Realistic difficulties turned all counter-reconnaissance methods into a joke, and as the huge and delayed fleet continued to move forward for several days, although there was no sign of delay, it already made everyone tense.
Finally, shortly after the fleet entered Pengcheng County, the county officials in the fleet finally couldn't bear it anymore.
"Please Inspector Bai, please save us!"
"If we do something bad, what good will it do to you?"
"You guys also have so many boats loaded with stuff. How can those thieves come here and tell who owns the boat?"
"Jing'antai has its own regulations, but this time it is a serious plan to make up for the autumn tax and spring. Once things are not harmonious, how can there be intact eggs after the nest is overturned?"
"That's right. Nowadays, everyone is just a grasshopper on a rope... It will definitely not work if this continues."
"..."
"Where did Zhang Sanlang go?"
In the afternoon of the twelfth lunar month, the weather was not very good. On a two-story ship in the center of the fleet, Bai Yousi watched the monkey show for half a day on the top of the ship. However, the monkeys still wanted to perform, and they finally felt helpless. , and then go back and ask where the administrator is.
"I don't know." Li Qingchen looked a little anxious. "How about I go down and drive them away?"
"You're going to do something bad if you go down there." Bai Yousi shook his head in denial. . "Forget it, come up to them, let me see them...Then you go and call Brother Hu and Qian Tang, and let's discuss a countermeasure together... No matter how little hope these people have, one sentence is right, if this goes on Definitely not."
Li Qingchen had no choice but to leave, and the two patrolmen in brocade clothes next to him were also preparing to go down and lead the people up. But at this moment, a puff of smoke and dust rolled up from the far end of the east bank of the Huan River, and it turned out that six or seven cavalrymen came majestically.
Seeing this, Bai Yousi raised his hand to stop the two patrolmen from disembarking. Li Qingchen glanced back and could only call for someone in a low voice.
Sure enough, after a while, the six or seven cavalry were stationed nearby, and it was Zhang Xing and other right wingers who came to cover them. Under the gloomy weather, Zhang Baishou's arrival was like the sun shining through the clouds. All of a sudden, the Shangji County officials saw the sun. The two groups of people greeted each other, avoided the hard-working trackers, and immediately came to the shore. They communicated for a while, not knowing what was said.
But in the end, those county officials left with great gratitude. At this time, Zhang Xingfu handed over the team to Qin Er, and he directly followed the fleet and boarded the ship alone to see Bai Yousi. .
"What did you tell them?" Bai Yousi was curious for a moment.
"It's all nonsense." Zhang Xing said disapprovingly. "But there is also some definite information that can comfort me for a while... I set out early today, taking Qin Erlang and two horses with him, and ran seventy or eighty miles in one go to take a look around the upstream Guyang City."
"How do you say it?" Bai Yousi was also concerned.
"There will definitely be no problem in the first section of the road. The Huanshui River is the main transportation channel for materials from the Central Plains to the Eastern Capital. The surrounding counties basically build cities along the river." Zhang Xing explained seriously. "Guyang is one of them... With Guyang City as a shield, the thieves will not choose to intercept in the city. Not only that, but also in Qixian and Linhuan... And at that time, the superiors will The reply will definitely arrive, and we can make a decision based on the reply. I just gave them this explanation and gave it a guarantee."
Bai Yousi nodded, noncommittal: "In other words, it won't be like this after Linhuan?"
"good."
Zhang Xing was honest and honest. "I have asked the trackers and the locals. When we reach Qiaojun, pass Linhuan City, and reach Yongcheng County, the Whale Gang loses its power. You have to be careful wherever you go... and the reason is the terrain. , suddenly there were several mountains on the plain, among which Mount Ji is right next to the Huanshui River, while the county seat of Yongcheng County is dozens of miles away from the Huanshui River."
"It's directly next to the Huanshui River. It's also convenient to go down the dam to block the water." Bai Yousi was a little helpless. "Do you know how many thieves there are in Jishan?"
"It is said that there were originally only four or five hundred, but after Yang Shen's rebellion, the number increased to two or three thousand." Zhang Xing answered seriously and without reservation. "But there are more than just thieves... In the northernmost part of Yongcheng County, at the junction of Qiaojun, Pengcheng, and Liangjun, there are a large number of mountains such as Dangshan and Yutou Mountain... It has always been the base camp of the Central Plains bandits, Yang Shen After the chaos, there were tens of thousands of people inside, and there were many good people."
"I understand." Bai Yousi nodded again and again. "And I've heard about it for a long time."
How could you not understand? It is a rare mountainous area in the Central Plains where no one cares. Not to mention gathering people to become thieves, but also blacklisted fugitives, I am afraid they will use it as a base.
After a long pause, Bai Yousi asked softly: "Do you have any countermeasures?"
"We definitely can't defend it alone." Zhang Xing shook his head. "With so many people in the mountains, there will definitely be a shortage of food in winter. So what if you risk your life just for a bite to eat? It's rare to see such a wave of food in winter that has not kept up with the autumn grain queue. Plus, the conditions are so favorable. If they don't come to rob, the village leaders will be annexed by fire... But if they come to rob, we only need to wait until our fleet passes Linhuan City, build a dam on Jishan in front, force the team to stop, and tens of thousands of people will swarm up at night. No matter how much it is...even if they let us kill them, they wouldn't care."
Bai Yousi nodded, then shook his head: "I'm asking you for countermeasures."
"There is only one countermeasure." Zhang Xing met the other party's gaze calmly. "We need reinforcements, and they are reinforcements from a large group!"
"What's more specific?" Bai Yousi couldn't ask further.
"Forty miles west of the Huan River and sixty miles south of Jishan, there is a ready-made army in Chengfu County." Zhang Xing answered with arms crossed. "It is said that there are three thousand fine armors... They were a force left by the imperial court to prevent victims from fleeing to the east after Yang Shen's rebellion. They were also responsible for the autumn grain protection... They were originally affiliated with Xuzhou and were composed of Lai Gong and Zhou Xingfan. My father’s old department now belongs directly to Nanya.”
At this point, Zhang Xing couldn't help but sneered: "Actually, if it weren't for this army and their station location, the thieves wouldn't have gathered in those mountainous areas... The leader of this army is definitely a slippery man... And we were in The 'reinforcements' have been invited from the Huaihe River, no matter whether they go through Jingantai or Nanya, I am afraid they will eventually fall to this slick army."
"So, it's better for the county magistrate to take charge now." Bai Yousi said with a smile. "The key is whether we can dispatch this unit to come to the rescue?"
"Even if the dispatch comes, they can't save the situation." Zhang Xing answered calmly. "The people in the village will come to grab food no matter what... The successful deployment of this army is nothing more than being able to dispel the dam in advance, preserve the food, and then kill more bandits to ensure that we can do business... Moreover, This is not something we can decide. The people in Jingantai cannot be mobilized into an organized army. Anyway, there is enough time, so it is better to wait quietly for the reply from Nanya and Taichung."
Bai You thought for a while and shook his head: "Zhang Xing... This is another way of papering within the system you mentioned... Even if the court did not reply, that army is also responsible for stabilizing the place. In other words, as long as it can If we talk to this army in Jiangdong, they can help us in the circle...it's only sixty miles away, I don't believe their general doesn't even have this power and responsibility."
"so what?"
Zhang Xing was unable to ask further questions. "What does inspection mean?"
"I would like to ask you and Qian Tang to swap the left and right wings, and then you take Qin Erlang's group, plus Zhou Xingfan, to the city father to contact the army in advance." Bai Yousi stared at Zhang Xing with bright eyes. "I'm not forcing you, but I'm saying that this kind of thing is your ability, Zhang Sanlang. I can only count on you."
"Then I'll go." Zhang Xing finally laughed. "Why is the inspection so stressful?"
The two armored patrolmen on the deck turned back in surprise, but neither said a word.
"However, since I want to visit City Father, I can't go directly." Zhang Xing continued to smile.
"I know, you can take whatever gold and silver you want as a gift." Bai Yousi was extremely honest. "My name is powerful and tempting... you can use it whatever you want."
"This is something that already exists." Zhang Xing responded with awe. "What I mean is that after I leave, the inspection must have two guarantees..."
The two patrolmen couldn't even hold their heads this time.
"Say." Bai Yousi responded seriously.
"First of all, the people in this Whale Gang are half-black. Once they encounter trouble, they might take advantage of it. Don't trust them during inspections. Just take action when necessary." Zhang Xing reminded seriously.
"It's natural." Bai Yousi smiled.
"Secondly, the Whale Gang is a Whale Gang, but the trackers and the ice-breakers are the trackers and the ice-breakers. The former is a rentier, half black and half carnivore, and has always been lawless. Even if he is beaten and killed, he will not suffer any loss. , but the latter are all living people who come to beg for food during the winter. They are first-class good citizens, and inspections must treat them as human beings!" For some reason, Zhang Xing's tone seemed a little serious. "On weekdays, we need to give them enough food and drink to earn enough processing money, so as to prevent them from defecting to the thieves out of dissatisfaction after a chaos breaks out... And once a chaos breaks out, unless they openly defect to the thieves to steal and rob, the thieves will also ask for inspections Be sure to show mercy.”
"It's natural." After a moment of pause, Bai Yousi still answered like this.
"In that case, I won't delay any more and let's go." With that said, Zhang Xing ignored Li Qingchen and Hu Yan approaching from a distance and instead disembarked from the boat.
ps: It’s the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month! Happy New Year to everyone! Then I would like to thank two legendary classmates Lao Wang for being cute on the same day!
7017k
