The night was dark, and the river was rolling eastward. On the other side of the river, there were not sporadic fires, but the checkpoints set up by the Zada clan along the river. Zhou Guanghao crouched in the middle of the bushes, he glanced at the opposite bank, and said to his subordinates: "There are three checkpoints on the opposite side, and the bridge of Dujiang has long been destroyed by their people, so we can only swim over." All the sheepskin rafts you prepared are ready, right?"

A sergeant beside him said, "The returning army is ready, and when you give the order, the brothers will cross the river." Zhou Guanghao nodded and said, "Okay, let's act immediately." Under the cover of night, the people waded into the river with sheepskin rafts.

When the raft reached the middle of the river, a guard on the opposite tower said to his companions: "Agu, I always feel flustered tonight, do you mean that the army will come?" Agu said: "Come? Do they dare to come? Our warriors patrolling along the river have 500 people, are they blind? As long as the Ming army arrives, our crossbows will have to shoot them into a hornet's nest." ”

With the help of the raft, everyone slowly paddled towards the opposite bank. After November every year, Lushui will enter the dry period, and the river flow speed is very slow compared to usual, so everyone can swim before entering the water, otherwise the river must be swallowed up before the river has been crossed.

As he approached the opposite bank, Zhou Guanghao ordered the sergeant to puncture the raft, so that all the rafts sank into the river. The crowd crept ashore and hid in the boulder grass on the shore. Everyone was wet, and their teeth shivered involuntarily when the cold wind blew.

Zhou Guanghao said in a low voice: "The big guys eat some ginger slices, which can drive away the cold." They took a leather pouch from their necks, took ginger slices from the oiled paper, put them in their mouths, and chewed them. After a while, the chill on everyone's body gradually subsided.

Zhou Guanghao said: "You five ideas go to the opposite valley, and after entering the valley, learn to scream." The rest of the men followed me against the guards at the checkpoints. And they did what they said. The five soldiers circled out of each other's line of sight and quietly slipped into the valley opposite.

Zhou Guanghao took the remaining shrubs hidden under a tree and looked around. After a while, there was an eerie cry in the valley. The barbarians believed in ghosts and gods, and the sentinels were terrified when they heard the noise in the valley. Zhou Guanghao said to the people around him: "The five of you go around to the opposite side and deal with those two with spears, and the rest of the people will rush to kill me." ”

The night patrol sentry was already very tired and was napping at this time. Suddenly, a pair of large hands covered his mouth, and the sentry felt a pain in his throat, and settled the account. Zhou Guanghao and the rest of the soldiers also quickly copied the back of those men and killed them.

As agreed, they stripped the sentries naked and cut off one of their legs or one of their hands. The patrol was five hundred men, and for the next few nights, as soon as they arrived, they heard the sound of ghosts crying, and the next morning they always found either human heads or bloody severed limbs at the sentry posts.

For a while, the people were panicked, and within three days these patrol guards all withdrew from the defensive line. After the enemy withdrew, Zhou Guanghao ordered people to light a fire and send a signal to the other side of the river. Li Yingxiang led the army across the river, and held a banquet for Zhou Guanghao and 20 soldiers in the military tent that night to celebrate their achievements.

Inside the big tent, the lights were bright. Li Yingxiang raised his wine glass and said: "Zhou Jianjun used to be Li Mou, and I can't compensate you." The two generals Bian Zhiyuan and Zhu Wenda were also ashamed, raised their wine glasses and said: "The prison army is both wise and brave, I can't wait." Zhou Guanghao smiled and said: "The generals are serious, everyone is an official in the same dynasty, and they should serve the imperial court." ”

After the four of them had drunk it all, they all sat down. Zhou Guanghao said slowly: "Zhou's victory in this battle is a fluke, if the barbarian doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, my plan will not work." Bian Zhiyuan said: "As the saying goes: breaking the city is the next policy, and attacking the heart is the best policy." This move of the prison army is exactly the plan to attack the heart, although my side wall has a big head, but I can't think of such a method. ”

Zhu Dawen smiled: "Although your head is big, it is empty inside. If the barbarian sees your head, eighty percent will be scared away?" Bian Zhiyuan said: "Your kid is drunk eighty percent, if the barbarian sees my head and scares away, why should we stir up the crowd again?"

Zhu Dawen said: "No, no." In the past, the pig's head sacrificed in the temple was no more than that big. And your head is topped with two pig heads, you smear some oil paint on your face, and get rid of a big-headed ghost, do you say that the barbarian is afraid?" Bian Zhiyuan said: "You kid likes to talk nonsense." talked nonsense in front of the general, and punished himself with three cups. ”

The two of them exchanged a few words, and the atmosphere in the tent eased. Zhou Guanghao said: "Now that the people of the Miscellaneous Answering Department have returned to Tongtrough to guard, I don't know what General Li's arrangements will be next?" Li Yingxiang said: "Tongchao is the old nest of the Miscellaneous Answering Department, so let's wait for the scouts sent out to come back." ”

Zhou Guanghao nodded and said: "The general set up the red and white flag to sweep the north of Sichuan that day, and according to the opinion of his subordinates, he can still act according to this." The rebellious barbarians in the southwest live together with the Han Chinese, and there must be good citizens among them, and most of them are forced to participate in the rebellion, and once the war starts, they will inevitably fall to our side. ”

Li Yingxiang said in his heart: "Xiao Yunfan's idea does work, but he is a rare talent. If he is there at this moment, Li has a good chance of winning this expedition to the south. While he was thinking about it, a soldier outside the tent walked in, crossed his hands and said, "Report to the general, there is a person outside the tent who has sent a sword and asked the general to look at it." As he spoke, the soldier presented the sword that hung from his waist.

Li Yingxiang saw that the sword was the sword he gave Xiao Yunfan that day, and immediately said happily: "Quickly invite this person in." ”

It turned out that after Xiao Yunfan retrieved the sword, he returned to Sichuan. He first spent a few days in the Chishui Gang, and then visited Xu Yuantai. After learning that Li Yingxiang was marching south, he hurried over. Dressed in a green shirt, he strode into the tent with a long sword on his back.

Everyone here has seen Xiao Yunfan, but the appearance of the person in front of him is different from him. Li Yingxiang was full of doubts: "Who is Your Excellency, where did this sword come from?" Xiao Yunfan laughed and said: "Brother Li doesn't remember, this is what you gave to Xiao!" Li Yingxiang looked at him a few more times and said slowly: "You said you are Xiao Yunfan?"

Xiao Yunfan said: "If it is fake, Xiao Yunfan is not bullied." Li Yingxiang smiled and said: "Haha, who here hasn't seen Xiao Yunfan, isn't it him who your Excellency looks like this?" Xiao Yunfan stretched out his hand and touched his nose and said: "Also, to tell you the truth, Xiao's original appearance is like this, and what everyone saw before was Xiao Mou's appearance after his disguise." ”

Li Yingxiang said: "Easy to disguise?" Zhou Guanghao said: "My subordinates know that there is a kind of leather mask on the rivers and lakes, and people can indeed change their appearance after wearing it." But even if the appearance changes, a person's voice and memory cannot be changed, Your Excellency said that he is Xiao Yunfan, then Zhou asked you, does Xiao Yunfan have children?

Xiao Yunfan smiled: "If you don't have a wife, where is the child?" Zhou Guanghao said: "What is the name of the father of the bench?" His words were very ridiculous in the ears of others, but Xiao Yunfan understood that the bench was the child he rescued from the Yu people that day.

Xiao Yunfan said: "The father of the bench is called Yang San. It turned out that he and Zhou Guanghao went through the list of missing persons in various counties that day to find the parents of those children. Zhou Guanghao's heart was shocked, and then he smiled at Li Yingxiang: "General, he is Xiao Yunfan." Because when the general set out to conquer northern Sichuan that day, I investigated the case with Brother Xiao. The father who was abducted was Yang San. ”

Xiao Yunfan said: "Now you can believe me, right?" Li Yingxiang pulled Xiao Yunfan and said, "Come, Brother Xiao, let's sit down and talk." You won't come here this time and escape again, right?" Xiao Yunfan laughed and said, "It seems that your brother still holds a grudge against me." ”

Li Yingxiang straightened his face and said: "It's not that Li holds a grudge, it's really that you did something wrong." You came to Zhongcheng Daren, so I naturally can't refute his face. But when you go, it makes Li feel sorry. You're not here today just to give me back the sword?"

Xiao Yunfan said: "Xiao is here, but as Brother Li said, it is not as simple as returning the sword, I do have my own plans." Li Yingxiang touched his beard, and his eyes flashed. said lightly: "Brother Xiao, you are here, Li is very happy." But before you can tell you what you're going to do, you have to drink. ”

Xiao Yunfan said: "Just drink, Xiao Mou is afraid?" Li Yingxiang said: "We are here, each of us will give you a bowl first, you drink three bowls, and we will talk about business after drinking." Xiao Yunfan said in his heart: "You old Li has made it clear to me that I will be dismounted, if I Xiao Yunfan admits it, I will not be a good man." At that moment, he was arrogant and said loudly: "Okay." ”

Li Yingxiang waved his hand, and all the small cups on the table were replaced with large bowls. A sergeant picked up the wine jar and placed twelve large bowls in front of Xiao Yunfan. Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhou Guanghao persuaded: "General Li, drink like this, Brother Xiao is afraid that he will not finish drinking, so he will fall down first." Li Yingxiang said: "Brother Xiao is a good man in the rivers and lakes, what is a dozen bowls of water and wine, do you say, Brother Xiao?"

Xiao Yunfan smiled and said, "What Brother Li said is, thank you Brother Zhou for your kindness. As he spoke, he picked up a porcelain bowl. Li Yingxiang raised the wine bowl and said, "Please!" Xiao Yunfan also drank three bowls in a row, and there was no trickle left. Zhou Guanghao and Bian Zhu's two generals also gave a bowl of toast. After drinking twelve bowls of wine, Xiao Yunfan's face was as usual.

Li Yingxiang laughed, gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother Xiao is really arrogant, Li obeys you." What do you think you plan?" Xiao Yunfan said: "I will help the general pacify the southwest, but I ask the general to hand over the two of me." ”

Li Yingxiang said: "Who is it?" Xiao Yunfan said: "One is Ji Qianyun, and the other is Xiao's friend." Li Yingxiang sighed slightly: "Okay, let's make a decision, you help me pacify the southwest, these two people will be handed over to you, Li will never ask." ”

Zhou Guanghao said: "Wait, general." Ji Qianyun is the culprit of the Sichuan Rebellion, and this person may have to be handed over to the imperial court for disposal. Xiao Yunfan said: "Brother Zhou, this person is from the rivers and lakes, and the grievances between me and him will be settled in the way of the people of the rivers and lakes, and I ask Brother Zhou to raise his noble hand." Zhou Guanghao said: "This ......"

Li Yingxiang said: "Zhou Jianjun, what we want is to pacify the southwest, as for the affairs of the people in the rivers and lakes, we still don't have to ask." ”