Discussions at the mouth of the valley soon turned into actual action.
Under Heiniu's command, five or six guards who took off their leather armor and put on rags and linen ran out in the direction given by Liao Hua to attract the attention of the county soldiers.
Zou Cang was hanging behind them, moving covertly among the surrounding woods.
Between the foothills.
The county lieutenant who came out from Ying County to beg the thieves wiped the sweat from his forehead.
This time he came out to beg the thieves because he asked for his orders. He had to seize this rare opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
If he fails to grasp it this time and the refugees leave, his path to promotion will be far away.
Oh no.
What kind of refugees are they? They are Taiping rebellion and an army of thieves!
"County Lieutenant, take a rest. I see how tired you are. I have water here. Take a sip."
Beside the county captain, someone licked his face and gave him a kettle.
The water bottle is made of bamboo and is different from the water bags others carry.
If the county captain wants to be promoted, there will naturally be people under him who want to please the county captain.
The water bag can hold water, but it has a smell. No, in order to show off, this person prepared a bamboo tube in advance.
The county lieutenant hummed, took the bamboo tube and took a sip, feeling much better physically and mentally.
"I'm determined."
"Hey, it should, it should."
A brief touch-up.
The county lieutenant once again sent out manpower to search, and even he himself led people to explore forward.
"How can these rats hide so well? I still don't believe it. How can they hide underground?"
Several days of searching were in vain, and the county lieutenant's patience was almost exhausted.
He thought to himself, why don't he just go down the mountain and massacre a few villages where there are still people, and call it a peaceful rebellion.
Killing good people and claiming merit is not unfamiliar to county captains who were born in the military. Although they have stopped doing this kind of thing for some years, they still have work at hand.
If we didn't do it before, wouldn't it be chaotic? There are officials at every level, and it's hard to fill the loopholes.
But what is the current situation?
Taiping rebellion is causing trouble, who can say for sure that the people in those villages do not have peace of mind?
Just when this thought became more and more intense.
A soldier ran over and reported excitedly.
"Report! Report to the county lieutenant and discover the whereabouts of those refugees!"
"What!"
The county lieutenant looked happy and asked quickly.
"where?"
Then added.
"What refugees? Those are the vicious Taiping rebels!"
"Oh, yes, yes, the Taiping rebels!"
The soldier quickly changed his words and pointed to one side.
"The brothers noticed that several refugees were walking that way. They followed them and asked the younger one to come back and report, because they would be able to find their gathering place."
"good!"
"Consider you a meritorious service!"
"let's go!"
"correct."
The county captain looked back at the man who had just handed him the water.
"You, and you, you two, take a few people back to Ying County to report to the County Magistrate, saying that you have found traces of the traitors, and Ying County County Lieutenant Li Cheng will lead the army to seize them!"
"promise!"
The two people who were named were happy and quickly accepted the order.
Soon, the county captain summoned the county soldiers and followed the soldiers who came back to deliver the message in the direction where the traces of the refugees were found.
Another group of people, numbering about five or six, headed towards Yingxian County.
Dark place.
Zou Cang, who was hiding among the bushes, had a flash of red light in his eyes.
These are these beasts wearing human skins that don't do anything.
His wife and children.
His home was all turned into flames that burned that night.
No sound was made.
Zou Cang was like hunting the most cunning fox in the forest, careful and cautious.
The two groups had just separated not long ago, and it wasn't time to hunt yet.
"Six arrows for six people are enough."
Keep up.
Zou Cang hung behind them, like a lonely soul that no one could find.
waist.
He opened a bamboo tube in advance.
The bamboo tube was filled with thick and smelly liquid.
This was the venom extracted from the poison he had captured in the valley before.
It's not a rare thing, but it can definitely kill someone if it enters flesh and blood.
Keep following.
Zou Cang had already taken out the short bow.
At a corner.
He took a few steps quickly and leaned down to hide under a tree.
Turn your head and look to the other side.
Several people who were in front of them just now appeared under him.
Draw the bow.
An arrow was wrapped in a bamboo tube, and the arrowhead was filled with deadly venom.
Whoosh——
ah! !
One person fell to the ground, wailing miserably.
The sudden scream startled the remaining people, and they quickly looked towards the person who made the sound.
That's how it looks.
Another arrow flew out and hit someone in the throat.
Woo——!
puff.
Another person fell.
The remaining four people didn't know what happened.
He quickly looked for a place to hide.
high places.
Zou Cang was not in a hurry.
Hunting.
Patience is also part of the equation.
The remaining four people avoided possible arrows and searched for traces of the shooter.
But for a while.
There was no sound at all around him.
If it weren't for the fact that one of the two people who fell down at this moment was wailing weakly and foaming at the mouth, they would all have thought that they had just hallucinated.
"what to do?"
The person among the four who had just handed over the water asked.
Judging from his expression, it was not difficult to guess that he wanted to leave first.
And several other people had almost the same meaning.
"It's hopeless. The man is spitting foam. The arrow must be poisonous. Let's run away separately. How about we live or die?"
They are all county soldiers.
Although everyone is not very good at fighting, who is afraid of running away?
As soon as this person spoke, several others nodded directly.
"Walk!"
Go away with one sound.
The four of them rushed out of their hiding places.
Each one ran away.
"Ah."
under the tree.
Zou Cang sneered.
"Run separately?"
"No matter how cunning the fox is, he can't escape from the bow and arrow in the hands of the hunter."
Seeing them running away separately, Zou Cang didn't show any signs of urgency.
Quietly followed one of them.
The moment the opponent's flash stopped slightly, the arrow flew out of his hand.
The arrow whistled from the string.
With a buzz, the arrow penetrated into the man's lower back, blood overflowed, and the screams continued.
After the hit, Zou Cang's footsteps did not stop at all, and he changed the direction and continued hunting.
In the mountains and forests, no clues can escape the eyes of hunters.
Soon, Zou Cang caught up with another one.
Drawing the bow and shooting arrows, one prey after another was hunted by Zoucang.
No one can escape.
And on the other side.
The entrance to the valley.
Hei Niu, Liao Hua and others were ambushing at high places on the left and right sides.
Around them, hundreds of refugees who had been called for help were extremely nervous.
Fortunately, Liao Hua and the others did not expect these refugees to be of much help. As long as the county soldiers entered the ambush circle, if these people could smash the rocks down, it would be considered a victory.
But not all refugees are nervous.
One of them had all five fingers on his left hand broken off, and the eyes of a young man who was followed by an old man were full of eagerness to try.
"Grandpa, do you think I can kill a county captain?"
The old man beside the young man nodded slightly.
"With this arrangement, as long as the county soldiers come in, they will definitely die."
(End of chapter)
