The fire in Yangzhou City was soaring, outside the city wall, at the southeast corner, a group of scouts of the official army was galloping towards the position outside the east gate.

There was a crisp "click" from the sound of the horse's hooves, the horse's hooves snapped, and the knight on the horse fell to the ground.

"Trap in the pit!

The scout captain behind him was an experienced veteran, and he reacted in an instant.

The scout team then grabbed their mounts.

There was a cracking sound, and several pitch-black iron arrows shot out of the low bushes on one side, heading straight for the scout team.

Caught off guard, the scout team's horses were hit by arrows, and the outermost horses fell to the ground with a wail.

The horse died, but the man was fine.

"Dismount, there is an ambush!" shouted the captain who had just spoken again.

The scouts panicked, holding shields and hiding behind their fallen horses.

"Shoot the arrows!"

After finding cover, the scout team shot the crossbow arrows in their hands as soon as possible under the command of the captain.

The bolts covered most of the bushes, and after waiting for a while, there was not the slightest movement in the bushes, and there was no counterattack or wail.

The scout captain then raised his right hand and gestured toward the bushes. The accompanying team members cautiously walked out from behind the horses, bent their waists, and slowly touched the bushes.

As the scouts approached the bushes, a rocket suddenly flew over the canal in the distance.

With a "bang", the bushes burst into flames.

A sudden heat wave tossed several scouts close to the bushes to the ground.

"Shoot the arrows!"

Another round of arrows rained down, and nothing could be heard in the firelight, except for the sound of burning bushes.

The skyrocketing flames blocked the scouts' view, otherwise they would have seen a small boat covered in black curtains departing quickly but quietly on the canal not far away.

On the small boat, two teenagers rocked the oars one on the left and the other on the right.

The young man on the right said to his companion next to him with a little dissatisfaction: "Fang Zhou, why didn't you shoot people directly just now?"

Fang Zhou smiled, in the dark night, the bright moonlight sprinkled on the young man's face, which was very beautiful.

"Why shoot people? Our purpose is just to stop them for a moment, and we just shoot the horse. ”

The companion on the right was obviously not convinced, frowned and said, "There is a risk if people don't die." ”

"What's the risk? The crossbow arrows in the bushes were all snatched from the rebels, and even if the fire didn't burn clean and they picked it up, it would be impossible for them to find us. ”

"The eldest brother said that suspicion only needs one reason is enough! Wang Zhongsi is not a stupid person, once he perceives that there is still a third-party force, we may be exposed. ”

"Hey, I said Cui Luan, can you not always be suspicious?" Fang Zhou looked at his companion impatiently, and muttered: "You kid knows how to kill people all day long, why is it so murderous!"

"Big brother said that only the dead are safest!" Cui Luan retorted.

"The eldest brother said, the eldest brother said, the eldest brother also said that he wanted to be kind to others! People are not enemies, don't always shout and shout and kill all day long, at a young age, you are so murderous all day long, can you find a wife in the future?" Fang Zhou said in an old-fashioned manner.

"Cut!" Cui Luan rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Are they all like you, they have learned such good archery skills, and they are not aimed at the key point every time, and it is estimated that you have never seen blood in your hands in our group of brothers!"

"That's not right!" Speaking of this, Cui Luan seemed to think of something, tilted his head and stared at Fang Zhou and asked, "You shouldn't be fainting, right?"

"Cut! how...... How is that possible!Just kidding!" Fang Zhou straightened up, his voice raised. No matter how you look at it, there is a smell of wanting to cover it.

"Oh...... I see! No wonder when the big guy chose the weapon, you only chose the bow and arrow, and every time you rehearsed the formation, you refused to be a wolf and a spearman, and hid behind the team all day with a shield and a short sword. Okay......" Cui Luan laughed, a little sinister, with the pride of seeing through other people's privacy.

"You...... Don't be blind...... Nonsense!"

"Nonsense" and "nonsense", these two words have completely different meanings, and Fang Zhou, who is hesitant, has obviously acquiesced to his companion's speculation.

"Hey, hey, hey, if I don't tell others, then it's up to you!" Cui Luan said with a smile.

"Brother...... Brother Cui, what conditions do you have, junior brother will definitely do it!Don't tell anyone about this!" Fang Zhou instantly changed his clothes and smiled flatteringly.

"Hmm...... Seeing that you are so sincere, Brother Cui, I will reluctantly agree!" Cui Luan nodded slowly.

Fang Zhou listened and breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, big brother, I definitely won't hide it!"

"Huh?"

……

The boats on the canal went farther and farther, and the bushes were poured with the special fire oil made by the teenagers, which burned for a long time.

The captain of the scouts obviously didn't have the patience to wait any longer, and called a few scouts and ordered, "Wait here, and when the fire is out, go in and search." ”

"The rest of me go with me to the East Gate!"

……

Outside the west gate of Yangzhou, the fire on the city wall is still fierce. The besieging officers and troops had already withdrawn, and Wang Zhongsi was standing on the outer city wall of Yangzhou a mile away at the moment, looking at the fire-filled Yangzhou City, silent.

"Report!"

The captain of the scouts who had gone to the east gate finally rushed back.

"Say!" Wang Zhongsi turned around and said in a deep voice.

"Captain, the position outside the east gate is empty!" the scout captain reported truthfully.

Originally, Wang Zhonghe's reaction was one step slower than the rebels, and the scout team heading to the east gate was stopped by an inexplicable attack on the way for a while. By the time the scout team arrived outside the East Gate, the last of the rebels' naval warships had already left the East Gate Wharf.

"No one?" Wang Zhongsi's words already carried a hint of anger.

The scout captain was taken aback by the majesty exuded by the marshal, and a little cold sweat overflowed on his forehead.

"Report ...... Report to the big man! The small one found some traces on the dock at the East Gate, which should be traces of a large number of people and horses' activities!"

"Wharf?" Wang Zhongsi was stunned after hearing this, and then asked Han Zhi on the side in a hurry: "Did you mention the rebel army's sailors in the military report of Li Lun's defeat last time?"

Han Zhi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes! It is true that the rebels have a water division!"

In fact, it is not to blame Wang Zhongsi for making such an obvious mistake, and he did not even pay attention to the survival of the rebel sailors.

In these years, Datang has never paid attention to the water army. The Tang Dynasty is the world that was immediately obtained, and the expeditions to the Western Regions and the Northern Expedition to the grasslands relied on the invincible Datang Iron Cavalry. Since Li Jing pacified the south in the early Tang Dynasty, there have been few wars on the southern land, and the navy is just a decoration. The entire southern Tang Dynasty only retained such a formed naval division in Shengzhou, but due to the consistent suppression of Shengzhou by the imperial court, the strength of the Shengzhou naval division has deteriorated day by day, and today, there are no more than 1,000 sailors, no more than 100 warships, and most of them have been in disrepair for many years.

The entire Tang Dynasty, whether it is the military department or the generals, has almost completely forgotten the existence of the naval division. In the hearts of the generals, the sailor is just a handyman who is used to transport grain, grass and baggage, where does he get any combat effectiveness?

The military report that Wang Zhongsi received at the beginning was sent by the Ministry of War, and the war report of the Ministry of War was already vague, and it was not easy for Wang Zhongsi to remember the rebel naval division that he had glimpsed in it. There is a more detailed section from the internal guard, although it does not emphasize the strength of the rebel sailors, but it does mention the timing of the appearance of the sailors in the battle of that day. Originally, if he relied on these, Wang Zhonghe, a battlefield general, would be able to detect the situation of some rebel sailors, and he would definitely be able to take more precautions against the rebel sailors. However, when Li Longji issued the edict, he forgot to let the internal guards assist Wang Zhonghe, and out of the emperor's caution, Wang Zhonghe, who was suspicious of himself, obviously could not contact the internal guards.

When Li Lun was defeated, the other counterinsurgency forces had not yet arrived in Shanyang County, and Wang Zhongsi could not get information from these people. Although the thousands of defeated soldiers gathered had also mentioned the existence of the rebel sailors, in the mouths of these routs, the rebels' sailors were so powerful that they could influence the pattern of the battlefield.

For this reason, the generals who interrogated the rebels only regarded these confessions as an excuse to shirk responsibility for the rout, and did not pay relative attention to them. When Han Zhi got the confession, he already had such a preconceived idea that the sailor couldn't do it, and with the polishing and screening of the interrogation generals, Han Zhi was able to make the right judgment to be a ghost.

"I'm sorry, Dashuai, I'm ......" Han Zhi also realized the problem, so he hurriedly bowed down and apologized.

"Alas......" Wang Zhongsi shook his head helplessly, and replied: "I can't blame you! I didn't expect the rebels to evacuate from the water in advance......

The order went down and ordered the Shengzhou Naval Division to immediately dispatch to search for traces of the rebels along the river. Another cavalry was sent to search north along the canal. Then, send messengers into Chang'an to report the battle situation in Yangzhou to the imperial court!"

At this moment, the events of Quanzhou had not yet reached Yangzhou, and Wang Zhongsi did not know where the rebels would flee by boat after leaving Yangzhou. It is possible to go north and south along the canal. If it goes south, it is nothing more than going east or west along the great river; if it goes north and enters the Yellow River, then there will be danger in Hebei and the Central Plains, and even the capital Chang'an......

In June next year, Ge Shuhan was defeated by thieves and closed the door, and Guozhong ridiculed Xuanzong Xingshu. Ding You, to Ma Weidun, the six armies do not advance, please punish the Yang family. So Zhu Guozhong gave the concubine to commit suicide. The chariot will be dispatched, and it will be left behind to proclaim to the people. The crowd wept and said: "Reverse Hu Beien, the Lord is sown, the ministers were born in the sundae, the world is the Tang people, I am willing to work hard to fight for the thief for the country, please recover Chang'an from the prince." Xuanzong heard this and said: "This apocalypse is also." "It is to order Gao Lishi and Shou Wang Mao to send the prince's inner man and the royal service, and leave the military stable and horses from above. Ling Lux proclaimed: "You are good to go! The people are hopeful, and they should be careful not to disobey it." Don't take me for granted.