From the bridge town to the shore, it was already dark when we arrived at Wanfu Bridge, and the bridgehead was not only brightly lit but also crowded with people.

The news that the Taiping bandits had been killed in Yangzhou spread quickly, and the people nearby, especially the gentry, did not dare to stay for a long time, so they dragged their families and mouths all here, planning to cross the river to Taizhou and other places for temporary refuge. But in order to stop the thieves from driving straight in, Zhang Guangcheng has ordered his cousin Zhang Guangsheng to lead more than 100 villagers to start dismantling the bridge from the west to the east overnight, and the people can't get across, so they can only rely on a dozen boats under the bridge to cross the river.

Zhang Guangcheng was worried that there were spies among the people who were in a hurry to cross the river, so he asked Chu Chenggui to take more than 40 villagers to investigate with the help of the nearby gentry. Locals can cross the river, and those with local accents are also allowed to get on the boat!

The big head squeezed to the front, stood on tiptoe and shouted: "Chu Ban Leader, Chu Ban Tou, we are back!" ”

Chu Chenggui was stunned for a moment, and then ran over happily and asked, "Big head brother, why is it just one person, Master Han?" ”

"In the back, why are there so many people here, my young master can't squeeze in."

"It's all about fleeing, what can I do," Chu Chenggui was also very happy to see the big head, and immediately turned around and called a few villagers, brandishing a knife and scolding: "Master Han is here, all for me to be quiet, all for Lao Tzu to avoid!" ”

A villager who had investigated illicit salt together in the first month reacted, and immediately picked up the gong that was set aside and struck it a few times. Knowing that Master Han was back, the Xiang Yong of the Baimi Tuan and the Qutang Tuan seemed to have a backbone, and they were more and more excited one by one, and they all grabbed their waist knives and rushed into the crowd viciously, and they just opened a way.

When the official arrived, the people were so frightened that they hurriedly avoided it.

Han Xiufeng didn't care about appeasement, and walked over with Zhou Xingyuan, and asked as he walked, "Chenggui, where is the second young master?" ”

"Master Han, the second young master led Jiang Huai and them to collect the civilian boats."

"How much has been closed?"

"There are more than 40 of them here, all of which are tied to the shore and we can't find the owner of the boat for a while, so it's a pity to burn them down, so we rowed all the boats to the east shore." Chu Chenggui pointed to the Wanfu Bridge, which had been demolished for five or six zhang, and then said: "Master Han, you can't cross the bridge, so you have to take a boat." ”

This is a wooden bridge of more than 150 zhang long, in order not to affect the passage of ships, there are two bridge holes left in the middle of the bridge, two pavilions are built on the bridge holes, both sides of the bridge hole are densely packed with wooden piles, it is not clear at night, it is really magnificent in broad daylight.

This wooden bridge is not built for a long time, it is said that it is built by several big salt merchants in Yangzhou in the 26th year of Daoguang with more than 20,000 taels, across Liaojiagou, the east of the bridge is the diversion of the river, it is the land route that Taizhou, the fairy temple and Shao Bo and other places must pass through, and also the only main road to the hinterland of northern Jiangsu in Yangzhou. Unfortunately, it was a bad fate, and not long after it was built, it was destroyed in the war.

Han Xiufeng walked to the head of the bridge and looked at it, pointed to the wooden bridge piles that were still erected in the river and asked, "Why are the bridge piles still there?" ”

"Master Han, these bridge piles can't be pulled out as if they have taken root!"

"If you can't pull it out, you have to find a way to pull it out, if you don't pull it out, the thieves will be able to pass by laying the bridge plank!"

"The little one knows, and Zhang Guangsheng also knows, he said to dismantle the bridge slabs first, and then pour fire oil on the bridge piles when all the bridge slabs are removed, and ignite the fire to burn all these bridge piles."

Zhou Xingyuan thought that Liaojiagou was just a ditch, but he didn't expect Liaojiagou to be so wide, looking at the bridge that stretched into the night, he couldn't help asking: "Since there is less fire in the morning and evening, why dismantle it, otherwise it will be burned down." ”

Chu Chenggui didn't know where Zhou Xingyuan was sacred, but he only knew that it was not ordinary people who could make Master Han treat him politely, so he hurriedly arched his hand and said: "Master Yu, the bridge board and the wood on the bridge can't be burned, we have to camp on the east bank, and these woods are useful for dismantling." ”

"I see." Zhou Xingyuan thought about it and said: "This bridge pile is not so easy to burn, even if there is fire oil, it can only burn the half of the river, and the river is still under the river." Even if half of the bandits are left, they can use it, and the bandits can borrow the bridge piles under the river to build a pontoon bridge. ”

"What Brother Zhou said is extremely true, these bridge piles still have to find a way to pull them out."

"Master Han, I really can't pull it out, we tried it in the afternoon."

Without waiting for Han Xiufeng to speak, Zhou Xingyuan said confidently: "It's not that you can't pull it out, it's that you haven't found the right way." Didn't you just say that you gathered dozens of civilian boats, filled them with stones, rowed them over and tied them to the bridge piles, tied them strongly, and threw the stones down the river after tying them, and the boats could help you pull out the bridge piles. ”

"Will this work?" Chu Chenggui will be suspicious.

"Okay, how do you know if you don't try?" Han Xiufeng asked rhetorically.

"Yes, the little one will go and tell Zhang Guangsheng."

"Wait."

"Master Han, what else do you command?"

"This is Jiangdu, and there are no mountains, how can there be so many stones, even if you can find some, it is not enough. Go and talk to the gentry, and ask them to help them gather more young men to help dig the earth, and fill the ship with earth instead of stones. ”

"Yes!" It was a matter of whether the bridge could be destroyed before the bandits arrived, Chu Chenggui did not dare to delay for a moment, and hurriedly ran to find the local gentry.

Han Xiufeng glanced back again, and then led everyone downhill to the boat.

Zhou Xingyuan stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the Wanfu Bridge like a long dragon, and then looked at the little fires on the opposite bank, and couldn't help but sigh: "Brother Han, where is this ditch, this is clearly a big river!" ”

"I also think it's strange why such a wide river is called a ditch," Han Xiufeng pointed to the north in the face of the cold wind on the river: "It is said that this ditch has been in the previous dynasty, at that time it started from the Henghe River, reached Huoqiao Yangwei in the south, and flowed into the Yangtze River in the east after meeting with the Jiajiang River, which is the main river channel for Huaishui to enter the river, and is known as the first ditch in the world." ”

"Is the river deep?"

"Deep, the deepest part is more than ten zhang."

"Great, Brother Han, as long as you can pull out all the bridge piles before the bandits come, it shouldn't be difficult to defend here!"

"I'm not afraid of bandits attacking from the river. I was afraid that the thieves would cross the river from the south and go ashore from Xiaonanwei. ”

"Now, I'm afraid it's useless, so I can only cover up the water with soldiers."

"That's right." Han Xiufeng smiled slightly, and then leaned over and got into the cabin.

Liaojiagou is too deep, the penny can't poke the bottom of the river, the boatman can only shake, the boat from the west bank to the east bank, it took nearly two incense sticks, everyone rushed to the east bank, and the lights were bright when they went ashore.

The bridge is full of torches, and the villagers are transporting the bridge slabs and wooden guardrails removed from the west to this side, and the remaining more than 200 villagers are busy camping. The person in charge of the east coast was Li Changjing's brother-in-law Yang Ming, and as soon as he saw Han Xiufeng, he hurriedly ran up and bowed.

"Master Han, the little one is taking the earthen fort by the river, and the second young master and my brother-in-law said that they should pile up high, and the cannon mount must be high to fight far!"

Han Xiufeng looked around, pointed to the rows of houses in the east and asked, "The people haven't left yet?" ”

"Some left, all the rich left, and those who didn't have money didn't go."

"Where's your brother-in-law?"

"As soon as I came back at noon, I took people to the fairy temple, and I didn't come back until now."

"Who is in the hands of the money that Jiang Yan persuaded to lose?"

"Master Han, my brother-in-law will take some away, and the rest will be all here."

"How many more?"

"There are more than 1,600 taels of silver and more than 200 pieces of money here."

"Take a thousand taels to Mr. Zhou, this is the gentleman." Han Xiufeng looked back at Zhou Xingyuan, and said in an unquestionable tone: "Don't worry about it here, hurry up and persuade those people to go farther, don't you still have more than six hundred taels of silver and more than two hundred yuan of money left, and you can more or less entangle others." ”

The rest is the reward money that was left to be given to the villagers during the war, Zhang Mingzheng didn't know what to say, Han Xiufeng continued: "There should also be gentry on the east bank, so let's go and ask the gentry to help gather more young people first, and find some young people to come over and help set up camp." ”

"Did you hear that, what are you still doing?" Seeing that Zhang Ming wanted to speak and stopped, the big head's face suddenly changed.

Zhang Ming suddenly realized that the person in front of him was the battalion officer, and hurriedly arched his hand and said, "Obey." ”

At this time, Wang Ruhai ran over with a few villagers from the Hai'an Regiment, and when he saw Han Xiufeng, he grinned and said: "Master Han, I heard Master Li say that you want to come back in the afternoon, so the little one went to find a house, just ahead, not far from here, and the little one will send you to rest." ”

"Lao Wang, I've bothered you."

"Master Han, what are you talking about, this is all what the little ones should do."

Han Xiufeng patted him on the arm, looked at them old faces with a smile and asked, "I'm about to do it with the bandits, are you afraid?" ”

"I'm afraid of a ball, with Master Han here, none of us are afraid!"

"Yes, Master Han, the little one is still waiting to work for you and make a fortune with you!"

"This is a war, not a robbery, and a fortune!" Han Xiufeng scolded with a smile, and then his face turned straight: "I brought you all out of Hai'an, and I want to bring you back safely, so we must not underestimate the enemy." The bandits are not those smuggler salt dealers, they have attacked the city all the way from Guangxi to Yangzhou, and they are all carrying human lives on their backs, they are really vicious and ruthless. ”

"Master Han, we not only have shotguns, but also cannons!"

"There are the same bandits, even more than us, and they beat us more accurately!" Han Xiufeng took a deep breath and turned his head to point at Liao Jiagou: "But we are not without the strength to fight, the time and place are favorable, we are all occupied, the bandits want to attack, it is not so easy to want our lives, as long as the big guys work together, they will only give us heads." ”

"The head is a good thing, Master Han, Second Young Master Zhang said, no matter whether the thieves come or not, as long as they hold it for six days, each person will be rewarded with two taels of silver. If the bandits really dare to come, as long as they kill one bandit, they will be rewarded with two taels of silver, and if they kill two, they will be rewarded with four taels of silver! ”

Sure enough, there will be brave men under the heavy reward.

Thinking that they had just tasted the sweetness in the first month, Han Xiufeng suddenly found that other regiments did not dare to say that the Xiangyong of the Hai'an Regiment still dared to fight with the bandits. But now is not the time to talk about this, and immediately changed the conversation: "Brothers, the bandits are not so easy to deal with, this reward is not so easy to earn, if you want the bandits' heads to exchange for rewards, you have to build the camp stronger, only by setting up the camp well, can you wait for work at ease." ”

"Master Han, tell me, how is this camp set up?"

"Tear down all the houses in the neighborhood, and don't leave a single one!" Han Xiufeng pointed to the houses on the opposite side, and continued: "And those trees, all of them have been cut down, the bandits are not stupid, they can't attack from the river, they will definitely find a way to sneak around our backs, so we have to guard against it." ”

"Okay, let's go."

"Wait." Han Xiufeng thought for a while, and then said, "Didn't Second Young Master Zhang gather dozens of civilian boats and drag them all ashore. Wait for Master Li to drag the wooden raft from the fairy temple, and then nail the side of the boat to the wood, make dozens of movable wooden walls, encircle the bridge, and then dig a trench outside the wall and bury bamboo thorns! ”

"That's a good idea, we can use the timber removed from the bridge, but if we tear down all those houses, where will we live?" Wang Ruhai asked with a bitter face.

"Live in the camp," thinking of what Zhou Xingyuan said on the road, Han Xiufeng said very seriously: "Don't set up any tents in the camp, and don't need to build any thatched houses, wait until all the bridge piles are pulled out, and use the bridge piles to build more barracks that can prevent shelling." Food, like gunpowder, must be hidden, and must not be destroyed by a single shot by bandits. ”

"Those piles are hard to pull."

"There will always be a way, you go and demolish those rows of houses first."

As he was talking, Li Changjing's brother-in-law Zhang Ming came over with a few family members carrying a box, and he knew that it was a gift of silver without asking, Han Xiufeng said without thinking: "Brother Zhou, one thousand taels is not enough, if it is not enough, I will find a way tomorrow." ”

"One thousand taels is enough," Zhou Xingyuan looked back at his two subordinates, and then arched his hand: "Brother Han, you are busy with you, I will go to the river to recruit young men who are familiar with the local situation." ”