and deformed and distorted, and now there are burnt odors that keep rising.

Many of them fell down after being caught in arrows, then burned, smoked, and tortured to death. Although the arrow poles on their bodies were burned, there were still vague arrows on the black corpse. Many people from Gangshan were uneasy, and some even ran to vomit. This was the most miserable corpse that almost everyone here had seen.

Although Li Ling frowned because of this, his expression remained calm in the end. He looked at the road ahead for a while and said, "There are still fish that escaped the net..." There were indeed many messy footprints there, which looked very eye-catching at this time.

This is also impossible. The Canghu Ridge is not a confined space, and it has its own way to leave. As long as you can avoid blocking the waves of arrows and then rush out of the sea of ​​fire, you will naturally have the possibility of getting out.

"Sir, do you need me to take someone to chase me?" Seeing this, Yang Zhen hurried forward and volunteered.

After thinking for a while, Li Ling shook his head and said, "Forget it, don't chase the enemy. I believe that after this fire, the bandits in the mountains will no longer dare to make any decisions. Even if we want to clear out the bandits, it is not our job. We can wait until we go back and arrange for local officials to enter the mountain."

Yang Zhen agreed and opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to say something, but he was a little embarrassed. After seeing this, Li Ling smiled and said, "It's all right. Do you still need this between you and me?"

"Sir, I'm just curious, how did you know there were ambushers on the ridge and ordered the use of rockets to kill the enemy?" Yang Zhen no longer held back and asked directly. As he asked, many people around him turned their heads and looked over, and many officers and soldiers also looked expectant.

Yes, everyone has this question in their minds. How did Lord Li see that there are flaws here?

"Do you remember the warning you had to me before? Since I was targeted by them, I would naturally be attacked along the way. Before that, I was safe, just because we were walking on the official road and in the prosperous land of the Gyeonggi, those people dared not be arrogant. But now that I have left Gyeonggi and are walking through such a irresponsible mountain, how could they miss the opportunity to attack me?

"Compared with other locations along the way, the terrain of Fenghuling is the most dangerous and suitable for ambush attacks from a high place. So just looking at the terrain here, I am already 50% sure that there will be ambush."

Li Ling said, then glanced at the undulating mountain roads around him, looked at the birds flying by flapping their wings on the side, and said, "There is another point and the most important thing. We arrived at the ridge and had a lot of noise, but the top was always quiet... It would be fine if there was no insect ringing, after all, it was winter now, and perhaps the insects on the mountain had been hibernating, but it would be unreasonable that no bird could fly in shock.

"The only explanation is that there were no birds on the ridge at that time, and the reason they were not on the top was not to spend the winter elsewhere, but because there were things that made them feel scared that they could not stay there, that is, there were people. "In this way, the two sides were combined, and more than 80% of them were ambushed on the ridge. I naturally could try some means. And, the most important point is that I set the fire here without much loss. Even if I was wrong, it was just delaying the trip, but why not do it?"

"So that's it, I admire you!" Yang Zhen immediately clasped his fists and praised him sincerely.

Others were also praised each other, saying that Lord Li was indeed a clever plan and his eyes were like a torch. If he hadn't made a quick decision, I'd be afraid that everyone would really be in trouble this time.

Li Ling only smiled and waved his hand: "Okay, no one has had a good rest at this time yesterday, so don't rush to rush today, clean up here, and then take a day off here. Tomorrow, it's not too late to enter Huaibei!"

Li Ling's arrangement once again caused everyone to cheer. Everyone was really too tired and needed a good rest. So they stationed on the spot, cleaned up the ashes and burned the ashes and corpses, and then put them in a tent and buried the pot to make rice.

Half an hour later, most of the people had already entered the tent to sleep. Although Li Ling also lie down, he was not too sleepy and his mind was running faster, but he was thinking about what would happen later and how to deal with it.

Obviously, after this time, the bandits dare not make any more decisions, but Wei Tianying's people will definitely not give up. They will use other means to calculate the attack in the future...

Also, although I have already separated from the female family, it is difficult to guarantee that those people will not attack Qingxiao and the others through the water, but I wonder if there is still a calm response there?

"It must be possible. With Qingxiao's experience and skills, coupled with the assistance of the Cao Gang, if you have the intention to calculate but not the intention, you will definitely solve them and return to Huaibei safely." In the end, Li Ling came to this conclusion.

Although Li Ling and Yang Qingxiao are separated by land and water at this moment, after experiencing a storm, they will first think of each other, and at the same time they are full of confidence in him (her) and do not think that just storms can really pose a threat.

...

Qingshan County, under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou Prefecture in Huaibei, is the most remote place in the province, because it is located at the exit of Qunshan at the junction of the three provinces.

Although it is considered a major transportation route, since most caravans choose to travel from waterways, there are still not many people in this small county town on weekdays, and it seems a bit deserted.

Especially in the current winter, with the rain and snow, there is a quiet place inside and outside the city, and no one can see any figures.

At this time, in the private room of the best restaurant in the county, Hou Longtao was smiling and pouring wine for a man who looked like Zhou Zheng, and said with a smile: "Although you are a juren, you are still quite talented and knowledgeable, especially the ability to manage the local area is more than enough. You have never thought of going up any further?"

The local magistrate Zhou Huanchen looked at the uninvited guest with a smile, and did not raise his glass to drink. Instead, he said slowly: "It is reasonable that the lower official has a bad background, which leads to a difficult career. Therefore, the lower official has never had any grudges or more greed. As long as he can do his best to serve his own efforts in office, he will be satisfied. He dare not ask for an extravagant position."

"Mr. Zhou is a bad saying. Whether you can be promoted to an official position in the court is actually not your origin, nor does it depend on your evaluation in the exam book. More importantly, it depends on whether there is anyone in the court who is willing to support you and help you."

Hou Longtao looked at the other party with a smile and said, "Take Lord Zhou, you are the one who is willing to say a few words to you now. After this year's investigation, it would be easy to help you get promoted from the county magistrate to the prefect."

"Oh?" Zhou Huanchen continued to remain silent: "Why do you need a lot of money to open the way? Unfortunately, the junior official is from an ordinary family and his wife's bag is empty, but he really can't take out a few taels of silver to handle his boss."

"Haha, Lord Zhou, you are too flirting with money. Since I came to see you, how could I ask you for money?"

"Then the officials will be even more puzzled. I hope Lord Hou will give me some advice."

"It's very simple. If you help me with something, I will ask my nobles to make arrangements for you in the court. At that time, not only will you be promoted to the prefect, but you must be a rich and rich state prefecture. What do you think?"

"But I don't know what Lord Hou wants me to do? I'm afraid it's not simple, right?"

"It may not be easy to do to others, but it is easy for you, Lord Zhou. In the past two days, a team will come from Jingjin to Qingshan County. All you have to do is to leave them in the city and then..." Hou Longtao said as he placed a small porcelain bottle on the table, "Insert the medicine ideas in it into the wine and food of Lord Li, who was the leader, and waited for him to die, and even if the matter was done."

Zhou Huanchen's eyes suddenly shrank: "You... let me harm others?" This was indeed beyond his expectations and also made him panic.

"A corrupt official who should be so guilty, I, the Imperial City Office, had long wanted to get rid of him for the people of the world. However, because he had a backer in the court and pretended well, he could not get rid of him. However, as the saying goes, evil will be punished. Now something happened to his family, and his biological father was related to the Luotian Sect's rebels and was also lingchied by the court. Although he escaped punishment as a son, he finally had to obey the system, so he returned to Huaibei from the capital..." Hou Longtao immediately revealed Li Ling's identity and made a subjective adaptation.

Zhou Huanchen's expression changed again: "Is the person Mr. Hou talking about is Li Ling and Lord Li?"

"What, do you know him?"

"Who doesn't know Lord Li in my officialdom in Huaibei!" Zhou Huanchen sighed and shook his head, "Please forgive me for not agreeing. I can't do this. Also, I would like to advise Lord Hou, you should give up this idea, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable. I just pretend that I didn't hear anything today, and I will not know it by a third person!" As he said that, he stood up and wanted to leave.

This killed Hou Longtao and his face suddenly sank: "Master Zhou, are you unwilling to cooperate with us? Do you know our Imperial City..."

"No matter how powerful the Imperial City Department is, it cannot control our Huaibei officialdom!" Zhou Huanchen said hard, and stopped staying, pushing the door and leaving, showing his attitude clearly.

Hou Longtao, who was left in the house after being rejected, looked blue and pale. Finally, he used his hand to crush the cup full of wine: "If you don't want to eat it, you shouldn't eat it!"

...
Chapter completed!