Chapter 12 Golden State Warriors

  "Tiě Qí Huì"! This is the name that attracted Xiao Ziyang and made him reluctant to leave.

  The Iron Riders are a notorious gang of horse bandits on the Golden State Road. The gang's size is not particularly large, with a team of 700 or 800 people in the desolate and vast Golden State Road being only medium-sized, and there are not many masters in the gang; There are two reasons why this gang of horse bandits is so famous. First, Cao Tianhao, the leader of the Iron Riders, is recognized as the number one master of the black way in Jinzhou, or even the three states of the northwest! Second, this gang of horse bandits acts recklessly and does things that make people's hair stand on end, and it is the most notorious gang of horse bandits in the entire northwest three states.

  Xiao Ziyang is so sensitive to the Iron Riders, not because of their reputation, but because of one thing, a thing that made him regret for a long time and suffered from his conscience!

  That year, Xiao Ziyang followed Lei Genghu on a long journey to escort goods, and they went to Jinzhou.

  He still clearly remembers that it was the hottest summer days, and they were hiding from the scorching sun in a tea shed beside the official road on the hot plateau of Jinzhou in the afternoon.

  Just as Xiao Ziyang was dozing off, a wedding procession came walking along the official road. The whole group had been scorched by the sun and were all droopy and listless. The musicians were dragging their feet as they walked, not to mention playing any music. The entire procession was eerily quiet. Even the groom, riding on a large green mule, was nodding off to sleep.

  Looking at this drowsy and joyless wedding procession, Xiao Ziyang, who was still young at the time, couldn't help but want to laugh.

  He laughed for no more than two seconds before he couldn't laugh anymore, because at this moment, a group of horse bandits suddenly rushed out from the woods by the pipeline and charged into the wedding procession. They started killing indiscriminately!

  This welcoming team is made up of ordinary people, how can they resist this group of horse thieves like wolves! In an instant, the killed people fell to the ground.

  Xiao Ziyang grasped the wooden sword and was about to intervene, but was firmly held back by his adoptive father and another old escort. He watched helplessly as the group slaughtered the wedding procession, killed the groom, and abducted the bride!

  Afterwards, Xiao Ziyang, filled with righteous indignation, only then learned from his adoptive father that this group of people were actually the strongest horse bandits on the Jinzhou Road, the Iron Riders Association, and that yellow-faced man was the second-in-command of the Iron Riders Association.

  From that day on, the miserable cries of the welcoming team, the groom's high-flying head, the beautiful bride's face twisted in fear and the shrill cries for help tormented Xiao Ziyang for a long time. Therefore, he was particularly sensitive to this Iron Rider Association.

  Xiao Ziyang listened carefully and heard a piece of news that shocked him, yet filled him with joy - the Iron Cavalry that had plagued Jinzhou for nearly ten years and could stop children from crying at night had actually been annihilated just a few days ago!

  These few people around me didn't know much about the details of the matter either, they only knew that the Iron Riders had somehow offended one of the ten major sects of Western Liang, Hanmo Fortress. Not only was their old nest raided, but Hanmo Fortress also issued a wanted order, offering a high reward for the capture and killing of the three leaders of the Iron Riders who escaped!

  This news made Xiao Ziyang's mood, which had been ruined by these few people, recover again. He first treated the few of them to a meal and then carefully inquired about the ins and outs of this matter.

  These several people are also very generous and open with their answers to his questions. However, what these few people know is also quite limited, and they can't ask out too many useful messages.

  Before long, at noon, under the invitation of the three escorts, the Golden Knife Escort Bureau tidied up and slowly drove out of Qingquan Town.

  Five days later, the caravan arrived at the city of Shuoan in Gan Prefecture.

  Shuo An City was nothing in the entire Western Liang State, but in the vast and sparsely populated northwest three states, it was considered a first-rate prosperous place.

  Shuoan City is close to the Jinzhou border, located on a plain, with flat terrain and no strategic passes or strongholds for defense. As it serves as the granary of the northwest, it is extremely important. The city walls are built exceptionally high and large.

  The Shuo'an city wall is divided into two layers, the outer wall is four zhang high, and the inner city is nine zhang high. There is a distance of nearly twenty zhang between the two cities. The city gate has a watchtower.

  The Golden Dagger Escort Agency's convoy gradually approached the North Gate, and as they looked at the officials and soldiers wearing dark armor and holding knives and guns in the distance, the escorts all fell silent.

  Upon arriving at the city gate, Li Hu waved his hand to stop the convoy and quickly stepped forward. He first paid the gate tax, then took advantage of the officer's distraction to slip two silver ingots into the officer's hand, saying: "Sir, this cart is carrying medicinal materials entrusted by Fu Rui Tang. If you're not assured, I can have someone open the boxes right now."

  The city gate official looked at Li Hu for a moment, nodded, and casually pointed to the trunk, ordering the soldiers to come forward and inspect it. Li Hu hastily ordered his servant to open it, and after the soldier took a look, he used his long spear to stir it twice before nodding towards the city gate official. The city gate official waved his hand and gave the order to let them pass.

  Li Hu nodded and bowed his head in thanks to the city gate official, and the convoy slowly started moving again.

  The team passed through Weng City and then passed another city gate into Shuoan City.

  The city of Shuoan is nearly sixty miles in circumference, with three hundred thousand inhabitants within its walls. Its prosperity is beyond comparison to the small towns along the way.

  After entering the city gate, a wide and straight main road of six or seven zhangs stretched out before us. On both sides of the road stood rows of wine shops and stores, with people packed in like a tapestry, rubbing shoulders and treading on each other's heels.

  The procession went south along the main road for a short while, and when they could see the majestic prefectural government office in the center of the city, they turned east and entered a street.

  This street is exceptionally prosperous, with three or four-story high-rise buildings on both sides, and magnificent shops that are five or six zhang high. The people coming and going on this street are also mostly dressed in finery, clearly either wealthy or noble.

  Everyone from the Golden Sword Escort Agency felt ashamed and humiliated, lowering their heads as they hurried along, not daring to look around.

  Before long, the convoy stopped in front of a spacious pharmacy with a three-story building facing the street, nearly ten zhang wide, and five large doors lined up. Above the central gate was a huge plaque with the three ancient and simple characters "Fu Rui Tang" written in gold paint.

  Li Hu jumped off the carriage and ran to the entrance of the pharmacy, bowing to the shop assistant and saying: "I am Jin Dao Biao, the leader of the Golden Knife Escort Agency, entrusted by Shan Nei County Fu Rui Tang Branch, to escort a batch of medicinal materials to Shuo An Fu Rui Tang General Department. Please trouble you, little brother, to announce my arrival."

  The fellow looked at the vehicle fleet for a moment, nodded, and turned into the pharmacy.

  After a moment, the fellow came out and said to Li Hu: "Follow me."

  He led the convoy a few more steps forward and came to an alley on one side of the pharmacy, directing the convoy to drive in.

  Originally in the alley, there was a side door on the wall beside the drugstore, and at this moment, a middle-aged man was waiting at the door.

  The shopkeeper stepped forward and bowed to the middle-aged man, saying: "Third Master Zhang, these are the medicinal herbs sent by Shan Nei Xian's Fen Huan number, entrusted to someone to deliver."

  After finishing speaking, he introduced Li Hu again: "This is our Furei Hall's Manager Li."

  Li Hu hastily stepped forward and paid his respects: "I've seen Master Li, fortunately I didn't disappoint your orders, the medicine has been safely delivered, please take a look."

  Li Zhuang then nodded slightly and said: "First drive the carriage in, don't block the road."