In the evening, passing by the post station.

Since everyone did not rest today, and the little county lord suffered from heat stroke, Song Che did not let the caravan rush anymore, but rested at the post station for the night.

The next day, on the fourth watch, he set off as promised and resumed his previous business routine.

After some inquiry, Song Che also figured out the identity of the young woman-

The surname of the Liang royal family is Zhao, and the current emperor's name is Zhao Chong, and it can be seen from the fact that he was still a draft girl in Jiangnan at the age of half a century, this emperor has been romantic all his life, and he has countless children under his knees;

Among them, the three most famous sons are the eldest prince Zhao Sui, the third prince Zhao Xin, and the eighth prince Zhao Heng.

Needless to say, Zhao Sui, the eldest son who inherited the orthodoxy, was the first to be born, and among the other princes, only Zhao Xin, the king of Anyang, and Zhao Heng, the king of Rui, were knighted.

The accompanying young woman was the concubine of Zhao Xin, the king of Anyang, whose name was Han Xiang, and her daughter Zhao Tan was named the lord of Mingzhu. Han Xiang's father is Han Dong, the envoy of Shouchun Mansion...... In short, a room of princes and generals is the right door.

The white-clothed female swordsman is called Lin Yue, what is the origin, no one dares to inquire clearly.

Luoyang is the imperial capital, bright on the surface, the undercurrent is surging in the back, and the imperial court is inextricably linked with the rivers and lakes.

is like Gao Chen who met before, on the surface, he is a privy envoy who leans towards the government and the opposition, but behind the scenes, he cultivates killers like Ning Yehong.

Black and white, in itself only a thought, high-ranking officials are afraid that the splattered blood will stain their clothes, so they need some organization to do the dirty work for them.

Although I don't know who Lin Yue is, her responsibilities are mostly similar to Ning Yehong.

The court and the rivers and lakes, officials and knights, are all things that businessmen should get acquainted with, but they should be respected, how to navigate between the two with ease, and be able to stand alone, this is the business path that Song Che explored.

The fourteenth day of the merchants.

It is still 700 miles away from Luoyang, 50 miles away from Huainan and Jingxi Road boundary, and 30 miles away from Panlong Mountain.

There are bandits in Panlong Mountain, gathering six or seven hundred people, which is the biggest danger on the way.

The caravan is worth millions of dollars, and there are princesses and county lords on the same road, and most of the greedy bandits will not let go of this transaction.

Entering the boundary of Panlong Mountain, the whole army worked with twelve points of spirit, staring at every grass and tree along the way.

Despite this, people are still panicking.

At noon on the fourteenth.

The caravan found a wooded area outside the mountain, and as usual, it took refuge from the scorching heat.

When I entered the woods, I found that there were still a group of fleeing people inside, with three or four hundred people in tow, and although they were not as depressed as the coastal refugees, they were also disgraced and full of vicissitudes.

After some inquiry, it turned out that they were all villagers near Panlong Mountain.

"Those bandits are simply evil ghosts from hell, every time they sack a village, all the men are killed, and the women with a little appearance are taken to the cottage, and even the children are not spared, they are not as good as animals......

A group of villagers, talk about the bandits!

"Ladies and gentlemen, are you going to suppress bandits? Looking forward to the stars and the moon, I finally look forward to you coming! ”

"We are all crop men, we can suppress bandits with hoes, and we can also give the military masters strength!"

"My uncle was killed by bandits in Redstone Village! I'm going back to avenge him! ”

The villagers are hungry and thirsty!

But the more urgent they were, the more they made the sergeants blush, hot-blooded men, military uniforms, and horses that should have served their families and countries, but they only guaranteed the transit of a relative of the emperor.

"Folks, the matter of suppressing bandits has to be discussed in the long run, you might as well move south, Lord Han of Shouchun Mansion is sympathetic to the people, and he will definitely find a way to settle you." Han Xiang stepped out of the carriage and loudly assured the people.

The princess is actually the most uncomfortable in her heart.

Then, Han Xiang asked the army to distribute some food to the villagers.

The villagers kowtowed three times in one step and walked out of the woods with their heads kowtowed.

"General Wang, do you have a strategy to suppress the bandits and help these villagers?" Han Xiang looked at Wang Zhi, the only general in the army.

Wang Zhi was full of bitterness: "Madam, you also think too highly of the last general, you don't know, in the past six months, Enxiang has sent troops to suppress bandits three times, each time it is thousands of officers and soldiers, the result can be imagined, we have only about 500 people, no cavalry, insufficient bows and crossbows, plus the last general is only an lieutenant, this time to ensure your safe crossing, it is already a luxury......"

Han Xiang said angrily: "Why are you so incompetent! ”

Wang Zhi had to smile bitterly. He must be saying in his heart: Isn't the incompetence of the army a common problem of the Great Liang Dynasty......

"So what's going to be done? Now that Panlong Mountain is close at hand, those bandits are rampant to slaughter villages, we are afraid that it is not safe to stay here, how can we live in that mountain? Han Xiang was anxious.

Wang Zhi straightened his chest and promised: "Madame, don't worry, although it is not possible to suppress bandits, we have more than 500 people, and we will not dare to commit those bandits!" ”

Lin Yue, the female swordsman, also said proudly: "Madame, don't worry, with this silver whip and sword on my saddle, a thousand bandits will come, and a thousand will die!" ”

"What's more, there is still Aunt Song here." Xu Xiao added confidently.

"When is it all and you still have the heart to tell jokes?" Wang Zhi sneered and looked at Song Che contemptuously.

"Hey, Xu Dutou is going to kill me, I, Song Che, am just a powerless businessman, how can I compare to General Wang and Lin Nuxia," Song Che shook his head and smiled, and said to Wang Zhi:

"General Wang, the bandits have controlled Panlong Mountain, and most of the post stations ahead have been deserted, so why don't we hurry up today, go to the village at the foot of the mountain to rest, and then cross Panlong Mountain overnight?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

……

After the noon break, the caravan set off again.

At sunset, Panlong Mountain is close at hand, and it is only four or five miles away from the foot of the mountain.

"Stop moving."

Song Che stopped the caravan, and then beckoned: "Please General Wang, Lin Nuxia, Xu Dutou, Liu Darttou, Zhang Hu and Zhao Long, the two captains, to talk to me before coming to the battle." ”

Wang Zhi on horseback said disdainfully: "When will it be the turn of a peddler pawn to give orders to the army?" ”

Song Che took out He Qiu's letter from his sleeve and showed it to Wang Zhidao: "This letter is written to Yin He Xuanzhang of Luoyang Mansion. Can General Wang be recognized? ”

Wang Zhi frowned, a little surprised, but said, "What about Luoyang Mansion Yin?" I am a military general under the command of Lord Han, the prime minister of Shouchun, and no matter how big an official in Xijing is, he can't control me. ”

Song Che took back the envelope, smiled mysteriously, and said meaningfully: "I took out this letter, not to manage General Wang, but to tell you that I am not an ordinary peddler's pawn, but a businessman with a background in the capital. ”

After that, he didn't pay attention to it anymore, took Xu Xiaoyi and the others and others, and walked to a small mound in front of him.

Lin Yue rode past Wang Zhi, glanced at it, seemed to be smiling, and said lightly: "General Wang, he may not be an ordinary peddler's pawn." ”

Wang Zhi hesitated for a moment, sneered lightly, and rode his horse to follow.

Song Che stood on the small dirt slope, taking advantage of the high ground, and looked at the plain with a telescope - the bottom of Panlong Mountain is very flat, there are three villages, the largest in the middle, there are more than 100 families, the houses are like this, the village road is close, the left is the woods, the right is the bamboo forest, the back is the field, the outside of the village is wrapped in weeds, the summer branches are luxuriant, often half a person high.

"Well, that's it." Song Che put away the binoculars, pointed to the middle village and said, "Let's set a trap here tonight, how many come, how many will die." ”

"This kid must be crazy." Wang Zhi laughed.

Xu Xiao squinted his eyes and said: "When I first started working with Aunt Song, I thought he was a crazy person like you, but after getting along for a long time, I realized that I was the stupid person. ”

Wang Zhi stopped laughing, glared and said, "Little catch!" Are you calling me stupid? ”

Xu Xiao snorted lightly, "The benevolent see the benevolent, the wise see the wise, and the stupid see the stupid...... Self-stupidity. ”

"It seems that you are a well-known person in the local area, but I am very interested, where does your confidence in speaking big come from." Lin Yue looked at Song Che, and there was more trust than doubt in his eyes.

Song Che squatted down, picked up a wooden stick casually, drew the village into a sand table, and asked Wang Zhi first: "General Wang, if the bandits come tonight, how should you defend yourself?" ”

"It's not easy," Wang Zhi said, "just divide the five hundred soldiers into four teams, surround the village, and work together to defend it." ”

Song Che shook his head, "It's completely useless, and listen to my analysis-

First of all, the village is not a city wall, only a fence wall, but it is only a height and a short distance, but anyone with a little leg and foot can jump in;

In the face of such a defenseless village, the bandits are estimated to be too lazy to divide their troops to attack, and they must have driven straight in;

Moreover, according to the villagers before, the bandits are strong and well-equipped, not to mention too much, with fifty vanguard sword and axe cavalry, you can break through the defenses you have set. ”

Wang Zhi was not convinced: "If one party is in trouble, can't I support the other side?" ”

Song Che shook his head again: "Assuming that you can quickly mobilize support, not to mention that you can defend against the impact, what if the enemy uses the strategy of 'striking the east and attacking the west'?" How can a two-legged man outrun a four-legged horse? If other roads come to support, the garrison will be extremely weak, and at this moment, the bandits will sneak attack, and the princess will have to become the lady of the village. ”

"Presumptuous!" Lin Yue said.

Song Che hurriedly said, "Ah...... Jokes, jokes! ”

Lin Yue snorted coldly: "If you have a plan, why don't you say it bluntly, what is the deal?" ”

"This plan is called 'Please enter the urn'."

Song Che first pointed to the left side of the village: "This is a forest, where the princess and the county lord, as well as the year's coins, are hoarded, and Lin Nuxia and I lead two hundred soldiers to ambush in the forest; ”

He pointed to the right and rear of the village: "These two places are bamboo forests and fertile fields, and General Wang and Xu Dutou each led one hundred and fifty soldiers to ambush; ”

He pointed to the entrance of the village in front of him: "The remaining dozens of people are all guarding the entrance of the village, lighting torches and creating a momentum, so that the bandits will mistakenly think that we have settled in the village; ”

He concluded: "There are six or seven hundred bandits, and we have more than five hundred, and they will not dare to come out of nowhere, and if they have the idea of robbing tonight, they will surely choose it in the dead of night, when everyone is asleep;

If the bandits were to attack with cavalry, they would definitely take the road at the entrance of the village, and I have carefully observed that the houses in this village are very close, which also causes the village to be blocked, and the real exits are only four in the front, back, and left;

The cottage houses, mostly built of thatch, are extremely dry and flammable after a few days of exposure;

Assuming that the bandits do attack, they only need to rush into the village, and the sergeants who are lying in ambush on three sides quickly block the exit and set the thatched huts on fire with rockets;

Under the fire and smoke, the bandits will not be burned to death, they will be in chaos, then they will be in a hurry to find the exit, we will block the exit, use the knife to intercept and kill, so that they will not return! ”