The weather is not suitable for traveling these days.

During the rainy season in Gangnam-do, the air is humid and hot, with occasional rain and sometimes cloudy weather.

Like a wet towel that has been twisted to the extreme but still wet with sweat, it is draped on the back.

However, with the seal of Khufu, the emperor's personal envoy, and the saint's handwriting that he carried close to his body,

Cai Qin and other garrison troops returning north had a smooth journey, and with the bonus of boats and other means of transportation, they could hurry even in rainy days.

Although as they get closer and closer to Hongzhou and Jiangzhou, they still have to face checkpoints guarded by strict soldiers.

After the night when Cai Qin asked strange questions.

Khufu, who was restless, began to give up drinking.

It is no longer an attempt to use this thing to get close to the garrison generals and gain favor.

He began to stay awake day and night.

It was also on the afternoon of the third day after seeing the strange young man in a felt hat in the middle of the night that Khufu met the Captain Du whom Cai Qin mentioned.

This is a young man with an average appearance and a strong build. His skin is tanned and has wheat-colored skin. He really looks like a military attache of the border army.

Wearing a felt hat, he is quite low-key.

The current situation was already sensitive, and Cai Qin and other garrison soldiers returning from the north were already the object of attention from all parties. Khufu was naturally curious about the so-called Captain Du who returned from the army halfway.

It's just that Lieutenant Du was somewhat similar to Lieutenant Su from Zhechong Mansion in Jiangzhou. He was dull and dull, and Hu Fu didn't find much opportunity to talk to him.

It seems that they discovered that Khufu had begun to drink alcohol. Cai Qin and other generals stopped calling him when they drank at night.

Khufu didn't think anything was wrong at first, but gradually he realized that Cai Qin and others were discussing the matter and no longer called him.

Although they still treated him with great respect and respect, they no longer consulted him on issues such as where and how long the garrison would be stationed on the way back to the north. Instead, they made their own decisions and only sent someone to report afterwards.

Khufu was naturally dissatisfied and negotiated several times, but he was always put off by the excuse that the military needed professional generals and the envoy could rest in peace.

Later, Cai Qin and others would come to him only when they needed to clear customs documents or come forward to overcome difficulties faced by local officials.

However, these are not what worry Khufu the most.

What made him a little angry was that in recent days, he found that there were more weapons, armors and other items in the garrison team.

The garrison team that was originally disarmed in Tanzhou Prefecture gradually re-armed.

On this day, looking at the sporadic appearance of self-defeating soldiers with knives and leather armor in the team camp, Khufu looked dissatisfied and found Cai Qin and other generals at the front of the team:

"General Cai, what's going on with all these swords and armor? Didn't you promise me and the court to put down your weapons and return home lightly?"

Cai Qin exchanged glances with his companions around him, then turned around and said:

"The Lieutenant General has misunderstood. This matter has nothing to do with the general and other officers. It is the armor carried by the brothers privately. The brothers have no ill intentions."

After a pause, he added:

"Some of them were kept secretly before, and some were purchased randomly with their own money along the way..."

Khufu panted and glared: "It's a good thing, but it's a private possession, and what's the point of buying soldiers and armor?"

Cai Qin showed no sign of guilt on his face, but explained very patiently:

"The Lieutenant-General has not been in the military camp for a long time, so he doesn't know the details. Well, the swords and armors are the old companions of the soldiers, and most of them are brought to the army by themselves as military households.

"Some of them are family heirlooms, so naturally they are regarded as treasures. I had turned in a lot of them in Tanzhou Prefecture before.

"But there are some brothers who feel sorry for their family property and have hidden one or two items. This is normal. It is not easy for everyone at the moment. I hope you will forgive me."

Khufu calmed down and asked again in a low voice:

"What's the matter with buying something halfway? How can there be a channel to purchase and build something that is controlled by the imperial court?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Qin and the generals looked at Khufu with strange eyes and tried to ask:

"Your Majesty, there should be few from the south."

"What does it have to do with the fact that Zajia spends less time in the south?"

Cai Qin patiently explained:

"The south is no better than the north. It has been at peace for a long time and the controls are not as strict.

"In some remote places where banditry is serious, the government encourages people to use weapons to defend themselves. Even in remote areas where two villages compete for water sources, they can even beat people to the head with weapons and cause bloodshed."

After a pause, he laughed and said:

"Anyway, there are a lot of weapons hidden among the people in the south. In the town we just passed by, I saw some hunters selling powerful bows privately. At first glance, they exceeded the number of bow power stones strictly controlled by the imperial court."

"this……"

Khufu was shocked. He was a northerner and he really didn’t know much about the customs and customs of Jiangnan and Lingnan.

Don’t you think that men from the North are skilled in bows and horses, brave and aggressive, and shouldn’t the South be a place where people live in small bridges and flowing water?

Cai Qin looked at his face that kept changing in just a few breaths, opened his hands, and sighed:

"Please rest assured, Lieutenant-General, it's just that some brothers are not sensible. The general and the captains will never do such a thing knowingly or deliberately, nor hide the armor secretly."

When Khufu saw Cai Qin in front of him, he opened his hand and motioned for him to check.

Behind Cai Qin, the generals including Du Xiaowei and Su Xiaowei were also dressed in round-neck soap uniforms, without armor or swords.

"No, it can't be like this."

Khufu frowned and said sternly: "All the weapons and armor on the soldiers must be confiscated."

A school captain looked embarrassed:

"The envoy is accommodating. Brothers have something to hide and have not committed any crimes. It is not easy for us to say anything."

Khufu shook his head: "No, this was agreed upon in Tanzhou Mansion, how can it be changed?"

The air was silent for a while. When Khufu saw the silent Cai Qin, he suddenly raised his head:

"When we were in Tanzhou Prefecture, Mr. Hu didn't seem to say that there would be strict guards along the way, just like guarding against thieves.

"Master Hu, may I ask, has anyone ever treated an unarmed returnee like this?"

Khufu wanted to speak, but Cai Qin's heart seemed to be cold, and his voice became colder and asked:

"Master Hu, I would like to ask the princes of the imperial court and the local governors whether they are really pardoning and letting go, or are they worried about some accidents and fearing that the soldiers will be dispersed on the road and cause trouble, so they sent adults here as a delaying strategy."

Khufu suddenly choked.

In full view of everyone, he gritted his teeth and said:

"General Cai definitely misunderstood. The saints and princes had absolutely no such intention. The soldiers guarding the pass along the way were just the opinions of the local Tsoer officials, and they had absolutely no intention to target the soldiers.

"Let me ask... let me ask you, if there is really any conspiracy, are the Za family fools? If they follow you all the time, aren't they standing under a dangerous wall?"

Suddenly a captain came from behind and replied in a muffled voice:

"The officers and men have no intention of harming the place or scheming evil. Wearing heavy armor is just for self-protection. It is human nature.

"Let me ask you, what kind of hero can stay safe forever with his bare hands but being watched by strict security guards every day as if he were on guard against thieves?"

Khufu discovered that the person who made the noise was none other than the newly arrived Captain Du.

"That's right, that's right."

"Brother Du is right."

Cai Qin and other generals responded in support.

Shut up Khufu,

fell into silence.

After a while, the team continued to move forward.

The garrison soldiers who did not secretly hide their armor were punished.

Khufu forgot how he returned in a daze later.

He only remembered that under the pressure of Cai Qin and others' increasingly cold expressions, he had no choice but to nod.

However, he soon felt the backlash caused by this insignificant nod.

In the ranks, more and more self-protection garrison troops were rearmed and visible to the naked eye.

Sure enough, once this hole is loosened, it will only get bigger and bigger.

Khufu became anxious.

That day and night, the garrison team was stationed on the outskirts of a state city.

As usual, I received military supplies and envoys from the state government to express condolences, but they were tacitly refused to enter the city. Except for the envoy, no one else was allowed to enter the city.

The two sides maintain a certain tacit understanding of distance that cannot be broken. This is also the norm between the garrison soldiers returning to the north and the local states and counties along the way.

In a certain tent in the temporary military camp, there was a tall figure of a bearded eunuch walking around.

Khufu frowned and wandered in the tent for a while, then turned to look outside the tent and saw the dimly lit state city in the distance.

"No, there's something wrong with the atmosphere. We need to report it to the court..."
To be continued...