"Dudu Xiongwa, three more people ran away this morning, we have to move the place quickly."

After more than a month of hiding in Tibet, the originally handsome and white Zong Zhensheng has also become a homeless man with a full beard, and he no longer has the scenery when he was a son.

He looked at the clear blue sky with melancholy eyes, and said for a long time: "We only have eighty-three people left?" ”

Shibukawa Yoshitoshi said bitterly, "Yes, there are only eighty-three people left who are loyal to Yamato and the Zong family. ”

"I only have one last hiding hole left to hide, and although it is the largest and has the most grain in stock, if there are no more ships, we will only be able to hold out until May at most."

"Ming Gou chased too closely, and they blocked the entire strait, and now no ship can get close to Tsushima Island."

"Even if we cut down wood and make boats, we can't leave Tsushima Island, this is the day to destroy my clan!"

Shibukawa Yoshitoshi comforted: "Even if we wait until we fight to the death, the Zong family will not be destroyed. In Honshu, in Kyushu, the clan is still deeply rooted. ”

Zong Zhensheng shook his head and said, "This time the Ming army is menacing, and it is completely different from the past. I'm afraid this is not an end, but a beginning! ”

Although the Zong family came from the Yamato aristocracy, their branch had ruled Tsushima for more than 400 years.

Because of the long-term need to trade with North Korea and accept the reward of North Korea, Zong Zhensheng does not attach importance to his own nation, they have long learned to be left and right, and interests are the first.

In his impression, Daming was nothing more than a rich but bloated country, where life was stable, but the people lacked enterprising spirit and gentleness.

But this time, a thunderous blow, they had no defense at all, they were uprooted, and even Hayada Saemon rebelled.

Although Hayada Saemon was only a leader of the Japanese Emperor, in the heart of Sozamori, he was an extremely capable and determined person who would not give in easily.

He still remembers, of course, when he fled in a hurry, the sea was so vast that there was no boundless fleet in sight.

Only the wealthy Ming Dynasty can afford to build such an invincible fleet.

Is such a country really something they can provoke? At this time, he hated his dead father and ancestors very much, knowing that this country was so powerful, why should he provoke them.

But he seems to have forgotten that this time Hayada Saemon formed a raiding fleet, and he also voted in favor.

A short, but unusually strong, shaved samurai rushed over with a six- or seven-year-old child in his arms. "Shizi, Xiao Shizi launched a high fever ......"

The child in his arms opened his somewhat dry lips and cried softly, "Father......"

Zong Zhensheng's heart was like a knife cut, and he couldn't care about the sad wind and the moon anymore, so he ordered: "Go to Bitian Sheng Cave." Then he said to the short samurai, "After we leave, you stay, boil a pot of hot water for Xiao Shizi, and then catch up with us." ”

The samurai nodded and said, "I'm not afraid of Minggou's pursuers. ”

Because there are several groups of pursuers chasing them, they do not dare to make fires, and most of the time, they only dare to make fires to cook some food when they dare to move their positions.

It's still winter, and I can only eat cold food all day long, which hurts them a lot, and everyone's face is a piece of vegetable green.

But this is not the most terrible, what is terrible is that as the Ming army pursues, they lose more and more strongholds.

Without food, it is the most terrible.

Now there was only one of the most secret strongholds left in the north of the island, and the food stored there was only enough for them to eat until May. If the Ming army hadn't lifted the blockade at that time, they would definitely not have been able to hold on.

Along the rugged mountain road, Zong Zhensheng personally carried his son Sheng Guo, who had a high fever, to the front of the team.

According to the information of the samurai loyal to the Zong family, the Ming army has executed all the members of the Zong family. His three-year-old son was thrown to death, and even his wife was occupied by a thousand households in the Ming Dynasty.

This is already his last child, and there must be no more problems, otherwise this branch of the entire Zong family will be completely annihilated.

In Bitiansheng, there are also some traditional Chinese medicines that have been robbed in the past, hoping to have better medicinal materials for treating typhoid fever.

And in a clearing on the top of a few hills separated from them, a team of brightly armored Yulin guards, under the leadership of Yang Zhangde, were eating dry food.

"Yang Qianhu, if we can't find Zong Zhensheng's whereabouts today, we can only return home."

Yang Zhangde tore off a piece of roasted tender meat and chewed it heavily. "No dry food?"

"We've only brought dry food for three days, and today is the third day."

Although he stayed in the wild for three days, Yang Zhangde's spirit was still very good. "This is Zong Zhensheng's lair, and he certainly knows more about this place than we do. However, there are so many of them, it is definitely difficult for them to hide for a long time, and now that Tsushima has almost been turned over by us, there are fewer and fewer places for them to hide......"

Cheng Xu, the general manager who led the team, sighed: "Now that there are a few more teams of chasing soldiers, we can't let others take the lead." ”

Yang Zhangde said with a smile: "Don't worry, I have all the arrangements, and I will never let the brothers run in vain." ”

"Who?" Several soldiers in charge of the guard suddenly shouted loudly.

Yang Zhangde and the others looked over along the sound, only to see three ronins dressed as samurai running out of the woods, they raised their hands high, and said in a strange Chinese dialect: "Surrender, we surrender......"

Yang Zhangde shouted loudly: "Bring them here!" ”

A team of people immediately passed, searched the three of them up and down, and then escorted them to Yang Zhangde.

"Who are you? Since you are shouting to surrender, it is obviously the person we are chasing, right? ”

One of the oldest warriors looked at him and said, "We are the warriors of the Zong family, if the general of the Ming Dynasty can pardon us and give us a sum of silver, we are willing to take you to capture Zong Zhensheng." ”

Yang Zhangde was excited, and said loudly: "If you take us to catch Zong Zhensheng, the three of you will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver." ”

"This general is a member of the Jinyi Guard, right? Can you call the shots? ”

Cheng Xu said loudly: "Although this Yang Qianhu is a person from Jinyiwei, he is also a popular person in front of His Royal Highness Taisun, and the most important assistant of the current chief soldier. ”

As long as they can save their lives, the three of them don't really care about how much money they are rewarded, and after looking at Yang Zhangde, they chose to believe him. The leading samurai said, "As long as you swear to the heavens, spare our lives, and give us a reward of silver, we will take you to capture Zong Zhensheng now." ”

Yang Zhangde stretched out his palm, high-fived him and said, "I, Yang Zhangde, swear that if I can catch Zong Zhensheng, I will definitely protect your glory and wealth." ”

The two of them clapped their hands three times, and the warrior said, "Please come with me, my lords, the place where we began to hide, is only two hills away." ”

As soon as Cheng Xu whistled, all the people immediately gathered, and when they heard that they could catch Zong Zhensheng, their emotions immediately rose.

Along the rugged mountain road, after more than an hour, they finally came to the place where Zong Zhensheng and they had hidden in advance.

However, at this time, it was already a person who had left the tea and cooled, and there was only a pile of ashes that still had residual warmth, which proved that the person had not been away for a long time.

At this time, everyone's eyes on these three people became unkind, although they knew that they were not to blame for this, but they were all in this way to give them some pressure.

Instead, Yang Zhangde asked in a friendly voice: "The time they left is obviously not long, do you know where Zong Zhensheng will flee?" ”

The elder warrior shook his head and said, "The Zong family has many caves in the mountains, although most of them have been found by you, but there are still quite a few. ”

Yang Zhangde took out a map and said: "This is a map of Tsushima Island, come, let's see, what other places do you know?" ”

Tsushima Island is not large, no more than 80 kilometers long, less than 20 kilometers wide, and the total area is less than 700 square kilometers.

Now most of the island has been combed by the Ming Dynasty army several times, and there are some places that just let them go, and they don't dare to go.

Therefore, outside the safe range, there are many places where Zong Zhensheng can hide, but there are not many places to hide for a long time.

After all, there were more than eighty of them, and so many people ate, drank, and slept in Lazar, and it was difficult not to show their traces.

The best hiding place is a natural cave, which is also the place that Yang Zhangde and they pay the most attention to.

After reading Daming's map, it took a while for Yang Zhangde to teach them to read the map.

They are located at the northern foot of Mount Ontake, which is surrounded by mountains and there are not many suitable places to live.

The few of them said several places in a row, all of which had been discovered by the Ming army.

Just when Yang Zhangde was a little disappointed, a young warrior said: "General, last year, I sent a batch of supplies to the Zong family to Bitian Sheng Cave. It should be in the northernmost part of the island, which is directly accessible by boat, and only two miles from the sea. The cave was large enough to hold five hundred people, and the fire was lit inside and could not be seen from the outside. ”

"Then why didn't you run there in the first place?"

"There isn't much food there, less than 100 stones."

Yang Zhangde perked up, looked at the direction of his finger and said, "Now Zong Zhensheng's people are panicking, I'm afraid that there is his last hope." But why do you know about this? But he was not killed? ”

He knelt down and said, "The villain is the cousin of the princess, so he was spared. ”

Yang Zhangde glanced at him with a smile, but he didn't expect that this soft bone was still his cheap brother-in-law.

Thinking of the chaste but passionate princess, his heart warmed up again. After this woman was developed by him, he has become more and more charming, so much so that until now, he has been reluctant to execute her.

Even, when he was still thinking about returning to Daming, he would bring this woman back and continue to serve him.

Gathering his attention, he looked at the map carefully. sent the three of them down, called Cheng Xu and said, "If the spies don't find too many traces, we will go back to the ship directly." Instead of looking passively like this, we should go directly to this place and wait for the rabbit. If this is really the best decision for the Zong family, they will definitely go here in the end. ”

The program smiled: "The marshal has instructed us to obey the orders of Lord Qianhu. Staying on Tsushima Island, all the brothers want to make meritorious contributions, so they naturally want to follow behind the thousand households to earn more credit. ”

Yang Zhangde said firmly: "Don't worry, I, Yang Zhangde, will never treat any brother badly." ”

From Mt. Ontake through Mt. Tento, they came to a bay here. A 400-stone ship was parked about five hundred meters from the shore.

Yang Zhangde and the others gave a signal, and after a while, the ship slowly approached the shore.

Seeing that there was no trace of the fight, the deputy general on duty sighed: "This Zong Zhensheng is really a ground mouse, so good at hiding." ”

Cheng Xu patted him on the shoulder and smiled: "Don't worry, this time we will wait for him at his lair." ”

The ship set sail again, went out of the bay, and traveled north for more than an hour, until it came to a deep bay with green hills on both sides.

It is almost the northernmost point of Tsushima Island, and apart from a few outposts and thatched huts built by fishermen, there are no aborigines in sight.

After the Ming army occupied the whole island, almost all the people were arrested, and the few who remained fled to the mountains.

Their arrival did not alarm anyone, and a group of people hurriedly disembarked with enough dry rations to live on for five days, and then the ship immediately left again.

If this ship stops here, wouldn't it tell people who have a heart that there is a Ming army here?

Led by a warrior named Manzhen, Yang Zhangde and the others soon arrived in front of a cave hidden by green trees.

This cave is located in a valley, not high, and then there are big trees outside, and you don't know that there is another cave here until you get close.

Yang Zhangde went into the cave to investigate, and the substances stored in it had not been used passively, so he put his mind at ease.

He said to Cheng Xu: "This is a natural trap, the most important thing now is not to let Zong Zhensheng know that we have rushed to the front, so don't let Zong Zhensheng's spies find out about us." ”

Cheng Xu said confidently: "Don't worry, Lord Qianhu, you take a hundred brothers to stay in the cave, and I will take two hundred brothers to guard the periphery." As long as Zong Zhensheng's people dare to enter the valley, none of them can escape. ”

You should also be careful not to be discovered by Zong Zhensheng, do not light a fire these days, and the protection range of the scouts should be farther away, so as not to let them discover you first. ”

The three hundred people in this group of mountains are not conspicuous at all, let alone are now divided into three groups. Find a random mountain col, you can hide completely, and then send a few scouts to open the defensive line, just waiting for the other party to throw themselves into the net.

They also knew that looking at the tightly hidden grain, medicinal herbs, gold and silver in this cave, this place was bigger than any other stronghold they had found.

He became more and more sure that Zong Zhensheng was forced to the current situation, and he would not give up this stronghold easily.