At Youshi, in the private room of Jinhe Restaurant, the pottery fish lantern gave off a pale yellow light, illuminating Zhang Hua's bald head.
Tian Dahe made an appointment with Xu Xiaozhong to a restaurant. After a few glasses of wine, Xu Xiaozhong became red-faced, his tongue became stiff and he was slurred when he spoke.
Zhang Hua started to talk, and from Xu Xiaozhong's repeated words, he confirmed that the soldiers coming from Xinye were newly recruited soldiers and horses, and the leaders were Yang Quanqi's second and third sons. He has sent people to investigate, and there should be confirmed news tomorrow.
A sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. Soldiers and horses who had only been trained for three months dared to go out to fight. They didn't take me seriously. Zhang Hua's eyes flashed with sternness. Yang Quanqi wanted his son to take the credit, so I just let them go. Back.
He habitually stroked his bald head with his hand. The baggage of these more than 800 new troops should be quite a lot. If the minions in the mountains had access to swords and guns, their strength would be greatly increased, and they would be able to capture Hepingshi City in Fuyang.
I also imitated Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's uprising. Even if Yang Quanqi came, he was not afraid. If he could win, he would fight. If he couldn't win, he would hide in the mountains. If he couldn't stand, he would go north and join the Yan Kingdom. With more than a thousand soldiers and horses, he could go anywhere. Find a general and do it.
Looking at Xu Xiaozhong eating meat, Zhang Hua's eyes flashed with disdain. It had been a long time since this starving man had eaten meat. Okita Dahe coughed slightly to indicate.
Tian Dahe lifted the baggage on the case table, leaned over and placed it on Xu Xiaozhong's case, and there was a "clang" sound.
Xu Xiaozhong held a piece of meat in his mouth and said vaguely: "Brother Dahe, what is this?"
Tian Dahe unpacked the baggage, and inside it was a pile of copper coins and gold bars, which were so bright that they were dazzling.
Seeing Xu Xiaozhong's eyes widening, Tian Dahe smiled and said: "Brother Gou Sheng, no, it's time to call you Brother Xiaozhong. Brother Zhang thinks you are an honest person and wants to recruit you to work together. Look at me, brother. It’s only through following Brother Zhang that I am as rich as I am today.”
Xu Xiaozhong swallowed the meat in his mouth with difficulty, stared at the yellow things on the table, and said hesitantly: "My boss treats the servants well, so it's not a good idea to resign rashly."
"Xiao Zhong, you only get 300 yuan a month in addition to food and drink, which is too little." Tian Dahe continued to seduce: "If you follow Brother Zhang, you will get at least 4,000 to 5,000 yuan a month. The money in this case was given to you by Brother Zhang Meeting gift."
Xu Xiaozhong opened his hands and tied the baggage, put it into his arms, and said with a smile: "Okay, I will go back to get my things and follow Brother Zhang. Alas, I still have more than two hundred yuan where I live, why don't Zhang Brother, wait for me for a few days, then I will go back to Jiyang, take the money, and then come to join you."
Zhang Hua smiled and said: "It's nothing but two hundred dollars. Don't forget it. I will replenish Brother Xu's five hundred dollars when the time comes."
Xu Xiaozhong narrowed his eyes with a smile, stood up unsteadily and said, "Okay, I will go back to the inn to pack my things."
Tian Dahe hurriedly stood up and said, "Xiao Zhong, I will go with you."
At Penggui Inn, Xu Xiaozhong went in to resign and get his luggage. Tian Dahe strolled around, pinched the bag, and took a handful of drying herbs to smell them.
Amid Yang Anxuan's scolding, Xu Xiaozhong took the baggage and followed Tian Dahe towards Dongcheng.
The next day, Yang Anxuan left Pingshi City with Yin Ji and others escorting the medicinal materials, and the news was quickly sent to the place where Zhang Hua and others stayed outside the city.
Zhang Hua and others also left, and dozens of people escorted more than ten ox carts towards Dafu Mountain.
Xu Xiaozhong said with some worry: "Brother Dahe, I heard that there are thieves in Dafu Mountain. Should we go with the brigade?"
Tian Dahe said impatiently: "Just follow me, there are so many words."
After walking for more than ten miles, the ox cart left the main road and turned into a trail heading north. Xu Xiaozhong shouted to Tian Dahe who was walking in front: "Brother Dahe, why are you taking the trail? You're on the wrong path."
Tian Dahe turned back with a piece of black cloth and said with a smile: "Gou Sheng, the next journey is a secret. I have to cover your eyes and don't fucking move."
Without further explanation, the black cloth was tied around Xu Xiaozhong's eyes. Xu Xiaozhong gritted his teeth secretly and remained silent.
The convoy disappeared into the forest. Inside and outside, Yang Anxuan and Yin Ji changed into linen shorts, wore straw sandals, and wore axes and hemp ropes. They dressed up as woodcutter and stood far behind the car.
The cart was loaded with corn. Xu Xiaozhong secretly made a hole in the straw bag, and the corn leaked out, leaving traces.
After following for more than two miles, Yang Anxuan signaled Yin Ji to stop, and the two of them ducked behind a big tree beside the road. Yang Anxuan gestured with his hand that there was someone in the grass in front of him.
Taking a detour to avoid the hidden whistle, the two of them walked and stopped, and finally climbed a big tree at Yang Anxuan's signal. Looking from a high place, the bullock cart was parked in a mountain col and was being unloaded.
Hundreds of minions were like ants carrying food, carrying their packs on their shoulders and walking towards the mountain. The mountains were deep and densely forested, and they were invisible.
The bullock cart couldn't reach the mountain, so someone led the way across the mountain col. The lowing sound of the bullock gradually faded away.
After waiting for half an hour, birds sang in the empty mountain, and there was silence all around.
Yang Anxuan and Yin Ji discussed in a low voice, and Yin Ji said: "Third Young Master, do you want to follow me to find the robber's lair?"
Yang Anxuan thought for a while and said: "Don't alert the snake. If someone discovers Xu Xiaozhong's life, it will be difficult to save him. The thieves probably want to take advantage of the new army. We might as well use the trick to lure the snake out of the hole."
On April 20th, at the beginning of the month, Yang Anyuan led his troops to Pingshi City and set up camp two miles south of the city. Before the battle was over, Zhao Tian's troops also arrived and camped outside the west gate.
The magistrate of Pingshi County, Guo Qian, came to work with grain, grass, pigs, sheep and poultry. He conveyed the gratitude of Zhu Guang, the governor of Yiyang County, and informed Yiyang County that there were 1,200 troops stationed in Fuyang City. Cicheng attacked from the east and west and wiped out the banditry in Dafu Mountain.
…………
Dafu Mountain (1) stretches for hundreds of miles, with thousands of peaks and valleys, high mountains and deep forests. Lingyun Peak built two walls according to the mountain terrain, and built houses with stones and wood in the middle, which were the residences of the minions.
It turned out that there was a Taoist temple on the top of the mountain. Zhang Hua drove away the Taoist priests and took over the magpie nest to become his stronghold. More than a dozen leaders and some of their robbed female relatives lived in it.
At the time of Xu, in the Sanqing Hall, rosin wood was burning in the brazier, black smoke was billowing, and the smell of smoke was choking in the hall.
There is a mat under the statue of Sanqing. Zhang Hua holds a table with his hands and sits crookedly on the mat. There are seven or eight people standing on both sides, who are the leaders of the village.
The two minions were reporting the news of the arrival of the officers and soldiers, "...divided into two areas, one in the south of the city and one in the west of the city, with about 400 people in total... The master of the county sent more than ten fat pigs, and they were separated by a long distance. You can smell the fragrance..."
Waving his hand to the minions to retreat, Zhang Hua said, "Brothers, what do you think?"
"Boss, how can you let go of the fat that reaches your mouth? Damn it." The man with a fleshy face on the left yelled. This guy opened his clothes and exposed his dark chest hair.
Opposite him, the green-robed man wearing a kudzu scarf and a short three-strand beard glanced at him with disdain and said, "Butcher Zhao, there might be hooks in the meat. I'll hang you up carefully and sell you. I think." We should wait for work and wait for the officers and soldiers to go into the mountains to clean up before taking action."
"Sun, blind man, fart your mother. You keep chirping all day long. Sooner or later, I will kill you alive." Zhao Ying said, slapping his chest.
"Let's discuss business. Don't argue, two masters." Tian Dahe speculated on Zhang Hua's thoughts and said, "Brother, if you can't bear the child, you can't trap the wolf. This is the equipment of more than 800 people. It's worth taking the risk."
Zhang Hua rubbed his bald head. He was originally the captain of the Yiyang County Army. He was not angry with the village commander for bullying a woman, so he killed someone and fled in anger, and hid in Dafu Mountain.
Last year, when the government was providing disaster relief, refugees gathered in Fuyang City. The porridge was so thin that only two pots of porridge could be seen, and many people died of cold and hunger.
Zhang Hua saw the opportunity and encouraged the refugees to rush into Fuyang City and rob the government's granary, and fled into the Dafu Mountains with hundreds of people.
Zhu Guang, the governor of Yiyang County, sent 500 troops to encircle and suppress the enemy. Zhang Hua sent people disguised as woodcutter to lead the soldiers into the mountain col. Stones and wood were thrown down, and the soldiers left dozens of corpses and fled. Zhang Hua got close Hundreds of swords and guns.
The second time he dispatched thousands of people, Zhang Hua fled into the mountains. The officers and soldiers searched for more than ten people in the mountains and could not find anyone. They were exhausted. Zhang Hua took advantage of the opportunity to counterattack. The officers and soldiers returned in defeat again and gave Zhang Hua a gift. Approval of baggage.
After getting the baggage, Zhang Hua sent people to gather the refugees everywhere, and there were more than a thousand people in the village.
Zhang Hua's confidence greatly increased and he led his army to attack Fuyang City. Zhu Guang sent thousands of people to defend the city. The thieves were making noise outside, and the officers and soldiers were so frightened that they did not dare to go out of the city to fight.
This made the thieves' flames rise. They relied on the looted food to gather the refugees, and nearby thieves also came to join them one after another.
After Zhang Hua's power increased greatly, Zhang Hua sent troops to attack the farms around Dafu Mountain and plunder supplies. He also robbed the property of the merchants and cut off the traffic. Zhu Guangshen felt miserable and asked Yongzhou for help.
There are currently more than 1,500 minions in the mountain, but there are less than 500 swords, guns and weapons, and only about 20 pairs of leather armors. Most of the minions are armed with sharpened bamboo spears and wooden sticks, and there is no farming in the village. They buy and rob The food that comes is only enough to last until June.
Zhang Hua has a big heart. When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up, only a thousand people were able to rise up. Now that the world is in chaos, he might not be able to achieve great things. Does the prince, general, and Ning have the guts?
Calculating the pros and cons, Zhang Hua decided to take a chance. Even if most of his minions were killed or injured, it didn't matter. As long as there was food and knives, refugees would be everywhere, and they would grow bigger and bigger like a snowball.
It doesn't matter if some of the minions die, the refugees will be rewarded, and the minions who have survived hundreds of battles will become elite soldiers.
At that time, with Dafu Mountain as the foundation and the two cities of Fuyang and Pingshi as arms, we can take Yiyang in the east, attack Xinye in the west, surrender to Yan State in the north, and take Xiangyang in the south. We can advance and retreat freely, and great things can be expected.
Knocking on the table to stop the quarrel, Zhang Hua said: "Whether we fight or defend, we will decide after tomorrow's investigation. Brothers, make preparations first, sharpen your swords and guns, and start practicing."
Turning to look at Tian Dahe, Zhang Hua said, "Has that Gou Sheng agreed to join the gang?"
"I starved the boy twice, whipped him a few more times, and then agreed to give him some food and some benefits." Tian Dahe said proudly.
"Lie" Xu Xiaozhong into the mountains, Xu Xiaozhong pretended not to join the gang, Zhang Hua asked Tian Dahe to enlighten him.
Tian Dahe finally "persuaded" Xu Xiaozhong with coercion and inducement, and asked for the gold given to him.
"Tomorrow you take him and follow me down the mountain to see if you can find the man named Niu Dan and get some useful information from him." Zhang Hua ordered.
In the military tent in the west of the city, Yang Anxuan and Yin Ji recounted what they had heard.
While talking, he was drawing on the paper. Everyone was still confused. Yang Anxuan thought of the sand table and said, "Go and get some clay."
Clay and water shape the shape, pen and ink outline the path, and then the instructions become clear.
Yin Ji marveled and said: "In the past, Ma Fubo piled rice to point out mountains and rivers. Today, Yang Junhou uses soil to shape shapes, which is three points better. Yin admires it."
Yan Zhuang chewed his teeth and said: "The road is rugged and it is difficult for the army to deploy. In addition, we are not familiar with the terrain. It will be difficult to enter the mountains and clear out the troops."
Yang Anxuan said: "To find a way to lure the snake out of the cave, Xu Xiaozhong went into the mountain and waited for news about him."
