Taihu Lake, blue waters.

After the rain, the sky is as blue as a wash, white clouds float overhead, and from time to time a few dragonflies pass over the water, occasionally making a "buzz, buzz" sound.

On this beautiful and peaceful lake, the reeds grew very luxuriantly, and the water turned a bend from the tributaries, and along the waves, suddenly more than a dozen cargo ships came, and they lined up in a long line along the reeds and slowly moved forward, the speed was not very fast, if you look at it from a distance on the shore, it looks like a snail crawling.

The ships weren't huge, but each of the holds was filled with cargo, and a lot of it was stacked on deck, making it a spectacular sight.

Inside the last cargo ship, there was not much cargo at the moment, but it was full of people.

They are tall and burly, or they are thin and lean; or dark skin, or sallow complexion......

In short, these people of different shapes are gathered in the cabin, and they look very peculiar, but they are generally dressed in short fights, and they are menacing, and they are not easy to mess with at a glance.

Moreover, judging from the position they were in at this moment, as well as the weapons they wore on their waists, it proved the identity of this group of people even more.

White Lotus rebels.

However, the rebels of the White Lotus Sect are also mixed, and all the hills in the green forests in the south of the Yangtze River are involved, which can be described as a "grand event" of heroes from all walks of life.

"Boss, do you think this errand can be done?" A shirtless man asked the man sitting in the first place.

Under the gaze of everyone, the man called "Leader" squinted his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of danger: "Hey, if you can't do it, we have to think about the way out of this White Lotus Sect, I don't think it will last long." ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone suddenly fell silent tacitly.

Ding Xiaohong shrunk his neck and squatted on a loading box, with a short knife pinned to his waist.

Speaking of which, he was a bit unlucky.

When the national teacher prayed for rain that day, he was the only one among the several test pilots who parachuted was not found, and the reason was very simple, he parachuted and landed in a bad position and was washed away by the river

This rush, I don't know where it floated, it may be Changzhou Mansion or Suzhou Mansion.

In short, he was fished out in the end.

And coincidentally, it was no one else who picked him up, it was one of his distant uncles, who was engaged in some half-black and half-white water trading, and he had no connection with his family, but now he was very happy to see Ding Xiaohong.

Ding Xiaohong looked at the shirtless strong men around him, and naturally didn't dare to say why he was here, but his father was a craftsman, and he couldn't cover it up, so he casually made up a nonsense and fooled the past.

Ding Xiaohong's uncle didn't care if he knew that he lied, and at that time, it was the time when the White Lotus Sect rose up and instigated the people's uprising, so they naturally wanted to participate in it to get a vote.

So he took Ding Xiaohong on the boat to recuperate, as for Ding Xiaohong's life experience, he naturally hid it from others, after all, the Ding family is a craftsman who serves the royal family in Nanjing, and there is still a difference between these bitter sailors, just say distant relatives.

Ding Xiaohong's fate changed in this way, although Ding Xiaohong hid here during this time, he was not completely ignorant of the news from the outside world, such as the White Lotus Sect.

The momentum of the White Lotus Sect has risen rapidly, and this uprising is more like the general outbreak of contradictions in the past four years since the establishment of Wenwen, with years of floods, continuous conscription due to the Jingyan War, and more and more food that needs to be paid. All this made the White Lotus uprising a fuse.

However, it is clear that the White Lotus Cult does not have the capacity to organize and sustain an uprising of more than 100,000 people.

From beginning to end, this uprising that broke out in the first year of Yongle was full of speculation and games from all sides, and the White Lotus Sect was more like a "martial arts alliance leader" than a real leading organization that could command all subordinate forces.

Therefore, when the White Lotus Sect showed obvious decline, it was not surprising that these heroes from all walks of life who participated in it with a speculative mentality appeared in the mind of self-preservation and retreat.

"Boss, let's run too, carry this sand back and forth, isn't this a swollen face and a fat man?"

"You don't understand this, this is the same strategy as Dong Zhuo entering Beijing in the script, ordering the Liangzhou army to enter at night and by day, and pretending to be a momentum."

"What if you don't understand? No food is no food, and the people who are being held hostage don't recognize this. ”

After all, this person actually drew a knife and poked it directly into the bag, but these bags, which were supposed to contain grain, only gurgled yellow coarse grains of river sand from the cut hole.

Obviously, this is a ploy used by the White Lotus Sect to stabilize the morale of the army.

But relying on "Three Kingdoms Heroes" alone to fight a war, there is a high probability that it will not be able to win.

Especially, when their opponent is the Ming army, which is brave and good at fighting and is at the peak of its overall combat effectiveness.

In the previous encounters, even if they had an advantage in numbers, they were often defeated in less than a single drum in less time, and this was still the case when the Ming army could not use firearms and crossbows because of the heavy rain.

The White Lotus Sect had to quickly shrink to the periphery of Taihu Lake, and held out along various water villages and land villages, stretching the grain route of the Ming army before it could barely hold on.

And now that the weather is clear, the grain of the Ming army has also begun to be transported from the Wusong River by the national teacher, and the difference between the victory and defeat of the two sides can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye.

"If you want me to say, we have to escape from this place of right and wrong as soon as possible, so as not to lose our lives." Someone else chimed in.

Ding Xiaohong listened, his brows furrowed.

The White Lotus Sect is now wary of all the big and small forces in the rebel army.

For example, in the case of this task of transporting grain (river sand), the exchange is not done by one group of them at all, but by several groups supervising each other.

Ding Xiaohong's uncle, who was only the leader of one of the gangs, was named a nominal hall master in the sequence of the White Lotus Sect.

Uncle also knew that he couldn't decide what to do now, so he clapped his hands and said, "Okay, I can get it if I have a heart." ”

"Gotcha."

Seeing that the ship still had a while to dock, these rude men gathered together, and they couldn't help but talk, and the topic naturally turned to something that everyone was interested in.

"Hey, I heard that the holy maidens of the White Lotus Sect were all captured by the national teachers of the Ming Court, I heard that the holy maiden is quite beautiful, hehe"

"Really?!"

As soon as these words came out, they attracted the voices of surprise, envy, jealousy and hatred from the people around them.

Although they are not authentic White Lotus Sects, they also know that the Holy Maiden is second only to the Sect Master.

O Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect!

That's a big man who can only be watched from a distance, how many White Lotus Sect disciples dream of seeing the true face once, if there is really a fantasy opportunity one day, for these vulgar men, even if they die immediately, it is worth it!

"Hey, what do you think, supposedly"

As soon as these words came out, the people around him let out a burst of sighs again, as if they had already anticipated how they would pity this delicate white lotus if they were themselves!

While they were laughing, the sailors of several other ships came to report.

"Boss, the waters ahead don't seem to be very calm, the ships of the Blue Dragon Gang are there, do you want to speed up and dock?"

As soon as these words came out, my uncle frowned.

"What's going on? How did they get here when they weren't in the north? ”

The lair of the Blue Dragons was built on a large island, and on weekdays, they relied on looting fishing villages and small towns along the coast to make a living.

There are seven or eight hundred brothers in his gang, all of whom are water bandits from poor backgrounds, all of whom are fierce and brave.

In the area near Taihu Lake, the Qinglong Gang has been notorious in recent years, not to mention that ordinary fishermen dare not provoke them, and even the local guards stationed in the garrison hate them.

Why...... Naturally, they did what they did, and they were too ruthless.

Two years ago, that is, in the third year of Jianwen, the daughter of a wealthy local family was kidnapped by the Blue Dragon Gang, who demanded a huge ransom and could not report to the official, but the rich family paid the ransom, but what he got was a ruined corpse.

The rich man was furious, found the county government theory, and asked the county magistrate to send troops to exterminate this gang of water thieves, but was refused.

As a result, the news that the rich man went to the county government reached the ears of the Qinglong Gang, and soon after the rich man returned home, what was waiting for him was the swordsmen of the Qinglong Gang to slash him to death.

After the death of the rich man, all his family property fell into the hands of the water thieves, and the water thieves also took the opportunity to smash many shops, burning countless houses, and making the whole town angry.

But at that time, the troops and people in Jiangnan were all transported to the front line, and the government was powerless to suppress the localities, so it could only turn a blind eye.

Therefore, in the vicinity of Taihu Lake, the notoriety of Qinglongzhai has long been spread, even if it is an ordinary green forest hero, they all talk about tiger discoloration when they are mentioned.

"I can't tell you clearly, it seems that you are coming to the army for a meeting?"

Hearing that the White Lotus Sect was going to hold a meeting, Ding Xiaohong, who was in a daze, had an idea and persuaded him:

"Uncle, this is the time when all forces are vigilant, and it is not a big mistake to be cautious."

Uncle hesitated for a moment and said, "What Xiao Hong said also makes sense, so let's go to the shore first." ”

"Yes."

The fleet slowly bypassed the ships of the Blue Dragon Gang and soon headed for a nearby island.

Not long after, when Ding Xiaohong's gaze shifted to the window.

The cargo ship happened to be docked on a small island by the lake, and they were leaning near the dock.

The lake breeze blew through, blowing away the messy broken hair on Ding Xiaohong's forehead, making him feel a little cool, but this did not alleviate the irritability in his heart at all.

Ding Xiaohong is not a peaceful person, he is young enough and full of enthusiasm for life, he doesn't want to be like his parents and grandparents all his life as a craftsman with a low position, he also wants to be an official.

There is no need to blame this, in this era, being an official is the most desirable way out for all strata.

The national teacher's attitude and reward for craftsmen made Ding Xiaohong seem to see a gap gradually opening up from the originally closed upward channel of life, which has a new future.

The test pilot's participation in praying for rain was enough for him to touch this gap, but Ding Xiaohong knew that he was not doing more than Huo Fei and others.

Ding Xiaohong is very sure that the national teacher is a very fair person who treats his subordinates.

How much merit is made, how much reward will be given by the national teacher.

And he needs more credit to make the Ding family glorious and glorious.

Now is a unique opportunity.

"It would be nice if I could get some important information about the White Lotus Sect and pass it on to the national teachers who have already arrived at the front line, but how can I get enough information that is enough for me to be promoted?"

Ding Xiaohong set his eyes on his uncle.

His uncle is the hall master of the White Lotus Sect, maybe there will be some opportunities? But how to have a showdown with your uncle?

Ding Xiaohong was a little entangled, of course his uncle knew his identity as a craftsman in the War Bureau, but he didn't know the identity of a test pilot.

Just as Ding Xiaohong was thinking about it, these sailors carried bags of "grain" one after another, walked up to the dock, and transported them.

Suddenly, there was an argument in the distance.

The people of the Blue Dragon Gang are also near the docks, but they seem to have clashed with someone.

Ding Xiaohong jumped off the boat and walked up to watch.

Soon, Ding Xiaohong knew why the people of the Qinglong Gang appeared around here. Not only because their gang members came to the army to hold meetings, but also because they were one of the gangs that were most capable of dealing with the people who were being coerced.

The swordsmen of the Green Dragon Gang frantically slashed and killed those helpless people.

In this era, human life is like a mustard.

What's even more terrifying is that the Blue Dragon Gang actually crowded these people together, just to hear that "there is a steady stream of military rations coming from the dock every day" to push them into the water!

At this time, the people had lost their ability to resist and let the Blue Dragon Gang bully.

An elderly woman fell in a pool of blood, while her daughter and grandson knelt beside her crying, begging the Blue Dragon Gang to spare her, but in exchange for these scum smiling and stretching out their butcher knives.

"Stop!"

Ding Xiaohong was so anxious that he couldn't care about him running far away, and at this time he was a little weak, so he couldn't help but shout.

"Who?! Who dares to meddle! Hearing the movement, the people of the Blue Dragon Gang immediately turned around.

The people of the Qinglong Gang looked at Ding Xiaohong, Ding Xiaohong looked at these fierce guys, and couldn't help but feel a little panicked, after all, he was just an ordinary craftsman, not a fierce general at all, and it was difficult to fight one-on-one, let alone so many people on the other side.

"You boy is so bold! Teach us the Green Dragon Gang to do things, which green onion are you? ”

The strong man at the head shouted: "Chop him up for Lao Tzu and feed the fish!"

One of the bald men sneered and walked towards Ding Xiaohong.

"I think you want to die, right?"

The other swordsman smirked, and the two of them forced Ding Xiaohong left and right.

"Get out!"

Seeing the two approaching, Ding Xiaohong yelled and drew his knife to block the frame at the same time.

However, two short blades slashed at his shoulders from both sides, tearing his clothes in an instant.

"Shhh

Ding Xiaohong gasped, blood flowed out, staining his clothes red, but he didn't cry out in pain.

"Hehe, it's quite tough."

The bald man smiled, and then raised his foot and kicked towards Ding Xiaohong.

With a muffled sound, Ding Xiaohong's belly was hit hard, and the whole person staggered a few steps backwards and fell on the wooden board a few meters away.

After spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, Ding Xiaohong felt extremely painful all over his body and couldn't get up anymore.

Seeing Ding Xiaohong lying on the ground, the two swordsmen of the Blue Dragon Gang stepped forward with great interest and planned to kill him slowly.

And at this moment, a rush of footsteps sounded.

Immediately afterwards, another group of people ran over, and the leader was Ding Xiaohong's uncle.

Both sides drew their knives and a brief standoff began not far from the dock.

When he saw the two swordsmen of the Blue Dragon Gang and Ding Xiaohong's appearance of being injured, Ding Xiaohong's uncle's face became extremely gloomy.

"Xiaohong......" Ding Xiaohong's uncle exhaled through gritted teeth.

This call was not only resentful of him for causing trouble for himself, but also anger as a last resort.

It's all mixed in the green forest, although the reputation of the Qinglong Gang is fierce, but at this time, his family was cut down, and he can't lose face no matter what, otherwise his relatives can't cover it, who would dare to follow you? Just vote for the Green Dragon Gang.

The uncle turned to the two knife hands and said, "Cut off a finger by yourself, and I can not blame this matter today." Otherwise, don't blame me for your life! ”

"Haha, what a joke!"

"Old thing, you deserve to threaten us?"

The swordsmen of the Blue Dragon Gang laughed unscrupulously: "For the sake of the White Lotus Sect's rules that do not allow fire and merger, hurry up and take your people to get out, otherwise, you dare to do it, and wait a while Lao Tzu will let you know what life is better than death." ”

The people of the Qinglong Gang were full of disdain and ridicule, and they didn't take Ding Xiaohong and them seriously at all.

Ding Xiaohong's uncle took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Be careful!"

Ding Xiaohong, who was lying on the ground, suddenly yelled at this time.

The uncle was stunned, but he didn't find out what sneak attack the people of the Qinglong Gang had carried out, but he looked in the direction of Ding Xiaohong's gaze again, and saw who Ding Xiaohong was reminding.

A hungry and dizzy child struggled to crawl past the corpse of the old woman and climbed onto the bag of "grain" they had carried up.

He was so hungry.

The White Lotus Sect didn't care about the lives and deaths of these coerced people, when the incident first started, the food was quite abundant, and the people could still have porridge to continue their lives. It is precisely because of this porridge that so many people are willing to follow the White Lotus Sect to rebel.

However, as the situation deteriorated, soon the White Lotus Sect had no food to eat, and the people could only fend for themselves.

And at this time, even if the people want to escape, there is no chance.

The child carried blood stains all the way, and finally used the gravel chips in his hand to cut open the bag of "grain".

His eyes sparkled with hope.

It was as if, in the next moment, there would be delicious rice flowing out of the bag.

However, what he had to face was endless despair.

There was not a single grain of grain in the bag.

Yes, just yellow grains of sand.

All the people who were waiting to be fed were stunned when they saw this scene.

Only then did they know that the "grain" that the White Lotus Sect had been propagating and had been transported from the rear and was about to be distributed turned out to be river sand!

The last glimmer of hope of the people was dashed.

And the child pierced the emperor's new clothes, and the annoyed and angry Qinglong Gang swordsman was about to cut it down.

At this moment, as another voice sounded, everyone invariably stopped what they were doing, including the swordsman of the Blue Dragon Gang who was about to slash.

In the camp of the Ming army in the distance, seven or eight huge "Kong Ming lanterns" were raised, and they were flying quickly in their direction!

The White Lotus Sect is not a fool, of course they know this thing, it is the magic weapon used by the national teacher to pray for rain.

It is precisely because of this that for the ability of Jiang Xinghuo, the miraculous Ming national teacher who is rumored among the people, the Qinglong Gang swordsman, who is not afraid of the earth these days, is quite jealous.

"What are these things for?"

"Is it to use the spell of the Ming Court National Master to send down thunder to attack us?"

"Can they hear us?"

"Disperse! Hide! ”

"You can't be watched by them, or you'll be cursed!"

The swordsmen of the Blue Dragon Gang, who had just been invincible, scattered and fled like a group of children who had done something bad and were discovered by adults.

Obviously, for these Jianghu men who are not afraid of bloodshed but are afraid of ghosts and gods, strange things are far more awe-inspiring than knives and guns.

And the uncle and his group also showed the same reaction, and the uncle pulled Ding Xiaohong to hide under the freight box at the dock.

Ding Xiaohong looked at these sailors who were hiding everywhere and didn't even dare to pant loudly, and he was amused and helpless in his heart.

"Uncle, don't worry, you can't hear us from above." Ding Xiaohong said in a low voice.

"Tell me?" Uncle asked in surprise.

"Really." Ding Xiaohong said confidently, "And from above, we are a point the size of an ant, and we can't see clearly." ”

"But."

"Uncle, don't you believe me?"

Ding Xiaohong almost slipped out of his mouth about boarding a hot air balloon, but fortunately he was alert and closed his mouth.

However, his uncle scolded him, and the wound that Ding Xiaohong had just bandaged with a strip of cloth began to bleed again, but Ding Xiaohong didn't care about this, he looked up with difficulty along his uncle's fingers.

only to find that seven or eight hot air balloons of the Ming army flew lower and lower!

The hot air balloon was like snowflakes, and a lot of paperwork fell one after another.

A piece of paper happened to fall in the hands of Ding Xiaohong and his uncle.

Looking at the documents written in medium font, my uncle scratched his head a little: "Xiaohong, you went to a private school and read it to your uncle." ”

Ding Xiaohong took the paperwork, just glanced at it hurriedly, and before he could speak, he suddenly heard a voice over his head.

In the air at an altitude of two or three hundred paces above the ground, several soldiers with loud voices in the hot air balloon were shouting in unison with iron horns.

"Holy Maiden Tang Yin, tell all the White Lotus Sect that Sect Leader Bai Yu is dead."

Yes, there is no need for Ding Xiaohong to read it now.

On the ground, in the White Lotus Sect chessboard camp on the front line of Taihu Lake, everyone, even if they are illiterate, can understand what is written on this document.

Inside the military tent, several helmsmen of the White Lotus Sect rushed out.

"What about archers? Shoot this thing down from the sky! ”

Hearing this, the soldiers of the main force of the White Lotus Sect around them all looked embarrassed.

"Helmsman, it's not that I haven't tried, but the bow and arrow can't even shoot half the distance, so it falls!"

"Where's the crossbow?"

The helmsman was almost angry, and the slasher slapped the reporting soldier and shouted, "Lift the bed crossbow!" ”

But the bed crossbow is not a high-level dual-purpose 88 gun, and if it wants to be used as an anti-aircraft weapon, it is still too advanced for this era.

By the time they tried their best to get the bed crossbow on top of the dirt bag, the theoretical shooting elevation angle was enough, but the hot air balloon had already flown out of the range of the bed crossbow.

These helmsmen of the White Lotus Sect could only watch as the psychological warfare of the Ming army proceeded smoothly.

Of course they know what horrible consequences this can bring!

Naturally, there are some untruths, such as the sect leader Bai Baiyu is dead, but psychological warfare is like this, falsification is a very difficult thing, you can't always open your stomach when you meet people, let people see how many bowls of noodles they have eaten.

What's more, at the moment, Bai Yu is not on the front line of Taihu Lake, and there is no way to prove it.

Whether the Sect Master is dead or hiding, and not being able to stay with an army that is about to be in a desperate situation, this is a very, very demoralizing thing.

"This Jiang Xinghuo is really vicious!"

The people of the White Lotus Sect were almost angry.

"Such rumors are right and wrong, but we can't prove it, I'm afraid the morale of the bottom can't be maintained!"

An obese old man, his face full of eagerness: "You said that we have so many good boys, why are we still trapped in this place where birds don't?" Damn, those who came from the green forest knew how to eat, and when they wanted to fight, they shrank their heads and became turtles one by one. Well, now that the Ming court's powerful national teacher has arrived, let's all wait to be executed by the imperial court! ”

"Yes, why don't you go and discuss with the elders, let's disperse, break through the encirclement, and escape!"

Another middle-aged man next to him sighed.

"This is extremely true, stay in the green mountains, and don't worry about running out of firewood."

"Shut up!"

A burly helmsman wearing armor snorted coldly: "I go to find the elders, whether to leave or stay, and to discuss the solution of the army, what can I decide here?" ”

Seeing that someone was willing to take the lead, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Originally, there was going to be a meeting, but the level was a little higher, and the Qinglong Gang advocated that the dragon could only participate in the "helmsman" level, but now it was necessary to hold a meeting on an expanded scale.

Another said: "This time Jiang Xinghuo used a trick, we must deal with it, otherwise if it drags on any longer, the morale will be over." ”

"Not bad." The fat old man said, "In addition, we have to try to collect the documents scattered by the Ming army, and we have to do it as much as possible, and we have to do it, so we have to cheer up." ”

Several helmsmen should go to collect the collection documents, arrange the defense affairs, and the news of summoning the green forest/gang leaders of the whole army hall master and above was also notified.

The brief clash on the dock completely disappeared with Jiang Xinghuo's announcement.

Everyone realized that the arrival of the national teacher Jiang Xinghuo, as well as today's heart-to-heart battle as a prelude, meant that the general offensive of the Ming army was about to begin.

These different forces, all under the name of the White Lotus Sect, were originally put together temporarily.

When he realized this, Xiao Jiujiu, who had been buried in his heart, naturally began to sprout, and not surprisingly, soon there would be chaos within the White Lotus Sect.

In the camp.

"Why do you have to come with me?"

The uncle looked at Ding Xiaohong in surprise, who was still wrapped in strips of cloth on his shoulders.

The military meeting, of course, is not the hall master alone.

Just kidding, who can trust anyone without guys and manpower? What if someone is chopped into mashed meat by someone in the military council, or if he is held hostage and annexed by his subordinates?

Therefore, the hall masters can go with their elite subordinates, which is also a rule within the rebels of the White Lotus Sect.

Although theoretically speaking, everyone carries knives and people, which means that everyone does not bring them, but there are some things, there are some things, there is nothing, and the same subtraction cannot be done to subtract.

But Ding Xiaohong couldn't fight at first glance, and he was injured again, so it's not an obvious burden to bring him over.

However, Ding Xiaohong pulled his uncle's sleeve and motioned for him to speak in the tent.

Uncle seemed to have thought of something, and he relied on him.

After a while, the two finished talking secretly, and when they came out, the uncle was in a state of disbelonging, but he was much more stable.

"Xiao Hong. Uncle and the lives of these brothers, but please leave it to you! Uncle eagerly patted Ding Xiaohong's back.

Ding Xiaohong nodded, and said affirmatively: "Uncle, don't worry, the national teacher has always rewarded and punished clearly, we haven't done anything evil, if we can get the results of the White Lotus Sect's military discussion, send it to the national teacher, and then come to the battle to meet the king, the national teacher will definitely not be stingy with rewards!" ”

Uncle nodded, and his heart completely settled.

He took Ding Xiaohong and a few agile brothers, armed with knives, to the big tent of the White Lotus Sect's military council.

However, as soon as they entered the tent, they realized that something was clearly wrong with the atmosphere.

An old man, sitting in silence, was at the head of the table, looking at everyone who came in.

PS: [Important Reminder (There is no charge for the content of this paragraph)] Chapters 316-356 are the content of Jiangnan's rectification of the official rule and the suppression of the rebellion, without any theoretical knowledge, all of which are practical content, if you don't like it, you can skip directly to Chapter 366 "Class", and then it contains theoretical knowledge.

(End of chapter)