Outside Chang'an City, they tried their best to disguise themselves as husbands who specialized in dumping kitchen waste and filth, and Yi Damao, the deputy of the capture team who escaped out, also came to a temporary secret stronghold near Mingdu Spring in Duling County.

This time, as the first action jointly taken by the Ministry of Enemy Industry and the Ministry of Social Investigation, a lot of resources and contacts were mobilized to prepare for the early and later stages. But when it came time to put it into practice, it was just a wire lasso and a little secret medicine made from tiger dung.

However, when they arrived at this wild shop and inn set up for the past business travelers, and completed the connection, they saw the local person in charge of the store, who was dressed as the shopkeeper, suddenly asked with a solemn expression:

"What happened later in Chang'an City can be your hand.."

"We don't have anything out of the ordinary. This punishment action only requires a blow to leave, regardless of whether it is successful or not, it must be immediately separated without leaving traces and clues. ”

Yi Damao was stunned for a moment before responding.

"That's someone taking advantage of this matter to fish in troubled waters and take the opportunity to mess up the situation. I don't have to hide it from you, but something similar happened within a few days of your action. ”

The local person in charge immediately said:

"First, Huang Sihou, the envoy of the palace army, was found naked and died violently in the back house of the former prime minister Yu Brown; Later, Zhou Youyi was broken into the house where he stayed and hacked to death; There is also Shangshu Ling, who still let his adopted son Taile Ling survive, and was injured by a medicine arrow on the street and died when he returned from his death。。。。。 ”

"Now the city is full of soldiers and horses, wanton Rosso and the arrest of suspicious people, etc., and rumors are everywhere, and people are panicked and unrested. Several messengers have already galloped south. I'm afraid it's a little difficult for you to go back. ”

"It's okay, then let's wait here for a while, and then talk about it for a few days, everything is safe and unreasonable."

Yi Damao immediately decided.

"Let's change our clothes and be here for a few days as a guy and a handyman."

- I'm the dividing line -

At the same time, Jiang Gao, the owner (leader) of the White Water Dock, who was watching and directing in the grass swing by the lake, was also slightly relieved.

Because the ambush army he arranged at any cost had successfully approached the laden carriages and horses on the lakeside avenue, and the other party's reaction was as if he was stunned by surprise, and he actually stayed where he was.

Even if it was the result of their active contact, the negotiation conditions proposed by these Taiping thieves were too harsh; It was so harsh that the leaders of them felt that they couldn't make people live well.

Although most of the ordinary Ding Zhuang and his family members in the Dock Alliance didn't know about it, most of them only got into the gang for a bite to eat, or simply the result of being cornered after being coerced.

But among the middle and upper class leaders, big and small, and dock chiefs, it still caused a lot of controversy and criticism; After all, they more or less have the corresponding wealth and authority, and they have also tasted the taste of life and death as the sword soldiers want; But it is difficult to be parted with for a while.

Many of them also can't understand how the basic truth of murder, arson, and recruitment, which is the most common in the world, cannot be explained at all once it reaches the side of the Taiping thieves, who are also rebels. The bottom line they want is actually just a convenience for themselves to eat in the nearby townships, so why can't they tolerate it.

However, in the face of the coercion of the Taiping thief army crossing the border, the leaders of the 37th Dock also had different opinions and were inconsistent; Some advocate continuing negotiations in order to make partial concessions and compromises; Some plans can be delayed to wait for changes; Some plan to continue to wait and see the wind; Others simply secretly relented and evaded.

Especially those small docks with only a few hundred to more than a thousand people, and the settlement is not much bigger than a village, and can only be used to wave flags and shout as a momentum; Basically, it's just going with the flow from the public.

Therefore, they took the risk to gather most of the hardliners and unwilling people in the dock, and hastily launched an attack on the Taiping thieves; Not only to coerce and bind the other wavering people in the Thirty-Seven Docks to a generally hostile position; It is also to obtain better conditions in future negotiations.

According to the past conventions and stories, if you can't reflect enough ability and means, or make the other party feel the corresponding power; Even if it is reluctantly recruited, it may not be able to be valued and forgiven.

It's like Jiang Bugao himself, a local family surnamed Hao in Changzhou County, the boundary of Suzhou by the lake. There are not only large areas of watered fertile fields and ponds on the shore, but also fish and aquatic products from the people who occupy a wide lake;

His subordinates are even more perennial Ding Zhuang, who has hundreds of numbers and does not produce all the year round, and specializes in practicing knives, guns and sticks day and night. It has a harmonious relationship with local officials, officials, and wealthy people, and has inextricable interests.

Therefore, he was able to reap the benefits of the customs market in several towns on the main road by the lake, and at the same time shield and accommodate many outlaws and criminals to travel to and from the near shore, and to do the secret murder and extortion of goods as a windfall.

Even after the local turmoil, he was able to replace the collapsed government and big households, pull up a large number of men and horses along the coast, and continue to work on the coast to maintain the people's livelihood that makes children cry.

Even if they were attacked and encircled by foreign soldiers and horses, they could rely on the familiar geography to gather and retreat to the many dense lakes and scattered islands on the shore of the lake, and rely on the large and small water docks built in them to continue to deal with them.

until the other party can no longer bear the expense of the laborers and the crowd, or the casualties that accumulate a small number of casualties and have to lead the troops to retreat; The shores of this great lake are once again the world where they roam freely. This is also the basis for him to bargain with the Taiping thieves.

What's more, this time, he used the risk of losing his lips and teeth, and said and co-opted the other six most powerful dock masters in the thirty-seven docks, and divided them into three ways to act together.

Some of them were the former rebels who raised their flags in Jiangdong but were scattered and stood on their own in the vicinity; some are the Yaqian Military Academy that fled here after being defeated by the town navy; There are also the old departments where the former Jinwu general and Zhang Quan, the coastal soldier and horse envoy, were left here.

But now they all have only one common identity and position here. If you can't show enough threat and strength to the Taiping thieves; Then all this that they could easily catch will be gone.

Therefore, as long as one of them can achieve results, it is a victory. As for the consequences, he didn't care much, could those Taiping thieves still send people into the water and swim all the way down the complicated waterways and grass swings all the way to the island lair deep in the lake.

However, they were in the midst of the ambush of the Shui Kou who were attacking the rear team's baggage; Another "Black Stone Thief" Fang Yansen, who was once born in the regular army and led troops to chase down grass thieves in his early years, and is now known as the most knowledgeable soldier among the dock owners, wanted to scold his mother angrily on the spot.

Why, after he personally shot down the most polished commander with the most polished armor, these thieves did not show the slightest appearance of panic and rout; Instead, they shrank their ranks and gathered around the heavy wagons.

Even the people who should have been scared to run around seemed to be obedient and obedient, and in the midst of one shouting after another, they honestly retreated behind the wheels and mules and horses.

Shouldn't it be like this, this is still those thieves who are rampant at the slightest gain of power, scatter when they encounter the wind, and are known as obedient and undecisive. You must know that when Dong Chang was able to lead the famous battle of Hangzhou Badu, it was the light soldier Jian Cong who raided the enemy generals who came to explore and plunder.

Hundreds of people were killed on the spot and the head of the thief was captured in the battle, causing the nearly 10,000 thieves in the department to scatter overnight. Since then, although there has been chaos in eastern Zhejiang, there is no thief army who dares to invade Hangzhou.

In his stunned thoughts, the counterattack from the opposite side with the crossbow raised was already one after another; But the first to do it was on some boxy carts, which suddenly collapsed the wall panels and exposed the side-by-side crossbows; There were several large arrows on each crossbow.

In an instant, the front row of water couges with planks and rattan were woven into a large row, and the rows of people were carried through the past and nailed to the ground in a tragic death. Even Fang Yansen was tripped over by the corpse and flipped to the ground, but when he got up again, he was dumbfounded.

Because, he had never seen the existence of a single wooden crossbow and a repeating crossbow machine that could be used for each person; Therefore, for a while, these water cowards and dock rods who rushed up the trend were suppressed by the casualties caused by the rain of arrows in front of them.

At this time, the Taiping soldiers who had killed the close enemy in the distance also turned around and outflanked along the shore of the lake to support.

"Don't run, don't kill if you abandon your weapons."

Soon after, Wang Xianqi, who had lost his short spear and was only holding a horizontal knife, also roared and chased after these defeated and fled, but the burden of wearing inlaid iron armor made him still unable to catch up with these shirtless and barefoot water robbers.

Just as these remnants of the defeated soldiers wanted to escape back into the grass where they had been hiding, they saw several fire balls suddenly fly out of the sky, and slammed into the withered and yellowed grass swings first, and in an instant, a large fire ignited, blocking their retreat.

- I'm the dividing line -

In the eastern part of Dugi Province in the eastern part of Kanto, there are faint smoke and flames in the southern suburbs of Zhengzhou City.

"Back to the three generals. The little ones have already scouted the camps of the other horses. ”

Zhu Laosan, who was dressed in military uniform, was also listening to the advice of Li Si'an, the head of the white capital who arrived at the camp in advance and contacted all walks of life:

"Most of them are old and weak, and there is no sign of building equipment and fortifying the camp for a long time. The battalion sergeants were also very lax. The generals are also drinking and feasting. ”

"These treacherous people. . . I'm afraid they all want to work and not make efforts, and use this to evade and delay the transfer of troops in Chang'an. But we did this real people. ”

The veteran Zhang Cunjing on the side couldn't help but sneer.

"It shall not hurt them, and let them go; Let's do our thing and let the place settle down. ”

Zhu Laosan waved his hand disapprovingly. Then he switched to the other humanes.

"Since the other family members don't want to move, then why don't we take down the Yangwu, Yuanwu, Xingze, Zhongmu counties and Wansheng City adjacent to Huazhou."

"It's so good, so that we also have two states and eleven counties in a row to move around. It's not much more comfortable than the cramped southern city of Heyang, or the ruined Chenzhou. ”

The veteran Zhang Cunjing immediately agreed. The generals also converged and agreed.

"That's exactly what it is."

"That's it."

"Everything is up to the three generals."

"But this matter still needs everyone to be cautious in their words and deeds."

Seeing that the public was sincere, Zhu Laosan then said to Hu Zhen, the commander of the Yaya.

"I'm sorry for you to take out 800 pieces of silk and 1 million coins from the inner treasury, and personally send them to the Yan Jian Army in Heyang Nanguan, just say that the road is muddy and difficult to walk in the early winter snow, please ask him to rest in the local area for a few days."

"Ordered."

As soon as Hu Zhen agreed, he heard shouts and faint fighting sounds from outside. Zhu Laosan, who immediately walked out of the camp, saw someone in the distance, and someone came to report:

"It's the rebels in the city who have come out and attacked the camp. He has broken through several encampments in the east and north of the city, and is killing the main formation along the wall. ”

"This is really a godsend for me to take the city."

Zhu Laosan was not surprised when he heard this, but laughed loudly to the left and right.