The Jade of the Republic of China

Dunzhu picked two tall horses from the racecourse, one black and one white, with shiny hair, fat and strong body, strong limbs, and they looked like good horses for long distances.

The two of them brought simple dry food, each with a gun in their waists, straddled their horses and swung their whips, and galloped towards the southeast.

Meng Liansheng was so anxious that he wished he could put on his wings and fly to the artesian well. He only stopped to rest a little when the horse couldn't run anymore. Therefore, it took the two of them a little more than a day to get there, which should have been a journey of at least two days.

Meng Liansheng only stayed in Ziliujing for one day, but he really has a good memory. When he followed Shen Yutong to visit the saltworks, on the middle of the mountain, he glanced at the surrounding scenery inadvertently, and remembered the topography of the small town.

Just in case, he and Dunzhu tied their horses outside the city, and they sneaked into the city from the Fuxi River.

Brigadier Liu is right. Except for the traces of bombing at the city gate, the whole town is no different from before. The restaurants, prostitutes and smokehouses are still brightly lit and full of guests. It’s just that the new army is probably stationed. There were more patrolling soldiers than before, but they seemed to be wandering the streets with guns in hand, and did not stop any passers-by, including Meng Liansheng and Dunzhu who sneaked into the city.

He took Dunzhu all the way to the gate of Shen's house calmly.The door was closed tightly, and Meng Liansheng knocked on the door for a long time before someone tentatively opened it.

It was the old housekeeper who opened the door. Although he was old, Meng Liansheng had only been away for about ten days, so naturally he still remembered the second young master as a friend.

"Xiao Meng, why are you here?" The old butler looked around and waved, "Come in."

When Meng Liansheng saw his terrified appearance, he knew that the place was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface. He walked into the room and asked in a low voice, "Where is the second young master?"

The old housekeeper sighed and said, "It has been five days since I was detained in the yamen by the new Mr. Wang."

Meng Liansheng asked, "Why?"

The old housekeeper said: "It's not for the money." He raised a finger as he spoke, "It takes 100 million oceans to release the second young master. This is not a soldier, but a bandit."

Meng Liansheng's brain twitched slightly, and he asked again, "Where's Brother Tianci?"

"The shopkeeper went to the provincial capital to raise money, but you don't have to worry, Xiaomeng. Mr. Wang is doing it for the money, and he won't do anything with the second son. It's the second son..."

Meng Liansheng asked, "What's wrong with the second son?"

The old housekeeper sighed, and said with a sad face: "Second son is arrogant, how could he bear this humiliation, he was locked in the room, and he couldn't even eat. I heard about this this morning, and I sent some food from home, so he just a little bit. I took a few bites. It’s only been a few days, and I’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Meng Liansheng frowned and asked, "Where is Second Young Master locked up?"

The old housekeeper said: "Where else can it be? It's the south courtyard of the Yamen mansion."

"I'll go see him." Meng Liansheng nodded knowingly, let go of his hand and turned to go out again.

The old housekeeper yelled behind him: "Xiao Meng, it's so late, you won't let you see the second son if you go to see him."

Meng Liansheng waved his hands without looking back: "I have my own way."

Shen Yutong took him to visit this bluestone main street from beginning to end. Mr. Wang's office was the former Brigadier Liu's office. It was built next to the river. It was originally a house of a big salt merchant. When the army was stationed, the salt merchant donated the house.

The south courtyard is a small side courtyard of the mansion, with the Fuxi River behind it. A big willow tree has half of its branches on the roof and half of it hangs down on the bank of the Fuxi River.

Meng Liansheng took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was almost eleven o'clock.

With a clear understanding, he put away his pocket watch and raised his hand to signal to Dhondup beside him.

Dhondup clearly took out a thick hemp rope, tied it to a tree branch, and then climbed up the rope.

Although he was born tall and burly, he moved very nimbly, falling from the willow tree to the back of the tile, almost without making any sound.

Meng Liansheng followed after him, his movements were lighter than his.

The two cautiously lay on the roof and looked into the courtyard.

Tonight is the last quarter moon, the lights in the house are turned off, and a little moonlight is scattered in the dark yard, and two guard soldiers can barely be seen sitting in front of a door.Holding guns in both hands, the two leaned crookedly against the wall, probably already dozing off.

Meng Liansheng nodded towards Dunzhu, and the two slowly moved over the other two and jumped down at the same time.The sound of the landing was very light, but it still alarmed the guards in shallow sleep.

It's just the guard's sluggish reaction. After all, it was a step too late. Before they opened their eyes, a hand knife fell on each of their necks.

After the small noise, only the faint hum of cicadas remained in the yard.

Meng Liansheng took out a dagger, inserted it into the crack of the door, and opened the latch bit by bit.

Being imprisoned in this small courtyard for the past few days, Shen Yutong felt resentful and depressed, and couldn't sleep well every day.Lying on the bed tonight, he was still tossing and turning, so when he heard the rustling sound from the door, he almost immediately stood up from the bed, and asked nervously: "Who?"

Meng Liansheng outside the door quickly replied in a low voice, "Second Young Master."

"Xiao Meng!" Shen Yutong turned pale with fright, almost got off the bed in a hurry, even forgot to put on his shoes, walked to the door barefoot, and was about to open the door, but the door was pushed open from the outside.

Meng Liansheng walked into the dark room, while Dunzhu stood guard outside spontaneously.

Although only a vague figure could be seen, Shen Yutong recognized that it was Xiao Meng.

He simply felt like a dream, he didn't know how the other party came in, and he didn't know what happened outside, but it must not be above board.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, grabbed the visitor with surprise, joy and worry, and said in a low voice, "Xiao Meng, why are you here?"

Meng Liansheng said: "Brigade Commander Liu fled to Xikang and told about the situation here. I was worried about Second Young Master, so I hurried over here on horseback. Second Young Master, I will take you out of here first."

Shen Yutong glanced outside the door and saw Dunzhu under the black shadow pupils. She knew that Meng Liansheng still had helpers, but she was still worried.The feeling of being coerced by someone is really uncomfortable. Of course he wants to leave this ghostly place, but if Mr. Wang finds out, as the second young master of the Shen family, he will naturally not be in any danger. But for Meng Liansheng and his helper, Mr. Wang There is no reason to show mercy.

He calmed down, withdrew his hand and said, "Xiao Meng, it's too dangerous. If you are discovered, you and your companions will die. I'm fine here. Mr. Wang is just asking for money, so he won't do anything to me."

Meng Liansheng said: "This time I want 100 million, and next time I can ask for 200 million or more. Even if I put you back, I won't let you leave Ziliujing for a while. If you stay here, the person surnamed Wang can keep getting money." You are blackmailing the Shen family. You go to Xikang with me to stay for a while, Brigadier Liu will call back, and then you will come back and continue to run the salt factory."

In front of Shen Yutong, he is always dull and even a little bit shy, like a child who is not familiar with the world, but at the moment he is clearly a calm and decisive man.

Shen Yutong was moved by his words, and she also knew that this is the truth now.Brigadier Liu and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army will never give up Artesian Well just like that.

This artesian well battle is not over yet.

It is indeed more suitable for him to escape than to stay here.

After pondering for a moment, he finally nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you, but you have to promise me that if we are discovered, you and your companions run away quickly and leave me alone."

Meng Liansheng curled his mouth in the dark: "I promise."

It's not appropriate to say too much, Shen Yutong hastily put on his clothes and shoes, and followed the other party out the door.

Meng Liansheng first climbed up to the roof with the rope, and then pulled Shen Yutong up, with Dunzhu behind him.Then he slid down from the willow tree, ran to the Fuxi River, found a rowing boat, and walked out of the city along the river.

The journey was smooth, until they got on the horse, and there was a gunshot not far away. It should be that Mr. Wang found that the person was missing and was notifying him to arrest him.

The three of them didn't dare to delay, so they rode their horses and galloped quickly.

Since they only had two horses, Shen Yutong and Meng Liansheng had to ride together.

Fortunately, this horse is a top-quality horse, and it can walk like flying with two grown men on its back.

In the night, there was soon the sound of horseshoes catching up, accompanied by crackling gunshots.

Shen Yutong, a pampered and rich young master, had never experienced this before, and felt terribly frightened.

Hearing the gunshots coming closer and closer, Meng Liansheng shouted, "Second Young Master, hold on tight!"

As soon as the words fell, the whip in his hand lashed the horse's back fiercely, and the painful horse raised its hooves, and ran swiftly under the dim moonlight.

Shen Yutong hugged him tightly, her body was bouncing up and down on the horse's back uncontrollably, her heart was pounding, as if it was about to pop out of her chest, but was obliterated by the howling night wind.

The person in front of him becomes the only one to rely on.

Although he was a little scared, the never-before-experienced adventure also made him, the pampered young master, feel a strange excitement.

After an unknown amount of time, there was finally no sound from behind, but Meng Liansheng and Dunzhu didn't dare to stop, and continued to drive the horses under them, heading west.

When the sky turned pale and they arrived at a border town, the two steeds were finally too tired to run, and the three finally stopped completely.

Not only was Male almost foaming at the mouth, but he was also at his limit.

Not to mention Shen Yutong, a young master from Shanghai, even Dunzhu, a Xikang warrior, was too tired to fight.

The three of them found an inn, ate some snacks to fill their stomachs, and fell asleep.

When Meng Liansheng woke up, the afternoon sun was shining through the window, falling on the simple wooden bed.

He blinked, turned his head, and looked at Shen Yutong beside him. The other party was still sleeping unconsciously, showing no sign of waking up. It seemed that he hadn't slept much for several days.

Compared with the time when we parted a few days ago, Shen Yutong was obviously much thinner. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see the haggardness on his face, and some messy stubble appeared around his mouth.

But it still didn't damage his handsomeness, on the contrary, he added a bit of leisurely beauty.

Meng Liansheng couldn't help stretching out his hand. With his rough fingertips, he stroked lightly from top to bottom on the opponent's cheek, and finally stopped on the slightly dry lips, caressing gently.

Shen Yutong still didn't wake up.

This defenseless reaction meant his trust in the people around him.

The corners of Meng Liansheng's mouth curled up silently.

He withdrew his hand, and looked at the other side with a pair of dark eyes.

He thought happily, now Shen Yutong has no servants, no bodyguards, only him.

He is his reliance, his only one.

Just thinking about it made him overjoyed.

Probably because he didn't close his eyes for a few days, his whole body suddenly relaxed. Shen Yutong's sleep was like a deep sleep, and when he opened his eyes, it was already sunset.

He actually slept the whole day.

Seeing him wake up, Meng Liansheng said, "Second Young Master, you're awake, are you hungry? I fetched water, so you can wash up and eat."

Shen Yutong sat up, rubbed her drowsy forehead, and said, "Xiao Meng, why didn't you call me?"

Meng Liansheng said, "I think you seem sleepy, so I'll let you sleep more."

Shen Yutong took a deep breath, smiled bitterly and said, "It's really too sleepy."

He walked to the table and was washing his face when the door was pushed open and a tall and burly young man walked in. It was Dunzhu.

Last night, they ran all the way without stopping. Shen Yutong and Meng Liansheng, the companions, hadn't had time to speak seriously, and they didn't know each other's identities yet.

Seeing someone come in now, he wiped his face clean and said, "Xiao Meng, haven't you introduced your friend to me yet?"

"My name is Dunzhu." Dunzhu pulled out a stool, and Da Ma sat down firmly, so that he could look at him leisurely.

Meng Liansheng took the basin away, poured another cup of tea and handed it to Shen Yutong, and said unhurriedly: "Dunzhu is the son of chieftain Sangji. Hearing that my friend was trapped in Ziliujing, he picked the best horse in the racecourse and told him I went to the Artesian Well together, and this time I was able to rescue the second son, thanks to Dunzhu."

Shen Yutong didn't expect Dunzhu to be the son of the chieftain. Although he knew that the man in Xikang was warm and forthright, Meng Liansheng had only known this man for a few days?Tangtang, the son of a chieftain, actually came with him to save himself.

He rinsed his mouth with tea, stood up and cupped his hands and said politely: "Mr. Shen, thank Brother Dunzhu for saving me."

Dunzhu raised his eyebrows and waved his hands indifferently: "Xiaomeng's friends are my friends. It's just..."

He looked Shen Yutong up and down, his thick eyebrows slightly frowned.

From the moment he entered the room, seeing Meng Liansheng busily serving others, he felt that Xiao Meng was a different friend than he had expected.It was dark last night and I didn't see clearly, but now Shen Yutong's appearance is clear at a glance.He originally thought that since Xiao Meng could ride a horse and hunt, his friends should be as brave as him.However, this young master Shen is clearly a pampered son of the Han family, not to mention weak, but it is definitely not a problem to beat him three or four times by himself.

Shen Yutong's handsome appearance does not conform to Dunzhu's aesthetics at all. He is neither powerful enough nor has dark skin. He is simply a worthless little boy.

But Dunzhu felt that he should not judge people by their appearance, so after thinking for a while, he asked, "Are you a good rider?"

Shen Yutong said: "It's okay, but it's definitely not comparable to you."

Dun Zhu took off the blunderbuss from his waist again: "Then do you know how to shoot?"

Shen Yutong shook her head: "I really don't know how to do this."

Meng Liansheng said: "Dunzhu, the second son is the young master of the Great Salt Merchant. He is different from us. He doesn't play with these things."

Dunzhu curled his lips and said, "Do you know why the Qing Dynasty perished? It was just 200 years after entering the customs, the Eight Banners only knew how to play with birds and grasshoppers, and they couldn't even ride horses, let alone fight. The same goes for you Han young masters. But anyone who is as brave and good at fighting as we Xikang people will not be oppressed by foreigners casually. If foreigners call us in Xikang, there is only one end for them, and that is to meet their God."

The other party's honesty made Shen Yutong dumbfounded. He also saw that the young chieftain didn't seem to like him very much, but he had to admit that what the other party said was not rough.

He smiled sheepishly, showing shame: "Brother Dunzhu is right. If the Chinese nation wants to stand up, we really need young people like us to be self-reliant."

However, Meng Liansheng on the side quit: "Dunzhu, the second son is very powerful."

Dun Zhu asked disapprovingly, "What's so great about him?"

Meng Liansheng said: "Although the second son can't shoot a gun, he can make refined salt, which is whiter and finer than snowflakes. Foreigners used to call us a nation that eats soil. Now the second son has built a refined salt factory so that ordinary people can Eating refined salt, isn’t it more powerful than riding a horse and shooting a gun?”

The salt that Dunzhu usually saw and ate was coarse and yellow soil salt, but he didn’t expect there to be refined salt as white as snow, so he couldn’t help being interested: “Really?”

"Of course it's true." Meng Liansheng and You Rongyan nodded, "Dunzhu, you are a great warrior, but the reason why foreigners invaded China was not only because of strength, but because of foreign guns and cannons. Foreign guns and cannons rely on technology. What the second son learned in England is chemical technology."

Since Dunzhu can speak fluent Chinese, it means that he has read a lot of books, so he naturally knows a thing or two about science and technology. Hearing what he said, he finally changed his mind about Shen Yutong: "I will say Xiaomeng's friend, It must be something."

Shen Yutong also didn't know how Meng Liansheng subdued this young chieftain, but obviously, this young master who had been abroad was far inferior to the little Meng he spoke of.

But think about it, apart from having a better background, maybe I really can't compare to Meng Liansheng.At this moment, leaving the halo of the second son of the Shen family, he still has to rely on Xiaomeng's protection.

The author has something to say:

Xiaomeng: The second son is my male god, if you speak ill of him, I will beat you to death!