However, when he saw the mercenary regiment's artillery shells hitting Li Shouxin's troops like a meteor shower from a distance, Liu Guitang immediately gave up.
This is the first time in his life that he has seen artillery used in this way. Doesn't the cannonball cost money?
A full ten minutes of artillery bombardment completely defeated the combat-effective army that had previously lost its armor and fled in embarrassment.
He didn't even need to get closer to observe. He could just look at the fireballs all over the sky and the gunpowder smoke that almost completely covered the grassland to imagine the tragic situation inside. This large-scale lethality was beyond his knowledge.
While my little heart was beating loudly, I began to retreat.
This kind of powerful army, whether it is the national army or not, cannot be offended by oneself, let alone trying to take advantage of others.
However, even though he didn't dare to offend others, he still decided to wait and see, still retaining a glimmer of hope in his heart.
If they are national troops passing by, they will naturally attack the puppet troops when they see them.
But after the enemy is defeated, they may not necessarily stay in Duolun permanently. Once this army leaves, doesn't the city of Duolun still belong to us?
So, after the battle was over and the mercenary group entered the city, Liu Guitang led his men to stop at a place a few miles away from Duolun, and then sent a shrewd man disguised as an ordinary herdsman to sneak into the city to inquire for information.
Liu Guitang had been stationed in Duolun for several months, so he naturally had his own spies. It didn't take long for him to learn that the national army was just passing by, and he quickly left Duolun.
Liu Guitang was relieved after hearing the news, knowing that he had made the right bet again this time.
But people's desires are endless. If he takes his men and hides far away, Zhou Wen will leave with the mercenary group in a few days at most, and it is hard to say that he can escape a catastrophe.
However, Liu Guitang now not only wants to take back Duolun City, he is also greedy for the two thousand puppet troops captured by the mercenary group.
You know, these two thousand puppet prisoners who Zhou Wen would not even take a look at are the best sources of soldiers in Liu Guitang's eyes. They are more than a little stronger than his original bandit men. If he can get them from the national army, If he accepts it, he will soon be able to regain his former power.
How can we openly get these prisoners from the national army? Then we need to name ourselves.
As the saying goes, he was blinded by the power. At this time, Liu Guitang thought that he was still a member of the national army, not to mention that the previous battle with the puppet army was real. Although he was defeated, he always tried his best, right? Presumably the commander of the friendly army will not fall out with him.
At this time, he forgot about the evil he had done and the crimes he had committed in Duolun.
But maybe in his mind, it was just a small mistake. In these turbulent years, who had such a clean butt?
However, he still followed the cautious attitude of Wannian Ship, and only sent two of his officers to lead people to contact the city first, while he led a large group of people to watch a few miles away, in case the situation went bad, and there was still someone to escape. Opportunity.
But he didn't expect that these guilty subordinates would be warmly received by Zhou Wen in person. Not only did he take them to eat and drink, but he also praised the newly appointed Commander Liu of the Fourth Division. He boasted that if Commander Liu had not led all the officers and soldiers of the division to fight the enemy bravely, he would not have won his subsequent victory.
With sincere and enthusiastic praise and several cups of yellow soup, even the bandits who had personally experienced the defeat believed that it was indeed their own troops that had exhausted Li Shouxin's puppet army, and this was why the 29th Army The friendly forces of the Independent Regiment took advantage.
Therefore, the few coward soldiers and bandits who were still hunched over with guilty conscience actually straightened up a lot after hearing Zhou Wen's praise. When they heard that Zhou Wen wanted to go see Master Liu at night in person, he agreed immediately by patting his chest.
Seeing that Zhou Wen only brought a dozen followers to follow them out of the city, these bandits were completely relieved. They all had their chests out and their bellies burping with wine. They took Zhou Wen and the others to the camp a few miles away. go.
Little did they know that as soon as they left, hundreds of black shadows on horseback followed them quietly a few hundred meters behind.
With Zhou Wen's night vision ability, he spotted several flames flickering in front of him from a distance of more than a mile. He knew at a glance that it was a bonfire lit by the remnants of Liu Guitang.
You know, there is a big temperature difference between morning and night on the prairie. Although it is already May, the temperature is still very low at night. How can Liu Guitang's bandits hold on? It is appropriate to light a few bonfires to keep warm.
When he got here, Zhou Wen no longer needed these bandits to lead the way. He waved his hand and the team members around him understood. They rode forward and rode side by side with the bandits. They smiled and said complimentary words, but the daggers in their hands secretly stabbed them. Just poke it.
In order not to make any noise, those who did it were all veterans. The few well-fed and drunk bandits died quickly and peacefully, at least they became dead ghosts.
Liu Guitang on the grassland had no food and wine to eat. At this time, he was sitting next to a campfire, chewing a piece of dry bun in his mouth tastelessly, but his eyes kept looking in the direction of Duolun.
In his heart, he was scolding the few men who went to contact him.
"Why did those gangsters go away for such a long time and not come back? They left me hanging out in the cold wind until they come back to see if I beat the butts of those gangsters to bits."
As for the city's response, Liu Guitang analyzed various situations in his mind. The worst outcome was that he would beat up a few of his men and then drive away.
He never imagined that others were directly aiming for his life.
It's exactly this: there is a road to heaven but you don't take it, and there is no door to hell but you choose to go instead.
At this time, his bandits were all resting around the campfire in groups here and there. Liu Guitang looked around and suddenly felt his heart beating a little hard for no reason, and a bad intuition came to his heart.
He immediately stood up and said loudly: "Get up, everyone, let's leave here right away."
"Boss, apart from the national army in the city, there are no enemies anywhere. Let the brothers take a rest. Not only are we tired, but our horses are also tired after a long day..."
When one of his men was chattering and not wanting to move, he suddenly heard a heart-stopping roaring sound in the air.
"It's... it's a cannonball..." an experienced bandit officer suddenly changed his face and shouted.
But it's too late.
"Boom...boom...boom..."
A dozen shining fires that could blind the eyes in the dark night, accompanied by deafening explosions, rose up among the bandits.
