Chang Yu and his party of dozens of people crossed the Qiupu River on horseback just as the sun was setting. However, it was the end of summer and the days were long and the nights were short. Even if the sun set, it would still be nearly an hour before it would get completely dark.
However, everyone felt that it was getting dark very fast today, so they looked around and Li Muchian clicked his tongue: "The clouds are starting to appear, I'm afraid it's going to rain."
"It's raining." Chang Yu looked up at the sky and said, "If it rains heavily, God will help me." Many people were puzzled, but Li Muxian knew what he was thinking. Baiwang's troops fled in a panic into the mountains with nothing to eat or drink. If there was another heavy rain, when they were desperate, the morale of the army would collapse, and they would be willing to surrender. They might even kill them. Take credit.
However, if God peeed, it would not be just Bai Wang who would be wet. Chang Yu and his entourage would also get wet, so they ordered a rush, and dozens of horses were beaten and galloped.
After crossing Qiupu River, the south side of the road is close to the foot of the mountain, but the river beach to the north is quite wide. Dozens of horsemen ran wildly for more than 20 miles at a stretch.
At this time, the sky became gloomier and drizzle started to fall. It was very cool after the hot weather. As everyone walked, they looked at the scenery along the way and felt very comfortable.
"I thought I could meet a few thieves to stretch their muscles, but I didn't expect that after running for twenty or thirty miles, I couldn't even see a single person." Kuang Ren was a little uninterested. Chang Yu looked around with a smile: "Just because you can't see me, it doesn't mean you can't see anyone." does not exist".
Kuang Ren immediately became nervous. The governor meant: "In the mountains..."
"Hao Yaoqi and Ji Ji sneaked from the middle of the river to the Qiupu River mouth to land and raid the enemy's rear in the dark. During the fierce battle, most of the rebel troops fled southward into the mountains. Theoretically, the rebel troops west of the Qiupu River should not have been alerted, but Tens of thousands of troops have been strutting in Chizhou City all day long. No matter how stupid the thieves here are, they will find that Chizhou has been recaptured by the officers and soldiers. Even if they don't flee immediately, they can't show their faces openly."
"A bright arrow can easily hide a hidden arrow. These thieves are hiding in the mountains and forests..." Kuang Ren's heart tightened and he ordered all the guards to be alert and not to be careless.
However, Chang Yu didn't take it seriously at all. Most of the rebels outside the city were spies, usually in groups of up to ten people. Faced with nearly a hundred warriors, even if they had the intention, they would not have the guts to take action.
After a few more miles, the sky had completely darkened, and I estimated that we had traveled nearly forty miles. The guard scouting the road ahead reported: There is a large lake a few miles away to the south of the road. I asked the mountain people and they said it was Wutou Lake...
Mountain people? Chang Yu and Li Muxian looked at each other, with a smile on their lips, turned around and said to Kuang Ren, "Your job has come."
Kuang Ren had come to his senses. The rebels were marching from the south to the north. At first, they still maintained some dignity. However, when Bai Wang crossed the river from Anqing and went north to fight for reinforcements, the place he passed was completely barren. All the food and people were taken away. How could he return? You can easily meet the so-called mountain people.
Wutou Lake is next to the road and surrounded by mountains on three sides, as if it is embedded in the mountains. Travelers often stop here. There used to be several small villages near the lake and even tea sheds, but they were all empty at this time. The villagers had not fled into the mountains. In the middle, he was taken north by the bandit army.
However, the guards who were exploring the road ahead unexpectedly encountered a family in a village with only seven or eight households by the lake. The heads of the household were two brothers. They said that after returning from hunting in the mountains some time ago, they found that the village was empty and in ruins... Anyway, it was not like that. All the bitter water.
Later, Kuang Ren arrived and ordered the two brothers to be tied up, hung from a tree on the roadside, and whipped.
It turns out that Wutou Lake is a den of the thieves who are responsible for relaying intelligence information. Last night, the officers and soldiers broke through Pingtian Lake to regain Chizhou. The thief outside the city heard the news and soon spread the news to this den. The thieves who gathered here sneaked into the mountains to hide. , but because they didn’t know Bai Wang’s whereabouts and were afraid that he might pass by him when he retreated, they left the two of them pretending to be villagers looking out.
These two thieves were also a pair of idiots. When they heard the sound of hooves in the dark, they thought it was the retreating outpost of friendly troops and did not sneak away. After being discovered by the personal guards, they became alert and could not escape, so they started acting and actually killed several personal guard outposts. He was fooled, but he couldn't hide it from an old fox like Chang Yu and Li Muxian.
After a severe beating, the two agents revealed everything they knew. For example, there were twenty-six accomplices hiding in the mountains, and the hiding place was not far away, in a small village only three miles away from the road.
Although the village was in the mountains, it was also close to the lake. Chang Yu thought for a moment and asked Kuang Ren to go there to try his luck. Dozens of his guards dismounted and sneaked along the lakeside path to find their way there.
Sure enough, not long after walking, he discovered the small village hidden in the mountains and forests. There was a faint fire coming from it. Kuang Ren made a simple arrangement. Dozens of guards surrounded the village in three groups and rushed towards the fire.
It turned out to be a den of thieves. Twenty or so thieves were eating meat and drinking soup from an iron pot in the yard. Suddenly they heard a loud shout. When all the thieves panicked, they found that they were surrounded. Some of them were about to commit violence and were shot immediately. After killing him, the remaining thieves no longer dared to move without permission and crawled on the ground to beg for mercy.
Kuang Ren counted exactly twenty-six people, looked at the iron pot, smiled, and served it!
The rain gradually became heavier and the sky became extremely dark. Chang Yu decided to take shelter from the rain temporarily in a small village by the lake. When Kuang Ren went into the mountain to arrest the culprits, he continued to interrogate the two agents and learned that Bai Wang had died not long ago. Several teams of agents were sent to Anqing to gather information, but the other side was blocked by officers and soldiers. The thieves could not even cross the river, let alone sneak into Anqing, and could only stay across the river in a daze.
I also learned from Lai Xizuo that thirty-four miles further on, the Yangtze River made a 90-degree turn to run north-south, and then turned again to run east-west, thus forming two Jiangxin Continents. It is where Anqing City is located. There are many thieves in the state who are trying to use it as a springboard to infiltrate into the other side to gather information.
"Is there a large band of thieves ahead? Are there any dens along the way?" Li Muxian pressed. The spy had been beaten to death and asked what he said. It was said that there was no large band of thieves. They were all scattered in small groups. There should be more than a hundred people scattered in total. Everywhere, and all the larger villages and towns along the way have their footholds.
Seeing that there was no more useful information, Chang Yu ordered Chen Suole to drag the two of them out and kill them. Not long after, Kuang Ren returned triumphantly with more than 20 thieves. However, Chang Yu raised his eyebrows and said, "Take them with you." What are you here for?"
Kuang Ren was startled, then patted his head, and took these people to the bushes at the foot of the mountain, where they all bowed their heads.
The rain was falling lightly, and it looked like it would be impossible to stop for a while. Chang Yu decided to stay at the lakeside to rest tonight. Kuang Liang led his guards to carefully search the village from the inside out several times, and placed light and dark sentries before returning. In the private house where Chang Yu was: "Governor, do you want to send someone forward to explore the way?"
Chang Yu looked at the rain curtain outside: "There is no big threat ahead. Don't let the brothers suffer. Let's have a good rest until tomorrow morning when the rain stops and then we can go. Let's see if anyone dares to stop us on the road."
Kuang Ren hummed, found a clean place nearby and sat down, turned his head and asked, "Duke, are we going to Anqing?"
Chang Yu raised his eyebrows: "It's difficult to cross the river from Anqing, and there's Li Yan's army over there. Why are we going there?"
"Li Yan has been besieging the city for a long time and has been unable to capture it. Why won't the Governor go and help?" Kuang Ren chuckled.
Chang Yu smiled: "If Li Yan can't attack for a long time, what can I do if the governor is gone?" Kuang Ren was startled by this, while Li Muchian bit his lip and said nothing, he was a little jealous.
In the early days of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty actually had many capable ministers and generals, such as Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting, Hong Chengchou, Wang Qiaonian, etc. It can be said that there are so many talents that any one person can be responsible for it. However, after more than ten years of war, these people have been reduced to death. In the later period of Chongzhen, the court had no generals available. Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, there was no one who could take action. Although there were some pillars such as Shi Kefa and others, they were more loyal than talented, and the generals in the army also had their own calculations. Watching the Ming Dynasty collapse and take on a new owner.
This was also one of the main reasons for the final collapse of the Ming Dynasty in history, because there was a lack of someone who could turn the tide.
And Chang Yu appeared, and some people questioned how a boxer from his previous life could travel through time and be so good at fighting. This was a bit outrageous. Actually, if you think about it carefully, could Chang Yu really know how to fight?
In the early stage, he relied entirely on being familiar with this period of history to be able to pre-emptively strike and formulate countermeasures in advance. He was able to seize every opportunity and take advantage. In terms of intelligence and experience, he was not even as good as some veterans in the army, such as Wu Sangui, Ma Ke and others, let alone others. Li Yan.
This is not to brag about how awesome Li Yan is. It is said that there are no tigers and monkeys in the mountains to dominate. In the late Chongzhen period, there were no outstanding talents in either the court or the army. In contrast, Li Yan's talent became outstanding.
First of all, he is definitely a first-class think tank. His talent can be seen from the series of actions he planned during the four years he followed Li Zicheng. He is very systematic and far-sighted. He is definitely not comparable to a dog-headed strategist like Li Muxian. Although Li Muxian is well-informed, he is mostly smart. Occasionally, there are strange tricks, but they are far inferior to Li Yan in terms of overall control. After all, Li Yan is not only extremely intelligent but also has four years of experience in the army. He has participated in planning countless battles with Li Zicheng, large and small. In terms of experience, he is often Utsu is not as good as him.
The reason why Chang Yu is on par with Li Yan is not that he is smarter than Li Yan, but that he has an innate advantage. He has hundreds of years more experience than him in time travel, and his way of thinking is completely different. After all, Li Yan's thinking There are also limitations of the times.
Therefore, Chang Yu never felt that he was better than Li Yan, so he always valued Li Yan and let him stand alone, because in the current Ming Dynasty, Li Yan is definitely the top.
