Two military strongholds were erected outside Pingshi City. The merchants were so frightened that they all fled away. Only the urchins looked outside curiously.
Soldiers from the camp in the west of the city came into the city to buy goods, and people walked out from time to time outside the village. So some merchants had the courage to bring goods to sell, and they sold out quickly and the prices were fair.
In less than half a day, the market outside the camp in the west of the city turned into a market, with various hawking sounds coming and going.
Seeing that the military camp was not disturbing the people, the caravan that was far away quietly returned and did some business along the way.
However, traders were not allowed to set foot within a hundred steps of the military camp, and businesses were allowed to do business beyond a hundred steps. Soldiers in the camp were allowed to go shopping regularly.
When the news reached Nanzhai, Yang Anyuan sneered.
Cen Minghu sneered: "You show your cowardice when you go out. How can you lead an army like this? Junhou Yang can only talk about war on paper."
Naturally, some traders came outside Nanzhai to try to do business, but they were dispersed by the soldiers inside the village before they could open their mouths. The gate of Nanzhai was closed tightly, and soldiers were guarding the tower. The sound of drills in the camp could be heard from a distance, and the atmosphere was solemn.
The military disciplines in the two military villages were completely different, and the people were talking a lot, clearly distinguishing between superior and inferior.
At this time, Zhang Hua mingled with the bustling crowd outside Xizhai, secretly looking at the camp and observing the soldiers going in and out.
He had been in the army for seven years, and he could still tell the difference between new soldiers and veterans at a glance. Zhang Hua confirmed that these soldiers were indeed new soldiers.
Although Zhang Hua was not allowed to approach within a hundred steps, he still circled the camp several times.
The camp is surrounded by wooden walls, which are about ten feet high. You can't see what's going on inside. There is only one camp gate in the entire camp, which opens to the south.
Zhang Hua climbed to a tall tree in the distance and vaguely observed the situation in the camp. Judging from the scale of the camp, there should be about 400 people.
I paid special attention to the few soldiers who were out, and they all returned to camp within half an hour, holding the purchased items in their hands, talking and laughing, and they did not look like scouts in disguise.
Zhang Hua made two more trips back and forth from Xizhai to Nanzhai and estimated the distance and time.
At Youshi, Tian Dahe brought Xu Xiaozhong to join him. The two of them had been squatting outside the camp to see if they could wait until the king niu eggs came out, but they failed.
From the conversations of the soldiers, we learned that the general leading the Xizhai army was nominally Sima Zhao Tian, but in fact he was Yang Anxuan, the third son of Yang Quanqi. This Yang Anxuan was only sixteen years old this year.
Zhang Hua's doubts gradually cleared up. Yang Quanqi was a veteran on the battlefield. Even if he sent his two sons to take credit, he would be assisted by experienced people.
The South Village is in good order. Yang Anyuan, who leads the army, has led troops for several years and has not left the border. Zhao Tian, who leads the army in name in the West Village, may not be able to suppress Yang Anxuan, so chaos will occur.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Hua no longer hesitated and returned to the village overnight to convene everyone to discuss.
Sun Guang (Sun Xiazi) stroked his beard and said: "According to what the eldest brother said, one of the two military strongholds is strong and the other is weak, so we should attack the weaker one. But before we attack, it will be safer if we can move Yang Anyuan away. "
Zhao Yinghan smiled and said: "If you want to lure the dog away, you have to throw away a piece of meat and bone."
Zhang Hua knew that Zhao Ying looked like a reckless man, but in fact he was very careful and ruthless. If he was deceived by his appearance, he would be eaten to pieces without even finding his bones.
"Second brother, what are your ideas?" Zhang Hua asked.
Zhao Ying was originally a bandit from Longpao Mountain. When he attacked Fuyang City in February, he brought about 200 people to defect to him.
Zhang Hua was on guard against Zhao Ying, so Sun Guang would target him everywhere, intentionally or unintentionally.
Zhao Ying patted his belly and said, "Blind Sun is full of bad ideas. Ask him, boss."
Zhang Hua's face darkened and he said, "Brothers, if you have anything to say, just say it. No matter what you do if you push me around."
Zhao Ying laughed and said, "Boss, that's the lesson. Aren't Fuyang City's officers and soldiers from Yiyang County stationed there? Those grandsons were scared to death by us. As soon as the news spreads, we will prepare to attack Fuyang City. Guess what's going on here?" The guy without eggs will have to rush the soldiers and horses of Xinye County to rescue him."
"Tune the tiger away from the mountain." Zhang Hua clapped his hands and praised: "The second one has a big belly and there is stuff inside."
After thinking for a while, Zhang Hua said: "Not only spread the news, but also brother, you take four hundred people down the mountain, go to Fuyang City for a walk, and if you come across anything useful, bring it back to the village."
Zhao Ying sneered, thinking that he was just a bone.
Ever since he joined the gang, this bald man has been targeting him openly and covertly. In vain, he thought he was a man who came to join him. This time he had to make other plans when he went down the mountain.
Zhang Hua saw that Zhao Ying was not agreeing and said with a smile: "Second brother, you just go to Fuyang City and decide what you want to do. Leave Pingshi City to me, and I will let you choose first when you get the benefits."
Zhao Yingqian laughed twice and made empty promises, but no one would say anything. He had nearly 200 people under his command, plus Zhang Hua's 200 people. They went down the mountain and acted according to the situation. When something happened, they simply took these people and ran back to Longpao Mountain.
…………
Three days later, several fast horses galloped into Pingshi City.
A quarter of an hour later, the county magistrate Guo Qian hurried to Nanzhai; a moment later, Yang Anyuan sent someone to invite Zhao Tian and Yang Anxuan to discuss the military situation.
A distress document sent from Fuyang City stated that there were as many as a thousand thieves and were preparing to attack the city, and requested reinforcements from Xinye County.
Yang Anxuan and Zhao Tian looked at each other and it was almost certain that the thief was trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
That day Tian Dahe and Xu Xiaozhong disguised themselves as cloth vendors and squatted in front of the camp. Someone from the camp came to ask for a price.
Without words, Yang Anxuan and Xu Xiaozhong agreed on several gestures in advance. Clenching their fists and raising their thumbs indicated that the thieves planned to defend, extending their palms and curling their ring fingers meant that the thieves were attacking, etc.
Xu Xiaozhong judged from Tian Dahe's words that the possibility of the thief coming down the mountain was very high. The contact person saw clearly that Xu Xiaozhong extended his palm and curled his ring finger, and Yang Anxuan knew that the thief was preparing to go down the mountain.
It was impossible for Yang Anyuan to just practice in the stronghold these days. Many scouts went into the mountains to investigate the enemy's situation. The reports were all "deep mountains, dense forests and narrow roads" and "easy to defend but difficult to attack".
These more than 400 people are the foundation for self-reliance in the future. Yang Anyuan certainly does not want to attack the mountain stronghold and damage it, so he has not sent troops into the mountain to suppress the bandits.
"Two generals, rescuing troops is like putting out fire. We hope to send troops quickly to rescue Fuyang City." Guo Qian frowned.
From the bottom of his heart, he didn't want the soldiers and horses of Xinye County to leave. What if the thieves mobilized the tigers to leave the mountains and attack Pingshi City. However, if he didn't send reinforcements, he couldn't afford the punishment if something happened to Fuyang City and they were held accountable.
Therefore, Guo Qian continued: "I think it is enough for one of the two generals to go to the rescue, and leave a stronghold to guard the Ping family to guard against the thieves' deception."
Yang Anyuan was eager to fight and said without hesitation: "I will go to rescue Yangcheng, Zhao Sima, you stay."
…………
After learning that Nanzhai soldiers and horses were heading east towards Fuyang City through Shibi Cliff, Zhang Hua led his followers down the mountain. The stronghold was mostly robbed at night, but he planned to surprise the stronghold and rush to the stronghold during the day.
Yin Ji disguised himself as a woodcutter and climbed to a high place. When he saw thieves appearing in dense numbers like ants, he excitedly chopped off the small tree in front of him with an axe. He went back down the mountain, found his mount, and returned to the village to deliver the message.
More than a thousand minions were broken into pieces, using ox carts to pull weapons, disguised as traders and farmers, and agreed to assemble outside Xizhai at noon.
Zhang Hua arrived at Xizhai before noon. When he saw the merchants outside the village shouting and doing business, he felt relieved. It seemed that the officers and soldiers were not aware of it.
Smoke rose from the northwest corner of the camp, and Zhang Hua sneered. After eating, he set off on the road, just in time to be a well-fed ghost.
Upstairs, Yang Anxuan and Yin Ji dressed up as soldiers and were chatting and laughing, but they were actually looking at the situation outside the camp.
Just after noon, there were gradually more and more people outside the camp. Yang Anxuan knew in his heart that the thief was coming.
The crowd became lively, and the vendors were all smiles. They earned an extra five or six cents and went home, so that their wives and children could have a full meal at home. They had no idea that a disaster was coming.
Yang Anxuan turned his back and did not look outside, feeling a dull pain in his heart. In order to paralyze the thieves, even if a war was about to break out, he could not order the traders to be driven away.
If the war breaks out, these people may suffer unreasonable disasters. Yang Anxuan sighed in his heart, no wonder he said that Ci can't control soldiers. I'm afraid that he will often encounter innocent people being implicated in the future.
The flames of war are ruthless and life is devastated. In troubled times, the only way to fight violence is to use violence to end the war as soon as possible and restore peace to the people. However, the damage caused during this period is inevitable.
Killing one person and saving a hundred people is benevolence, and I will do it, Yang Anxuan recited firmly in his heart.
At noon, the trumpet sounded. Zhang Hua knew that this was to inform the soldiers to eat. He looked carefully at the watchtower and saw that there were only a few people left on it. It seemed that everyone else had gone down to eat.
Unable to wait any longer, Zhang Hua asked Sun Guang beside him: "How many brothers have arrived? Has the oxcart arrived?"
Sun Guang responded: "There are about seven or eight hundred people here, and the bullock carts have arrived."
Zhang Hua strode towards the bullock cart and said: "No wait, tell the brothers to get the guy and rush in while the officers and soldiers are eating."
The straw mat covering the bullock cart was lifted, revealing the shining weapon. Zhang Hua picked up a machete, weighed it in his hand, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, follow me and charge, kill the officers and soldiers and take away their food."
The minions screamed loudly, scaring the traders and running away. Some were reluctant to part with their goods and were overtaken by the minions and fell to the ground, instantly staining the ground with blood.
Zhang Hua rushed towards the village gate with a machete and rushed to the village gate in an instant.
The soldiers in the watchtower seemed to be waking up from a dream. One of them blew the horn, and the other shot down with a bow and arrow.
He slashed at the village gate with a knife, and the thick village gate was cut open with a machete in three or two strokes. Sun Guang and others beside him slashed with knives and axes, and in an instant, the village gate was hacked to pieces.
Zhang Hua kicked open the broken village gate and took the lead in rushing towards the camp.
Only a few scattered soldiers were seen running back, and the entire village was eerily quiet.
Zhang Hua felt uneasy in his heart. How could there be so few soldiers in the camp and all of them gathered in the kitchen?
The running pace slowed down, and the minions rushed past him, shouting. Following the minions past several tents, the front suddenly became open.
There was an empty field in front of them, and there was no obstruction in the thirty-step range. What greeted them were archers in full formation.
The gong sounded, arrows came like locusts, and the minions fell down.
Falling into the trap, Zhang Hua used his knife to swat the random arrows, and shouted decisively: "Exit the camp, everyone split up and run away."
It's daytime now, and there are people everywhere. As long as they leave the camp and mingle with the crowd, the officers and soldiers can catch a few.
There was a huge crowd at the gate of the village, with people from outside rushing in and people inside fleeing, with ghosts crying and wolves howling.
Zhang Hua ignored everything and used his knife to cut a bloody path. As soon as he rushed out of the camp, he saw the soldiers retreating back.
Zhang Hua saw from the gap that the official troops from a hundred steps away were divided into three teams, with shields in front and spears in the back, and they had surrounded the village gate in the middle.
Where did these officers and soldiers come from?
Unbeknownst to Zhang Hua, when the warning horn sounded, Yang Anxuan, Yin Ji and Yan Zhuang brought down the empty rear wall of the village, and three hundred soldiers filed out and lined up in front of the village gate.
With the enemy blocking him in front and pursuing troops behind him, Zhang Hua knew that he would never survive if he fell into the hands of the army.
Zhang Hua shouted loudly: "Brothers, this group of officers and soldiers are just farmers who have just joined the army. They are worse than the officers and soldiers of Fuyang City. There are more of us, so rush over and kill them."
After that, Zhang Hua took the lead and rushed westward with his sword. Under his instigation, the soldiers behind him all waved their swords and rushed towards the officers and soldiers.
Yang Anxuan led his team to the south, facing the village gate.
Sitting on the horse and watching the charging minions coldly, Yang Anxuan ordered loudly: "Stand up your shields and thrust your spears. The minions are not allowed to break through. Just do as you have been trained to do."
The minions rushed closer, the swords they slashed were blocked by the shields, the spears pierced out from behind the shields, blood spattered, and screams continued.
Some soldiers saw the blood and subconsciously retracted their shields and spears, but the minions seized the opportunity and slashed at them with their swords.
Blood splattered, making no distinction between friend and foe.
As soon as the battle began, the officers and soldiers suffered casualties, and the shield wall was quickly breached.
Yang Anxuan did not rush forward to plug the gap. No matter how well-drilled the soldiers were, they had to see blood on the battlefield before they could transform into a strong army. Only the lessons of blood and flesh could make the immature new army grow up quickly.
"Put the shields outward, use spears in groups of three to flatten the gap." Yang Anxuan ordered loudly.
To the east, Yan Zhuang on his horse shouted and cursed loudly, reminding the new army how to defend.
The painstaking training at ordinary times began to show its effect. The new army, led by the commander and the corps commander, firmly blocked the minions behind the shield wall.
To the west was Yinji's defense. Zhang Hua's head was shining brightly in the sun as he rushed over.
Yin Ji, he had read the intelligence and knew that Zhang Hua was a bald man. This person was the first to charge. Could it be Zhang Hua.
Beheading the thief was the first achievement. Capturing Zhang Hua was the first achievement in slaying the thief this time.
Yin Hua's heart was burning, and she rushed towards Zhang Hua who rushed towards him without saying a word.
