Chapter 377: More or less evil*
"Then where do you want to live?" Meng Changqing asked.
The man said: "Anywhere is fine, as long as it is far away from the mountains."
The woman nodded.
Meng Changqing was always wary and liked to think in the dark about everything. After asking around, it was found that except for the two victims, no one else could prove the appearance of the so-called robbers, which made her even more suspicious. Fortunately, she was a habitual person. He said one thing in his mind and another on the surface. His suspicions were intensifying at this moment, but his tone of voice was still gentle.
"According to what you said, the people on the mountain are watching you for revenge. Even if you move away, they will still have ways to retaliate. After all, your fields are here." Meng Changqing said, "Moving away is easy, but it is not a permanent solution."< br>
After Meng Changqing finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the house. Seeing that there were other villagers surrounding the courtyard, he called Yang Zheng and asked, "Which one of them speaks more coherently?"
Yang Zheng pointed at someone.
"Bring him here." Meng Changqing ordered.
Soon Yang Zheng brought the people over, and the three of them stayed away from the crowd and came to the place where the horses were tied outside the courtyard gate.
"What's your name?" Meng Changqing asked the person in front of him.
"The younger one is called Huang Liu."
"Huang Liu." Meng Changqing continued to ask: "Are you familiar with this family?"
"Ripe, ripe."
"Put it another way, do you have a good relationship with this family?"
This question made Huang Liu stunned for a moment. He thought for a while before answering, "It's not good, it's not bad either. We quarreled over some trivial things, but that's normal between neighbors." He added immediately after he finished speaking. , "I definitely can't say I have any grudges. I won't harm others."
"Don't worry." Meng Changqing said, "Tell me what you heard tonight."
What Huang Liu said was no different from what Yang Zheng asked before. He only heard the noise at home and did not see it with his own eyes.
"You all waited until the government officials arrived before going out. Are you sure you didn't see the robbers?"
“I really didn’t see it, I just heard the family shouting. Then I listened carefully and heard the sounds of people robbing things and the sound of the robbers cursing.”
"Did you hear what they were scolding?"
Huang Liu recalled carefully and said: "Listen clearly, this is your fate."
Meng Changqing lowered his eyes, "Can you tell who it is based on this voice?"
Huang Liu looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but didn't dare.
Yang Zheng scolded: "What are you afraid of! Just say it!"
Meng Changqing raised his hand to block Yang Zheng and said with a white face, "Don't scare people."
"It should be the Ma family on the mountain." Huang Liu said, "They are the only family that always gathers in groups, and they don't have to deal with people like us who used to live in the mountain."
Meng Changqing said: "Just judge by the sound, don't make any guesses."
Huang Liu became embarrassed, "I can't tell who it is just based on one sentence." He paused for a while and then said: "But that person spoke Mandarin. Only the Ma family in the mountains spoke Mandarin with that accent."
"I know."
Yang Zheng waved his hand, "Step back."
After Huang Liu left, Yang Zheng approached Meng Changqing and said, "Sir, do you think this couple's words cannot be trusted?"
"It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that you have to be more suspicious when investigating a case."
Meng Changqing's eyes were still on Huang Liu, and he saw him returning to the yard and pulling a woman to leave. This woman was standing with him and should be his wife.
At this moment, Bafang and Xi Bei had circled the house twice more and came to Meng Changqing. "I didn't find any marks." Meng Changqing nodded.
At this moment, Wanbao ran over and said, "Sir, those two people have something to tell you."
Meng Changqing: "Since you have something to say, bring someone here. It's cold and the road is slippery, so just bring this man."
Soon, the man was brought to Meng Changqing. The tears were still on his face, but he stopped crying and knelt down in front of Meng Changqing.
The dirty snow on the ground is half-melted and can easily penetrate the fabric.
"I beg you, the official, to make the decision for me and recover my family's food." The man kowtowed, "I am willing to take you all up the mountain."
Meng Changqing looked at the person in front of him and said nothing.
The man couldn't wait for any movement, so he stopped and looked at Meng Changqing eagerly.
"Get up and talk, let's help people up from all directions."
He said he was helping him, but in fact Bafang picked him up.
"The situation on the mountain is unknown. Even if you lead the way, I don't want to ask the officials to take risks."
The man became anxious, "There are not many people on the mountain, only about two hundred people, and many of them are women and elderly people. As long as we send men to block a few intersections, not a single one of those people on the mountain can escape."
"This matter needs to be discussed in the long term. It's not yet dawn. Please tell us carefully about the situation on the mountain and the intersections." Meng Changqing said: "Let's talk in your room."
Meng Changqing took out the pen and paper he had with him and marked the drawings on the paper based on what the man said.
During this period, Meng Changqing continued to ask questions from different directions and angles, and revised the content of the man's narrative many times.
After about an hour, Meng Changqing got a picture of the situation on the dangerous mountain.
There are two dangerous mountains in the east and west, connecting the two mountain ranges in the east and west. The mountain roads extend in all directions and are involved in Hongjia County, Weishan County and Yangmen County.
Even if the open way out is blocked, there are secret passages built on the mountain. Even the men in this family are not very clear about these secret passages.
If the situation on this map is true, then with the power of Meng Changqing's one county, it will be difficult to eradicate this group of people.
Meng Changqing returned to the county government office with this picture and stared at it for a long time until Bafang came in with breakfast.
"Master, let's eat first." Bafang sat down and yawned, "You can't catch anything if you keep staring. Besides, if you didn't say it yourself, that person may not be telling the truth."
"Where's Colonel Yang?"
"He will come home after breakfast." Bafang urged, "Let's eat too."
Meng Changqing sighed, since he couldn't make up his mind, let's not think about it for now.
We had just finished breakfast here, and before the dishes and chopsticks on the table were cleared, Yang Zheng came, and with him was Qi Renli.
"Sir, I heard that someone was robbed at the bottom of the dangerous mountain last night?" Qi Renli said, "I slept so deeply last night that I didn't hear any sound. If you want me to do anything, just ask."
"I haven't decided yet what to do, and I don't need to do anything." Meng Changqing smiled at him, "You should go about your own business first. I won't be polite when I ask for your help."
"Then...then I won't disturb you and Captain Yang." Qi Renli looked a little disappointed, but quickly regained his composure and went about the business at hand.
"Sit down and talk." Meng Changqing said to Yang Zheng.
"I have asked two groups of people to take turns guarding the small village." Yang Zheng said, "Wang Gen came back with news that the woman in that family was not very good. I asked Wang Gen to ask a doctor to come over."
"The way she cries like that will definitely be too much for her body."
After getting along for a long time, Yang Zheng can sometimes see Meng Changqing's thoughts, "Sir, do you think there is a high possibility that the other party will lure us up the mountain?"