Liao Sanniang felt dark in her heart, frowned, looked at the big man, and said to Xiao Bazi: "Call Lao Feng over. His cold heart will definitely be able to persuade this hero."
After Liao Sanniang finished speaking, she raised her head and looked at the road she was walking on. The dirt road was empty at both ends, and the road stretched to both ends under the shadow of trees. She didn't know the destination or where to go.
When the motorcade stopped, Lao Feng walked up to Liao Sanniang, stepped forward and bowed, waiting for instructions.
Liao Sanniang glanced at the big man lying on the ground and said to Old Feng: "You must not be a good person if you follow him in such a sneaky manner. Senior brother, let's ask some questions to see what the plot is. We are halfway and cannot afford to delay, so we must hurry up."
Old Feng nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, madam."
Old Feng turned around and waved his hands to the two workers beside him, saying: "Help me."
Two men came over, and the three of them picked up the man and dragged him into the bushes beside the road not far away.
Liao Sanniang had no expression on her face and just watched the three men act coldly. Torture was the fastest way.
Liao Sanniang raised her chin to Xiao Bazi and said, "Go and invite senior brothers Zhao and Liu to come over for a meeting."
A moment later, a scream came from the bushes. The scream only came out halfway and then stopped suddenly, as if it was gagged.
The figures of Lao Feng and the others were obscured by the shadows of the trees, and it was not clear what they were doing from the outside. Only the cigarette butts in Lao Feng's mouth flickered in the darkness, marking their positions.
Liao Sanniang didn't wait long. Lao Feng was always very efficient and never disappointed. He came back soon.
Liao Sanniang didn't know what method he used, so she looked at him with a little doubt.
Old Feng spit out the cigarette butt in his mouth and said with a smile: "Such a slanderous method, I didn't say it to dirty my wife's ears. This man's tendons are the most delicate. When the steel wire is inserted, he doesn't care about his ancestors." That's it." After saying that, Lao Feng threw away the bloody steel wire in his hand.
Liao Sanniang frowned in disgust and asked, "Where are the roads made?"
Lao Feng replied: "As Xiao Bazi said, a few deserters gathered together some rogue grass bandits from the surrounding villages, about thirty people, and went around doing this private business without any capital. We are so lucky now. Collided. This man was a sentry. When we were refilling water and resting at the road store, he saw that our car was heavily rutted. He guessed that there must be treasure in the car, so he sent the sentry. There were two people, and one of them went back and forth to report. Just now When they passed the fork in the road, the other one went back to retaliate, and only this one was left with him. The sentry detective said that the group of thieves had already arranged an ambush in front of them, setting up ambushes in two places. One wants to rob us by fire."
After hearing this, Liao Sanniang felt a little calmer. Most of the bandit gangs in the countryside only have five to ten people. Fifty people is a line. If it exceeds, they will gather at a faster pace. Soon they will reach hundreds or thousands of people, capable of robbery. The capabilities of the prefecture and county.
Around thirty people is a number in the growth stage, which means that this small-scale wandering gang already has a basic backbone and has the conditions to grow into a dynamic social organization.
Liao Sanniang licked her broken hair on her temples with her hands and said, "How far is the ambush from here?"
Old Feng said: "Just turn around another intersection."
Liao Sanniang didn't expect the enemy to be so close. She squinted her eyes and couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Xiao Bazi said angrily from behind: "In the city, I encountered idlers trying to steal money, and when I left the city, I encountered such unrelated strong thieves. How could I be so unlucky?"
Liao Sanniang snorted coldly and said: "It's not that we are unlucky, it's just that we are in troubled times. Such things are normal. This place is closer to the capital and there are no large groups of bandits. If it is further away, Shaanxi, Henan, Sichuan and other places, The government and the army are running rampant and the bandits are running wild. This is called lawlessness. They slaughter villages in the daytime, even if they kill thousands of people, it is nothing. What we have to deal with from the beginning is not just these kidnappers, but also these people. The world is in chaos. The escort business is of no use in governing the world. It is difficult to survive in troubled times. In the end, it is just a gap in the river of history. But these thirty bandits have to deal with us, but they also take us too seriously. It’s too small.”
Liao Sanniang turned her face to look at Zhao Liangjian and said, "What do you think, Senior Brother Zhao?"
Zhao Liangjian was a muscular man in his thirties with a thin face, wearing a roll-brimmed felt hat, a green short coat, and blue and white fish scale leggings on his calves.
Zhao Liangjian looked up at the sky and said: "It's too late now. We have traveled this far. If we turn back, we will definitely not be able to make it in time before the city gate is closed. We can only stay outside the city. Moreover, all the pretentiousness of leaving the city will be gone." It’s all in vain, if someone knows the details, it will be even more difficult to deposit money out of the city next time.”
Liao Sanniang nodded and said: "Yes, the reason why these fugitives want to recruit thieves from their hometown to join their gang is to collude with each other, use the convenience of their hometown to cover up their whereabouts, and mix among the civilians. When they go out, they are thieves, and when they enter, they are for the people. , to detect the government news, we cannot go through this crossing this time. Next time we come, we will be more discerning and the thieves will be more greedy."
Liao Sanniang looked at Liu Chang again and asked, "What does Senior Brother Liu think?"
Liu Chang is in his twenties, has a broad face, wears a swastika on his head, a Tsing Yi with the hem tucked into a belt, soap leather boots on his feet, and cowhide wrist guards on his arms with copper nails on them. After hearing the question, she replied in a muffled voice: "Sanniang and Senior Brother Zhao have made up their minds, I will follow suit."
Liao Sanniang continued: "With the money on our backs, the mule cart couldn't move fast. When we were young, the thieves didn't see us, and they gathered together to kill us from behind. We had no way to avoid it, and were forced to meet the enemy. On the contrary, we lost the opportunity. If not, Strike first to gain the upper hand and get through. If you are really losing, don't be too eager to fight. Retreat for the time being and leave the cart of silver to them. There are only a few of them, so the cart of silver cannot be moved with shoulder or hand carry, but becomes a burden. , I have tied my own hands and feet, and while they are fighting for the silver, I can still maneuver around when the killer comes back. But don’t lose your manpower easily, everything will end if you die. "
Zhao Liangjian nodded and said: "We have walked more than half the distance now. After passing this level, we will reach Zhuangzi in twenty miles. Fifteen people versus thirty people can afford to fight."
Xiao Bazi asked from the side: "How dare the thieves be so rampant? They robbed during the day."
Liu Chang shook his head and interjected: "Under the jurisdiction of various prefectures and counties, the boundaries are divided. Banditry cases occur on the boundaries. Since the officials are not under each other, it is difficult to take responsibility. They often pass the buck and follow the rules. The government It is impossible to control thieves, so there are so many bandits gathering together, and it is only the common people who suffer. As for bandits, they believe in seeking wealth and honor in danger, kill people like grass, and have a heart of iron. They are most crazy and evil. They cannot be inferred with common sense, let alone drive It’s not uncommon to kill mule carts, even kill officials and burn down government offices, so there’s nothing that such people can’t do.”
Liao Sanniang said to Lao Feng: "Go and question the man carefully to see if there are any discrepancies in his confession. The most important thing is that the number of people must be correct."
Not long after, Lao Feng came back and understood that the report was correct.
Liao Sanniang looked at a few people and said: "The thieves are ambushing one after another. One group of eighteen and nineteen people are blocking the road in front; the other group of ten people are flanking behind. We are divided into two groups. Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Brother Liu escort They drove the car and pretended that nothing happened. When they arrived at the ambush, Brother Zhao stopped and shouted for the escort. The thief did not understand the argots and argots, so he just shouted in plain language. If the thief came out, Brother Zhao and Brother Liu leaned on the cart and led the men to form a formation. The formation was close to theirs. If we didn't come out and hold our position, Bazi and I would go around from the side and attack the smaller group from behind. If the oriole was behind, as long as we destroyed all the way, the other group would naturally be unable to hide. Stop, panic and retreat. At this time, you are attacking from the side. When the thief retreats, stop pursuing him and hurry up."
Zhao and Liu couldn't help but be stunned after hearing this. Zhao Liangjian said: "You two are going to fight ten?"
Liao Sanniang lifted her clothes, took down the short gun at her waist, and said: "I have a blunderbuss, the sound and light can capture the soul. Under the thunder, fire and thunderbolt, I am not afraid of thieves and I am not afraid of the courage."
Zhao Liangjian and Liu Chang wanted to talk more, but Liao Sanniang waved her hands and said: "There is no need to discuss, that's it. The jungle is deep and dense, and it is difficult to perform with many people. On the contrary, it will be a drag. Two people are enough."
Zhao and Liu saw that Liao Sanniang was so conceited and knew that she was very capable, so they stopped arguing and nodded and went back to prepare.
Liao Sanniang called out to Old Feng again, pulled out another revolver from the package on the horse, put it into Old Feng's hand, and said: "Brother Old Feng, among the people transferred from Guangli, you are the only one who has been trained in shooting short guns. You can use it to shoot." This gun suppresses the position."
Old Feng said worriedly: "Sanniang is very dangerous, it's better for you to take care of her."
Liao Sanniang glanced at Zhao and Liu, forced the short spear into Lao Feng's hand, and said: "My family is close to me, and my brother is holding the battle, but I feel relieved."
Lao Feng and Liao Sanniang looked at each other for a moment, nodded silently, and without refusing, said in a low voice: "Madam, please be patient."
Liao Sanniang whispered: "Use your hands. If you win, don't use your gun. Only when you lose, do you open fire."
Old Feng grunted, stuffed the dagger under his clothes, and returned to the mule cart to sit down.
Old Feng touched the short gun in his arms, pulled out a piece of cigarette paper, spread it out and sprinkled the tobacco leaves carefully, rolled up the dry cigarette and lit it, spit out the smoke ring, and the hand holding the cigarette was very steady without any fluctuation.
Liao Sanniang finished the arrangements and said no more. She took off her loose cloak, revealing a dark cyan tight-fitting battle suit underneath, and a pair of soft combat boots with wedge heels. The boots were a special supply of the special reconnaissance team and could be obtained It's a privilege.
Liao Sanniang arranged her equipment, tied a belt across her abdomen, slung a belt across her left shoulder, with seven steel darts inserted diagonally on the belt, and a revolver on her right waist.
Liao Sanniang stood on tiptoes, jumped twice on the spot, and did a few stretching and turning movements. She felt that she was ready and there was no obstruction around her body. She just walked to the horse, took off her two swords and slung them at her waist.
Liao Sanniang licked her lips, her face covered with frost, her voice was cold to the bone, and she said coldly: "Bazi, we are going to kill someone, are you afraid?"
Xiao Bazi untied the mud bomb and threw it away, took out a bag of iron marbles from the donkey's back, took out an iron bullet and nestled it in the leather pocket of the slingshot, stretched it twice, then pulled out the elbow-length steel knife from his waist, and cut it on his clothes. He stood up, bared his teeth, and said: "On the road of rivers and lakes, if you are afraid of death, you are not a good man, so you just go forward and kill him to become a thief."
(End of chapter)
