Zheng Anping judged that the people on the opposite side must have been waiting for most of the day, and when no one came over, they were ready to withdraw their troops and go home. He looked at the sun. If it sank a little further to the west, there would be no sunlight in the depths of the canyon, and he would be able to move forward boldly relying on the cover of the mountain shadow.
He expressed his thoughts, and the doctor expressed his willingness to go down and control the troops, leaving Zheng Anping and Chen Si to observe on the top of the mountain. The two parties agreed on contact information and passwords, and the doctor went down the mountain. Not long after, the doctor began to shake his halberd, with a war robe hanging on the halberd; Zheng Anping had also taken off his war robe and hung it on the halberd, and now shook his halberd in response. The communication between the two parties The code was picked up. When Zheng Anping saw that it was almost time and there was no one on the mountain opposite, he stuck his halberd upright on the top of the mountain next to him. He shook the halberd at the bottom of the mountain and saw the halberd with the shirt hanging on it moving forward. Although Zheng Anping was very close, if he didn't have such a long halberd, he wouldn't be able to see clearly the movement of the soldiers below. This made Zheng Anping very satisfied. So Zheng Anping held on to the halberd, and Chen Si was mainly responsible for observation. The two of them also ran forward alternately along the hillside and moved to the next observation point. When they arrived at the next observation point, Chen Si introduced what he had observed to Zheng Anping, pointed out another observation point, and ran to that observation point. Zheng Anping still had the halberd stuck at his side and looked forward carefully. The halberd below was also advancing rapidly. Chen Si observed for a while, then turned around and waved. Zheng Anping picked up his halberd and ran towards Chen Si's position.
Moving forward like this, after about an hour, they had advanced nearly ten miles. The canyon occupied by the crowd just now appeared in front of us.
Taking advantage of the setting sun, Zheng Anping saw no one at the mouth of the canyon. They had probably withdrawn. Chen Si also became cautious, bent over, lowered his body and ran forward. Suddenly, Chen Si knelt down on the spot and turned around to make a gesture. Zheng Anping immediately put the halberd down, raised it again, shook it, and put it down again. The halberd at the foot of the mountain also shook his head to express receipt. Zheng Anping gestured to Chen Si and asked if he could go up. Chen Si responded with a gesture, yes. Zheng Anping crouched, carefully using hillsides and rocks to cover himself, and ran to Chen Si's side.
Looking forward from here, there is a canyon on the left and right of the canyon four or five miles away. Although no one can be seen, it is obvious that someone is hiding inside. Especially when a person walks through the uninhabited wilderness, that feeling is especially clear.
Zheng Anping asked Chen Sidao quietly: "What do you see?"
Chen Si also replied quietly: "There is an ambush in the valley!"
Zheng Anping asked: "What do you think?"
Chen Si pointed to the horizon and said: "The dust is not clean."
Zheng Anping looked to the west and saw light and shadow fluctuations in the canyon. Zheng Anping could even pass through the area with fluctuations and estimated that the ambush was about one mile long and should number in the thousands.
Zheng Anping looked at the sky and saw that the sun had completely set. He was wondering how these people knew that he had entered the mountain, and they still set up an ambush in the valley at such a late hour. This is completely unlike the consciousness that a group of farmers should have. The other party must have experienced commanders and a large group of grassroots officers who can control the civilian army.
Zheng Anping thought of the old man's behavior before leaving this morning. The old man should have known that someone with a halberd was stationed here, so he issued a warning. Ordinary farmers will not own a halberd, a weapon with complicated manufacturing techniques and expensive price. Those who own a halberd must be in the army, and their level is not low!
Zheng Anping felt a little bit stuck. If you continue to move forward, you will naturally fall into a trap; but if you withdraw, all your previous efforts will be wasted, and you will probably be discovered by the enemy and suffer losses. The best way is to waste it here and wait for the enemy to lose patience.
Zheng Anping raised his halberd, then tipped it back, signaling for the doctor to come up. Soon the doctor climbed up the hillside and whispered: "The ambush is complete, what's ahead?"
Zheng Anping pointed to the canyon in front and said: "There are ambushes hidden in the canyon on the left and right, it's suitable for me to see!"
The doctor was startled and looked into the canyon. It was quiet with no movement, so he asked, "It seems like there is nothing?"
Zheng Anping said: "It's very good at hiding and making no sound. If we see it occasionally, it's a leak."
The doctor didn't expect him and asked, "What can I do?"
Zheng Anping said: "Just wait quietly!" The doctor understood and quietly went down the mountain.
It wasn't until the sky was getting dark that several figures appeared at the entrance of the valley. They looked here a few times. Due to the darkness in the valley, which was covered by grass and rocks, no human traces could be seen. Then several more people came down from the mountain, presumably to send out lookout posts. These people met together and exchanged a few words with each other. A large group of people walked out from the valleys on both sides. Five miles away, not only Zheng Anping and others could see clearly, but also the Qin army lurking behind the rocks and trees. . Although the doctor had already conveyed some news to them before, when they saw so many people ambushing them, everyone still broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't help but crouch down.
From a distance, you can see the crowd lining up, someone lecturing them, then turning back and driving out of the valley. When Chen Si saw them leaving, he stepped out and quickly rushed to another observation point; Shao Qing, without waiting for Zheng Anping to catch up, rushed to the next observation point. Zheng Anping didn't wait for Chen Si's gesture and didn't dare to move rashly. He just waited on the spot; watching Chen Si rise and fall, he quickly disappeared. After a while, smoke curled up in the distance, and each family began to light a fire to cook.
Chen Si quickly ran back and told Zheng Anping that he had seen the situation at the mouth of the valley. All personnel have now exited the valley and returned home. There is a larger city outside the valley, which is larger and stronger than the city in Shidi. The people in the city are very relaxed now. If they rush in unexpectedly, it is possible to capture the city. It's just that there are too few people now. Once the backup catches up, we can rush in.
During the discussion, the doctor climbed up the mountain again and told the two of them that a male doctor had led 2,000 people into the valley and camped in the small settlement where they lived before. The roads and commanding heights on all sides have been completely blocked, and an official has been sent to search here.
Zheng Anping and Chen Si went down the mountain to see the officials. As the sky was getting dark, nothing could be observed so far up the mountain.
This official was the magistrate of Qian County. When he was providing logistics for Bao Xiedao, he had an encounter with Zheng Anping. When they met, they admired each other. Zheng Anping reported what he had heard and seen today, and suggested that the person who could mobilize thousands of people to set up an ambush was probably Yan Yu; there was a large city outside the mouth of the valley, which was defended by experienced generals.
Chen Si reported what he saw. That big city is indeed tall and strong, but if it is attacked unexpectedly, it is possible to capture it in one fell swoop. But now, every family in the city has been in the wilderness for a whole day, and everyone is tired, so their defenses may be lax.
After hearing the report, the officials asked Zheng Anping and Chen Si to lead them to inspect it in person. This startled the two of them, and they shouted, "It's dangerous! It's dangerous!" The official said: "Although I am a county magistrate, I am in the army, and I know very well about battle formations. I can't prove it without personal experience. Although I am getting older, , I am willing to compete with all my brothers."
Seeing what the official doctor said, Zheng Anping, Chen Si and the doctor followed the official doctor to explore the valley entrance with all their hairpins and hairpins. Others went out to the crisscrossed valley to lift the alert. , resting by the river, no fire is allowed, you can only eat millet soaked in water and stir-fried.
A group of more than ten officials and officials moved forward alternately with covert movements until they reached the mountain in front of the valley entrance. As expected, every family's stove was flourishing and people were eating in the courtyard. No sentry posts were found at the mountainside crossings on both sides. Only the regular night watchers in the city were patrolling back and forth, beating wooden sticks in their hands.
The city is only five miles away from the valley entrance. In the dark night, you can see that the city gate has been closed and there are sentries on the city wall. Obviously that's the focus of defense.
The official observed for about half an hour before signaling for everyone to retreat. He returned to the intersection of the valley and sent out sentries in all directions. The official called these ten people together and said: "I will go back and ask the official to bring in troops, about two thousand people. Go to the entrance of the valley and set fire to drive the people. You You should blend in among them. If you see someone attacking on the city, you should open the door to welcome people to help defend the city. You will follow the crowd in and wait for the opportunity to open the city gate and welcome the officials into the city. If this plan is successful, the city will be destroyed. . Or if they don’t accept the crowd, then there will be few defenders of the city. We will take advantage of the situation outside the city. When the army comes to attack, the city will be conquered."
When the dozen or so people heard this plan, they had no other objections. So the official took about ten people back to the camp, and the remaining people stayed in place to provide support for Zheng Anping. If the sneak attack fails and is discovered and killed, these people will be responsible for providing protection.
At midnight, when everything was silent, the Duke personally arrived with 1,500 people, while the remaining 500 people stayed in place as backup. Zheng Anping and hundreds of others had already taken off their military uniforms. They only wore short brown clothes and held their spears upside down as they entered the valley mouth. After the official gave an order, all the troops lit torches and rushed to the entrance of the valley. At the same time, they set fire to all the weeds on the mountains on both sides and shouted loudly at the same time. The people who were immersed in sleep panicked, most of them were at a loss, and torches were lit on the city. So the people who were still awake immediately ran to the city and asked to enter the city. Zheng Anping and the others followed this group of people, hiding in the shadows.
At this time, a neatly-dressed officer appeared on the city. He looked down the city and suddenly said something loudly. When the people in the city heard the sound, they turned around and rushed towards Zheng Anping and his party with wooden sticks in hand. Zheng Anping knew that someone had discovered an obvious flaw in his love. Although he didn't know what it was, he could only shout loudly: "Array!" He turned the halberd he was holding upside down, raised the halberd with his hand, and knocked over several people. Fight and retreat. Those Qin soldiers who heard the greeting gathered around and joined the battle group. According to their usual training, they lined up one by one and fought on the spot. The formation was slightly stabilized. Behind him, a large number of Qin soldiers rushed in...
