Li Sen personally supervised and led the army to attack Anningyi and Feixingdu, all the way to the green hills, strange rocks, gurgling water under the feet, the scenery is very beautiful. However, the officers and men were like facing a great enemy, and they did not care about appreciating them at all.

At the front is the rattan soldiers, holding a large rattan card nearly one person high with both hands, walking forward cautiously, there is no road in front, only a wild grass lodging, as if it has been stepped on, only one person is allowed to pass, the army to be arranged in such a formation must be vulnerable, the army is here and it is difficult to move forward, and can not help but stop advancing.

Li Sen looked at the surrounding terrain, and saw that there was a stream meandering out of the mountain, although the stream was also overgrown with weeds and shrubs on both sides, but it was more wide, and it was even more rare to travel in the shallow stream, which could avoid the endless pits, bamboo nails, lassoes, tripping bamboo guns, thorns and other obstacles in the half-human-high wild grass, those small mechanisms that were difficult to find and caused headaches not only seriously hindered the march of the army, but also killed and injured a large number of soldiers.

Leessen immediately ordered the army to move downwards and head up the stream.

This stream is called Crab Creek, the water is not knee-deep, the width can be rowed a bamboo raft, although it twists and turns, from time to time there are slippery boulders that are washed by the water to block the way, the speed of the army is much faster than on the road.

The barbarians were able to lay traps in the grass, in the barley, under the land, and under the stones, and there was no reason why they would let go of this stream leading to the valley.

The two peaks in front of each other stand side by side, shaped like a double gate, the mountain is dangerous, the top of the mountain is full of jungles, lush green, and the cliffs are densely covered with hanging coffins. Li Sen immediately ordered the army to stop, he was about to send some spies to the front to explore the way, he had been caught in an ambush, suddenly the branches in front of the ground shook the head of the tree, a strange roar started, the officers and soldiers who were caught off guard screamed and fell, some of them did not say a word, their brains burst out, and the death was unbearable.

The soldiers raised their rattan shields one after another, but the front shot was neither a bow and arrow, nor a pike spear, but a stone at least the size of a bowl, and the rattan card was smashed to pieces in two strokes, and the soldiers could not see an enemy, so they blindly shot a burst of arrows, and could not withstand the large stone rain falling from the sky, so they took refuge in the grass on both sides.

Traps, bamboo nails, lassoes, and thorns had already been laid in the grass, and the officers and men who blindly broke under their feet and could not see were again killed and wounded everywhere in a burst of screams. The barbarians had inexhaustible trees and stones, they used the trunk as a bowstring, and the stone as an arrow, destroying the withered and decaying, no one could defeat them, and the Ming army left a large number of dead corpses and began to retreat out of the mountain.

The formation was in chaos, and Li Sen couldn't stop it, especially a big stone with a bowl mouth flew over his shoulder, the strong wind blew his face and hurt, and a pro-soldier behind him was smashed into the chest by the stone, and his sternum was shattered, and he fell to the ground just convulsions, and the blood from his mouth and nose sprayed wildly.

Besides, the general Li Zesuo's department, the army formed a long snake formation along a low and narrow ridge next to the canyon, and circled around the dog's head mountain. The terrain here is dangerous and narrow, and the army can only drag a long line to advance slowly, but the right side of this low ridge is a canyon, and on the left side is a green hill slope that slopes down all the way.

The army went deeper and deeper, and there was never a barbarian figure in sight, and along the mountain road, the Ming army had been dragged into a team of several miles, like a long snake, winding forward. Suddenly, the heavy sound of copper drums in the dense forest under the mountain on the left side of the vanguard suddenly sounded, and the Ming army, which had fought with the barbarians many times, knew that there were barbarians in ambush in the forest, but fortunately, they were still far away from each other, and they were condescending here, so they might not rush up.

The shieldmen of the Ming army put their shields on the ground, the crossbowmen and firecrackers in the back were in full array, and the soldiers behind also rushed over, ready to form a second line of defense, but they were stunned to find that it was not barbarians who rushed out of the forest, but cows, horses, and mules, all of whom wore chews and their tails were lit, and rushed up the hillside like crazy chariots.

There were only a few dozen of such cattle, and the scene was spectacular, with crazy cows and horses galloping up the hillside, and the whole field of wild grass falling to the ground. A sharp-eyed lieutenant exclaimed, "This is a chain horse, release the arrows!" Shoot the arrows! ”

The tactic of chain horses was originally invented by ethnic minorities, and it has also been used in history, and the chain horse formation of dozens of cows and horses is useless, but in such a narrow and difficult place, with a deep cliff valley behind it, its effect is very terrifying.

The panicked Ming army began to release guns and arrows, the buttocks were on fire, and the cattle that were running up the mountain frantically had already committed the death of the surname, only to know forward, not to know the left and right to escape, once hit the fire, arrows, the pain under the rush was more urgent, behind, the barbarians with bamboo spears wore animal skin skirts, howled loudly and chased up.

Pouring effort, the cattle and horses rushed to the top of the mountain in a row, the galloping cattle and horses could not stop their steps, and even a sad neighing did not have time to be issued, and they fell into the deep valley, and the ropes and vines connected by the cattle and horses led countless officers and soldiers down the abyss. The clever soldier rolled on the spot, dodged under the rope, and had just stood up in terror when the brute wielding a bamboo spear was killed.

The center and tail of the long snake array, there is a dense forest at the bottom of the slope to hide the road section, but also attacked at the same time, although the barbarians do not understand the art of war, but the tactics from the hunting are ruthless and effective, first let the enemy go deep, and then cut off the head and tail, break the belly and dig out the heart, cut a long snake into several sections, head and tail can not care about each other.

The first blow of the 'chain horse' has severely damaged the sharp spirit of the Ming army, and the Ming army cannot figure out what other tricks the enemy has, how much strength it has, and it can't help but be humble and cowardly, thousands of soldiers and horses were instantly defeated, and when the army withdrew from the mountain pass, the ten stops of soldiers and horses have lost three stops.

Among the armies that marched in unison on three routes, only the guerrilla general Cui Guisuo, who burned Yuwang Mountain, suffered relatively small losses. He led the army into Manniukou with great fanfare, and as soon as he walked in, the rear team changed to the front team and went around again, and changed to another more difficult Maofeng Dam.

This is a ravine, sandwiched between two mountains, and a small road in the middle, but the road is covered with thorn bushes on both sides, and it is difficult for officers and soldiers to walk, but the barbarians must not be able to set up an ambush in these thorny bushes overgrown with hard thorns, and it is relatively safer.

The officers and men walked in the ravine for about half an hour, and the rear team was still outside the ravine. At this time, I suddenly heard the sound of copper drums like thunder on the rocks on both sides, and the shouts shook the heavens and the earth. First, there was a burst of stone bullets fired from tree branches, although it looked terrifying, but there were thorn bushes in the middle, as long as the Ming army lay on the ground, the stones either flew over their heads, or were blocked by the thorn bushes, except for some officers and soldiers who were not guarded at first, the wounded Liao Liao.

Later, more than 1,000 barbarian men and women held swords and spears, drove cattle and horses as vanguards, and covered and killed from the front. Jiao Gui saw that the situation was not good, if such a narrow terrain was rushed by cattle and horses, the whole army was in chaos, and he could only be slaughtered by others, and immediately ordered the whole army to retreat, and at the same time concentrated the firecrackers to kill three cattle and one horse, hindering the barbarian offensive, and the army escaped from the valley, although it was embarrassed, the loss was not much.

The strategy of dividing the way and advancing failed again, and the three-way rout met on the way back, and the army was dejected, and rushed back to the camp Li Sen had just returned to the camp, and the captain came to report that the Lord Yang Ling came to the barracks and asked Li Sen to meet him immediately after he returned. Li Ling heard this in his heart, and hurriedly straightened his embarrassed military appearance and hurried to the handsome tent.

Since the suppression of the rebellion, Li Sen has picked up the camp and pulled out the village, like a bamboo, and has never fought such a nest battle, even the extremely dangerous Causeway Ridge, he followed Yang Ling's light cavalry to go deep, and the plan of pulling back the horse and pulling the nail was easily taken down, but in this capital village, all the elite soldiers and horses were gathered, not only was it difficult to advance an inch, but also repeatedly suffered defeats, he was really a little ashamed to see Yang Ling.

Li Sen hurriedly returned to the handsome tent, and reported by roll call: "My lord, Li Sen is in!" ”

"Please come in", Yang Ling and Feng Shenzheng, Su Imperial Envoy and the second prince were looking at the sand table, and they raised their heads when they heard the voice.

This was Li Sen's handsome account, but this time the nest bandit suppressed the rebellion Yang Ling is the commander of the three armies, he is the deputy marshal, Yang Ling is here, he also has to avoid the seat, and the power of the commander has to be handed over to Yang Ling, so he doesn't dare to be sloppy at all.

Li Sen entered the tent, knelt down on one knee, clenched his fists and said ashamedly: "My lord, the last general is ashamed, he gathered an army of 50,000 troops, but he couldn't attack the capital for a long time, and he was entrusted by the adults."

Yang Ling said casually: "Victory and defeat are common things in soldiers, barbarian warfare, fighting for more than 100 years, the famous generals don't know how many they sent, and the army doesn't know how many tens of thousands, if they all win the battle, we won't be here today." ”

He walked over and helped Li Sen up and said, "Get up, I have been looking at the terrain of Duduzhai for a long time with a few adults, and I really can't see where Duduzhai is more dangerous than Bowang Mountain, Tongluo Ridge, and Lingxiao City." You have been fighting here for more than ten days, give us a brief introduction to the situation, the enemy of the six counties, now only retreats in Dudu Village and Jiusi City, I don't believe that I can't take it."

Li Sen saw that Yang Ling was downplaying and brushed over the loss of his troops, and he was inexplicably grateful in his heart, he stood up and asked first: "Listen to the tone of the adult, Ling Xiaocheng has already been taken?" ”

Yang Ling smiled and said: "This official has just received the news, General Song outwitted Lingxiao City, and now a pair of wings in Nine Silk City have been broken, just wait to take down the capital village, this official can rest assured that the army will drive straight into Nine Silk City."

There are more than 10,000 soldiers and horses in the Song General Army, and the official has not transferred them over, and I have ordered them to build forts and set up cards at the dangerous pass between Jiusi City and Dudu Village, and cut off the connection between them.

Li Sen heard that Lingxiao City, which was as famous as Duduzhai, had been easily taken by Song Xiaoai and a female streamer, and the pressure in his heart increased, and he couldn't help but have a sharp fighting spirit, he walked to the sand table, took a long breath, and said awe-inspiringly: "Lord Yang, my lords, Duduzhai is different from Tongluoling, Lingxiao City and other places.

At first glance, this place is not as dangerous as the above places, and the above passes all have a pass that is not opened, and there is no village. But the difference between Duduzhai is that although it is called Duduzhai, it is actually not a cottage, but a collection of many cottages where the Duzhang barbarians are quite concentrated.

Dudu Zhai is divided into Dadu Du, two Dudu until Wududu, this is the main body of Dudu Zhai, five mountain peaks are undulating, there are dangerous peaks, there are cliffs, there are canyons, there are swamps, there are dense forests, ambushes can be set up everywhere, there are ambushes everywhere.

Including its periphery, the terrain is also intricate, and the official originally wanted to cut off the periphery first, and shrink inward step by step, but the terrain here is not suitable for the method of encirclement and suppression in other places. Adults, please see, there are several unclimbable dangers on this side of Dudu Village, such as Blue Cliff, Hongya Ghost Slope Cliff, and there are more than a dozen cottages of all sizes such as A'er Village next to it.

They are close to each other, and if we try to capture any village first, we will be assisted by the others, and even if we capture the next village, we will not be able to stay there for long under the constant attacks of the barbarian army. If the division of troops to attack each village at the same time, but they happen to fall into their plan, once they enter the endless mountainous area, all kinds of dangerous terrain will become weapons of killing. We have been here for more than ten days, and this is the loss we have suffered.

Look at this side again, there are Gaozhai, Pingzhai, Dongmuba, and there is Luobao Village in the east, each other is the horns of each other, attacking a linkage of all villages, dividing troops to attack it will fall into jungle warfare, and our army's advantages have no room to play.

To the south, it is the Cockscomb Ridge Village, which is also an important pass of Duzhangman, and there are also Neiguan Zhai and Monkey Fishing Village nearby. In particular, the monkey village is located on the top of the precipice, dangerous and unclimbable, and then once our army attacks the village, they can easily go down the mountain, using the characteristics of being very familiar with the mountain, from all kinds of inexplicable places to drill out, attack our army, so that our army can not take into account the head and tail, there are enemy attacks everywhere, there are traps everywhere, people often say that the grass and trees are soldiers, here is really the grass and trees are soldiers. ”

Yang Ling, Zhu Rangjin and the others frowned more and more when they heard this, and their faces couldn't help but become solemn, no wonder this place is the most difficult to overcome, the dangerous terrain here is endless, and the barbarian cottages are dotted around, it is simply the base camp of the barbarians.

But the more this is the case, the more this capital village has to be taken down, otherwise the rest of the counties and villages will be defeated, and it will be useless at all, and they will all have this base, and as soon as the imperial army leaves, it will soon be able to resurrect and reoccupy the counties for chaos.

Li Sen also said more and more heavily, he pointed to the southeast and said: "This is the wheel binding hoard, its mountains rise hundreds of zhang, the forest is deep, the stone is the city, the tree fence is guarded, and the army will also shed blood into a pool."

The current situation is that if you want to cut its wings, you can't do it. At the same time, it will immediately fall into the deep mountains and dense forests, although the barbarian army is small, but it can roar back and forth, leap like flying, or use a mechanism, or have cattle and horses, ordinary household goods can be turned into weapons, which is difficult to guard. ”

Yang Ling and the others were silent after hearing this, and no one had an idea for a while, and after a while, Yang Ling said: "Lord Li has also suppressed bandits in Shandong, and he has rich experience in battle formations. ”

Li Sen thought for a while, drew a big circle on the sand table, and said: "Set up pillboxes, side walls, garrison guards, besiege this place, and imprison them until they have no way to survive and surrender."

Yang Ling stared at him and said, "How many soldiers and horses do you need?" How much time? How much is the grain? ”

Li Sen couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Yang Ling shook his head and said: "The terrain here is different from Shandong, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, even if the garrison is stationed, it is difficult to completely imprison the bandits in the mountains, and to surround these mountains, it takes more than 50,000 soldiers and horses, and the money and taxes spent on Shu land cannot afford it, as for the time."

Yang Ling smiled bitterly and pointed to the sand table and said: "The village of the Duzhang barbarians is in the mountains, there is land and grain, there are birds and beasts, streams, fish and crabs, wild vegetables and dried fruits, if it is besieged for a long time, the Duzhang barbarians have not collapsed, but the court will be dragged down."

Li Sen's face turned red, and he hurriedly said: "The lower officials are ignorant, stubborn, and indiscriminately quote the experience of other places."

Zhu Rangjin looked at the sand table, and suddenly said: "Pingchuan uses water, the mountains use fire, adults exterminate the barbarian villages, most of them use fire to attack, then all the barbarian tricks are vulnerable, why not attack with fire here?" ”

Yang Ling shook his head and smiled: "Doesn't the second prince smell playing with fire [***]? ”

Zhu Rangjin and Master Feng looked at each other in surprise, not understanding the meaning.

Li Sen hurriedly explained: "Second Prince, Lord Feng, you don't know, this capital village is full of mountains and forests, including the villages and fences of the barbarians, it is true that they are all wooden, but one village is too scattered, and the other is that the forests everywhere are inevitably separated by swamps, canyons, and cliffs, so if you set fire from one place, it will not play a role at all." If you set fires everywhere".

He pointed to the sand table with a shocked face, and said: "There are nearly 10,000 people in the inner village, although they are all dependent on the rebels, not everyone can be killed. Moreover, these five capital mountains are connected to countless surrounding mountains, and fires are set everywhere, and the fire is difficult to control, and it is really going to burn, in case it spreads, countless lives will be destroyed, and the matter is very big, I am afraid that even if the saint is here today, he will not dare to make this determination for the sake of the little capital."

Only then did Zhu Rangjin and the others know the reason, and they had nothing to say for a while.

Yang Ling frowned for a long time, and had no plan in his heart, so he had to sigh faintly and said: "Let's rest first, wait for us to understand the surrounding situation again, and then continue to discuss, there is always a way to think of the endless road."

Everyone silently arched their hands and left one by one. Li Sen saw that Yang Ling's eyebrows were gloomy, and he was not interested in talking at this time, so he also retreated.

Yang Ling sat down in the empty tent, and suddenly thought, "If Yun'er is here, will she have any good way?" ”

As soon as this thought came to him, Yang Ling immediately laughed dumbly: "Do you still need to ask?" That girl, unscrupulous in order to achieve the goal, if she was here, seeing that her own people have suffered heavy losses, she would have been burned a long time ago. As for the aftermath"

Yang Ling sighed: "How can there be trouble?" If the current boss is Cheng Qiyun, then it will definitely be found out in the end: the person who set the fire is the person who was burned to death. I don't know these methods, but the husband has something to do and something not to do, so he has to seek peace of mind."

Yan Gaocai was half a day late because of the arrangement of the newly captured cottage officials and the allocation of land and property to the landless peasants who came to the call, and arrived at Dazhai at night, when the sky was overcast, and the stars and moon were not visible, and several soldiers escorted him into the military camp with lanterns and torches. Unexpectedly, as soon as Yan Gao entered the camp, he saw a black shadow circling in the dark night, and the two met each other, and when they saw that person, it was Li Sen who was in command, and Yan Gao was busy going up to salute.

Although he is still a small county commander in name, his actual power has long been far inferior to that of Zhizhou, and it is only a matter of time before he is appointed as the governor of the various yamen of the Xuzhou Military and Political Law Division, and Yang Ling's recital has been sent to Beijing, and there is no reason for the emperor to not allow this kind of thing.

Therefore, Li Sen also replied very politely and talked about it, Yan Gao asked about the process of the deliberations of the officials today, thought about it, and asked: "I don't know how to fight, my lord said bluntly, is it to take the capital of the village, can only attack urgently, can not slow down, if you want to attack urgently, the location occupied by the barbarians is worth 100,000 troops, not our army's manpower and weapons can compete, can only use the power of the five elements, the power of heaven and earth?" ”

Li Sen nodded and smiled bitterly: "By the way, if you want to attack urgently, you have to ask Huode Xingjun for help, but there are tens of thousands of creatures in the mountains, and it is really a good thing to do this, if the fire spreads, it will be a great disaster, and no one dares to take this idea."

Yan Gaocai glared and said: "If not, the act of suppressing the rebellion will have to be the same as in the past, the army will drag on for three or four years, and the soldiers will be tired, and the surrounding counties will just change the land and return to the stream, and when the barbarians come out of the mountain, everything will return to its old appearance, and after a few years, there will be a big battle, so repeatedly, and the cycle repeatedly?" ”

Li Sen spread his hands and said, "What is Lord Yan's opinion?" ”

Yan Gaocai rolled up his sleeves and said, "Gao Jian didn't have it, I'll go see the adult!" After speaking, he asked Yang Ling's residence and strode away.

Yang Ling was closing his eyes in the tent and thinking about the tricky things in Dudu Village, when suddenly there was a knock on the door of the house, and one person said: "My lord, Yan Gaocai asks to see."

"Oh?" Yang Ling opened his eyes, sat up from the chair, and said busily: "Hurry up."

Yan Gaocai entered the account and saluted Yang Ling: "The lower official has seen the adult."

"You're welcome, sit down, come and watch the guests", Yang Ling responded with a smile, waved his hand to let him sit down, and asked, "How is the matter of changing the land and returning to the stream?" ”

Yan Gaocai said: "The six counties of Xuzhou, Gao, Jing, Yunlian, Changning, Jiang'an, and Naxi, except for this county, are all vigorously changing their land and returning to the stream. This move not only solved the hidden danger of the displaced people in other places, but also provided enough peasant households for employment in the six counties, which can be said to be beneficial to both the imperial court and the people."

"Good!" Yang Ling applauded happily when he heard it.

Yan Gaocai's tone changed and said: "However, the lower officials are only afraid that such a good situation will not last long, and the imperial court will not be able to take the capital village, so it will be difficult to quell the rebellion of the capital." The army was stationed in the confrontation, and the end was nothing more than a repetition of the mistakes of the previous officials and bandits, and in the end, it was over.

When the barbarians go out of the mountains, they will reoccupy the key passes such as Jiguan Mountain, Lingxiao Peak, Tongluo Ridge, and Bowang Mountain, and go out to plunder and plunder, half the people and half bandits, so that the people who have been safe and defended will flee to other places. At that time, Duzhangman will still become a problem for Sichuan's henchmen, and the people who are scattered all over the country will be extremely disappointed in the imperial court, and the prestige of the imperial court will be discredited. are all in charge of the barbarian and will become a chronic disease".

Yang Ling was silent when he heard this, sighed for a while, pinched his eyebrows and said: "This official is like riding a tiger's back, he can't advance or retreat, it's really embarrassing."

Yan Gaocai said solemnly: "My lord, Ling Xiao is broken, my teacher is in danger, and this day is the time to die as a clown." It is advisable to take advantage of the momentum of breaking the bamboo and reap the work of clearing the country as soon as possible. Thinking of the barbarian warriors, there are only thousands of people, and my division should be several times larger, and there are all those who are invincible. If you don't die surprisingly, if you want to win with years, how much should you spend in the army in January? This is a self-imposed plan. ”

Yang Ling was silent for a long time and said: "If you want to win with wonder, you can only attack with fire."

Yan Gaocai immediately arched his hand and said, "My lord, I see it! ”

Yang Ling rolled his eyes, arched his hand, and said, "Mr. is talented!" Once the fire spreads, it will affect countless living beings in the world, how can you teach me? ”

Yan Gaocai rolled his eyes and said: "Under the rule of the lower officials, because most of the people in the county live in densely forested places, for fire prevention, they live within more than ten zhang of the forest, and the grass and trees will be cleared. Mountain fires are powerful and non-stove fires are comparable, but if the open space of 30 zhang is cleared, only the officers and soldiers will guard it, and extinguish the weak sparks at any time, so why worry about the spread of the fire? ”

Yang Ling was stunned: "Firebreak? This method is feasible, anyway, the fire will not be extinguished, and the smoke of gunpowder will be everywhere, and the army of the imperial court will not be able to enter the capital village, so let them temporarily serve as firefighters on the periphery, and this job will definitely be competent."

He thought about it for a while, and then hesitated: "Lord Yan, the rebels in the mountains are not rogues, but the local mountain people who are in rebellion, they are also bandits, and there are still many women and children, arson here, compared to Bowang Mountain and Tongluo Ridge, I'm afraid alas!" I'm afraid it will hurt the innocent."

Yan Gaocai said solemnly: "My lord, no matter how innocent the people in the mountains are, are they as innocent as the people outside the mountains?" Is it as innocent as the dead and wounded soldiers? Cannot this matter be settled once and for all, so that this place will be peaceful for a long time, and the harm will be long-lasting, and the people of the future will not be innocent? ”

Yan Gaocai got up and gave a deep salute, and said impassionedly: "Your Excellency has the grace of knowing your subordinates, and your subordinates know everything about your lords, and your words are endless, please listen to my heartfelt words."

My lord, the lower officials think that only those who are not in their position and do not bear their responsibilities will look on coldly and talk about mercy lightly, so they show his magnanimity, this kind of nonsense talking about idlers is pure idle fart, dog fart, big stinky bullshit! ”

Yan Gaocai's face turned red, and he didn't know if he remembered that he was suppressed and restricted as an official, making it difficult for him to move an inch, and his official face was dignified and always urged him to be diligent in government and love the people, and to make more political achievements.

He raised his hand indignantly and said, "But those who bear their responsibilities must consider the whole picture, not only in one place, but also in the overall situation. Not only for the short term, but also for the long term. People say that the bystanders are clear, but I say that the bystanders are light, relaxed, and do not take their responsibilities, and speak only according to their likes and dislikes.

Adults are walkers, the road is difficult and easy to walk, there are pits and stones, and naturally they know it, so why care about the idle people on the side of the road? I secretly think that the major policies of the country, those who can be appeased by benevolence and leniency should be benevolent, followed by fierceness.

Everyone knows that fire burns the skin, so everyone is afraid of fire since childhood, knows how to avoid fire and fire prevention, and is careful not to play with fire, so there are not many people who burn to death.

The surname Shui is cowardly and gentle, everyone thinks that Green Water is gentle, cute and approachable, but there are many people who die in the water.

Leniency is not necessarily a good deed, and sometimes strict government is imposed precisely for the sake of greater leniency and longer leniency, my lord! ”

Yang Ling was shocked: In troubled times, I remember that at the beginning of the founding of the country, the ban on smoking and the prohibition of bandits, vigorous and resolute, is also a heavy code, among which there is no crime that does not lead to death, but is this kind of heavy code wrong? No! If this is not the case, how can we quickly achieve a clear situation in the United States and the stability of the country?

The benevolence of a woman only gets her own personal praise, and appeasement and weakness will only leave endless hidden dangers, bring endless suffering to more people, and even brew greater disasters.

He stood up, walked to the tent and looked up at the gloomy sky, there were no stars and no moon in the sky, the wind had risen, circling, seeing that the heavy rain was coming, Yang Ling's hands gradually clenched.

Yan Gaocai walked behind him, shook his head and said: "A gentleman is for the country, strengthen its fundamentals, revitalize its discipline, gather thick and follow it, and don't make any provocations." If there is a disaster, take advantage of its subtlety, and put it out urgently, although the means are ruthless, do not hesitate, otherwise the disaster will spread, spread deep and wide, and cause great evil for the sake of small good. ”

Yang Ling listened, for a long time, suddenly raised his hand and made a slow move, and said softly: "Even if it is a rain in the sky, it will fall with thunder, is this reason?" ”

Yan Gao was overjoyed, and replied: "Exactly, holding the Shura knife in your hand, the Dharma Field proves Bodhi!" ”

"Good!" Yang Ling raised his eyebrows and said categorically: "Okay!" God wants me to be the executioner, so I will stand in the Dharma field with a butcher's knife in my hand and come to verify this Bodhi Dao. ”

At this moment, a flash of lightning flashed twice, and then Yin Yin Shen thunder rolled from the sky, like a war drum, and the wind swirled.

Yan Gaocai stroked his palms and smiled: "There is a Buddha thunder hand in my heart, and I am angry at the King Kong Bodhisattva." My Buddha has Guanyin to cross the world, and there is also the thunder of the immovable king. This thunderbolt of my lord is also great compassion! ”

"Click!" There was another thunderstorm that shook the sky, and the long-term drought and rain finally poured down, and the offensive of the officers and soldiers stopped.

After three days of heavy rain, the village was muddy and slippery, and the original babbling creek turned into a roaring buffalo. In this kind of treacherous weather, even the local mountain people do not go out easily, and if they are not careful, they will inevitably fall into a canyon, fall into a quagmire, or be swept away by a flood that suddenly diverts their course.

Therefore, the barbarians almost didn't even have to send guards, and they didn't have to worry about the Ming army entering the mountains to encircle and suppress them.

Taking advantage of these three days, Yang Ling stayed at home, and Lord Feng, the second prince, Yan Gaocai and others, and summoned Li Sen, Li Ze, Jiao Gui and other generals to review the various failed battle strategies in the past ten days, analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the offensive and defensive situation of the cottages everywhere, and discuss ways to deal with them.

After three days, the rain stopped and the wind stopped, the sun was in the sky, and the Ming army began to act.

Groups of officers and men walked around the mountains and began to garrison troops outside the key passes that entered and exited the capital village, built walls and forts, and made a posture of long-term siege. At the same time, Yan Gaocai, together with the officials and officials of the local county administration yamen, and some gentry and scholars, mobilized some gentry and scholars to publicize to the people of all ethnic groups in the nearby villages and villages that the barbarians oppressed the good and harmed the locality, and did not follow the king's law.

This is the base camp of the capital, which is different from other counties. These villagers are all disadvantaged people in the local area, and they are usually oppressed, so they dare not speak out or be angry, and they naturally agree with the government's propaganda.

It's just that they have lived here for many years after all, and they are worried that the imperial court will eventually fail this time, and then the barbarians will go out of the mountain to take revenge, and they will be the ones who suffer. Therefore, except for a small number of homeless and unscrupulous people who dare to stand up openly, most of the people are still waiting and watching, but openly and covertly, there is more help for officers and soldiers.

Liu Biao also led people to secretly rush to Dudu Village, while sending a small group of shrewd scout horses into the mountains to explore the roads and cottage conditions after the torrential rain and flash floods, and at the same time visited nearby villages to inquire about the people who were close to the Duzhang barbarians, and the people who stayed outside the mountains and were more obedient and kind to the government.

When the situation was understood, Yan Gaocai and others came to the door with gifts, and visited these Langzhong, cobblers, tailors, and chiefs of other clans, as well as the gentle people of the barbarians, one by one, while talking about the prestige of the officers and soldiers, especially exaggerating the military exploits made by the commander Yang Ling in various places by ten times, and repeatedly instilling them in these people, persuading them to go into the mountains to persuade their friends and relatives who had good relations to go out of the mountains and surrender.

Some of these villagers have never left the range of ten miles within a radius of their homes in their lives, they don't know a single big character, and they can't talk about their knowledge at all, they only listen to them dumbfounded, and when the people of the yamen leave, even if the head of the household doesn't say it, the wives and children have already painted what the government said, and said it to the villagers, after repeated processing and tempering, the villagers came to a conclusion:

Du Zhangman must be defeated this time. The commander of the imperial army is clever and like a god, but he is the reincarnation of Zhuge Kongming, otherwise how dare he lead 50,000 people to attack Dudu Village? What the? Why did you lose the battle a few days ago? That's because Yang Qincha hasn't come yet, and before Mr. Kong Ming came, the Shu army was just as always defeated!

As a result, the virus sown by Yan Gaocai and others produced various localized variant versions, and later, even the mountain spirit Mu Xiao ran to the legend of Yang Ling to make a cameo, don't underestimate this kind of rumor, in modern times, in remote rural areas, this kind of legend of gods and ghosts still has great influence, not to mention the Duzhang Mountains at that time.

This time, there were fewer people in the nearby villages who dared to make trouble in secret, and there were more people who openly supported it, and the momentum and public opinion spread into the mountains, which more or less affected the Duzhangman tribe, and at the same time strengthened the confidence of the towns and villages outside the mountains in the imperial court.

At this time, Yan Gaocai and others began to visit the people who had all kinds of close relationships with the barbarian cottage heads, and with the basis of the above psychological offensive, they moved them with affection, understood with reason, scared them with threat, tempted them with their hearts, and sealed them as officials, these people were shot one after another, and 'sacrificed' in the hands of Yan Gaocai and other officials who were full of tongues.

The officials left silk treasures and gifts of all kinds, and politely left. As soon as they left the fence gate with their front feet, these people carried their bags and baskets, and went into the mountains and relatives as if they were rushing to the market.

Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, it has played a role in divisiveness, division, and disintegration, so that the cottages do not believe in each other, and even cause civil strife.

It is by relying on the cooperation and coordination of these tribes that the officers and soldiers who fought have been defeated repeatedly, and if there is a rift between them, when the mountain is burned by fire, the officers and soldiers will be able to take advantage of the chaos and annihilate them with one blow, and eliminate all the troubles.

Dadu Mountain barbarian leader A Hei soon discovered this kind of change, he immediately ordered all the cottages to prohibit relatives and friends to visit the mountain, violators will be executed, and after inquiry, know that the pheasant village owner Wa Jiu has been in public scratch, complaining that the patriarch of the A clan is too arrogant, and the captivity of the state and county has caused big trouble to Dudu Village, so he pretended to invite him to Dadu Mountain to drink, and then cut off his head with a knife, and sent his nephew A Gui to take over the pheasant village, which temporarily stabilized the situation.

However, at this time, people's hearts fluctuated, and it was difficult to settle down once they were shaken, and the barbarians were not good at stabilizing the morale of the army, so they only knew that they would not be punished with strict clan rules, but they aroused the secret opposition of some tribesmen, and more and more people sneaked out of the mountains at night.

Ah Hei had no choice but to shrink the soldiers and horses of each village with all his might, abandon many villages, and set up all his troops between the five peaks of Dudu Mountain and the dangerous mountain passes before and after, in order to rely on the natural danger and fight with the Ming army for a long time, until the officers and soldiers were dragged down.

During this period, Li Sen's army was also in a major rectification, during this period of time, there were awards for meritorious service in battle, rewards for the brave, care for the wounded, and compassion for the dead, and there were indeed a small number of soldiers in the army who were afraid of war and death, and they cowered in bluffs after every battle, and were simply timid about the confrontation.

The rewards and punishments are clear, so that the morale of the army and the morale of the army will not be dispersed even after setbacks. During this period, the officers and men explored the terrain near Duduzhai and dealt with the areas that could lead to the spread of fires, some of them were isolated with the help of natural terrain such as swamps and ridges, and some of them were too densely wooded, and they broke a separation zone of dozens of zhang in the middle of the continuous construction, and at the same time garrisoned troops to guard them. Everything is ready, the big war is imminent.

Yang Ling was surrounded by neatly dressed generals, listening attentively to his detailed operational deployment, Yang Ling finished deploying the tasks that each department needed to perform, and said: "This time the division of troops is encircled, so as to complete the battle." The traitors are fighting, the danger of heaven and earth, the fire together, the danger of heaven is not enough, but there are swamps, streams, caves and crypts in the mountains, and some mountains do not grow an inch of grass, the barbarians are familiar with the terrain, they will avoid danger and save themselves, and at the same time counterattack, so the departments still should not be careless. ”

He nodded to the sand table of Dudu Zhai and said: "In this operation, the frontal onslaught, feint, the two wings are approaching, the main direction of attack is in Wududu, and the official personally supervises the advance, first easy and then difficult, and finally takes Dadu Mountain."

Jiao Gui said in surprise: "My lord, Wudu Mountain is strictly guarded by Ahei's brother Adang, there is a toad ridge under the mountain, the mountain is hovering and towering, like a toad crouching, the mountain is a dangerous peak made of rocks, between the lonely mountain cliffs, there is a mountain waterfall such as practice, it is extremely dangerous, we have attacked the mountain several times, we have not chosen there, it is for this." Toad Ridge is not afraid of fire attacks, and the only way to take it down is to attack hard, which is too dangerous."

Li Sen also said with a solemn expression: "My lord, Toad Ridge is guarded by Liu Lang, Adam's sister-in-law. This person was originally an officer and soldier of the Baoning Guard, because Shangguan took advantage of the robbery, forcibly bought his family's land, and was so angry that his father died of illness.

This person is full of martial arts, fierce and brave, and he is also one of the best heroes in the barbarian cottage. Adam appreciated him very much, and married his sister to him, and now he is the first general under Adam and his confidant. With this person guarding the dangerous pass of Toad Ridge, although Wudu is the shortest of the mountains, I am afraid it is also the most difficult to attack. If you decide to use Wudu Zhai as a breakthrough, then the last general will be the vanguard."

Zhu Rangjin hurriedly persuaded when he heard this: "My lord, you are in command of the whole army, and you have a heavy responsibility, and you can't easily get into danger, should we take another place as the main direction of attack?" ”

Yang Ling said lightly: "Although Wudu Duzhai is in the hands of Adang, this toad has been taken down by this official."

The officials were taken aback, and asked each other with their eyes, but they didn't know who sent the soldiers, and they quietly took down the Toad Ridge, not only did none of the people hear the rumors, but obviously the barbarians didn't know about it, and they didn't send anyone to recapture this pass so far, this person's ability is too big, right? Everyone was secretly surprised, but only Yan Gao smiled silently.

Feng Shenzheng said happily: "My lord is so calm, the army is about to be dispatched, so he said such good news, I don't know which general is so brave and made this meritorious service?" ”

Yang Ling laughed and said: "This person is in my account, Ji Laosi, please come out."

The curtain of the door behind was lifted, and before the person came in, there was a loud noise, and an old man with a rickety body slowly walked in, this person's long hair was all white, and he was scattered with a pale and thin face, and people couldn't help but feel chills when they saw it in broad daylight.

He was wearing a sleek coat and pants underneath, and at first glance he thought he was a fisherman, but his white hair was a little weird. There are brass bells between the ankles, hands, and waist of this person, and they ring everywhere when they walk, and the sound is staggered and messy, and the listeners are upset.

Some officials suddenly shouted: "The old secretary, it turned out to be the old secretary of the Miao family." They don't make a lot of noise, and the people around them can hear it. It turned out that this Ji Laosi was not his real name, Lao Si was the local name for the wizards of the Miao family.

Yang Ling said with a smile: "Ji Laosi often walks in the capital village to pick herbs, and is very respected for the people in the mountains to ward off diseases and evil spirits. ”

Zhu Rangjin was dumbfounded, pulled Yang Ling's sleeve, and said in a low voice: "My lord, do you want to use a wizard to attack Toad Rock?" ”

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Of course not. Mr. Meng helped out, and made a bridge from it, and said peace, and now Liu Lang has taken refuge in his official and promised to be an internal response, no matter how dangerous this pass, it doesn't matter."

Jiao Gui said in disbelief: "The adult can actually convince Liu Lang to turn against the water? ”

Yang Ling laughed and said, "What's so difficult about this? With a black veil, two acres of land, and three thousand taels of silver, Liu Lang's Toad Ridge has become a stepping stone for the official! ”

(To be continued)