Hong Chengchou did not immediately evaluate Liu Cheng's plan, as an insider, he knew very well that this was a very good plan, as winter approached, as long as the officers and soldiers did not advance, the thieves would inevitably go out to collect food, and this gave the officers and soldiers a good opportunity to break through. But for this plan to succeed, there must be two prerequisites: 1. Accurate intelligence; 2. Plenty of time. The former is enough, the latter is not something he can control, he has just lost a deputy general soldier, if the news of the thieves is stabbed into the ears of the Son of Heaven, who knows how good his patience is?

"That General Liu, the thief leader Cao Cao is cunning and abnormal, but the officers and soldiers have suffered a lot from him!" Hong Chengchou stopped at this point, and the meaning of his words was very clear: "Can you deal with him?" ”

"There are quite a few thieves under his command, and he knows the inside story of the thieves, please rest assured!"

"Okay, you can do it, if you want the officers and soldiers of all states and counties to cooperate, General Liu, you just have to say it clearly!"

"Thank you, sir!"

Back at his residence, Liu Cheng immediately summoned the generals, and as soon as everyone arrived, he smiled and said to Du Guoying: "Lord Hong has promised to pay the arrears of military salaries, and you will go to join the army and receive the military salaries later!" ”

"Yes, sir!" Du Guoying was overjoyed when she heard this, and hurriedly bowed down to receive her order. Liu Cheng repeated his suggestion to Hong Chengchou and the other party's answer, and said with a smile: "Rank, Lord Hong handed over this errand to us, what should you do?" ”

Everyone was silent for a while, and finally Du Guoying spoke: "With all due respect, you don't have to come forward in this matter, after all, you are only a general of the Yansui Zuo Battalion, and there are still many people above you." ”

Du Guoying's speech won many approvals, Liu Cheng did not speak, and after the voice subsided, he smiled and said: "There is one thing I want to correct, this official is not the general of the left battalion of Yansui Town immediately." It is the deputy chief soldier of Yansui Town, and Lord Hong has already said that he will immediately promote his official to the imperial court to take over the position of He Huchen. ”

Liu Cheng's words are tantamount to lighting a cannon in the house, everyone's face showed a surprised and happy expression, and then they congratulated Liu Cheng, if Liu Cheng is a star, then they are planets around the star, only Liu Cheng's star rises step by step, and their satellites can also be promoted, this is a person who has attained the Tao of the chicken dog ascended to heaven.

"In that case, then we have to think of ways to win this battle!" Hong Chengchou's dropped chicken leg made Du Guoying's attitude change immediately. Others are no exception. In the face of everyone's attitude, Liu Cheng couldn't help but sigh secretly, "Only the name and the instrument, not the person!" This sentence is really good, a black gauze hat is thrown down and everyone works desperately, no wonder Sima Guang talked about "correct name" at the beginning of "Zizhi Tongjian".

Everyone argued for a while, and when they saw that Liu Cheng was just twisting his beard and smiling without saying a word, they opened their mouths to ask. Liu Cheng said with a smile: "It's getting late, everyone has worked hard along the way." Let's have a good rest first, and let's talk about it tomorrow! ”

Tian Jianxiu walked carefully, and the shackles on his feet prevented him from taking big steps, so he could only move forward one small step at a time. The chains between the shackles slid across the ground with a clanging sound. Two strong guards followed on either side, with broad shoulders, looped legs, and the hair in the center of the head shaved off, leaving the hair on the sides and back of it in pigtails. The saber on his waist collided with the armor leaf from time to time, making a crisp sound. Tian Jianxiu wanted to ask where he would be taken, but the words came to his lips and swallowed back. Because he had heard the two guards conversing in a language he did not understand, he guessed that these people were Mongolian Tatars, and remembering the rumors about the Mongols on the steppe that he had heard from his grandmother when he was a child, Tian Jianxiu felt that it was better not to ask.

Escorted by the guards, Tian Jianxiu passed through two corner gates and walked through a long verandah, he felt that his legs were already sore, but he gritted his teeth and tried not to show a single expression.

The end of the escort is a small courtyard, an officer took over the Mongolian escort, he led Tian Jianxiu into the hall, a young man wearing a folded horned head, wearing a brocade robe, is standing at a wooden table, carefully looking at a large map spread out on the table, next to the young man stands a pretty girl, holding an oil lamp in her hand to illuminate the young man.

"Master General, I brought Tian Jianxiu here!" The officer said in a deep voice.

"Hmm!" The young man raised his head, and Tian Jianxiu saw that there was a leopard on the complement on the man's chest, which meant that the other party was at least a third-grade military attaché, and he hurriedly knelt down: "Caomin Tian Jianxiu meets my lord!" ”

"Get up!" Liu Cheng said in an commanding tone: "Let me ask you, what is the punishment for rebellion?" ”

Tian Jianxiu's heart suddenly mentioned his throat, and the other party wanted to execute himself? Impossible, if this is the case, then there is no need to be so troublesome at all, the official knows better than anyone the punishment for rebellion, but Tian Jianxiu couldn't say the answer, he just subconsciously repeated Liu Cheng's question: "Rebellion?" “

"And what do you want me to say? Take up arms against the rulers, fight against the king, kill innocent people, loot property and women, burn villages and towns, I ask you again, according to my great law, what is the punishment for rebellion? “

"It's death!" Tian Jianxiu had been forced into a corner, and he lowered his head: "The punishment is death, my lord!" “

"Yes, it's death!" Liu Cheng laughed: "Tian Jianxiu, but you are not dead yet, let's say, what can you do to keep yourself alive?" ”

Tian Jianxiu opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak, fear grabbed his throat, he licked his lips, and said in a low voice, "Can you give me a glass of water?" ”

Liu Cheng nodded, and the officer on the side handed over a cup, Tian Jianxiu took the cup and took a sip, and a pungent liquid flowed into his throat, which was wine. He coughed violently, but it made him feel better, and his head was no longer so frightened. He returned the glass to the officer and whispered, "I don't want to die, my lord." “

"Excellent! Only those who don't want to die can live! Liu Cheng smiled: "I need someone who understands the inside story of the thief, can you?" “

"Okay, I will!" Tian Jianxiu hurriedly replied.

"Excellent! Take him down! ”

When Tian Jianxiu was taken down, Min Min snorted coldly: "This person is so timid, is it useful?" ”

Liu Cheng didn't speak, walked to the map, and carefully made a few marks on the map with a pen, Min Min also followed and looked at it, and asked, "Where did you make the markers?" ”

"These are villages that have been attacked by thieves!" Liu Cheng said: "The team of thieves must be from near and far. In this way, the old camp of the thieves should be in this area, and from the chronological order, the old camp is slowly moving eastward. Speaking of which, Liu Cheng drew a circle again and enclosed these villages inside.

"Well, that's good!" Min Min nodded: "The team that fetches food won't go too far, otherwise it won't be able to row, and it's not safe!" “

"And what are you going to do?"

"First go north along the Huanxian River, and set up an empty shelf in Huanxian County, so that the thieves will think that I have not moved in Huanxian. I led my troops to the northeast. Set up in the northeast of Huanxian near the western foot of Taibai Mountain, and send a sentry to kill the thief's grain team to see if you can find the thief's old camp! “

"No wonder you want to bring this Tian Jianxiu over!" Min Min smiled: "If that's the case, it's really not possible without him." ”

"Well, there are all kinds of black words and secret whistles among these thieves, if you want to catch him off guard, you still need a few people who know the inside story!" Liu Cheng smiled: "Even if you give him a chance to mend his ways!" ”

The next day, the Governor issued the paperwork. Liu Cheng, the general of the left battalion of Yansui Town, led his troops to Huanxian County to prevent autumn soldiers, and at the same time ordered the Ming troops of Pingliang Town to the east to suppress the thieves.

The bonfire in the night looks like a falling star, but in fact it is compared to the stars in the sky. They are brighter, but they don't flicker, sometimes they swell and stretch, sometimes they fall gloomy. Like a distant light, faint and dim.

The campfires were about a mile ahead, two hundred feet above the ground. In that location. You can see the movement below at a glance.

"These thieves are too bold!" After the last injury, he lay on the bed for more than half a year before getting off the ground, and his face showed a disdainful expression: "Light a fire in a high place at night, lest others not find them?" ”

"That's a sentry!" Tian Jianxiu replied with a little stammer: "It's windy at the heights, if you don't light the fire, it's too cold to survive!" ”

"Dead people are not afraid of the cold!" Totobuhua chuckled in a low voice, he turned his head and repeated in their language to the Mongols behind him, these strong men had a cruel smile on their faces, and Tian Jianxiu on the side couldn't help but shudder when he saw it.

"Sit down, eat something, and when the moon reaches the top, take those guys by surprise!" Tokhtambuhua sat down, and the knights behind him took the cold dried meat, bread, and cheese from their horses and ate them with the water in their skins. Tian Jianxiu took a bite and almost broke his teeth, he looked back at the Mongolian man who was traveling with him, and saw that the other party used the dagger on his waist to cut these hard foods into small pieces, soaked them in cold water, and ate them slowly, and he had to follow suit. Everyone ate a little, and then they all huddled together and lay down, Tian Jianxiu imitated taking off and lying down, but the stony ground under his body was full of cold air, and he fell asleep in a daze after a while.

"Get up, it's almost time!"

I don't know how long it took, but Tian Jianxiu was rudely woken up and saw that Totobuka was moving his hands and feet. He struggled to his feet, but his stiff knees were not working, and he almost fell if it weren't for the detachment and the stretching out of a hand.

"Thank you!" Tian Jianxiu replied a little embarrassed.

"No, I don't want the sentry guy to hear it." A strange smile appeared on his face: "Listen, if you get in the way next time, I'll cut your throat!" “

Tian Jianxiu shuddered and nodded involuntarily.

The cavalry walked slowly along the mountain road, and in order to prevent the thieves from high up from being discovered, all the horses' hooves were wrapped in leather, and the soldiers had wooden pieces in their mouths. Tian Jianxiu struggled to climb the mountain road while observing the flames in the distance. There were no clouds in the night sky, and the peaks on either side climbed up in black, and the pine forests surrounding the summit emitted pale light in the moonlight.

"Come on two neat hands and feet!" Tokhtobuhua gave an order to the people behind him in Mongolian, and six people stood up, and he looked up and down for a while, and chose two younger, and more emaciated, and he pointed to the fire at a height of five or six feet: "You two climb up, kill the sentry, and throw a torch down when the deed is done!" ”

The two young soldiers nodded, took off their armor and other superfluities, left only a knife, and tiptoed forward. Seeing them walking in the dark shadows, Tian Jianxiu quickly climbed up the cliff, and the howling north wind made a terrible sound through the canyon, which drowned out the inevitable sound of the two men as they climbed, and soon the two figures climbed up the cliff, gradually approaching the protruding rock that exposed the firelight.

The thieves' grain sentry placed the night sentry in a shallow hollow cavern above the narrowest part of the valley, where it had a good enough view and was protected from the cold winds of the valley. When the two spikes poked their heads out of the edge of the rock face, they saw the sight of one asleep, huddled tightly under a sheepskin cloak, with only the unkempt hair under the cloak, while the other was leaning against the fire, adding branches to it, and a horn hanging from his waist.

Everything happened in an instant, and the assault pounced on him with ferocity, stabbing the man in the back before the man by the fire could turn his head, the sharp steel blade piercing through the fur, muscles, and veins, and digging deep into his torso. But the resisters did not give up, he grasped the blade with one hand to prevent further advancement, and with the other he grabbed the horn and brought it close to his mouth. But another raider had already rushed to his side, grabbed him by the hair, and slashed him in the neck. The final blow shattered the man's resistance, and his hand let go, and the corner of the horn reached the ground. Then the other sleeping man woke up, and before he could figure out what was the matter, he was struck on the temple by the hilt of the knife and passed out.

The attacker pulled out a burning branch from the fire and threw it into the air, and the burning branch spun and fell into the night sky, disappearing without a trace.

"Got it!" Tokhoff raised his hand excitedly, turned around and ordered: "Everyone come with me, kill the thief by surprise!" “

The cavalrymen led their horses through the narrow valley pass, and then jumped on their horses and rushed to the camp in the valley. The horses' hooves trampled the clay and ragged grass, and the splashes of clods of earth hit the knights' armor with a dull fluttering sound. In the shaking light of the fire, he could vaguely see the livestock, the carts full of grain, and the thieves and people lying on their feet, and he even saw a thief who had just stood up after the great relief, and was looking at himself with his mouth wide open in surprise, not noticing the bottom of the shirt that had slipped to the ground. Tokhtar threw the spear in his hand hard, and the sharp spear pierced his throat, cutting the scream into his throat. (To be continued.) )