The heavy rain continued, and the river informed everyone that the heavy rain would continue for three days and two nights, and then the river would resume flowing again, and there would be no need to worry about drinking water, and then the Yangzhou unified army would also send people to distribute relief materials. The people expressed their gratitude with a thousand thanks. Jiang He then took He Hua back to Jianyang City first, and the well digging troops continued to prepare for a rainy day.

Back in Jianyang City, passing by six thatched houses, the sound of reading sounded in the thatched houses, and He Hua looked at the thatched houses from time to time. Jiang He also looked at the trend, only to see six large thatched houses, surrounded by fences, and at the fence gate erected a wooden sign with a wooden plaque, engraved with "Rendao School" and repainted with charcoal to make it more eye-catching.

Jiang He: "Sister." Do you want to go to school?"

He Hua blushed when she heard this, nodded slightly, and suddenly shook her head gently.

I have heard A-Niang say that there is a school in Jianyang City called "Human Island" (He Hua's mother and daughter are illiterate, and He Mother also listened to others. People who can enter the academy will be great people in the future, but not everyone can enter the academy, it takes money, five taels of silver a year, oh my God! A-Niang only works hard for a hundred dollars a year, and it seems that it is only one or two silver for ten years, that is, it will take fifty years.

Jiang He knew He Hua's thoughts, pulled her and gently pushed open the fence door, and walked towards the school, the two came to the front of the thatched house, many students looked at the door curiously, put down the bamboo slips in their hands, and followed the curious eyes of the students, a pedant with a goatee holding a wooden ring ruler, who was still shaking his head, also looked here.

He tapped the wooden ruler in his hand, and the students shook their heads and read aloud as if they hadn't seen anything.

The pedant came out of the hut and asked, "Is there anything wrong with the two of you?"

Jiang He: "Hello, I want my sister to learn and read here, I don't know what are the conditions and requirements for entering your hall?"

Pedant: "After entering the school, we must be called in a unified manner-sir, and in addition to food and accommodation must be in the school, only during the New Year, you are allowed to go back to visit relatives; five times a year, in addition to an assessment every quarter, you also need a big assessment before the New Year, any assessment fails, or after entering the school, you will not respect the teacher, do not deny yourself, and those who have evil behavior will be expelled, and you can only enter from the new year." At the same time, male and female schoolchildren study and sleep separately, and the time ...... of the school must be strictly adhered to."

The pedant talked endlessly, until both of them were a little impatient, and then finally said: "By the way, the admission fee is five taels of silver, and it needs to be signed and approved by the local army before you can enroll." ”

Suddenly, the outside fence door was opened, and a group of sergeants entered, and the middle-aged general was none other than Li Yun, the commander of the army.

Xueyi hurried up and saluted, Li Yun nodded and said goodbye. Then came to Jiang He's side, and before Li Yun could speak, Jiang He first made a request: "Aha, Li Yun commands the army, I was looking for you, you came in time, hahaha." ”

Li Yun: "What do you want the envoy to order?"

Jiang He lowered his voice and said, "You don't need to call the envoy, I feel quite unaccustomed, so you will call me Jiang He in the future." ”

Li Yun: "Uh, okay, okay! What are the instructions of Lord Jianghe?"

Jiang He: "The rainfall has been successful and the water source problem has been solved, and the next step is to trouble you to arrange food, clothing, shelter and transportation for the people, including follow-up agricultural supplies." ”

Li Yun: "Yes, this is not Laote, uh, Lord Jianghe is worried, and his subordinates have already made arrangements." ”

Jiang He: "Okay, okay, I'm glad to have led the army, and I have another personal matter I want to ask you." ”

Li Yun's face was full of solemnity, the personal task of the special envoy should not be to ask me to do anything illegal and undisciplined.

Jiang He: "That's right, I don't have much money in hand at the moment (in fact, I'm penniless), I want my sister to enter this academy, and I also need the approval of you, the commander." ”

When Li Yun heard that it was just such a trivial matter, his nervous heart was completely put down: "Lord Jianghe, I will arrange such a trivial matter, and my lord can rest assured." ”

Li Yun found the pedant, dictated the part that allowed He Hua to enter the academy, and then returned to Jiang He.

Jiang He: "Sister, you need to live in the school next, remember to study hard, and make progress every day." ”

He Hua smiled lightly: "Brother Jianghe, don't worry." Also, thank you, well, thank you (facing Li Yun). ”

Li Yun hurriedly gave in, and then arranged for everyone to return home.

The pedant, seeing the commander of the Yangzhou army and the supreme commander of the locality, was polite and polite to the young man, and his attitude was sincere and fearful. Looking at the girl in front of me, her shabby clothes and pants were patched with many patches. Thinking in his heart: "Well, that young man can make the Yangzhou army salute for three points, how noble, how noble." Such a big man and his sister are dressed so plainly. I am looking at my clothes, I must change them immediately, and I will educate students in the near future to be thrifty and thrifty......"

The pedant pondered this in his heart, and treated the sister of the big man even more carefully, and made arrangements.

Back to the United Army Mansion, Li Yun found a servant to whisper instructions, the servant replied and retreated, and then Li Yun came to the Jianghe rest house, just behind the office mansion, a grand hall as magnificent as the main residence, the outside is all made of stone, and the thatched house of the school that is already tall in the eyes of outsiders should be called a palace.

Li Yun knocked lightly on the door, only to hear a "please come in" sound from inside.

Li Yun pushed open the door and saw the envoy looking at him with a smile, Li Yun also smiled and walked towards the envoy.

Jiang He: "Lord Li, the next hidden danger is the western bandits, I have lived in the north for many years, where there is a flat river, suitable for the army to fight head-to-head." When I first came to Jiangnan, I found that the mountains and rivers in Jiangnan are high and long, and I am not good at mountain warfare. ”

Jiang He originally wanted to ask about the situation of the bandits, and then exterminate the gang of bandits alone, which was the fastest and most effective, but then thought about it, no, his own doing this is tantamount to taking the lead, so that Li Yun dignified how to deal with the Yangzhou army, he will leave Yangzhou one day, except for the situation that the will of heaven is difficult to violate, it is best to let Li Yun deal with these wars, and I can do the auxiliary part.

Jiang He was still in deep thought, Li Yun interrupted: "Lord Jiang He, dedicated to the people, his subordinates are deeply ashamed; Jiang He only asked for rain to return today, and did a great good thing for the people of Yangzhou. The matter of the bandits, you can rest assured, I have sent troops to besiege the mountains and forests, and the day of the thieves will not be a day. ”

As soon as the words fell, I saw two servants standing by the door, and as soon as Li Yun beckoned, the servants entered the tray. When I opened it, I saw a neat set of robes in the middle, and the robes were pressed with golden gold.

Li Yun: "When Lord Jianghe first arrived in Jianyang City, he was tired all the way, and the day before yesterday, his subordinates were careless and forgot to prepare a change of clothes for his brothers and sisters, and this morning he hurriedly asked his lord to assist the people in the southeast, and he was not prepared, which is really a heinous crime and an unforgivable crime. ”

Jiang He: "Lord Li is serious, it is my duty to help the people, as for the change of clothes, my current clothes are enough to protect from the cold and wind, why should I change again." Well, it's enough for my sister to bother you to send a new set of clothes, and I personally don't need it. There is also this gold, I don't dare to accept it, Lord Li wants to unify the affairs of Yangzhou, including this relief of the people, all need to consume money and food, Lord Li should keep it. ”

Li Yun: "Lord Jianghe doesn't know, in order to solve the disaster of drought in the southeast region, his subordinates have offered a reward of 100 taels of gold to find a solution to the disaster and ask for rain. If the adults don't accept it, not only their subordinates, but also the reputation of Yangzhou's unified army will plummet. ”

Jiang He said with a smile: "In that case, I will accept this hundred taels of gold and this new robe with a cheeky face." Li Yun also laughed when he heard this.

In the evening, in the Jade Pavilion, the guests were full, and Jiang He was wearing that snow-white new robe, like a bright star, and his expression was handsome. Everyone was also full of interest in this envoy who could call the wind and rain, and they complimented him to the fullest, and the words of praise made Jiang He a little embarrassed, if it weren't for his thick skin and high concentration, I am afraid that his face would be red to the base of his neck. I had to talk about it with everyone.

Jiang He: "Thank you for your trust in me, the affairs of the southeast are mainly caused by the unity of the military and the people, moving heaven and earth, I am just praying in the same place." In addition, the people of the southeast have just survived the catastrophe and need to recuperate, on behalf of the Yan and Huang Emperors, I temporarily exempt the southeast region from taxation until the southeast region resumes production and the people can live a normal life. ”

As soon as Jiang He's voice fell, the audience was silent for an instant, until someone suddenly shouted: "Long live Yan Huang, long live the envoy." The scene boiled over, and they praised Yan Huang Yingming, the special envoy was merciful, and the army was forgiving......

The banquet lasted until late in the evening, when the guests and hosts were happy, and everyone left the table.

Li Yun sent a personal lieutenant to send the drunk and unconscious Lord Jiang He back to his room, but poor Jiang He was immune to poison, but he couldn't resist the sinking of alcohol.

At noon the next day, Jiang He came to the military government with a slightly heavy brain, and saw that many generals had gathered in the hall, they were wearing shawls and hanging armor, pointing around the map made of clay.

Jiang He waved his hand to signal everyone to be free, and then saw the map in front of him, his eyes lit up, he was a flat map on a parchment roll before, and the first time he saw this kind of three-dimensional map felt particularly real.

Jiang He: "An accurate intelligence map can withstand millions of elite soldiers." ”

Everyone nodded yes.

Jiang He: "Then the situation of the mountain forest occupied by the bandits this time, please introduce it." ”

Li Yun pointed to the map: "Lord Jianghe, this mountain is called Yaksha Ridge, both sides are cliffs, the terrain is dangerous and cannot be climbed, and there is a turbulent river behind the mountain, only the east side of the road up the mountain, but this group of strongmen has long been prepared, on the east mountain road, digging traps, setting secret whistles, it is really ...... It's really a husband and a wife, and it's impossible to open it. We suffered heavy losses in the strong attack, and at present we can only encircle the mountains and hold on. ”

Jiang He: "Well, it's just besieging the mountains, it's not the best policy, generals, have you tried other methods?"

An adjutant stepped forward: "My lord, we have tried to drive the cattle and sheep up the mountain to break the trap, but unfortunately the cattle and sheep broke the trap in front of them for a short time, and they were shot halfway up the mountain, and they couldn't go further, so it can be seen that there are also archers among the bandits." ”

Li Yun said: "Presumably, these bandits were also born in Orion Farm before, and we also tried to persuade their relatives and friends to surrender, but ......"

Jiang He: "But what?"

Another adjutant sighed when he saw the commander, and said, "My lord, these bandits are brutal and unkind, and the relatives and friends sent to persuade them to surrender have all been killed. ”

Jiang He was furious when he heard this: "There are such inhumane bandits, since they are unkind and unjust, we don't have to talk to the bandits, and we don't have to think about their life and death." ”

Li Yun: "Your Excellency is angry, what your Excellency said is extremely true, and we also feel that these bandits have destroyed humanity and punished them severely, and once mobilized skilled craftsmen nearby to make trebuchets and throw boulders into the Yaksha Ridge. However, the bandits still come and go frequently, and there is a natural cave on the top of the mountain where they can hide and let the bandits breathe. ”

Jiang He: "What is a trebuchet?"

The crowd "......"

Thinking that the envoys fought in the northern plains, they were all charged by both sides, and there was no need to attack the city and seize the land, and they had never seen trebuchets.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Li Yun coughed lightly: "My lord, please come with me." ”

Then Jiang He and everyone came to the training ground on the left side of the government, the training ground was very wide, and there were many soldiers on the field drilling.

The accompanying adjutant pointed to a messy pile of wood: "Your Excellency, please see, these are ......." Before he finished speaking, Jiang He asked curiously: "These are trebuchets?"

Adjutant: "Well, these are the components of a trebuchet. Then he ordered the surrounding soldiers, "Come and assemble the trebuchet." ”

So a group of soldiers skillfully began to assemble the trebuchet, and about half an hour, an assembled trebuchet appeared in front of Jiang He, who carefully looked at the long-distance siege equipment.

The base is the use of four sections of triangular fixed frame, the top is like the weighing of the goods of the scale, the front hangs the weighing boulder, the rear of the long table has a bowl-shaped table, according to Li Yun's introduction can be put into the boulder, the head of the long table has a thick and strong hemp rope tied to the big stone block, there is a lever next to it, a pull rod, the hemp rope will be separated from the big stone, and then due to the boulder action in front, the stone of the bowl-shaped placing platform is thrown.

Jiang He: "Wonderful, wonderful, which force invented this? ”

Everyone didn't understand the meaning of "Ligong", so they had to look at Li Yun, the commander of the army.

Li Yun also looked confused, so he had to answer softly: "My lord, this is our organ master Lu Ban, invented, he is a first-class organ master, and the ladder to ascend the city was also invented by him, but the ladder is not here at present." ”

Jiang He's curiosity was aroused, and he really wanted to meet Lu Ban, Li Yun was embarrassed: "This is really unfortunate, Master Lu Ban wants to expand his knowledge, so that he can design better tricks, so he asked me for a household introduction, and traveled to various states, each time he traveled, it was a few months, and many years before returning." ”

【Introduction】

Enter large towns and pass the levels needed to avoid spies wandering to important towns and passes to steal information. There is no need for household guidance to travel between villages, and household introductions can be witnessed by village chiefs from all over the country to ensure that the moral behavior of the people in the village can be issued. If a person who holds a household guide from a certain village commits an offence in a big city or checkpoint, the village chief who issued the household guide is also guilty.

Jiang He felt a little regretful in his heart, and then asked in detail about the situation of the cloud ladder. Li Yun's generals all answered one by one.

Jiang He pondered: "It seems that many of the sayings of the Chiyou tribe and Yanhuang are not the same, and now I am a member of the Yanhuang tribe, and some things should also be called according to the local customs, and the force is a master! It seems that it is a pity that Lu Ban did not attack with Yanhuang with the army, otherwise with his talent, he will soon be able to find a design to break the army." ”

Jiang He: "Okay, great character, when the bandits and robbers have subsided, in trouble, the army will arrange for him to start making things that benefit the people, it is best to double the grain production, improve water conservancy, transportation and so on." ”

Li Yun nodded, and ordered a small general next to him to take notes.

Jiang He: "I just saw this trebuchet, and I have thought of a strategy to break the enemy, although it hurts the heavens and peace, but to deal with the cruel enemy, we should use cold methods." ”

Everyone listened quietly, looking forward to a strategy to break the enemy, and they were really more and more interested in treating this envoy.

Jiang He: "Go and prepare a large amount of cow, horse and mutton fat, put the cross wood dices in it, then wrap it in leather, seal it firmly, be careful before use, don't break it." Secondly, as far as possible, assemble the trebuchet near the Yaksha Ridge. ”

【Cross Wood】Three pieces of wood are crossed, from the top and bottom, left and right, front and back, front and front, all of which are crosses, hence the name, and the six ends are sharpened, which are used to sprinkle to the ground and hinder the horse's running.

Although everyone was puzzled, they still sent people to make preparations.

The military and civilians work together to be fast, sewing oil leather bags, putting in crucifix wood, and pouring cow, horse and mutton fat to seal it. More than a hundred oil ladles were ready in just five days.

During this period, Jiang He followed Li Yun to understand some basic customs and etiquette.

Then all these oil ladles were delivered to the vicinity of the Yaksha Ridge, and at this moment, more than a dozen trebuchets around the Yaksha Ridge were already ready to go.

Dozens of horses then galloped in. The handsome white-robed young man at the head is Jiang He. Li Yun followed.

Everyone dismounted, and they all geared up to do a big job.

Jiang He first gave a routine speech (taught by Li Yunjiao): "Brothers, everyone has worked hard, in order to prevent the bandits of Yaksha Ridge from going down the mountain to disturb the people, the brothers are guarding day and night, it is really not easy, and now, the Lord of the Unified Army and the generals have thought of a strategy to break the enemy. Next, Lord Li Yun, the commander of the army, will bring us the final victory, defeat the enemy, and return peace to the people. ”

The military cheers below were deafening and thunderous.

Subsequently, under the command of Li Yun, everyone put the oil ladle into the trebuchet and threw it all into the Yaksha Ridge. After all the oil ladles were thrown away, Li Yun ordered people to throw the burning wooden stakes into the Yaksha Ridge.

At this time, the sergeants suddenly realized that they threw the oil ladle into the deep mountain, and the cross wood in the oil bag would puncture the oil ladle after it landed, so that the cow, horse and sheep fat would flow to those caves that could not be directly entered, and then invite Huo De Xingjun. High, really high!

When the battle began, most of the sergeants were stationed at the mountain passes and river banks to prevent the bandits from escaping.

The fire continued to burn for two days and two nights, and the whole mountain was almost melted, except for most of the bandits who were burned to death, there were about 300 bandits who fled, either trying to escape head-on, or trying to escape by jumping into the river, but they could not escape the hand of justice, and all of them were captured alive.

Li Yun put these bandits in prison, explained the morality of reforming their minds and faces, and carried out education to change their faces; most of the bandits, seeing that the general trend had gone, decided to change their past wrongs and become new people; a small number of bandits who were obstinate and unrepentant, Li Yun had no choice but to send them to the underworld for further spiritual study.