The process of "going up the mountain," or rather "entering the cave," went exceptionally smoothly. Fan the Cook's shop in Jiagu Market was so brazen that anyone could tell at a glance it offered a way in, and they had intended to take advantage of that route anyway. Still, the cook was rather too perceptive, which put Zhang Xing and Qin Bao secretly on their guard.
As they went along, however, they gradually relaxed their vigilance.
There was no other reason: although the terrain along the way was treacherous, with obvious defenses such as palisades and suspension bridges, almost everyone they saw was dispirited. There were tough, capable men among them, but they all hurried to and fro, paying no attention to those things.
Clearly, the gathering of so many bandits in such a short time had caused a kind of low-intensity humanitarian disaster in the area, destroying some of the local order to a certain extent... For Zhang Xing and Qin Bao, who had come to fish in troubled waters, that was naturally excellent news.
At the same time, however, there was an absurd fact: despite the severe Yang Shen Rebellion at the beginning of the year and the ruinous defeat of the Second Dongyi Campaign, neither had noticeably destroyed government order nearby, nor caused a grain shortage at the autumn harvest.
In other words, a few dozen li outside this bandit nest lay a scene of peace and prosperity... The bustle of the Metasequoia Forest remained vivid in their minds, and the convoy moving slowly along the Huan River was laden with grain, money, silk, and treasures.
Seen that way, it seemed to offer even further proof of the superiority of the Great Wei court's rule...
But never mind Zhang Xing-even Qin Bao knew where these people had