When this small force set out in good order, the main army in the team, Alixi's family members, and even their shady households were alarmed. Many people crowded at both ends of the road in the shack area, asking each other what happened.
Zhang Pingliang's wife Li also came out of the house. Under the flickering candlelight, she looked at her newlywed husband with some worry with her big talking eyes.
Zhang Pingliang puffed up his chest and waved to her.
In this world, the most important thing for joining the army is to have a heart as solid as stone. Even though Zhang Pingliang was not a ruthless figure in the army, he had killed more than 20 people in his hands in the past few years, and saw thousands of dead people on the battlefield. The death of two villagers in Houhu Village was nothing to a senior soldier like him.
But one thing is that no one can stop Zhang Pingliang, the general of the Ding Navy, from taking his newlywed wife to live in the renovated courtyard! The thieves scattered all over Zhongdu can't do it, and the pawns who are still hesitant in the headquarters can't do it!
At the same time, there were also generals on duty who reported the news to General Liu Ran who was guarding Yutian County.
"Let him go."
Liu Ran waved his hand.
The deputy general muttered: "I'm afraid that the number of people accompanying us is a little short. There are at least fifty people in Xiaoquan Mountain, half of whom have served as soldiers in Dading Mansion and are ruthless characters."
"Zhang Pingliang took fifteen men and two horses, which was enough. He decided to set off so suddenly. The night march must be along the Li River to the north, thirty-seven miles. It will take a whole night, and then in the early morning of tomorrow Rushing into the mountains...the thieves were caught off guard and could not withstand them."
Liu Ran still had full confidence in Zhang Pingliang's martial arts skills and ability to lead a team to fight.
Among the three brothers with different surnames who escaped from the chaos on Beijing Road, Liang Hu fought with the black army and died in front of Liu Ran. Liu Ran himself was promoted to the rank of general based on his merits, while Zhang Pingliang was a person who could not stand up to the wall. He had failed in many things before and after, and now he is just a makeshift commander.
Fortunately, he is a man with a family, so he will never be as confused as before.
Marshal Guo regarded the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of Ding Haijun as his confidants, and the benefits he gave were all generous. The wealth of his own family, and even the wealth of future generations, were clearly displayed in front of him. Whether you can get it depends on whether you are active enough and willing to contribute to the great cause of Ding Haijun.
People who are talented and active will naturally get various opportunities. Liu Ran himself is an example. He had recently heard that some Khitan prisoners were promoted to generals at Jinshan Mountain outside Juyong Pass, and some Han slaves who returned from the grasslands were promoted to military judges in ten and a half months.
At present, the Mongols are defeated and there is nothing happening in all directions, but the expansion of the army and the enrichment of many institutions are getting closer and closer day by day; so if you want to make meritorious service and be rewarded, you don't even need to risk your life. But if we can’t see the situation clearly and are unwilling to keep up with this surging trend, people who have been moving forward will have no choice but to leave it behind.
After thinking about it, Liu Ran felt a little worried. He pointed to one of his subordinates: "Hey... you take twenty cavalry and follow them from a distance. If everything goes well, you can bring them back."
The friendship between Liu Ran and Zhang Pingliang was not hidden from others. This kind of general who cares about old feelings is the most reassuring thing on the battlefield. The subordinate immediately accepted the order with a smile and went back to arrange the cavalry.
Liu Ran's estimate was absolutely correct.
In the early morning of the next day, Zhang Pingliang led his team into Xiaoquan Mountain.
Because they were marching at night, they carried pine torches throughout the journey and had no intention of concealing their whereabouts. When we arrived at Xiaoquan Mountain, the sky was already twilight again, and we were still several miles away from the village where the bandits were entrenched, so the bandits in the village woke up.
The sounds of gongs and drums and shouts and curses rang out at the same time. Many thieves climbed onto the fence with their arms bare and began to pick up their bows and arrows, trying to block the mountain road in front of the village. Some people recognized that some of the small group of Dinghai soldiers were old acquaintances of their own. They felt betrayed, so they cursed loudly.
Zhang Pingliang ignored them completely.
These defeated troops are the enemies of Ding Haijun, an obstacle to Ding Hai Hai's restoration of peace, and the source of constant complaints from the surrounding people! They deserve to die!
On the way here, he had repeatedly explained the principles and the soldiers clearly; he had also given all the instructions on the steps to fight and defeat the enemy, and now he did not want to say another word. It was the order of Liu Ran, the garrison commander, to destroy these bandits. Now that you have joined the army, anyone who disobeys orders will be killed!
Two cavalrymen rushed forward, threw heavy iron hooks, and then turned their horses back. The rope tied to the front bridge of the saddle suddenly tightened, and then pulled a section of the fence to collapse.
The gap of more than two feet was enough for ten elite soldiers wearing helmets and armor to rush in. Zhang Pingliang himself is a good player in battlefield combat. He has mastered the small formation of tens of thousands of men, the cooperation of swords, shields and spearmen, and the cover of archers. In contrast, thieves and bandits have no rules at all.
They tried to confront Zhang Pingliang's men head-on, but were killed until blood flowed everywhere, and swords and guns were scattered all over the ground. Seeing that the situation was not good, the several leaders immediately ran away to the stables at the back. They were then chased by the cavalry and slashed to death with knives from behind.
By the time Zhang Pingliang stood in the middle of the village, less than half a moment had passed. None of the ten men he and his men were killed, only three were injured, and there was no expression of excitement on their faces. The Alixi men who rushed into the village later saw blood all over the ground, dead people, severed limbs, and internal organs flowing out. Started to turn pale.
】
Soon, a group of prisoners were gathered in front of Zhang Pingliang. He pointed to a few people around him: "You three, Tuyan, Monkey, and Pu'a, go and pick out the leader and kill them all."
These three soldiers had been accused by Zhang Pingliang of having old friendship with the bandits in Xiaoquan Mountain, so they had been evading the blame. These three people were also soldiers who broke into Zhongdu from Dading Mansion, and they all called each other by nicknames. The one called "Pu'a" uses the Jurchen language, which means pheasant.
Previously, they felt that Zhang Pingliang was young and looked down upon, but now they saw him being so cruel, and they were vaguely afraid. When they were marching, they also discovered that there seemed to be traces of cavalry tracking behind the team. It was obvious that they were specially sent to guard the formation... Who dared to go against the rules?
Tu Yan took a deep breath, turned to the monkey and said, "Fuck, come on."
The monkey waved his hand: "We can't be blamed for this, there's nothing we can do about it."
Such a veteran has a side that values the friendship of his comrades, but also a cold side. After all, all of them have experienced the massacre by the Mongols. As long as they have seen the scene where corpses are scattered all over towns, villages, mountains, forests and wild fields regardless of gender, they will not hesitate at all when killing people.
The two of them were still talking when Pheasant strode forward and squatted next to a kneeling bandit. The thief really knew him. He grinned and said in a hoarse voice: "I feel comfortable enough. Hurry up and do it!"
The pheasant groaned twice, then he pulled out the short knife from his waist, pointed it at the gap between the cervical vertebrae, and pressed down hard.
The blade pierced the bone and stalled for a moment. Pheasant increased his strength and then used a clever horizontal force. With a snapping sound, the two joints of the cervical vertebrae were separated, and then he slowly cut off the flesh and blood vessels. When the blood stained his arms and chest, the thief's head and body were completely separated.
Pheasant felt a little uncomfortable when he held the bandit's head in his hands. He still remembered that when he was garrisoning in Shiziling, he fought side by side with the deceased. Later, people fled south, and many families were robbed and robbed along the way. Pheasant's family and relatives also received his care.
It's a pity that the world has changed. In the peaceful days of Ding Haijun, there is no room for people who are accustomed to wanton behavior. The officers and soldiers of the Ding Navy must maintain the iron-clad order established by Marshal Guo in the vast territory and must not allow anyone to try to challenge it.
He raised his head, placed it in front of Zhang Pingliang, and bowed slightly to the young general.
Tuyan and Houhou stared blankly, and after a while, they also took out their knives and walked towards their targets.
The scene that followed was much more noisy than before, and the remaining bandit leaders were not as tough as Pheasant Kill. Some of them cried, some begged for mercy, and some yelled at Tuyan and Monkey for being unloyal, but the result was the same, and several of them were killed one after another.
The smell of blood in the air was much stronger than before.
"Everyone did a good job." Zhang Pingliang said with satisfaction: "When I return to the city, I will be the host and treat everyone to meat!"
It was indeed a bit slow to exterminate this group of bandits, but once it took action, the military superiority of the Ding Navy officers was fully revealed, and the victory was simple. After this incident, the superiors could no longer criticize Zhang Pingliang, and the promise of a brand new courtyard would be fulfilled sooner or later.
In that case, Zhang Pingliang would have an explanation for Li, so he would treat his subordinates to a meal without any financial pressure.
Zhang Pingliang himself was from a humble background and could not read a few big characters, but this did not mean that he was ignorant. Li's skin is as smooth as jade, there are no calluses on her hands, and she is not used to serving people. Although she always wore ordinary clothes, her behavior was very graceful and elegant. This is obvious. Although her mother-in-law's family won't say it, Mrs. Li must be a noble lady with a good background.
Such a good woman married me, Zhang Pingliang, and was so considerate to me. She just wants to have a courtyard that she can enter. Is that too much?
Not to mention the yard, no matter how much she wants, she has to fight for it! Fortunately, I have such martial arts skills, and I have Brother Ran protecting me... From now on, I will follow the army on expeditions east and west, and I will definitely achieve more achievements! I have to let my wife and the children I will have soon live a good life!
