Local officials are also adding fuel to the flames. The Tea Horse Division levies a tea tax, and prefectures and counties impose tea taxes (because of the ban on Chuanxia 4th Road, tea taxes are not outrageous).

In some places, old tea leaves in late spring can only be sold for more than 20 Wen per catty, but the tax levied by the government on tea households can reach 80 Wen per catty. So the price is increased, which leads to the lower class people in tea-producing areas to drink

I can't afford such ridiculously expensive tea.

What’s even more amazing is that in Shaanxi, most states and counties do not produce tea, but they still require people to pay tea taxes.

Tea smuggling in Shaanxi is extremely serious. Big businessmen hide behind the scenes to transport tea over long distances, and ruffians are responsible for terminal distribution. Once caught, they will prey on large law-abiding households at will, until the prefectural magistrate and county are unable to continue the investigation.

As long as tea is smuggled across the several hundred miles of Tangluo Road, the profit will be over 100% in Shaanxi.

After leaving Anjiaping, Zhang Guangdao continued on his way to escort the goods.

We also encountered some small villages along the way, where we could exchange for food along the way.

The road over the mountains is the most difficult, and it is impossible to move along the river valley. It is also the place where the most thieves are found. Because there is no waterway, it is difficult for the government to send troops.

Groups of thieves generally do not dare to take action when encountering a large caravan of hundreds of people.

Until he was about to enter the valley again, Zhang Guangdao finally encountered a difficult situation.

“Swish swish swish!”

Four arrows were shot from the forest, all of them were military-standard bows and arrows.

Needless to say, some deserters must have turned into bandits.

The security team members of Daming Village were advancing cautiously while holding shields. Only one person was hit by an arrow in the calf.

The Zheng family's security guard was shot in the abdomen with an arrow.

The other two arrows missed.

Before the thief could fire another arrow, Zhang Guangdao shouted: "Form up!"

The combatants did not carry much, mainly food, and had almost finished eating when they reached this point. When they heard the order, they moved closer like a conditioned reflex, forming a mandarin duck formation and slowly moved forward.

The person carrying the tea leaves hurriedly turned sideways, quickly put down the goods, and pulled out the spear from the shelf.

"Throw darts!"

Zhang Guangdao gave an order, and the long-armed spears were thrown into the forest indiscriminately.

The hit rate of this kind of throw is extremely low because the target cannot be seen at all.

A scream came out, probably some unlucky guy had been hit by a dart.

Although no casualties were caused, Zhang Guangdao took the opportunity to rush into the forest.

He drew his bow and set up an arrow, advancing in coordination with the mandarin duck formation.

"kill!"

The thieves no longer hid, but actually appeared on their own initiative, and even used the terrain to double-team them.

No matter the villagers of Ming Dynasty or the clerks of the Zheng family, although they were all trembling with fear, no one ran away.

Because before setting off, we had repeatedly warned them, and only the brave ones were selected.

The only way to escape in the mountains is to be killed by bandits, eaten by wild animals, or starve to death due to lack of food.

They relied on the cargo sacks and picked up various weapons to prepare for resistance. Some people simply picked up rocks and threw them.

Zhang Guangdao spotted the guy with the thief's head and quickly drew his bow and shot.

An arrow hit him, but unfortunately he was not killed, but just shot in the shoulder.

Zhang Guangdao let the Yuanyang Formation rush to one side while he rushed to the other side alone.

The thief was hit by an arrow and fell down. Just as he was being protected by his men and getting up, the Yuanyang Formation had already rushed closer.

Although there were no wolf soldiers, the sword and shield hand guarded the front, and the spear behind them stabbed repeatedly. The thieves were in a mess and had no structure. Not everyone was a deserter, most of them were farmers who could not bear to be exploited.

With just one charge, the thieves here were defeated, and their leader was stabbed to death with random bullets.

Zhang Guangdao rushed towards Zhang Guangdao on the other side, with his gun raised and lowered, and instantly provoked three people. He has had better food this year, and he does not have to worry about trivial matters. He can concentrate on practicing martial arts every day, and his killing ability has improved a lot.

The more than twenty thieves here saw that Zhang Guangdao was so brave that they were so frightened by Zhang Guangdao that they turned around and ran away.

"Kill the thief!"

Zheng Sui, who had been guarding the goods, suddenly became more courageous. He picked up a knife and led his men to pursue Zhang Guangdao.

Seven thieves were killed on the spot and thirteen were captured.

Zhang Guangdao was too lazy to interrogate and directly ordered: "Kill all alive, cut off the heads and pile them together. Brother Zheng, I don't know much about literacy. If you carve words on the tree, just engrave 'Xixiang Zhang Guangdao kills thieves here'. Don't dare to do it again next time

If you come to rob, you have to consider whether your neck is stiff or not!"

The Zhu family and his son were enjoying happiness in the capital, but Zhang Guangdao was working hard in Zhongnan Mountain.

Zhu Guoxiang laid the foundation for Daming Village, but Zhang Guangdao did not develop step by step, but made his own decision and chose to partner with the Zheng family for smuggling.

Along the Tangluo Road, one smuggling trip would yield a net profit of more than a thousand dollars - on the way back, the private salt could be transported back to Guanzhong, and both the two hugely profitable commodities, tea and salt, would be made.
Chapter completed!