Now, with Wu Song, there is no need for a guide, so he paid him for three days and sent the guide back.

Wu Song and Pang Wanchun rode horses and took twenty people to explore the road in front, and at eleven o'clock at noon, Wu Song and others who were walking in front sent people back to report: "It is only five miles away from the Wild Boar Ridge, and there is a flat dam in front of it that is relatively large, suitable for resting. ”

The crowd rested here for half an hour, and then all the personnel were dressed up and ready to fight the bandits. Zhao Chongyang ordered Wu Song and Pang Wanchun to lead a hundred people to open the way in front, Nangong Yongjie was a young hero, strong in blood, and earnest in meritorious service, and asked to charge forward with Wu Song and them, and Zhao Chongyang also agreed.

In this way, Bao Daoyi alone led a hundred people to the back, and Shi Bao and Qian Xiaoan took a large team of people to escort the convoy in the middle.

After walking for less than half an hour, the sound of arrows was heard in the air ahead. Zhao Chongyang said in his heart, it must be Wu Song and they met the bandits who came to rob.

Shi Bao urged the soldiers who were driving the carriage to speed forward, and after a few minutes, they came to the junction of two mountain ranges. I saw that under the opposite mountain range, Wu Song and the others had already confronted a group of bandits.

It turned out that this gang of thieves had a good arrangement in Xinyang, and they heard that Shi Bao and others bought more than 100 carriages and more than 200 horses at a high price, which made the Xinyang horse market empty. Seeing that the jade products they sell are more expensive than jade, they must be fat sheep who are so rich that they will naturally keep an eye on them sooner or later. It was only after it was determined that their huge convoy had gone on the official road to Tongbai County, and they hurried to the cottage to deliver the letter.

The bandit calculates the time, and the general convoy will not arrive at Tongbai on the third day, and it is more likely that the next night will rest on the cross slope. Of course, along the way, they also had to send people to keep an eye on them, and it wasn't until last night that they stayed at the cross slope, and the people who were watching went back to report.

Hao Gang, the bandit leader who received the exact letter, led people to wait at the foot of the mountain early in the morning.

Besides, after Shi Bao ordered to speed up, after a while, Zhao Chongyang and the others turned around and came behind Wu Song and them. Shi Bao came to the front with a hundred people. After squeezing into the front row, Shi Bao arched his hand to the three leaders standing in the opposite row: "In Xia Jiangnan Shibao, this time leading the commercial convoy of the Wantong Chamber of Commerce to pass by here, I don't know what the three heroes mean by stopping our people?" ”

What do you mean? You are still a famous figure in Jiangnan, and you don't even understand the rules. You are rich merchants, we are robbers, since the fat sheep is coming, will we be indifferent? If you are the one who knows the matter, and leave 50,000 yuan of money, we will not do anything for ourselves, and let you go, otherwise we will have to leave you all behind. ”

At this time, Zhao Chongyang had already ridden to the front and stood with Shi Bao and them. Hearing that the bandits were so arrogant, it seemed that they had eaten them. Then he said: "As the saying goes, there is a way to steal. If you gather in the Wuthering Mountains and forests because you are forced by life, then I will show you a way out, that is, follow us to Tongbai County, follow our chamber of commerce to work, and ensure that you have three meals a day, two monthly wages, and double the wages of carpenters, masonry, and blacksmiths. ”

"Hahaha, I'm laughing to death. My Sanyin Xiucai Hao Gang is here to drink wine in a big bowl, eat meat in large pieces, how happy, if there is no money to use, I will slaughter fat sheep, go to work for you, you will be in charge of death, even if you have money, there is no place to spend. ”

Wu Song said: "It's just that you met us today, if you don't listen to my brother's arrangement, you really have nowhere to spend the money you earn." For all of you will be dead, and what money will you have? Do you think about it, do you want to go it alone or do you want to be in a swarm? ”

"Fighting alone, you think too much, there are six or seven hundred people in total, all of whom are forgetful people who lick blood with knives. Except for the chariot and the old and weak women of the country, there are only three or four hundred of you left, and how many of them have seen blood? Why should I fight you alone? Brothers, rush to Lao Tzu... Rush ......"

Sanyin Xiucai Hao Gang had not fully shouted out the words, and he was hit by Pang Wanchun's arrow in the throat. Zhao Chongyang secretly praised in his heart: He really deserves to be a magic arrow shooter!

This vicious bandit leader was reimbursed on the spot, ending his criminal life. At this time, Yang Qiuhu, the second leader, and Wu Shanbao, the third leader, saw that everyone was shot to death at once, so they hurriedly hid in the crowd and commanded the archers to release arrows, wanting to shoot bows and arrows against the people of the Chamber of Commerce.

But before the bandits' archers could draw their bows, Pang Wanchun fired a salvo of hundreds of crossbows, and countless arrows rained down into the bandit group for a while, and the bandits suffered sixty or seventy casualties in a while. Shi Bao saw that the bandits were completely pressed and beaten, and basically had no power to fight back. The bandits in the back occasionally fired a few arrows and could not hurt the bodyguards at all. Because the bodyguards of the Chamber of Commerce are all draped, bows and arrows cannot cause any harm to them at all.

Seeing that the time to attack had come, Shi Bao waved his right hand, held the treasure knife and shouted, "Rush!" Kill the bandits! Together with Wu Song, he rushed into the bandit group first. Qian Xiaoan and Nangong Yongjie followed. Behind him, two hundred bodyguard soldiers holding Pu knives also rushed into the enemy line and slashed and slashed. At this time, Yang Qiuhu had been shot to death by random arrows, Wu Shanbao saw the idea of piercing his hands, the eldest and the second were reimbursed, and he wanted to escape with his subordinates, Pang Wanchun took off the bow and arrow, and shot him off the horse with an arrow, and he couldn't live anymore.

Hundreds of mountain bandits are leaderless, like headless flies crashing around the mountains. Although Wu Song fought on foot, his movements were more agile than those of Nangong Yongjie and them on horseback, and he rushed into the bandits and slashed and killed, and he hacked twenty or thirty people to death in a while. Zhao Chongyang used the light skills on the five poultry cheats, rushed to Wu Song, and shouted loudly: "Second Brother Wu's subordinates are merciful, these people are all good at work, let them surrender and avoid death." At this time, the rest of the Chamber of Commerce, under the interference of Shi Bao and others, all gave up killing and shouted: "Put down your weapons, kneel down and surrender to avoid death." Stubborn resistance, a dead end! ”

Most of the bandits heard that they had surrendered and avoided death, gave up resistance, and most chose to surrender on their knees. Only twenty or thirty bandits did not listen to the greeting and took the lead in running up the mountain. Pang Wanchun and Zhao Chongyang asked for flintlock pistols from the native soldiers with spears, Pang Wanchun fired four shots in a row within two hundred steps, and four bandits fell, Zhao Chongyang fired three shots and also put down three bandits. The other members of the team with flintlock pistols also followed suit, holding flintlock pistols and practicing moving target shooting, and after a while, seven or eight more people were shot and fell. The remaining dozen or so people did not dare to run anymore, and reluctantly knelt on the ground and surrendered. ”

Shi Bao commanded everyone to collect the prisoners, clean up the battlefield, and count the results. The bandits killed more than 120 people, wounded more than 20 people, and captured more than 530 people. Ninety-two horses were captured. Only a few members of the bodyguard team accidentally fell and injured themselves in the process of chasing the enemy, and no one died. Zhao Chongyang appointed a small bandit leader to bury the body with more than 100 people. Negotiated with Shi Bao, didn't do it, didn't stop it, and simply led people to copy the bandits' lair and burn the cottage. According to the bandits, the cottage almost poured out of the nest this time, and there were only about 50 old and infirm people in the cottage, and there were also more than 80 big girls and little daughters-in-law who were snatched from all over the country, all of whom were young and middle-aged women between the ages of 15 and 30. There are tens of thousands of catties of grain, and there are dozens of mules and horses.

So, Shi Bao asked all the horses to be concentrated, and he, Wu Song, Bao Daoyi, and Nangong Yongjie took 300 bodyguard soldiers, escorted more than 400 prisoners, and more than 300 horses went up the mountain to transport grain. Pang Wanchun and Qian Xiao'an took fifty guards and the remaining soldiers to guard the supplies and prisoners to protect Zhao Chongyang and their safety.

The four little beauties, although they saw the water thieves coming to stop their fleet along the way, but after sinking a few ships from afar, they all fled, and they never saw the bloody tearing scene at close range. Only when Fang Baihua met Yan Xiyin, she occasionally glanced at it a few times and then closed her eyes. Although Liu Qiaoling used a repeater to shoot the mountain bandits, it was just a coincidence. Therefore, several people are afraid of this kind of tearing scene with real knives and guns, and sometimes they can't help but want to see it. But on the whole, I was still frightened by this bloody scene just now.

At this time, Zhao Chongyang returned to them, and several people got used to it a little, Fang Baihua couldn't help but challenge Zhao Chongyang at first: "Chongyang, you ran away at the critical moment, leaving the four of us aside, what kind of hero are you?" ”

Pang Qiuxia also followed to help: "That is, next time you have to rush to the front and call us too, otherwise it will be over with you." ”

Zhao Chongyang said: "You haven't been on the battlefield, and you panic when you encounter a dangerous scene, what if you can't protect it?" ”

Qiong Ying was older, and naturally realized Zhao Chongyang's good intentions, and stood up to play a round: "Okay, two sisters, Lang Jun is also good for us." ”

Only Qiaoling, she and Zhao Chongyang's childhood sweethearts, naturally looked at her cousin, but she didn't dare to show it, just smiled and watched the two sisters attack Zhao Chongyang.

After a while, the remaining captives buried the bodies of the bandits who died in battle, and Zhao Chongyang asked Qian Xiaoan and Pang Wanchun to arrange for the captives to bury the pot and cook food, and wait for the cottage people to come down the mountain to eat. After three o'clock, Shi Bao and the others cleaned up the cottage and went down the mountain with the property of the cottage. In this way, this wandering bandits, who flowed through the Lianghuai River valley and harmed countless villages and merchants, were finally uprooted. This time, more than 150 mules and horses were seized, 35,000 taels of money, more than 8,000 taels of silver, more than 500 taels of gold, and more than 45,000 catties of grain. The entire loot is worth more than 100,000 yuan.

Shi Bao showed the seizure list to Zhao Chongyang, and after looking at it, he introduced a man in his thirties who was dressed as a talent behind him to Zhao Chongyang: "This is the master of the cottage called Yang Shicheng, who is not a talented person, a good person, and manages money and food for the cottage." ”

Zhao Chongyang said: "Since he is a good person and can keep accounts, let him also manage the accounts for us." ”

At this time, Wu Song came over and said: "Now that the strongman of Wild Boar Ridge has been destroyed, the number of business and trade travelers along the way will increase greatly, and the business of the Wantong Inn in Cross Slope and the Wantong Inn in Wakou Town will also increase greatly, and there will be more food needed. ”

Zhao Chongyang said that he had a good idea, and immediately ordered Nangong Yongjie to drive a hundred carriages and take two hundred soldiers to send 40,000 catties of grain to these two places. At the same time, he brought twenty old and weak prisoners over, and left ten people in one place to do miscellaneous work.