Six o'clock in the morning.

The six main battalions led by Jiang Yulong, Xu Wentao, and Guo Zhongjun, with a total of 3,500 officers and soldiers, were all in place, and the five musket battalions quietly crossed the frozen river, and successfully reached hundreds of meters outside the five city gates in the east, west, and north amid the barking of dogs from the surrounding villages.

As soon as the captains of the 100 battalions had formed their formations, three red rockets rose into the sky with a scream, instantly illuminating the inside and outside of the crowded south gate.

The frozen moat was already three feet frozen at this moment, and the lazy Jimo defenders did not raise the drawbridge, and the more than 20 new army scouts who had been lurking in the city for two days took off their dirty beggar costumes, tied a white cloth on their heads, and killed them from the darkness, and plunged into the two city gate holes separately, killing five people in a row, and finally controlling more than a dozen guards who woke up from their dreams and were terrified, forcing the guards to open the city gate.

The 35 scouts led by Guo Zhongjun climbed up the tower along the hanging rope, quickly turned the winch on the top of the gatehouse, raised the heavy gate, and then took out rockets and ignited them and threw them into the air.

Jiang Yulong led 300 cavalry to quickly rush into the city gate where the torches were lit, and went straight to the direction of the county government in the city along the wide stone road of South Street.

More than 1,000 officers and men of the garrison battalion and musket battalion led by Xu Wentao followed.

The musket battalion quickly occupied the south gate and closed the city gate again, and two of the centuriens loaded their bayonets, loaded their ammunition, lined up in two attack formations, and drove into the chaotic Nancheng military camp unhurriedly, and the roar of "surrender or kill" rang out into the sky.

The dense sound of horses' hooves, gunshots, and occasional screams shattered the tranquility of the thousand-year-old city.

The gates of the city controlled by the cavalry were opened one after another, and the officers and soldiers of the five musket battalions who were lying in ambush outside the city quickly rushed into the city, leaving one team to control the city gates, and the rest of the teams immediately pounced on the set targets inside and outside the city.

The Jiang Mansion, located on the east side of the county government, was surrounded by cavalry and infantry regiments at this time, and the compound covering an area of more than 30 acres was full of gunfire. The cry shook the sky.

The commander-in-chief, Xu Wentao, showed his violent and cruel side, and the 550 officers and men of the well-equipped garrison battalion fired at anyone who dared to resist at the sound of his command.

Xu Wentao personally led more than 30 scout elites to kill in the middle of the courtyard regardless of it.

The musketeers of the two squads quickly loaded their ammunition and followed closely, assisting Xu Wentao and more than 30 scouts to kill more than ten guards in a row. Finally rushed into the inner courtyard of the Jiang family.

Jiang Xiancheng, who was distraught, pushed away the crying concubine and knelt down to beg for mercy when he had no way to escape, but before he could speak, the "crackling" gunshots had already sounded, and the disheveled Jiang Xiancheng and his concubine fell in a pool of blood.

"Search carefully, don't miss a single one, and drive everyone here to the front yard!"

Xu Wentao ordered in a deep voice, and walked through the west corridor under the leadership of the two scout leaders. Walk over the beautiful garden and enter the main hall.

He glanced at the dozens of officers and soldiers who were tying up the Jiang family's subordinates everywhere, stepped over the pool of blood, came to a sturdy corpse and squatted down, stretched out his hand to turn the deceased's head, carefully observed the neck that was cut off with only an inch of flesh and skin that was cut off with a knife, and nodded: "Good knife technique!" Did you identify the deceased? ”

The tall and thin scout leader replied respectfully: "It has been confirmed, the deceased is Jiang Xiaokun...... This guy is tall and has a meaty face. There is a black mole under the base of the ear, which is very recognizable. ”

Xu Wentao breathed a sigh of relief. With an appreciative smile, he asked, "Who did it?" ”

"Our Captain Qiu, his Han sword was personally rewarded to him by General Zhu when he was serving as the swordsmanship instructor of the Ziyang Martial Arts Pavilion, it is incomparably sharp, and it is worth ten thousand gold!"

The emaciated scout leader on the side replied happily.

Xu Wentao couldn't help laughing: "Although Qiu Monkey is strong in martial arts, his small body is matched with such a long sword. It's awkward, haha! ”

The middle-aged scout leader looked around, lowered his voice and revealed a message: "The general is better to be quiet...... The day before yesterday, the captain of the garrison made a joke that he looked like a monkey, but he threw him into the dung pit. Haocai has just dug the manure pit for a few days, and there is not much feces and urine just above the foot and neck, otherwise even if Captain Qi does not drown, I am afraid that he will be so angry that he will hang himself. ”

Xu Wentao was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect the Qiu monkey, who was nearly forty years old, to have such a violent personality, and couldn't help but look around a few times vigilantly, and then asked, "What about Lao Qiu?" Where did it go? ”

The leader of the scout pointed to the inner bedroom: "I went in with a few brothers carrying Jiang Xiaokun's mother-in-law and son......"

"Jiang Xiaokun's wife took the initiative to confess in order to save her youngest son's life, and the silver treasury was under the bedroom and study, and she also said that under the Buddhist hall in the backyard of his old man, there were two stone basements, where the money and antiques accumulated by the family over the past hundred years were there."

Xu Wentao was overjoyed: "Okay, you immediately rush to Tianjing Mountain to report to the general, if the general is free to ask him to come to the city to sit down, I will rush to the backyard immediately." ”

"Yes!"

######

Almost when the main battalions of the New Army entered Jimo City, the battle under Tianjing Mountain began silently.

Under the morning light, the outline of the walled fort built by the mountain is distinct, at a glance, the stone walled wall of two zhang high is quite imposing, on the walled gate facing the official road in the east, there is a decent square pavilion built, the pavilion is actually slipped away and three general cannons are opened, and the remaining 6 cannons are placed on the square cannon tower built with bricks and stones at the north and south ends respectively.

Such a scale of defense has exceeded many county towns under the Great Tomorrow, which shows how much the Jiang family attaches importance to this walled fort.

The two-zhang high walled wall may be the height of bandits and water bandits from all walks of life, but it is too short for a well-trained army, and at the same time, the salt ding, the nursing courtyard and the family who are usually rampant and domineering, and think that Lao Tzu is the best in the world, are defenseless, and the majestic walled fort looks like an ordinary village without defense.

The loyal guards did not let Zhu Daolin do it himself, and the 200 guards were divided into 3 groups and quietly touched the walls in three directions.

The two brothers walked forward quickly, leaned against the wall and steadied their horses, and their four limbs and hands in leather gloves clasped each other to set up the jumping platform, and the brothers who jogged and jumped up easily to the wall.

The guards on both sides of the walled wall unloaded their flintlock pistols and ran to the turrets on both sides, and the 50 guards in the middle were divided into two teams, one team touched the square pavilion above the wall, and the other team rushed down the stairs behind the wall to open the gate.

The dull sound of hitting and the sound of a blade piercing into the human body came faintly, followed by a loud "clang", and the heavy solid wood door suddenly opened.

The 2,000 recruits, led by the commanders of the battalions, rushed into the gate and rushed to the two compounds on the left and right where Yanding and Jiading were stationed. (To be continued.) )