Sun Chengzong mentioned Li Xin, and everyone remembered Gao Yangjun, the indispensable chief teacher. I only heard a hearty voice coming in from outside the main hall of the yamen.

"Don't work everyone, Li Xinlai!"

The person who came was Li Xin, Sun Chengzong's half-drooping eyelids suddenly opened, and he came to the door with a slight trembling and stretched out his right hand to hold Li Xin's left arm, and pulled him into the hall side by side. This move surprised everyone, Sun Chengzong's identity was so courteous to a martial artist, it was by no means an ordinary move.

Sun Chengzong pointed to Zheng Xiyao.

"This is General Zheng of the right side of the Fifth Army Battalion, who came just in time to assist Dian Shi in commanding the Gaoyang Army."

Zheng Xiyao was new to him, and he didn't know the details of Li Xin, but seeing that Sun Chengzong was so courteous to him, he should also be a person, and he put his posture very low.

"Zheng is not talented, and I hope that Li Jiaoxi will give me more advice!"

He didn't know Li Xin's official rank, and it was always wrong for everyone to call him a teacher. Li Xin has been used to being despised since he came to this Gaoyang City, but Zheng Xiyao's low posture was greatly unexpected. In his impression, the generals from the Beijing camp must be arrogant and domineering because they are the personal soldiers of the Son of Heaven, and he doesn't want to be so low-key.

"General Zheng has tormented Li Xin, General Zheng has experienced a hundred battles, Li Xin has to ask for advice more like General Zheng!"

Li Xin hurriedly returned the salute, he had already heard about the fiasco of the Fifth Army Camp before he came, he looked at Zheng Xiyao carefully, and muttered to himself, but he didn't know what the level of this person was? As long as it is not a straw bale, Gaoyang City will definitely be strengthened by this help.

"Don't just be polite, there's something important right now that needs to be solved immediately."

Sun Chengzong interrupted the greetings between the two, and Lu Zhifan blurted out anxiously, "What is it?" ”

"Da Lang has raised a batch of firearms in Shandong and is about to arrive in Gaoyang, and there are thousands of stones of grain with him!"

Lu Zhifan slapped his thigh, this is really good news, what thousands of people in Gaoyang lack is firearms, and he has great expectations for firearms under the influence of Li Xin. Sun Chengzong immediately poured a basin of cold water on Lu Zhifan.

"It's not safe to enter the territory of Zhili, the Tartars may find the transport team at any time, the current situation is urgent, Gao Yang must send people to respond, everyone has any ideas to say and discuss together."

"Without further ado, let's send the Gaoyang Army to meet it immediately!" Lu Zhifan said hurriedly.

"With such fanfare, what if the Tartars find out?"

Sun Chengzong's side, who had been silent, raised an objection, this is indeed a problem, the leader of the Tartars outside the city, Ao Bai, has a keen sense of smell like a cunning fox, if he finds out, if he gives a quick start, wouldn't Gaoyang City be even more dangerous!

"Why don't you make a noise?"

Li Xin expressed his opinion. If you send a team of men and horses in advance, you can attract the attention of the Tartars outside the city, and then quietly send a team out of the city, so that you can hide from the Aobai family.

Before the words fell, Zheng Xiyao agreed: "This plan is very good, Zheng is willing to be the bait for Gao Yang to attract Tartars!" ”

Lu Zhifan was a little hesitant, after all, they were guest troops, so was it appropriate to let them do this thankless job just after they came? Zheng Xiyao seemed to have seen through Lu Zhifan's thoughts, and said with a smile with his rough big hand: "Don't worry, Lord Dianshi, but are you afraid that Zheng won't be able to do it?" ”

Seeing that Zheng Xiyao was so straightforward, Lu Zhifan was no longer hypocritical, and immediately nodded in agreement, and the task of responding naturally fell on Li Xin's head. In other words, it is only fitting that such a distribution would be made.

The remnants of Zheng Xiyao's five military battalions were all cavalry, coming and going like the wind, and they could only retreat with their whole body if they led the Tartars to go. Li Xin's old battalion of the Gaoyang Army was an infantry musketeer, suitable for the defensive task of transporting the team, and the tactics of this musketeer were so strange that no one else could really command him except him.

In a few words, the task of the two was determined. After most of the day's rest, in the evening, Zheng Xiyao took hundreds of his cronies out of the east gate and went north in a mighty circle.

This could not be concealed from Aobai's spies, and soon the news of a large horse team leaving the east gate and heading north was sent to Aobai's tent. Ao Bai couldn't guess the intentions of this cavalry for a while, but the opportunity to annihilate the living force of the southerners should not be missed, no matter what tricks these southerners want to play, he has the absolute certainty of defeating these people!

In less than half an hour, Akzia left with five hundred armored knights. Akzia is like a hungry wolf that smells blood, and his eyes are full of greed and cruelty! However, as the horse galloped rhythmically, the wound in the abdomen began to ache, and he reached out and pressed it hard, and the pain seemed to have been reduced a lot. This small wound has tormented him for a long time, and the more painful the wound is, the more resentful he is in his heart.

After the early hours of the morning, the south gate of Gaoyang City creaked and quietly opened, and a group of infantry carried muskets on their shoulders and Yanling knives hung on their waists, and they went out of the city and quietly went south. This is the 600 old battalion of the Gaoyang Army led by Li Xin, and everyone went out of the city to perform a combat mission for the first time, and they were both nervous and excited.

"Brother Shi, if you meet a Tartar again, give me a pair of iron armor!"

It was Hu Ergou who spoke, the last time he exchanged fire with the Tartars, Zhang Shi picked up a pair of iron armor on the corpses of the few armored soldiers, not to mention how majestic he was when he wore it.

"With your belly, it's not easy to find a fit for you!"

Zhang Shi's words caused a low laugh, and he glanced at Hu Ergou's big belly again, and reprimanded with a straight face:

"Shut up and be quiet!"

It was much easier than expected to find the transport team, and under the guidance of the servants of the Sun family, they were found by the Pigpen River not long after dawn. Seeing that half of the team of dozens of carts was in Hedong and half in Hexi, Li Xin's heart was half cold. The goal of this team is too big, once it is attacked by the enemy, can the 600 people he brought protect it?

The Zhuken River is a large river flowing from southwest to northeast in Zhili, which is formed by the three tributaries of Mengliang River, Cihe River and Shahe River in Qizhou, flows through more than 100 miles and finally flows into Baiyangdian. The river rises in spring and summer, and its water level drops in autumn and winter. This section of the water level in Gaoyang is more than 100 steps wide when it rises, but it is currently in early winter, the water level has dropped sharply, and the river width is only more than 20 steps, and the deepest part of the water level is less than the waist, and the shallow place is not above the knee.

Therefore, there is no difficulty for the convoy carrying supplies to cross the river, and this section of the river is located in a half-mountain pass, and although it is a flat river in the distance, the situation in this valley cannot be seen at a glance. Li Xin couldn't help but secretly praise, it seems that Sun Ji is really thoughtful, presumably this river valley is also a deliberately chosen crossing point. Li Xin was thinking while observing the terrain, if Zheng Xiyao crossed the river here, the water was only knee-deep, and even if the combat effectiveness of the five military battalions was not good, it would not fail to that virtue!

There was a small forest on the mountain bag more than ten steps away on the east bank of the Pigpen River, and suddenly a group of wild birds were startled in the forest. The sentry left behind by Taniguchi ran back with a puff of smoke.

"Teach you, there are Tartars from the west, it's cavalry, at least 500 people!"

After listening to the sentry's report, Li Xin had the urge to vomit blood. There are only 600 people in his hands, and they are evenly matched in terms of the number of troops of the Tartars, but the actual combat effectiveness is not calculated in this way. Although these people in the old battalion are well-trained in the Gaoyang Army, they are no longer an order of magnitude compared to the combat quality of the Tartar soldiers. However, Li Xin is also wondering, does Tartar have clairvoyance or tailwind ears, how did he grasp the timing so accurately?

Now is not the time to think about this, the Tartar cavalry is coming in an instant, not only to keep the goods, but also not to lose to these bastards, Li Xin suddenly felt a lot of pressure. But I don't care about that much, and I always have to try to know about success or failure.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Leave the goods alone, and withdraw to the east bank of the river! ”

"Uphill bag, uphill bag! Into the woods! ”

After a few shouts, the people of the convoy panicked and rushed towards the forest in the mountain bag according to what Li Xin shouted. The soldiers of the old battalion also crossed the river in three columns and rushed to the mountain. This mountain pack is simply an excellent terrain for resisting cavalry. There are slopes and forests, which can effectively stop the impact of cavalry, and the firing distance of the musket can completely cover the east and west banks of the river, even if it is impossible to fight hand-to-hand, it can ensure the safety of goods as much as possible.

However, after Li Xin and his old battalion lined up on the slope of the mountain pack and concealed it, the information from the scouts at the top of the mountain pack suffocated him for a while, and a large puff of smoke and dust rose more than ten miles away from the valley on the east bank of the Pigpen River.

He could only silently pray that the unidentified team behind him was friend and foe.

In a few moments, the Tartar cavalry rushed down the river valley, led by none other than his half-brother Akzia, who was inlaid with the Yellow Banner Gushan Ezhen Baiyintu, and the scene in the valley made him confused for a moment. The valley is full of scattered cargo trucks, and there is not a single figure in sight, and when his eyes sweep over the woods and mountains on the east bank, the corners of Akzia's mouth hook up a sneer, thinking that hiding in the forest will take you southerners?

"Listen up, set fire to all these big cars for me, and don't leave any of them!"

After the order was given, Akzia felt a little pity, in addition to food in these carts, it was a firearm, and it was really expensive to burn it, but when Ao Bai Zhangjing came to confess, there must be a reason for him, and the military order must not be violated, and there are not a few Prince Beizi who refused to carry out the military order and was imprisoned.

Li Xin, who was hidden in the forest on the east bank of the Pigpen River, saw that the Tartars lit torches one after another, and suddenly felt bad, the Tartars didn't rob them, but chose to burn them on the spot, how vicious this trick is, not to give himself any chance to turn the tables.

Unable to care less, Li Xin decisively gave the order for the first volley of muskets.