"Adang, Adang," Boss Qian shouted anxiously when he saw Adang walking down the wall, but he didn't turn around. Seeing A'Dang's aloof demeanor, Boss Qian was really angry. Thinking back to the time when this Adang was like a lapdog beside Nima, he tried his best to flatter and was polite to me, but now Nima turned against him and became ruthless as soon as he died. It was just that he was angry and angry, but he had no choice but to lead the people towards the camp in the valley below the mountain.
After returning to the camp, Boss Qian found someone to discuss the next step. Qian Laosan meant to go back home, sell the goods on the way back, and go to Lizhou to buy big livestock, which would minimize the risk. Li Kaipeng, the trade representative of the Pili Army, and Qian Bao, the first company commander of the caravan, thought that since they had already reached Dajianlu and only had two days to go to the grassland, it would be a pity to give up. This Li Kaipeng was Li Shuang's distant nephew. He was sent by Ouyang Xuan to Chongqing Mansion as a messenger and to take care of the sick Li Shuang. After Li Shuang was taken to the mountains, he worked as an accountant in a trading company, and was later sent to the United Caravan by Zhu Tiaozi. For a time, everyone was arguing about whether to move forward or go back, especially Qian Laosan and his son Qian Bao. When the fight got heated, Qian Laosan wanted to beat Qian Bao, but Qian Bao turned red and frowned, refusing to admit defeat, claiming that even if he was beaten, it was only right to continue to the grassland. While everyone was arguing, Li Ganzi came in and reported the news: there were people of unknown origin peeping outside the camp. In fact, since entering the Dajianlu Valley, someone has been following him, probably a bandit spy. In this regard, Boss Qian just reminded to be on guard. As long as the other party does not attack, force cannot be used. The caravan only goes out to seek money and does not make too many enemies.
Boss Qian was really hesitant whether to go forward or go back. However, Qian Bao's words made him determined. Qian Bao told everyone that although making money is important, the most important thing in this trip is the war horse. In fact, horses can be bought in Diao, Yanzhou and even Ya and Lizhou, and the price is much cheaper than in Han Dynasty, but they are pack animals. To buy large quantities of war horses, you have to trade with nomadic tribes. In the past, Dajian Furnace was an important trading location. Boss Qian knew very well that the main purpose of establishing a joint caravan between the Pili Army and Qianjiazhai was to obtain strategic materials such as war horses and copper mines. However, they did not buy much minerals during this trip. If they did not buy war horses, no matter how much profit they made, The meaning will also be greatly reduced. Now the Qian family has joined the Pili Army and has received firearms and military protection. The Qian family is also highly valued by Ouyang Xuan. However, if it cannot bring value to the development of the Pili Army, the Qian family's future status will be worrying. "Wealth can be found in danger." His nephew's words made him realize the above truth. He immediately suppressed the controversy and decided to continue to the grassland to try his luck.
Dajianlu climbed over a snowy mountain to reach the grassland area. It was April and there was still snow on the top of the mountain. It seemed that the distance was not far, but it took three days. In addition to the slow progress of the mules and horses over the mountain, Boss Qian also had a calm personality. He always sent forward soldiers to conduct reconnaissance first, and only allowed the caravan to continue after nothing abnormal. Hit the road. The grassland area is open, the vegetation is sparse, the air is thin and the temperature is cold, which makes everyone feel novel and uncomfortable at the same time. What makes people feel vaguely uneasy is that the sneaky bandits who have been following the caravan since the beginning of the Arrow Stove are not far away. They are now peeping on the hill not far from the caravan camp.
After nightfall, two figures appeared outside the caravan camp. Li Ganzi, who was on duty at night, immediately led his men to quietly greet them. When he sneaked closer, he discovered that these two people were the bandits who had been following the caravan. Li Ganzi let out a whistle and led his men to rush over, preparing to capture the two men in one fell swoop. With three of his men, he was quite confident in fighting two against one. Unexpectedly, the two bandits were very strong, especially the taller one. Neither Li Gangzi was his opponent, and he was thrown out in a few rounds. Fortunately, the sound of fighting attracted the camp guards. Faced with the dazzling swords and guns, the two bandits did not run away or resist. They allowed the guards to take off the short knives from their waists and kept mumbling something. Many people in the camp were awakened by the noise and came out of their tents to see what was going on. Some of them knew the dialect and knew that what the tall bandit was saying was: "I am Zelang and I want to see Uncle Qian." When Qian Bao, the commander of the first company on duty, heard this, he took the two of them to Boss Qian's account. He was really curious, why did the two thieves come to Qian's house?
The two thieves talked for a long time in Boss Qian's account and didn't come out until midnight. Qian escorted them out of the camp, and then gathered and led the company's troops out of the camp, disappearing into the dark night.
Shortly after the first company set off, a sharp iron whistle sounded in the camp, which was a signal for emergency gathering. Qian Laosan and Qian Laosan gave the order with serious expressions: Use mules, horses and cargo to form a circular defensive array, dig trenches and horse traps around the perimeter, and set up a circle of stumbling ropes with thick ropes for tying the cargo. When everyone woke up, they saw that Qian Bao was nowhere to be found, and after hearing such an order, they knew something was wrong. Especially when Boss Qian ordered all the light Tiger Crouching Cannons to be set up, they all knew that the situation was serious and a war was about to begin. You must know that although bandits are constantly harassing, Boss Qian insists on not using artillery, a big killer. In his words, artillery should be used at the most critical time. It seems that now is the most critical time for the survival of the armed caravan.
When the sun rose over the horizon, a large group of horses appeared on the eastern hills. These uninvited guests were obviously horse bandits. The camp of the armed caravan is located at the concave bottom of an alpine meadow. There are low mountains to the west and north, which can block the biting cold wind at night. After overnight excavation, everyone has dug trenches around the camp, especially two more shallow trenches on the east and south sides. Since there were many stones and hard soil under the turf, the folding engineering shovel could not dig very deep, so many pits were dug. Boss Qian also ordered people to build a parapet in the east and south, and placed two companies of eight light tiger squatting guns behind the wall.
The horse bandits were very particular about the location they chose to attack and the timing of their charge. At this time, the sun was rising in the east, and the caravan was facing the sun with backlight, while the horse bandits were coming with backlight. Coupled with the charge down from the hill, hundreds of horses took advantage of the terrain, and the impact was extremely terrifying. What the horse bandits didn't expect was that the armed caravan had already learned of their attack plan and made full preparations. This gave the horse bandits the right time and place to launch a sudden attack, which turned into a solid horse stumble.
