The relationship between Chinese people can be summed up by the four irons of life. That is, "we have been through the window together, we have carried guns together, we have shared the stolen goods together, and we have lived together." Together, these four basically summarize all the social relations in Chinese society throughout the ages, except for blood clans. Classmates, comrades, co-offenders, and co-boots.

However, if in a relatively less embarrassing scene, you meet the old brothers who have carried guns together, smashed kilns together, and shared spoils together, this scale is more awkward.

Following Shi Lang as the battalion officer of one of the four newly formed horse battalions, he had this feeling. He was the nephew of Tan Chery, the deputy general of the Shenji Battalion. followed Tan Chery to fight a few battles in Shandong and Jinan, and he was really promoted and made a fortune. The original ordinary soldier of the Shenji Battalion has also accumulated merit to become a thousand generals, and his waist is full of silver dollars and rice tickets.

After the city of Beijing was conquered by Li Zicheng, he followed his uncle south. first fought a few battles with the eldest young marshal Li Huayu in Shandong, and later because of his injuries, he was transported to Shanghai by sea ship for treatment. After recovering from his injuries, he planned to return to Shandong to return to the team, but Li Huayu had already died. As a result, he and 100 officers and soldiers from Shandong were transferred to the Guards Brigade and became Li Shouhan's personal soldiers.

In the first battle of Jiujiang, Zuo Liangyu's main force was defeated. A large number of mules, horses, and war horses were captured. Shi Lang understood Li Shouhan, transferred manpower in the army, selected elites, and set up four horse battalions. At the beginning of his conversation, because of his experience in cavalry combat, he was promoted to the commander of the right battalion of the horse team, and his subordinates managed more than 400 cavalry, more than 200 grooms, veterinarians, horsemen, saddlers and other auxiliary personnel, more than 1,000 war horses, riding horses, and mules.

All the way from Jiujiang to the south, Tan Chuduan trained the hundreds of people under his subordinates all the way, horsemanship, tactics, discipline, marching, etc., all had to be taught. Moreover, the horse battalion also had an important task, that is, to act as scouts and sentinels for the march of the large army. Make a certain distance in front of the sequence of the march of the large army, left and right, and conduct sentinel reconnaissance to prevent enemy surprises, ambushes, harassment, etc.

On this day, as the vanguard scout of the whole army, he led the men and horses of his headquarters along the main road to Tonggu and Xiushui, and the rangers in front of him were released three times, each batch was about ten miles apart, and the left and right wings were also released in two batches, opening a patrol network covering a radius of dozens of miles.

"This area, with high mountains and dense forests, is located at the junction of Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces. It is also very close to Ji'an, Nanchang and Changsha. We must muster up the spirit of 120,000 points in case someone is unfavorable to our army! ”

The marching process, which stretched for nearly 100 miles, was more than 100,000 horses, including 60,000 or 70,000 prisoners of Zuo Liangyu's army, and refugees who joined the army to retreat south along the way. What is even more eye-catching is that Shi Lang is responsible for escorting a large number of baggage, grain and grass, mules and horses to the south. These personnel, materials, and property, not to mention the mountain king who gathered in the mountains and forests, the Qing army that pursued them, and the remnants of the Zuo Liangyu army who fled to Jiangxi, were all extremely red-eyed.

Each group of ten cavalrymen, twenty war horses, and seventy elite cavalrymen carrying binoculars, fireworks, and letter cannons urged their mounts away, and a gust of wind rolled up in the mountains and forests, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"My eyes are always beating today, and I am always flustered, afraid that something is going to happen." Talking about Chuduan and his deputy, Shen Chong, the leader of the horse team battalion, said in a low voice.

"It's okay. As the saying goes, the left eye jumps wealth, and the right eye jumps disaster. If the two eyes jump together, it is a sign of whether it is a pole or not. Perhaps, today will be a battle with the little thief who can't open his eyes, and it is impossible to say that he will make a small fortune. Shen Chong talked about it at the beginning of the conversation, and rode forward together.

However, it seems to confirm the crow's beak at the beginning of the conversation, and after a while, from behind the distant mountains and forests, a rocket soared into the sky, marking that there was a police in front of the rangers!

"Outpost, assemble! Set off to meet the sentinel ahead! ”

"Signal team! Immediately report to the ambassador of the appeasement! Just say that the striker is warned, and ask his brigade to enter Xiushui County quickly, and the details will be reported later! ”

"On the left and right wings, send two more teams of rangers to see if there is an ambush in the mountains and forests on the left and right!"

"The rest of the teams and sentinels are slowly moving forward with their own officers, ready to meet the enemy!"

A series of orders were issued, and Tan Chuwei handled this emergency situation very safely.

In the blink of an eye, his cavalry had already ridden away according to his orders. The remaining more than 200 cavalry and more than 200 auxiliaries who could ride horses waited for his orders on horseback.

"Sons! Follow me, forward! ”

Five or six hundred horses, on the mountain road between the copper drum and the water, rolled up a gust of wind. Thousands of horses' hooves splashed red dirt onto the side of the road.

At the bend in the mountain road in the distance, a sudden burst of shouts erupted, which grew closer and louder as the horses galloped at the beginning of the road.

"Don't have an accident!" During this time, since the retreat from Jiujiang, although the big battle has not been fought, the small battle, the former Ming army that surrendered to the Qing army, the regimental training of self-protection in various places, and the small friction and small contact between the poles and swordsmen who gathered in the mountains and forests are almost every day. These things, like mosquitoes and flies, really annoyed Shi Lang and the officers and soldiers of the Nanyue Army!

"It doesn't seem to be shouting to kill, it's just shouting, there shouldn't be a fight!" Shen Chong rode his horse side by side with Tan Chuduan, his ears keenly analyzed the shouts coming from afar, and explained to Tan Chuduan in his mouth.

As if to confirm his analysis, at the bend of the mountain road not far away, a second group of cavalry had just been sent to meet the ranger scouts.

"Lord Battalion Officer! The front is not an enemy army! Our Sentinels have met another detachment! They saw our banner and said they were our allies! ”

What the? Are our allies here? From Tan Chuduan and Shen Chong to the cavalry and groom veterinarians of the horse battalion, they didn't dare to believe their ears. We are between northern Jiangxi and southern Jiangxi, but we are the only soldiers and horses of the Southern Guangdong Army, how can there be friendly troops?

"Could it be those local officials and troops in southern Gan who are under the control and command of the lord? I still have a little loyalty and conscience in my heart, and I haven't forgotten who has given them military salaries for so many years, and at such a critical moment, can I share some of it with the lord? ”

"Even if the local officers and soldiers are loyal, the equipment and combat effectiveness of these officers and soldiers are not flattering. Moreover, there are serious vacancies and shortages, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. At most, after coming, he can act as a guide for us, help us open the way, prepare some grain and grass for vegetables or something. Don't count on other great uses. ”

The two of them exchanged a few words on horseback briefly, and the horse that was running fast in small steps had shortened the distance a lot. At the turn of the mountain road in the distance, dozens of war horses also galloped towards them.

Behind these dozens of war horses, a tsunami-like shout broke out, but Shen Chong and the others heard it very clearly, it was not a shout of killing, but a cheer from the bottom of their hearts. Emotions were contagious, and although he didn't see the situation in the distance, the cheers quickly infected his cavalry, who also waved their banners, swords, and guns in their hands, cheering loudly.

In this atmosphere, the two battalion officers had to temporarily put aside their doubts about the general of this friendly army, their personnel, equipment, and combat effectiveness, urged their horses under their hips, and moved forward to meet them. "As long as they are not our enemies, they are all our allies!"

However, when the two groups of people marched to the point where they could see each other's flags clearly, Tan Chuduan was so startled that he almost fell off his horse. In the oncoming horse team, a large flag fluttered, and the word "Shun" flashed in the wind in the moonlight of the flag.

"Damn it! How are these brothers of the Great Shun Army! "Talking about the beginning of the end, I cried out a series of bitterness in my heart. Although when he was in Shandong, Tan Chuduan, as a subordinate of Young Master Li, got along well with the dragon and tiger camp of Luo Hu and Wang Long, and made a few friends in these two families. However, at that time, the Dragon and Tiger Battalion was still under the banner of local righteousness and bravery, but now, the Dashun army is already the mortal enemy of the Ming court, who let them enter the city of Beijing and send Emperor Chongzhen to the coal mountain. Although it is said that the Dashun army was only the one who kicked the stool at Chongzhen's feet, it was the bureaucrats and gentry who really sent him up the coal mountain to find the crooked neck tree. However, in the end, the hat of rebellion and murder of the king is on the head of the Dashun army, and they are the enemies of the Nanyue army that is now nominally waving the banner of the Ming Dynasty.

"What a good thing that is!" Although Tan Chuduan is a middle- and lower-level officer, he still knows the dirty relationship between the Nanyue Army and the Ming bureaucracy, as a child of a family from the Shenji Battalion. "I didn't expect such an unfortunate thing to fall on my head!" He couldn't help but lament in his heart, lamenting that the soak of urine he put when he set off this morning was not in the right place, annoying the mountain god land here or something, so that such a great disaster was thrown on his head?

The heart is flying, and the war horse under the crotch is also galloping. Between a few breaths, Tan Chuduan was already able to see the facial features of the person opposite.

"Are you talking about brothers on the other side?" In the horse team opposite, a loud northern Shaanxi accent came from afar.

"Is it He Lao Wu?" Hearing this person's shout, talking about the beginning of the end is also a spiritual boost. "You donkey ball!" He couldn't help but curse a curse that he had learned from them.

"It's you, my son, and me!" He Lao Wu on the opposite side laughed, added a whip on the horse's back, rushed to Tan Chuduan's horse first, stood up on the horse's back, and stretched out his right hand to Tan Chuduan. This set of methods was used to playing with the Dragon and Tiger Battalion when they got along with the 3,000 Battalion and the Shenji Battalion. At that moment, Tan Chuduan also stretched out his right hand to meet He Lao Wu's hand. The two palms met in the air, "Smack!" There was a crisp sound.

The Nanyue Army and the Dashun Army met in this high-five.

He Lao Wu is a native of Mizhi in northern Shaanxi, and he was born in the He family. This family can be said to be talented in the peasant army and the Ming army in the late Ming Dynasty, and the stars are shining. Among the five battalions of the Hui Revolution, there are He Yilong and Zuo Jin) He Jin, and He Jinlong and others in Li Zicheng's army, and in the Ming army, the most famous He madman He Renlong was born in the He family.

It is precisely because of this background that there was a place for He Lao Wu in the Dragon and Tiger Camp led by Luo Hu and Wang Long. At the beginning of his peace talks, they were all small leaders such as the chiefs of their respective battalions. The two completely different armies fought side by side because of Li Huayu, a commander who did not follow the routine. stirred up the storm on the land of Qilu, and killed Abatai and the pole gentry from all walks of life were frightened, and talked about the tiger's color.

It was during this period that these two guys became familiar with each other and became friends. At the beginning of the conversation, it gave full play to the sociable characteristics of the children of Jingying, and there were several sworn brothers in the Dragon and Tiger Camp. And He Lao Wu is one of them.

The children of the Beijing camp and the Dragon and Tiger Battalion fought together, which could be regarded as a clever move by Li Huayu, combining the two battalions that were originally unrelated, and as a result, the combat effectiveness of nuclear fission broke out. The Dragon and Tiger Battalion can fight, fight, run, and endure hunger and cold. And the 3,000 battalion Shenji Battalion, these Beijing battalion soldiers and horses, are well-armed and will not spare firepower. As soon as these two families are combined, they learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses, and the large and small polders and villages on the land of Qilu are full of bad luck.

The cavalry of the 3,000 battalion was responsible for guarding the perimeter and cutting off the communication between the polder village and the outside world, the artillery team of the Shenji battalion was responsible for destroying the wall, and the infantry of the dragon and tiger battalion was responsible for pouring into the polder and seizing the stockade. After the stockade was broken, the two lili were distributed according to the ratio of four or six.

The people of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion, the backbones have many years of experience in smashing and looting kilns, and no matter how well you build the dark room of the warehouse cellar where gold and silver are stored, it is just a manifestation of personal wisdom. In the eyes of these peasant officers and men who had gone through the baptism of various forms of hiding valuable things from south to north and from north to south, it was just a piece of cake.

found the secret room of the warehouse where valuable things were stored, and then it was time for the officers and soldiers of the Beijing battalion to show their faces. These people have lived in Beijing for several generations, and they are accustomed to seeing all kinds of gold, silver, fine and soft jewelry, jade, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. Moreover, these guys have extremely vicious eyes, and even if the peasant officers and soldiers have swept through several times, they can find something more valuable in a pile of inconspicuous items.

In this regard, even Wang Lung, who has rich experience in looting, couldn't help but sigh: "The way in this world is that all thieves must study and have culture!" Those who don't read can only be thieves, and those who read books are thieves! "An inconspicuous bronze vessel full of patina, a set of seemingly ordinary porcelain, in the eyes of the officers and soldiers of the Beijing battalion, are more valuable than gold, silver and jewelry. Any attempt to obscure the past is pale in the face of this peculiar combination.

When the spoils are divided, it reflects the wise saying of Old Man Ma that "existence determines consciousness". The officers and soldiers of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion who were born in the Chuang Battalion and the Cao Battalion can be described by the word not picky eaters. From food and clothing, mules, sabers and guns, to Ding Zhuang in the artillery equipment village, gold, silver and jewelry, there is almost nothing they don't want. In addition to the houses and the clumsy furniture, in their eyes, there are too many good things to use in a broken stockade. In the eyes of the officers and soldiers of the 3,000 Battalion and the Shenji Battalion, in addition to the easy-to-carry jewelry, jade, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, everything else can be given to the brothers of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion. Of course, the rice tickets exchanged for the spoils of war from the merchants of Longsheng must be clearly divided by everyone's accounts.

The two who smashed the kiln together, shared the stolen goods seized after smashing the kiln, uh, the booty, together in Jinan Mansion, in the restaurant in Linqingzhou, and in the flower street and willow lane, met again. Although it is a little embarrassing, it is also very affectionate.

"Old Five, hard work!" I wanted to say that it was okay, but looking at the large and small arrow holes and scars on He Lao's five armors and battle robes, and the color of wind and frost on his face, Tan Chuduan still swallowed back this common saying, and sent out such a sentence from his heart. Back then, they fought together in various parts of Qilu, and they used to stay awake for several days, just chasing on horseback, taking a nap on horseback when they were sleepy, and eating a piece of dry food when they were hungry. But it's not like He Lao Wu now, his face is haggard and his face is thin. It can be seen that during these days, Shunjun's life is not easy.

"Don't talk nonsense! Take out the food, drink, tea, and tobacco in your mattress to us! Don't let us smash your kiln by ourselves! ”

As a soldier who once served in the Nanyue Army, He Lao Wu naturally knew that in the backpack of every soldier of the Nanyue Army, or in the rider's mattress, there was a lot of emergency supplies, or marching rations. From dry food, dried meat, minced salt, spices, a small amount of liquor, tea leaves, and even a certain amount of tobacco as a supply. In order to be able to have something to eat when the rapid march does not have time to cook a hot meal.

"Twenty miles out of the side horse!"

"Tell the ambassador about the situation here! Let's just say that the forward talks about the initial end of the department, and met the old soldiers and horses who were also under the subordinates of the eldest prince of Shandong when they were in Beijing! ”

While arranging the guard, he ordered someone to report the situation here to Shi Lang, who had already entered Xiushui County. Talking about the initial resume experience, Shi Lang is very clear. Therefore, in order to prevent the leakage of secrets from causing embarrassment and trouble, he only talked about the old people who were under the same subordinate of the eldest prince Li Huayu when he was in Beijing. Saying this, Shi Lang understood who he had encountered as soon as he heard it.

"A few of you will go back immediately, and quickly make it clear to Gao Hou Ye and Luo Hou Ye, and say that we are in Xiushui County, and we have met the troops of General Shi Lang, the brother-in-law of Grand Prince Li!" Similarly, He Lao Wu also reported the situation here to the high-level leaders of the Dashun Army and asked them to make a decision.

Sitting on the ground, looking at He Lao Wu who was immersed in hard work, he had a feeling that he didn't know where to start at the beginning of the conversation. Suddenly, he discovered a detail.

On the helmets of the hundreds of people under He Lao Wu's command, a white strip of cloth was tied to the red tassel of Kuiding. And on the handle of the knife, there is also a circle of white cloth wrapped around it. This is clearly a sign of mourning!

"Could it be that some important people in the camp have been killed?"