Chapter 76 Ambush
At around noon, several officers from the Gangfeng Battalion were sitting on the ground under the shade of a tree. In front of them were incomplete sauced pork knuckles, roasted lamb legs and other messy meals - all leftovers from yesterday's meal. There was an order not to drink, so everyone drank the clear mountain spring water, tore off small pieces of food and threw them into their mouths, chatting without any interest.
Several team officers were not very happy.
Originally, the wedding of my immediate superior was such a good thing, but I missed it! It's all because Gangfeng Camp is so good at fighting. As a result, he was sent to this hellish place to stare at the forest and count leaves all day long! It's just that I missed the opportunity to rob and make a fortune in the city. I didn't even catch up with the huge excitement of the Lord's wedding. I don't know when I will have the opportunity to listen to Qiang Gen again. Are you angry?
Unlike several team officers who were in a very depressed mood, the soldiers were all smiling. General Gu's marriage will definitely not be a place for the soldiers to join in the fun, and there will be no room for them under the wall of the wedding room, but... there is delicious food! Yesterday, the old camp sent an auxiliary force of two hundred people. The snow-white meat buns were piled to the top in the food basket, and dozens of pigs and sheep were also rushed over! Everyone ate better than during the Chinese New Year - some guys, after eating until they couldn't eat anymore, started to clean up the camp: fetching water, sharpening knives, chopping wood, washing horses... and then... waiting for the food in their stomachs to be good Digest some, run back and continue eating!
Everyone immediately followed suit. In less than an hour, Nuo's camp was completely new and tidy. Even the firewood was piled high, and the soldiers couldn't burn it all in two months!
Logically speaking, in those days, it was not easy to hide the whereabouts of large groups of people - without canned and other ready-to-eat foods, the smoke from cooking fires every day would greatly increase the risk of exposure. It is possible to eat some cold food when the army is setting up an ambush for two or three days, but it must not last too long. Without modern preservation technology, the food will spoil soon, soldiers will fall ill in droves, and the combat effectiveness of the troops will drop off a cliff.
Fortunately, the leader of this group of guys is Gu Baihua, who has been a horse thief, and has rich experience in this area that is unmatched by regular generals.
Xia Shiguan, as the name suggests, is a line between two mountains, and the official road winds through the valleys with continuous peaks on both sides. Gu Baihua placed a group of soldiers hiddenly on the east side, near Mianchi. Their station is halfway up the mountain on both sides of the road. They usually hang out there and won't show up to intercept anyone when they see someone passing by...
The other three troops camped on the road, taking turns on duty, blocking a bend in the mountain road less than two miles to the west. In other words, when pedestrians see the army blocking the road, they will come closer! It would be best if we could stop them all. If there are a few who slip through the net and run back, we will fire a few cannons here, and the ambush team in the east will just go down the mountain to intercept them after hearing the police. A few days ago, several police officers from Luoyang Prefecture had The horses were all stopped in this way.
If a large group of officers and soldiers attack, the ambush personnel will still be able to hide. However, Gu Baihua taught them a very practical method of communication: the message tree.
In advance, clear a piece of mountainous land on the back of the mountain top near Mianchi, in the blind spot of the visitor's sight, and then bury a tree shallowly. If a large group of officers and soldiers are seen approaching, the tree will be brought down. There is such a message tree on every hilltop behind, and within a few moments, the main force will receive the warning. The three teams have enough time to complete armor preparations, formations, and roadblocks. The archers will also seize advantageous terrain on the mountainside on both sides... Under such terrain conditions, no matter how many people come, they will not be able to deploy. Only two or three troops who dare to fight are enough to block tens of thousands of troops from moving for ten days and a half! The team ambushing behind enemy lines in the east can take the opportunity to sneak attack, set fire, and create chaos...
With the information tree as an early warning tool, the soldiers could kill pigs and roast sheep without worrying about revealing their location.
Another person came to the official road.
There were three groups in total. The first group consisted of four or five guys dressed as policemen, walking loosely carrying or holding water and fire sticks.
"It's a bit strange." Jia Lianwang, the officer of Team B of Gangfeng Battalion, pondered: If it was to deliver official documents, a postman would be sent instead of an official; if it was to handle a case, Mianchi belongs to Shaanzhou Prefecture, and two policemen would go together to report the case. Of course, arresting people is a matter for the Shaanzhou government office - arresting people by yourself under the eyes of superiors? Do you still have a Shangguan in your eyes?
But why did four or five of them come out together?
Before Jia Lianwang could figure it out, the second group of people appeared in sight again. A few miles away from the first group, Jia Lianwang had good eyesight and could vaguely make out five or six of them. Some of them were riding horses, but their clothing and other items were not clearly distinguishable. No matter what, Jia Lianwang took out his bamboo whistle and blew twice briefly to inform his companions guarding the mountainside on the opposite side: Don't pay attention to anyone passing by.
Soon, there was a reply from the other side, so Jia Lianwang knew that Fugen, the deputy team manager, had received the order.
When the servants reached the foot, Jia Lianwang was surprised to see that behind the second group of people, there was a third group of pedestrians far away! This group of people was much larger than the previous two groups, a dozen in total, and they were all riding horses!
How strange! Jia Lianwang, a former bandit, scratched his head and couldn't figure it out.
People who walk long distances at that time often spontaneously travel in groups - more people make them bolder, and beasts and bandits will generally avoid them if they see many people together. Especially if there are people traveling together, the safety factor will be higher... These groups of people are only about a mile apart from each other, why do they have to go their own way? Especially for a few tolerances, the leather you wear is the best safety guarantee!
As the saying goes, officials and bandits belong to the same family, and there will always be inextricable connections and tacit understanding between the local bandits and the yamen. For example, you can hide in the mountains during normal times, but you have to spend the New Year, right? Chinese people attach great importance to this. Even if they are bandits, they must have New Year’s Eve dinner on New Year’s Eve! There are no candles dug out in the mountains, no oil or salt on the trees, and there are no paper horse incense candles for worshiping ancestors on the first day of the Lunar New Year. You have to go to the city to buy them. Therefore, years ago, there would always be people of unknown origin sneaking in when the city gates opened before dawn. Some stayed in inns, some stayed in escort agencies, and some even broke into the house of a certain headman. When buying New Year's goods, they are very generous, while the poor men will stop by intentionally or unintentionally - this is a kind of gray silent protection.
When these people leave safely, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief: peace in the coming year is almost guaranteed. On the contrary, if the visitor is trapped in the city due to various unexpected reasons, the county magistrate should know that he cannot sleep well: the bandits do not know who can and cannot rob. For example, officials who retired from old age and returned to their hometowns, or went home for funerals, as well as their relatives, friends, relatives, children and nephews. It seems that he is a fat sheep, but in the end he causes a big disaster and attracts a large group of officers and soldiers to encircle and suppress him, so the gain outweighs the loss. Everyone is just stuttering, so it's not worth losing your life, right? Therefore, when occasionally encountering a host who is unsure, the mountain kings will serve him well and well for a few days. If the county delivers news and the other party has a lot of background, in addition to leaving with respectful gifts, they also need to show some "feelings". Sometimes, the county magistrate would pretend to personally command the yamen and the soldiers from Baihu Station to "suppress" the gang. Some of the new recruits, or those whom the king disliked, might have a few heads moved away. Become part of the deal under the table for both parties.
This kind of thing is relative, a kind of balance in the sense of unspoken rules. For example, if a person buying New Year goods is really recognized by the owner, the government will have no choice but to take it, and will quietly let it go in the middle of the night. I'm just afraid that if my grandpa is a newbie and has no experience in officialdom, he will slap someone to death on the spot without saying a word - that's the end of it! From now on, as long as there is a chance, the kings will pick out the past guests who are likely to cause trouble. They will chop the men into pieces, and the women will take turns to destroy them and throw them on the official road. They will sincerely disgust you to death, and then go to the mountains to relax. ——The master who is full of enthusiasm for cultivating Qi Zhiping is just waiting to be punished to death by the superiors!
The escort agency is more of the same. A small flag is placed on the escort car, and the escort shouts: "Zhen...yuan..." as he walks, and the gong clangs loudly, lest others cannot hear. This is also the reason. When the ambush kings heard this, they thought, "Oh, Zhenyuan's friend?" Forget it, don't come out; or, to show off your face, make a few gestures when you come out, clasp your fists and say: "Awesome, Zhenyuan Escort Agency is well-deserved, I admire you" and then turn around and leave. That is to let you know: It's not like we haven't met you before. It’s to give you face! If word gets out, can the escort agency's business be bad? On the contrary, as long as you are your bodyguard, you will be in constant trouble after leaving the city gate. If you are stopped once after crossing a mountain, who will dare to look for you in the future? Just wait to close the door and drink the northwest wind! It is said in the world that escorts travel all over the world based on friendship, not kung fu. That's what it means.
Therefore, it is safest for pedestrians to follow the tolerance. Unless there are extreme circumstances, no matter how powerful the bandit king is, he will generally not touch even the tolerance of being alone. I am also willing to work with ordinary merchants when I go on a long trip: it will be delicious to eat and drink along the way!
Although he couldn't figure it out, Jia Lianwang couldn't blow the whistle anymore to communicate - just now they were hundreds of feet away, so these people couldn't hear him, but now they were right in front of them, and they could only watch Fulgen's reaction.
The first few businessmen disappeared from sight, and the second group of pedestrians also passed by.
Although they are all in casual clothes, who is Jia Lianwang? At that time, everyone knew about the famous Jia Wanzi in the Yulin area of northern Shaanxi! A legendary figure with good eyesight and nimble feet, who has escaped from the eyes of officials many times and is the leader among beggar bandits! Otherwise, how could it be possible to become the captain of the main battalion in a team with frontier generals as its backbone? When this group of people came closer, Captain Jia saw the problem at a glance: these are all people who work for the public, and they are all good players! Look at your age, look in your eyes, look at your gait, no need to ask, you can’t go wrong! Everyone has something hidden in their waist and back!
Looking further east, we can also see the clues about the last group of people on horseback: half a mile away, you can feel that the few people caught in the group have a strong momentum, which is something ordinary businessmen cannot pretend!
These are the officials!
I bet you were there to stand in front of them during the two incidents just now!
But why is it so far apart?
Before Jia Lianwang could stop wondering, there was a faint noise from the west, and immediately after, the second group of people who had just walked past began to run back, shouting in succession: "We are in ambush", "There are thieves" "...
Although he did not hear the containment signal conveyed by the sound of the gun, the situation at that time did not allow Jia Lianwang to think too much. He shouted "shoulder to block" and rushed down the hillside first.
A long, sharp sound of "squeak..." sounded behind Captain Jia. This was the sound of an arrow from Butang conveying a containment order to Deputy Guan Fugen. Almost at the same time, the trees on the opposite mountainside began to shake violently: the team deputy, who had already had a tacit understanding, had already brought people down!
The guys in the second group were all intercepted.
Including the one on horseback.
Discovering that something was wrong with the first few people, the guy turned his horse's head and tried to run back, but the distance was neither too far nor too close: for the horse, the distance was too close. He had just changed from a slow stroll to a small step, and faced him. Then they bumped into several spears, and they could only stop and spin in place to release the little kinetic energy they had just accumulated. For Jia, Guan and others, the distance was just right, and the horses had not accelerated enough to lose their temper. Stop, the brothers' spears are just flat!
The officials seventy or eighty feet away saw all this, and because they had been mentally prepared, they all turned their horses' heads and fled in the direction of Mianchi without any hesitation.
There was a sound of horse hooves from the west: the large army also discovered the problem. This was the horse pond they sent out to reconnoiter.
Jia Lianwang waved his hand: "Don't bother, you can't catch up." The distance of a few dozen feet is enough for the horses of those guys to run at full speed - they don't need to consider the horsepower, they will be safe all the way back to the county; if the scouts rush If the horse runs out of strength, it may not be able to come back!
You can figure this out in an instant. Jia Wanzi's reputation is really not in vain!
