At the end of July in Jingnan, trekking through the rain is not an easy task.

The road was full of mud and puddles, so that most of the soldiers walked and did not know when, and the light straw sandals and walks or something had already fallen off their feet and sunk in the slimy mud, and then they were stepped on a few more times and there was no trace at all.

This also made many soldiers who had only worn a good pair of shoes in their lives, and who had not been around for a long time, were very distressed and helpless; As a result, many people simply put their shoes away and tie them around their waists, and trek barefoot.

Not to mention the animals that carry the loads; If you accidentally step into a puddle or mud puddle that is hidden deeply, you may break your hooves, which is a very painful thing. In contrast, those veterans who were lucky enough to get a pair of high-top hard-soled fast boots near the waterfront floor in Guangfu are undoubtedly much luckier;

Although they also walked with mud on their feet and looked bulky, the boots with high hems and leggings tied together barely poured much muddy water into them and still fit tightly with their necks. The nitrate glued upper is also strong and wear-resistant, plus the hard sole inlaid with iron, and it is not afraid of gravel burps hidden in the mud.

Therefore, compared to most of the tired and tired soldiers in the team, they are a group of people who still have a little spare strength or are at ease. and is responsible for exploring the way at the front or staying at the back of the team, supervising and accommodating those who are falling behind who are getting slower and slower, mainly new pawns who have not been replenished for a long time and some gentle pawns.

Despite this, Cao Shixiong, who was also trugging to trek during the period with the heavy load, was still full of energy and encouraged in a somewhat hoarse voice:

"Everyone, work hard. It's not far off. ”

"Just rush to the next place, I'll keep everyone hot soup cakes and jar meat pipes enough."

As his voice spread out under the low clouds, the muddy and tired team finally regained its spirit and vigor as soon as he heard the news of the supply of meat from the jar.

This jar of meat was the same as the marching rations of the hard state, but it was one of the great inventions that the rebels had obtained in Guangfu; It is said that it is a special military offering that can be stored for a long time and is easy to transport, made of a lot of dried bean curd and sewage, plus dogwood, coarse salt, soy sauce and other secret heavy materials, stewed and rotten in a large jar and sealed; Therefore, in terms of specific taste and taste, it is much more outstanding than the general marching rations except for chewing salty crumbs.

Therefore, many people have only grown it once when they broke Tanzhou City, and they have already remembered it; So after more than an hour, in an abandoned village that was used as a temporary resting place, these soldiers, old and new, were so happy that they each got a piece of meat from the altar, and dipped it in the ration paste soaked in the water, and chewed it with great taste.

However, Cao Shixiong did not sit down and rest like the others, and brought a fire to roast dry clothes and armor to catch his breath and eat some hot food, but continued to look around the camp in his clothes. After this trek, he still inevitably fell behind and scattered nearly a dozen or so soldiers, almost all of whom were newly recruited, but they were still expected in his heart.

In order to pursue the remnants of the enemy this time, he even persuaded Wang Chongyin to allocate most of his men and horses, and led his troops to the north at a rapid pace; However, he gave up the days of plundering of the various armies after the great destruction of Danzhou City and the routine rest and recuperation activities for their own fun; It's just to grab this first move and opportunity to be secretly told.

"Monk, I've put all my wealth on this. I just hope that there is not much deviation in what you said. ”

According to the other party's previous expectation of more accurate face-to-face teaching, compared with Tanzhou, which is heavily armed, Wang Duo, the current Jingnan Jiedu envoy and prime minister who sits in Jiangling in the rear, is actually a civil servant with a limited army, and his soldiers and horses are much weaker; Therefore, after hearing the fall of Tanzhou, there is a high probability that the enemy will flee without a fight.

And this is where the opportunity of Cao Shixiong is to take the people behind the watch, as long as he can take this relatively empty Jiangling town, and the population and goods it gathers; Not to mention the opportunity and foundation to form an army of its own in the righteous army, and even to go all the way.

You must know that the land of Jingnan controlled by Jiangling, although the area is small but the economy is quite prosperous, it was set up as the southern capital Jiangling Mansion twice in the Qianyuan period during the reign of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, and it is one of the five capitals of the Tang Dynasty after Chang'an in the west, Luoyang in the east, Taiyuan in the north, and Chengdu in the south. It is also known as a prosperous place where "pipa is more than rice bowls" and "flowers are more than farming", and land and water shipping is extremely developed.

Therefore, this time he brought only ten days' rations for a light trip; Originally, among the other party's suggestions, taking a boat up the water was the most priority solution; But because of the newly established naval envoys in the General's Palace, almost all the ships that could be found in the local area were collected; Therefore, he could only settle for the next best, scrapped the boss's favor and price in exchange, and exchanged a lot of livestock from other parts of the rebel army for transportation, and took the land route for dangerous sneak attacks.

To tell the truth, even if he has come here without hindrance, he still has some faint regrets and contradictions, how can he be like a ghost who is confused, so he will follow the monk's plan with suspicion, you must know that he is far away in Guangfu and beyond the reach of the whip; Could it be that the other party really has such a magical foresight, or is it purely a gamble that he would rather gamble on?

But because he has come here, he can't help but have much room for regret; Although it really can't be done, you can still settle for the second-best, and turn back to include the second-class public security and Shishou land, so after such a lot of trouble, the benefits that can be obtained will be greatly reduced.

As if in accordance with his somewhat anxious mood, the rain in the sky became thick again, and after a long time, when Cao Shixiong was bored and wanted to give the order, the camp was stopped for repairs and overnight; A fast horse who has broken through the rain curtain brings the latest report of the scout.

"Gangneung Castle has been discovered. The suburbs outside the city are unguarded, and there are still pedestrians and business travelers. ”

His heart couldn't help but be filled with a burst of ecstasy, and he finally arrived first.

。。。。。

Two days later, on a sunny day, Cao Shixiong led a mighty team through the moist fields and arrived outside the city of Gangneung on the bank of the river.

"What a big city."

"I'm afraid it's bigger than Tanzhou."

"Isn't this wall several feet high?"

"How can this be directly attacked?"

Listening to the discussions of the generals around him, Cao Shixiong's face tightened again; In his heart, he silently said: Monk, monk, you have come to this point, I will believe you again. Then he ordered:

"Beat the drums and gongs, and get ready to push the city."

In fact, except for Cao Shixiong who led more than 4,000 soldiers and horses, the others were just hungry villagers who broke the surrounding Wubao villages, and then gathered from along the way on the grounds of loose grain, and made a bluff and raised the flag and shouted.

It's just that he deliberately put the equipment in front of the battle with the best manpower, and made detailed preparations for the siege; Most of the old, weak, sick and disabled people covered and hid in the rear team, responsible for waving flags and shouting and carrying out the civil engineering work of building the camp; For a while, such a huge crowd of people gathered under this Gangneung City, and shouted such a slogan repeatedly with the sound of mountains and tsunamis.

"Break Jiangling and capture Wang Duo alive."

"Break Gangneung and capture the king thief alive."

In the midst of this whistling, the "Bangzhong" (cannon fodder) carrying simple platoons and makeshift ladders, or carts of earth, began to slowly push forward; Cao Shixiong held the handle of the whip in his hand, but it was getting tighter and tighter, and he was soaked with sticky sweat. His mood was like being directly placed under the sun, scorching and full of torment.

And until the "Bangzhong" who were close to the moats had begun to fill in the moat; The head of Gangneung City, which is full of flags, is still unclear, and there is no big reversal and movement; Cao Shixiong's heart and eyes also became more and more raised, only to feel that the sweat behind him was alternating between hot and cold, and it was quickly steamed away by the sun.

The 4,000 righteous soldiers he brought with him were strong, and the food in the army was only a few days' worth of food; You can't lose it all here for your own sake. And the defenders in the city have at least tens of thousands, and perhaps as long as half of the troops go out of the city to meet once, it will be enough to break the false situation they have created.

"That's not right."

"Something is wrong, why is there no movement in the city."

"How can there be no arrows falling on the city, is there a deception? . . .

Such a noisy sound sounded irrepressibly from Cao Shixiong's side again; But it made his mood calm again; Could it be that the monk really doesn't deceive me?

However, a sudden burst of noise and movement in the city made his mood sink into the abyss again; This is obviously the movement of the city gate being suddenly opened and the large group of people and horses being killed, is there really a deception and ambush on the other side?

He couldn't help but raise his hand, ready to order the good men and horses that had been lined up, immediately abandon those "lists" who had been in the front, shrink and retreat to the camp that had not yet been completed, and wait in formation; But I saw a few scouts who were waiting in the periphery, and they came over and shouted loudly:

Cao Shixiong couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, only to hear their faint shouts:

"Ran away. All gone."

"The officers and soldiers opened the door and ran away. . . ."

"Ran from the east."

After more than an hour, Cao Shixiong stood on the head of the ruined city, looking at the dusty city.

Sure enough, only some local regiments took the opportunity to plunder in the city, and long before the arrival of the army, Wang Duo, the prime minister who was sitting in Jiangling, still led his troops north to Xiangyang; Even the soldiers and horses entrusted by Wang Duo to stay behind knew Liu Hanhong, and they also took the lead to lead their troops to run, and flew away along the Yangtze River in the direction of Yuezhou in the southeast;

And at this moment, Cao Shixiong couldn't help but be filled with some indescribable awe and other moods:

"This monk is really a demon-like character. Every step of the way made him accurate. ”

"King Huang, this is really a big mistake,。。"

"Hurry up, hurry up and gather the people, count the gains in the city, and load the ship to the south as soon as possible."

"We still have a lot to rely on."

(End of chapter)