In March, the Gobi is still cold, but the rhododendrons of Pansnake Mountain in Huangzhou are blooming all over the mountain, Rao Qiangfeng and Dong Haoyun are standing on top of the cloud gang, looking at the red mountains, the two have been standing for more than a quarter of an hour, and no one has spoken.

Zheng Jun has been blockading Pansnake Mountain for more than five months, and the food prepared in the early stage is quite sufficient, so there is no need to worry about food for the time being. There are enough fields in the Snake Mountain, and the Heavenly Army is enough to support this year's summer grain harvest. However, there is one thing that Rao Qiangfeng and Dong Haoyun did not expect in advance that after the New Year, there will not be much salt stored by the Heavenly Army.

The amount of salt used is very small, but the amount of 100,000 troops is considerable, there is no salt in the Pansnake Mountains, the Zheng army blocked the road in and out, since Zhu Yifeng set up a pole on the mountain road, and hanged the traders who came to do business secretly on it, the begging army can no longer obtain salt from the hands of the traders, even if it is a high price of one or two salts and one tael of gold, it is difficult to buy.

Dong Haoyun said in a deep voice: "If the army is short of salt, the combat strength cannot be guaranteed, and many soldiers have swollen legs and no strength in drilling. If you go down to the clouds like this, you don't need the official army to fight, as long as you send some regiments to train the troops, you can treat us as toads. ”

Rao Qiangfeng said: "The army has been resting for half a year, it's time to move." The tree dies, and the man lives, and the net of the court will be torn apart. The two have discussed many times, and no one is a soft man in the three-way siege army, and it has been undecided which side to tear the net.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and a personal guard reported closely: "General Shu has entered the mountain and sent a batch of things and a few bags of salt." ”

Rao Qiangfeng said with a smile: "During the Chinese New Year, I mentioned it to a few generals who led troops, but I didn't expect this Shu Yongjie to really have a way to get salt." These bags of salt are really raining in time, and I'll have to treat him well when I go back. ”

The general village of the Heavenly Army is located on the mountainside of Yunshan Mountain, surrounded by mountains, and the environment is beautiful. Shu Yongjie sat in the justice hall, and the minions beside him greeted him warmly, bringing tea and snacks. He was stationed in Wuqing County, and it was easier to loot materials than in the mountains, especially when the court blocked the Pansnake Mountain, and Shu Yongjie and others became the celebrities of the Heavenly Army.

Seeing Rao Qiangfeng and Dong Junshi walking in, Shu Yongjie quickly stood up and bowed, and said with a smile: "I've seen the general, I've seen the military division." "There must be etiquette, this is Shu Yongjie's way of life, other generals rely on friendship with the generals, and they are usually very arrogant when they see the ceremony, Shu Yongjie will not follow their example.

"Yongjie is here, it's hard work, I'll live in the mountains today, I'll have a few drinks with you with the military advisor, and you can talk to us about the situation outside. By the way, your bags of salt are raining just in time, and there is a great shortage of salt in the mountains, can you buy more? Rao Qiangfeng said.

Shu Yongjie said: "General, these bags of salt were sent in by smugglers at the risk of salt dealers, a total of six bags, and I sent four bags to the mountains. ”

Dong Haoyun's eyes lit up and asked, "General Shu, where did this smuggler come in?" ”

"I came in from Texas." Shu Yongjie was prepared, and said with a smile: "I brought those smugglers with me." ”

Dong Haoyun was overjoyed and said, "General Shu is doing things safely, it's very good, please invite people in." ”

The effort was not great, and three people dressed in villager costumes walked in and saluted Rao Qiangfeng and the others. Rao Qiangfeng looked at the person at the head, who was wrinkled, the skin on his face drooped down, and a few scorched beards on his chin. The eyelids drooped, as if looking at the ground, occasionally lifted and flashed.

"What's your surname?" On the side, Dong Haoyun asked out loud.

The man replied: "The people of the mountains and grasses should not be noble, and their surname is Ma." ”

"Where are Ma Dangjia from? Now that the officers and troops are surrounding the mountain, do the horses have a way into the mountains? Dong Haoyun asked with interest.

The surnamed Ma replied: "Lack of money, no way, only to fight for your life." ”

Rao Qiangfeng interjected: "It looks like Ma Dangjia used to be a fat man? ”

One sentence seems to poke the heart of the surname Ma, and the surname Ma bows his head and is silent.

Dong Haoyun smiled and said: "Ma Dangjia, if you can venture into the mountain, you are a friend of the Heavenly Army." To tell you the truth, the Heavenly Army intends to highlight the encirclement of the government, and since the Ma Dangjia can get in, of course they can go out. If the horse master is willing to help, ask for money, and ask for money, he will be an official in the heavenly army, and give you 3,000 men and horses. What do you think? ”

The surnamed Ma smiled bitterly and said: "The king speaks, how dare the little one not listen, if I take the Heavenly Army out of the official palace and surround it, I am willing to listen to it under the king." ”

"Okay", Rao Qiangfeng patted the arm of the chair and said: "Since you have the intention of surrendering to the heavenly army, then you don't have to wait until the future, Rao will make you a general now and give you 3,000 soldiers and horses." ”

The surnamed Ma knelt on the ground and said, "Thank you to the general, Ma Ba is willing to smear the general's liver and brain." ”

After Hou Qi's death, Ma Ba was afraid of Jiang Anyi's revenge, so he quietly left Xinqi County with his family. People leave their hometowns and have no ability to make a living, so the savings they have saved are spent in less than two years, and the general fat is gone.

In the end, Ma Ba had to settle down in Honggang Village, Yuanhe County, on the border of Texas, and bought six acres of land with the last silver, which was regarded as a home. The land was leased to others to plant, and Ma Ba relied on trafficking mountain goods to maintain the family's life, and when he heard that Jiang Anyi's officials were getting bigger and bigger, Ma Ba became more and more afraid to show his head.

Honggang Village is not far from Pansnake Mountain, the mountains and forests outside the village communicate with Pansnake Mountain, after the Heavenly Army came to Pansnake Mountain, the army trapped Pansnake Mountain, and Ma Ba's business was cut off. The eldest son wanted to marry, Ma Ba gritted his teeth and carried a bag of medicinal materials into the mountain, exchanged a few taels of silver in Wuqing County, and finally settled the family matter. The greater the cost of marrying his daughter-in-law's family, Ma Ba had to venture into the mountain again, Honggang Village was far away from the avenue, and only the path for woodcutters to chop wood was connected to Pansnake Mountain, and the officials and soldiers did not set up a card here. However, from Honggang Village to Wuqing County, you have to pass by several military towns along the way, so you can only sneak in at night.

Passing through the checkpoint of the official army with the goods is pinning his head to the belt of his trousers, Ma Ba didn't see the corpses hanging on the wooden poles, but the family has no money to risk their lives. Rao Qiangfeng asked him to join the Heavenly Army, Ma Ba did not hesitate, not to mention that it was all death anyway, so it was better to gamble on a big one. It's a pity that the Jiang family let the Heavenly Army be pacified first, otherwise he would have taken the soldiers and horses to the Jiang family to take revenge, what a pleasure.

The siege in Dezhou was set up by the 30,000 horses of Anton's battalion, and the commander of the army was Xiao Yanwu, the general of Mingwei. The previous siege of Wu Yanhao failed, and Su Guangzu, the governor of Anton, was severely reprimanded by the Son of Heaven and fined him for one year. This time, the Son of Heaven ordered to dispatch 30,000 soldiers to help Shen Guogong to besiege the Heavenly Army, Su Guangzu did not dare to slack off, if he made another mistake, his Anton Governor would be the end. Xiao Yanwu is the general of the Anton camp, and he has fought side by side with Shen Guogong in the Mobei camp, and sending him there should satisfy Shen Guogong.

Wu Yanhao flooded Weizhou, Andong Protectorate lost troops, Su Guangzu lost face, but it was good news for Xiao Yanwu, the cronies of Su Guangzu's family in the camp clamped their tails, and they were no longer arrogant and unscrupulous, Su Guangzu's attitude towards Xiao Yanwu's subordinates who were not cronies was also gentle, and the supply of materials and ordnance was also adjusted, Xiao Yanwu guessed that Su Guangzu found that the strong soldiers he relied on turned out to be just paper tigers, and remembered that their group of veterans was coming.

Su Guangzu ordered Xiao Yanwu to command 30,000 troops to besiege the Heavenly Army, but he was actually reluctant to come. Xiao Yanwu turned 60 years old this year, has been in the camp of Andong for more than ten years, and has served as two governors. It's just that he can't disobey the general's orders in the army, after Xiao Yanwu arrived at the junction of Dezhou and Huangzhou, he divided the 30,000 army into five divisions, guarded Yuanhe County, Nandang County, and Kaifeng County on the border between Huangzhou and Dezhou, and set up military town checkpoints in the passes, paths, and mountain villages along the way in accordance with the order of Shenguo Gong.

Considering that it was a long-term matter to trap and fight against the Heavenly Army, Xiao Yanwu divided the 30,000 horses into ten parts, eight on duty at the front line, and 6,000 people to rest and recuperate, rotating two batches every month. The soldiers and horses on duty are thirty miles behind the front line, here is the baggage camp of the 30,000 army, Xiao Yanwu strictly ordered the army not to disturb the people, and the soldiers and horses on rotation can only move near the baggage camp. Pity the birds and beasts on the mountain, the army has been camped here for a month, and even the snakes hiding in the cave and hibernation have not been dug up.

When the soldiers eat food and fight, there is a bit of a precarious taste, often there is money in the hand can not be saved, so there is a business three miles away from the camp, it is as lively as a market town, there is everything to eat, wear, and use, and the tent is pulled up in a slightly secluded place, and the skin and meat business is very prosperous......

Xiao Yanwu took the lead, sitting in Nandang County, this time resting in the rear is Dingyuan General Meng Guangliang, according to Xiao Yanwu's general order, the drum beating in the Youzheng camp, and the idle people outside the camp must leave within two quarters of an hour.

Two moments have passed since the sound of the drums, and Meng Guangliang said with a smile: "Today, I will personally inspect it." The guards around him understood and laughed one by one with deep meaning. Sure enough, after inspecting the circle, General Meng led them to the west, and three miles ahead, there were more than 100 tents, which was the most popular place for soldiers. But other fireworks are different, the tents here look a little deserted at night, there is a rule in the army, you must return to the camp after two minutes of drumming, if there is a stagnation outside, it will be punished by the law of "not coming in violation of the deadline".

The slow army should be beheaded according to the law, but most of these forbidden laws and regulations are decided by the commander-in-chief, and of course they will not be strictly enforced in the baggage camp. Meng Guangliang has been in the camp for 23 days, and there are not a few soldiers who have violated this military discipline, most of them have been beaten with 20 military sticks, and he himself has spent seven nights in the tent, but no one dares to pick on his thorns.

Meng Guangliang and the others walked into the big tent, and the laughter and laughter inside, Meng Guangliang understood in his heart that there was no need to ask many colleagues in the army in this tent group. Seeing through it or not, a few old bustards have already greeted them with a smile, Meng Guangliang is a regular customer, these old bustards know that this General Meng is the boss of the baggage battalion, this is an uncle, and he can't afford to offend.

In the fragrant wind, Meng Guangliang leaned on the red and green and walked into the largest tent.