On the same day, the Eighth Prince took Zhuang Ming, the magistrate of Cangzhou, Kou Zhun, Wang Qinruo, and Mrs. She to Tianjing New City. As soon as the Eighth Prince left the east gate of Cangzhou, he felt something different, with wide cement roads and trees planted on the roadside. , it also has to look a certain way. There is a large area of farmland under the road. At this time, the people have just finished planting rice seedlings, and there are endless green rice seedlings. It seems to be connected to the horizon. Earl saw villages one after another. The people here no longer had thatched houses. They were all houses with red bricks and red tiles. Most of the brick kilns in Yang Peng burned red bricks, and only a small part of them burned blue bricks.
Mrs. She was also surprised. She had never seen anything like this before from Bianjing. There is no such countryside even near Bianjing, and there are dozens of miles of roads like this. How much does this cost? Xiu, this Yang Peng is a waste of money. Mrs. She seems to have entered a fairyland on earth. Wang Qinruo feels sad for Empress Dowager Xiao. This old woman is also so close to Tianjing New City, and you didn't even notice. You still keep provoking Da Song, but you don’t know that there is already a big tiger staring at you next to you.
It took the Eighth Prince and the others a day to complete the more than sixty miles. Because they walked and looked at each other, time was delayed. When they arrived at Tianjing New City, it was already dark, and they could see patches of Tianjing New City in the distance. Bright light, Zhuang Ming said, "Eighth Prince, don't worry, the gate of Tianjing New City is never closed. You can enter the city at any time, as long as you register at the city gate,"
Not long after, the Eighth Prince arrived at the west gate of Tianjing New City. The old lady She walked up to the soldiers guarding the city gate and said, "I am the old lady She of the Yang family from Bianjing. Can we enter the city?" The soldier said, "The old lady is here. Our city lord has given instructions. Yes, but you still have to register, you don’t need it during the day, you don’t mind, old lady, do you?”
The old lady said, "How is it possible? No matter who you are, you have to abide by the rules here. I will register right now." The Eighth Prince did not show any airs and signed his name. Yang Paifeng pressed his fingerprints and a soldier signed his name. Old Mrs. She and the others were brought into the Tianjing Inn. This inn is the best inn in Tianjing New City. As soon as the owner of the inn heard that Mrs. She was the guest, he immediately arranged six rooms and set up meals in the lobby. Mrs. She said, "How much money does this cost?" The boss said, "As long as you are a member of the Yang family in Bianjing, all expenses will be borne by the city lord. Because it is too late and we don't want to disturb the city lord's rest, I will inform you and inform the city lord early tomorrow morning. "
Yang Paifeng and Mrs. She shared a room, and everyone else had a room alone. Seeing the luxury of the inn room, Mrs. She said, "How much does it cost? This room is too luxurious. The living room Still so big, this Yang Peng is not simple."
The relocation work of the division headquarters was carried out in the evening, on and off, for nine days. All the firearms, ammunition, and anti-inflammatory drugs as reserves were moved here. This place is hidden and suitable for setting up a temporary sanatorium to accommodate the wounded. Zhang Xiang originally wanted to split the cooking chain into two parts, but Yang Erya disagreed: "Brother Zhang, don't worry, we originally cooked our own meals. In addition to the communications squad, Shi Liancheng and Cui Saner, the current security platoon The other soldiers are all female soldiers, so you don’t have to worry about them! Your side is the real fighting team, and the capable cooking team will come in handy."
Everyone was so busy, but Yang Peng was hiding in the official hall and could not come out. It turned out that Zhang Yan brought back a piece of information when he sent the quilt away, which was about Kang Pinqing, one of the four top leaders of Youzhou Iron Mine. July 28th was his father's sixtieth birthday. He is currently planning birthday gifts and wants to go home to celebrate his father's birthday in person! Now Zhang Yan is the commander of the Jinyi Guards in Tianjing New City. Mainly responsible for intelligence work.
Kang Pinqing came from a humble background, and in the past ten years he has made a fortune. So this time I am ready to return home in full glory, to show off my majesty. Then take this opportunity to find a way to recruit another group of workers to make yourself more respectable in front of the Khitan people. Kang Pinqing's hometown, Kangjiataizi, is about 160 kilometers east of Tianjing New City. According to the mountain road route, it is about 180 kilometers away. There is only one way to go from Xintun to Kangjiataizi, and that is the official road that turns south through three stones. Kang Pinqing went home to celebrate his birthday and could only pass through here.
After three days of deliberation, Yang Peng finally made up his mind to cut off the other claw of the Khitan dog! Although the Khitan dogs now control the area around the iron mines, there is no war between the two countries, and there are not many Khitan patrols. Sneaking into the tiger's mouth to grab food, this is the best opportunity. After obtaining Yang Tong's consent, Yang Peng immediately convened a military meeting, in which all military supervisors above the deputy battalion commander attended.
"Brothers, after we have undergone major training and secondary reorganization, the morale of the troops is high. Now it's time to test the results of our training." Yang Peng took the lead: "I recently received intelligence that one of the four leaders of Youzhou Iron Mine Kang Pinqing has been delivered to your door!" Then he introduced Kang Pinqing in detail. Kang Pinqing, known as "King of Hell", is the devil who persecutes workers. Kang Pinqing's famous saying is: "If you don't have the heart to beat the child to death, don't be the leader. The handle of my big iron pickaxe will cure the disease, and the sick one will be cured with a beating."
A laborer was ill and had an unbearable headache. He couldn't get up from the bed, so Kang Pinqing happened to meet him. When he asked if he was unable to work due to illness, he opened the laborer with a pickaxe and died on the spot. In order to help the Khitans increase production, Kang Pinqing treated laborers extremely cruelly. In more than ten years, more than 4,000 workers died under his hands. He maintains dozens of accountants, junior managers, job managers, and housekeepers, and uses them to manage and exploit workers. Dabaotou Kang Pinqing currently has 191 properties and three comprador shops.
"Brothers, when dealing with this kind of devil, we cannot let him continue to harm others and must be severely punished! Therefore, Tianjing New City has decided to eradicate this scum! Currently, this bastard is shopping around to celebrate his father's birthday. The time is now Around July 28th, he will leave Qianjinzhai and return to Kangjiataizi." "After understanding, there is only a three-stone road from Xintun to Kangjiataizi. Therefore, we decided to bring him there nearby. An ambush battle, annihilate them all! At the same time, we must try our best to get back the blood and sweat of the laborers it looted, so this time we have to divide our forces into two groups."
"The first way is to go straight to Sankuishi to hide and prepare to ambush Kang Pinqing's convoy. The second way is to go straight to Xintun Xiaoguantun, find Kang Pinqing's lair in Tianhe Hutong, and snatch food from the tiger's mouth. The mansion and three comprador shops were taken away." "The specific deployment of troops is as follows. Tianjing New City strengthens the security of various outposts, under the unified command of Qin Yuefang and Liu Yanmei. Before the return of the main force, various training tasks cannot be relaxed. Cooking The task of the class has been reduced, so training must keep up.”
"The first combat battalion is equipped with hand crossbows and bayonets to form a raiding unit, commanded by Yang Tong. As long as Kang Pinqing leaves, we will raid Xiaoguantun overnight. No matter whether the raid is successful or not, we cannot delay the time. Don't take large items, only take away what you have valuable things. Then immediately retreat eastward in concealment, and someone will respond at the front line of Gaoligou." "Zhang Xiang led the guard platoon, crossbow squad and combat platoon three and four squads, and rushed to the Sankuishi area to hide and stand by. This time it was This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we must annihilate Kang Pinqing’s main force, completely eradicate this root of evil, and combat their arrogance.”
"This is our first time to fight separately. Yang Tong, you must keep a clear mind at all times. When you encounter problems, you should ask more questions. You must not be impulsive and fight recklessly. Many soldiers have learned from the experience of the last night attack. , you must make full pre-war preparations this time." Yang Tong, Zhang Xiang, and Cheng Shijie stood up and said loudly: "Yes! Resolutely obey the order! Make sure to complete the mission!" "Liu Yanmei, Yang Guihua, the safety of the military camp is important. I leave it to you. You must be careful and don’t lose our lifeblood.”
Although Yang Guihua and Liu Yanmei were a little regretful that they could not participate in the battle, the city lord gave them the task of looking after the house, which was absolute trust. So their answer was very simple: "Yes! Make sure to complete the mission!" Yang Peng finally said: "Yang Erya, you lead the guards in a line to follow Zhang Xiang. There are still nine days until June 28th, you go down From now on, we will prepare separately and then set off separately.”
Immediately after the meeting, all personnel participating in the ambush battle were gathered together to conduct pre-battle grouping, rectify equipment, and inspect guns and ammunition. Just to be on the safe side. At nightfall, Yang Erya led a vanguard group of the guard platoon to set off first, followed by Yin Mingde's troops. The last ones were the Guard Platoon 1 and the Combat Platoon 3 and 4 led by Zhang Xiang. Together with Shi Liancheng, Cui Saner and Huang Qiaoyun, a group of nine people entered the night. According to Yang Peng's suggestion, this team was commanded by Qin Yuefang, the squad leader of the guard platoon, and Zhang Xiang's team members followed closely behind the team.
At first, Qin Yuefang was a little reluctant to let go, but as time went by, she got used to it, and various commands became natural and smooth. Many years later, Qin Yuefang, who was already the commander of the column, told others: "No matter how amazing our city lord is, I personally commanded him!"
The entire journey was silent. After walking for about twenty miles, the two female soldiers took turns carrying the flintlock rifle, still wiping sweat. Zhang Xiang ran forward and snatched the crossbow, then put it on his shoulder and left. In Qin Yuefang's eyes, this behavior was simply unbelievable! It doesn't make any sense that a big leader would help small soldiers work!
So he quickly caught up and questioned Zhang Xiang loudly, thinking that Zhang Xiang had damaged the official's integrity. "Calm down your anger for now!" Zhang Xiang asked with a smile: "What is the last article of our military discipline? It is the equality of officers and soldiers! Since they are equal, why can these two soldiers carry a crossbow, but I can't? You remember: In our team, there is only a division of labor between officers and soldiers, not a difference in status!"
Shi Liancheng and Cui Saner looked at Zhang Xiang's back, made fists with both hands, and waved them secretly. Then he strode forward, reached out and took the ammunition box from the shoulder of another female soldier, and ran forward after Zhang Xiang. Qin Yuefang said, "Our Brother Zhang is becoming more and more like our city lord." The news was quickly brought to the crossbow by the female soldiers who returned to deliver the marching route. At this time, Cheng Shijie, Duan Zhixian and several regiment leaders couldn't stand still. It turns out that this is how the so-called equality of officers and soldiers works! Immediately shut his mouth that kept urging him to move forward. Grab the machine crossbow to grab the machine crossbow, grab the ammunition box to grab the ammunition box.
Officials lead the way, and soldiers naturally do not want to lag behind. There was a mutual upsurge of you helping me get my gun, and I helping you explore the road. In this way, the marching speed is greatly increased. The feelings between the soldiers were instantly sublimated, and the relationship between officers and soldiers also underwent tremendous changes. These soldiers are very simple. They have seen all kinds of armies and all kinds of officials. However, it was the first time today that I saw a high-ranking official rushing to do menial work like this. This had a shock to their souls and their sense of belonging to the unit was solidified. It is said that a scholar dies for a confidant, which is nothing more than this.
When the east began to glow, Yang Erya's outpost stopped advancing and the large forces began to concentrate. Zhang Xiang estimated in his mind that it took more than eight hours to cross mountains and ridges, covering a distance of about ninety miles. The overall performance is very good, it seems that the training a while ago is still effective. Seeing Zhang Xiang coming with a crossbow, Yang Erya hurriedly came over to report: "Report to the commander! This is the Eagle's Mouth Hollow, where you can camp and make a fire for cooking. There is still less than twenty miles to Sanshishi, but if you go further If we go forward, there will be no cover in the dense forest. Please give instructions!"
"Immediately arrange a place to camp, set up sentries, and all personnel will rest on the spot!" Zhang Xiang handed the crossbow to the original soldier, then came to the front and took a look. It turned out that this was the tail of a mountain ridge. Further ahead are some bare hills, and a winding road can be vaguely seen in the distance.
After resting until three or four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Xiang summoned the platoon leader and squad leader, and then went to inspect the terrain near Three Rocks. After nearly an hour of driving, Yang Erya brought everyone to a small hill. Zhang Xiang stood on the top of the mountain and looked down. The road was at the foot of the mountain, with a height difference of about eighty meters.
Zhang Xiang pointed to the northwest, which is where the main road came from, and asked Yang Erya: "Where is that place?" Yang Erya said without hesitation: "That is the big ditch, and further ahead is the mount. If the enemy wants to come to Kang's house, The platform will come from there." This was the first time that Zhang Xiang commanded the battle alone. This time Yang Peng did not participate in the operation. Yang Peng was also testing Zhang Xiang's military capabilities.
"This is a good ambush battlefield. Look!" Zhang Xiang pointed to the road and said: "The road comes from the northwest, and you have to turn south from the foot of the mountain. The small dirt bag about a hundred meters to the northeast is completely fine. Control the entire direction. As long as the enemy enters the vicinity of this turn, it will be too late regardless of whether it is forward or backward!"
"There are also those huge rocks in the northwest, which happen to be the sniping point to block the enemy's retreat. As for blocking the head to the south, don't choose the hard top of the road. Did you see that the slope is the best blocking spot! Now, you follow I will go to these places to take a look. How to arrange the fire positions next is your business." Arriving at the southernmost pre-selected blocking position, Zhang Xiang asked: "Yin Mingde, if you are asked to arrange a crossbow here, What are you going to do?"
Yin Mingde looked at the situation around him and then said: "This place is less than fifty meters away from the main road. After all the enemies turned around, they entered the attack range. The problem is that there are a few big rocks in front and a few small trees on the roadside. They're in the way." Zhang Xiang nodded and said, "You're right! Since they're in the way, then move them to a new home! You can arrange for people to move the big rocks and small trees here overnight, and then deal with the traces there. , so that ordinary people can’t see it. Not only is it out of the way, it also becomes the best position.”
In this way, Zhang Xiang explained along the way how to clear the shooting boundary, how to maintain cross-strike firepower, how to camouflage the position, etc. This kind of on-site teaching made the people around me suddenly realize: It turns out that there is so much knowledge in fighting, and it is not just about seeing the enemy charging at him with a gun. Finally returning to the top of the mountain, Zhang Xiang made the final battle: "Everyone has just seen the terrain of the preset position. We need to divide it into four combat areas. Because the battlefield is a big bend and the protrusion is It is the only commanding height, so there is no way to communicate between combat areas, which requires us to be flexible and maneuverable. Now I will assign combat missions, and I hope everyone can remember their missions."
"The guard platoon, together with Shi Liancheng and Cui San'er, will guard the commanding heights of the southwest protrusion. If someone rushes up, use machine crossbows to knock them down, and let the rifles and machine crossbows from the other three places kill them! In this situation, It’s almost the same as the last time you held the hill. Yang Tong is in charge here!” “The southernmost blocking position is controlled by crossbows. The three crossbows are 30 meters apart. You must guard the 80-meter width in front and don’t let it go. An enemy. The key to the success or failure of this battle lies in whether you can block the enemy's impact. Cheng Shijie is commanding here."
"The three-stone area in the northwest is the route the enemy takes to enter and the route the enemy can retreat to. Whether or not this pass can be held is the key to the overall situation. Liu Zhiliang is responsible for getting into this pocket and trapping the enemy tightly. In the encirclement. Duan Zhixian is in charge of command here, and the battle is initiated by the sound of Liu Zhiliang's gunfire." "The southeast side is one of the main directions for the enemy to break through, and the small hillock is the only support point. Here, Hu Bingzhang's four soldiers The squad is responsible for defense and blocking the enemy's escape eastward. Because squad four has the most new soldiers and no actual combat experience, I will take specific command here."
"I would like to emphasize one last thing. After dark, each squad will enter the position to dig fortifications and camouflage the position. What needs special attention is that you must not be greedy for simplicity and use big rocks as the retaining wall of the position. You must know that even if the bullet does not hit You, if you hit a rock, the falling gravel will kill you!" "This is the first battle after the three of us come together. I hope the new soldiers can learn more from the old soldiers. The old soldiers We must fulfill our responsibilities and obligations of passing on, helping, and leading. When we enter a trench, we are brothers of life and death. I need not say more about these principles of mutual help and friendship, and sharing life and death."
"After each squad leader and deputy squad leader go down, they must check the condition of the first aid kit and have all the soldiers repeat how to use the first aid kit. Careful and meticulous preparations, a brave and tenacious fighting style, and a calm and calm fighting quality are all I hope you will keep in mind the three conditions for our victory!" Zhang Xiang finally looked at Yang Erya: "Yang Erya, you lead three soldiers to set off immediately to hide on the horse, and immediately send someone back to report the enemy's situation. ."
After everything was arranged, Yang Peng walked back and forth throughout the combat area several times, carefully measuring the shooting effects in all directions, and felt that nothing was missed before returning to the Eagle's Beak. Not to mention how Zhang Xiang and the others prepare for battle and face the enemy. It is said that after Yang Tong and Duan Zhixian accepted the task, they immediately studied countermeasures with the squad leader and deputy squad leader. Based on the last raid, everyone agreed that military uniforms must not be worn, otherwise they would not be able to enter at all. Because it was the territory of the Khitans, ordinary Song people could not enter, so a group of people had to put on makeup.
After everyone talked about it, they finally remembered the clothes that Pu Jinyi had captured. If you pretend to be a business owner, you can at least sneak into one class. Others could have passed through the shanty town on the west side on the night of the operation. As long as the person who sneaks in knows the specific location, everything will be safe. After Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang finally discussed and decided, they found Liu Yanmei, who was left behind at the division headquarters, and borrowed 400 taels of silver and seized clothes from the warehouse. The two of them pretended to be a husband and wife team. Then he led the two squads of soldiers to disperse and arrive at Xintun to meet up.
During the Zhan Jin Kingdom, they specially set up a large cart, loaded it with two bags of medicinal materials, and took more than a dozen of the hospital guards with soldiers and make-up on the road. On the road, these people also imitated the little tricks they had seen before, and they always walked unsteadily and carelessly. Since the Youzhou Iron Mine belongs to the Khitans, they are allowed to take whatever they ask for and have never encountered any resistance. Xintun, as the core of Khitan power, had almost no preventive measures. Anyone who is not wearing rags can enter the commercial district to the west of Xiaoguantun.
In the evening of July 27th, the fake couple Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang finally arrived in Xiaoguantun. After preliminary observation, I discovered the mystery of Xiaoguantun. It turns out that this place was divided into two areas by the Khitan people. The area east of Jiutiao Pass was the exclusive area for the Khitan people, and the lowly Song Dynasty people were not allowed to enter. To the west of Jiutiao Pass is the living area of the Song Dynasty people. The environment here is harsh, the housing is dilapidated, and most of them are shantytowns. Various temporary shacks were built next to each other, with a distance of less than one meter from each other.
Zhang Xiang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that as long as he didn't enter the east of Hachijo Street, he would be fine. Before leaving, he cursed fiercely: "Damn it, why did I go to the Khitan's den for nothing? Even if you are a brothel, our military discipline does not allow it!" Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang are now both Husband and wife, they are also the big boss. So I searched all the way and finally came to the most luxurious Sanxian Inn in Tianhe Hutong. The two of them threw a 20-tael money bag on the counter and generously took over the Dongkua Courtyard. As soon as the shopkeeper saw it, he knew that a big customer was here, and he immediately became enthusiastic.
"You two, you have come to the right place! The big boss of our Sanxian Inn is the famous Uncle Kang Kang Pinqing. He is a man who makes Xintun tremble every time he stomps his feet. He is protected by Khitan people. Even Khitan people Everyone has to give face. So it’s safe and clean here! Everything is guaranteed to your satisfaction!” When Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang heard that they had actually stayed at Kang Pinqing’s inn, they couldn’t help but smile at each other, and then said: “We are just here for Uncle Kang. I just came here because of Wei Ming. Oh, by the way, we have a few nursing homes behind us to protect the goods. They may come over in the next two days, so please be kind to the shopkeeper."
"It's okay, it's okay. The goods entering our Sanxian Inn are absolutely guaranteed to be safe. Don't worry, you two!" The shopkeeper responded verbally while arranging the store clerk to lead everyone to the backyard to rest. After arriving at Dongkuayuan and settling in, Zhang Xiang quickly arranged for two soldiers to go out to pick up the others, and arranged for the remaining people to wander around Tianhe Hutong to see what was going on in the other two places. Now you live in Kang Pinqing's house, so what are you afraid of? This already means something is done!
After dinner, Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang came out of the inn and walked less than a hundred meters to the north when they saw a large courtyard. The lights were brightly lit inside, and there was a buzz of people, and there was a constant flow of people coming and going at the door. I found a passerby and asked about it, and I found out that this was the residence of King Kang Yan! I heard that Uncle Kang will go back to his hometown tomorrow to pay his birthday to the boss, so many people came to give gifts!
"Give it away, give it away, it's best to give more gold and silver, so that we can take it away tomorrow!" Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang were happy and continued walking forward without stopping. Later, they discovered a luxurious restaurant. The two pretended to find out that this place was also Kang Pinqing's property! It seems that the bastard Kang Pinqing is engaged in high-end business. After walking the entire alley and finding no conspicuous place, Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang returned to the inn. The other soldiers have returned and found Kang Pinqing's other "Youzhou Clothing Store".
Early the next morning, everyone came to the lobby and occupied three tables, and then ate breakfast slowly. Not long after, it really started to get noisy outside. It didn't take much effort, and six large trucks passed by the door. There were machine crossbows mounted on the first and last carts, and the drivers were all guys carrying hand crossbows. Behind the cart are two tall horses with two people riding on them. They are all wearing satin gowns and top hats, and a gold chain can be seen on the left chest. One of them also had a knife hanging on it. Following closely behind him were 12 Khitan soldiers, carrying spears on their backs! Finally, there were sixteen escorts dressed in black, carrying crossbows.
Yang Tong and Zhang Xiang secretly counted that there were 22 people in this team with hand crossbows, 12 Khitan soldiers with bows, arrows and spears, and 4 people with two machine crossbows. Looking at the combat power that Kang Pinqing took away, those who stayed to guard the home probably didn't have much strength.
If you want to know what happens next, let’s look at the breakdown in the next chapter.
