Chapter 3: Morning Dew (Five Ups)

Three days later, Cheng Mingzhen gathered his troops and horses and set off to the west to find the traces of the murderer of Wang Mazi. Zhang Jin said that he led all the civil and military forces under his command to send them five miles away, and it was not until the brigade of men and horses crossed the river that they said goodbye.

There are only 4,000 places in the Jinzi Battalion, and all of them were brought with Cheng Mingzhen on this expedition. But the husband and wife usually grasped the training of the minions tightly, and there were 5,000 people who stayed by the cuckoo's side to defend Ping Enke at the moment. With this point of soldiers and horses, it is definitely overstretched to fight with the invading enemy. However, if you rely on the city wall and the defense facilities on the city wall to wait for reinforcements, it is estimated that it will not be too much of a problem to hold on for ten days and half a month.

Not far from the water is the Yongnian of Wu'an County. The previous county guard had already been arrested and beheaded in the eastern capital because of local insecurity, and the new county guard Zhou Guo was born in a large local household and knew that Zhang Jin was powerful. Therefore, the wealth handed over in the past two years has always been double, one for the imperial court and one for Juluze. Even if the imperial court's share is not available for a while, Juluze's share is never in arrears. It was Zhang Jin who said that he had always kept the county seat west of the river and did not attack. On the one hand, according to Cheng Mingzhen's idea, money and grain were collected from these places for a long time, but on the other hand, he was afraid that if the county town was captured, it would become a key target of the imperial court. Therefore, although the Zhou County Shou of Wu'an County is a well-behaved official, he is a very stable one. No one in the court fought with him, and the bandits didn't want to touch him for the time being. As long as the "offerings" to both sides are prepared every year, the other parties can do whatever they want.

Suddenly, seeing a large group of soldiers and horses attacking, the county guard Zhou Guo was frightened. Hurriedly ordered someone to close the four doors, and then climbed up the enemy tower tremblingly, and begged for mercy with a dumb voice. Cheng Mingzhen looked down on this kind of gutless rat, so he casually responded to a few words, asked for a copy of Cheng Yi, and then took the brothers away.

Along the way, through the city and through the wall, they are all handled according to this method. A few remnant counties understood the stakes, sent meat and wine to the army, and treated the bandits as imperial envoys. When everyone saw that the other party was so good, they didn't look for trouble, and after taking the wine and meat, they hurried away. As for how the squires and officials reported to the court, whether they hid the matter or exaggerated the losses and asked the court for pardon of money and grain. It's all a local matter, and everyone doesn't have the heart to interfere.

After walking for another two days, I came to the outside of Linshui City. Last year, when the city was in a fierce battle with the official army, it was occupied by the Zhang family army and then abandoned, and it has not yet recovered. When the people saw the same banner again, they were so frightened that they couldn't even put out the fire in the stove, so they took their wives and children and hid in the countryside. Cheng Mingzhen and others were overwhelmed with emotion when they saw this scene. But he couldn't force others to love him, so he circled along the base of the city wall and hurried westward again.

Then go west, and you will arrive at the foot of Taihang Mountain. The Qingzhang Water and the Turbid Zhangshui each carved a narrow channel between the mountains, joined on the east side of the mountain, and then turned northeast to become the most important water system running through the Hebei Province. Cheng Mingzhen led the soldiers and horses to go to Hedong Road to avenge Wang Mazi, but he had to use the gap between the two mountains split by Zhangshui. There are dangers everywhere for more than 20 miles along the way, and if you are not careful, you will be thrown into the river, and you will lose your trace without even splashing a blister.

Duan Qing and others have followed Cheng Mingzhen to block and kill in the east and west in the past two years, and they have learned a lot of ways to use soldiers. As soon as I entered the mountain, I saw that the surrounding terrain was so dangerous, and I couldn't help but point at the cliffs on both sides. If a small team of men is placed here, how many armies can be stopped. There is an ambush there, and how many enemies can be buried. As he spoke, he suddenly turned around, but someone laughed and teased, "He***, let's not think about calculating others." If one of them lacks an eye behind us, we will put a few piles of stones in front of us. We're going to starve to death in the mountains! ”

The speaker was originally unintentional, but several core figures of the Jinzi Battalion were taken aback when they heard it, and their faces turned pale with fright in an instant. "Leader, we have to go slower and arrange a few people to take care of the back road." Duan Qing was the most upright, walked to Cheng Mingzhen's side, and reminded loudly.

Cheng Mingzhen was also frightened and uneasy along the way. After a little hesitation, he immediately decided: "Once the battle ahead is unfavorable, we will have to retreat to Hebei." So this road can't be cut off by anyone anyway. Wang Fei, don't go, lead the troops and horses of the headquarters to stay here, put the brothers in the places where we have seen danger along the way, and don't let others get a chance no matter what! ”

"Leader!" Captain Wang Fei was talking happily with others, and suddenly heard that his boss asked him to stay and guard the road, and in disappointment, he was so anxious that he shouted, "How can anyone come from this poor and remote country." No need to ......"

"If you want to go, you will go. Our brothers' lives are in your hands! Han Gesheng just arrived from the back of the team, slapped Wang Fei fiercely, and scolded him sharply.

In addition to Wang Ermao, who was plundered to Wagangzhai, he was the closest to Cheng Mingzhen among the villagers of the pavilion that year, and he also made the most achievements, so his prestige was also higher than others. Wang Fei was glared at by him, and immediately lost the courage to bargain, drooped his head, and went away.

Cheng Mingzhen originally stayed in Han Gesheng's palace, but when he saw him running to the center of the team at this moment, he knew that something must happen. He looked around and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, is there really something abnormal?" ”

"The scouts I left along the way are on the alert!" Han Gesheng leaned his head in front of Cheng Mingzhen and muttered quietly. "But the police message was very short and unclear. What is the specific situation, because no one has caught up yet, so I can't ask! ”

Hearing this, Cheng Mingzhen's heart couldn't help but chuckle, frowned, and asked eagerly, "What position, can you hear clearly?" What kind of warning signal is used! ”

Han Gesheng was not good at words, but at this moment, he rarely made his words clear, "It was the alarm technique you taught us in Julu Ze, which is different from the method we newly ordered in Ping'en City. It seems that the alarmer is also hesitating whether to really go out of the alarm, so he just blew a few times and stopped! ”

Zhang Jiajun originally paid little attention to the scout work. After Cheng Mingzhen was ordered to take charge of military affairs, according to the rules of the Great Sui Dynasty, he greatly strengthened the scout force. And the various alarm signals, techniques, and contact information commonly used by the government soldiers were copied and copied like a jujube. After being transferred to Ping'en to be stationed, in order to avoid confusion with the county soldiers on the other side of the river when transmitting the news, he added some tricks on the basis of the original signal, and only taught the scouts of the Jinzi Battalion, but did not have time to spread it throughout Juluze.

Therefore, as soon as Han Gesheng heard the warning signal coming from outside the mountain, he immediately understood that the scouts were also hesitating whether there was really danger coming. But what exactly the scouts encountered was not something that could be heard by a few short trumpets.

The more Cheng Mingzhen pondered it, the more wrong it became. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered orders to several descendants. "Duan Qing, you go to the front of the team, don't say anything happened, let everyone stop and find a wide place to rest by the river. Ge Sheng, you pick dozens of the best brothers, quietly touch the outside of the mountain, whether they are friends or foes, immediately catch me alive! ”

Duan and Han heard the order, nodded, and hurriedly went. Cheng Mingzhen looked at the two of them and went away, thinking about what he had done recently, and felt that there was nothing to cause disaster, so he put his heart back into his stomach a little. Call in the guards and order them to lead their mounts to a flat place to drink. I found a big tree far away from the river valley and leaned on it, closed my eyes in the sun, and fell asleep.

Although the autumn tigers outside are vicious, the wind in the mountains is extremely cool, and it is easy to refresh people with water vapor blowing on their faces. Thinking carefully about Zhang Jincheng's recent behavior again, Cheng Mingzhen slowly realized where the uneasiness in his heart came from. Zhang Da's behavior when he came to Ping Enlai was very strange, and it can be said that from the first day he first met him, he should have shown that his behavior was not in accordance with the norm.

First of all, Zhang Jin said that he likes to put on the shelf of the prince so much recently, and wants to discuss with his subordinates to send troops, so he should naturally send someone to Ping'en to give orders. Even if he is no longer treated by him now, he is his subordinate after all, and he was ordered to rush back to Juluze to discuss military affairs, and there is no reason to shirk it.

Secondly, since the enemy situation is unknown, it is not even clear where the opponent is. Zhang Jin said that he should not bring so many people. A full 20,000 Rui soldiers almost brought all the most capable forces of Julu Ze. And really took so many people to the west side of Taihang Mountain, just relying on such a small road to transport grain and grass? There is no need to fight, the daily supply problem alone is enough to completely drag down the Zhang Jiajun.

Zhang Jin said that although he did not know military affairs, Xue Song, the second leader next to him, was a cautious person and knew the importance of supplies. With the friendship between the two, Xue Lao Er will not fail to remind Zhang Jincheng to pay attention. Since he knew that taking so many people across the mountains would give birth to supply problems, Zhang Jin said that he still insisted on bringing all the capable fighters to Julu Ze, there were only two possibilities, one of which was that he was saddened by Wang Mazi's death and went crazy. Second, he led the soldiers and horses not to avenge Wang Mazi at all, but for another purpose.

As for this other purpose, it made Cheng Mingzhen shudder. Zhang Da is coming at me? He opened his eyes suddenly, and asked at the sky above the cliff? Why? How did I offend him? Although the exhibition of the three counties of Ping'en is fast, it is also the foundation of his Zhang Da family, he has just been the king for a few months, why is he in such a hurry to cut off his hands and feet?

Zhang Jin called crazy? This is the only conclusion that Cheng Mingzhen can draw at this moment. Whether he was crazy for Wang Mazi's death or for other reasons, anyway, what he did was extremely crazy. Under the pretext of avenging Wang Mazi, the elite of the Jinzi battalion was transferred to Hedong. Then take advantage of the situation to take over the three counties of Ping'en, and bully the cuckoo and the old and weak women and children who stayed in the three counties!

This is not an unscrupulous strategy. was so clever that Cheng Mingzhen didn't see the clue at all. "Nope! I saw the clue, but I didn't dare to think about it! Grabbing the bark beside him, Cheng Mingzhen's body couldn't stop shaking. By countless flaws, just me and Juan Zi no one can believe it! ”

Now, what he must do is to quickly pull the team out of the east of Taihang Mountain. In any case, we can't let everyone be stuck in the ravine. I hope it's still too late, thief God, I hope it's still too late.

This book.

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